There Is No Hidden Villain in This Novel Chapter 122

From now on, I will postpone all the problems I’ve been agonizing over. Things like that goddamn stare, or why Ryuseong is being so gentle with me.

It just felt like none of it would matter anymore.

‘Wouldn’t it be nice to just get drunk on this feeling…’

I was even having such lazy thoughts.

‘This is all because of Ryuseong.’

On the third day of the school trip, I fanned my flushed cheeks while thinking that.

I had been eating with Ryuseong and felt like I would choke on the sweetness, so I came out, saying I would take a walk alone, but the sunlight was quite hot.

Just then, Logan Esteban, who had suddenly disappeared, unexpectedly walked over from the opposite direction dressed in a hanbok.

‘What is this? Why is that guy suddenly…?’

Logan Esteban hadn’t shown himself for the entire day yesterday, and the professors had made excuses, saying he was on an errand, so I didn’t know the circumstances. But I couldn’t afford not to grasp the variables.

‘What if he met with de Millang in the meantime?’

With the intention of finding out if anything had happened during that time, I called out to him.

“Logan, over here.”

This wasn’t something one would normally say to a person who had been away for a day. But Logan would know. The fact that, at least on the surface, I was bound to be his master.

“Ah, did you call for me, my lord de Millang?”

At his master’s call, the servant hastily quickened his pace and approached. After greeting me politely, Logan Esteban soon raised his long, gentlemanly sleeve to block the sunlight pouring down on me.

“This is what’s nice about a hanbok. The sleeves are long.”

The sleeve of the traditional hanbok, unfitting for the concept of a gentleman, cast a shadow, cooling the heat that made beads of sweat run down my face.

However, I could only laugh at Logan Esteban, who had clearly been sucking up to ‘de Millang’ and selling information.

Enough that, in addition to needing to dig for information, a wicked vice crawled out from within my heart.

“…Of course, whatever you wear would be beautiful, my lord de Millang. Even if it weren’t a hanbok…”

Did he detect some ominous chill in my laughter? Logan Esteban quickly retracted his statement about liking the hanbok.

But hanboks are seriously the best.

When my expression didn’t change, Logan Esteban let out a groan and smiled bitterly.

“…I am not very good with words. I am sorry if I have offended you.”

“Is that so? I’m quite enjoying my time alone with you.”

In that moment, I read a strange emotion in Logan’s expression. Were the words ‘alone’ and ‘enjoying’ the trigger? The boy, who had been acting stiff until just a moment ago, is nervous. Logan’s nervousness was accompanied by a strange awkwardness, different from his usual stiff, gentlemanly demeanor. It’s a look I couldn’t possibly fail to notice.

I nudged his shin with the tip of my loafer. But, without any strange implication.

“…Do you perhaps wish for my mood to improve?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you want to make me feel good?”

Since the seductive words that are hard to confess to a lover would be spoken with my mouth anyway, there was no need for my actions to be suggestive as well.

My goal was to make this bastard spill everything until he couldn’t distinguish between what should and shouldn’t be said, not to seduce him with genuine feelings.

Others might not know, but I too had a pure heart.

‘It did just form recently, though. Just count it as roughly the same thing. It exists, doesn’t it? A pure heart.’

Meanwhile, Logan Esteban, whose pupils had been trembling for a moment, immediately dropped to one knee.

As if my words were some great ordeal.

“It is only natural. Yes. It is I who wishes for the young master of the de Millang family to always be happy. But that is all you mean, is it not? You do not have a deeper meaning… I am foolish, so I cannot quite grasp…”

Ah, you understand. If he understands that I was teasing him with an ‘implication containing a social context that can be interpreted in various ways’, it’s easier to proceed to the next step.

I smiled brightly and said playfully.

“If you want to please me, how about we all confess together?”

“…What confession…”

Logan Esteban’s eyes began to dart from side to side.

He seemed to have realized that the meaning of my words was a provocation, as in, let’s see how long you bastards who sold my information try to hide the truth.

Soon, a realization flashed across Logan Esteban’s eyes, and he spoke.

In a much clearer voice.

“So you wished for a confession.”

Yes, that’s right… huh? No, that’s not it? What the hell are you talking about? I was just trying to stir up your inner self to dig for information, what kind of realization did you come to on your own?

“Heh, no, my apologies. Please pretend you did not hear that. This great work is something we must accomplish ourselves. It is our fault for not realizing that you had such a deep scheme and intention.”

“…Hmm, sure, whatever.”

I answered indifferently, and looking straight ahead, I broke out in a cold sweat.

‘What, what is he saying. The crazy bastard.’

It had no meaning to me, but what did you find on your own? Of course, I’m not going to beat the victim to death, but I’m telling you to offer up a victim because I find it amusing to see you guys have internal strife, you know?

‘But seeing that bastard muttering, it looks like he’s trying to cooperate…?’

“To think you wanted us all to confess together…”

Oh, damn it, I’ve ended up spoon-feeding him an answer I didn’t even know I had.

Probably because if everyone confessed, I’d just discipline them a bit and establish some order before ending it…

‘Oh, you little bastard. You’re smart, aren’t you?’

It seems he interprets me better than I do…

As I looked down at him with some reluctance, Logan Esteban’s eyes lit up as if he’d realized this was the correct answer, and he ran off.

“I will carry out your command! I will bring the other guys… my friends!”

Seeing him call them ‘guys’, it seems those bastards really aren’t close to each other. I felt a slight, newfound sense of something like responsibility.

‘I was supposed to call them. The raid schedule was so busy I couldn’t pay attention.’

It made sense, as Ryuseong and I had killed off monster colonies in over thirty-eight locations. Among them, named ones were in a dungeon and only three other places, but even considering the number of named monsters, no one had achieved such a feat while traveling merely by train. And during the journey to a notorious dungeon that no one thought could be cleared, no less.

Normally, one should calm their mind and body before a raid, but Cassis de Millang is a person for whom saving the populace is more important than such things. That was the kind of absurd rumor that was circulating.

‘It was too tight to make time in between.’

But still, I had to do it.

To pull those damn brats out of the pit of evil, I absolutely had to.

‘I didn’t have the motivation at first.’

My thoughts changed after hearing what Ryuseong said.

‘He said that even maggot-like human trash can change if they are given a chance.’

Now I had become curious.

Do people really change if they are given a chance?

If so, why are chances not given equally to people?

If equality wasn’t a given in the first place, why give people a chance to change at all?

Since such thoughts were constantly assailing my mind, let’s put the very first question into practice.

For that, I decided to give the villain trio a chance in my own way.

“…”

But that bastard Logan has suddenly gone crazy and dares to refuse my summons to assemble.

Is he insane? Fuck.

This is how the incident apparently went down. Dietrich did a round of the boys’ lodging, and since Logan wasn’t there, he figured he went outside, so he picked up Capone first and sent a message while looking around for a bit. The content was this.
―――――――――――――――――
Dietrich: Summon 12:23 Read
Dietrich: Hey answer quick where are you 12:23 Read

Logan: What 12:34
Dietrich: The young master is looking for you ㅇㅇ run like your legs are on fire we’re at 12:34 Read

Logan: Why should I care? 12:35
Dietrich: ? 12:35 Read
Dietrich: Who are you? 12:35 Read
―――――――――――――――――
There were no replies after this. And Dietrich and Capone, horrified by this message, came to me and were raising a fuss.

“This is clearly a kidnapping! My lord de Millang!”

“Yes, that’s right! That bastard Logan has definitely been dragged off somewhere! We must decide on a course of action, whether to rescue him or bury him, right away…!”

‘…You morons.’

I became tired in an instant. No, you have to say something that makes sense. Huh?

“Isn’t this just your normal conversation, with a bit of an attitude?”

It’s just that Logan, who seemed to have had some kind of epiphany after encountering Cassis de Millang just a moment ago, has backstabbed them. It’s not like it’s that strange for these bastards to be obedient to my face and then betray me, is it?

Even if it completely ruined my mood.

“Say something that makes sense!”

“Look at this, what an attitude.”

As I clicked my tongue in annoyance, Dietrich grabbed the back of his neck and looked like he was about to collapse.

Capone quickly added.

“My lord de Millang, that bastard is right. Although we may sell the young master’s information, we are always careful about our manner of speaking, wherever we are.”

“…”

I paused for a moment, dumbfounded, before asking.

“Why are you so readily admitting to selling information…”

Just as I was about to ask why he admitted it more easily than a bubble popping, Dietrich shouted.

“It’s true! Who knows when and where you might be wiretapped, so who would speak carelessly! Manners are completely different from selling information!”

“…”

Beside him, Capone clenched his fist and nodded his head, agreeing that was right.

And I lost a bit of my motivation to give them a chance to become human.

‘Should I give them a chance? Am I supposed to believe that even things like this can become human?’

It was at that very moment, as I felt dejected amidst them making their loud excuses and looked up at the sky, receiving what little comfort I could from the green nature.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Selling information?”

It was Ryuseong.