Author Reincarnated as Villain
Chapter 63 : Two Weeks I

Chapter 63: Chapter 63 : Two Weeks I

"A BEAST!"

"Hey, Wilbert, I thought you were asleep, so I didn’t wake you," Van’s father said.

Van’s father turned around, and Van could finally see who the person was.

No.

Even before seeing the person, Van already knew who it was the moment his father called him "Wilbert."

"I woke up because of the sound of that carriage. Besides, I sensed an interesting aura that caught my attention," Wilbert said.

’ Wilbert Black! Isn’t he supposed to be in seclusion in the \[Forest of Death]? Why is he showing up here? He’s supposed to appear after Oliver graduates from the Academy,’ Van thought in a panic, his brain working like a computer CPU trying to figure out why Wilbert Black had returned to the capital.

In the end, he couldn’t find an answer and could only quietly observe the interaction between his father and uncle.

Wilbert Black, Van’s uncle and a beast in human form, was a year younger than his father. He looked very similar to Van’s father, but he was taller and more muscular.

In addition, their auras were completely different. If his father was a charismatic nobleman, then his uncle was a bloodthirsty wild beast.

"Hey, Van, let me introduce him to you. This is your Uncle, Wilbert Black," Van’s father said, introducing his brother.

Van simply looked at his uncle calmly and gave a slight nod as a greeting.

Seeing Van’s reaction, his uncle raised an eyebrow, a trace of curiosity in his eyes.

"I thought you’d be just like those two weaklings over there, but you seem a little different, brat," Van’s uncle said in a mocking tone, casting a belittling glance at the two little monsters.

Hearing their uncle’s ridicule, the two little monsters glared sharply at him as if they were ready to tear him apart.

Van’s uncle then walked toward Van. Every step he took made Van feel as though he were being stared at by a predator ready to pounce, and he, as the prey, couldn’t do a thing.

Eventually, his uncle stood right in front of him. Van looked like a tiny dwarf in comparison. He was only 11 years old and stood at 142 cm tall, which was already above average for his age, but next to his 190 cm uncle, he barely reached his chest.

His uncle stared sharply at Van, and Van felt like there was nothing he could hide from him.

The rest of the Black family remained silent, curious about what Wilbert was doing.

After a while, Wilbert turned to Van’s father with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Brother, can I borrow your three dolls?" Van’s uncle asked with a wide grin.

Van’s father was stunned for a moment before shrugging. "Even if I said no, would you listen?" Van’s father said.

"You really do understand me best," Van’s uncle said, grinning wider.

"Don’t hurt them, Wilbert. They’re still kids, and Van has an important event in two weeks," Van’s mother said.

"Don’t worry, Sister-in-law. I’ll be *gentle* with them," Van’s uncle said with a sly smile.

Before Van, Oliver, or Olivia could react, Wilbert grabbed all three of them and leapt into the sky.

’So fast! I couldn’t even see him move,’ Van thought with a calm expression, though his eyes clearly showed surprise.

But Van’s surprise quickly faded when he realized that his uncle was still floating in the sky while holding all three of them and would soon fall. Van immediately prepared to summon [Roc Bird] to avoid hitting the ground.

Noticing Van’s reaction, Wilbert looked at him with a trace of appreciation in his eyes.

"Good reflexes, kid. But that won’t be necessary," Van’s uncle said with a faint grin.

The ring on his hand glowed, and an absurdly oversized sword appeared and floated in midair. Wilbert landed on top of it, and the sword began to fly forward.

Van’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of the ridiculously large sword.

’Even though I thought it would be cool for Wilbert Black to fight differently from most swordsmen, seeing a sword that’s two meters long and one meter wide just seems ridiculous. I wonder what my readers would think if they saw this,’ Van thought, a little stunned and slightly embarrassed.

Meanwhile, the two little monsters finally realized what was happening. Their faces turned pale, and their eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing his siblings’ terrified and resigned expressions, Van tilted his head in curiosity as if asking, ’What’s going on?’

Olivia remained silent. She stared down at the ground as they zoomed over city after city, forest after forest, and occasionally muttered with blank eyes, "One, two, three..."

Oliver was just as resigned as Olivia but still had the energy to meet Van’s gaze and respond by dragging a finger across his neck.

Seeing Oliver’s response and Olivia’s desperate face, Van suddenly wanted to punch both of them, but considering their pitiful state, he held back.

- - - - -

"How about me? Should I follow them?" Arthur asked to Sebastian.

"No need. You must be happy that you don’t have to join their journey, but I’ll train you for this two weeks." Sebastian said with smile.

"....."

- - - - -

After several hours of flight, they finally arrived above a very strange region. The sky was covered in dark clouds, blocking sunlight from reaching the ground, making the area feel like an endless night—silent and eerie.

The forest below was also bizarre. All the trees looked dead, their trunks dark brown, dry, and enormous, as if trying to pierce the sky and shred the clouds. The ground was black, as if it had recently been scorched.

The two little monsters could only stare at the forest below in terror and horror.

Van’s expression was even worse than theirs. His eyes widened on his expressionless face, showing shock, fear, and disbelief.

’[Forest of Death]!’ Van thought.

They eventually landed in the forest. As far as the eye could see, there were only massive dead trees. A strange stench stung their noses. Creepy sounds echoed throughout the forest.

"Ugh. What’s that smell?! Like rotten eggs!" Oliver said, pinching his nose.

"What are those sounds? Are those beasts?" Olivia said, panicked.

Both of them instinctively clung to Van’s arms, and their trembling bodies slowly began to calm down.

Realizing that both his arms were being held by the two younger kids, Van’s vigilant expression softened slightly.

However, inside, Van grinned wickedly.

"Do you know? This place is called the [Forest of Death], one of the world’s forbidden zones. Legend says this place used to be a battlefield. Hundreds of millions died here, soaking the ground in fresh blood.

The soil you’re standing on might be a pool of blood, a grave for soldiers, or even a pit where corpses were dumped. The sound you heard earlier was the wailing of the fallen spirits. The aura of death pervades this place. It’s a favorite haunt for ghosts. Anyone who leaves this forest will be cursed by the damned souls," Van said in a cold whisper.

His cold, calm, and flat voice made the story even more terrifying, especially with his calm and serious expression.

Van’s effort paid off. The two little monsters, who had begun to calm down, trembled again in fear. They looked up, and Van could see tears brimming in their eyes.

Watching the antics between the three kids, Wilbert chuckled softly.

"Relax, naughty children. He’s just joking. There’s no such thing as haunted places. Like your brother said, this place is the [Forest of Death]. I brought you here for training," Van’s uncle said.

Hearing their uncle’s words and regaining some of their courage, the two little monsters perked up a bit, and Van rolled his eyes.

’If I hadn’t studied history, I might have believed you,’ Van thought.

In reality, the [Forest of Death] was exactly as he’d said. It used to be a battlefield—specifically, the main battlefield of [World War I] and the demon race’s base during [World War II].

Originally, this forest was lush and vibrant, but the war between all races and the [Demon Lord Gehenna] during [World War I] permanently destroyed it, giving rise to what is now known as the [Forest of Death].

Later, during [World War II], the demon race used it as their main headquarters. At the war’s end, the base was attacked, resulting in another massive bloodbath.

The forest was soaked in demon blood, and demon blood is known to enhance living beings—at the cost of their sanity. As a result, monsters in the [Forest of Death] are much stronger than normal, but also much more insane.

Why does Van know this, but his uncle doesn’t? Because Van is the author of this novel and has studied history in detail.

What about his uncle? He’s a musclehead, an idiot, and a lazy bum. Maybe he traded his brain for strength in the womb.

"As its name implies, [Forest of Death]—where everything dies, even [Mana] itself. Here, you can’t use any [Mana]. You’ll have to rely solely on your body and mind to survive. So, enjoy your two weeks," Van’s uncle said before disappearing from their sight.