"But here's the thing." I showed her the comment sections, the student discussions, the rumors spreading. "People aren't buying it like they used to."

She leaned forward, reading. Students were... questioning. Some believed Adrian. But many were saying 'Adrian does seem controlling.' 'Maybe we should hear her side.'

Public opinion wasn't unanimous anymore.

"Cracks in the golden boy armor," I said. "And you just made those cracks bigger. We need to make it even bigger."

There was a reason why I'm not escalating things with Adrian, killing him outright would turn the story upside down and make the Council turn me into a primary target. And that's something I'm not ready for yet....

But, what if I slowly steal the role of the protagonist? Let things he used to do be mine?

Lucille was quiet, reading the discussions. Then she looked at me. "You knew this would happen. That's why you told me the choice was mine."

"I suspected."

"You wanted me to choose you freely. Because it would mean more than if you convinced me or manipulated me."

"Yes." Bingo! My manipulating event this way, it's as if I'm slowly replacing the main protagonist.

"That's still manipulation. Just... more subtle."

I shrugged. "I never said I wasn't manipulative. I just said I'm honest about it."

She laughed. Actually laughed. "You're terrible."

"I'm a villain. It's literally my job."

The system chimed softly.

```

[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE: LUCILLE NIGHTSHADE]

[STATUS: Officially Independent Ally]

[LOYALTY: 70% → 85%]

[TRUST: 75% → 90%]

[EMOTIONAL BOND: Significantly Strengthened]

[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: First Heroine Fully Liberated]

[BONUS: +1,500 Villain Score]

[ADRIAN'S FATE POINTS: -1,000]

[REPUTATION UPDATE]

[STUDENTS: 45% Favorable (up from 40%)]

[REASON: Standing up to Adrian gains respect]

[WARNING: Adrian's retaliation imminent]

[ESTIMATED TIME: 24-48 hours]

[PREPARE ACCORDINGLY]

```

I dismissed the notification and looked at my team. Lucille, Marcus, Damian. Soon Isabella and Ravenna would arrive for tonight's meeting.

"Alright," I said. "Adrian's going to hit back hard. Let's make sure we're ready."

"What's the plan?" Marcus asked.

I smiled. "Same as always. Stay three steps ahead."

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

That Evening in Adrian's Private Quarters.

Adrian sat in his chair, surrounded by his remaining inner circle. Seraphina had left after the garden confrontation. Said she needed to "think about things."

Another loss.

"Lucille was always unstable," Cedric Valorheart said. Seraphina's cousin, he's loyal to Adrian as well. "You're better off without her."

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

Cedric shut up.

Heroes needed loyal companions. That's how stories worked. And if you had to manufacture that loyalty initially, fine. Eventually it would become real.

Except it hadn't.

"The Ravana bastard is poisoning them against you," Elena Brightshield said. His healer. "We need to do something."

"Like what?" Adrian asked. "Challenge him to another duel? Watch him somehow survive again? Watch him turn it into another moral victory?"

"You won the duel!"

"Did I?" Adrian laughed bitterly. "Tell that to the students who say he was the real winner because he made me work for it."

Silence.

"He's changing everything!" Adrian said quietly. "Making it so winning isn't enough. I have to win perfectly. Heroically. The right way. And if I don't..." He gestured at the empty chairs where his faction used to sit. Larger. "People leave."

"Not people, only traitors," Marcus Ashford said. He's a fire mage. "Anyone who leaves you for him was never truly loyal."

Maybe. But Adrian remembered Lucille's words. 'At least he's honest about it.'

Was that really better? Being an honest manipulator versus a... what? What was Adrian? More like being an honest bastard.

A hero. That's what he was. Chosen.

Special.

And destined.

"We need to hurt him," Adrian said. "Badly enough that people remember I'm the hero and he's the villain."

"How?" Elena asked.

Adrian thought. Ezra's strengths were his preparation, his intelligence, his faction. Hard to attack directly.

But everyone had weaknesses.

"His businesses," Adrian said slowly. "Isabella's partnership. They've been undercutting our prices, stealing our contracts. What if... something happened to their supply chain?"

"Sabotage?" Cedric frowned. "That seems...."

"Beneath me?" Adrian smiled coldly. "Hadeon doesn't fight fair. Why should I?"

"But if we're caught... "

"We won't be. We'll be smart about it." Adrian stood. "Find me someone who can make accidents happen. Someone expendable if it goes wrong."

His faction exchanged looks. This wasn't how heroes operated.

But Adrian was tired of losing.

"And dig up dirt on everyone in his faction," he added. "Everyone has secrets. Find them. We'll use them."

"Sir..." Elena started.

"That's an order."

They left to execute his commands. Adrian sat alone in his quarters.

Outside, the sun set. Darkness fell.

And Adrian told himself he was still the hero.

He had to be.

Because if he wasn't... what was he?

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

I was reviewing Isabella's latest trade reports when Damian entered, his expression grim.

"Young Master. We have a problem."

I looked up. "Define problem."

"Three of our supply caravans have been hit in the last six hours. Different locations and different routes."

My blood went cold. "Bandits?"

"Its too coordinated and too well-informed about our schedules and routes." He set down a report. "This was done by professional."

I scanned it.

Three caravans all carrying critical supplies for our academy contracts are all destroyed. Both the drivers and goods gone.

"Adrian," I said.

"The timing is suspicious. Same day Lucille publicly defected."

Marcus burst in, not bothering to knock. "Boss, we got hit in our warehouse district. Someone torched our backup storage."

"Casualties?"

"None. But we lost fifty thousand gold worth of inventory."

I stood, this wasn't random at all. This was a direct etaliation.

"Get Isabella. Now. Tell her to move everything to secure locations. Scramble all our supply chains. Different routes, different drivers."

"On it." Marcus ran.

I turned to Damian. "Lucille?"

"Already investigating. She suspects hired criminals and wants permission to interrogate."

"Granted. But Damian?" I met his eyes. "No mercy. Do it in a very clean and untraceable way. We need information, and we need to stay cleaner than Adrian."

"Understood, Young Master."

As he left, the system chimed.

```

[WARNING: ECONOMIC WARFARE INITIATED]

[ADRIAN'S COUNTER-ATTACK: PHASE 1]

[ESTIMATED LOSSES: 100,000+ gold if not stopped]

[REPUTATION DAMAGE: Moderate]

[QUEST TRIGGERED: THE SUPPLY CHAIN WAR]

[OBJECTIVE: Protect your businesses and prove Adrian's involvement]

[TIME LIMIT: 2 weeks]

[REWARD: Variable based on performance]

[FAILURE: Economic collapse, faction dissolution]

```

I smiled grimly at the notification.

"So that's how you want to play it, Adrian?"

Fine.

If he wanted war, I'd give him war.

But on my terms.

"Damian!" I called. "Get everyone here. Emergency meeting. We're going on the offensive."

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