I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 61 - How to Cross a Desert (8)

A loner.

The girl had always thought of herself as someone who fell into that category.

She had never received any love in life, endlessly wandering a lonely path, drifting without a destination.

Perhaps she was a vessel meant to contain sorrow.

- Don't call me 'mother.'

- You make my skin crawl.

- You ruined my life…!

- Get lost! Stop being a burden!!

Her mother would always cry as she abused the girl.

Cornered in a cramped space, kicked repeatedly, Regia began to understand her world little by little.

From the start, there had never been a home for her.

- I-I’m sorry… Mother.

- It was my fault. P-Please don’t cry...

Perhaps it was due to her pure nature from birth.

The girl couldn’t bring herself to hate anyone.

Even as she watched her mother shed tears, she would only apologise over and over again, as though she were the guilty one.

The protagonist of this world grew up in such a dismal environment.

As time passed, Regia became smaller and smaller.

She lost the innocent, carefree version of herself, and eventually became mute, struggling even with basic communication.

It was the result of what vile adults had done to her.

- Why…

When she was a bit older, her mother died in an accident.

She had been walking drunk in the streets when she was hit by a carriage.

It was a sudden and empty death.

Since there was no father in her life to begin with, the girl instantly became an orphan.

Regia had to leave the slums to survive.

- Wh-Where should I go...?

She walked aimlessly.

Perhaps due to the trauma from her childhood, the girl became afraid of people.

Even while travelling across the continent, she lived by avoiding places with people as much as possible.

She ran away, unable to break free from her shell out of fear.

Loneliness was like an unbreakable truth for her.

When she walked under the cold night sky, tears would fall.

It felt like she was living as a perpetual outsider.

In those moments, she would think to herself.

Maybe the words her mother had said were true.

- A useless girl like you… should never have been born in the first place.

Those words still gripped her heart.

To be denied the value of her existence by the one who had given her life.

The protagonist’s sorrow deepened.

Endless sadness, doubt, loneliness.

She tried to close her heart off from the world, but then, someone appeared, offering her an umbrella.

It was a warm, kind voice.

- I’ve found you, Miss Regia.

A narrow pair of eyes beneath dark blonde hair.

For the first time, someone stepped into her lonely world.

Since then, the snake remained by the girl’s side.

Whenever she was sad, it would pat her back. When she was happy, it would clap along with her. And when she was tired, it would stroke her head.

It was a warmth she had never known before.

- Because we’re friends.

The boy asked for nothing in return.

He simply offered his help time and time again.

It was pure, unselfish devotion.

Slowly, the girl's winter began to melt away.

- I’m sure you’ll do just fine.

- If it’s you, Miss Regia, you’ll become the brightest star of all.

Why?

Why would someone as amazing as you care so much for someone as worthless as me?

Why do you always smile at me with such affectionate eyes?

- That’s a secret.

No matter how many times she asked, all she got in return was a mischievous smile.

His response made her feel a little frustrated, but at the same time, she thought, That's just like you.

‘…I want to help, too.’

She wanted to protect him.

She wanted to repay that unconditional devotion, the trust, and the hope he had placed in her.

She didn’t want to lose the light she had finally found.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Her heart raced.

The pure rhythm of it filled the girl gently.

She opened her closed eyes.

“…”

It was the stillness of dawn.

Before her, countless scorpions bared their fangs.

It was a horrific sight.

Screeech-!

Shriek!

Roar!!

The monsters seemed as if they could reach them at any moment.

Normally, Regia would have broken down in tears at this point, but this time, her eyes shone calmly.

Beyond her clear pupils, a star twinkled.

This feels strange.

The world moved slowly.

As if time had stopped.

At the same time, she felt a tingling sensation.

A faint light flickered at her fingertips.

From her chest, a searing heat began to rise.

What melted the fear that had frozen her was none other than the emotion called 'courage.'

For the first time, her body wasn’t trembling.

- When you're afraid, just take my hand.

- I won’t let go of you, no matter what.

A soft voice echoed in her ears.

When she looked down, there really was a boy’s hand holding hers tightly.

A surge of fulfilment washed over her.

I think I can do it.

The girl focused her mind.

The enormous wall in her heart.

The obstacle that had brought her despair time and time again, she felt like she could finally overcome it.

Regia tightened her grip on the hand that held hers.

I’m not scared.

She whispered it to herself like a spell.

She savoured the warmth she felt against the back of her hand.

If she could make it through this pitch-black night safely, she wanted that hand to pat her head once more.

With that quiet wish, her lips began to move.

“Lend me your strength.”

It was a call.

For the summon creature that had always waited for her awakening.

Calmly, Regia uttered its name.

“Efri.”

In that instant.

A blinding white flash illuminated the entire area.

A blaze that lit up the black night sky.

The brilliant silhouette that appeared was none other than the fluttering wings of a grand creature.

A thunderous roar echoed out.

Roooaaarrr-!!

Efri soared boldly across the sky.

As Regia watched the scene, tears she had been holding back finally spilled out.

She burst into sobs.

“Miss Regia.”

Someone caught her as she collapsed.

As she blinked weakly, she saw the familiar face of the blonde boy come into view.

Relief flooded her.

With a ragged breath, she whispered softly.

“I... I finally did it.”

She had finally crossed the wall.

***

The protagonist’s awakening, something no one had anticipated.

With the wyvern’s arrival, the tide of battle turned in an instant.

Roooaaaarrr-!!

With just one breath, the entire area was obliterated.

The scorpions that had once blackened the golden desert were swept away by the raging flames.

It was an overwhelming sight.

The night, once covered in pitch-black darkness, was now illuminated by pure white light.

As if to leave no trace of despair, the enormous beast’s mouth unleashed flames repeatedly.

The waves of monsters turned to ash and crumbled.

Yet, not a single spark flew in our direction.

Its overwhelming firepower and its precise control made it clear—this was the strongest summoned creature, without a doubt.

“Amazing.”

A soft exclamation slipped from my lips.

I stared blankly at the radiant light spreading across the battlefield.

I had a vague idea that summoned creatures could be this powerful, but seeing it firsthand was awe-inspiring.

It had only been about ten minutes, but in that time, the creature had slaughtered every scorpion crawling in the desert.

It was like watching a digger plow through an anthill.

Well, every living being has its own level of “rank.”

And Regia’s summoned creature, Efri, far exceeded the average.

Even the original Judas had once described its flames as dangerous.

‘Although he did wipe it out with a snap of his fingers...’

I shook off the idle thoughts.

As I remained silent, the girl, who had been cradled in my arms, stirred.

“M-My lord… what’s happening?”

“It’s almost over.”

Her green eyes were unfocused.

She was barely conscious.

Leaning against my chest, she clung to me as if entrusting her entire weight to my body.

Her ragged breathing had finally stabilised.

“I did it… It was so scary, but I still did it.”

“You did so well, Miss Regia.”

“I just wanted to help you, my lord… even just once.”

“Thanks to you, we’re all still alive.”

“Heh, hehe... Please pat my head a little more.”

Pat, pat.

Regia melted under the soft touch.

As if the moment itself was her happiness, a pure smile spread across her face.

Perhaps it was because her consciousness had loosened, her guard completely down.

“Haha.”

As I enjoyed this rare state of the protagonist, someone approached with tired steps.

It was the old man, carrying his broken crossbow.

“Young ones.”

“Sir.”

“Keheke… I never thought I’d live to see your faces again.”

“It’s nothing short of a miracle.”

“I really thought it was the end this time.”

The old man smiled gently.

His aged eyes fell silent for a moment, then stared out at the horizon where dawn was breaking.

At some point, even the desert had been visited by morning.

“I didn’t think I’d get to see the sun again… Life really is full of surprises.”

The desert was slowly brightening.

The fierce final attack was finally coming to an end.

Efri crushed the last of the remaining scorpions and began to approach us leisurely.

It seemed it was coming to check on its master.

Just as everything was about to come to a close—

“Cough, cough...!”

Suddenly, the old man standing beside us spat out a harsh cough.

Clutching his chest in pain, he spewed dark red blood onto the ground.

It was a sight we had witnessed many times before, but this time, his condition seemed far worse.

“Are you alright?”

“Hah… Hah… Don’t mind me.”

The old man waved his hand dismissively.

He wiped the blood from his mouth, then smiled brightly as if nothing was wrong.

His voice was as steady as ever.

“We’ve almost reached our destination.”

“…”

“Let’s rest for a while, then once we’re recovered, we’ll head out.”

The old man looked more composed than ever.

***

The battle had concluded by morning.

It wasn’t until half a day had passed that we could begin our journey again.

The final wave had dragged on through the night.

We moved forward, with the reddening sunset at our backs.

Crunch, crunch.

Footprints were left behind as we stepped on the sand.

The three of us—the snake, the pilot, and the old man—took our last steps toward our destination.

Even as we walked, the old man’s coughing showed no sign of stopping.

“Cough, cough...!”

“S-Sir!”

His condition was worsening by the moment.

Each time, he coughed up bright red blood.

But there was nothing we could do for him.

We could only support his staggering body as we walked.

Despite looking almost like a corpse, the old man was smiling, as if he couldn’t be happier.

As if eagerly awaiting an imminent reunion.

“When I was a child… Rosalyn and I used to slide down the hills together...”

From time to time, the old man shared stories from his youth.

Most of them were about a young girl.

Even after living for 65 years, the only things he spoke about were the 15 years he had spent in his hometown with her.

We quietly listened to his tales.

“When we cooked together, the kitchen would always end up a mess.”

A sweet, innocent story.

Sometimes we read books with them in those memories, sometimes we watched them clumsily learn magic, sometimes we followed them running around the forest.

Side by side on the highest hill in the village.

They would lie down and gaze up at the stars in the night sky, counting each one.

Those were the moments the old man cherished most in life.

“When our parents saw us like that...”

Thanks to his stories, there wasn’t a moment of boredom.

As the desert deepened, the landscape around us began to change, becoming more and more strange.

We only noticed it after some time had passed.

“What is this…?”

“Hmm.”

At first, there were just strange fragments scattered on the ground.

Like Regia had mentioned earlier, bits of what seemed like ruins of buildings were poking out from the sand.

But soon, the scene became more blatant.

A church’s cross jutted out of the ground.

Half-destroyed windmills stood nearby.

Buildings appeared, arranged as if people had once lived there.

“…”

Before we knew it, we were no longer in the desert.

Instead, we were walking through the ruins of a city swallowed by sand.

As we crossed the desolate remains, Regia, who had been glancing around cautiously, asked a question.

“M-My lord… are we on the right path?”

“Sir should know the way.”

“But this doesn’t feel like an ordinary desert. It looks more like a city where people once lived.”

“It’s definitely strange. I wonder what happened here, for things to end up like this.”

“It’s… a little scary.”

We exchanged quiet words.

The old man hadn’t spoken for a while.

He simply kept walking, leading the way.

From time to time, he would glance around and flinch, but even those moments were fleeting.

Despite our doubts, we continued to follow him.

By now, it was night.

The stars slowly flowed toward dawn.

As we rubbed our tired eyes and took slow steps through the dark streets, the old man suddenly stopped.

“…”

It seemed we had arrived.

We stood on a hill covered in sand, slightly removed from the ruined village.

Regia, standing beside me, asked.

“Sir?”

“…”

“A-Are you feeling unwell again? If so, maybe we should rest for a while.”

“…”

“S-Sir…?”

No response came.

The girl tilted her head in confusion.

After a long, heavy silence, the old man finally opened his mouth.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Huh?”

Regia tilted her head even further at his sudden words.

But the old man only raised his hand and pointed to something in front of him.

There stood a single, humble gravestone.

Worn down by the passage of time, part of it was covered in sand, though fortunately, it hadn’t been damaged.

We stood there, reading the words engraved on the tombstone.

And then.

[Here Rests, Rosalyn Meriar.]

We were confronted by a shocking inscription.

Frozen in place, we turned back to the old man.

“You all look surprised.”

The old man smiled bitterly.

As if he had known all along, he quietly reached out and gently touched the gravestone.

In his weathered voice, he began to speak.

“Let me explain. What happened in this desert.”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]