THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system

Niel looked down at the chaos below — people scattering, guards closing in with blades drawn, even the princess with her sword bared.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" a voice called from within the crowd. Cael stepped into the open space, dressed in pristine white armor.

Niel looked down at him. "Oh, if it isn’t the flawless hero. Always ready to save the day." He paused, letting out a soft giggle, then added, "Do you save people out of the kindness of your heart, or because it’s a performance you need to get right?"

Cael’s face twisted for a moment, then just as quickly he corrected it. Still wearing a serious look, he replied, "It’s a responsibility. And I will stop you if I must."

Niel let out a giggle that stretched into laughter, lasting longer than expected before it suddenly stopped. He looked down at Cael and murmured, "No, it’s a performance. The question is, how long can you keep performing?"

Cael didn’t respond, his head tilted upward as he studied the strange, unfamiliar figure. Niel let the silence stretch for a moment, then added:

"Three things cannot be long hidden — the sun that shines by day, the moon that dominates the night, and also—" His face turned toward the king, the same king who had sat through his execution, along with every noble whose expressions held a fear they couldn’t name. The king alone remained expressionless.

Niel’s voice dropped colder as he finished, "—the truth."

Cael’s breath hitched — he remembered Niel’s warning from the pyramid. He began scanning the crowd for him, but couldn’t find him anywhere. Still, he knew better than to assume it was Niel yet; the crowd was far too dense to be certain.

Meanwhile, Elestar’s eyes widened as though she’d seen a ghost.

"You—" Her voice cut through the silence. Niel looked down at her, his tone shifting to something casual. "My dear princess, apologies for ruining your birthday, but karma has no due date." He paused, noting the fear in her eyes — different from what he remembered on the day of his execution. Back then, it had been sadness.

He wondered if she’d learned the truth. Either way, he had no intention of revealing it just yet.

He sighed. "But don’t worry — it’s not the day of karma yet. Not now."

He looked back at Cael, who had already vanished from his spot. Before Niel could search for him, Cael appeared in front of him, blade at his throat — but frozen mid-strike, hanging in the air.

Cael looked startled by it; even Niel wore a similar expression beneath his mask, wondering how Cael had been frozen. Then a snap sounded from behind him, and Cael went crashing into the ground.

Only then did Niel look back — standing there, masked and blonde-haired, was Lydia. She didn’t say a word.

Seeing the hero brought down with a single snap sent the crowd trembling, murmuring among themselves.

"There are two of them?"

"Who are they?"

"The hero was taken down with a snap — how is that possible?"

"Are we going to die?"

Then someone called out, "Look, there’s another! What the hell is that?"

Another muttered, "It looks like dragon wings on a human — is that even real?"

Draken appeared in the distance, dragon wings spread wide. It was the first time anyone had seen a human bearing wings like his. From the crowd’s reaction, Niel gathered that humanoid dragons weren’t supposed to exist here. His gaze drifted to the king, whose eyes were locked on Draken — the earlier blankness gone, replaced by visible tension, his hand gripping the armrest of his chair.

So their secret is out now. I love these little cracks — like oil on white linen, impossible to deny or ignore.

Niel looked down at the terrified crowd. "If you’re wondering what that is, I believe your kingdom already has the answer. It’s not my place to tell."

Cael pushed himself up from the rubble and looked up at Niel, his voice calm. "It’s a foolish plan, breaking into the castle for such a hollow display. Did you actually think this through?"

The instant the words left his lips, knights poured in from every corner. S-rank adventurers surrounded the castle, inside the arena and beyond its walls, gathering in the hundreds — even in the air. There was clearly no way out.

Niel looked around and let out a loud laugh, then paused, looking down at Niel, his voice dropping low. "Do you really think this is enough to stop us?"

He descended slightly, still hovering, and added, "We are the Sinners — the truth unhidden. Do you think you can bury it again, the way you did six months ago?"

Cael stared silently. He glanced at the king, whose gaze was still fixed on Niel, then looked back at Niel and asked, "Who are you?"

Niel’s hand reached for his face and slowly pulled the mask away as he murmured, "I am faceless."

The crowd gasped in horror at who stood behind the mask. It was Aurelian’s face, wearing a grin.

"It can’t be — I watched him die," a voice muttered from the crowd.

"Me too," another added.

"How is he alive?" someone else questioned.

Cael’s face went pale, his hands trembling slightly, unable to fully comprehend how or why Aurelian stood above him. His gaze drifted to the king, whose face had gone expressionless again — though clear intent simmered beneath it.

Cael immediately pointed at Niel and screamed to the knights in the air, "Capture them!"

All the knights charged toward them, but were stopped by an invisible barrier surrounding the Sinners, keeping anyone from getting closer.

Niel looked down at Cael, his voice loud and unguarded as he put the mask back on. "Tell me, hero, why are you in such haste to silence me? Isn’t it a hero’s job to expose the truth — or does one truth cost more than another?"

"You’ve done enough," Elestar called out in anger. "Do you think that shield will hold forever? Do you really think you can escape, or fight your way through an army this size?"

He looked toward her, his tone dropping into something casual. "Oh no, you’ve got it wrong, princess. I’ll simply give you two options, and you get to decide which matters more to the kingdom."

She looked at him, confused, and he continued. "Tell me, princess — which is more important, capturing us, or saving the whole kingdom?"

She looked at him, confused, as though trying to grasp what he meant. Then her eyes widened in realization.

"What — what did you do?"

He scoffed, rising to the level of Lydia and Draken, then looked down at her and replied:

"It’s not what I did — it’s what I’m about to do."

He lifted his hands toward the sky, gaze fixed on her. "I do hope this gift is worthy of a princess." He paused, meeting her eyes, watching them widen in horror, then murmured in a cold, calm tone, "This is Heaven’s Spear."