Chapter 24 – The Villain’s Vow

My ears were still ringing from the impact of Reina’s forehead against my chest. She had launched herself at me like a human cannonball, a hug so intense it nearly knocked the wind out of me. It took the combined efforts of Kenji and Daisuke to gently pry her off. Now, as we marched our prize villain through the streets of Olvido, I could still feel the phantom pressure of her obsessive embrace. It was not a pleasant feeling.

The town’s jail was less of a building and more of a glorified stone shed. It was a squat, windowless box tucked behind the mayor’s office, smelling of damp earth, rust, and old mistakes. A single, harried-looking guard with a key ring the size of a dinner plate met us at the door. He looked from our heroic party to our battered, high-profile prisoner and swallowed hard.

Daisuke handled the transfer.

“Open it.”

The guard fumbled with the keys, his hands shaking. With a loud, grinding protest, the heavy iron door of the main cell swung open. Daisuke shoved Siegfried inside without ceremony. The man stumbled, catching himself on the cold stone wall. The iron door slammed shut, the sound echoing with grim finality in the small space. Daisuke grabbed the bars and gave them a shake. The entire wall shuddered, but the door didn’t budge.

He grunted, satisfied. Siegfried was not getting out.

My plan was working. Stage one, “Capture and Contain My Future Betrayer,” was a resounding success. I allowed myself a small, internal sigh of relief.

Just then, the door to the jailhouse flew open. Mayor Pedro rushed in, his face pale and his mayoral chain of office askew. He looked like he had run all the way from his office. His eyes, wide and distressed, immediately locked on the man inside the cell.

And then, the mayor broke.

“Siegfried… I believed in you.”

His voice cracked. Real, actual tears welled up in his eyes and began to trace paths through the dust on his cheeks. It was a raw, heartbreaking display of betrayal from a genuinely good man.

And yet.

Even now, even with tears streaming down his face, the man’s features twisted into that same, terrifyingly Machiavellian smile. It was uncanny. His eyes screamed heartbreak, but his mouth screamed that he was about to sell you a faulty bridge. It was the most confusing expression I had ever seen. I couldn’t blame myself for being fooled. The guy was a walking optical illusion of villainy.

“Pedro, I’ve always hated you.”

Siegfried’s voice was full of venom. He gripped the bars of his cell, his knuckles white.

“Your constant optimism. Your pathetic trust in people. It’s disgusting.”

“I gave you my trust! I treated you like a son!”

“And I used it. Every last drop.”

Oh my god. I was watching a soap opera. This was legit a messy, dramatic breakup scene. All we needed was for one of them to reveal a secret child. I had to physically restrain myself from pulling out a bag of popcorn. This was top-tier cringe entertainment.

But my party was not entertained. Kenji looked heartbroken on Pedro’s behalf. Reina was starting to get that murderous glint in her eye again. I had to intervene before the drama turned into a homicide.

I stepped forward, putting on my best “concerned mediator” face.

“Siegfried.”

I infused my voice with as much gentle, naive compassion as I could muster.

“Do you believe you can turn your life around?”

I needed him to see me as a gullible fool. A soft-hearted idiot who could be easily manipulated later. It was a critical part of the long game.

Siegfried’s head snapped toward me. His eyes were burning with a hatred so pure it was almost beautiful.

“Ryuuji, from the day I saw you, I hated you!”

The sheer force of his declaration silenced the room.

“Your stupid, smiling face. Your fake humility. You’re a fraud, and I saw it from the very beginning!”

I felt a sudden chill run down my spine. I glanced to my right. Reina’s hand was resting on the hilt of her dagger. Her thumb was stroking the pommel. The air around her seemed to drop twenty degrees. Her knuckles were white. He was provoking the one person you should never, ever provoke.

I had to act fast before she decided to redecorate the cell with his intestines.

I quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her line of sight to Siegfried. I gave her a quick, calming glance before turning back to the prisoner.

“Siegfried, I also hated you.”

The admission shocked him into silence.

“I hated you… until I saw what was inside your heart.”

The lie was so smooth, so polished. It slid right off my tongue. I sounded like a saint. A true paragon of seeing the good in others.

But my brain was thinking the truth.

I saw pure, unadulterated evil. I saw a bottomless pit of selfishness. I saw a black, shriveled heart, pumping nothing but pure hate and bitter envy. I saw a man so completely dedicated to his own advancement that he would burn the entire world down for a single gold coin.

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. He was perfect.

My perceived pity seemed to enrage him more than anything else. He grabbed the bars and shook them, the metal groaning under his fury.

“You!”

He was looking right through me, his face twisted into a mask of rage.

“Ryuuji, one day I am going to get out of here. And when I do, I am going to kill you for everything you’ve done. For saving me. For this humiliation. I am going to get my revenge on you!”

The world seemed to slow down.

His words washed over me. It was a vow. A promise. A confession of a deep, personal, and lasting connection. He wasn’t just a random villain anymore. I was his nemesis. His target. His entire reason for living.

Don’t say that, Siegfried. You’re making me blush.

A wave of heat spread across my cheeks. My heart was pounding, not with fear, but with pure, ecstatic joy. It was the most romantic declaration I had ever heard. My revenge arc was real. It was happening.

I forced my face to remain a mask of sad, gentle pity. I looked him right in the eye, my expression full of heroic resolve.

“Siegfried, until the day you finally see the good side of yourself, I’ll be here. Waiting.”

It was a promise.

With that, we turned and left the jail. Kenji put a comforting arm around Mayor Pedro. Reina walked so close to me that our arms brushed, a silent, deadly guardian.

Siegfried’s hateful vow echoed in my ears.

My villain had just made me a promise, and I was going to hold him to it.