The Villain’s Cheat Code: When a Gamer Becomes the Evil God’s Sidekick

The Hunters arrived just in time.

As they crouched near the Kravina estate, all of them heightened their vigilance.

The mansion was heavily guarded.

Nearby stood a group of female guards clad in bone armor, each wielding sharp blades. Without exception, they all had furry animal ears perched atop their heads.

Anyone unaware might assume the estate's owner had some peculiar hobbies.

However, the Hunters immediately recognized them.

These were the Kravina family's demi-human squad, known as [Exotic Beasts].

They had earned overwhelmingly positive reviews in the southern Adventurers' City.

Praised endlessly in the south, word of this squad had spread throughout the Empire's nobility. Their performance had even caused the price of demi-human slaves to soar, as everyone aspired to train obedient demi-human guards like the Kravina family.

Demi-humans were stronger than humans, cheaper, and more obedient.

But now was not the time to discuss such matters.

Around the estate, the Hunters exchanged uneasy glances.

They couldn't sense the presence of any other Hunters here.

That didn't make sense...

The first team had clearly reported their arrival at the Kravina estate. Yet now, with the estate so heavily guarded, infiltrating it would be nearly impossible without the agility of a cadre-level member.

This left the Hunters in a difficult position.

For the sake of investigating the demon or finding their teammates, they—

"Must find a way to sneak in."

Just as they began formulating a plan, they suddenly felt the moonlight dim.

A shadow appeared beside them, accompanied by a cold, feminine voice.

"You all..."

"Want to go in?"

The voice sent a shiver down their spines, cold sweat breaking out instantly.

Someone was behind them.

When had this person arrived there?

They hadn't even sensed her presence!

Her stealth skills were so advanced that even these Hunters, experts in infiltration, hadn't noticed her.

Danger!

Before they could rise, the cold voice sounded again:

"Then... can you take me inside with you?"

Huh?

The Hunters turned, startled, to face the mysterious figure.

Under the moonlight, they could only see the figure cloaked entirely in a hooded cape, except for a pair of gleaming green eyes that shone like dangerous snake pupils.

...

In the Kravina estate's living room, Gwen Delin was adorned in the armor Viktor had gifted her.

Luminescent energy flowed through the armor's seams, making her appear even more valiant.

Gwen looked at Lia Kravina, sitting calmly on the sofa, and asked solemnly:

"Lia, what exactly happened?"

Lia showed no signs of panic. She poured tea from a porcelain teapot and even served Gwen a cup.

"Don't get worked up. Sit down first, and we’ll talk."

Following Lia's suggestion, Gwen slowly took a seat.

Lia handed the tea to Gwen.

"Have some tea to refresh yourself, then we’ll discuss it in detail."

Gwen glanced at the reflection of her face in the red tea. She raised the cup and drank it in one gulp. Despite the bitterness, she remained composed, placing the cup down and looking directly at Lia:

"Can we talk now?"

Lia blinked, slightly surprised at Gwen's boldness.

"Drinking tea so boldly... If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a man."

Lia chuckled softly, taking a graceful sip from her own cup.

Then, she called out to someone behind her:

"Henie, come out."

From behind the wall emerged Henie, looking timid and hesitant.

Gwen turned to look as well.

Henie lowered her head, avoiding Gwen's gaze, her eyes darting nervously.

"Miss Gwen, h-hello."

Gwen found this peculiar. The girl seemed afraid of her.

Lia introduced her with a smile:

"This is Henie, one of our family's retainers. She used to be Viktor's assistant and helped him a lot."

Upon hearing this, Gwen's impression of Henie improved significantly. She stood up, approached Henie, and extended a hand.

"Hello, Miss Henie. Thank you for taking care of Viktor."

Henie panicked, raising her hands in front of her chest and waving them frantically.

"N-no, it's Professor who’s always taken care of me. I just helped him write speeches, substitute teach, clean the classroom and office daily, and prepare lessons. That’s about it."

Lia shrugged at Gwen, her expression saying, "See? What did I tell you?"

The more Gwen listened, the heavier her heart felt. Finally, she clasped Henie's hands firmly, her gaze earnest.

"Miss Henie, you are a good person!"

Uh... what?

Henie was at a loss, but as she felt Gwen’s grip, she grew dizzy.

Ah, this righteous knight must be Viktor's fiancée. She was so radiant, noble, and passionate.

The more Henie thought about it, the more she felt unworthy of Viktor. Only someone as exceptional as Gwen could match him.

"I told you two would get along well," Lia teased, her face full of amusement. "After all, you share the same hobby."

Same hobby?

Gwen, ever straightforward, didn’t understand Lia's implication. But Henie’s face turned bright red, her head lowering further in embarrassment.

Lia didn’t elaborate, simply waving her hand dismissively.

"Back to serious matters. Gwen, I called you here because of Henie."

"Henie?"

Gwen released Henie's hands and turned back to Lia, who nodded.

"Yes. You probably don’t know this, but the second prince was attacked."

"...What?"

Seeing Gwen's bewildered expression, Lia nodded and gestured to Henie beside her.

"Five broken ribs, lung hemorrhaging, and submerged in water for several minutes. He’s still unconscious."

"And yes, she did it."

Gwen turned to Henie, her eyes filled with disbelief. Henie lowered her head even further.

"Do you believe it?"

Gwen shook her head vigorously. Naturally, she couldn’t believe such a thing.

When they shook hands earlier, Gwen had felt how frail Henie was. How could someone like her break the ribs of an adult man like the prince?

As the emperor’s son, the prince surely had some skills of his own.@@novelbin@@

Lia stood, hands on her hips, and sighed.

"Regardless of whether she did it or not, until Viktor returns, I need you to stay here."

"With your influence, even if the royal guards come, they won’t be able to take Henie away."

Lia walked over to Henie, wrapping an arm around her shoulders while her other hand began to roam.

Henie grew flustered, her face red, as she tried to push Lia’s hand away.

Ignoring Henie's protests, Lia continued, "I don’t want my delicate little assistant spending even a few days in prison."

Finally, Lia’s hand reached Henie’s chest and gave a light squeeze.

Henie let out an involuntary sound.

"Ah..."

Suddenly, Gwen tensed.

Her legs shifted into a combat stance, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

Her hand moved to the sword at her waist, sensing imminent danger.

She swiftly drew her blade, turning toward the door.

"Lia, Henie, step back."

Surprised by Gwen’s sudden seriousness, Lia and Henie obediently retreated a few steps.

Gwen gripped her sword tightly, her arm muscles trembling slightly. Runes began to glow along the blade, emitting a red light that grew brighter.

Flames violently coiled around the blade, crackling loudly.

She could feel it—the footsteps growing closer. The danger was approaching.

Finally, as the presence reached the door, Gwen let out a fierce shout, unleashing her pent-up energy. Her eyes locked firmly ahead.

[Wrath]

Her arms surged with terrifying strength as she swung her blade.

A red arc slashed toward the door.

Boom!

An intense heatwave erupted, spreading in all directions.

The wooden door shattered into splinters, the debris embedding itself into the walls. The surrounding walls couldn’t withstand the force and collapsed with a thunderous crash.

The blinding flames illuminated the three women’s faces as dust filled the air, enveloping them.

Yet Gwen could still feel the danger lingering.

She grew even more alert, lowering her stance and readying her sword once more.

As the dust settled, a pair of black-and-white wings unfolded, shielding something within.

The feathers on the wings burned with fierce flames, crackling audibly.

Then, with a powerful sweep, the wings extinguished their flames.

Under the moonlight, a pair of luminous green eyes shone brightly.

They locked onto Gwen, as if marking her as prey.

[Blacklist detected—Unnamed]

[Whitelist detected—Henie]

[Whitelist appears threatened. Immediate protection required.]

In an instant, a long blade materialized in the woman’s hand, which she raised defensively.

The blade pointed at Gwen, her legs shifting into a combat stance.

Her gaze turned icy.

“Prepare for target elimination.”