Chapter 3 – Return

"Yo, Tony!"

I looked around, my attention stolen by the call of my name.

I saw a face, a familiar face.

Thanks to having 100% access to the memories of this body, I was able to recognise this person.

He was an ally.

I smiled and waved back as soon as I noticed him.

He was my ride home, one of the chauffeurs of the family but the closest one to us.

He was almost part of us even, thanks to how much my parents valued his service.

Valon could never go wrong.

If he called something black, then my father would take his word for it.

He had proven himself to the Cross Family time and time again.

Given the incident that led to the death of the original Anthony Cross, it only made sense that Gladius would send one of his most trusted subordinates to come and pick me up.

He took in a few deep breaths, relishing the freedom and fresh air outside.

Little did I know that prison life could be so depressing.

I wouldn't go back to anything like this again.

The officials and heroes stationed here looked at us like worthless pieces of garbage.

Despite all they preached on the news about rehabilitation and shit, nothing like that happened here.

If anything, it was hell.

Sigh—

Heroes indeed.

Such a heroic act to break the arms of a shackled man just because you can.

Heroes in My Villain Academia's world were the worst and decided nothing good.

They were more concerned with their ratings and public view than actually saving people.

The guilds and agencies that managed them… Tch!

Those ones were no different either.

If an act was not going to lift them on the graph, then it wasn't worth their time.

…And yet, these people were celebrated like they were selfless soldiers.

I approached Valon and shook his hand.

His palm was rough and hard, a testament to the struggles he had been through.

"Hello, Valon," I greeted before returning my hands to the pockets of my hoodie.

"Prison didn't do you bad at all, Tony!"

Valon was clearly happy to see him.

All smiles and beaming eyes.

"You're no more the Tiny Tony I used to know," he said as he slapped my arm, feeling my biceps like they were anything compared to his.

I smiled briefly but said no words.

Following it up as I approached the passenger's seat of the car.

"The boss will definitely be happy to see you, Tony."

Of course, he would.

The boss was my father.

Vroom—

Valon ignited the car and drove, staring daggers at the officers by the barbed wall as we went along our way.

Bzzt—

[You have completed a mission]

[Mission: Earn Your Freedom]

[Status: Completed]

I smiled as I watched the resplendent screen appear in front of him.

Of course, Valon couldn't see it as it floated.

I read through, satisfied with the notifications I got.

'One more and I would have completed the whole thing,' I thought to myself as I looked at the last requirement to complete the major quest.

[Third Mission: Join the Villain Academy — True Evil Academy]

The third Mission was the last of the three.

It was also the most hectic of the three because of what came with it.

To join True Evil was not a simple task.

The Villain Academy had its requirements.

One of these requirements was something practical.

Something not many are able to achieve in time to join.

That requirement is to…

******

It took a few hours but soon we arrived at the Cross Villa.

I was short of words seeing it myself.

It was nothing short of massive and exquisite.

Cars and guards strewn the entire premises.

One would think the President of a nation was being protected here.

"Here we are," Valon announced as we came to a halt.

Before I stepped out of the car, servants had lined up to welcome him.

It was grand, and quite frankly, I felt very important.

I had never experienced anything like this before.

It was a new feeling and I loved it though.

He alighted the sleek black vehicle.

Standing there, I absorbed my environment for a few seconds.

He was indeed in a world of fantasy.

Something unfathomable had happened to bring me here.

I didn't know what that was but deep inside, I was thankful.

Whatever supernatural force performed this magic had my gratitude.

It was a clean slate for me.

Time to start all over again.

This time, I was not going to be the guy in a corner.

I didn't plan on being the guy with promise who later failed.

If anything, I will reach the top and right several wrongs.

This world believed heroes were blessings but I saw them as plagues.

Plagues that should be vanquished.

'I will reach the top of this world,' I promised myself.

'Maybe then I will understand how and why I was brought into this world.'

"Welcome home, Young Master Anthony," the servants chorused.

I nodded my head in acknowledgement and walked through the path they created with Valon following closely behind.

The Cross Family was rich enough but they were not invincible.

They were massacred early in the story, and the family was forgotten about.

If such a thing were to happen this time around, then I have to stop it.

The death of the Cross Family inevitably translated to my own death.

Rather than accept that Fate, I will stop it.

But to do that, certain key figures in that incident have to be eliminated for good.

I entered the house and it was even grander.

Everything about this place smelled like money.

…And yet, the Cross Family did not have that much influence.

To the public, the Cross Family were a family that dealt in the importation of automobiles and their parts.

However, this was merely a public front to their real business.

As I enjoyed the view and made my way to a couch in the massive living room, a figure entered at about the same time.

This person was huge, even making Valon look small.

He was tall and muscular.

Dressed in a tucked-in purple shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

His hair was dark and mixed with streaks of grey as well.

His face bore well-trimmed and full beards.

This man had another remarkable thing going for him.

He had a presence.

'Gladius.'

I recognised him instantly.

This man was Gladius Cross, my father and the Patriarch of the Cross Family.

As he entered, he removed the black leather gloves that covered his hands.

However, this was not before I noticed the blood stains on them.

I slightly smirked.

It was obvious he was busy with the other business of the family.

"Anthony…" he called out to me, his voice deep and fearful.

I took a few steps towards him and lowered my head in respect.

"Yes, Father."

His facial features were plain.

I couldn't read it.

I couldn't say if he was disappointed, indifferent or happy to see me.

It was just hard to tell.

Gladius took a few steps, approaching me closely.

I remained rooted to the spot, with my head still bowed.

He turned my head to the side and examined it for a time.

"And this…?" he asked, referring to the head injury dealt on this body before I reincarnated into it.

Full access to the memories and personality of this body had come in handy.

I had been able to get raw, firsthand data on Gladius and the type of man he was.

Had the incident not been addressed, he would have done so himself.

This particular trait of his was responsible for the start of the Mafia War.

However, he wouldn't act without punishing those under him who would have addressed it.

I raised my head and looked him in the eyes.

"It has been taken care of, Father."

A half smile crept up on his face while slightly giving me a nod.

The perpetrator of my injury was dead.

"Good," he said as he patted my head.

"...Welcome home, son."