I'm Neither the Mastermind nor the Villain

Chapter 3

This definitely seemed to be the entrance to the dungeon.

But to my eyes, it was just an ordinary mountain area.

The only slight difference was that normally, you wouldn't sense dark mana in a mountain.

Probably, the entrance was hidden underground.

What are the ways to protect my lair from intruders and keep my true body safe?

There must be several methods.

It could be an illusionary formation that confuses intruders and prevents approach, or a barrier that blocks access entirely.

Or simply hiring guards, or building my lair in a bunker and burying it underground,

Or even further, casting something like invisibility magic on my lair.

If someone well-versed in spatial manipulation were involved, they might pull some tricks on the space itself, like that house between Number 11 and Number 13 Grimmauld Place from that island country on the opposite side of the Earth in HaX Potter.

Just like the Black family's house located between Number 11 and Number 13 Grimmauld Place.

I have no idea if Harry X Potter exists in this world, though.

Anyway, even I, who have been possessed in this world for only a few weeks, could think of many methods.

Then what should I do to infiltrate this dungeon?

First of all, since this villain is a mage, he probably didn't use an illusionary formation.

The rivalry between mages who learn magic and martial artists who master martial arts is well known.

This conflict started from the very first contact between Western magic and Eastern martial arts,

And generally, mages and martial artists don't use each other's techniques out of pride.

Also, in fact, this villain's personal combat prowess isn't all that impressive.

Which is obvious.

If he were strong, he wouldn't have been caught off guard and killed by a blow to the back of the head.

Here, 'killed by a blow to the back of the head' literally means he died from a strike to the occiput.

This guy squandered his family's fortune to build a dungeon in the name of becoming a mage, but instead of doing research, he wasted his time stalking women.

Since he spent all that money without visible results, it was inevitable that his family eventually started interfering.

And somehow, his family members started disappearing one by one, which probably wasn't a coincidence.

Ultimately, him swallowing all the family wealth and going into hiding wasn't a coincidence either.

Well, that's a simple thing anyone dreaming of becoming a dark mage might do.

Could such a guy even use invisibility or spatial magic?

Then only one possibility remains.

He simply dug out a dungeon like a bunker underground and piled dirt and leaves on top to make it look natural.

And probably cast preservation magic on the dirt and leaves so they wouldn't shift from that spot.

Otherwise, if wind or disasters exposed the entrance, it would be a problem.

Normally, this would have been enough.

Thanks to the magic cast on the cloth at the mountain entrance, people don't even come here in the first place.

And even if an intruder did enter, he could find out in advance through his familiars spread throughout the mountain,

So he could immediately hide his presence and hold his breath without getting caught, even while in the middle of research.

Even in this area where the dungeon is hidden, unless someone already knew about the dungeon's existence, it would be hard to notice anything strange, so it was quite a meticulous setup.

Because of that, he must have noticed me the moment I entered this mountain.

How many creatures wandering around this mountain aren't his familiars?

And also, even if all he can do is summon familiars, the fact that one infiltrated the Academy unnoticed means

His skills in handling familiars are pretty exceptional.

Which means it is highly likely that this entire mountain is his domain, and that familiars I haven't yet spotted are already feeding him all the information.

'Gotcha.'

I sense a small creature nearby silently slithering away.

Yes, like that lizard.

The mana I flicked from my hand like a bullet killed the lizard that had been quietly watching me from a tree branch.

And I smiled at the sparrow perched on a branch staring at me.

"This was a bit too obvious."

By now, through his nearby familiars, he must have learned that I had entered the mountain where his dungeon was located, and that I was standing directly above him.

And he must have heard what I said.

If he heard my words, he would have realized.

This guy is targeting me, and I must prepare myself.

From now on, it's hunting time.

A hunt targeting a mouse trapped in a jar, unable to resist.

*

The simplest method I can try to find the dungeon entrance now is this.

A groundbreaking way to infiltrate quickly and overwhelm the opponent at the same time.

And that is to smash the entrance open.

Once I decide, I have to act fast.

Like the saying, strike while the iron is hot.

-Sreung

Instead of a horn, I drew my dagger from my waist.

The blade gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

Enveloping my blade with aura, I instantly dug up all the ground nearby.

A black afterimage followed the path of the swinging sword,

-Paseuseuseuk.

Along with the sound of leaves breaking apart.

-Kugugugung!

With the rumbling of something collapsing, the entrance crumbled, revealing stairs leading underground before my eyes.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight.

***

"Something felt off from the start...!"

That suspicious-looking man with narrow eyes entering this mountain without hesitation?

That's possible.

Him taking an interest in my masterpiece at the mountain entrance?

Well, maybe.

There's a black fox on his shoulder?

Well... that might be possible too.

But if that extremely suspicious man takes an interest in my masterpiece, enters this mountain without hesitation, and has a black fox on his shoulder?

And even points at the cloth with the fox, which then leads him as if guiding him?

And then stops precisely above the entrance to my workshop?

That's impossible.

No matter how much I try to deny it, it's just impossible.

He definitely came here targeting me.

Plus, that narrow-eyed guy killed my familiar and even taunted me.

And what's even more infuriating is that when I saw his smile through the familiar, I felt a chill run down my spine and goosebumps all over.

That look was like a viper hiding its poison, or a wolf in sheep's clothing hiding among lambs.

If I had known this, I would have fortified my defenses much, much more thoroughly.

Just because it had been fine so far, just because I hadn't made any particular enemies.

Was it my own complacency that brought this on?

The peace the man had carelessly enjoyed had now become chains tightening around his neck, ready to drag him straight to ruin.

No, what is ruin? At this rate, he was going to fall straight into hell.

Step, step.

Footsteps echoed closer.

Footsteps filled with hatred echoed closer.

The footsteps of someone who had slaughtered all the lovely dolls I painstakingly made and the monsters I summoned with great effort,

And now leisurely cornered me like prey.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it...!"

What the hell did I ever do to deserve this?

What crime did I ever commit?

'This cannot be. This cannot be...!'

Just how many sacrifices did I offer, how much wealth did I pour in to summon and control those monsters.

And how much time did I invest, how much sweat and blood did I spill!

In the end, all he could do was cover his face with both hands and sob.

He felt wronged.

Wanting to become a mage, he had poured all his family's assets and connections to enter an academy specializing in magic.

But that didn't mean talent he didn't have would suddenly appear.

And once he finally entered the academy, his innate lack of social skills caused frequent conflicts with others,

So in the end, he was half forced, half voluntarily left the academy.

Even so, he could not give up.

Because magic was everything to him.

Because he knew nothing else but this.

He had already devoted his entire life to magic.

Unfortunately, magic never responded to his efforts, but even in such a situation, there was still hope.

Perhaps he had a slight aptitude, as his proficiency in dark magic had risen to a fairly usable level.

For that, he brought in the family's fortune to build his own workshop and procured sacrifices like pigs and chickens.

And in that workshop, except for eating, sleeping, and relieving himself, he devoted himself solely to magic.

Of course, in between, he sometimes used familiars to pursue his hobbies.

After all, how can a person live doing only one thing forever.

Although he indulged in hobbies, since he used familiars in the process, it could still be considered training in magic.

Those hobbies were a bit on the minor side,

Things that ordinary people rarely did.

But that didn't matter.

The man who had been sobbing with his face buried in his hands lifted his head.

"I proved it... I did it. I can't just let this happen to me."

Yes. In the end, I achieved results.

Though the memories from that time were hazy, as if my mind was filled with fog, and for some reason, around that time, my entire family went missing.

Yet I felt no emotion about that.

As if they had been strangers with no connection to me from the beginning.

Now, it was time to use that 'achievement' to overcome the crisis before me.

'But what was that 'achievement' again?'

[It doesn't matter if you don't know.]

Is that so?

Then so be it.