The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 52

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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 is the Mastermind, and Only I Know It — Episode 52

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“Rene…!”
The moment he heard about the Rataniel Cult from the Black Moon Branch, he came running without even looking back.
After throwing off the devotees clinging to him like a pack of dogs, insisting this was wrong, he’d tried to find the building that some suspicious fellow named Saha had guided him to, but it was nowhere to be found.
Behind the tent, instead of the forest path he’d seen earlier, there was nothing but a pile of broken winter firewood and a few scraggly, skeletal trees.
“I’m telling you, I already know there’s a cult building here. If you keep lying, I’m handing you straight over to the Security Forces.”
“B-but sir knight…! I swear there’s no building behind the tent, no large grounds like you’re describing! You can see it yourself. It’s just forest…!”
“Look, I definitely saw it… damn it.”
No useful information came from seizing the trembling devotees by the collar once they spotted the Imperial Knight Badge. These damned heretics weren’t even worth the effort of interrogating.
“It was around here somewhere… I must’ve gotten turned around. That whole sprawling compound just vanished in an instant?”
How could that be? As he was retracing his memory and searching for the way, he sensed something unknown approaching from beyond that thicket—something moving at a speed he’d never witnessed before.
An speed that was absurdly, impossibly fast,
“…What the hell is that?”
He squinted and fixed his gaze ahead, and gradually a silhouette became clear. At first glance, it looked unmistakably like—
“An old man…?”
But no old man should be moving that fast.
The bizarre form that burst into view was indeed an elderly man, yet his two legs were performing a manic sprint as though a wild beast were chasing a startled deer.
…Was this a dream?
“Hell. Am I under a spell too?”
Unable to believe what he was seeing, he rubbed his eyes and looked again—but it was definitely an old man.
And furthermore… that small, plump thing on his head—hadn’t he seen it somewhere before?
“…Dust?”
Screeeech—!
With a bizarre scraping sound that human legs should never make, the old man who’d been running frantically came to a stop just as he reached Dayad, his movements finally ceasing.
…Was he crying?
Beneath a tangle of disheveled, jet-black hair, two eyes glistening with tears wheezed out labored breaths as they looked up at Dayad.
When the old man caught sight of the Imperial Knight Badge on the black uniform he wore, his gaze softened slightly, and he pointed somewhere with a trembling hand.
“K-knight…? Th-thank goodness… quickly, over there… Rene… must… save… hak, hack—”
The aftereffects of that inhuman speed seemed to catch up with him belatedly. The old man’s legs trembled violently as he leaned against a nearby tree, and soon his exhausted eyes fell shut.
“…He’s passed out.”
After confirming the old man was still breathing by placing a hand to his nose, Dayad quickly snatched up the furry lump that had been huddled on top of his head.
— Squeak, squeak…
“You know where Rene is, don’t you?”
— Squeak.
“Guide me. It’s been thirty minutes.”
He couldn’t afford to waste any more time. The fact that such a sprawling compound and massive building had vanished without a trace was suspicious enough on its own.
It was just as Dayad hoisted Dust onto his shoulder and started poking the small furry rear to urge him onward—
— Eek eek!
Dust, who had been clinging to Dayad’s shoulder with frightened eyes, suddenly leapt up and his round eyes gleamed bright.
Sensing something odd in that instant, Dayad raised his head, and through the brush ahead, Rene emerged with a few leaves perched on her hair, flashing an awkward smile.
“Hey… I kept my promise, right? Exactly thirty minutes.”
She’d vanished along with the building so suddenly that he’d thought his heart would explode with anxiety, but now that she’d appeared out of nowhere and was checking his expression while bantering about promises, it all seemed pointless.
Wordlessly, Dayad strode forward and pulled Rene into a tight embrace.
“Are you… okay?”
“Don’t curse at me. I was going through hell.”
“I haven’t started. But are you okay or not?”
Rene, whose breath was cut off by Dayad’s crushing embrace, exhaled shallowly and patted his back gently.
When Dayad finally loosened his grip, Rene blinked her deep crimson eyes slowly and opened her mouth softly.
“Dayad, I think I’m going to throw up.”
“Seriously?”
And now a vomiting warning, of all things. Dayad laughed despite himself as he removed the leaves stuck to Rene’s hair and hastily offered his hand.
Rene gazed at him as he waggled his palm, inviting her to heave into it, then let out a soft, amused laugh. It was the kind of expression that mocked his earlier blunt declaration about maintaining a ‘safe distance.’
Dayad made it clear he didn’t care and gestured for her to go ahead with his hand once more.
“Never mind. I’m just out of breath from running for so long. Your expression was so scary that I decided to mess with you a bit.”
Rene brushed off the teasing and gently pushed his hand away.
“What exactly happened? If the road disappeared, it looks like they set up a Concealment Barrier. Did he really just let you go?”
“…Yeah, he did.”
The way she averted her gaze awkwardly made it immediately suspicious.
Dayad looked down at Rene with a suspicious gaze.
“Did you get what you were after?”
“Of course. What else?”
Rene confidently hoisted the basket she held, and as she pulled back the white cloth draped over the top, blue flowers spilled into view.
“…You said they were Rare Medicinal Herbs, didn’t you? There are so many of them.”
“Saha gave them to me. I’m not entirely sure, but… they seem to be connected to the mages of Tarant somehow.”
“Yeah, that’s what it looks like. That kind of concealment magic is a specialty of the southern crowd.”
Before long, the Security Forces arrived at Dayad’s summons and escorted the unconscious Joshu away. While the knights questioned the nearby believers and people, Dayad spoke carefully.
“Now that an unauthorized barrier has been discovered, a report to headquarters is unavoidable. Since it’s nearly Foundation Day, access won’t be restricted immediately, but an investigation will come soon enough—finish any business you have nearby before that happens.”
“Hmm. Can’t be helped. So did you find out what this place is?”
“A newly established cult that received a large sum from an anonymous benefactor early last winter. Their deity—this ‘Rataniel’—according to ancient grimoires, appears to be a High-Ranking Demon. I’ll need to dig deeper to know the details.”
Dayad fell silent, then shifted the conversation, glancing at Dust, who had made its way onto Rene’s shoulder.
“That thing isn’t just getting fat, is it?”
“I told you, it’s fur.”
“No—what I mean is it’s growing.”
“Growing?”
Rene’s head tilted with confusion. Dayad cautiously extended his hand, and the hesitant Dust crept slowly onto his palm.
“Have you ever seen a mere Magical Creature manipulate a person like that? I don’t know what or how you’ve raised it, but… the growth rate is extraordinary. This size isn’t fur or fat—it’s just pure growth.”
Dayad’s long index finger pressed into Dust’s round body. The puffy form squeezed down under the pressure, then sprang back with an elastic bounce, returning to its original shape.
“As you’ve probably felt, this isn’t an ordinary Magical Creature. It’s dangerous. For now, it may obey you because it’s young, but as it grows, things will get harder. By nature, Magical Creatures are independent beings.”
As the brief warning landed, Rene watched Dust roll contentedly across Dayad’s palm, her expression clouding with worry.
“It listens so well, follows orders so readily—I thought it would be fine…”
“If it becomes too difficult, why not ask your brother? He knows everything.”
Dayad offered the suggestion in an encouraging tone, as if suggesting she send a letter.
‘Hmm, that’s true… Iban has no interest in Magical Creatures, and Banel only sees Dust as an experimental subject…’
There was no one better suited to ask seriously than Lion. Rene nodded thoughtfully, her face resigned.
As they walked toward the next shop together, Dayad grabbed Rene’s hand firmly, pulling her along as she began to lag behind, claiming exhaustion.
“Hurry up. I saw the crowds earlier because of the Origin Festival—you don’t want to collapse in the middle of the street.”
“Huh? The Origin Festival? What are you talking about?”
“You didn’t know? The Saint and the Crown Prince are both showing their faces, apparently—the Plaza is so packed you can barely stand. Wasn’t your schedule cleared because of that event, which is why you got time off?”
Rene’s face showed surprise, and Dayad’s brow narrowed in confusion at her reaction.
‘Is Iban coming here?’
And with Shana, too…?

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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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