[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess":3,"chapter-i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-140":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I'm in Love with the Villainess!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},895287,1171,"Chapter 140: An Underground Train Station?","i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-140",140,"\u003Cp>The sigil beneath the third plank pulsed faintly under Fiona’s light, its carved lines drinking in the glow like thirsty veins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I crouched, brushing my fingers just above it without touching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pressure trigger?\" Fiona asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Layered,\" I replied. \"Primary activation through weight. Secondary through magic interference. And something else... likely mechanical.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tilted her head, grabbing my shoulders as she loomed above me. \"You can see that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can feel it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sigil wasn’t just carved into wood. It was tethered to something like steel. Something below it responded to proximity, like a heartbeat syncing with mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably the most complex piece of technology I’ve ever seen in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can you disable it?\" Fiona asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I considered it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I used chaos, I could destabilize the magic structure. But if the binding below was linked to a larger defensive web, destabilizing one node might alert the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t know if disabling the magic would trigger it anyway, so best I be careful instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Profaned Manipulation]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Shadow Sight]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thin tendrils slipped into the grooves of the plank, not breaking it, but sliding beneath it to trace the mechanism below. I followed the steel carefully, trying to dismantle it piece by piece while keeping my magic to a minimum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sigil flickered slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before anything could happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I dismantled the mechanism connected to the plank, giving me free rein to use chaos magic to remove its enchantment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third plank sank half an inch before sliding aside on its own, revealing a narrow stone staircase spiraling downward into darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fiona leaned forward beside me, peering into the abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well,\" she whispered, \"that’s not ominous at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold air drifted up from below, carrying with it the scent of iron and oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Incense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They actually bothered burning incense?\" I murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s the point?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t know everything, you know. But most likely, it’s discipline training.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sounds like something someone who knew everything would say...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sighed, stood up, and stepped aside. \"After you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widened. \"You’re joking, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Light mage. Your entire stick is lighting up dark areas and protecting me, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at me for a moment... then grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re awful, I love it~.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She descended first, golden light forming a thin halo around her shoulders. I followed a step behind, wings partially manifested—just enough to shield her from the rear if needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The staircase went deeper than expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two? Three? Even more flights of stairs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How deep does this even go? And why do they need it this deep?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HONK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grabbed Fiona by the shirt as soon as I heard the loud blare of a train horn. An iron train zipped past ahead of us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ka-thunk, ka-thunk. Ka-thunk, ka-thunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"T-The hell—!?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clamped a hand over Fiona’s mouth before she could finish her startled shout. Fortunately, the rumble of the train and tracks drowned out whatever sound slipped free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I-I didn’t see anything, what the heck?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Illusion magic, most likely.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stairs suddenly opened into a massive railway tunnel, wide enough for two trains to run side by side. More annoyingly, the tunnel seemed completely immune to light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t just stay dark—it swallowed the light whole instead of letting anything illuminate it naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re being way too calm after seeing a train just pass by us underground!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You didn’t know about this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fiona only shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So even her family didn’t know that the Shadow Society had built an entire underground metro beneath the Cold Iron District?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brace yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you—?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lifted up Fiona, hearing another train coming by. If we’re going to get somewhere safely without the risk of being run over, the best option we had was to hitch a ride on top of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ceiling was large enough anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"O-Oh my god...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fiona giggled as she felt my arms around her, wrapping her arms around my neck excitedly. She was more concerned about that than what I was about to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Makes things easier, I guess...?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HONK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Profaned Step]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We reappeared above the train.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Metal roared beneath us as the massive engine tore through the tunnel, wind howling violently against my wings. I adjusted my footing instantly, my shoes digging into the steel plating at the top of the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fiona squeaked—not in fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is so romantic~!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How is this romantic in any way?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You just have to be creative, my dear Cael~.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I resisted the urge to drop her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tunnel stretched endlessly ahead, black stone reinforced with iron ribs that pulsed faintly with enchantments. Every few seconds, runic panels embedded along the walls flickered—likely scanning for magical signatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that’s why the darkness eats light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Engineered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enchantments weren’t really suppressing illumination itself—they were siphoning energy from it. Any excess magic released into the air was being absorbed and redirected somewhere else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Efficient, paranoid, and absolutely impressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another train thundered past on the adjacent track, mere feet away. Fiona tightened her grip around my neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your hair is covering my eyes,\" I muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"G-Got it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fiona summoned tight rings of light around her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail and finally letting me see again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So even magic could be used like that, huh...?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I narrowed my eyes, extending my senses outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Soul Sense]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tunnel distorted perception like thick fog. I could detect movement—life—, but everything felt blurred, smeared by interference and static, like I was looking through a very old television.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t just build a transport system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They built a literal underground fortress that rivaled the slums above—just for the society itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once again, the novel didn’t describe anything like this and... I absolutely fucking love it.. Been a while since I did some fresh infiltration that got my heart pumping like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The train began to slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead, faint crimson lights flickered into existence, distant platforms carved into the stone like the ribs of some colossal beast. Figures moved along them, cloaked and masked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it seemed like we’d arrived at our first stop.\u003C\u002Fp>",1016,"2026-06-03T05:52:53.768Z",1,"novelbin.me","083f6c636af13c1c691c8f2ed953076b5f271741e9f553e901c84ea40866fc6a","i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-141","i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-139",324,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-cover.jpg"]