I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines

Chapter 49 - Anne’s Diary (5)

[EP6. Bergen Belsen]

—The Lost Girl, The Monster Who Can’t Cry—

This was originally a story told from Regia’s perspective.

After the protagonist was kidnapped in the previous episode, “The Abandoned Laboratory,” she was brought to Bergen Belsen, where the events unfolded.

The episode began with a dark cell.

[Sob… sniff, sniff…]

The protagonist was crying, her back pressed against the cold wall.

She had been weeping helplessly, overwhelmed by the hopelessness of her situation.

As she trembled with fear, a voice called out to her.

[Hey… Pink-Haired Sister!]

[Over here! This way!]

Hearing the sudden voice, she flinched and turned around, only to find a girl waving at her through a small gap.

As their eyes met, the girl smiled brightly.

[It’s so nice to meet you! It’s been so long since anyone came to the cell next to mine!]

[My name is Anne! Let’s stick together as fellow test subjects.]

The smile she gave sparkled with warmth.

Anne’s appearance in the original story wasn’t much different.

The cheerful girl reached out to the protagonist, offering her company and keeping her from feeling lonely in the cold, dark cell.

She played the role of a classic supporting character.

[Sister, take this.]

[It’s a blanket!]

Anne’s role was to provide hope.

She kept the episode from sinking too deeply into despair, bringing a bright light to an otherwise dark story.

Her resolve to never lose hope was both endearing and heartbreaking.

[Still… isn’t it okay to wish for a miracle to happen once in a while?]

[The harder times get, the more courage we need.]

[The more we reflect on things, the more beautiful life becomes.]

But.

She couldn’t escape her tragic fate.

Bergen Belsen, Anne, and her diary… they were all laced with ominous hints of the tragedy to come.

In the end, the girl met a horrific demise.

It was a shocking conclusion.

[I’ll be back.]

After the professors from Galimard Academy arrived for the rescue, the protagonist managed to escape, but the cost of her survival was to witness a horrifying sight.

[Krrrkkk… krikk]

Anne, who had been transformed into a monster.

The episode concluded with Regia, devastated by the scene before her.

While recording the playthrough, I remember thinking:

Even if it was inspired by real history, did the story really need to end in such a cruel way?

It was a story that left painful memories.

But…

“Thank goodness… I’m really so relieved.”

“Sister, are you crying? Wh-Why are you suddenly—?”

This time, things were different.

Because when the girl became a monster, I was there.

It felt like a small act of rebellion.

‘A tragic ending? They can shove it up their ass.’

I’ve always hated tragic endings.

If an unfair future stands in the way of happiness, then you just have to smash it with your fist.

I let out a soft smile.

“I… I don’t understand what happened. I was in the lab, and then…”

“Hehe.”

Anne was confused, her eyes darting around.

Gently, so as not to startle her, I reached out and stroked her head.

Her warm body beneath my palm reassured me that she was alive.

“I… I thought I was going to die.”

“Anne.”

“It hurt so much, and I was so scared… I cried, I screamed…”

“It must’ve been a nightmare.”

I calmly soothed her.

“It was only a dream. If you close your eyes and rest again, you won’t even remember it when you wake up.”

I covered her tearful eyes with my hand.

I wanted to help the tired girl rest, to free her from the terrible nightmare she had endured.

“After you sleep a bit more, everything will be alright.”

A gentle shadow passed over her face.

Anne’s eyelids slowly fluttered closed.

As her consciousness faded, the fox beside her carefully wrapped her arms around Anne’s body, helping her lie down.

She whispered softly.

“Sleep well.”

I smiled faintly.

***

Swoosh.

Gentle breathing filled the air.

“…She’s asleep.”

“It seems so.”

Anne was lying on Irene’s lap.

Her expression was peaceful as she slept.

Irene tidied the girl’s messy hair, then glanced quietly in my direction.

Her black eyes were full of complex emotions.

“…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…”

“Miss Irene?”

The fox stared blankly for a moment.

Biting her lip, she finally spoke.

“How… how did you do that?”

It was a short question, but it was heavy with meaning.

What she had just witnessed was far from ordinary.

It was something impossible.

In other words, a miracle.

From Irene’s perspective, it must’ve been incomprehensible.

I gave her a playful smile.

I put my finger to my lips.

“It’s a secret.”

“…I thought you’d say that.”

It was a complicated power to explain, after all.

“Let’s just say it was luck.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Anne had survived the experiment, and even though she had been turned into a chimera, the fact that she was still alive made it possible to restore her.

Though it was more like a restoration than true healing.

Either way.

Even with the powers of Liar, I couldn’t bring back the dead.

Whether they were dismembered, slashed to pieces, or turned into monsters… they had to be alive, at the very least.

Lies spoken to the dead would always amount to nothing but idle ramblings.

—Ding!

[Current Output: 31.7%]

To be honest, even this had pushed me to my limit.

Restoring the small girl’s body to its original form had consumed nearly 60% of my remaining power.

There was no way I could do that for multiple people at once.

‘Maybe I overdid it… this dizziness is no joke.’

It was far more difficult than subduing even the most powerful professors.

Unlike battles that required only physical strikes, restoring a chimera involved elevating the very concept of creation.

The backlash was just as severe.

“Wouldn\'t it be more beautiful to leave a miracle as a miracle?”

“Yeah… I won’t ask anymore.”

“I didn’t expect you to back off so easily.”

“I have my limits. Even though I swore I’d never trust humans again, I don’t want to bite the hand of someone I owe a debt to.”

“How admirable.”

I nodded approvingly.

Despite her deep mistrust of humans, she wasn’t inherently a black-hearted beast.

“I’ll repay this debt somehow.”

“I did it because I wanted to. Besides, I got to see you cry for the first time.”

“…Shut up.”

The fox wiped her reddened eyes.

It seemed the tension had finally eased.

To be honest, I’d have liked to stay and chat, but unfortunately, there was still unfinished business to take care of.

I rose from my seat.

“Hm.”

Even though using that much power had been risky… well, I had just enough left to handle what was still lurking nearby.

The thing that had been watching us.

After taking a brief moment to collect myself, I turned my head toward one side and spoke.

“How about you come out now? I believe I’ve waited long enough.”

“What? Who are you talking to—?”

Just as Irene tilted her head in confusion.

“You’re quite an arrogant little brat.”

A figure that had been hiding in the shadows of the iron bars finally revealed itself.

It was a middle-aged man with an air of unnatural menace about him.

He was wrapped in a blood-red robe that clung to his body like skin.

Smiling with amusement, the man stepped out of the darkness.

It was a familiar face.

“…!”

Irene flinched.

Startled, she instinctively reached for her sword.

Though she recognized the man, she hesitated to stand up.

The oppressive aura he exuded made it impossible.

“This is quite the amusing turn of events.”

The director of the research facility, Yosef Cramer.

The demon who ruled over Bergen Belsen, and the one responsible for turning Anne into a monster.

“I had completely hidden my presence… I didn’t expect you to see through it.”

He approached us slowly, his distinctive, leisurely voice echoing coldly through the underground chamber.

I answered without batting an eye.

“I just have good eyes.”

“Such a witty remark. I saw how you restored that failure earlier.”

“When you say failure… are you referring to Miss Anne?”

“Anne? I don’t know the name of such trash.”

“Weren’t you the one who experimented on her?”

“What use is a name to a failure? It’s just trash.”

“…Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips.

He had been this kind of person in the original story, but seeing him in real life was even more revolting.

Especially the way his eyes held not a shred of remorse.

“So, how did you do it?”

The demon’s eyes were filled with nothing but vile greed.

“Did you use some trick? I’ve never heard of magic that could restore a failed experiment to its original form…”

“It’s complicated. I don’t really like sharing my secrets.”

“Of course. You wouldn’t want to share such a precious piece of knowledge.”

The demon laughed unpleasantly.

A crimson mist began to rise around him, thick with the stench of corruption.

He was gathering his black magic.

“Then I’ll just take it by force. I’ll rip your brain out and dissect it, piece by piece.”

“That’s a pretty terrifying thing to say.”

“You’ll make an excellent specimen! While I’m at it, maybe I’ll recycle that trash over there, too. How about I cut off your limbs and stitch them together with hers? It’d be quite the artistic composition.”

“…”

I wondered if he realized.

That every word he spoke was pushing me closer to the edge.

“It’s been a long time… since I’ve been this angry.”

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm.

Then I patted the fox’s head, sensing her rising anxiety.

It was my way of telling her not to worry.

“This will be over quickly. Cover Miss Anne’s ears so she doesn’t wake up.”

“…Okay.”

Though she hesitated, Irene nodded in agreement.

I smiled lightly and stepped forward.

Whoooosh—!

The underground chamber was now filled with a crimson aura.

Shards of deadly energy were aimed in my direction.

If he finished his incantation, everything around us would be torn to shreds at the atomic level.

This was the leader of Bergen Belsen.

A man with power rivaling that of a professor.

Just one incantation could bury this entire underground chamber.

So I needed to be careful.

‘…If I hit him too hard, he might die too easily.’

After all, when dealing with weak creatures, you need to handle them with care.

I loaded a Lie at my fingertips.

A cold fury trickled down my spine.

The demon parted his lips, lunging forward.

He began to chant the prayer that would unleash his black magic.

Death hung in the air.

“O Master bathed in blood! Your eternal power, let it be—!”

“Shatter.”

Crash—!

Sorry.

I wasn’t in the mood to let him show off.

I didn’t want to see Yosef Cramer, the psycho who had slaughtered, tortured, and turned tens of thousands of people into monsters, receive some grandiose villain treatment.

Crack—!

And so, I smashed his stage lights.

I would drown his spotlight in darkness, allowing only the most fitting nightmare to unfold for a demon like him.

“...?!”

As his magic vanished, the head of the lab was left in stunned silence.

I spoke, my voice dry.

“Blackout.”

And in the next moment.

The world was swallowed in black.

***

When the lights returned.

The two of us were seated in a courtroom.

It was a meticulously crafted illusion, a new stage I had prepared for this little performance.

At the center of the room was a tall execution platform.

“Defendant.”

The judge called out to the accused.

Seated at the highest bench was none other than myself, with my usual narrow eyes.

“Defendant Yosef Cramer, do you have any last words?”

The defendant, bound to a chair with thick ropes, was the demon himself.

Dazed by the sudden shift in reality, he had yet to grasp the situation.

The judge smiled ominously.

“Then, let us begin the trial of this sinner.”

Bang, bang, bang—!

As the sound of the gavel echoed through the chamber, the camera zoomed in on the noose hanging from the executioner’s platform.

It was time for punishment.