I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines-Chapter 121

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 121 - What Winter Left Behind (3)

Disloyal.

The last member of the Sovereign’s personal guard—

And the seed of disaster that would one day hasten the world’s destruction.

There had never been much information revealed about her in the original setting.

But through various details pieced together and inferred—

The conclusion was clear.

She was a star.

A star that shone brilliantly in the night sky.

But—

"She’s dangerous."

The problem was that she could not be controlled.

A body imbued with starlight from birth.

Perhaps it was simply the inevitable fate of a power too great to bear.

The brilliance that filled her—

Was not a blessing.

But a curse that had ruined her life.

Light, in the end, brought only tragedy.

"The child chosen by the stars."

Even as a child, she had stood apart from the rest.

She wielded the authority to borrow the power of the stars at will.

Many prodigies had dedicated their lives to grasping even the faintest touch of that power, with only the rarest few ever succeeding.

But she—

Had been born already cradling a star.

There was no precedent for her existence, not even in the long history of the continent.

A girl wholly beloved by the stars themselves.

Yet—

For a child too young, too fragile—

Such overwhelming power had come far too soon.

Her body, her mind, her soul—none of it was ready.

The power within her rampaged uncontrollably, again and again, reducing everything around her to ashen white.

Wherever she stayed, only desolate, scorched wastelands remained.

It was no blessing.

Merely a cruel curse, wrapped in the name of love.

A fate forced upon her—

A fate that slowly strangled her.

-"It hurts."

-"I want it to stop."

-"I’m scared."

-"My body is burning."

-"Get out of me."

But no matter how much she pleaded, the stars remained merciless.

And in the end—

She had no choice but to give up.

She had only been ten years old.

By the time she had burned two villages to the ground, leaving dozens dead or wounded.

The silver-haired monster had crouched there—

Shivering in the midst of the ashes she had created.

The winter storm had been particularly harsh that year.

And it was then—

That someone reached out their hand to her.

"How fascinating… You’ll be useful."

It had been none other than the Sovereign.

The old man had recognized her power—her talent for slaughter—

And decided to make her the final member of his royal guard.

From that moment on—

The monster’s life became a descent into hell.

The Sovereign subjected her to violence and endless indoctrination, desperate to tame her.

But the power of the stars—

Was not something that could be controlled through mere suppression.

No matter how much he tried, he achieved nothing.

And in the end, she was locked away deep underground.

Bound in chains.

Surrounded by devices designed to restrain her rampages.

Sealed within layers of mana-absorbing scrolls.

Her fate had been sealed.

A life reduced to nothingness.

And so—

Time passed in agonizing stillness.

Thirteen years.

Thirteen years of confinement.

Thirteen years of endless abuse and relentless conditioning.

Until eventually—

There was nothing left.

No meaning.

No hope.

Only despair.

A soul that had long since withered away.

And when she finally accepted it all—her pain, her hatred, her resentment—

The moment her voice could scream no longer—

She awakened.

A final, violent rampage—

One last explosion of starlight that tore through the underground, setting the empire itself ablaze.

—Fwoooosh!

As if to return all the suffering she had endured back to the world.

Burning.

And burning.

Burning everything again.

Until everything she had cursed—

Was painted in blinding white.

And just like that—

The Usurpation War, which had raged endlessly until then, came to an abrupt and catastrophic end.

Because in the end—

The rampaging star consumed everything.

The Sovereign who had sought to control her.

The overseers who had tortured and broken her.

The warring crime syndicates.

Even the innocent civilians caught at the bottom of it all.

They were erased.

Not a single trace of them remained.

-"Disappear."

The flames of the star burned on and on.

By the time it finally ceased, she had reduced a full tenth of the empire’s land to ashes.

And at last—

She was stopped.

By the protagonist’s party, alongside the Allied Forces of the continent.

Dozens of blades.

Hundreds of spells.

Each one carving through her fragile body.

And as she exhaled her final breath—

A single tear slipped down her cheek.

-"I never… wanted this power."

-"Why… did the stars choose me?"

-"That damned star… why did it have to be me?"

Her silver eyes dimmed—

Their light fading into nothingness.

And all that remained—

Was the ruined fragments of a broken girl, scattered in the winter wind.

Was power truly a blessing?

Or merely a curse to fulfill the whims of gods?

It was an episode that had left many contemplating.

One that had lingered in my mind as well.

Most stories spoke of the stars’ favor as a miracle—a gift, an unparalleled blessing.

But here, that very power had only brought suffering.

Even now, it remained one of the most striking narratives.

Her fate, in particular—

Had made her one of the most tragic figures in the story.

Which was why—

I had spoken about her many times before, back when I had shared theories and discussions.

‘And now… that same monster stands before me.’

I let my gaze settle on the girl in front of me.

Long, silvery hair, draping lifelessly.

Eyes dulled, unfocused, barely seeing.

Pale skin, marred by countless scars.

Tubes ran through her body, pumping in sedatives.

Chains, reinforced with magic, wrapped tightly around her limbs.

A wretched sight.

"I expected as much, but still…"

Reality was always more brutal than imagination.

I moved my hand.

—Schkk.

The thick iron bars that had caged her—

Were sliced apart like tofu.

One by one, I dismantled the devices that bound her, the chains that restrained her fragile frame.

Carefully, cautiously—

Worried that even this might hurt her.

But she did not resist.

Only watched, listlessly.

—Clatter.

As the last chain fell away—

Her body, once suspended, collapsed.

I caught her before she could hit the ground.

She was… light.

Far too light.

As if there was nothing left of her but bones.

No surprise.

In that wretched life, she had likely been given little more than scraps to survive on.

I steadied her trembling form.

"Stay still. Right now, you need rest more than anything else."

Years of scars.

The sheer sight of them was enough to make my stomach twist.

I lifted her into my arms.

"From today onward, your life is my responsibility."

"Responsibility…?"

"Your new master."

Perhaps she would wonder.

Why, standing before the very seed of destruction, I extended my hand instead of my sword.

The logical choice would be to end her life now.

After all—

Wasn’t my goal to prevent destruction?

But—

I hesitated.

She was still just a girl.

Her descent into calamity was a future still years away.

Could I truly justify killing someone for a fate that had not yet been written?

Even if I had become steeped in blood and filth—

That did not mean I had lost my humanity.

I withdrew my intent to kill.

Instead—

I enveloped the broken monster in a fragile warmth.

"Shall we leave this place?"

As I turned to go—

A small hand grasped my sleeve.

The girl.

Her trembling eyes—

Held fear, not of the world, but of herself.

"I can’t… If I leave, someone will get hurt again."

"Who told you that?"

"…That man."

By "that man," she must have meant the Sovereign.

Was this the result of years of conditioning and abuse?

The girl seemed afraid of the outside world.

No—

More precisely, she was afraid that her very existence would bring harm to others.

Had she been trained never to run?

"It’s all right."

In truth, the Sovereign had not been entirely wrong.

He had instilled an extreme fear within her, that much was clear.

And the fact remained—she was an unstable force, a ticking time bomb.

But that was something I could handle.

It wouldn’t be easy, not while she had yet to master her abilities—

But suppressing her rampages as they arose should still be possible.

It would take constant vigilance.

A daily struggle, no doubt.

But even so—

I smiled.

"As long as you’re with me, you’ll be fine."

"…?"

A puzzled expression.

There would be time for explanations later.

For now, I resumed my steps.

"Do you have a name?"

"Disloyal…"

"That’s a name you’ll be leaving behind. If you don’t have another, it’s best to choose a new one."

From today onward—

I would give you a name.

For the first time, the one who had only ever been called a monster was granted an identity.

A quiet, solemn declaration.

"Neria… Neria Lightney."

That was the name.

Five letters that would mark the beginning of a life.

"Shall we go, Miss Neria?"

"……"

No response.

But even that silence, I chose to take as a memory.

And so, I stepped beyond the iron bars—

As snow-white petals drifted through the air outside.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]