I Became the Master of the Villain

The pickpocket dashed through the crowd, pushing people aside indiscriminately. Sir Philip hurriedly gave chase.
Just as he was about to catch up—

“Uwah…!”
The thief shoved over a cart parked by the roadside. The apples stacked inside came tumbling down with a loud crash.
“Oh my goodness! What on earth—?! Don’t step on my apples!”

The vendor shouted in distress. While Sir Philip was delayed by the obstacle, the quick-footed thief widened the gap.
Just as the thief was about to disappear into a narrow alley—
Something unexpected happened.

“Aaaagh!”
With ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) a sudden cry, the thief was sent sprawling. A long leg had jutted out and tripped him.
The leg’s owner was a man sipping coffee at a corner café terrace.

“…The Capital’s security is a damn mess.”
I pushed through the crowd and stepped forward. Once my view cleared, I was finally able to see the face of the man who’d intervened.
A sharply handsome man. Black hair, golden eyes. A well-built frame, with a sword strapped at his hip.

The man twisted the thief’s arm behind his back as he tried to flee. The thief struggled and thrashed, but the man didn’t budge.
By then, the commotion had drawn the guards over.
“What’s going on here?”

The black-haired man roughly pulled the thief to his feet and said,
“This man tried to steal that lady’s bag over there. Take him away.”
“Uh—yes, sir…!”

His commanding tone was so natural that the guards didn’t even question it. They simply obeyed and took the thief away.
I quickly approached the black-haired man. He rose slowly and handed me the bag.
“This yours?”
“Yes, it is.”

I was delighted to have recovered something I’d already thought lost. I thanked the stranger.
“Thank you for your help. How can I repay you?”
The man waved dismissively as if it was troublesome.

“No need for repayment. Just make sure to guard your belongings better. There’s no guarantee luck will be on your side next time.”
With those words, he turned and strode off into the crowd.
I stared blankly at his retreating figure.

…Who was that man? From the way he spoke and acted, he clearly wasn’t a commoner. But I couldn’t recall a noble like that in the Capital either.
I shook my head slightly. There’s no reason to dwell on it. It’s not like we’ll ever meet again.
***

After burning the wyverns’ nest, Kian returned to Raindorf Fortress.
He refused the banquet the Baron had prepared and immediately made preparations to return to the Capital.
But just as he finished getting ready to leave, his adjutant brought unexpected news.

“Commander, a telegram from Captain Aron.”
Kian opened the telegram the adjutant handed him. In rough handwriting, it read:
—Well done on dealing with the wyverns. His Majesty is quite pleased with your capabilities. He said he’d be even more pleased if you handled another one of the Barony’s problems. So I’m assigning you a new mission. There are warwolves hiding throughout the Raindorf Mountains, ambushing travelers and merchants. Eliminate them. Shouldn’t be difficult for someone like you. Good luck.

“……”
It was true that he’d become an Imperial Mage to stand beside Olivia without shame. But… following anyone else’s orders besides Olivia’s still left a foul taste in his mouth.
The Emperor, that bastard…

Kian crumpled the telegram with a chilling glare. Flames bloomed in his palm, reducing it to ashes in an instant.
***
Warwolves.

High-grade, bipedal magical beasts with the form of a wolf. Possessing the brute strength to crush a human skull in a single blow, and the agility to make them difficult to face.
Any mage who had graduated from the academy would know this.
Which is why the mages stood dumbfounded at the sight before them—dozens of warwolf corpses, torn to pieces, lying scattered at their feet.

All taken down in the blink of an eye by their commander.
“Were warwolves always this weak…?”
One mage muttered blankly as he watched the beasts fall like paper dolls under Kian’s magic.

The mage beside him replied,
“No… Commander Kian is just that strong.”
This was the first time the 7th Magic Division had been commanded by a top-grade mage. Only now were they realizing the overwhelming gap between themselves and someone at that level.

The subordinate mages, stunned by Kian’s power, scrambled to follow behind him.
Wanting to finish the mission as fast as possible, Kian picked up the pace.
The wyvern swarm had actually been easier—he could wipe them out all at once.

But the warwolves were scattered throughout the forest. They had to be dealt with one by one. That made it all the more annoying.
And that annoyance pushed Kian’s irritation to its limit.
“Commander’s been in a bad mood all day, hasn’t he?”

“No kidding. Did someone insult him again for being a former slave?”
“No way. Anyone still saying that has literal shit for brains.”
The reason Kian was in such a foul mood was simple. His return was delayed. Which meant he couldn’t escort Olivia to the banquet.

To attend the imperial ball being held tonight, he had no choice but to kill every last one of these damn beasts within half a day.
The thought that someone else might dance the first dance with her made his stomach twist with anxiety.
Kian threw himself even more ferociously into the subjugation.

Wherever he passed, gore and bits of beast flesh splattered across the ground in waves. He slaughtered without rest, looking like a man possessed.
The mages watched his blood-soaked figure advancing relentlessly and thought,
At this point… I don’t know who’s the monster and who’s the human anymore.

***
The grand hall lit up in splendor for the banquet celebrating the return of the Second Prince, Alexis.
The guest of honor had yet to appear. In the meantime, nobles gathered in clusters and chatted amongst themselves.

I drank wine with the young ladies I had invited to the previous tea party.
Lady Rose of House Campbell raised her glass and said,
“I was hoping Sir Kian would attend too. Such a shame.”

“I know, right? I thought it’d be a great chance to speak with him.”
I’d heard he’d be late due to a mission.
It’s okay if he comes late… just as long as he’s safe.

Of course, most magical beasts wouldn’t even stand a chance against Kian. It might even be more appropriate to offer condolences to the beasts that crossed his path.
As I waited for the Second Prince to appear, I continued chatting with the ladies, idly nibbling on sweet desserts.
Just as the cream was melting delightfully on my tongue—

A loud voice rang out from the master of ceremonies.
“His Highness, Prince Alexis, enters!”
Everyone paused and turned toward the voice.

The royal doors opened, and a man stepped inside.
A tall, black-haired man. He wore a dark navy ceremonial uniform embroidered with the royal crest at the chest. Even from afar, it was clear he had a well-trained body.
Murmurs swept through the crowd.

“That’s him…”
“Oh… he’s even more handsome than the rumors said.”
“They say he accomplished a lot up north.”

“I heard he repelled wave after wave of beast invasions.”
Amidst the admiring stares, the Second Prince descended the stairs.
But something about his face looked familiar. Black hair. Golden eyes like a wild beast. Sharp, chiseled features like a finely honed blade.

That man…
In an instant, I remembered where I’d seen that face before.
The man who had retrieved my bag from the thief.

That man back then—was Prince Alexis?
From his commanding tone, I’d assumed he was a noble, but I hadn’t expected him to be royalty.
Ten years ago, the Emperor had sent the Second Prince to the monster-infested northern frontier, accused of heresy.

People whispered that the Emperor had cast his own son into the jaws of death. After all, the Prince was only twelve at the time. No one expected him to last long.
But Alexis had survived.
Even the Emperor probably hadn’t known—and Alexis himself hadn’t known—that he possessed a genius talent for swordsmanship.

Grasping a blade in order to live, the Second Prince had awakened a gift he’d never realized.
Having reached the realm of a Sword Master, he defended the north and achieved countless victories.
As a result, the faction supporting the Second Prince had relentlessly petitioned for his pardon.

As he pushed back the beasts of the north, its economy stabilized. The effects rippled all the way to the Capital, and public sentiment shifted in his favor.
In the end, the Emperor could no longer ignore the calls to pardon him. He acknowledged the Second Prince’s achievements and summoned him back to the palace for the first time in ten years.
“We greet His Highness, the Prince.”

Everyone at the banquet bowed their heads in greeting.
Alexis accepted their greetings and slowly crossed the hall.
I recalled what the original novel said.

Alexis de Rasione. A righteous and compassionate prince. He had faced off against the blackened Kian and played a significant supporting role.
The Kian of the original novel, consumed by rage after losing Anna, had hunted down surviving nobles for revenge. Alexis had stood in his way.
A troublesome opponent. That’s how original-Kian described him.

He was skilled enough to be acknowledged even by Kian.
Just as I was thinking that—
A lively trumpet sounded.

It was the signal that the ball was about to begin.
“Oh, I should hurry and find my place.”
The young ladies who’d been with me began putting down their glasses and moving about. They were all heading off to find their dance partners.

“What about you, Milady?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. Go ahead and enjoy yourselves.”
Some of the ladies hesitated, looking guilty about leaving me alone. I waved them off kindly.

My only goal tonight was to show my face at the banquet. I hadn’t planned on finding a partner.
I’ll just pass the time for a bit and then head home.
I stood in a rest area along the edge of the hall, sipping wine.

Then, I noticed someone else alone.
The nobles who’d been near him must have stepped away—Prince Alexis was standing by himself.
Suddenly, I remembered the conversation the ladies had earlier.

—“I wonder if His Highness will ask anyone to be his partner?”
—“Oh my, weren’t you quite interested in him, Lady?”
—“Well… it would be an honor to dance with him. But my father warned me not to get too close to the Second Prince.”

Somehow, I felt I understood why he was alone.
A cheerful melody began to play. I reached for a piece of finger food from a table.
Just then, my eyes met Alexis’s.

His golden eyes widened slightly.
“You… you’re that girl from before…”