Chapter 128

It was a dark and spacious room.

A group of people were seated around a round table. The only source of light in the room came from the hologram projector on the desk, casting meaningless images into the air.

Despite the number of people gathered, the place was eerily quiet. Perhaps it was natural, considering it was so dark that they could barely see each other’s faces.

But the woman didn’t like the atmosphere.

“……Excuse me. Isn’t it too dark in here? Can’t we turn on some lights?”

They were all grown adults, not middle schoolers clinging to a rebellious phase. What kind of nonsense was this?

She was already suffocating, sitting among a group of men, and now she had to keep silent in this pitch-black room, feeling as if the air itself was strangling her.

At her words, a few people glared at her in reproach. Even in the darkness, their eyes gleamed sharply, like wild predators watching their prey at night.

But she snorted dismissively at their stares. That was confidence her old self would never have dreamed of.

Yes, the girl who once sat cramped in a tiny dark room, blankly staring at her smartphone, would never have dared to be so bold.

‘Why was I so scared back then?’

Not too long ago, everything had felt terrifying. Perhaps coming to this world had been a great fortune, but the sensation of something inside her gradually changing had been unbearably painful.

It was like a worm gnawing away at a corner of her brain, and each time she woke up from sleep, she felt as though a piece of herself had disappeared.

Sometimes she found herself doing things she would never normally do, or suddenly came to her senses in places she had no memory of going.

It felt as if she were turning into Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and at one point, she even considered throwing herself off a tall building.

‘What a foolish thought that was.’

Looking back now, there had never been a need for that.

She rather liked who she was now. She had gotten rid of her nail-biting habit, and had somehow mastered makeup techniques without ever learning them.

She started working out and taking care of herself, and now she could smirk at men glaring at her with threatening eyes.

The girl who used to lock herself away in that gloomy little room, wasting her days in meaningless isolation, was gone.

Those memories were now like photos tucked away in a snack box on a high shelf—fading slowly, unreachable to her conscious mind.

And so—

She could finally stand tall.

Against anyone.

Even against herself.

“Don’t just glare at me. Is it really that strange for me to say we should open the curtains or turn on the lights? What’s the point of keeping it this dark?”

But unlike her, these men had grown even gloomier and more oppressive compared to before.

The shy young man who once couldn’t even hold a conversation with a woman now ogled her with perverse, lustful eyes.

The man who used to lighten tense moments with hearty laughter now sat with his arms crossed, pretending to be the most serious of all.

The one who always lay sprawled on the desk, grumbling “what a hassle” at the end of every sentence, had turned into a workaholic, endlessly handling tasks on his own.

And the others as well.

They all had their own differences depending on their roles in the original story, but all of them had changed into different people from before.

She couldn’t say if these changes were good or bad, but it was true that the atmosphere of this gathering had completely shifted in just a few months.

What had once been no more than a lighthearted club or social group now gave off the aura of a secret evil organization.

It wasn’t a pleasant mood, but perhaps it couldn’t be helped. After all, many of those here had originally been villains.

‘Thinking about it that way… it does make me curious.’

There should have been two more people at this table. If not for that unfortunate accident that claimed their lives, they too would have proudly held seats here.

She wondered what kind of people they might have become if they had survived. Or perhaps it was better not to know.

In this damned world, how many people could still be considered normal human beings? By modern standards, they were all bound to have twisted ways of thinking.

As she mulled over these thoughts—

Clatter.

The door opened, and a man entered the meeting room. He had a thick beard and heterochromatic eyes.

The others, who had been indifferent to the woman’s complaint of “Please, let’s turn on the lights already!”, finally reacted to his arrival.

“You’re here. Did the surgery go well?”

“Of course. It will take some time before he wakes, but there should be no problem.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“As soon as he regains consciousness, I’ll send him to the Academy. That will be the time to move on to the next stage of our plan.”

After answering, the man sat down in an empty seat and looked around at the members.

“And what of ‘His’ instructions?”

“Nothing yet. No word has come.”

At that answer, everyone’s gaze naturally turned to the center of the round table. Normally, ‘He’ would contact them through that very projector.

But right now, the hologram remained silent.

“Then all we can do is wait.”

“Indeed. To ensure Aaron Stingray is completely eliminated, following His orders is our only—”

“Hold on a second.”

The woman cut in, interrupting the conversation.

“‘I have something I’m curious about.’”

“‘What would you like to ask?’”

“‘Are we really going to keep sitting here in the dark like this? I feel like my eyesight might get worse.’”

“‘……Listen here.’”

“‘I’m joking. What I really mean is… do you think it’s truly right to follow “Him”?’”

“‘What are you suddenly talking about?’”

The man who received the woman’s question asked back in shock. His reaction was like that of a medieval believer hearing blasphemy spoken right before him.

“‘If it weren’t for “Him,” we wouldn’t even be gathered here like this. Without a doubt, we would have ended up dead at the hands of Aaron Stingray, just like Shade Wells or Araya.’”

“‘And that’s exactly it—why does “He” regard Aaron Stingray only as an enemy? Just as He discovered us and brought us together here, if He were to extend His hand in the same way to Aaron Stingray…’”

“‘Do you really think that’s possible?’”

This time, another voice cut in. It belonged to the workaholic who had been deeply absorbed in his tasks.

He rose from his seat, and at the same time, the various UI windows floating before him slid shut.

“‘That man was the worst villain in the original work. How could we possibly leave someone like that unchecked?’”

“‘And why not?’”

“‘Even if the person who took Aaron’s body was originally good, that’s no longer the case. Just as you and I have changed, so too would he have become a peerless murderer, in line with the original.’”

The man replied with a voice brimming with fervor. An indescribable passion blazed within his eyes.

“‘He already killed the protagonist, Shade Wells, and even destroyed Ashita-kyo. Most likely, it was he who killed Evangeline as well. Do you still not understand? He’s tangled the story of the original into a mess, all for the sake of ruling over this world as he pleases.’”

“‘Hmm. Is that so? Honestly, I’ve lost interest in the Academy anyway. And even so, I don’t think that gives us a reason to be hostile toward Aaron Stingray.’”

“‘And what exactly are you trying to say?’”

Another man posed the question to the woman, and turning toward him, she answered.

“‘In short—let’s not prod the whiskers of a sleeping lion. Or at least, let’s only move once we’ve obtained the power to properly take the lion down.’”

“‘We’re more than ready.’”

Someone replied.

“‘The moment he killed the protagonist, the chance to negotiate with him was already gone. No—since he possessed Aaron Stingray’s body to begin with, forming an alliance was impossible from the start.’”

“‘And what of it?’”

“‘Think about it. The strongest villain in this world now has the knowledge of the original story. On top of that, the Academy—the place with the greatest influence in the main scenario—has already fallen into his hands. At this rate, the entire world itself is heading toward collapse. Should we really let him live? Especially when he’ll only keep growing stronger?’”

“‘But you were all villains in the original as well—villains who endangered both the Academy and this city. Yet you speak as though you’re some righteous, upstanding people.’”

The woman let out a mocking chuckle.

Then another spoke.

“‘Indeed. This is only a temporary alliance anyway. Even here, if “He” weren’t keeping their leashes tight, more than a few would be rampaging according to their instincts.’”

“‘Exactly my point. How could I possibly trust people like this and continue working together?’”

“‘Ah, I see now. So that’s why you’ve been nitpicking this whole time—you’re finally revealing your true intentions. Serena Beresford. What is it? Did you start getting greedy, thinking you could place the Stingray Group into your hands?’”

“‘Who knows.’”

Serena Beresford.

The woman, called by that name, let out a peculiar smile.

“‘I can’t exactly deny it. Which is why, at the very least, I’d like for that plan to be postponed until after marriage. Ideally, after I’ve even conceived his child, it would be much better.’”

When Serena added, “That way I’ll have a secure position within the Stingray Group, won’t I?”—someone who heard it spat out their words as though tossing them carelessly.

“‘What a trashy bitch.’”

“‘Could you be realistic? No, let me correct that. From now on, I want everyone to watch their mouths around me. What if I suddenly lost my temper and blurted out everything about us to Aaron Stingray?’”

“‘You bitch……!’”

“‘Watch your words, did I not tell you? Especially a low-life gangster like you—I could eliminate you easily without borrowing the Stingray Group’s strength.’”

“‘Ms. Serena. I cannot let that remark pass.’”

The man Serena had labeled a ‘workaholic’ answered.

“‘As you know, the Stingray Group is an organization of evil. I simply cannot stand by if someone willingly joins them.’”

“‘Why pick on only me? There are so many others here who should be taken in right now, aren’t there? Weren’t you a prosecutor?’”

“‘Of course. But to capture the great evil and prevent the destruction of this world, for the moment we have no choice but to join forces with them. I will take responsibility for what comes after.’”

“‘Oh my, how righteous of you.’”

Serena replied with a sneer.

“‘In any case, unless “He” issues separate orders, I will act for my own benefit.’”

“‘What do you intend to do?’”

“‘For now, at the next matchmaking meeting, I plan to propose that Aaron Stingray join our side.’”

“‘You’ve completely lost it.’”

“‘Do you not value your life?’”

The members each offered negative evaluations. Serena shrugged as if it meant nothing.

“‘Aaron Stingray may be a murderer, but he does not kill people indiscriminately. At least he would not kill someone he intended to wed right in front of her. Besides, I also have leverage.’”

“‘Leverage?’”

“‘It was the Stingray chairman’s side who proposed this marriage. It means I was quite to his liking as a bride.’”

“‘And so?’”

“‘If Aaron Stingray refuses to join our side. And if he refuses to accept marriage with me—’”

Serena answered with a sly smile.

“‘Then I will have no choice but to resort to extreme measures.’”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep