Villain Simulator, Ch 66

"That's truly a pity," Diluc's crimson eyes flashed with a hint of sadness. "I can somewhat understand the pain of losing parents at a young age."

Afterwards, the two chatted casually for a while, mostly about Lucas's family background and past.

Of course, after going through several simulations, Lucas had developed some sophistication. He could answer Diluc's questions fluently without revealing any flaws.

Finally, Diluc very elegantly wiped his lips with a napkin and smiled, "I think I've eaten a bit too much. Mr. Lucas, may I invite you to take a stroll around my estate?"

"It would be my honor," Lucas didn't refuse.

Although Diluc seemed to have been probing into his affairs, Lucas quite liked this man. Moreover, making such a powerful and influential friend wasn't a bad thing.

The two left the dining room first, while Fischl, who had been dining not far away, narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"It's really suspicious..." Fischl asked in a low voice, "Oz, did you hear what they were talking about earlier?"

"My lady, it was too noisy in the room, I couldn't hear clearly," Oz answered honestly. "However, Master Diluc seemed to be constantly inquiring about Lucas's family situation."

"Why would he ask about that?" Fischl's suspicion grew even stronger.

"I've heard that in Liyue, there's a tradition of 'parents' command and matchmakers' words,'" Oz said seriously. "Perhaps Master Diluc saw his talent and wants to introduce some female relative to him."

"That won't do," Fischl gripped her cup tightly, furrowing her brows. "Lucas is this princess's servant, no one can take him away!"

...

Meanwhile, Lucas was being led by Diluc to tour the scenery of Dawn Winery.

Whether in the game or from the information Lucas had obtained so far, Diluc should be a cold and aloof young master towards others.

But for some reason, he seemed quite friendly towards Lucas, whom he had just met, as if Lucas wasn't a stranger from a foreign land, but a long-lost brother.

The two chatted as they walked, and soon they passed by a large open area surrounded by practice weapons and training equipment.

Although Lucas wasn't a martial arts fanatic, he was a cultivator, and seeing such a scene, he couldn't help but feel excited: "Is this your training ground?"

"That's right. My ancestor was influenced by the rebels of that time and became a 'Dawn Knight,'" Diluc nodded. "Although I've left the Knights of Favonius, I've never abandoned our family's sword techniques."

Lucas then remembered that in the simulator, Ragnvindr's "ancestor" was the one he had appointed as the Dawn Knight.

However, that was just a plot in the simulator and had no connection to reality.

"By the way," Diluc continued, "I wonder, who was Mr. Lucas's ancestor?"

"Our family doesn't even have a family tree or genealogy," Lucas smiled bitterly. "As for ancestors, I'm afraid they were just rural villagers."

Diluc didn't continue this topic but walked to the training ground and casually picked up a training greatsword. "Mr. Lucas, since you're trusted by the Yuheng, your martial skills must be quite good. Would you like to spar with me?"

Being able to cross swords with an expert like Diluc naturally excited Lucas, so he picked up a training longsword and smiled, "Then I'll humbly accept your challenge."

"Oh?"

However, Diluc frowned slightly and said, "So you're skilled in sword techniques?"

"Is there a problem?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing, it's just that I've always heard that Liyue's spear techniques are unparalleled in the seven nations, and Mondstadt has very few spear experts, so I wanted to experience it," Diluc's face showed a somewhat disappointed expression. "Since you don't know spear techniques, we'll use swords then."

It was only then that Lucas realized.

No wonder Diluc had seemed so concerned about him from the beginning.

So he wanted to experience Liyue's spear techniques.

However, speaking of spear techniques, Lucas had mastered some in the last simulator, but he had always been accustomed to using a sword, so he hadn't practiced them in reality.

Since Diluc was being so considerate, it would be a shame to disappoint him.

Thinking of this, Lucas instead pulled out a long spear and said, "I'm not entirely unfamiliar with it. I've learned a few moves. If you don't mind, I can give it a try."

"Of course I don't mind!" Diluc nodded eagerly. "Please, go ahead."

Although this was Lucas's first time using spear techniques in reality, holding the flexible spear shaft gave him a rather familiar feeling.

When he looked up, Lucas was shocked to find that he could see the "death line" on Diluc's chest!

He had almost forgotten that this seemed to be a passive skill, and in battle, his actions would also be influenced by it, instinctively attacking the opponent's death line.

Although he was only holding a blunt-headed wooden training spear, spear techniques practiced to the extreme could kill even without a spearhead. If he didn't accidentally kill Diluc, even injuring him would be troublesome.

Seemingly sensing Lucas's hesitation, the system promptly responded:

[You can choose to temporarily disable the talent effect in the system]

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

[I thought you hadn't asked]

Lucas couldn't be bothered to argue with the system and quickly disabled the effect of [Mystic Eyes Of Death Perception]. Seeing the death line on Diluc's body disappear, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Here I come!"

Diluc seemed unable to contain his eagerness to experience Lucas's spear techniques. Gripping his two-handed greatsword, he charged forward.

Lucas dared not be careless and immediately countered with his spear.

Although Lucas's spear techniques had reached perfection in the simulator, with his current physical strength and combat experience, he couldn't use such powerful spear techniques.

He could only fight using the [Duelist's Spear Technique] rewarded by the system. Fortunately, the special effect of [Duelist's Spear Technique] was "When there's only one enemy, attack increases by 50%", which allowed him to cope with Diluc's overwhelming sword techniques.

If this were a fight to the death, Lucas was confident he'd have a 70% chance of victory. Although Diluc's strength was formidable and he possessed a Pyro Vision, Lucas had a bunch of miscellaneous skills and items on him, like a small mobile arsenal. In a life-or-death battle with a high-level opponent, he basically wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

However, this was just a sparring match, and Lucas couldn't use lethal abilities like the "death line", so for the time being, it was difficult to gain any advantage.

As for Diluc, he didn't seem to be using his full strength either. Instead, it was more like he was... probing Lucas's moves.

Perhaps because he felt Lucas's abilities hadn't met his expectations, a hint of disappointment flashed in Diluc's eyes.

This feeling of being looked down upon made Lucas feel quite displeased.

Well then, let's defeat you.

Let you, the heaven-sent prodigy, also taste the flavor of defeat!

Lucas didn't seem to realize the malicious thoughts surging from deep within his heart, and instantly reactivated the mystic eyes he had closed.

The death line immediately appeared on Diluc's chest. Although very small, it was clearly visible.

Everyone's "death line" is different. Generally speaking, the more one fears death, the more obvious the death line becomes, and the easier it is to hit - the more afraid of death a person is, the more likely they are to expose weaknesses.

Obviously, Diluc wasn't someone who feared death, but Lucas's spear tip still moved towards Diluc's chest as if attracted by a magnet.

This move seemed to be beyond Diluc's expectations. With his rich combat experience, he knew this strike couldn't be avoided, so he counter-attacked instead of defending, swinging his sword towards Lucas's shoulder.

If the opponent insisted on thrusting out this spear, he would definitely be hit by his sword blade.

Lucas completely ignored Diluc's attack and insisted on thrusting out this spear. With a muffled "thud", the greatsword's blade had struck Lucas's shoulder, while Lucas's spear tip had touched Diluc's chest.

However, at the last moment, Lucas still managed to withdraw his strength in time. Otherwise, this strike hitting near the death gap, would inevitably cause fatal injury.

Diluc naturally noticed that Lucas had withdrawn his strength midway. He quickly threw away his greatsword and supported Lucas, his face full of concern: "Are you alright?"

Although he had used a training wooden sword, Diluc's last move was not to be underestimated. An ordinary person would likely suffer a shattered shoulder blade if hit.

However, Lucas moved his shoulder a bit and smiled, "It's nothing. It's just sparring, how could I get hurt?"

The reason Lucas was completely unharmed was, of course, due to the effect of [Diamond Body], which negated 90% of the damage. Otherwise, even if he wasn't injured, it would have been painful enough to make him grimace.

Taking his full-force blow without any injury?

Diluc was quite surprised.

But what puzzled him more was Lucas's strange spear technique just now.

This spear move further confirmed the guess in Diluc's heart.

"That's good. It's been a long time since I've had such an enjoyable fight," Diluc extended a hand to Lucas, showing a rare smile, and said, "Would you be willing to be my friend?"

"Aren't we already friends?" Lucas grasped Diluc's hand without hesitation and said, "I look forward to your guidance in the future."

...

Several hours later.

After eating and resting, the convoy was about to set off again. According to the plan, they should be able to reach Mondstadt within the day.

Diluc personally escorted Lucas to the road.

"Lucas, these are some small gifts I've prepared," Diluc handed a rather exquisite box to Lucas and said, "If you encounter any trouble in Mondstadt, you can mention my name. I have some influence in Mondstadt."

This statement was somewhat modest.

"Then I'll accept them without ceremony," Lucas took the box and said, "Will we have a chance to meet again?"

"Of course," Diluc nodded and said, "You are my important friend."

After seeing off the convoy, Diluc turned and entered the winery. He went directly to his study and twisted the pen holder on the desk in a specific pattern. After a series of "click-clack" sounds, the adjacent bookshelf slowly parted, revealing a secret door.

Diluc opened the secret door and entered a hidden chamber.

The chamber was quite spacious, neatly arranged with valuable antiques and rarities, weapons and armor, as well as some ancient books, classics, and hidden wine brews.

Of course, the most eye-catching were the portraits hanging on the wall.

These were portraits of the Ragnvindr family's successive heads, starting from the previous generation's head, Diluc's father "Crepus Ragnvindr," and going all the way back to the first head of the family after the Ragnvindr clan rose to prominence, the first "Dawn Knight."

Logically, this should have been the first portrait, but one step further forward, hidden in the shadows, was another portrait.

The portrait showed a handsome man with a hint of mischief, somewhat out of place compared to the other portraits.

If Lucas were to see this portrait, he would be shocked to the point of his eyeballs falling out - this portrait was actually the one of himself that was taken away by Ragnvindr's ancestor in the simulator.

No wonder Diluc's attitude towards Lucas was "strange" - the man in the portrait looked very similar to him.

No, they were virtually identical!

None of the successive family heads knew who the man in the portrait was, only that he was the father of the first Dawn Knight and was skilled in spear techniques. As for his life story, name, or background, it remained a mystery.

Lucas's appearance was not only very similar to this ancestor but he was also proficient in spear techniques, which made Diluc more convinced that they shared the same ancestor!

Diluc was an only child, with only an adopted brother Kaeya who had no blood relation, and now they were practically estranged.

He had thought he had no relatives left in this world. Now, encountering someone who might share his bloodline naturally excited him.

Although Diluc was Mondstadt's richest man, he actually had no interest in managing the family business. Rather than commerce, he was more passionate about playing the role of the righteous "Dark Knight Hero," protecting Mondstadt from the shadows.

So, the vast family fortune was more of a burden to him. Therefore, he had been looking for a suitable heir.

Having a child of his own to inherit was a good option, but Diluc currently had no interest in romance and didn't want to spend time raising a child.

The butler Adelbert was like a brother to him and very capable, but he was still an outsider. Entrusting the family business to someone outside the family might not do justice to the ancestors on the wall.

Thus, Lucas became the best target. As long as he could find a way to confirm their blood relation and have him inherit the Ragnvindr surname.

At that time, he could entrust Dawn Winery to him and be free to do what he wanted.

Thinking of this, a smile tugged at the corners of Diluc's mouth.

"My dear little brother, are you ready to accept this 'great gift'?"

...

"Achoo!"

Sitting in the carriage, Lucas couldn't help but shiver.

"What's wrong?" Fischl, sitting beside him, asked with concern. "Did you catch a cold?"

"I don't think so," Lucas said instinctively. "It would be troublesome if I had a fever. I wonder if they'll check body temperature when entering the city..."

"Check body temperature?" Fischl asked, puzzled. "Why would they check body temperature?"

Oh no...

He had accidentally brought in habits from before his transmigration.

"It's... it's nothing," Lucas made up an excuse. "Just a custom from my hometown."

"By the way," Fischl glanced at the box beside Lucas, curiously asking, "What good things did Master Diluc give you?"

----

Author's Note: Sigh, Diluc should entrust his "burdens" to me instead...