The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 81

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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 identity is the mastermind, and only I know it — Episode 81
“Evan…!”
“I didn’t expect you to sit quietly and wait.”
Along with his low voice, Evan’s hands tightened around my waist with far greater force.
“Always full of surprises.”
I could hear him chuckle softly, as if to say he hadn’t expected me to come this far.
“How did you find this place?”
“I said I’d come to get you.”
He answered my question as though it were obvious. I’d nearly found myself trapped behind bars again, updating my trauma for the umpteenth time — nice timing, though.
Thanks to Evan, who appeared like a relief pitcher, the anxiety that had been weighing on me melted away in an instant.
“Wow, Evan. You came at just the right moment. I really thought I was going to die this time……”
“Nonsense.”
His sharp rebuke made me burst into helpless laughter.
As I leaned into his chest, overwhelmed by relief, Evan readily wrapped his arms around me and responded in silence.
“…But what’s that smell?”
“What?”
“It smells like blood from somewhere……”
Once I’d collected myself a little, I noticed the sharp reek of blood hanging thick in the air around us.
Alarmed, I turned around quickly — and saw Evan’s face caked entirely in blood.
‘Oh, startled me. I thought he was hurt…!’
What on earth has this Demon been doing?
For a moment I’d panicked, thinking he was injured, but the way he showed his face so boldly suggested the blood wasn’t his own.
‘This is deeply troubling….’
Not my worry about Evan himself, but rather the path of destruction he must have left in his wake.
“It’s not my blood.”
As my pupils dilated sharply, Evan answered offhandedly, as if it were nothing.
Well, that would be the case. If all that were his blood, he’d be a miracle just being alive right now.
“I know that… but it’s still startling. There’s just so much to see.”
The visual impact was too much to ignore, so I waved my hands frantically in front of my face.
Unable to bear my persistent gaze, he produced a handkerchief from within his coat and casually wiped away the blood with a bored expression.
“A person who claims to understand wouldn’t make that face.”
Having somehow caught the flash of concern I’d tried to hide, Evan smiled lazily and gripped my chin with a hand unmarked by blood.
Then he began examining me carefully, turning my head this way and that.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie.”
“…My legs ache a bit. I lost strength earlier and collapsed.”
There’s no getting around a perceptive Demon. As I confessed the pain honestly, Evan’s eyes grew cold in an instant.
His gaze swept over my swollen, reddened legs, heavy with a chilling weight.
“Your Highness, your orders.”
Kan and Sis, who had arrived behind us, secured the sprawled form of Saha in restraints, their movements clear in the distance.
As Banel bowed with a look waiting for instruction, Evan issued a lazy command as if to say why he was asking at all.
“Dispose of him.”
The moment Evan finished speaking, Banel drew his blade and drove it straight through Saha’s heart in one motion.
A short breath leaked through Saha’s parted lips. Even as he coughed up blood, his blue-grey eyes remained fixed steadily on me.
“It is not yet… finished.”
With a bloody smile and an incomprehensible whisper, Saha’s body turned to ash and scattered in an instant.
“It appears the creature possesses an additional body somewhere.”
“Find it and kill it.”
Irritated, Evan narrowed his brow and issued the command. Banel immediately summoned shadows and conveyed further orders.
“Wait — you said that when Saha dies, Demon Beasts would pour out…!”
“You believed that? So that’s how you ended up being dragged this far. I’m not sure how many more times I’ll have to tell you not to trust Demons.”
He scoffed coldly, yet even as he spoke, Evan slipped his hands beneath my knees and lower back, lifting me easily into his arms.
“People might die because of me, and you’re telling me there’s time to verify the truth?”
Protesting that I hadn’t believed him willingly, Evan looked down at me for a moment with complicated eyes.
“…Is that so.”
It was an utterance barely louder than a breath, carrying no particular meaning or intent.
And yet, strangely, it sounded as though he truly understood me. So I said nothing more and quietly buried my face in his chest.
“Rene, I have somewhat unfortunate news. This incident was not the work of the white hound.”
Chahil, apparently. Why does he keep calling him a hound?
“Wouldn’t that be a good thing if Chahil isn’t the ringleader? That means he’s not a traitor.”
I stared up at him blankly, confused, and Evan clicked his tongue softly before letting out an exasperated sigh.
“Because the justification for killing him is gone.”
“Ah.”
So that was what he meant.
‘And here I thought it was admirable that he needed a reason to kill someone…….’
It was probably because of me. Left to his own devices, Evan would have finished the job long ago, but with me watching with eyes wide open, he’s hunting for a pretext instead….
“They left a trail on purpose. It looks like they were originally planning to trap only you, but once we got involved, the scheme fell apart.”
True enough—Evan was supposed to be away handling other matters during the Foundation Festival, separated from me the whole time.
‘And Chahil only joined us on a whim.’
Which meant… I almost died alone, but I lived because I’ve been lugging these men around with me everywhere.
‘Right. I’d better keep looking after them from now on.’
My precious shields(?) — I’ll take good care of you all.
“Evan, is this the same place from thirteen years ago? It looks so similar.”
“It is. I suspect another demon was involved besides me. Not just anyone can restore an entire burned-out location back to pristine condition.”
Finishing his words, Evan gave a silent signal with his eyes toward Banel, who had drawn near with an air of certainty. Banel lowered his head and then calmly set off.
“Now that I think about it, what about Lion? We were supposed to meet at the Temple, and I’m not sure if it’s all right…….”
“Your blood kin is breathing soundly in the Mortal Realm, so worry not. He said he’d be a little late, so there’s still time.”
Ah, so he was found alive and well. Nothing went wrong—that’s a relief indeed.
Evan left the hall and leisurely passed through the dim corridor where Saha had dragged me earlier. The crowd that had filled the chamber seemed to have been cleared away once Khan and Sis arrived, leaving it empty.
Evan seated me in a chair before the fountain that cascaded elegantly, then knelt on one knee at my feet and lifted my dress slightly, placing his hand over my swollen shin.
The moment his Cold Energy touched my bruised calf, a sigh of comfort escaped me without thinking.
“Ahh…….”
“Does it hurt?”
“No, it feels cool and nice… and here too. No wait, a little more to the side.”
As I brazenly began directing him to specific spots, Evan looked at me as though bewildered before quietly beginning the massage exactly as I wanted.
The clumsy touch, pressing gently without pain, oddly reminded me of someone.
“Where is Chahil?”
“Cleaning.”
Evan continued matter-of-factly, saying there were many demon beasts in the basement of the Grand Cathedral, so he’d asked Chahil to clean them out on the way.
Whether Evan actually “asked” was questionable, but… in any case, it sounded like everyone was safe.
“I see, so everyone’s all right. That’s good to hear.”
“Worry about yourself instead of others.”
His fingertip, carrying a gentle rebuke, pressed briefly against my forehead before withdrawing.
The tender Cold Energy that lingered like a dot was unbearably warm.

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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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