Life Of A Nobody - as a Villain

Chapter 402: Reunion - IV

After the dinner that lasted longer than it possibly should have, which ended with Amelia lying on the table with a bloated tummy, and Rio with his back to the chair and face to the ceiling- meaning just like how it did when they were little.

Like they literally stayed there while the maids cleared the table and started putting out the lights, and even then to leave, had to get help from their respective shadows.

"I'm never trusting you again." Rio said to his sister, who for the first time was without any energy to respond.

...

Luckily they got to sleep peacefully in their beds, and next morning, no alarms rang to wake them up, and no staff came to disturb and drag them out.

When the duo of siblings finally left their beds, the sun was already over their heads. And time for breakfast was changed to late lunch time.

(3pm)

...

The first few days at their home got spent very fast, I mean all they did was meet people they haven't seen for months, greet them, have a talk, see some sights, and there, the day was gone.

Rio stood by the balcony, watching his sister training against her shadow, Erza, with little Tanya just sitting by the sidelines cheering for her friend.

She was just 15 years old now, but due to her innate blessings, the food she cooked far surpassed those who spent their whole lives in a kitchen.

The saying that taste is in the hands and not the dishes, recipes, or ingredients _ yeah that was probably made just for her.

I mean, Rio had yet to taste a single dish which she made and wasn't magical. Though she had yet to find the effect where she can give people buffs, or attributes, or anything_ but the taste...(slurp)

Every time Rio ate something she made, he couldn't help but praise his decision to save her mother and get her under his care.

Just like in the novel, her father was a dick who left them after stealing all their savings and ran away. Selling even his house in a gambling game, and getting them kicked out. _ If not for the strict rules of human trafficking and illegal slavery in Damascus, Rio could bet, the man would've sold his wife and daughter too. That's how much of a jerk he was.

But due to his timely interference, the pair of helpless mother-daughter didn't have to suffer a single loss.

In the novel, Tanya's father came back into their life to trouble and emotionally blackmail them when she became famous on the floating islands due to her restaurants, giving Leon who was her regular customer, a chance to shine through and save her.

But that event is never gonna happen, as years ago, Rio buried that deadbeat dad's body a thousand miles deep in the sea, and watched as sharks ate him up. He hated cliches, and he hated even more, those people who repaid love with a betrayal.

So Tanya and her mother were now fully free from the shadows of their past, giving them a life of happiness and a place for fresh start.

Tanya found her obsession with food and fan-girling over her 'big brother' Rio as a way of living, and if he believed what Esme reported, then her mother, Irene, had found love in Ayla's father, Augustus.

Two kindred spirits he saved to secure the heroines, found their happiness in each other.

"You seem awfully interested in that place." Erza said after a period of silence. Her tone, still the same straightforward and to the point.

"There's something waiting for me at that place, so I'll go there in the future. Call it early preparation." Rio replied and smiled upon seeing her just nod his head.

Zorkswish lands holds the entry point for a place which leads directly to a mysterious space where a monster whose strength surpasses even the rank of Zenith is resting. One of Arcadia's top monster bosses before the army of Leviathan, Fiends of hell, beasts of heaven, and Pronze of purgatory appeared in the mortal planes.

Of course this beast was still something Rio wanted to purge himself. It was in a way, his son of sorts...

[Erza is one odd bunch, isn't she?] System said, stopping his thoughts.

'That's what makes talking to her more interesting, right.'Rio replied to his system and then ignored it again.

"Here, I didn't know we'd meet this sooner, so I couldn't buy anything good for you." Rio said, handing her a skill book, "But I found this in the house's treasury this morning, it'll suit your personality, so you can try to learn it."

Erza looked at the thin skill book, whose papers seemed to be drenched in dry blood, with a title [Path of Blood] written in witchy handwriting, and then looked at him emotionlessly again, "Why?" She asked.

Rio chuckled hearing her question before replying, "Let's call it a gift, a reward for you clearing your final mission, and officially being my sister's shadow."

"Protect her well." He said.

"I will." Erza replied, putting the book away.

Rio was going to ask her about some other things, when Amelia's voice interrupted him.

"Brother, are you bribing my shadow?"

".... Okay, that's my cue." Instead of replying back, Rio just said that and stood up to leave.

"Hey Erza, he didn't bully you, did he?" Amy asked, after seeing his leave.

"No, he gave me a gift for clearing my final mission." Erza replied stoically, showing her master the skill book.

While Amy just ignored that skill and stared at her with a rich expression, before turning around and rushing into the house.

Erza just stayed outside with confusion, until she heard her master shouting and fighting with her brother, over why he didn't tell her sooner so she could prepare a gift too, and how he made her look stingy, and feel embarrassed in front of her shadow now.

... .

Back at night, Rio stood outside his mother's room with a box in his hands, hesitating to knock and enter inside. Preparing himself slowly for the conversation to come next.

Until the door opened on its own, with his mother looking his way with a weird expression.

"You know whenever you just stand outside and don't speak, I start getting these bad vibes. So tell me, what request do you have now?"