I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 40 - Light (5)

[Leave now, outsider.]

She had originally been an irredeemable villainess.

Consumed by an inferiority complex toward others, she tormented the protagonist out of a twisted heart.

A supporting character no one liked.

[I can’t accept this.]

[What’s so great about that commoner that everyone cheers for her?]

[I’m better, aren’t I? How can someone with no background smile so confidently?]

The girl’s obsession took her down the wrong path.

She grew jealous of the brilliant talent the protagonist possessed, and her seething envy soon blossomed into something ugly.

Perhaps they were tears for the things she could never have.

[I don’t like it.]

Before long, the girl began to hate the protagonist.

She despised her, belittled her, distorted her.

Sometimes, she directly attacked her, trying to erase her presence at the academy.

It was a typical “disliked villainess” storyline.

A hindrance, an obstacle.

Considering the horrible deeds Emilia committed in the original story, it wouldn’t have been unreasonable to cut her down early.

I could have removed her from the scene, ensuring she never caused any trouble for the protagonist.

After all, I had the power to do so.

A troublesome extra could be dealt with at any time, if I so wished.

But I didn’t, for a simple reason.

‘She hasn’t done anything wrong yet.’

I knew the future.

But is it right to punish someone for a crime they have yet to commit?

That fundamental question made me hesitate.

Perhaps there was a chance she could change.

Of course, I didn’t expect much.

I knew how unfairly predetermined fate could be.

I simply chose to observe.

‘You never know.’

I always left room for the slightest possibility.

No matter how dark a villain is, there’s always at least one belief they hold dear while navigating this world.

I wasn’t any different.

‘I want to see a future that hasn’t existed before.’

If it wasn’t too late, maybe things could still be set right.

Even with my knowledge of the original story, I hoped that this world wasn’t bound entirely by it.

I wanted every child to live their own story.

Opportunities, struggles, choices... all interwoven, overlapping with each other.

“My lady.”

This time, my faith was rewarded.

“...”

“Do you require strength?”

The blue eyes that had been trembling in shock.

I wanted to learn a little more about the girl’s story, about what would come next.

“I believe I can offer you my assistance.”

So, I extended my hand.

To my endearing, pitiful extra.

To the vain girl, who no longer seemed like a villainess, the snake smiled tenderly.

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As if blessing the bloom of a small, fragile flower.

***

<Kiiiiieeeeaaah!!!>

Tentacles shattered, floating in the air.

Amidst the ear-piercing screams, the monster writhed in agony, retreating.

The scene had changed in an instant.

“...”

The villainess stood frozen.

Blood and flesh were flying everywhere, the situation was urgent, but her body refused to move.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

As if the world itself had stopped.

It felt surreal.

The scene before her eyes resembled a dream.

Her dazed gaze landed on someone standing at the center of it all.

The golden-haired snake.

“Heh.”

A faint chuckle tickled her ear.

The boy with golden hair rested his chin lightly on her delicate shoulder.

His familiar, sweet scent brushed against her nose.

Her breath caught in her throat.

“Hmm... Was my entrance too sudden?”

The snake murmured leisurely.

Even with the monster looming right in front of him, he showed not the slightest hint of fear.

If anything, his grin only deepened as if he were enjoying himself.

Seeing him, she couldn’t help but let a question slip out.

“...How?”

The girl muttered blankly.

Her usual sharpness gone from her voice, it was filled only with wonder.

Internally, she wondered.

How was he still alive?

She had seen him crushed beneath the monster, but here he was, standing before her without a single scratch.

It was impossible to understand, but—

Instead of answering, the boy whispered quietly.

“It’s a secret.”

His voice was playful, filled with mischief.

But despite that childish pretence, there was an underlying sense of danger he couldn’t hide.

“My lady?”

A faint, flickering sense of menace.

The entire laboratory was swallowed by darkness.

The air was heavy with silence.

This wasn’t the usual lighthearted atmosphere. The pressure he emitted was unmistakable.

An overwhelming power.

“You don’t need to be so tense.”

“...”

Emilia held her breath as much as she could.

There were no more questions. Only silent submission remained.

For the first time, she was faced with an insurmountable authority.

A crushing weight pressed down on her entire body.

She stopped trying to understand.

The girl remained frozen in place.

As she stood there, the boy behind her responded with a sly grin.

A soft whisper brushed her ear.

“My lady.”

“...”

“You once told me, didn’t you? That you wanted to live.”

“...”

Was he referring to the time just before her execution?

The day she knelt, pleading pathetically.

—Please, my lord.

—I want to live.

—I... I want to live, so badly.

The boy smiled wickedly.

Their faces were close. His breath grazed her ear, dangerously intoxicating.

A faint tremor shook her heart.

The pale pupils of his eyes gleamed with a strange light.

“Like back then... How about making another deal?”

The snake flicked his tongue.

In the midst of the overwhelming darkness, the boy made his offer.

“I can ensure that your story continues.”

Life.

“If you take my hand... you’ll be able to overcome that monster and escape from this hell.”

The snake’s offer was impossibly tempting.

Just moments ago, she had faced certain death, yet now she was being offered a second chance.

The girl was given the opportunity to move beyond her regrets.

“All I ask is that you live for me.”

In exchange, the price was none other than herself.

“Just stay by my side... so I can keep watching your story unfold.”

The boy spoke.

She didn’t fully understand what that meant, but Emilia couldn’t help but nod as if entranced.

To survive—there was only that one thought occupying her mind.

“This is a new deal.”

The snake smiled gently.

Their foreheads touched.

The warmth of his skin against hers made her thoughts blur.

As she stood there in a daze, she suddenly heard the screeching she had forgotten about.

<Kiiiiieeeeaaah!!!>

The monster’s frantic scream echoed.

Before them, it thrashed violently, tentacles flailing in every direction as it charged at them once again, seemingly recovered from its wounds.

But the boy remained unfazed.

“Do not worry.”

The snake wrapped his arms around her from behind.

He pulled her slender frame into his embrace, gently gripping both of her wrists.

“As long as I'm here... you will never lose, my lady.”

Screeech—

The boy lifted Emilia’s arms.

As if she were a puppet, her movements guided by him.

She hesitated for a moment, but soon entrusted herself to the calm touch.

The icy spear in her hand now pointed directly at the monster.

“For just a moment.”

Then.

Shadows began to gather, creeping and intertwining.

The black mass swirled into a powerful current.

As it did, the ice spear slowly turned dark.

“I’ll show you a new world.”

The spear was now coated in black.

Darkness, gathered at her fingertips, bloomed into a midnight frost.

Emilia felt a shiver run down her spine.

“This is only a temporary power.”

It felt like omnipotence.

Even in the midst of the cold that chilled her to the bone, the spear gleamed, radiating an elegant light.

Emilia, who had been in a daze, adjusted her stance once more.

Her arms moved naturally.

As if she instinctively knew what to do.

<Uwaa, Uwaaah!!>

The monster was now right in front of them.

Hundreds of tentacles descended from above, but Emilia calmly watched them approach.

Of course, not all her fear had vanished.

The terror she had felt from the monster still lingered.

‘Can I really do this?’

Her blue eyes wavered.

But then, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, a voice whispered in her ear.

“You can.”

There wasn’t a trace of doubt in the soft encouragement.

How long had it been since she last received such pure trust? It was a feeling she couldn’t even remember from her childhood.

A sudden sense of fulfillment swelled within her.

The girl’s eyes shot open.

Her energy surged.

A strange sensation coursed through her palms as she swung the spear with all her strength.

And then.

Shhhkk—!

A beautiful streak of light.

The sharp sound of cutting echoed through the air.

“...”

It felt like time slowed down.

A thin line was drawn across the entire laboratory, and the monster’s body split in two.

A clean, precise cut.

<Ugh! Kiiieeeaaah...!>

The monster collapsed without even leaving a full scream behind.

Black, rotten blood soaked the ground, and the eyes that had once covered its skin lost their light.

A grotesque heap of tentacles lay scattered on the floor.

Emilia stared at the scene in disbelief.

“Haa, haa...!”

Panting, she struggled to catch her breath. A voice from behind broke the silence.

“I told you, didn’t I? That you could do it.”

She wanted to turn her head to look at the boy, but her strength suddenly left her.

Emilia stumbled, her legs giving out beneath her, and she collapsed to the floor.

The extreme tension had drained her.

Her consciousness flickered, on the verge of fading.

"Oh my."

The snake caught her as she fell.

Perhaps it was the warmth of his embrace that comforted her.

In the heat of his body, Emilia felt a profound sense of relief.

“You did wonderfully, my lady.”

His sweet scent filled her nose.

Like a parent soothing a drowsy child, the snake gently patted her back.

Her mind grew hazy.

“Rest now. I’ll take care of the rest.”

A hand gently covered her eyes.

As her vision dimmed into darkness and her consciousness slipped away, the last thing she remembered was—

“Goodnight.”

A tender whisper, filled with affection.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]