Assistant to the Villain, #2
Apprentice to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Contents
Chapter 5
Overview
Becky and Blade infiltrate King Benedict’s unmasking celebration in disguise, but the mission grows more dangerous when Blade’s father appears and Benedict publicly displays The Villain and Arthur in chains. The king escalates the spectacle by presenting Evie in a glass coffin as The Villain’s final victim, shocking Becky because this was not part of the plan.
Benedict reframes the event as the start of a quest to fulfill Rennedawn’s prophecy, claiming the kingdom will end if he fails. Becky’s observation of his smirk suggests manipulation behind the public performance and raises the stakes for rescuing their captured allies.
Summary
Becky attends King Benedict’s grand gathering at the Gleaming Palace while disguised as a noblewoman, paired with Blade Gushiken in an ill-fitting nobleman’s outfit. She is annoyed by the danger of the plan, the arrogance of the nobles, and her own unsettled attraction to Blade, whose attentiveness disrupts the order and emotional distance she prefers.
As they wait for the delayed unmasking, Becky notes the king’s lack of punctuality and Blade jokes about having Fluffy burn the offenders on her behalf. Their teasing turns abruptly tense when Blade shoves Becky into an alcove to hide her after spotting his father, a political advisor to the king, at the celebration. Blade keeps Becky shielded so his father will not recognize him.
The ceremony begins when King Benedict appears on the grand staircase and announces The Villain’s unmasking. Valiant Guards drag The Villain into the ballroom in chains, and the crowd’s cheers become boos. The Villain is chained to a dais beside another captive, whom Blade identifies incorrectly and Becky corrects as Arthur, the Core Healer.
Benedict declares that the night will end The Villain’s supposed decade of tyranny and claims the crowd must mourn The Villain’s final victim. He reveals Evangelina Sage inside an ornate glass coffin, presented as dead. Becky pushes through the crowd and realizes in horror that Evie’s still body was not part of the plan, meaning something has gone badly wrong.
Benedict then tells the gathered nobles that Rennedawn is entering a new era as he and the Valiant Guards begin a quest to complete the prophecy of Rennedawn’s Story. He warns that if they fail, the kingdom will cease to exist, sending the crowd into an uproar while Becky notices and remembers the king’s barely hidden smirk.
Who Appears
- BeckyHR manager infiltrating the palace; notices the plan has gone wrong when Evie appears dead.
- Blade GushikenDragon trainer disguised as a noble; protects Becky and worries over the captured Villain.
- King BenedictHosts the unmasking, displays prisoners, reveals Evie, and invokes Rennedawn’s prophecy.
- The VillainChained captive dragged before the nobles as Benedict’s central public enemy.
- Evangelina SageDisplayed motionless in a glass coffin as Benedict calls her The Villain’s final victim.
- ArthurCore Healer already chained beside The Villain on the dais.
- Valiant GuardsBenedict’s guards; drag in The Villain and enforce the public spectacle.