[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-159":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","THE VILLAIN'S POV",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},336846,598,"Chapter 159 159: Between Reality and Illusion (2)","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-159",159,"\u003Cp>Luckily, she didn't seem bothered by it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard the Victoriad is going to be different this time around.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's right. Normally, there's a qualifying phase to determine the top sixteen from each division. Then it proceeds to one-on-one matches until the finals.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah… that was the standard format—the one I had personally designed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the final match , Snow and Ghost are supposed to face off… and, as expected, Snow comes out victorious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What exactly is going to change this time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa took a few seconds before answering my question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't know all the details… but the traditional qualifiers have been completely canceled. Instead, there will be a massive test to determine who qualifies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A test?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded, then pointed out something important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the years will overlap.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, I was genuinely shocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from the look on her face, Sansa wasn't joking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It'll only apply to the test itself. But unlike previous years… we'll be facing our seniors this time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn't hide the shift in my expression after hearing that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, the Victoriad is held separately for each academic year… to keep things fair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time… if Sansa's words were true…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'd have to face second-years—and maybe even students beyond that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a serious problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn't use Balerion during the Victoriad… Even if everyone knew I had it, they'd never allow a weapon from the SS tier to be used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would literally ruin most of the strategies I've been building for so long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the past year, I'd imagined myself fighting against students my own age—hundreds, maybe thousands of times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I never planned to face upperclassmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to restrain the burning urge to curse this world and all the ridiculous changes constantly thrown at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You seem… disturbed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And why wouldn't I be? This was a matter of life and death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From that terrifying look on your face… what does the Victoriad mean to you, Frey?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At her question, I gave her a strained smile, locking eyes with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It means everything, Sansa… absolutely everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face twisted slightly the moment she heard my answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I must've looked like an obsessed lunatic… and honestly, my words weren't that hard to understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, you intend to win it all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa blinked in surprise, but her expression soon returned to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then… I wish you good luck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I laughed at her response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're not going to tell me it's impossible for me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And why would I do something like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She played with her fingers as she continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told you before—I can read people's emotions just from their expressions. And I can tell how serious you are. Saying something like 'you don't stand a chance' would be an insult to your resolve.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stayed silent for a moment, caught off guard by her unexpected answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suddenly remembered that Sansa was supposed to be someone who died long ago. That's why I never knew how to deal with her… I couldn't predict her at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe that's the reason for the awkward air right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to say something—anything—just to break the silence. This was getting weird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do I really look that scary right now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I echoed her earlier words about my \"frightening\" face, and Sansa caught on to what I was doing and responded in kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kinda… You look like a dark lord from a fallen kingdom.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What a bizarre description… So between this look and my previous one, which do you think is better?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmmm…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa seriously pondered my question before answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not much has changed, honestly. Your old look was scary too… but it was—how do I say this—a bit goofy?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But now you look more mature. I think the current one is better.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You really gave that more thought than I expected…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I really look goofy back then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing my blank expression, Sansa tried to adjust her answer a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah—if you meant it in a different way, then your current look might earn you some popularity with the girls.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment of silence passed between us as we stared at one another before I continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah... which one do you prefer?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa lowered her head before answering in a voice barely above a whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The current one...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I see...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation had taken a strange turn, but I didn't mind. Somehow, it helped halt the train of negative thoughts that had been tormenting me ever since I learned the details of the Victoriad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, I decided to push a little further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sansa, can I ask you something?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You and me… what kind of relationship do we have?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence lingered for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The princess tended to overthink things, so her answer was quite detailed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Frey… was a friend, I guess. Though, he only came to me when he needed something… But I appreciated those times. He was dumb enough to not have any hidden motives, which made it easy to talk to him naturally. So yeah, I suppose he was a bad friend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dry laugh escaped me in response to how she phrased that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh… You talk as if me and Frey are two different people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's because… my relationship with you is different from the one I had with Frey. It's more ambiguous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I am Frey, you know…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe… but you're completely different.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was she just extremely perceptive? Or simply saying what came to mind? Either way, she had no idea how right she was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa suddenly stopped herself, piquing my curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, she smiled—a sweet, genuine smile. Unlike all the forced ones she'd shown before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think… I prefer the relationship we have now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That smile—and her unexpected words—froze me for a second. But I quickly brushed it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's good… I guess.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What followed was a long silence as we both sank into our own thoughts, realizing this was the end of our gentle little conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…It's time to go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, it is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We both stood up at the same time and walked side by side toward the Elite Dorms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The building looked the same as ever, untouched by the changes outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When we reached the first floor, Sansa's room was the second one down the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as we arrived at her door… we paused for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"See you later, then.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I replied briefly, then added jokingly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's hope I don't face you in the Victoriad… You might find out my appearance isn't the only scary thing about me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that how you talk to a young lady like me? How rude.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa laughed, then her smile faded just a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Unfortunately, that won't happen. Even if I pass the upcoming test… I won't be participating.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh? And why not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation had been going so smoothly that I asked without thinking. But Sansa hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She clasped her hands together and lowered her head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Umm… I still can't control my powers properly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how sensitive she was about it, I didn't dig any deeper. That was the limit our relationship allowed me to reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I see… That means my path just got a little easier, huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"See you tomorrow, then.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah… good night.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good night to you too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After exchanging a few more words, Sansa entered her room while I headed toward mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking back to her words…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa's golden eyes hadn't shone the way they usually did today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She seemed, somehow…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"darker.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1266,"2026-05-30T03:41:22.346Z","2026-06-01T04:30:13.202Z",1,"novelbin.me","024a00edd61b612fc96d91653f29a26c16898a5c90f3d5a7455e61a891389b5e","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-160","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-158",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]