I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 28 - Execution (3)

"I’ll make your body mine."

=I’ll make you my pawn.

It was a calmly delivered statement.

I told the girl:

In exchange for me protecting her weakness, she would have to be of service to me.

The girl’s expression stiffened for a moment.

"What... what did you just say...?"

"There are plenty of things you’ll need to do for me."

I responded with a faint smile.

"We’ll have lots of things to figure out together… sticking closely side by side."

= We’ll have to discuss the upcoming events... just the two of us, but I’m counting on you.

Emilia was a capable person.

Her grades and skills aside, she was particularly good at reading the room.

She was quick with calculations and adept at strategic thinking.

In the original story, she was an extra who appeared as a villainess, but it would be a waste to discard such talent.

‘She could be useful in many ways.’

She even had hidden connections that could come in handy.

And with her academic record being at the top tier, having her handle some of the assignments when I didn’t feel like it would be perfect.

Just the thought of it was delightful.

"Hehe."

A smile naturally spread across my face.

As I sat there smiling contentedly, the girl suddenly started to sob.

She looked utterly miserable.

"Hic, sob..."

What?

Why is she crying all of a sudden?

Is she unhappy with the terms of the deal?

But I’m sparing her life. The least she could do is play along as my lackey until graduation, right?

"Why are you crying so pitifully?"

I asked, puzzled.

"Isn’t this a very favorable deal?"

= Isn’t this deal quite generous?

"..."

"Just do your best to satisfy me, and I’ll make sure to keep your secret safe."

= I’ll ask you to do some annoying tasks occasionally, and as long as you do them well, I’ll protect you.

"How can I trust someone like you...?"

"You’ll have to."

= It’s not like you have a choice.

You’re really not in a position to be picky.

All I’d have to do is say the word, and you’d be expelled and sent off to meet the reaper.

So much doubt from someone in such a dire situation.

A sigh slipped out of me in frustration.

It seemed like I needed to give her a little taste of reality.

***

"I’ll make your body mine."

Emilia was frozen for a moment.

It felt as if her breath had turned cold.

She couldn’t stop her shoulders from trembling.

It was a reflexive reaction born out of anxiety.

"What... what did you just say...?"

She must have misheard.

Maybe it was because she had spent the night crying, leaving her mind unclear.

The girl clung to a faint hope as she asked.

But.

"There are plenty of things you’ll need to do for me."

Even that fragile hope was shattered.

"We’ll have lots of things to figure out together… sticking closely side by side."

"Ah."

Her heart plummeted.

It felt like the pulse that connected her to life had stopped.

Her blue eyes were drenched in despair.

Her weakness, the conditions, the cost.

The golden snake was staring at the villainess with a sinister gleam in his eyes, his tongue flicking like it was coated in venom.

Emilia realized.

The boy wanted her body.

‘A s*x sl*ve.’

A single term popped into her mind.

She desperately wanted to deny it, but his overtly lecherous gaze left no room for that hope.

His narrow eyes glinted with that unique, ominous gleam.

"Hehe."

The empty laughter was terrifying.

Her breath hitched.

The girl had to bite her lip hard to keep from crying.

Emilia had always been focused on her studies.

She had pulled countless all-nighters to train, but she had never shown any interest in romantic relationships.

As a result, the confusion she felt now was even more overwhelming.

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Fear of the unknown.

Her face drained of color, turning ghostly pale.

‘Why?’

Why was this happening?

The villainess couldn’t even voice the question. She knew all too well that she had brought it upon herself.

Regret bloomed like a fleeting breath.

‘I never should have agreed to that duel.’

She had desperately wanted the top spot.

She thought that by achieving a shining position, she could finally show up the elders of her family.

So she had acted impulsively.

She never imagined that the man who seemed so insignificant would be that strong.

Perhaps it was arrogance.

In the end, she was humiliated in front of all the students, and now even her purity was at risk.

"Hic, sob..."

Tears began to fall.

She didn’t want to cry.

She didn’t want to be weak.

Even if the path ahead was filled with thorns, she wanted to maintain her dignity if it meant survival.

But.

"Why are you crying so pitifully?"

"Sniff..."

The tears wouldn’t stop.

As she sat there, pitifully hunched over and sobbing, she heard his whisper again.

"Isn’t this a very favorable deal?"

"..."

"Just do your best to satisfy me, and I’ll make sure to keep your secret safe."

"How can I trust someone like you...?"

"You’ll have to."

His lips curled into a dangerous smile as he answered.

"If you want to protect your precious family."

"What...?"

"You have a younger twin brother, don’t you? Someone in the same situation as you."

A boy who had joined Class A in this cohort.

His name was Ruska Vanity.

He was the last family Emilia had left.

One of the reasons she was so desperate was her concern for him.

She had to protect him.

"The sibling you’ve relied on so much… I wonder if the elders of your family will leave him alone."

The sharp hypothetical stabbed deep into her core.

Those children had no one to lean on.

In a situation like this, if Emilia were to disappear, what would happen next was as clear as day.

It would be the end.

"…I never really had a choice to begin with, did I?"

Her voice was a quiet murmur.

Her once-clear blue eyes had lost their vitality, now deadened and bleak.

"Hic, sniff… sob."

The situation forced her to choose.

She had to follow the only path left to avoid the worst outcome.

Even if that path was lined with thorns.

"I understand."

It was better than dying.

In the end, the villainess was just a puppet dancing to the snake’s deceitful tune.

Emilia lowered her gaze.

"I’ll do as you say."

How pitiful.

The tears that briefly sparkled in her eyes held a cruel beauty.

"Just so you know…"

"Hmm?"

"I… I have no experience with this sort of thing at all. I hope you’ll be patient with me."

"That’s fine."

A sly answer came back.

"I think it’ll be fun to slowly teach an inexperienced lady like you."

"…That’s a little scary."

"There’s no need to be afraid."

The boy gently reached out his hand.

As his fingers slowly approached, they lifted the villainess’s chin.

As she raised her head, their eyes met, locking onto his squinting gaze.

Emilia’s breath caught.

"I’ll be gentle."

A vile person.

What kind of light do your eyes see me in?

No doubt they’re clouded with lust.

"Oh."

The boy’s face drew closer.

Was it about to begin?

It was…

A little frightening.

"…"

She closed her eyelids.

With her vision blocked, it felt a bit more bearable.

Though it didn’t stop her trembling.

Thump, thump, thump, thump…

Her heart pounded as if it were about to explode.

Her anxious pulse consumed her world.

Finally.

"…!"

Something warm brushed against her lips before pulling away.

It radiated a comforting warmth.

Emilia instinctively recognized it as lips.

Her eyes squeezed shut even tighter.

The boy, seemingly unsatisfied, pressed his lips against hers a few more times.

But he wasn’t rough.

‘This is strange.’

It felt like heat was building inside her.

Her breathing grew uneven.

To steady her muddled thoughts, the girl clenched her fists tightly.

It went on for a while.

‘It’s not painful or distressing… like I feared.’

A soft touch gently staining her.

That was her impression of the kiss that had been taken from her.

***

Meanwhile.

"I think it’ll be fun to slowly teach an inexperienced lady like you."

= I’d help guide you if you’re not used to it.

"There’s no need to be afraid."

= I genuinely mean it, don’t be scared.

"I’ll be gentle."

= I won’t be too harsh, so don’t worry.

The boy didn’t have any particular thoughts behind it.

His expression was blank, almost questioning.

‘Why is she closing her eyes when I’m just wiping her lips?’

All he had intended to do was wipe away the blood from her bitten lip.

But then she suddenly got all serious.

Now, every time his fingers touched her lips, her shoulders twitched.

‘Maybe she’s had a tough life… she doesn’t seem to be in a good state.’

Indeed.

What the girl mistook for lips was actually just his finger.

They completely misunderstood each other.

‘Well, at least I’ve made a new friend. I’ll have to tell her to get along with Regia.’

His misconception deepened.

***

And so, the tumultuous duel event came to an end.

We each kept our promises.

The execution was indefinitely postponed according to the victor’s will.

Emilia faithfully followed me around, playing the role of a secret friend.

In the end.

"Ta-da~!"

I made a new friend.

"My lord… what’s going on all of a sudden…?"

"What kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?"

Regia stood there with a stiff expression, while Irene leaned lazily with a hand on her hip.

Even though they didn’t show it openly, their reactions were clearly filled with confusion.

Ignoring them, I introduced someone to the two of them.

"Here’s someone I’ve recently gotten close to."

"Hmph."

It was none other than Emilia.

The villainess stood quietly in place. Her cold blue eyes glinted icily, exuding the intimidating air of a high-ranking noble.

"Lady Vanity…?!"

"Isn’t she the one who was rude to you last time?"

An unexpected figure appeared.

Especially for Regia, who had a trauma related to the villainess, this was a shocking sight.

I smiled reassuringly.

"Come on~ she doesn’t bite."

"Uh, um…?"

"We had a sincere conversation the other day. We realized we get along, so we decided to be friends."

There’s no need to be afraid.

I said as much while casually patting Emilia’s head a few times.

It was a gesture to show that she wasn’t dangerous.

"…!?"

"Hah."

The Pilot and the Fox both gasped in shock.

They couldn’t believe how casually I was treating the daughter of a Duke.

Not only that, but Emilia wasn’t even angry; instead, she was obediently going along with it, which only doubled their surprise.

The Fox asked incredulously.

"What did you threaten her with?"

"I told you. We had an honest conversation."

"As if."

"Are you saying you don’t believe me?"

"Nine out of ten things you say are lies. Anyone who trusts you is a fool."

"Everyone lies to some degree."

"Not as much as you."

We exchanged a few lighthearted words.

Even as we talked, I kept fiddling with Emilia’s blue hair.

"…"

It was an uncomfortable position for the villainess.

At first, her eyes were tense, and now she was clenching her fists so tightly it looked like they might break.

In the end, Emilia couldn’t hold back any longer.

Smack!

She roughly slapped away the hand that was resting on her head.

Her blue eyes sparkled with fury.

"Don’t get the wrong idea, you two."

The icy glare was directed not at me, but at the two girls.

Perhaps she didn’t dare defy me directly, so instead, she turned her resentment towards the others.

"A commoner who doesn’t know her place and a vulgar beast maid… I have no intention of associating with such lowly creatures."

Even after being brought to her knees, a villainess was still a villainess.

Her vanity burned bright.

Though she had knelt before me, she refused to bow to others.

Her innate arrogance flared up.

Emilia shot a glance in my direction.

It was as if she was asking me to allow her at least this much pride.

"I may have surrendered my body to you… but that doesn’t mean I’ve given you my heart."

"You’re absolutely right."

"I’ll never give you my heart."

"As you wish, my lady."

Though we had become allies, she still couldn’t fully trust me.

Well, I had been acting suspiciously.

It was only natural for her to be wary from her perspective.

It was a little disappointing that she didn’t plan to give me her heart (trust).

But I guess I’ll be content with this for now.

We have plenty of time ahead.

I can take my time winning her over.

"However."

There was something I couldn’t compromise on.

"From now on, I’d like you to be mindful of how you speak to these two."

Irene and Regia.

It was one thing if it were other students, but I wouldn’t tolerate anyone being sharp-tongued toward those I care about.

I deliberately flashed a chilling smile.

"They’re precious to me in their own way. In fact, I almost got a little upset just now."

"…"

"Surely you wouldn’t want to make me angry, right?"

"…I’ll be careful."

Emilia eventually nodded.

The haughty attitude from moments before vanished, leaving her deflated.

The villainess muttered an apology to the two girls.

"I think I got a little too worked up… I apologize."

"Oh, uh, no, there’s no need for you to apologize, Lady Vanity…!"

"No, I’m sorry."

She even took the initiative to apologize.

I must have scared her quite a bit.

Regia, who had been stiff with fear at first, seemed to relax slightly as she saw the villainess wilt.

I watched the scene with satisfaction.

"Hehe."

As I nodded in approval—

"…?"

—I felt a gaze piercing into my cheek.

When I turned to see where it was coming from, the Fox was staring at me with eyes full of disdain.

"You said you didn’t do anything."

She usually had a cold expression, but this time it was on another level.

Why was she suddenly acting like this?

"What did you do to make her say she’s given you her body?"

A chilling aura emanated from her.

The fox paused for a moment before narrowing her eyes and sneering.

"…You pervert."

It was a sincere accusation.

For a moment, I couldn’t understand her reaction and could only stare blankly in confusion.

Why are you suddenly mad at me?

***

Anyway.

A week passed.

As I got used to the daily routine, time flowed by.

"Miss Irene?"

"The kids… It’s been over a month since I last saw them. I want to check in on them."

"Hehe, it seems you’ve been worried."

"I can’t exactly deny it."

"I understand. They’re precious to you, after all."

Irene made a request.

She wanted to visit the foxes I’d left with some “safe people.”

I readily agreed.

"I was planning to drop by soon anyway."

It’ll be nice to see their faces again.

I hope they’ve been doing well.

‘Astro.’

The rulers of the City That Never Cries.

With a few faces coming to mind, I rose from my seat.

Well then.

Shall I go check on my team members?

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]