Just Because I Have Narrow Eyes Doesn't Make Me a Villain!

Chapter 154

"Why... why did you do it?"

Ignoring the question, I glanced around.

Familiar faces surrounded me, forming a circle as if to trap me.

No, not as if — they really were trapping me.

Though I wasn’t particularly interested, I recognized the faces of my classmates whom I had seen daily for three years.

Amelia and Dorothy. And the recently added heroines whose names I couldn’t quite recall.

School teachers and heroes from the frontlines, whom I had seen before.

Even the elite forces of the association were here. Come to sever ties, I suppose?

It seemed they had gathered a lot of people for the so-called final showdown.

...So, it failed.

Everyone looked tired, with small wounds visible, but the number of people hadn’t decreased significantly.

Even if Siwoo and the heroines were an exception, failing to deal with the extras was unacceptable.

Annoyed, I clicked my tongue softly.

"Since you’ve come this far, I’ll ask just one thing. What happened to the other Arachne members? They must have gone that way."

"..."

"Well, I figured as much."

Though no answer came, the silence was enough of a reply.

They must be lying somewhere as cold corpses.

"I should have killed them."

Annoyance flared, and I frowned.

When I was still inexperienced.

Back then, unable to abandon a sense of reality, I pitied those who moved and acted like people and spared them.

I accepted them as comrades because they had nowhere else to go, thinking they might be useful someday.

...But that was a mistake.

What could I expect from those who couldn’t even handle extras?

"They were your comrades! How can you say that?"

"Comrades? Them?"

Ha.

I couldn’t help but laugh at Amelia’s glare.

Comrades, she said? Ridiculous.

"Those who failed their mission are no comrades of mine."

"...Lies."

"Lies?"

"You never thought of them as comrades from the start."

"That’s harsh... We’ve been through life and death together for years..."

I pretended to shed a tear, but no one gave me a sympathetic look.

Everyone was just waiting for Siwoo to speak.

...These humorless people.

"If you really considered them comrades, you wouldn’t have sent just three of them to face all of us."

"...Haha. Well, that’s true."

I didn’t feel like denying it.

She wasn’t wrong, after all.

Was there any need to consider mere puppets as comrades?

Though I had a bit of attachment to those puppets...@@@@

In the end, they were just dolls, not humans.

A bit regrettable, but parting with them didn’t mean much.

"Artemis, why did you change so much?"

"Hmm... Looks like everyone’s here. Shall we begin?"

"...You!"

"Haha. My acting was quite good, wasn’t it?"

The puppets’ faces twisted.

They must feel like I had dishonored the dead.

Well, it’s true I dishonored them!

...No, since they weren’t human, maybe dishonoring the dead isn’t the right term.

"Artemis."

"Oh... Looks like you’re finally ready to do it."

Siwoo’s expression hardened.

He still seemed hesitant, but his determination to stop me was stronger.

Good. That’s how the hero should be.

...Let’s provoke him a bit more.

"It was fun, playing friends with you."

I looked around again.

What I saw was unmistakable hostility, different from before.

Just a moment ago, they might have had a reason to defeat a great enemy but didn’t feel it.

Now, seeing my actions firsthand, they understood the danger.

That this woman was a real threat.

"Good, good. It looks like everyone is ready."

I’m glad.

We need enthusiasm for an exciting finale.

Even though they were mere extras, they were useful in creating the atmosphere.

The protagonists, supporting characters, and extras alike all sent me cold glares.

Finally, I realized this was indeed the final act.

The end of this world was near.

"Haha, hahahaha..."

"...Hya!"

"Wait! Don’t move hastily..."

Slash.

An extra, unable to contain his anger, rushed at me.

Siwoo must have told them about my abilities, but what a fool.

That’s why you’re an extra.

Siwoo tried to stop him, but there was no way to.

As you can see.

Like a bug caught in a Venus flytrap.

Easily, he fell into a trap.

Dying pathetically without even a scream.

His body and face separated.

"Now, shall we start the final act..."

I bowed to the unseen audience.

Like greeting those who came to see a grand puppet show.

"Please, enjoy the show."

"...Damn it. Everyone, get ready! The battle has already begun!"

The penalty of not being able to reuse a thread once pulled from my clothes was long overcome.

So, we can enjoy it to the fullest.

The creator would surely be pleased.

"Initiate the operation to eliminate the villain Marionette! Watch out for the invisible threads!"

The blood-stained festival was just beginning.