There Is No Hidden Villain in This Novel Chapter 109

‘Commanding, how do you even do that?’

If I had done my performance assessments properly while attending the academy, I might know, but… I just pushed everything onto the villain lackeys, bought some luxury goods, and barely got an A+. What am I supposed to-do here, me, with no experience in command practicum?

Besides, what’s with them all being so serious and grand…? Why is everyone so solemn?!

‘What, did they all fall for me or something?’

I did give a cool and stylish speech, but to be this smitten by it. You all are pretty strange.

Thinking that, I reverently accepted the flag Ivan Karpin gave me with both hands.

‘Reverently, yes.’

…Honestly, trying to match their delicate sensibilities was making my hands and feet curl, but.

When you think about it, this was my own karma, so I decided to shut up.

I slung the fluttering flag over my back for now, walked up to the flat rock where the map was laid out, and nonchalantly snatched the map, which was made from well-tanned animal hide.

Molecules of dust and dirt that had been on the map scattered lightly and fell to the ground according to gravity.

I roughly dropped the map on the bare ground we were standing on, squashed it with my foot, and sat on the rock with my upper body leaning forward. Then, I soaked the very bottom of the flagpole with mana and shoved it into the bare ground.

Krrrrunch!

The flagpole stood next to the rock. As the wind blew across the wasteland, the large cloth began to flutter brilliantly.

In that state, my eyes gleamed.

“Let’s make a plan.”

I don’t know, I don’t care about the others for now.

For starters, in a way that guarantees my survival 100%!

Let’s go!

In the short meeting led by me, the people were divided into a total of three groups.

Rescue Team: Must go down the cliff to rescue the survivors.

Left Team: Must stall for time while the survivors are being rescued and must ‘absolutely’ not kill the Named being, <Mirror>. * This is because if <Mirror> dies, the otherworld will collapse onto reality, causing an unspeakable disaster.

Right Team: Must put their entire bodies on the line to prevent the Named being, ‘Jeong Ian,’ from interfering with the survivor rescue.

And I, of course, took charge of the Right Team.

What can I say? Since ‘I’ am over there, what can you do? Naturally, I have to clean up the mess I made.

‘…Alright, let’s be honest!’

This dungeon would never have become this difficult if I hadn’t entered it. It is my responsibility.

…Even so, I didn’t stand here with the resolve to die.

‘At the very least, I’m doing this because I’m confident I won’t lose to my trauma.’

As long as I’ve brought my own body as it is, that trauma of mine cannot defeat me.

And I don’t think my trauma will have a fit and come running just because something is happening below the cliff. Because it’s me. I know. I know how I will act.

The key is that the boss monster created by the master of this dungeon, the Named being called <Mirror>, is not Cassis de Millang, but Jeong Ian.

‘I sent the soldiers down and the hunters to the left.’

Because the ones who have to fight harder should be the ones with abilities.

‘Besides, their abilities aren’t even sufficient, so even if they try their best, they won’t be able to ‘kill’ it.’

The soldiers are almost out of ammunition for their ability-based weapons right now. It was a good thing I brought some just in case and distributed it, otherwise they would have had to conduct the rescue operation bare-handed. Still, I managed to arm them with laser guns and mana bombs, so I think it will go well.

What if it doesn’t?

‘Fuck. I’ll just have to grab Ryuseong and bolt.’

I said some nice things just a little while ago. I hope they are satisfied with that. I feel sorry for those who took it at face value, but I don’t think I will desperately save the survivors. I mean, come on.

If you’ve seen my personality so far, you should know, right?

‘What kind of person I am.’

I glanced at the left path with an indifferent gaze. There, the hunters were carefully walking along the narrow path on the cliff. To be honest, they were a bunch I didn’t trust at all, they were that much of a mess, but I decided to trust them at that very point.

The fact that these guys are a mess. And the fact that we must not kill <Mirror> yet.

I’ll jump in, trusting those two things.

‘Because there’s no way they can kill <Mirror>…!’

Ah, maybe I shouldn’t call this kind of thing trust?

Anyway, they were climbing the narrow cliff path steadily and diligently, with a certain venom in them, and below them, I could see the soldiers slowly descending on ropes they had lowered down the cliff. They were relatively stable since they had received professional training in rappelling down ropes anyway, but instead, a vaguely distorted fear could be glimpsed due to the dense fog that completely obscured the ground.

Entering a place where nothing can be seen often evokes fear just by that fact alone.

But it was fine. I liked this state of affairs, where I was the only one not breaking a sweat, stroking baby Ryuseong, and sitting with my butt glued to the flat rock in the very center, a very peaceful state where nothing was happening.

Although, the fact that Ryuseong wasn’t sweating either is a little infuriating…

I thought as I glared daggers at Ryuseong, who was sitting next to me.

‘Ah, seriously. It would have been perfect if this bastard had gone with the hunter team.’

It’s all ruined because of that stubborn fool.

‘…Well, to be honest, it’s not ruined yet.’

I sent the hunter team because the chance of them accidentally succeeding in raiding <Mirror> is less than even 0.001%.

If it weren’t for that, I would have attached them to me even if it killed me and controlled the timing of killing <Mirror>. Saying it like this makes me sound like a bit of a control freak, but that’s not what I mean. No, more than that.

‘Why should the effort to align all probabilities for success be criticized as being a control freak?’

“Do you like it?”

Just then, Ryuseong spoke to me, whether to pick a fight or something else. I glared at him in annoyance.

“Would I? With you by my side.”

“You like being with me.”

“Crazy bastard. Is that something to say right now? In a matter of saving people’s lives.”

“…”

It’s funny that I’m the one saying the right thing. But still. You shouldn’t be here!

“Don’t you know that not following the commander’s orders is insubordination?”

I’m already annoyed because of those hunter bastards who groveled and avoided my order to drag that bastard along by force, and now he’s talking to me and all that shit! As I scowled, alone in my irritation, Ryuseong bit his lip firmly and said.

“Cassis de Millang, you should know. The very idea of you trying to face that thing alone is out of the question.”

The look in his eyes as he glared at me was quite frightening. Don’t tell me this Ryuseong bastard glared at the hunters with these eyes? Is that why they were groveling and then ran away?

‘Wow. It’s a relief they didn’t piss themselves.’

If you glare at someone with eyes like that, even I would run, man.

But unfortunately, I was Cassis de Millang, so I had no choice but to meet his gaze with force.

“You, who ruined my plan.”

A stern voice, crazed, murderous blue eyes.

“…”

When my opponent’s breath was caught in my grasp, I widened my eyes and then curved them into thin slits as I spoke.

“You dare defy me?”

It was a truly condescending remark. There was no reason for Ryuseong to have to endure such treatment.

However, Ryuseong clenched his teeth and made an expression as if he were holding something back. Probably his anger, right?

But I feel so sorry for you, who endures something for my sake, that it’s driving me crazy… Ah. In the end, in the very end, the words I wanted to say the least slip out. I didn’t want to do this either.

I didn’t want to advertise what an idiot I am to this extent.

“…Why does someone like you love me?”

“I know I am very lacking, but still, I swear to serve my fiancé to the best of my ability…”

“I’m asking why someone as amazing as you would try to like someone like me.”

At that, Ryuseong fell silent. He seemed angry, perhaps, but I finished what I had to say.

“Are you determined to ruin your life?”

Because I am genuinely curious.

“You saw it. You know how I lived.”

The real truth, that is, the fact that Jeong Ian is me, is something that even this Ryuseong bastard wouldn’t know, but at the very least, he must know that getting involved with Cassis de Millang means you’re fucked.

Because de Millang practically rules this world.

“If you love me, you’re throwing your life away. You can be happier, so why waste your life on someone like me?”

“…”

Ryuseong, with a troubled expression, said coldly.

“Cassis. Right now, you have insulted me who loves you.”

I was almost intimidated by the atmosphere. But I wasn’t fooled.

“Sh-should I be sorry? I’m insulting myself, what does it have to do with you…?”

“Apologize right now.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I told you to apologize.”

“I said I don’t want to?”

It was just as our voices were about to get louder. In an instant, all my senses shut off. No, they crumbled. No, they were mashed. And then, they were molded again like clay, oomul-oomul, and stretched out like slime, juuuuuk. My senses were sounding a strange alarm, but my dynamic visual acuity responded with a speed that was almost cheerful, and my body did too.

[You two look close, don’t you?]

The moment he made something of an appearance, I took a defensive stance. I was even faster than Ryuseong. It was absurd, but it was true. For real, I was faster.

[Cassis… de Millang, was it?]

A slender finger placed on my chin. A tilting line of the neck. An eye smile that narrowed into slits.

It was because anyone could see that it was Jeong Ian.

[Nice to meet you.]

It was because I knew him better than anyone else.

[You son of a bitch.]