I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines

Chapter 29 - Astro (1)

Swoosh—

The gently rippling waves.

A warm breeze blowing from somewhere tousled her auburn hair.

A familiar silence echoed in her ears.

It was a strange scene.

An endless stretch of water.

The sky-blue backdrop resembled an ocean.

In this lonely scene...

"..."

The fox opened her eyes.

What appeared in her hazy vision was none other than a dazzlingly bright sky-blue expanse.

The vast open sea awaited the girl.

She could feel something hard against her back.

Turning around out of curiosity, she saw iron bars standing upright, surrounding her.

The surface was rusted, as if weathered by time.

It was a solitary cell in the middle of the ocean.

"Ah..."

The fox immediately realized it was a dream.

It was the same nightmare that had tormented her for the past two years.

The scenery was all too familiar.

She looked around, just in case.

The tightly packed iron bars confined the girl. Beyond them, nothing existed.

Only the hollow sound of waves crashing could be heard.

Creak—

The fox grabbed the bars behind her and, with effort, stood up.

The old metal creaked in protest.

"Ugh, ngh..."

Her movements were unsteady.

The ground was slightly submerged in water, so the splashing sea covered the girl’s ankles.

Yet, neither her clothes nor her tail were wet.

This was a clear indication that the scene was a dream.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a sea breeze brushed her cheek.

The characteristic salty scent spread to the tip of her nose.

The air cooled her warmth, but the fox frowned slightly.

She considered its gentleness a mockery.

"I’m so sick of this."

She muttered faintly.

Leaning against the bars, the fox\'s dark eyes shimmered with distress.

She looked fragile, as if she might shatter at any moment.

This place was lonely.

It was as if the entire landscape had been created to isolate her.

There was nothing but the sea in the background.

Not a single trace of human presence could be heard.

She was completely alone.

"...It’d be nice to wake up soon."

She quietly repeated her lament.

The ensuing silence was peaceful and beautiful, but overwhelmingly cruel.

The fox waited in silence.

For the nightmare to end.

For this wretched sense of loss to be filled.

***

The day after the nightmare.

The fox went to see the snake as soon as she woke up. She had a request to make.

The boy responded with a puzzled look.

"Miss Irene?"

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

"Hmm."

Thwack—

The boy closed the book he had been reading.

He was silent for a moment, as if lost in thought, then he faintly smiled.

"Hehe, you seem worried."

"Well... I can’t deny that."

"I understand. They must be precious to you, Miss Irene."

"If you get it, then let me see them."

Irene answered curtly.

In truth, she was worried, but the desire to see them was stronger.

Maybe it was because of the nightmare she had last night.

She wanted to see the kids.

- Sis! Where have you been?

- You idiot! Don’t cling to her when she’s tired!

- They’re fighting again… Please scold them.

The pure, shining smiles were what she longed for.

Her heart, on the verge of fading away, needed a way out from the choking sense of loss.

When she held the kids in her arms, she felt grounded.

There were still things she had to protect.

They kept her from falling apart.

"...Please."

Though her voice was as sharp as ever, there was something pitiful about it.

The silent boy finally spoke.

"Hmm... Alright."

"Really?"

"I was planning to visit them soon anyway."

"..."

Sway, sway—

Her limp tail regained some of its strength and began to move.

She didn’t seem to realize it herself, but whenever she was in a good mood, it was always obvious.

A tender smile spread across the girl’s face.

At that moment, she had no idea what to expect.

The place where she would meet the children.

She never imagined it would be in the city known as the worst slum in the Empire.

***

Irene’s request to see the kids.

I had been thinking about showing my face to them as well, so I immediately nodded in agreement.

It would have been lonely to go alone.

"Shall we go then?"

There was no need to delay.

It was a weekend without classes, so we immediately left the academy and boarded a carriage bound for our destination.

After some time, we arrived at an alleyway.

"Sir, this is as far as the carriage can go."

The coachman refused to go any further.

It was an unspoken rule.

No matter what, you don’t enter the \'City That Never Cries.\'

Robbery or plundering aside... there was no guarantee you’d come out alive.

So we had to walk.

"Are you sure the kids are really here...?"

"I’m telling you, they are."

"This is a slum."

"It’s safer than it looks, so don’t worry. Unless you don’t want to see your siblings?"

"...Alright. Let’s go."

We walked side by side.

The deeper we went into the city, the blurrier our vision became, as if frost was clouding our pupils.

It was a regional characteristic.

The City That Never Cries, *Requiem.

[TL/N: “Lekiye” will be changed to “Requiem”.]

Regardless of the outside weather, a thick fog always lingered here.

It made it an ideal nest for villains.

In other words, the town’s security was a mess.

"This place doesn’t seem like somewhere kids should be…"

Irene frowned.

It seemed she had finally realized this wasn’t just any ordinary slum.

"Are you sure they’re in a safe place…?"

"Of course."

"Every alley is filled with malice. Isn’t this more like a den of criminals?"

"The streets might be a bit dirty... but I assure you, your siblings are in a perfectly safe place."

"It’s hard to believe."

"Rest assured. I guarantee it."

At least, from what I know.

I raised them myself.

I could confidently say there were few places on the continent safer than this.

I offered her a reassuring smile to ease her worries.

"Your siblings are in a \'good place.\' I sent them there personally."

"…Can’t you stop saying things like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind... just forget it."

The fox turned her head with a resigned look.

She suddenly gave up.

What’s wrong with her?

At least finish what you’re saying.

I could only stand there with a bunch of question marks floating over my head.

Trudge, trudge—

As we continued our strange conversation and walked, some shadows blocked our path.

"Hey, you two. Stop right there."

A group of figures emerged from the fog.

Each of them wore a robe and held a sword in hand.

Were they thugs preying on the alleyways?

I calmly surveyed the area.

\'There are nine of them.\'

Roughly that many were surrounding us.

Judging by how naturally they positioned themselves, this wasn’t their first time doing something like this.

Let’s hear what they have to say.

"Hmm~ What brings such fine gentlemen to us?"

I asked in an exaggerated tone.

One of the robed figures stepped forward.

It was the same one who had ordered us to stop earlier.

"Your outfits are unfamiliar."

"I’m sure they are."

"You don’t seem to be from around here... Are you outsiders?"

"That’s correct. We’re just passing through on some business."

"Looks like your courage is misplaced."

As I answered nonchalantly, the man scoffed.

He seemed taken aback by my confidence.

I could somewhat understand.

To them, I probably looked like a frail young lord.

In a city overrun with crime and murder.

If there’s an idiot wandering around without proper guards, of course they’d want to target him.

"Hah... I’ve never seen someone like you before."

"It’s an honor."

"We don’t plan on taking your life. Hand over 10 gold coins, and we’ll let you go quietly."

"So you’re asking for a toll."

"Exactly."

"Hmm."

I let out a quiet hum.

There are still people collecting tolls like this, huh?

And 10 gold coins? That’s ridiculously expensive.

I could’ve sworn I wiped them out half a year ago, so where did they crawl back from?

\'Could it be that they’ve gotten lax in my absence?\'

Maybe they’ve become complacent without me.

Perhaps it’s time to reestablish some discipline.

As I was lost in thought, the fox beside me cautiously spoke up.

"Hey... What are you going to do?"

"Hmm?"

"They’re demanding a toll. And they’ve got swords, too."

"You’re not worried about me, are you?"

"Talk some sense."

Irene coldly dismissed the idea.

Her frown seemed to say she wouldn’t tolerate any weakness.

"…You could kill them all with a single gesture."

"Hehe, that’s true."

"But it’ll be a hassle if you cause a commotion, so I’m asking how you plan to get out of this."

"Who knows."

I casually shrugged my shoulders.

"Let’s just wait and see for a moment."

"What are you planning now?"

"Who knows? Maybe a mysterious hero will suddenly appear and rescue us from this predicament?"

"Even in this situation, you’re still joking..."

Tap, tap, tap, tap-!

Before she could finish speaking, a noise reached our ears.

Someone was pounding the ground fiercely.

Even from a distance, the faint smell of blood and the presence of a well-trained assassin could be felt.

It had been a while since I’d seen such movements.

"It seems someone has indeed appeared."

The next moment.

Slash—!

A sharp slicing sound echoed.

The heads of the man who had been talking and several others in the group floated into the air.

They had been decapitated in an instant.

""...!?""

The remaining robed figures stepped back in shock.

But it wasn’t as if they could escape their impending death.

Flutter—

A shadow that had blended into the darkness fluttered like a cloak.

The afterimage blinked rapidly.

An iron flower blossomed beautifully.

It was so fast it was almost invisible. Two short swords danced in an instant.

Despite the fog, the sword’s path was precise.

Slice—!

A silver line was drawn against the pitch-black background.

Following the split-second strike, starlight briefly twinkled.

It was dazzling.

And brutal.

As I was captivated by the splendid sword dance...

Thud, thud, thud...!

The remaining heads of the stumbling group fell to the ground.

It all happened in less than three seconds.

I smiled faintly.

"See? Someone really did show up, didn’t they?"

Though I’m not sure if I’d call them a hero.

I added a silly remark, but it seemed Irene didn’t hear it.

Her attention was elsewhere.

"Miss Irene?"

"..."

Her breath trembled as if she were tense.

Following the girl’s gaze, I turned my head and saw a figure standing among the corpses.

It was a woman exuding a chilling aura.

Long, flowing black hair.

Two short swords in her hands.

A black mask covering her lower face.

She had a distinctive appearance.

As soon as the woman’s eyes met mine, she began striding toward us.

"O-Oh no, she’s coming...!"

Irene drew her sword and assumed a stance.

Was she overwhelmed by the aura the woman exuded? She seemed shaken.

I calmly reassured the fox.

"Please, relax. She’s not our enemy."

"…You know her?"

Irene was startled.

I hesitated over how to explain, but soon gave up.

It would be easier to understand if she saw it for herself.

Step, step, step—

Before I knew it, the woman was right in front of us.

The menacing aura she radiated seemed to warn those around her that she would cut down anyone who blocked her path.

The woman, who had approached so aggressively...

Suddenly stopped in front of the snake.

And then.

"Captain."

She knelt on one knee.

She even disarmed herself, showing complete submission as she paid her respects.

"I knew you’d return."

The black-haired woman murmured softly.

Her voice was filled with emotion.

Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. It seemed she was overwhelmed by her feelings.

Her bowed head radiated a sense of reverence.

\'…This is exactly why I’ve been avoiding coming here lately.\'

One of the members gave me an overly enthusiastic welcome.

And the fox just stood there, staring blankly.

Their gazes were both so blatant.

Honestly.

It was ridiculously overwhelming.