Leon’s POV
Many people were packed into the plaza, but none of them looked like regular citizens. Each one of them was completely under Sesillian’s control, hypnotized and brainwashed, their wills stripped away to obey his every command. Seeing so many people crowded together, all draped in identical red cloaks with hoods pulled low over their faces, drove ho the unsettling reality that I was standing in the heart of a cult. The sight was surreal, like sothing out of a nightmare. Not even the idol concerts I’d gone to in my past life could compare to this.
Sesillian held a dagger in his hand, taken from the edge of the platform where he’d placed Charlotte. She lay still as stone, not even attempting to resist. Watching her, I had to admit I found it kind of darkly funny that she just lay there, motionless and heartbroken, too devastated to fight back. Discovering that the man she loved had only been using her—that he didn’t love her, didn’t even love won at all, and was infatuated with n instead—must’ve crushed her in ways that ran deeper than betrayal.
Still, I couldn’t afford to let her die. I’d be lying if I said it was because I cared about her; I needed her alive because she was useful to . Cruel as it sounded, that was just the truth. As much as she’d been valuable to Sesillian, she was even more valuable to . Her skill was rare, the kind that couldn’t be replicated or inherited. Skills weren’t like objects that could just pass on when soone died; they disappeared entirely. And losing a skill like hers was out of the question.
"Our Lord! With this sacrifice, you will be reborn! Bless us once again, cover this world in your darkness, and reign supre!"
Sesillian had begun the ritual, lifting his gaze to the sky as he spread his arms wide. The fervor in his eyes was so intense it almost looked inhuman. But oddly, for the first ti, I could see him as the man he was, not the woman he’d been trying to appear as. Maybe the mind manipulation spell he’d cast on had worn off after he shot in the head. The shock must have broken through. If that was the case, maybe I could use the sa shock to undo his influence on the people here. But how would I go about it without risking their lives or causing them to kill each other?
As Sesillian looked down at Charlotte, he raised the dagger above his head, ready to plunge it down into her. But just before he could…
"Do you really think that will work?" I called out.
"Huh?" Sesillian halted mid-motion, his dagger hovering above Charlotte’s throat. "Who are you?!"
"I’m just soone who likes lurking in the shadows," I said, my voice echoing across the plaza. "Or maybe I’m soone who grants people their deepest desires, only to make them realize that what they wanted will be their undoing. I’m here to make sure you regret what you wished for."
"You think this is the end for ?!" Sesillian sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance. "I’ve already reached the pinnacle! There’s nothing you can do to stop !"
"We’ll see about that."
"What was that?!" he howled, his face twisting in rage. "You really think sothing can stop now?! Look around! I have dozens of followers protecting this ritual, ensuring my victory! All I have to do is slit this virgin’s throat and let her blood complete the ritual. What can you possibly do to change that, whoever you are?!"
He wasn’t just screaming now—he was howling, his voice echoing like a crazed animal.
"Virgin, huh?" I smirked, my voice dripping with amusent. "So, you’re telling the ritual requires the blood of a pure woman? What if she’s not... a virgin?"
"That’s impossible!" he spat, his voice brimming with indignation. "I manipulated her mind, made her love only ! I confird her purity myself, long before I even approached her! I altered her thoughts to obsess over , to ensure she’d never even consider another love interest. She has remained pure for this purpose alone—her virginity preserved because I commanded it!"
"And why the obsession with purity?" I taunted.
"Because that’s what our Lord desires," he replied, his eyes gleaming with fanatic devotion. "He wants won, pure and untouched. I love Him—I’ll give Him everything! If He desires purity, I’ll deliver it to Him. If He wants a virgin with royal blood, then this woman is the perfect sacrifice!"
So that was it—the twisted reason for preserving Charlotte’s chastity. But it just confird what I already suspected: Sesillian wouldn’t be able to finish his ritual. Because, well, I’d already fucked her.
"Is that so?" I chuckled. "Check your phone—I sent you sothing."
"Huh? Why should I—"
"Trust , you might want to see it before you continue. It could save you from a wasted effort."
He hesitated, confusion clouding his face. But eventually, he pulled his phone from the pocket of his dress and clicked through a ssage. I watched his fingers freeze, his eyes widening with horror as he absorbed what he saw on the screen.
"W-What… What is this?" His voice broke, filled with dread.
"Do you see now why your sacrifice won’t work?" I asked, my tone mocking.
His face contorted with disbelief. "H-How… How could this be…?"
I’d sent him a video of and Charlotte having sex. I’d blurred my face, of course, but left Charlotte’s fully visible.
"Charlotte’s no virgin," I said, each word slicing through his shattered faith. "She’s already… used."
The realization washed over him, leaving him visibly crumbling. His face went blank, and he dropped to his knees, as though his entire world had caved in. Watching him fall apart was, admittedly, quite amusing.
"Charlotte..." He gritted his teeth so hard I could see blood seeping from his gums. "You fucking slut!"
Charlotte didn’t respond. She simply lay there, staring blankly at the sky, utterly indifferent to his anger.
"You slept with soone else?! How could you do this to ?!"
Sesillian was livid. The rage in his eyes was like that of a man realizing he’d been cucked, helplessly watching his world burn.
"Ugh! Nooo! Fuck this! Fuck all of you!" Sesillian howled, clutching at his hair as his voice cracked. "After years—years of painstaking manipulation, planning, bending your mind to make you only see ! And after everything, you just fucked soone else behind my back? What the fuck! What the fuck!"
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He stomped the ground with fury, each impact thundering through the plaza, his whole body trembling as the truth unraveled his composure. Now, realizing the woman he’d preserved so carefully for this mont was no longer "pure," he let loose a guttural scream—a raw release of disappointnt and frustration that seed to echo into nothingness.
Then, suddenly, he froze.
"Never mind…" he sighed, shoulders drooping. "This is really the pits. All those years, wasted." His voice was hollow, drained. "I never expected much from you, Charlotte, but I thought… maybe if you devoted yourself to , I’d love you in return. But now?" His lips twisted in contempt. "Guess I’ll just murder you now."
With a chilling calm, he raised his dagger, poised to strike her down.
But I wasn’t about to let him. I surged forward, pushing my way through the sea of people, the crowd a blur as I moved. Reaching the platform, I raised my mana sword just in ti, catching his dagger with a force that sent his arm recoiling back.
"Kuh!" He stumbled, his grip faltering as he fought to regain control.
Charlotte looked up at , her previously lifeless eyes now flickering with recognition, a spark of life.
"Leon…" she murmured, barely audible.
Sesillian’s face twisted with rage, and he threw his arms up in disbelief. "All of you people, ruining everything! What do you want from ?! All I want is to be with my Lord! Why are you stopping ?!"
I t his glare. "I don’t know. Maybe because the way you’re trying to get what you want is completely wrong."
He growled, teeth bared, and his eyes narrowed as he finally took notice of my mask. "Wait… that mask… I know you. You’re that phisto, aren’t you?" His voice rose with a tremor of fear. "What have I done to deserve this?! Moriarty told to stay clear of you, so I did! So why?! Why interfere when this is none of your business?!"
"Why?" I repeated, lifting my mask to show my face. His eyes widened, terror dawning as he recognized .
"H-Huh? W-Wait… you’re…"
My voice turned cold as I t his gaze. "I know you’re the one responsible for blowing up one of the Leonamon branches and killing countless employees. I didn’t think I’d have to go this far to make you pay for your misdeeds, but here we are. You pushed to this, Sesillian. Now you know why it’s my business."
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