I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 209

Chapter 62: Gifts and Intentions

Back home, after devouring the dinner prepared by Alice, Nia sprawled on the couch like a salted fish.

She sneaked a glance at the boy beside her, suddenly feeling a bit reluctant.

After all, it was time for her to head back.

She had to give the gift before leaving.

“By the way…”

“Speaking of which, you should be getting ready to go, right?”

Just when she was about to bring up a topic to naturally pass the gift, the boy caught her off guard.

“Ah, I guess so,” Nia said, her expression a bit forced.

“Should I walk you home?”

“Okay!” Nia’s face instantly lit up.

“Alice, I’m heading home now!”

Before leaving, Nia waved to the little maid who was washing dishes in the kitchen, and the maid nodded slightly in response.

Watching the boy and girl chatting and laughing as they walked away, Alice stood still, unable to calm down for a long time.

Once outside, under the peaceful night sky, Roy finally found the chance to give his gift.

Surprises should always be saved for last.

However, just as he began to speak, Nia echoed his words.

“Actually…”

“Actually, I have something for you too.”

As they spoke the same line, both of them stared at each other, bewildered.

Roy was the first to regain his senses and pulled out the pair of secret silver short swords, engraved with light green patterns, that Nia had set her eyes on, called 【Wind Shadow】.

As soon as she caught sight of the elegantly crafted scabbard, Nia’s eyes went wide, her breath trembling with excitement as she nearly jumped up.

“This, this isn’t…?! But how did you…?” The usually articulate elven girl looked back and forth between Roy and the short swords, getting a bit tongue-tied.

“Didn’t you want them? I pulled a few strings to get them for you.”

As he spoke, Roy extended the short swords toward her.

Nia had dreamed of owning a secret silver weapon since she was little.

However, her mother was really against her becoming an adventurer, preferring to reward her subordinates with secret silver weapons instead of letting Nia even touch one, which left Nia in tears every time.

Now, this dream was finally fulfilled by Roy.

But just when she was about to take the short swords, she suddenly stopped her hand.

“No, no way, this is too expensive, I can’t accept this!”

It seemed the girl had poured all her willpower into rejecting it.

With a face full of desire, she gripped her right hand tightly, trembling as if she was fighting against the dark power sealed within her, leaving Roy both amused and exasperated.

Strangely enough, Nia, who was usually carefree, became oddly polite when it came to herself.

“What’s this? You owe me a fortune in meals already; you’ve got nothing to lose.”

“Besides, this is a gift for you. It doesn’t matter whether it’s expensive or not; just tell me if you want it or not.”

After some coaxing from the boy, Nia ultimately couldn’t hold back, accepting the swords with shaking hands and hugging them tightly.

“How could I not want them?!”

“From the 【Platinum Workshop】 headquarters, secret silver weapons; and…”

And it’s a gift from you, how could I not want it?

Embracing the weapons, the girl’s face turned scarlet as she jumped and spun around, her skirt fluttering in the wind, like a child who received a New Year’s gift or a fairy dancing on a midsummer night.

Roy was also infected by her pure joy and couldn’t help but smile.

“I really want to chop something up and try these out!”

Though she occasionally let slip some frightening thoughts.

Once her excitement subdued slightly, Nia regained her composure and looked back at him.

“Actually, I have a gift for you too.”

“You do?” Roy was a bit surprised.

“Close your eyes.”

“Huh?”

“Just close them!”

Under Nia’s urging, Roy awkwardly complied.

Suddenly, he had a sense of déjà vu, feeling tense and on edge.

He heard the girl’s footsteps approaching, accompanied by the sweet scent of jasmine that lingered in the air.

“Okay! You can open your eyes now!”

As Roy opened his eyes, he found something hanging around his neck.

A black, shield-shaped pendant—that was the 【Obsidian Shield】 he had set his sights on earlier.

The black-haired boy, wearing the dark pendant, radiated a unique depth and elegance.

Nia, pinching her chin, nodded in satisfaction: “Hmm, it really suits you.”

“Is it really okay? This thing is pretty expensive, right?” Roy felt a bit concerned.

To him, the pricey secret silver weapon was just a slightly extravagant expense, but for Nia, 20 gold coins could be quite a toll.

This girl was truly poor.

Nia’s smile twitched slightly.

But when she caught sight of the boy wearing the pendant, her usual smile returned.

The money hadn’t left her; it just changed form!

“Well, after all, I’ve been mooching off your family’s food for so long, and I’ve made you hang out with me all day; I should at least give you a return gift!” Nia patted Roy’s shoulder and playfully added, “Consider it a meal ticket!”

“You’re always welcome to drop by anytime,” Roy chuckled.

The two strolled under the starry night sky, chatting and laughing, unaware that the cozy little house had completely disappeared behind them.

Even if it was hard to part, the time for farewell had come.

“Alright, this is good enough, don’t keep Alice waiting too late.”

“Yeah,” Roy suddenly realized after her reminder.

“Make sure to practice hard for the practical test!” he offered as a casual reminder.

Just as he was about to turn to leave, a voice suddenly called out from behind.

“Want to go on an adventure together?”

“What?” Roy was a bit thrown off by her random comment.

“I mean the practical test!”

The practical tests at the Magic Academy allowed collaboration with external organizations, emphasizing real combat.

From the Holy Light Church to the Mage Society and the Adventurers’ Guild, these organizations had signed agreements with the academy to test the students’ abilities while also scouting for talent.

For the academy, the students, and these organizations, it was a win-win situation.

The practical test required partners to be chosen. After all, members of any organization needed to learn to work together; besides combat skills, teamwork was also part of the assessment.

To be honest, Roy had initially planned to ask Charlotte or Alice.

The former intended to find knights from the Lionheart Kingdom for evaluation, which was straightforward—it’s all family. The latter was off to the Academy City’s branch of the Holy Light Church to study the power of Holy Light.

Roy was already torn between the two, and now with Nia inviting him, the decision became even harder.

Seeing that Roy didn’t respond for a moment, the girl quickly waved her hands.

He definitely would be paying attention to Alice and also the Lionheart princess.

“I don’t want to put you on the spot.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! I just asked casually! If you’re busy, don’t worry about me.”

Her forced smile made Roy feel a twinge of guilt, as if he’d done something wrong.

He wasn’t too worried about Charlotte; with his skills, he didn’t need a safety net.

However, with Alice going to the church to train, he was a little concerned.

As Roy pondered, the next moment, a blinding light appeared before him.

“Nia, I’ll go with you.”

“Huh? Really? Then it’s settled!”

Looking at the beaming girl, a flicker of darkness crossed the boy’s eyes.

【Warning! Detected fate entanglement with Nightingale, triggering reverse fate mission. Every choice you make will change fate, please choose carefully!】

【Current Reverse Fate Node: Nightingale】

【Nightingale: Reverse Fate Progress】: 10%