The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 80

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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 80
I spun around, and there stood the figure I’d expected, motionless in his place.
“…Saha?”
“I’m delighted you remember me.”
Just as when we’d met at the Cult Building, Saha wore that same gentle, likable smile.
Back then, I’d thought he was either a Humanoid Demon Beast at best or some shady cult member.
‘So this man is a Demon too. And a high-ranking one at that.’
Maybe that’s why—the Demon Discrimination Equipment attached to my dress gave no reaction whatsoever.
His teal hair and deep sea-blue eyes, gleaming with some indefinable desire, lay starkly exposed beneath Dust’s flickering light.
“Why are you here?”
“I told you before, didn’t I? That we’d see each other again soon.”
“…That sounds an awful lot like you invited me here.”
“I’m grateful you see it that way.”
As if he truly had extended a courteous invitation, Saha bowed deeply at the waist, then approached me slowly and drew my hand gently toward him.
“Since you’ve come, allow me to guide you personally.”
With that, he turned not forward but in the opposite direction from where he’d appeared, and began escorting me softly toward somewhere unknown.
‘This is incredibly suspicious, and anyone watching would say I’m walking straight into a tiger’s den of my own accord. But there’s no helping it. Since I’ve come this far, I have things I need to uncover.’
If I was going to learn what lay behind his dark intentions and the true nature of this place, I had no choice but to follow. So I walked on silently in his wake.
‘Besides, Evan did say he’d come to pick me up.’
I couldn’t say I understood why, but something told me he would definitely come.
Ever since that first meeting, the way he’d constantly tried to cover my eyes, promising to show me only good things, had somehow crystallized into a peculiar kind of trust.
‘And if things go wrong, I still have other options.’
Apart from the seal on my Mana, I could still draw on Filthia’s power.
‘It’s the same as what I felt in the Concealment Barrier at the Cult Building. Even with Mana blocked, Purification still works.’
This power would definitely be effective against Demons, so if necessary, I’d settle it by force!
“Where is this place?”
“The Underground of the Grand Temple. The blueprints list it as nothing more than an ordinary water channel, but in reality, it’s a very special location where all manner of secret experiments are conducted, and various goods are bought and sold. Naturally, not just anyone can gain entry.”
…What is this excessive kindness?
Even though he should be hiding such things, he rattled off information as if he’d been waiting to do so, which made my suspicion rise despite my bewilderment.
“You’re really telling me all this?”
“Of course. You’ll be seeing it directly soon, after all.”
“…What?”
Why would I see that?
Before I could protest, as Saha drew me toward a wooden door, I felt Dust suddenly slip from my nape and burrow deep within my dress.
From that small, shrunken form came something unmistakable: pure terror.
“Wait, hold on—”
“Welcome back.”
Before my words could finish, the door opened, and Saha’s meaningful utterance struck my ears.
“……!”
All my caution dissolved as a beautiful space unfurled before my eyes below.
The interior, which at first glance resembled an elegant mansion or palace, was adorned lavishly with gold, jewels, and all manner of luxuries. In the central hall visible at a glance, a massive indoor fountain shimmered like stars, suffused with mana-laden light.
And what caught my eye most of all was:
‘Masks…!’
People wandered about, every one of them wearing Masks. Elegant lace fans, the subtle fragrance of wine wafting through the air, the scent of expensive perfume mingling with cheap cigars.
‘Could this be what I saw in the dream? But… that place, Lion definitely burned it down.’
Everything looked distressingly identical to fragments of the past. Instinctive repulsion creased my face.
“Now that you’ve seen it, you’ll understand you’ll need this. You’re quite famous, after all.”
At some point, Saha, now wearing a black Mask, produced from within his robes a striking deep purple Mask adorned with pink feathers and placed it directly over my face.
He lightly removed the Black Robe draped across my shoulders, handed it to a servant who’d drawn near, and slowly guided me down toward the hall.
“You are exceptional, Rene. Among all the wielders of Filthia I’ve observed, you’re closest to perfection. You master the power in no time, invoke Purification, and moreover—”
Having descended to the fountain’s edge, Saha bowed and met my eyes beyond the Mask. His deep blue pupils flickered strangely as he fixed his gaze upon me.
“You possess a Cross-Dimensional Soul.”
“…And?”
“And so, I thought I’d attempt once more what failed thirteen years ago. This place holds your memories, after all.”
“What are you saying? That place burned down. There’s nothing left.”
Irritated by his presumption in calling them my memories, I glared at him, but Saha simply smiled calmly and guided me somewhere else once more.
“You should see for yourself whether anything remains or not. I’m confident you won’t be disappointed.”
But why does this bastard’s gaze seem a bit off since earlier?
Whether from the elation of having brought me here, Saha’s expression laid bare his barely concealed excitement with brazen clarity.
‘If I had my way, I’d bolt from this place right now…’
First, I need to understand this place’s layout. Then I can decide whether to come back later or not. Just… hold it together.
As I followed Saha down a dark corridor, a child’s cry suddenly pierced my eardrums like a hallucination.
“Wait—did you hear that just now?”
“I’m not entirely sure, I’m afraid.”
Saha replied smoothly and led me upward once more. What greeted us was—
“Ugh…!”
My breath caught in my throat, and my legs went numb beneath me.
It was a stage. And in its center, a massive iron cage.
Everything was identical to that moment thirteen years ago—perfect, without a single deviation.
This madman. How dare he exploit someone else’s trauma?
“You…!”
I had planned to keep Saha alive until I learned the layout and structure of this place, but now I was too furious to care.
That was when I felt the power of Filthia blooming intensely from my fingertips.
Beep—
Beep—
Beep—
A sharp, piercing vibration suddenly tore through my eardrums.
The source was none other than the Demon Discrimination Equipment I’d hidden as a brooch on my dress’s chest.
‘…The brooch is vibrating. And it won’t stop.’
It meant Humanoid Demon Beasts, or ordinary Demons, were present nearby in significant numbers.
“Rene, do you feel it? If I die, everything suppressing the Demons will vanish too, and everything in this underground will be slaughtered. A magnificent hell that no one can prevent will unfold.”
Saha’s eyes softened as he watched the brutal force of Purification flood my hands, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“All those people you saw moments ago will be murdered by your choice. Quite horrifically.”
“…”
Have I really only ever met kind Demons until now? Meeting a truly insane one cleared my head instantly.
‘…I can’t let innocent people die.’
In the end, I had no choice but to suppress the Purification power in my hands.
Satisfied by my surrender, Saha smiled and led me back onto the stage, toward that iron cage from my past—that hellish prison—and in that very moment—
Crash! Bang—!
A violent explosion erupted before my eyes, sharp as breaking bone, and Saha vanished in an instant.
“…Huh?”
What? He was right in front of me just now—
Blinking in shock, I looked around, only to find Saha collapsed in a distant corner, coughing black blood, his body twisted grotesquely.
“What is…?”
Unable to comprehend what had happened, I stood with my mouth open, when suddenly a familiar scent rushed toward me like a wave—the smell of winter forest—and swept me into an embrace.
“Rene, I’m here to take you home.”

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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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