Calm down.

First, it was vital to collect my thoughts and assess the situation with a clear mind.

Right before my eyes stood Lucy, the empire’s worst psychopath.

That was an undeniable truth. From her blue ponytail to the imperial crest etched on her sword, everything matched the spoilery descriptions I had read.

‘I didn’t mean this when I said I wanted to meet a main character.’

How unlucky could I be to unexpectedly run into a villain in a place like this?

However… there was no need to panic.

‘I have the upper hand.’

Siel and Lien were nearby. The amulet was still securely hanging around my neck.

No matter how notorious Lucy was as a villain, I had dependable allies by my side.

Besides, I had grown stronger myself. The holy sword may be split in two, but a holy sword is still a holy sword.

If she wielded powers related to demons, I likely had a decent chance of winning.

But even so, relaxation was out of the question.

Just because there was a possibility of victory didn’t mean I should let my guard down.

Unlike Asher, Lucy was a complete unknown except for the tidbits the spoilers had revealed.

So, what I needed to do was simple.

Buy time.

If I could hold out until the others arrived, victory would be mine for the taking.

‘It’s crucial not to be overwhelmed by momentum.’

That was obvious.

She was a lunatic who relished tormenting others.

If I underestimated her, I’d quickly find myself as the main course.

In this situation, I had only one attitude to adopt.

‘Let’s think of myself as the leader of the Black Fangs.’

A commanding tone. An air of confidence that prevented the opposition from overpowering me.

I needed to maintain an aura strong enough to keep from being overshadowed by this girl.

After all, all the chaos had been attributed to the Black Fangs.

Like it or not, I was stuck playing the role of the Black Fangs’ leader.

I was standing here under the guise of the leader of the Black Fangs.

“Who are you?”

I asked the girl, keeping my voice steady. The girl confidently pretended to tremble with fear and replied,

“That’s my line! Who exactly are you? What kind of monstrous freak are you?”

For a moment, her words nearly threw me off balance.

There’s a limit to nonsense.

A monster? Me?

I, who had only killed a dark mage who sacrificed thousands of innocent lives? Am I the monster?

There’s a limit to absurdity. I’ve saved people more often than not; I’ve never committed a single wicked deed.

And now, the empire’s worst psychopath is pointing fingers at me?

“How offensive. You have no right to accuse me of being a monster.”

“…What are you even talking about?”

“Do you really think I’m unaware of the horrible things you’ve done?”

I said this while glaring at the girl.

Setting aside her reputation as a psychopathic serial killer, she was, after all, a knight of the empire.

A knight in the empire who didn’t hesitate to engage in horrific massacres, like the recent black market terrorism.

The horrifying nature of their actions was evident even with just this one act of terrorism.

“I know the ugly truth about you and your kind.”

This was not a lie. I probably knew more about the empire than anyone else in this world.

I still can’t forget the conclusion of the Empire Revolution route.

The betrayal of a once-trusted ally,

The revolution that ended in failure.

No matter what atrocities were committed, the imperial family clung to their power with grim determination.

They would go to any lengths to secure their own safety.

And knights? They were nothing but the empire’s lapdogs.

Dogs bound to obey the empire.

Serving as the arms and legs of the royalty, doing all the filthy and despicable work—that’s what a knight is.

Just because they were wearing a collar of self-destructive engraving didn’t justify their actions.

Only someone completely clueless about the world would remain unaware of the true nature of the imperial knights.

They all consciously chose that path fully aware.

Choosing to submit to an empire that doesn’t view people as human, they made the conscious choice to bow down to those who treat humanity like trash.

This girl was likely no different.

But…

“What… What are you talking about?”

The blue-haired girl asked.

Why did she ask that?

Such words! Surely this must be some sort of act. Yet oddly enough, her expression didn’t seem disingenuous.

A bizarre intuition flickered.

Considering the state of my intuition lately… I definitely should ignore it.

I know I should turn a blind eye, but…

Something was gnawing at me.

‘…What if this isn’t an act?’

That thought flickered through my mind. After all, I didn’t detect any murderous intent or ominous vibes from this girl.

Even if I inadvertently showed a weakness, there was no sign she noticed. For a killer, she seemed a touch unconvincing.

Moreover, that reaction. It sounded, without a doubt, like one from a truly innocent person.

So, what if… it’s a big if, but what if this isn’t all a performance?

‘The possibility definitely exists.’

She still looked quite young. If she was a rookie knight who had recently joined the order, she might be blissfully unaware of their horrendous behavior.

It’s rare, but there have certainly been cases of young nobles, orphaned and innocent to the world’s evils, who joined the imperial knights. One character from a previous series was exactly like that.

It had become almost a tradition to introduce a similar character in this installment.

‘Moreover, considering that she’s supposedly a villain, it makes even more sense.’

The most pure-hearted and kind character from the last series, who was incredibly popular.

Introducing a character obviously modeled after that one would naturally put the players at ease.

“Ah, this one can be trusted,” they would think.

But what if she experienced something that turned her dark and she becomes a complete villain?

What if she even becomes an enemy to the protagonist?

Pulling such a twist on the players would delight the developers of Blood and Bone immensely.

Even in the last installment, the villains all had backstories.

About three out of ten were driven to darkness by tragic circumstances.

The possibility that this girl was a villain who hadn’t yet fallen from grace was substantial.

‘…Of course, I can’t ignore the opposite possibility either.’

This is, after all, my optimistic speculation. A guess based purely on gut feelings.

Maybe, this girl is a psychopath with astonishing acting talent.

Or perhaps she suffers from split personality, where one side is innocent and kind but the other is pure evil.

Isn’t it common for psychopathic characters to have a double personality?

…Ultimately, no matter how much I ponder, this question remains unresolved.

“Do you genuinely not know?”

I asked the blue-haired girl.

Yet, there was no response. She only appeared bewildered, her expression puzzled.

I felt entirely at a loss about what to do.

Facing a villain unexpectedly was already overwhelming, let alone trying to think up a quick strategy or half-baked plan.

Especially not in this situation.

Whether Lucy was truly evil or if she had potential for redemption, I knew nothing about her.

“So that’s it then… In that case…”

Ultimately, there’s only one course of action to take in such a situation.

Postpone.

Matters regarding the girl’s potential for reform or strategy should be considered with time on my side.

For now, my top priority had to be to retreat.

I quickly sent Siel a message via communication magic.

To envelop me in shadows and conjure an invisibility spell.

Although we couldn’t use teleportation magic, imitating it was a simple matter.

After obscuring my view with shadowy magic, all I needed to do was dash away while the invisibility spell was active.

Anyone would assume I had teleported if they saw someone swallowed by dark shadows suddenly disappear.

I erased my presence and cast a tracking spell on her back.

Now I could reach out to her anytime.

To either help her reform or to deal with her. That was a weighty decision that should come after ample deliberation and investigation.

Now that it had been decided, there was only one thing left for me to do.

I slipped back into my role. It wasn’t difficult.

Just spout some impressive-sounding nonsense like the real leader of the Black Fangs, and that would seal the deal.

*

“There’s nothing more to discuss with you.”

Before Lucy stood a mysterious man cloaked in black.

Lucy was utterly bewildered by the situation.

What could such a monstrous figure possibly be doing here? What were his intentions? What thoughts lurked behind that mask?

Suddenly, their eyes met through the hood.

Blue eyes. In those eyes, Lucy sensed an unfathomable force.

She felt the presence of something greater than this world itself.

Her body involuntarily trembled. Even breathing felt like a monumental task.

“Whether you truly know nothing, or you’re just putting on an act, that has nothing to do with us.”

With those words, two other figures enveloped in black hoods appeared from the shadows.

They exuded a terrible, monstrous aura that could hardly be called human.

If the aura surrounding the man felt both sacred and ominous,

These beings were nothing short of walking calamities. Entities designed to spread disaster across the world.

That’s why Lucy was completely unable to comprehend the situation. What kind of being could command such monstrosities?

“We are simply here to fulfill our mission.”

With that, a pitch-black darkness swallowed them whole.

As if they had never existed, they vanished in an instant.

Yet even after that, Lucy remained unable to rise from where she sat for a long time.

She huddled on the ground, lost in thought.

What did that man’s words truly mean? What about her could he have found so repulsive?

No matter how hard she tried to ponder, understanding eluded her.

‘Who are these people…’

Something was definitely about to happen.

That much was certain.