I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines-Chapter 130

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 130 - Traitor (1)

The night of the ball passed like a fleeting winter memory.

The academy returned to its usual routine.

With that one evening marking the start of the new semester, the brief but intense fifteen-day break came to an end.

As academic schedules resumed, students found themselves drowning in coursework once more.

Even the campus, which had enjoyed a rare moment of leisure, was gradually shifting back into a battlefield of fierce competition.

The second act was beginning.

Calmly.

Quietly.

"I’ve finished processing all the documents you gave me."

"Ah… thank you."

This everyday normalcy applied to me as well.

It had been a while since I’d felt such peace.

As I worked through the faculty's administrative tasks, the woman beside me tapped my shoulder.

Before I even turned, a teacup was placed on my desk.

The fragrant steam carried a comforting warmth.

I tilted my head in curiosity.

"Tea…?"

"It’s cold these days. My brewing skills are awful, but I gave it a try."

"For something so ‘awful,’ the aroma is quite pleasant. I never would’ve guessed you had an interest in tea."

"It’s my first time serving it to someone."

"Yet again, I’m the first, huh?"

"Does that make you happy?"

"Of course."

Our conversation flowed naturally.

After the ball,

There was a subtle yet undeniable shift in our relationship.

The distance between us had shortened, if only slightly.

She still carried that cold, emotionless aura, but there was a softness now—just a hint of warmth in the way she treated me.

Her once rigid tone had noticeably relaxed since that night.

A small, almost imperceptible closeness.

We continued working side by side.

"That aside… the workload seems heavier than usual."

"It’s a busy time of year."

The start of the winter semester.

One of the academy’s busiest periods.

Especially with so many external affairs overlapping, a large portion of the faculty was constantly being dispatched elsewhere, leaving the academy more short-staffed than usual.

Even among the professors, this period was notorious.

A chaotic few weeks.

‘Perhaps that’s why…’

Predators always lurked in moments of vulnerability.

An incident that would shatter this daily routine—

The first attack on the academy.

In the original story, this marked the true beginning of the storm.

A nightmare that had, until now, only loomed faintly in the background was about to descend in full force.

Even the brief illusion of peace would be torn to shreds.

The calamity was coming.

‘Just a few days left now.’

It was right around the corner.

And if disaster was inevitable, then preparation was my only option.

One misstep, and everything could come crashing down.

As I reflected on the coming catastrophe, a voice softly called my name.

There was a slight hesitation in her tone.

"Judas?"

"Yes?"

She was staring at me.

Or, more specifically—

At the hand that was absentmindedly running through her violet hair.

—Softly, gently.

"…What exactly are you doing?"

"Ah."

I realized it too late.

Lately, I had been getting a lot of requests from people asking me to pat their heads.

It seemed I’d grown so accustomed to it that my hand had moved on its own.

I quickly withdrew it from her silky strands.

Selena, for once, looked genuinely caught off guard.

I offered a hasty excuse.

"It’s a habit… My apologies. That was improper of me."

"No… I’m not offended. Just… surprised, I suppose. No need to apologize."

"Then may I continue?"

"Please don’t."

"Shame."

A playful exchange.

She stared at me for a moment, then murmured softly, almost absentmindedly.

"You really are… unusual."

"Hm?"

"I don’t know how to describe it… Being around you is oddly comfortable. And for some reason, you make me think about the past a lot."

"……"

The past.

Was it nostalgia she felt?

Or regret?

The atmosphere grew heavier for a moment.

But she quickly brushed away the lingering melancholy.

Burying it, as she always did.

"It doesn’t matter anymore."

"Do you have something on your mind?"

"Of course not."

"You never know. If you do, you can rely on me anytime."

"You really are a good person."

She averted her gaze.

There was something in her expression—something fleeting and uncertain.

But she didn’t question me further.

Which was fortunate.

Because from the very beginning,

This was exactly the reaction I had intended.

There was a reason I acted so familiar,

Why I was so openly affectionate,

Why I was so persistently kind.

From the start, it had all been to chip away at her guilt.

To subtly push her, to stir those emotions buried deep within.

I was manipulating her.

A smooth tongue,

A well-crafted deception,

All for the sake of a greater future.

I was lying.

‘So… I don’t deserve to be called a good person either.’

I let out a quiet, bitter laugh.

Careful not to let her notice.

Taking a sip of my tea, I covered my mouth as she spoke again, organizing the remaining documents.

Bringing the day’s work to a close.

"That’s enough for today."

"You’ve worked hard."

"That’s my line. Thanks to you, we finished hours earlier than usual."

"Haha… Then I’ll take my leave for now."

I stepped out of the research lab.

A shadow stretched at my feet.

With each step, darkness seemed to gather.

The air grew heavy.

‘Soon.’

The evil that lurked on the horizon.

The beginning of the storm.

There was little time left to prepare.

Once again, I was descending into the dark.

Even for me—

This episode would not be easy.

The Academy Assault.

The chapter that marked the story’s descent into tragedy.

[EP23. The Awakening of Evil]

—Blood boiling, malice seething, life crying out for death—

This was when things truly began to spiral.

Up until now, it had all been a prelude.

After disappearing following the Great Purge,

The black mages returned, planning a grand spectacle for their reappearance.

Their target? Gallimard Academy—

The heart of the empire’s brightest minds.

By awakening the Calamity sealed deep beneath the academy,

They would raze everything to the ground. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

And in the original story…

They succeeded.

‘Filthy rats.’

Through extensive research, they discovered an ancient, forgotten passage beneath the academy.

Sneaking in undetected, they broke the seal on Death itself and fled without a trace.

The unleashed calamity wrought absolute destruction.

A massacre.

By the time it was finally resealed, half the faculty had perished.

The academy was left in ruins.

The only consolation was that the student casualties weren’t as severe.

But the blood spilled that day—

It was only the beginning.

For the cultists, this was merely the first move.

A step toward their ultimate goal:

The resurrection of the Demon God.

‘Too many died… far too many.’

It was a story too brutal to simply call a "twist."

Up until this point, the tone had always carried a certain darkness, but at worst, only a handful of extras had ever met their demise.

Major supporting characters? They had always been safe.

But that unspoken rule was shattered here.

Nearly half of them wouldn’t make it out alive.

---

[Category: General Discussion Board]

[Title: No way, Professor Raphael dies here???]

Why the hell did so many characters die in this episode??

I didn’t expect him to go too.

Damn, feels like 40% of the named characters got wiped out.

Especially the senior faculty—they were practically annihilated.

And the headmaster? Just standing around doing nothing.

What a useless character.

---

[The headmaster being incompetent? What else is new?]

→ Season 1,914,057 of him being utterly useless.

→ Ah, it’s you again… JOAT.

→ Damn, Future-Seer-dor strikes again.

---

[Raphael went out like a total legend though.]

→ Protecting students until the very end. Damn.

→ Even in death, the guy was cool as hell.

→ A real professor… we won’t forget you…

---

[NO WAY THIS IS HAPPENING RAPHAEL PLEASE GET UP JUST SHAKE IT OFF]

→ Nah, bro became a donut.

→ Chest? Wide open.

→ The ventilation in that hole must be amazing.

→ I will tear you all apart.

---

NPCs I had seen every day.

Characters I had exchanged greetings with, maybe even built friendships with.

Now, they were just gone.

No wonder players tried over and over again to stop this event.

But no matter how many attempts they made—

---

[Category: Question Board]

[Title: Is this even possible to stop?]

Been playing for over 300 runs now.

Tried everything to prevent the Academy Raid.

But here’s the issue:

The devs hard-blocked every possible solution.

There’s no way to change the outcome.

The secret tunnel the cultists use?

→ Not marked anywhere in the game.

The altar where the calamity is sealed?

→ Completely resistant to detection magic.

Stopping the calamity immediately after its release?

→ Not enough firepower.

Are we really just forced to sit here and watch this happen?

---

[If we could just find the tunnel, maybe…]

→ The problem is, no one can find it.

---

[Lore says only the headmasters know its location.]

→ The current headmaster doesn’t even talk.

→ So we’re just screwed, huh?

→ Man’s been useless his entire life.

---

[What if we just reveal everything, take the penalties, and go out in a blaze of glory?]

→ Something about the protagonist’s “Guide” role prevents that.

→ Guide to what? We haven’t guided anything.

→ Just “Indo” at this point.

→ Another peaceful day in Rindorindo.

---

[Even that one strategy guide guy failed this part.]

→ If even the dude who plays 16 hours a day can’t do it, how are we supposed to?

→ This post made me attempt my 1,738,792,170th run.

---

There was no solution.

The location of the underground passage was never revealed. Detection spells wouldn’t work.

Even if you knew an attack was coming, there was no way to stop it.

Preventing the calamity was impossible.

Even in my past life—I had failed.

But now.

‘This time is different.’

This life… I had a way.

A way to stop the destruction of the academy—

A way to save them all.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]