I Became the Master of the Villain

The moment I opened my eyes, a terrible headache came crashing in. Was it because of the drug I was forced to take before I lost consciousness? Frowning from the pain, I lifted my head.
‘Where is this…?’
I blinked and looked around. Dust-covered furniture, a worn-out piano, shattered windows, moldy wallpaper. The desolate and lifeless atmosphere unique to houses untouched by human hands for a long time filled my view. Through the broken window, I could see a dense forest. Was this an old mansion that had been abandoned long ago…? It was a damp and unpleasantly eerie place. Judging by the absence of any signs of life, the one who kidnapped me must have stepped away for a while.

‘Kidnapped….’ Just a few months ago I was nearly assassinated, and now it’s kidnapping?
‘What a life.’
I suddenly felt like crying. But crying wouldn’t change anything.

‘I was stupid. I opened the door without even checking if it was really Kian….’
Regret surged in far too late. Cursing my own foolishness, I looked down at the thick rope binding my body. Both arms were tightly tied to the chair’s armrests. My ankles were the same. I tried rocking the chair to see if I could move, but it didn’t budge. It must’ve been tied to the pillar behind me.
‘Maybe I can at least do something about my wrists.’

There was a slight gap between the chair and the rope. I tensed my arms and began pulling my wrists, trying to slip them through. Repeating the motion over and over, the rope scraped my skin until blood began to ooze out. It stung and hurt, but I kept pulling.
Thud.
With footsteps, the door suddenly burst open.

“Looks like you’re awake.”
It was the voice of the man who kidnapped me. When he pulled back the hood covering his head, I saw his bare face. Burns and scars covered his entire face.
I flinched. The man snickered.

“Why? Did I scare you because I’m so hideous?”
His face was one thing, but what truly caught my attention was the knife in his hand. Still, I forced down my fear and glared at him.
“What do you want from me?”

I assumed it was for money, but the man gritted his teeth and said,
“You really don’t know?”
He looked at me with eyes full of hatred and rage.
“Don’t tell me you don’t remember who I am.”

Then he rolled up his sleeve.
“Take a good look at what you did.”
When he shoved it in front of me, I recoiled in shock. Below his right wrist, his arm was empty—cleanly severed, like it had been cut off by something.

***
“Lady Olivia, where are you?”
The bathroom, terrace, bedroom. Olivia was nowhere to be found.

'She’s not someone who would just disappear without saying anything.'
Then he noticed the self-defense necklace that should have been around her neck, lying on the vanity. She had nothing to protect herself with. Realizing that made Kian’s heart grow uneasy.
If something bad had happened to her—if that was the case—

He looked around the room again.
'That’s…'
He spotted one of Olivia’s sandals lying on the floor. The other was nowhere to be seen. A sudden sense of dread surged up, and his heart dropped to his feet.

He knelt down and picked up the sandal. Blue mana bloomed from his fingertips. A scene from the recent past spread out in his mind.
Olivia had been standing right there, gazing out the window. Her face was calm, as if she was resting. Then came a knock at the door, and she got up. She opened it, and an intruder came in and clamped a hand over her mouth. He lifted her limp body and disappeared out the window.
That was the last thing he saw before the vision blurred like mist and faded away. This was the limit of magic that read residual memory from objects.

Kian bit down hard on his lower lip. The face of the intruder felt familiar. Faces with burn scars like that weren’t common. That man—he had bumped into Olivia in the street. He had stared at her so obsessively, Kian had found it disturbing. If he had known the bastard was planning a kidnapping back then, he would’ve taken care of him immediately.
Kian clenched his fist so tightly his nails dug into his flesh. He would find the man who kidnapped her and erase him from this world.
'I’m coming for you soon. So please, be safe.'

If not, he would never forgive himself for leaving her alone.
***
The White Whale Inn was bustling with customers today as well. It was the largest inn in Elsica and a favorite among sailors. The sailors, relishing the comfort of dry land after a long time at sea, often stayed for several days. They drank and chattered away about things they had seen and heard while sailing all over the continent. And every story that slipped from their lips made its way into the ears of Marvin, the innkeeper.

Marvin refined those stories into information and sold them as a product. Sometimes, rumors turned into high-grade intel. He sat in his study on the third floor of the inn, lighting a pipe and opening a ledger with his other hand. The numbers in the ledger showed exactly how much profit he had made from selling information. Since starting this business, he had earned a considerable amount. Information was intangible. Because of that, the price was often whatever he could name. In other words, he sold it for a high price.
'Lately, big deals have been scarce.'
Marvin clicked his tongue in disappointment as he flipped the ledger.

That was when the voice of a bellboy rang out.
“There’s a guest here to see you. Says it’s urgent.”
Urgent? That was good. From experience, he knew the more desperate the person, the more they were willing to pay whatever price he asked. Marvin replied cheerfully,

“Send them in.”
The visitor was unexpected. Marvin was startled by the man’s striking appearance—but recognized him right away.
'Isn’t that Sir Kian? The one who became a top-grade mage overnight!'

A big name had shown up unannounced. A top-grade mage was a high-ranking figure with {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} an immense imperial salary. Marvin beamed and welcomed him warmly.
Kian declined the offer of tea and got straight to the point.
“I’m looking for a man with severe burn scars on his face. Do you know where he might be?”

At the mention of burn scars, Marvin immediately thought of someone. A few months ago, there had been a man who clashed with the local gang leader in this area. That man with the severe burn scars had brutally killed the gang boss. After witnessing his cruelty, no one dared to mess with him anymore—that’s what he’d heard.
Marvin stroked his chin and said,
“I have a guess… but I’ll need payment before I say anything.”

A heavy pouch was placed on the table at once.
“Will this do?”
Marvin opened it and counted the gold coins. Objectively, it was more than enough—but not to Marvin. He was a shameless merchant. He discreetly observed Kian. His tone was calm, his manners gentle, and his expression mild.

'If I play this right…'
Greed reared its head in Marvin’s mind. Stroking his chin with a smug look, he said,
“I’m afraid that’s not quite enough for me to share what I know.”

But at that moment, Marvin realized he had made a fatal mistake. The gentle face of Kian turned cold, and a terrifying murderous aura began to radiate.
Kian’s eyes chilled as he spoke.
“I didn’t come here to bargain with you.”

Dark blue mana surged around him. Marvin felt an overwhelming pressure.
'W-what is this… I can’t breathe…!'
It felt like something invisible was choking him. As fear seized him, Kian gave a low warning.

“So don’t test my patience.”
At that murderous tone, Marvin’s mind spun. He had just made a deadly mistake—anger a top-grade mage, and your head might roll. He rasped through a constricted throat,
“T-there’s a woman named Doris… she knows where that man is!”

Only then did the pressure around his neck vanish. Marvin coughed and gasped, but he didn’t have time to catch his breath. Kian’s cold gaze was urging him to keep talking.
Marvin quickly pulled the bell cord. Before long, a tall, thin man opened the door.
“You called, sir?”

Marvin shouted hysterically,
“Bring Doris! Right now!”
The man bowed and quickly withdrew.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, Marvin forced a smile at Kian. Then, groveling, he explained,
“Doris was the girlfriend of the gang boss. She’s been holding a grudge against the burn-scarred man, vowing to avenge her lover. If anyone might know where that man is, it would be her.”
He watched Kian nervously. His eyes were still as cold as a glacier. Kian said,

“If it turns out you’ve wasted my time, you’ll have to pay with your life.”
Marvin’s hair stood on end. He could tell it wasn’t an empty threat. He nodded frantically.
“Y-yes, of course…!”

He had thought this man was a harmless herbivore, but he was wrong. He was a beast among beasts—and not even a rational one.
Marvin, who had no idea what had turned Kian into this, trembled like a terrified prey animal, praying that the information Doris brought would be accurate.