The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 26

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Male Lead Is the Mastermind, But Only I Know It — Episode 26
“It’s nothing special, really……”
How is asking whether I’ve crossed dimensions not a big deal?
“H-how did you know that?”
I distinctly said I wanted to use Dimensional Magic to go to Korea — I never said I wanted to “return” there.
There’s a reason the saying goes that “ah” and “oh” are different sounds — because they mean completely different things!
I stammered out the question in evident confusion, and Evan answered me slowly, his expression unchanged.
“A Demon Beast I caught recently mentioned it. Said you smelled of ‘Other-Dimensional Soul.'”
“…A Demon Beast you caught recently?”
That’s strange. Evan’s been with me constantly these past few days, hasn’t he? Especially during most of his external schedules — I’d say we’ve been together almost the entire time.
But he caught a Demon Beast? When exactly did he find the time?
“When did you go catch a Demon Beast?”
“At night.”
Evan answered lightly, his expression suggesting it was nothing out of the ordinary, then sipped his tea unhurriedly.
What? He doesn’t sleep at night and instead hunts Demon Beasts? And during the day he’s either out with me or attending to his duties?
‘I suppose being engaged to me did keep him from parties for a while. But I never thought he’d be out hunting alone at night…’
Suddenly, he didn’t look human to me at all. Well, of course he isn’t human — he’s a demon — but knowing that he was somehow managing a schedule so grueling that no ordinary person could endure it made that distance I’d forgotten about resurface.
And yet.
‘So when he said he couldn’t sleep and was tired the other day, that was just an excuse, wasn’t it?’
I felt irritated.
I’d been genuinely worried, and it was all a lie. I won’t bother worrying about him again.
“Does the Demon Beast just tell you things willingly?”
As far as I know, Demon Beasts are close to deformed mutations derived from demons, so they’re destructive by nature.
For instance, they mock their opponents right up to the moment of death, or attack their minds with lies.
“Well, it did.”
Evan seemed to recall something, then shook his head lightly as if it were nothing.
‘Perhaps he was lucky enough to encounter a docile Demon Beast?’
Demon Beasts probably have different temperaments. I was rationalizing it to myself when a knock sounded, and Banel burst in, speaking hurriedly.
“My apologies for the delay. There was something worth seeing, but in any case — even for demons, most of them cooperate well enough if you persuade them properly with force.”
Wait. Force and persuade, cooperation — those three things shouldn’t exist in the same sentence, should they?
“What do you mean by that, Banel?”
“The mere existence of something superior to demons is itself a form of violence, you see. Ha ha!”
Banel beamed at me brightly as if that had been a sufficient answer. No, that didn’t explain anything. Mere existence as violence? I’ve never heard such a thing before. Never.
“Banel.”
As Evan set down his teacup and called the name quietly, Banel, who had been chattering away, clamped his mouth shut in an instant.
……I think I understand what he means. I get it.
“I’ve been trying to figure out the reason for a while now, but they all died during the interrogation before I could get the full story. Only just found out. Bad luck, that.”
Evan waved his hand to send Banel toward the back, then spoke at leisure.
‘So he resolved it with violence.’
Thanks to Banel, I could vaguely piece together Evan’s interrogation methods. It feels like I’ve learned far too much without meaning to.
“Generally speaking, Other-Dimensional Souls are rare, so their quality is excellent — the perfect prey for Demon Beasts. If they absorb one, they gain several times their normal power.”
“Isn’t that the same for demons?”
Isn’t it the case that only Demon Beasts crave human souls? When I asked cautiously, Evan laughed softly, his chin resting on his hand.
“For someone raised so gently, you’re quite perceptive, Rene.”
This man seems to remember that remark about me being gently raised and is deliberately using it on purpose.
He’s infuriating, but I’m too afraid to say anything about it.
“Don’t worry. I have no hobby of eating my beloved.”
As I swallowed dryly, Evan poured more tea into the empty cup with a generous smile.
“It’s strange. I’ve been living without incident until now, so why are you targeting me only now?”
“That seems to be because you lived far too quietly. But not anymore.”
In other words, what he’s saying is:
My life, which had been so peaceful precisely because I had no presence, was forcibly dragged into the spotlight the moment I met Evan, and that’s when Demon Beasts started noticing me — right?
Evan’s pupils drifted sideways, and he stared at an empty wall. I spoke gently.
“That sounds like you’re saying it’s because of some demon.”
“Don’t think about it. I won’t let any of them so much as lay a finger on you.”
When I glared at him with eyes full of the meaning “isn’t that really just saying it’s all your fault?”, Evan quickly appeased me, insisting he’d take responsibility and protect me.
Now that I think about it, I seem to have the upper hand in this relationship. Don’t lose your nerve, Rene Astel!
“Becoming a target of Demon Beasts overnight… well, I suppose it worked out well. As long as they know I’m here, they’ll circle around me, and wouldn’t that make it easier to eliminate them?”
The thought of unidentifiable things — neither human nor Demon Beast — lurking around me is frightening, but if you look at it the other way, it’s actually an opportunity to wipe them out more easily.
“Simply catching them won’t be an end. We need to catch the ones creating them.”
“…You’re creating them? I thought they were crossing over from the Demon Realm?”
At this unexpected revelation, my eyes widened. Evan exchanged a brief glance with Banel before speaking in a tone grown even more measured.
“They’re fugitives who staged a rebellion in the Demon Realm and escaped into the Human Realm. That’s why I’m here.”
Now that he mentioned it, Evan had never properly explained his work to me before.
I’d simply assumed he came to hunt Demon Beasts—but hearing this, it seemed the problem was far larger in scope than I’d imagined.
“They plant ‘Darkness’ into ordinary humans, turning them into Demon Beasts. They burrow into the darkness within and gradually tear them apart.”
“We refer to them as Farmers. Based on our investigation so far, there’s a high probability they’re hiding in temples, Large Trading Companies, the Magic Tower—places like that. They tend to nest in major organizations where they can easily sway large numbers of people.”
As Banel added this explanation, the haze that had obscured everything suddenly lifted.
In other words, the fugitives from the Demon Realm had infiltrated the Human Realm and were building their forces—which was why he’d come to clean up the mess.
To move freely and capture them, he would have needed high status, which meant becoming the Crown Prince made sense. He’d had to become Emperor.
‘Ah, now it all fits together.’
Looking back at things I’d let pass before, I realized something: there had not been a single choice Evan made without reason.
“Then isn’t the Imperial Palace in danger too?”
“We maintain a constant presence here, so it’s safe. With us this close, we can detect them immediately. They know that too, so they can’t breach this far. The thing is, if the Emperor falls to them, the Human Realm is done for completely, so…… ahem.”
Banel, who’d been speaking smoothly, caught sight of Evan’s expression and trailed off with a nervous cough.
What? What does that mean?
The question lingered only briefly before a realization unfurled in my mind.
“So that’s why you recommended I become Emperor?”
If the Emperor were consumed by a Demon Beast, the entire Empire would become a world of Demon Beasts. The Emperor had to be protected at all costs.
And if he had to protect me anyway, it was simply more convenient to make me—his contractor—the Emperor.
‘Wow. He really is a demon……!’
I’d thought he said it all for my sake!
“That’s the look of someone realizing I’m a demon.”
“Yes, well. Thanks to you.”
“Don’t be disappointed. I’m always doing my best by you.”
Evan studied my face and ventured the words carefully. Still, even hearing that….
I do know this much. Seeing how he treats others, I can tell he’s genuinely considering my interests.
But now it all seems like mere strategy on his part, not sincerity at all.
‘I should probably find a different favorite soon, before I break my own heart.’
Get a grip. In this cold, calculating contract with a demon……!

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————