How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?-Chapter 401 - 121 : Who is the real devil

Someone always needs to be the one whose words carry weight, either someone with great authority, someone charismatic, or someone elder and experienced. Previously, Charon had tried to seize control of the group's leadership by relying on this very advantage, but ultimately failed.

Now he could see it clearly, without even realizing it, Fanya and Amisa had come to trust Winnie. And evidently, they no longer believed in him.

They now only listen to Winnie.

Charon clenched his fists in silence.

For two trainees with Church backgrounds to place their trust in Winnie, how utterly unbelievable.

Fanya tossed the Serpent's Tongue Dagger into the small pond. Instantly, the clear water turned murky, as if the strange substance coating the dagger's surface had dissolved into the water, spilling out and staining the entire pond into an unnaturally vivid shade of bluish-green.

Just like how an overly bright mushroom instinctively appears poisonous, an unnaturally vivid color always inspires unease.

After the bluish-green hue quickly filled the pond, the water began to sink, and a spiral stone staircase leading downward appeared before everyone's eyes.

Was this the entrance to the next area?

The group exchanged glances.

"There's nothing left to explore here. I'll take the lead," Charon said, stepping forward to go first.

"You're poisoned, aren't you? Don't push yourself, step back. I'll go," Winnie interrupted, moving ahead to take the front position himself.

After all, Fanya and Amisa had no magic power left, they were both only at the Artisan stage, and were both girls. Although the two men weren't in much better shape, they were both at the Warlock stage and still had some magic power remaining. There was no way they could let the girls go first.

Charon fell silent, as if conceding.

Winnie glanced at him, then carefully descended the stone steps one by one.

As he walked, he looked down and saw that the path beneath seemed endless, its destination unknown. Only a hazy, deep darkness lay ahead, shrouded in an invisible fog.

In such an environment, aside from the sound of their own footsteps, nothing else could be heard. The only thing visible was the few steps directly beneath his feet.

Soon, Winnie noticed the fog growing denser. The most immediate effect was a sharp drop in visibility. Previously, he could see five steps ahead; now, he could barely make out the one beneath his feet and the very next one.

Winnie turned back out of the corner of his eye and found the silhouettes of the others extremely blurred, so indistinct that they were nearly invisible.

As he continued walking, Winnie suddenly stopped.

He noticed something strange, only his footsteps echoed now.

He paused, then turned around. Behind him, no one was there. Charon, Fanya, Amisa, gone. Everything had returned to silent darkness. He couldn't even see the path he had come from, nor could he tell how far down the well he had already descended.

"Amisa? Fanya?" Winnie stood in silence for a moment before calling out. Only silence and his own echo answered.

It seemed he was alone again. But it didn't matter, he was used to it.

'I hope they're all okay.'

Winnie looked forward. The path behind had disappeared, and the one ahead was equally unclear, flickering like a candle flame in a storm. Everything depends on his own exploration now. No one could help him.

In such a situation, with no way back, he had no choice but to keep moving forward.

Step by step, he walked down the stone steps. Or at least, that's what it feels like. He couldn't help but feel his footsteps had grown bigger and louder. Maybe it was just because he was alone again, his own footsteps now seemed unnaturally loud.

Soon, he found himself distracted, unable to tell direction anymore. The chaos and fog seemed to affect his mind, clouding his thoughts. He moved only by instinct, descending step after endless step. In this haze, he didn't know where he was or how far down he'd gone. He had gradually lost his sense of direction.

Darkness slowly swallowed his figure, deep within this unknown well.

'Why didn't you act earlier? That was clearly the best opportunity. What were you hesitating about?'

'There were others present, weren't there? And they were Church affiliates.'

'Master, it seems I must constantly remind you, lest you forget what kind of person you truly are.'

'I said it already, others were present. It wasn't convenient. And I don't want to drag others into this. This is my personal grudge with him.'

'I hope that's truly the case, Master. Just don't go soft at a critical moment. You and I both know, you've never been a soft-hearted person.'

'Shut up. I don't need you giving me orders.'

'If possible, I wouldn't want to either. After all, as I said, we're allies, aren't we?'

'Just make sure you don't cause any complications. Otherwise, I suspect at least one of us will be in an awkward position afterward, perhaps even losing everything we were supposed to have.'

Are you threatening me?

'Of course not, Master. I'm merely urging you. In short, you may be "soft-hearted" now, but don't let that softness ruin everything later, hmm?'

'We've gone to great lengths to create this opportunity for you, including this so-called "accident." Do you have any idea how much effort it took to awaken this demon's dead body? You better appreciate it. Don't let everyone's efforts go to waste, okay?'

'......'

'What? Haven't you figured it out yet?'

'I just feel that doing it now is too rushed.'

'Too rushed? Then tell me, Master, when you set up that ambush outside Camella, arranging a group of suicide assassins to silence witnesses, were you not rushing then?' The voice mocked.

'Back then, your actions were decisive and ruthless, I admire you. But now that we're working together, suddenly our pace is too fast, too urgent?'

'That time… wasn't my order.'

'Haha. Master, I'm willing to believe you, of course. But whether others will believe you, well, that's another matter. Especially Princess Mirexia. Whether she believes you… I think that's a question very much worth discussing.'

'.......'

'Master, admit your true feelings. Our thoughts aren't wrong. We both believe a certain person is unnecessary, someone who should never have exists. If he continues to exist, he'll only bring more innocent people into danger, like a time-bomb spell waiting to explode.'

'We could leave him be, sure. But what's the point? Why keep carrying this risk? A gentleman doesn't stand beneath a crumbling wall.'

'Stop hesitating. What we're doing is righteous and reasonable. Tell me, how many people in this world would truly feel sorrow if he were killed? Probably not even enough to fill one hand. But how many would cheer? Heh, I don't need to continue, do I? Evil must be completely drained, when the villain is still vulnerable and hasn't grown, we must strangle him in the cradle. There can be no mercy.'

'Isn't that exactly what a knight should do, deliver thunderous justice to such evil?'

'I don't need you to tell me that.'

'Heh. Naturally. I'm simply offering a kind reminder. How to proceed, surely you already have your own judgment.'

When Winnie regained full awareness, he found himself standing on an unknown barren ridge. Beneath his feet lay solid black rock, resembling obsidian, streaked with golden-red traces of molten lava. Above stretched a dark red sky, as if soaked in blood.

Where was this?

Winnie looked around. All previous scenes had been unfamiliar, but this one felt uniquely eerie.

He had the unsettling feeling that this place wasn't static, it was alive...

At that moment, footsteps cheered across the silent, ashen wasteland.

Winnie snapped his head toward the sound and saw a tall, familiar figure approaching.

It was Charon.

"Charon?" Winnie didn't feel immediate relief at not being alone. He didn't rush forward, because he noticed Charon's expression was terribly off. He walked step by step, his face grave and solemn.

"What's wrong?" Winnie frowned, unsure what trick Charon was about to play.

At that moment, Charon stopped, drew his ornate golden-handled longsword, and swung it through the air. A blade aura instantly shot towards Winnie.

[Righteous Sword Aura]

Winnie reacted quickly, moving out of the way. His expression darkened as he glared at Charon.

"Charon, do you know what you're doing?"

"What am I doing? Of course I do," Charon replied calmly. "I'm fulfilling a knight's duty, slaying a demon."

"Are you insane?" Winnie narrowed his eyes. "Carillian Academy rules, attacking a fellow student results in expulsion at minimum. You know that, don't you? You just lectured me about it earlier."

"Of course I know. I can recite the rules better than you, Winnie."

"But I understand, compared to the academy rules, the peace of the Kingdom and the prosperity of its people matter far more."

"What are you even talking about, Charon? Have you lost your mind? Or have you been possessed by a demon? What does that have to do with attacking me?" Winnie said coldly.

"Winnie, guess how many people would grieve if you died here?" Charon stared deeply at him. "Probably not even one hand's worth."

"But how many would be relieved? How many would breathe easier?"

"So that's your reason for killing me?" Winnie tilted his head, looking up at Charon. "If so many people would sigh in relief at my death, then that only proves that the continent of Terraria is terminally ill."

"Winnie, it seems you understand perfectly well that you're not well-liked."

"So what? Does being unpopular mean I must die? Is that the knightly creed you've sworn your life to uphold? Is that how your knight instructor taught you?" Winnie raised an eyebrow and asked.

"I may not understand knights, nor am I one, but if knights are just a bunch of absurd thugs who abuse their authority to commit evil without consequence, then what purpose do they even serve?"

"The only thug here has always been you, Winnie." Charon gripped his sword, eyes locked on Winnie, as if afraid he might flee. "I know your entire history. I understand exactly what kind of person you are."

"Others might be fooled by you, I won't. I know, you're a complete villain through and through."

"Then where's your evidence?" Winnie frowned. "Show me the proof. And who gave you the authority to judge me? Mirexia?"

"No such thing is needed."

"Then tell me, what exactly have I done wrong?" Winnie suddenly laughed. "Actually, I've always been curious, what exactly have I done to earn such hatred from you?"

"Are you going to use baseless slander or groundless rumors as evidence to convict me?" Winnie challenged.

"You should never have entered Carillian Academy, Winnie," Charon said, raising his sword and stepping forward.

"You should've stayed where you were, knew your place, instead of overstepping like this."

"You might fool those ignorant Church juniors, you might fool the kind Princess Mirexia, but you'll never fool me."

"Oh, I see now," Winnie sneered. "So what you're really saying, Charon, is that you have no deeper motive, you simply can't stand that Mirexia sees me in a new light, so you want to eliminate me. Is that it?"

"Words are meaningless, Winnie. Today, I will expose your demonic nature for all to see," Charon declared firmly.

"Demon? I didn't know what a demon looked like before. Now I do. The most terrifying demons wear the most convincing human skin. They must pretend to be righteous and upright."

"They deceive themselves before they deceive others," Winnie said, staring hard at Charon. "Charon, I thought too highly of you. I believed, at the very least, you were still human. I never imagined you'd fall so low."

"Words won't save you, Winnie. Or do you still refuse to surrender? Still want to resist?" Charon said coldly. "You and I both know, we've fought since childhood. From beginning to end, you've never beaten me once."

'Master, you disappoint me with your stupidity. Why didn't you do as I said, use an illusion to bewilder him, act casually when reuniting, gain his trust, then assassinate him from behind?'

'Shut up. I have my own way. And you want me to ambush him? I can defeat a demon openly, why resort to underhanded tactics?'

'Are you saying I need to ambush Winnie to win? I'm stronger than him, far stronger. Why should I resort to such methods?'

'Fine, do as you please, Master. Just don't mess up, otherwise, we'll all be in an awkward position.'

'I said it already, don't remind me.'

After the mental exchange, Charon fixed his gaze on Winnie.

"Since you still wish to struggle, then let's see. Winnie, before, I couldn't act because two ignorant juniors, those you deceived, were present. But now it's different. There's no one else here."

"This time, no one will come to save you, Winnie," Charon said slowly, each word deliberate.

"In other words… you really stabbed yourself with that dagger earlier?" Winnie suddenly laughed.