The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 78

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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 — Chapter 78
“Ah, you startled me…!”
Without even turning around, I could tell by that scent alone that it was Ibhan, so I let out a surprised breath and placed my hand over the back of his hand wrapped around my waist.
I’d grabbed it to push him away, but Ibhan deliberately turned his hand and interlaced our fingers, drawing me firmly into his embrace.
“How unfortunate. You do have a talent for spoiling the mood, don’t you?”
Chahil clicked his tongue with an air of disappointment at losing the upper hand, and Ibhan tightened his arm around my waist, completely trapping me against his chest.
“I cannot simply stand by and watch a servant, ignorant of his place, thrust his cheap face upon his master.”
His words flowed with a serenity that belied their meaning. It was then that Chahil’s brow began to narrow slightly.
“Your Highness, the carriage is prepared.”
“Let us depart.”
Sis approached and gestured toward the massive Concealment Carriage that had somehow come to a halt nearby, announcing her presence.
The door of the carriage—uniformly black, unmarked by any imperial insignia—opened, and Ibhan, still holding my hand, ascended with ease and seated me beside him.
Soon after, Chahil climbed aboard and settled across from us, and as the carriage door shut, it began to move slowly toward our destination.
“A first outing with my master—I’m so delighted… Though I must confess, I would have preferred it were just the two of us.”
Rather than respond to Chahil’s naked remark, Ibhan raised his hand. His expression remained perfectly composed, yet I could see the veins standing out on his fingers as a sharp crack sounded—it was clear he had no intention of letting this pass.
“Fair warning: no fighting on the way, please. I think I’ll get carsick.”
Sensing the atmosphere chill in an instant, I quickly seized the initiative.
“…….”
Fortunately, Ibhan turned his gaze to the carriage window, his interest in my words apparently exhausted.
Truth be told, I’m hardly prone to carsickness, but if I didn’t stop them now, they’d be at each other’s throats the entire journey.
“Master, we have remedies for motion sickness aplenty—you need only say the word.”
Chahil, undeterred, offered an innocuous smile and patted his chest as if to assure me everything was on hand.
“Well… that’s reassuring.”
It made no sense for me to share a carriage with a servant, but Chahil was far more than that—being a southern mage, leaving him alone would have been far more dangerous.
As I was mulling over how to manage this living time bomb, I felt something stir within my sleeve.
— Chirp.
It was around the time I began to feel the stuffiness building between two men who were deliberately avoiding each other’s gaze, when all at once, Dust’s cry burst forth.
He’d been sleeping soundly all day, it seemed, and had only just woken.
— Chirp, chirp, chirrrr.
Dust tumbled sluggishly out from within my sleeve and dropped between the seat where Ibhan and I were sitting. And then…….
“……What exactly is he doing right now?”
“Mm… It appears he’s pushing something.”
He was busily working his small body to nudge Ibhan’s thigh, as if this were his rightful seat.
But wait—shouldn’t that space be plenty wide enough for you alone?
— Chirp! Chirrrr!
Despite Ibhan not budging at all, Dust occupied far more space than his diminutive frame should allow, and now, toothless as he was, he set about nibbling Ibhan’s collar with his tiny mouth, issuing what amounted to an eviction notice.
“Your Highness, he says you should leave at once.”
Chahil, watching this unfold with interest from the opposite seat, let out a low chuckle and made his crude remark, to which Dust responded exactly as hoped, bobbing his round body in enthusiastic agreement.
A perfect expression of accord—as if to say, that’s exactly what I meant.
“Mm.”
Ibhan simply picked Dust up with his hand and examined him, shaking him this way and that. His gaze held no particular interest—merely the indifferent look one might turn upon a stone found in the street.
“He’s nearly ready for his Second Awakening.”
Ibhan, having examined him closely, set Dust back upon my shoulder and swiftly lost interest.
“Ah, Lion mentioned that too… When do you think it will happen?”
“Who knows. If it’s soon, perhaps today. Given how he carries himself as though he had nine lives, he seems confident.”
“Really…… Wait, today?”
How strange—usually he complains bitterly whenever I ask him anything about Dust.
‘If he’s bringing it up of his own accord, there must be something to it.’
After a moment’s thought, I reached out and gently touched Dust’s round, fluffy body as he suddenly wrapped himself around my neck.
“We don’t know what form he’ll take, so avoid keeping him in your sleeve. Should his body grow too large, your dress will be nothing but tatters.”
Ibhan looked down at Dust perched on my shoulder with an indifferent expression, then slowly raised his eyes to meet mine. His voice carried an undertone I could not refuse, and I found myself nodding obediently.
“By the look of him, he’s likely to transform into something rather vexing.”
His pregnant remark descended sharply upon Dust’s small frame. I was about to ask what he meant when the coachman’s call of arrival rang out, and the carriage lurched to a stop.
Before long, Banel descended from the rear carriage and approached us, opening the door and handing each of us a thick black robe.
“Please do not remove them. They draw considerable attention.”
The garments were meant for all three of us. The Mana-Infused Robes, identical to those from before, cast a shadow below our faces the moment we pulled them on, creating the illusion that our features were obscured from view.
Beyond the open door, the cold afternoon sunlight of winter streamed down harshly. Ibhan descended from the carriage first, then reached out and lifted me lightly into his arms, setting me down slowly onto the ground.
Chahil exited last, and with a heavy thud, the door closed and the pitch-black carriage swiftly disappeared into the darkness.
For a moment, Ibhan’s unseen gaze shifted toward Chahil with an unreadable expression.
“Prove your worth.”
His tone carried an absolute finality—as if he were saying there would be no second chances. Behind the robe, Ibhan’s expression remained hidden, but clearly….
“How frightening….”
Chahil trembled as if gripped by terror, his voice utterly unconvincing, and grasped the hem of my robe with an impudent smile.
“First, shall we go to the place you mentioned? I’ll scout the area.”
“Yes. I’ll lead the way.”
Accepting his proposal, I made my way to the Busy Street Area—the very place where I’d gone with Dayad before, where the Rataniel Cult’s tents had been pitched thick upon the ground.
“Hmm, as I suspected… nothing’s left at all. You sure about this?”
Days had passed, and now not even a trace of the tents remained. More striking still—the piles of firewood and dead branches that had adorned the backdrop were gone too, which meant those must have been part of the Concealment Magic as well.
Impressive. More thorough than I’d given them credit for.
“Of course. The tracks left by human dark sorcerers tend to linger longer than one might think.”
Though only half-demon himself, Chahil’s mouth curved into a slow arc as he spoke of how demons never made such mistakes.
He wandered through the tent site as casually as if it were his own home, then halted before a broken silver wall. Chahil bent down, sweeping debris aside with his hand, searching with deliberate movements.
It lasted only a moment before a languid smile settled onto Chahil’s lips.
“…Found it.”
At the news of a breakthrough, Ibhan strode swiftly to Chahil’s side.
‘Interesting.’
These two men who’d been barely restrained from tearing each other apart now stood shoulder to shoulder—a sight that was rather striking.
In the original storyline, Ibhan would have killed Chahil long ago; I’d never have witnessed such a scene. Which made me all the more reluctant to look away.
“What did you find?”
“It must be something worth finding. If all goes well, this may be that creature’s last day.”
To my idle question, Banel beside me answered softly with a pleasant smile.
Wait—had he really been planning to kill him all along?

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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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