The Final Step...

"Marquis, I can't keep them in my storehouses! If the knights find out, it isn't just me: my whole family could—"

That was the first time I heard one of my dad's 'business meetings.' It was late at night, and I couldn't sleep.

"Nothing worse than I could ever do. Think, Baron. With this money, you could send your little one to the best schools... maybe even the Royal Academy."

I'd eavesdrop on everything. I was nine, but I got it right away...

"If you don't, she goes under the bridge... if I'm in a good mood."

My father was a villain...

"Okay, okay..."

"Bwahaha...! It's a deal," the scary man cheered before leaving the office without caring about running over the little girl on the other side of the door.

Dad saw me once the door was open and rushed to hug me. "Honey, why are you here? Did you listen—"

"Daddy, you are...?"

Shaking!

"Not a very important person, that's all..."

A small-time villain.

"But don't worry, sweetheart," Dad whispered in my ear. "You are fated to greatness!"

◆◆◆

"That was the moment the little girl learned she was meant to be the greatest villainess. Soon the little girl grew up..."

"Did you grow?"

"Heh, not in every sense... Her short stature led to many suppositions and jokes about her having halfling blood, and her body lacked the fat pads men look for in their spouses, but the girl sure had a certain beauty, with ingenue features of a painting combined with the grace of a sculpture. Plus her golden drills and crimson eyes, she fit into the nobility—no, the royalty. The girl also looked good in black, which is why she always wore gothic dresses of a... necessary flamboyant taste... to emphasize her cuter type of glamor... even if it only attracted the wrong type of men."

"Here... candy!"

"Thanks, darling... Beauty wasn't her only gift, though. With her genius, she had the best grades of the Royal Academy. She sure was born to be a big-shot evildoer. Proof of that is that, when her father was finally arrested, she took the family's jewels and heirlooms and ran in the midst of night. A true villainous escape!"

"Wow..."

"The knights looked for her everywhere, but once they gave up, she showed up on the top of a hill and swore to come back and use the powers of the darkness to seize control of the fief and feast on the blood of all her enemies."

"So cool..."

"An epic persecution followed—"

"Because she showed up to everyone instead of fleeing like any other sane criminal?"

"Hush, coachman! Never interrupt a villain's backstory!"

As can be seen, the story I was narrating before the boorish's interruption was mine. My name is Vivianne, but I will give permission to call me 'Vivi,' and I'm a villainess in the final steps of my quest for power.

In fact, at that very moment, I was in a carriage, on my way to the hideout of the said 'power' I was fated to conquer. The inside of the carriage, an 'auto' model that uses runes instead of horses to move, was very rustic and weather-beaten, while, on the outside, we were surrounded by a steep range that required skill and caution to be explored.

"Vivi-san, please, I want to hear again the part you wept during the fleeing."

"I wasn't in tears! Water came out of the thrill of my first villainous escape!" I shouted before muttering, "I just let it slip once..."

Alongside moi and the rabble I won't pay my precious attention to, there was a peculiar lass. With a crystal skull on her lap, the young girl also wore a gothic dress, full of frills and bows, that, combined with her rounded features and wide eyes, gave her mysterious and mesmerizing looks. What called the attention on her, however, wasn't just her sinister outfit but also her exotic tan skin paired with pure-white hair, which contrasted with each other like the penumbra in an eclipse, almost distracting the viewer from her slightly pointed ears. Her name is Enid, and she was my dear underling, a mountain elf.

"By the way, where are we going, ladies?"

"..."

"Milady?"

"..."

I said so: not paying attention.

"Any of the lolitas could tell me why the heck are we traveling through the mountains where no common-sense man steps for free!?"

"Did you just call me 'loli,' you riffraff!?" I jumped through the carriage's window to choke the rude who uttered forbidden words.

"Haha... I mean 'gothic lolitas,' you brat! Stop striving before these twig arms break... Hahaha..."

Where's the respect for the honest evildoers nowadays…?

After my ineffective attempt to impose reverence, I sighed, "I will demand the silence fee back later..."

Still, there's an opportunity for the villains' main delight: reveal our plans... EEEEK...!

"Have you ever heard of Count Lugos?"

"The vampire?"

"Precisely."

As a villainess, I'd always searched for ways to build the power that would allow me to take over the world, and I hit upon the story of an artificer who conquered immortality by creating a cursed crystal known as 'bloodstone.' The Count was defeated, of course, but rumors say his relic lies in his coffin, in the tower of a castle hidden in the mountains.

"Ah, you're one of those tourists who think they'll trip over that stone... It's just a myth."

"Fool!" I hammered the jambs. "No 'tourist' had access to the information I had."

It may be well-hidden, but the castle existed... as well as the bloodstone. The moment I read about it, I knew my fate was becoming an Undead Queen. Immortality, power, an army... there were rumors Count Lugos' sinful beauty was another gift of the bloodstone, but it was the least of my goals (I'm serious!).

"Okay, brat, your make-believe castle exists. Now, do you think a vampire would leave it unguarded?"

"The dangers it hides may be a mystery, but probably are an army of undead." I said before beckoning inside the carriage. "That's why I've brought my underling, Eni—dear, stop eating. You are getting plump."

My underling was stuffing her squeal cheeks with lemon sweets.

"It tastes bitter like tears."

"Please, pay attention when your master reveals her evil plans to her victim."

"'Her' WHAT!?" The coachman growled.

But I crossed my arms and dismissed, "Figure of speech... Now, my dear victim, allow me to introduce my underling, Enid the Necromancer."

The little man shivered in terror the moment I'd revealed Enid's identity. I got shivers too, with the thrill of my first time terrorizing a victim.

Aaah, dread... I hope blood tastes this sweet.

"This dark elf deals with undead! Gross!"

"Gross you!" I shouted before embracing my cuddly underling. "And don't call my little darling that. Would you like to be called 'dark this' or 'light that'?"

"I don't like sweets. Vivi-san. Bitters or salty, like tears."

Enid seemed to be adorably distracted with her lemon candy, but I was sure her feelings were hurt by the boorish's prejudice.

With hands on hips, I continued, "Anyway..."

◆◆◆

"Sniff-sniff... I've told them they'd—sniff—never catch the future Mistress—sniff—of Darkness."

After escaping the Knight Guard after they arrested my... it doesn't matter... I was wiping my tears—catching my breath outside a small warehouse lost in the deep woods. Luckily, they didn't find the top-secret storehouse where the 'luxury goods' were kept, or else the ones on the Marquis' strings would just move it to a new place.

Let's see what treasure Daddy was smuggling.

With my chest puffed, I slammed the doors open. I was ready for all kinds of treasures: laundered cash, stolen jewels, artworks, anything... but that.

There was a tan early teen in a slip dress chained in the warehouse. She didn't look hungry, thirsty, nor mistreated, which showed her value, and well…

"How adorable!" I approached with both hands over my drooling mouth.

"Miss, am I sold out?"

"No! But I'm taking you out!" I inspected the girl looking for slavery runes. None... Thank goodness.

"Are you freeing me?" She asked with a rounded... sad look!?

"What the—Awww, they used that nonsense of being bought by a hero who you'd fall in love with... or he'd be like super kind and whatever, didn't they?" I supposed, looking for the key that was luckily in a nail on the wall. "What's your name, darling?"

"Enid... the Necromancer."

No wonder they took good care of her. Necromancers are some of the rarest casters out there... In fact...

◆◆◆

"So I recruited her."

For a considerable while, the coachman stared at me and Enid in total befuddlement as I stuck my chin up and chuckled.

The sharp tongue got tied, didn't it? Villains are full of resources.

"You're a slave owner..."

"NO, I'M NOT..!!!!"

Am I?

Taken aback, I brought my hand to chest. "I've t-taken Enid-chan into my family... and I'll gr-grant a wish for her help today... and once my darkness surrounds the world, I'll give this sweetie her weight in gold... Besides, she has no 'slavery rune'... If Enid wants to leave, I'm even lending her some jewels."

Slavery wasn't business for dignified evildoers. It was more like a trash business of trash criminals who lack the pride of being a true villain. In fact, many heroes had slave parties. And I shall not be mistaken by a goodie!

Sensing the coachman chuckling after turning back to our path, I approached my glutton. "Enid-chan, darling, tell this ruffian you're my adorable family member, not an oppressed slave."

Enid just turned to me with the purest grin and cheered, "Oppression is fun!"

Right away the coachman burst out laughing as I froze up in trembles, trying to imagine whatever was wrong with that young elf eating candy.

I guess you need to be really messed-up to have a deep affinity with darkness.

"Hehe... Chill out, milady." The boorish slapped his thigh. "Vampires are meant to have servants."

I clenched my teeth a bit before demanding, "I want my silence fee back right now."

"You didn't pay me to stay quiet during the trip."

"What audacity!" I slammed the seat. "We did negotiate that you would remain quiet the whole trip."

"But now the fee is to remain quiet about giving a ride to a wanted criminal once we return." The coachman side-winked.

I 'glitched' right away. Meanwhile, the opportunist smiled in a way visible from behind.

Come to think of it, he started to talk while I was entertaining Enid with my 'villain backstory.'

"Will you pay me or should we discuss all the implications of 'keeping' demi-human children nowadays?"

I just crossed my arms and down-nodded.

That was top-tier villainy... Okay, I'll pay you, Sir, but you got my respect for free... Still, the payback shall come at the due time.

◆◆◆

"Okay, milady. There's the destination of this handmade map you gave me."

Those were the first words uttered by the sir after extorting me. We arrived in a plane at the foot of a mountain.

"Pfft... A true villain would build their castle at the top," I mumbled.

The coachman asked, "Right on the first rays of the sun?"

"It's shade here."

"You're right, darling." I headpatted Enid. "Away from the first rays of the sun."

"But I said—"

"Now, where is the... ah, over here!" I ran towards a single outcrop in the lifeless plain we were in.

Once I reached it, a grin couldn't be held back. There was a symbol in the rock.

"What's this symbol, Vivi-san?" Enid peeked through me. "I've never seen it."

"Because it isn't complete." I draw a quill out of my purse. "But with a few scribbles... here... and here… Ta-da! It's the chemical symbol of adamantite."

Once I wrote the symbol, the rock was swallowed by the ground, showing a staircase to a tunnel.

Classic artificer's move!

With my hands on hips, I bent over backwards. "Ohohoho... Sinful beauty, here I come!"

"Beauty, Vivi-san?"

"No, darling, I said 'power.' What is this 'beauty' nonsense?"

"But—"

"Wait us here, Sir," I announced to our nonchalant coachman. "And better prepare yourself. Once I come back, I shall not be Vivi the Fallen Baroness, but the almighty vampire Vivianne Aurore de Lacroix!"

"HAHAHAHA... Aurore—pff—de Lacroix... HAHAHA..."

Okay, I admit: I don't have the most vampiric name.

But I didn't let the laughter get me down... I'd never let it. I just puffed my chest and stomped through the tunnel, followed by my cute underling.

After about 15 minutes, the tunnel finally ended in a valley, and before me, there was the vision I've dreamed of for the last three years: a single tower keep-castle falling apart. As expected, its architecture reminded me of gothic basilicas, built in dark stones and surrounded by gargoyle statues. However, the castle was more weather-bitten than I'd dreamed, since we didn't even need to use its gate to enter and the glasses weren't there anymore. Still, most of the structure looked firm in place.

"So cozy!" Enid's eyes shone. "Can we move here?"

"No, Darling. We'll move to a brand-new mansion once we're done, but I'll let you decorate it like a fallen-apart dungeon."

"Can it be a mausoleum?" Enid whispered from behind her skull.

I just leaned in and smiled. "Sure, honey."

Do all mountain elves have macabre tastes?

A headpat later, we both entered the castle through a hole in the wall (to avoid gate traps), and the inside looked somehow worse than the outside. Before us there was a long hall, similar to a cathedral's aisle, that led to a bridge inside the castle, but the hallway had walls shattered on the floor, white spots staining everywhere, and bones that definitely weren't human scattered all over the ground. So I turned upward, and there was the source of the said mess: the roof was full of bat-type monsters.

They were huge like vultures and with the heads of puppies, but what called my attention was the jewels on the bat's foreheads.

I smirked once I recognized the species. "Enid-chan, those are psybats. Rest assured. They use those crystals on their foreheads to sense emotions. If you have the intention to attack them, they'll strike first, but as long as we leave them alone—oh no!"

The bats swarmed Enid the moment she took a look at them! I dashed to her, with hands on my purse, to save my dear underling, but once I reached her...

"Hehe... Their tongues are rough."

The bats were acting like actual puppies who just met their owner. I guess they also answer with positive intentions.

What a creep would befriend the vermin!? Hehe... but I guess it was expected bats in a vampire's tomb... But where's the security?

After playing with her new friends, Enid blushed off and said, "Vivi-san, undeads react to the livings' call. Staying quiet, they won't awake—"

"SHOW UP, MY SOON-TO-BE MINIONS!!!! YOUR FUTURE MASTER, VIVIANNE AURORE DE LACROIX, COMMANDS YOU!!!"

What's the point of evil deeds if no one tries to stop you? Besides, I've joined a necromancer, a caster who can make the living choke and the undead bend. The only problem is—

After my call for a fight, the security showed up, and a shiver went down my spine: decaying living armors. It never crossed my mind that a vampire would use an artificer's security system... The locker's code was also an artificer's stuff, though.

I rushed behind Enid, who stood inexpressive before the only monster-type necromancers were weak against: inorganics.