I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 56 - How to Cross a Desert (3)

A Hidden Episode.

It was the kind of event you could occasionally stumble upon while playing the game.

Think of it as an easter egg that the developers had hidden here and there.

While it didn’t have a major impact on the main storyline, it allowed players to uncover new information about the world or gain additional backstory for the characters.

Sometimes, powerful items were given as rewards too.

‘I studied this content pretty hard.’

I uploaded playthrough videos multiple times.

There were probably over 20 episodes I discovered on my own.

This was no different.

[EP???. How to Cross a Desert]

- A Gate in the Sky, A Kid Who Stays Up Under the Stars -

It was an event that triggered when you interacted with a specific object in a certain location.

You could only experience it once per playthrough.

The difficulty of the stage was quite high, but considering the quality of the rewards, it was definitely worth the challenge.

There was an item you could only obtain here.

“Wh-Where in the world…?”

A soft voice broke the silence.

It was none other than Regia.

The girl who had been drowning in confusion moments ago was now looking around, having seemingly regained her composure.

Her green eyes were scanning the situation.

“A desert…? We were just browsing through that old shop, and now…”

The scenery around us was nothing but gold.

A vast expanse of desert stretched out endlessly.

The transition between the two scenes was jarring, almost unreal.

If you took a moment to admire the view, you might hear the distant murmur of a confused pilot.

“Are we seeing some sort of hallucination…?”

“I doubt it… Nothing feels off. It seems more likely that this is real.”

“N-no way.”

“This is quite the bizarre situation.”

“If it’s not a hallucination, how else can we explain this…?”

“Hmm.”

I spoke up softly.

“It seems we’ve gotten caught up in something.”

“H-Huh?”

“There must have been something wrong with the book we touched… but I’m not entirely sure.”

“Y-Yeah. It all happened so fast…”

“It could have been enchanted with some kind of magic.”

“Ugh…”

First things first, we had to recognize that we’d been caught in an accident.

One moment we were walking through the Academy, and after losing consciousness for just a second, we found ourselves stranded in the middle of a desert.

It was only natural to feel disoriented.

I waited for Regia to calm down.

As she seemed to collect her thoughts, she suddenly realized something else and stood up.

“Huh?”

Regia stretched her hand out toward the air.

After waving her hand in front of her face for a moment, she froze with a tense expression.

“M-My lord… I can’t gather any mana at my fingertips.”

“What?”

“The air feels strange. I can sense the mana, but when I try to use magic, it just scatters right away.”

“It’s true.”

This was the key feature of this field.

A space where magic was completely nullified. In this desert, the use of mana to cast spells was impossible.

For mages, it was a death sentence.

One traveler had called it ‘The Land Where Light Fades.’

Only the most skilled could break free from this limitation.

That’s why the roles of other positions became crucial.

Swordsmen, priests, shamans, summoners… You needed backup to make up for the mages’ lost firepower.

Regia’s role this time was clear.

“It feels like my abilities are being suppressed.”

“To what extent?”

“I won’t be able to use shadows like I usually do. At best, I can probably form a single sword.”

“Th-That can’t be.”

Of course, that was a lie.

This sort of temporary restriction could easily be shaken off if I exerted a bit of power.

But there was no need to reveal that.

After all, this wasn’t about me.

I had entered this field to help Regia grow. If I took care of everything myself, it would defeat the purpose.

So I casually wove my lie.

“Well, I am a mage after all.”

“What should we do? We don’t even know where we are, and now we can’t use communication magic…”

“That is quite the problem.”

It should happen any moment now.

I subtly glanced around.

If we waited long enough, a voice would soon echo faintly in the distance.

An old, frail cry.

–Out of my way, you scum! I’m not ready to die just yet…!

It wasn’t far off.

It sounded like it was coming from just ahead.

“M-My lord! I just heard something from over there…!”

“I heard it too.”

We quickly rushed toward the source of the sound.

As we crested a nearby dune, the owner of the desperate voice came into view.

An elderly man, slumped on the ground.

He seemed to have injured his arm.

The old man was flailing, shouting at something with wild desperation.

–Get away from me…!

Screech!

A horrible shriek followed.

Five black scorpions were creeping toward him.

I furrowed my brow.

“Well, this is a problem.”

“Wh-What are those…?”

Could you even call those scorpions?

Each one was larger than a small car.

They all exuded a dangerous aura, their stingers poised, dripping with venom.

Like predators closing in on their prey.

“I’ll go first, Miss Regia.”

“Y-Yes…!”

Without hesitation, we launched ourselves forward, kicking up sand behind us.

We moved so quickly that our figures left faint afterimages.

Screech! Roar!

The monsters let out terrifying sounds.

I compressed the shadows into a blade, drawing it like a sword.

The pitch-black sword cut through the swirling sand.

“Hup…!”

I exhaled briefly.

I leaped toward the nearest scorpion.

Screech?!

Had it noticed us?

The creature turned too late.

By then, my blade had already sliced through the air in a clean arc.

In an instant, I severed it.

Slice!

The sound of flesh being cut echoed sharply.

The scorpion’s tail, raised in defence, was cleanly severed.

‘Got it.’

A faint tingle ran through my fingertips.

The creature stumbled back, startled.

Without missing a beat, I followed through and sliced it apart.

Thud!

Its massive body was cleaved in two.

Purple blood soaked the sand.

It had taken only ten seconds.

The life was snuffed out in a matter of moments.

But there was no time to rest.

Screech!

The remaining scorpions turned their attention to me.

Three of them rushed forward.

I spun my wrist lightly.

With a fluid motion, the sword split into two short daggers.

I gripped one in each hand and rushed at the monsters.

Screech!

One scorpion’s tail lashed down from above.

I smoothly sidestepped, letting the attack glance off my blade.

Clang!

Sparks flew.

I swept both daggers in a horizontal slash.

The tough exoskeleton cracked under the pressure.

Crunch!

The scorpion’s head shattered instantly.

I took a brief step back to reset my stance.

“Hm.”

Even without using magic, basic swordsmanship was more than enough for these small fry.

I systematically cut down the remaining monsters.

“G-Get away!!”

Nearby, Regia was fighting another scorpion.

Though she couldn’t use magic, she swung her bag at its head with surprising force.

Whack!

I wasn’t sure what was in that bag, but it made quite the sound.

She was a student of Galimard, after all.

Her basic movements weren’t bad.

Thanks to that, the scorpions were quickly dealt with.

Screech!

The last one collapsed with a dying cry.

The sand beneath it soaked up its blood.

We were given a brief moment to catch our breath.

“Haa…”

A soft sigh escaped me.

It had been a while since I fought without using my powers, and it was tedious.

Without the stamina boost, I could feel my breath starting to heat up.

It really had been a long time.

Of course, thanks to the [Laughing Mask] trait, no sign of exhaustion showed on my face.

I simply stood there, smiling calmly.

I patted Regia on the head, who was still panting from exhaustion.

“Well done, Miss Regia.”

“Huff, huff… What were those giant scorpions?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen anything like them before.”

“They were so strong, my arms are still shaking…”

“They certainly didn’t seem like ordinary creatures.”

“Haa… My lord, you’re truly incredible. I could barely handle one, but you took down four of them so easily.”

“Thank you.”

As we passed by the carcasses of the scorpions, we walked over to the elderly man sitting quietly off to the side.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem too badly hurt.

“A-Are you alright, sir?”

Regia cautiously approached him.

The old man, who had been staring blankly at us, finally came to his senses. He coughed lightly through his weathered lips.

“Cough, cough! Thank you, young ones… You saved my life.”

The man was wearing a tattered robe.

His white hair, beard, and sharp blue eyes gave him a dignified appearance.

“Did you injure your left arm?”

“I just twisted it.”

“I can help treat it! I always carry medical supplies in my bag!”

“I’m much obliged…”

While Regia rummaged through her bag for bandages, I focused on the old man beyond her shoulder.

Watching him as he received treatment.

The old man hunched over, getting treated.

‘So this is how we meet.’

He was the key character of this episode.

Over the next few days, he would be our objective, and the key to escaping this field.

The task assigned to the player was simple.

[Escort the character 'Josh Clarker' safely to his destination.]

Our goal was to safely guide the old man to his destination.

The place he referred to was—

“Young ones… I hate to ask, but I have a favor to ask of you.”

His clear blue eyes gleamed as he spoke, still clutching his injured arm.

“Could you escort this old man… to the stars?”

A strange request, spoken in a single sentence.

Just like in the original, the episode began.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]