I Became the Villain’s Master - Chapter 123

Schedule: Mon and Fri

Chapter 123

Kiris had clearly gone into the forest to hunt monsters for the Holy Festival. So how did he know I was here?

Did he have some kind of tracking device? ‘But my handkerchief doesn’t have that kind of function.’

The handkerchief I made and gave him had no magical properties whatsoever. However, Kiris was the youngest Tower Lord ever, possessing immensely powerful magic. In the original story, he was practically the final villain, a Tower Lord worthy of the title. To think he pinpointed my location with magic… It was simply amazing to someone like me, completely ignorant of magic.

“Do you have a death wish?” Kiris snarled, instantly flinging the attendant who’d grabbed my arm.

Swoosh- he then unleashed his magic, attempting to subdue the attendant immediately.

Blue and black magic collided and resonated. Like a tug-of-war, the black magic held for a brief moment before vanishing completely.

“Who is behind you?”

“Hahaha!” The attendant, sprawled on the ground, laughed maniacally before his expression turned serious.

“For the resurrection of the Great One…”

“…?”

“…I can endure any sacrifice.” The attendant’s blue eyes glowed with an icy light. Then, an even darker magic than before erupted from him.

“For the Age of Glory!”

“Mistress! Get back!” With that, Kiris shoved both the trembling Aria and me away.

Whoosh! Kiris formed a magical barrier just as a tremendous burst of magical energy exploded. A thick cloud of dust rose, obscuring everything.

“Kiris!”

“Rosie!” Aria gripped my hand tightly as we waited for the dust to settle. A moment later, the dust cleared, revealing Kiris standing calmly.

“Are you alright?” I reassured Aria and stood up, approaching Kiris.

“Yes, Mistress.” Relieved by Kiris’s casual response, I glanced down at the spot where the attendant had been. A large crater now marred the ground.

“The attendant…”

“He’s gone. Consumed by the black magic.” Kiris smoothed my disheveled hair as he continued, “Mistress, when I lost my memory…”

“Yes?”

“…this black magic enveloped the tower.”

“Really?” This was the first time I’d heard of this. I’d simply assumed Kiris had suffered a temporary memory loss due to an accident…

“And… there was someone in the tower who worshipped dark magic. That person cursed Etude.”

So the accident wasn’t an accident at all, but part of someone’s plan. A chilling thought ran through me, sending shivers down my spine.

“You said this same magic appeared when the monsters attacked before.”

“Yes. That’s right. Now I understand.” Kiris channeled blue magic into the crater.

“Dark magic. The power of demons.”

“…What?” The founding legend of the Empire suddenly came to mind. Long ago, the god Moreus, who ended the Age of the Great Demon, helped establish the Empire. The dark magic-worshipping mage must have someone else backing him.

“What happened here?” At that moment, knights of the Imperial Palace came rushing over, likely alerted by the earlier explosion. They looked at Kiris in surprise, then at Aria and me.

“There was an assassination attempt.” The knights stared blankly at the scene before them at Kiris’s words.

***

The Holy Festival naturally came to an end.

“Young Lord Hyles…” According to the breathless attendant who rushed in, Young Lord Hyles had been found dead during the festival. And Kiris said the black magic had appeared.

“How could this happen…?” Terrion chewed his lip, holding Aria close. Aria had been quite shaken since the incident.

“Rosie, are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. You must have been startled.”

“Yes, a little. I wish you had told me beforehand…” I belatedly confessed that I’d known it was a trap. Aria expressed her hurt that I hadn’t confided in her, truly worried for my safety.

‘But Snowy helped me.’

Aside from a slight scrape on my arm, I was perfectly fine, but Aria’s worry didn’t cease. And understandably so. A murder during a royal event like the Holy Festival was a serious matter. The palace knights were busy investigating the young lord’s death.