The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 40

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The male lead’s true identity is the puppet master, and only I know it. Chapter 40
“Ah─!”
Ah, so this is the pain of being bitten on the neck? I never wanted to learn about it in such vivid detail….
Crunch—sharp fangs sank mercilessly into delicate skin, and each drop of blood that ran down was swallowed without waste.
The pain was nothing like the heat I’d felt moments before at his fingertips—it was a distant, overwhelming agony.
I’ve never hurt this much before! This is cheating…!
“Hgh, ngh.”
The moment I let out a stifled moan and felt tears finally spill from the corners of my eyes, he slowly withdrew the sensation he’d been pressing into my neck.
‘What’s this? My body’s suddenly burning up… Is this Iban’s Mana?’
Heat surged through me in an instant, like I’d come down with a fever. At the same time, tears welled up reflexively against the unfamiliar pain, streaming down my cheeks.
“Did it hurt?”
Iban had somehow raised himself, and now he looked down at me before gently wiping away my tears with a calm hand.
‘Did it hurt—is that really a question to ask right now?’
Of course it hurt; he’d practically torn a hole in my neck. I stared at him with bleary eyes, one hand pressed to my throbbing throat, and opened my mouth.
“Did you forget what the physician said? That my skin is delicate.”
How long ago did they warn me to be careful, and now this disaster….
Finding myself growing sad, I hiccupped slightly, and he placed a handkerchief in my hand, then studied me quietly.
“I didn’t forget.”
“…Are you laughing right now?”
When I looked at Iban’s expression, it seemed strangely carefree. His mouth even curled up at the corners as if he were in a good mood.
‘What, like some kind of demon…!’
…Well, he is a demon, I suppose.
While I was shaking my head in conflicted silence, something suddenly shot out from Iban’s sleeve with a pop.
— Crrrooooo!
And it came with some sort of mysterious cry.
Whiiiing, splat!
Munzi’s small, precious body flew like a comet and smacked right onto Iban’s forehead.
And then—!
Pap, pap, pap-pap! Pap!
With a body as light as cotton candy, Munzi began enthusiastically pummeling Iban’s forehead.
“Huh…?”
Munzi attacking Iban—something that would normally make him quiver just from meeting his eyes! I was amazed at such bravery when I noticed something in my vision.
…Those round eyes, and beneath them, that transparent droplet—surely those are tears?
‘Are you crying because you’re scared….’
Iban’s the one being hit, so why are you the one crying? I’m going to lose my mind, I really am.
“What’s he doing?”
“Hmm… taking revenge, perhaps? Munzi’s loyalty to me has grown quite deep lately.”
“Acting fearlessly like your master, I see.”
When Iban heard my words and tried to brush Munzi away, Munzi cried out urgently.
— Croooo! Croo! Croo-it!
“Quiet.”
Unfortunately, Munzi’s piteous protests fell on deaf ears.
“…Ahem. In any case, my life won’t be threatened by demons anymore, correct?”
“That’s right. Unless you encounter a demon of my caliber. Of course, that will never happen, so don’t worry.”
Iban answered readily and returned to the sofa across from me. As I wiped away my tears with the handkerchief he’d given me, Iban watched me quietly, resting his chin on his hand before asking casually.
“If you don’t like this method, there are other ways. Are you interested?”
“No. Let’s just do it this way.”
There was no guarantee that another method would hurt any less. Besides… I had a strong intuition that this was probably the most decent(?) way to go about it.
“The duration is two weeks. Since you are Filthra and cannot fully absorb my Mana, this is the maximum.”
So… I’d have to have a hole torn in my neck every two weeks?
‘I should probably ask about the other method….’
…No, let’s just live like this.
The moment I met his steady gaze once more, my hesitation vanished entirely.
I’m not entirely sure why, but those eyes… something about them feels dangerous.
I gently touched my aching throat and felt it had already swollen. My nerves around the wound were so sensitized that even the slightest touch made the pulse there throb.
“Iban, do you have any Bandages?”
“Why?”
“I can’t walk around like this.”
At this rate, it would definitely be visible to the naked eye, and I thought it best to cover it to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
As I gestured toward my neck, Iban’s expression softened.
“Don’t hide it. It looks good.”
That familiar warmth in his laugh drifted toward me softly—the very same laugh that had almost made me stay here once.
“……”
I held his gaze in silence for a moment, smiling gently, before letting the warmth fade from my expression. I turned to Munzi with a command.
“Munzi, hit him again.”
Thump!
Munzi, still perched on Iban’s forehead, swung his fist (?) with all the eagerness of something that had been waiting for this moment.
Struck twice now by Munzi’s rough impact, Iban looked at me with an expression that asked if I was serious.
“Why?”
Is something wrong? I tilted my head and answered cheerfully, and he let out a hollow laugh before slowly pushing himself up.
“…I’ll put one on for you. Just stay still.”
I hadn’t expected him to do it himself, but Iban retrieved a Bandage from the drawer and carefully applied it to my neck.
Hmm… surprisingly effective? Of course, he wasn’t really hurt where I’d hit him—he was just going along with my rhythm. But still.
Well, it doesn’t matter! From now on, I should definitely make good use of Munzi’s soft fists.
“Lyne, don’t keep secrets from me. No hiding, and no lies.”
Iban brushed Munzi away from his forehead with a flick and sent him back to me, speaking with absolute calm.
His expression was so resolute that there seemed to be no will to negotiate whatsoever.
“Who in this world doesn’t have secrets? It’s impossible.”
“Your safety comes first for me. So cooperate.”
I probed with a feint, but as expected, there were no cracks in his resolve. Well then, there was another way.
Now that I’d gained Iban’s Mana, I’d secured safety as well—the time had come to bring out the words I’d prepared in advance.
“Iban, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Speaking with deliberate gravity, I waited. He nodded slightly, as if inviting me to continue.
“You said I could go home if I proved my trust. Now, that’s possible.”
Lately, I’d spent a considerable amount of time building Security Magic. And finally, this very dawn, I’d completed the incantation I’d been waiting for.
Since it concerned matters of life itself, I had to be careful, which meant it took several times longer than expected—but that extra care had allowed me to craft an incantation of exceptional quality.
I reached out at once and drew before him the spell formula I’d prepared with such confidence.
“If I were to reveal your true nature to anyone, I would lose my life instantly. That should be enough to trust me, shouldn’t it?”
It was called Security Magic in polite terms, but it was really a curse known as the Geum-je Spell. In common parlance, it was sometimes called the Restriction Incantation.
Both words and writing used to express intent would be suppressed, and any breach of the rules would incur an immediate penalty—a cruel spell formula.
I’d never told Iban what magic I was preparing all this time. I hadn’t mentioned it to Sis or Kan either, so this should have been the first he was hearing of it.
At my explanation, Iban’s expression suddenly went cold.
‘What is that look?’
I thought he’d naturally be pleased?
‘Am I imagining this? Does he look… hurt?’
No, the collateral is my own life—so why are you……?
In that moment of confusion, my eyes rolling helplessly, Iban’s gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at me.
“Not dying. Choose something else. For instance.”
“…For instance?”

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