I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines-Chapter 122

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 122 - What Winter Left Behind (4)

In life, finding a place to belong is always the problem.

Whether it’s a physical home or a refuge for the heart.

For people, the concept of home was second only to other people themselves.

And so, we settled in a mansion nearby.

Until now, I had made do with drifting through the underbelly of the city, sleeping wherever I could—even in the sewers.

But now, with someone to care for, that life was no longer an option.

Fortunately, thanks to what I had wrung from the Sovereign, money was not an issue.

For the first time, I had a home.

And we stayed there.

To be fair—

She had resisted, refusing to go.

But once caught in my hands, she had no choice but to be dragged along.

Perhaps her fear of the outside world was still too great.

Even as we walked through the streets, I could see the color drain from her face.

It was understandable.

She had lost control too many times before.

And every time, there had been casualties.

For a child who had witnessed her own power wreak havoc, it was only natural that she feared herself.

Would her existence bring harm to others again?

That deep-rooted fear—ingrained in her through suffering—had shaped her aversion to people.

In that sense, I understood her.

"Miss Neria."

She refused to open her heart.

Even when I called her name, she never responded.

If I approached, she would retreat into the corners of the room.

Like a wounded cat—

One that had been hurt far too deeply.

"……"

At first, it was difficult to hear her voice at all.

She never spoke.

Perhaps she simply wasn’t ready to accept a new life.

I gave her a warm bed, good food, soft clothes—

But she was clearly unsettled by the unfamiliar kindness.

More often than not, she abandoned the plush bedding to sleep on the floor instead.

Peace, when it arrived so suddenly, was more unsettling than comforting.

Her body was in no better condition.

Every inch of her bore traces of past violence.

Some wounds had festered so badly they had begun to rot.

And whether it was due to the starlight in her body or something else, she often ran a high fever.

Almost every night—

"Haa… Haa…!"

She would toss and turn, drenched in cold sweat.

And as she shivered in pain,

I remained at her side, keeping watch until dawn.

Because—

I knew this wouldn’t be easy.

A childhood tainted by an unwanted curse.

A life shattered by a power she never asked for.

The weight of abuse and relentless conditioning.

Scars like those would not heal in a single day.

So, I waited.

For the still-weeping girl.

And simply stayed.

"I’m here."

"It hurts… P-please… I’m sorry, forgive me…"

"No one is asking you for forgiveness."

"S-stay away… If I stay near you, you’ll die… I don’t want this anymore…"

"No one is going to die. You’re just having a nightmare. Breathe with me, slowly."

"Ugh… Haah…"

"Good. Just like that."

Taming something—

Was simply a matter of familiarity.

It wasn’t about closing the distance too quickly.

It was about staying where I could be seen, offering nothing more than gentle gestures, allowing my presence to become a quiet, constant thing.

So that, in time, she might accept the stranger who had entered her world.

"Miss Neria."

"……"

"If you keep avoiding me, I might get hurt, you know. Anyway, you must be hungry. I brought dinner."

It was an old, often-forgotten truth—

That relationships were built over time.

People said that time alone didn’t define the depth of a bond.

But even they could not deny the weight of time spent together.

Slowly, steadily, with patience—

A fragile thread of connection had begun to form between us.

"Alright! Time for today’s treatment!"

I did my best.

I tended to her wounds with care.

I used my power to heal her flesh, to erase the scars that marred her skin.

And by the end of the first week—

There were no longer any wounds left on her body.

I still remember the way her silver eyes widened in quiet surprise as she examined herself.

I had simply smiled, pleased with the progress.

But I didn’t stop there.

"Is there anything you’d like to eat? I’m not the best cook, but I’d like to try making something for you."

And so, I prepared meals for her myself.

She remained wary, reluctant to lower her guard.

But even so—

She always finished every last bite.

And somehow, that made the effort worth it.

Beyond that, I made sure she had a warm place to sleep.

I cared for her whenever the fever took hold.

I brought her blankets when she curled up in the corners of the room.

A snake and a monster—

Spending time together.

"Time moves quickly, doesn’t it?"

Before I knew it, a month had passed.

The days had blurred together, slipping away faster than I had expected.

And with them—

Something between us had begun to change.

She was still quiet, still cold.

But she no longer bristled with hostility.

She no longer ignored me outright.

At last, conversations—however brief—had become possible.

A small triumph.

"Heh."

A morning like any other.

I was preparing breakfast, still clumsy in my attempts—

When she spoke.

For the first time since this had all begun—

She asked me a question.

I paused, setting down the dish in my hands.

"Why… do you do all this for me?"

Lifeless eyes.

A gaze, empty and hollow, peered up at me.

Had she been wondering about this all along?

The warmth set before her every day—

Had it been troubling her?

The monster questioned my devotion.

"I kept thinking about it, but I still don’t understand. I have nothing to offer you in return."

"Hmm."

If she wanted an answer—

Then, to be honest…

I wasn’t entirely sure myself.

I knew I was making things difficult for myself.

I was aware that I was giving far more than I should.

But—

- Oppa!

A sickly child—

I could never bring myself to turn away.

The only regret I had carried from my past life—

Still gnawed at the edges of my heart.

I should have done more.

Stayed longer.

Made sure she wasn’t alone.

And maybe—

Somewhere in my mind, I was trying to make up for it now.

So, with a meaningless smile, I answered.

"Because you’re precious."

A clumsy excuse.

Yet she didn’t seem to mind.

She merely nodded a few times—

And quietly resumed eating.

I reached out.

Brushed my fingers through her silver hair.

For the first time—

She didn’t flinch away.

The soft strands slipped between my fingers.

A quiet morning passed.

She was curious.

About the warmth that had so suddenly entered her life.

‘It’s strange.’

The world had always been cold.

Without even the slightest trace of warmth.

From the moment she was born, she had carried a curse disguised as a blessing.

Because of it, she had been forced to bear unwanted sins and suffering.

To her, the world had been nothing but exile.

Because her very existence only ever brought harm to others.

Even so—

She had wanted to live.

‘It’s cold.’

People had feared her.

Called her a monster.

Thrown stones, told her to disappear.

‘It hurts.’

The old man who had taken an interest in her—

Had only ever intended to use her.

The Sovereign had bound her in chains, buried her in violence and conditioning.

And so, she had given up on life.

Knowing her cursed fate would never change.

‘I’m lonely.’

Her world was winter.

Winter after winter, endless winter, nothing but winter.

The cycle had never changed.

For eight years, she had simply waited to wither.

But then—

– We finally meet.

– I’ve come to take you away.

One day, warmth had found her.

– Shall we go, Miss Neria?

A name, given without permission.

A stranger had pulled her from the bars that had caged her.

And despite her protests, despite her fears—

He had stubbornly held onto her hand.

The boy was warm.

He had healed the festering wounds as if they had never existed.

Every day, he prepared meals with his own hands.

And when fever gripped her in the dead of night, he remained at her side.

As time passed, the sharp edges of her defenses began to soften.

Yet, at the same time—

A question formed in her mind.

Because this was the first kindness she had ever known.

It was less understanding and more… curiosity.

"Why… why do you do so much for me?"

So, she asked.

The entire world had hated her.

Or sought to use her, to control her.

She had believed life was nothing but a path riddled with scars.

So why—

Why was he different?

Why was he warm?

She had to know.

"I have nothing to offer you in return."

A quiet murmur.

And yet, the answer she received—

Strayed far from anything she had expected.

With a gentle smile, the boy responded.

"Because you’re precious."

Precious.

A word whose meaning eluded her.

Her question remained unanswered.

But she did not ask again.

She felt that if she opened her lips even slightly, this hazy moment—

Would shatter like a fragile bubble.

The monster simply picked up her spoon.

"Heh."

And then—

A hand, warm and careful, ruffled her hair.

For the first time in her life—

She felt the touch of another. The warmth of another’s skin.

It was unfamiliar.

And yet—

It was warm.

For once, she did not pull away.

She let the hesitant strokes run through her silver hair.

‘…It's warm.’

For just a moment—

It felt like winter had ended.

***

But.

The world of falling stars remained as cold as ever.

Not even fleeting happiness was hers to wish for.

"So this is where you were, Miss Neria."

"You…"

Amidst a backdrop of swirling snow and crimson-stained earth—

A golden serpent and a silver-haired monster faced one another.

Red tears slipped down her cheek.

Her lips trembled as they parted.

"One last request. If it’s you… I don’t think I would regret it."

That, too, was winter.

"Kill me."

And amidst the sorrow—

She prayed for her final season.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]