I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist - Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Irritated Cattleya

The abandoned mansion Zayil had claimed as his headquarters for himself and his subordinates was now a scene of carnage. Bodies lay strewn across the hall, forming a gruesome tableau amid a pool of thick, darkened blood. Severed limbs and other grotesque remnants of the demon horde were scattered throughout, untouched even after hours had passed.

A silence reigned there.

Beneath the mansion, concealed by a hidden trapdoor, lay a treasure vault—a cavernous repository of wealth amassed by Yazil, Gin, and their men over centuries of plundering villages and towns. Gold coins, gemstones, and priceless artifacts glimmered in heaps.

But fortune had turned its back on Zayil and his horde. The treasure had a new master.

James.

The intruder was now deep within the vault, immersed in the spoils of his conquest.

“This scent… it’s intoxicating, I can never get enough of it,” James murmured in a sensual voice as his fingers trailed around.

“Stop it already…” Cattleya mumbled in a low voice.

James turned, a crooked grin splitting his face. “Why don’t you try to stop me, then?”

“I can’t…” Cattleya replied, shifting uncomfortably her body.

“Then surrender.” James’ smirk deepened as he continued his indulgent exploration.

“I can’t sleep!!” Cattleya finally snapped, bolting upright. Her eyes blazed as she glared at the man kneeling several meters away.

James was sprawled across a mound of gold and artifacts, his hands roaming over the hoard with the manic glee of a madman. Or perhaps he truly was mad—no one who spoke sweet nothings to inanimate objects in such an intimate tone could claim otherwise.

Cattleya had been trying, and failing, to rest. Every whispered word, every faint scrape of metal as James handled the treasures, grated on her nerves. His strange, fervent sensual murmurs to lifeless trinkets made her shiver with discomfort.

“What?” James’ face twisted into a scowl as he turned to face her, his earlier expression of adoration replaced with irritation. “Why are you even down here? If you want peace and quiet, go sleep upstairs.”

“Among the blood, the bodies, and that stench? Never!” She shot back, her tone laced with disgust.

“Then don’t sleep,” James retorted. “You’ll have plenty of time for rest once your parents pay your ransom. Oh, I can’t wait to see all that money roll in!”

“You’re the worst…” Cattleya muttered, her face contorting in a grimace.

James had more wealth than anyone could dream of—gold, artifacts, treasures piled high around him—yet here he was, still scheming for more, demanding a ransom for her release.

Cattleya couldn’t wrap her head around it. She was grateful he had saved her, of course, and being held hostage by him was undeniably preferable to being captured by demons. But why did he have to be such a jerk? He could simply let her go, yet he insisted on extorting her parents for even more money even after she promised him an artefact.

Then again, she reminded herself, they had made a deal. He had no obligation to save her beyond that agreement.

Her gaze drifted to the uniform James wore—the same practical exam attire from Ocryphia’s academy.

“Hey… are you really from Ocryphia?” She asked, breaking the silence.

James smirked as he slid yet another golden ring onto his finger. “No, I stole this uniform off one of your classmates,” he replied nonchalantly.

Her eyes narrowed. “The bracer too?” She gestured toward the standard-issue bracer all exam participants wore. Though her own bracer had been deactivated, displaying no information, she had hoped his might still be functional—perhaps enough for Ocryphia to track her location. But it seemed this hope was futile.

James didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he admired his adorned hands, each finger weighed down by an ornate ring. “What a shame I can only wear ten of these at once,” he shook his head, completely ignoring her question.

“You’re already wearing too many!” Cattleya snapped, crossing her arms.

“Hm?” James glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. “Why are you so grumpy already? What’s the problem? On your period?”

Cattleya’s cheeks flared crimson. “I am NOT!!”

“That’s not very reassuring, Miss. I’d hate to imagine how dramatic you’d be if you were.” James’ laughter echoed as he turned his attention to a sword scabbard, squinting at the runes engraved on its surface.

“Enough!” Cattleya exploded, stomping the ground before storming up the narrow steps back to the mansion’s main hall.

The sight and smell that greeted her were horrific—bodies strewn across the blood-soaked floor, the pungent stench of death clinging to the air. But even this horrible scene was preferable to enduring James’s maddening presence.

As she stepped into the room, a chill breeze brushed against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Wrapping her arms around herself, she glanced toward the windows.

It was pitch black outside.

“Lord Gin, we have to do something!”

“Do what, exactly? Gorn?” Gin replied.

Cattleya’s gaze shifted toward the two demons who had somehow survived the massacre James had wrought. They were casually strolling back into the blood-soaked mansion after running errands for James.

The scene, absurd as it seemed, was all too real.

“I can’t believe we’re taking orders from a human! Doesn’t it disgust you?” Gorn growled, his fists clenched tightly.

Gin let out a low chuckle. “You think of him as human?”

“He is human,” Gorn snapped, though his voice wavered slightly. “A weird one, sure, but how did we come to this? Obeying a human?! It’s humiliating!”

James had forced them into his service, coercing the demons into helping with his ransom scheme. The threat had been simple and chilling: either comply or face a fate worse than death—being captured alive and handed over to Horizon, where their bodies would be dissected and studied. Faced with such a choice, Gin and Gorn had begrudgingly chosen obedience.

“Because he’s stronger than us,” Gin replied bluntly.

“But—!”

“I see that you found new bodies? What innocents’s life have you taken this time, I wonder?”

Gorn was interrupted by Cattleya.

The two Demons turned their attention toward her.

She was standing nearby, watching them with a look of open disgust.

Gorn’s teeth ground together. “Lord Gin! This is our chance! Let’s grab her and escape! That human is still busy obsessing over the gold!”

Though his reluctance to leave behind the vast wealth they had accumulated over centuries of pillaging was equally clear, he knew they had no real choice.

Gin, however, was unmoved. “You think he’s distracted, but he’s always watching us. Run if you want, but it’ll mean death—or worse.”

Gin had no illusions about their situation. It was a miracle they’d been allowed to live this long, and he had no intention of testing James’s patience. Behind that playful, almost careless demeanor, James had clear boundaries—and crossing them was a risk Gin wasn’t willing to take.

“You demons are pathetic,” Cattleya suddenly cut in disdainfully.

Both demons turned toward her, startled by the venom in her tone.

“What did you say?” Gorn asked, his slit eyes narrowing dangerously.

Cattleya glared back at him. “I said, you’re pathetic. You’re supposed to be these fearsome, terrifying demons, and yet you’re trembling at the feet of a single human. It’s laughable.”

For a moment, Gorn looked ready to strike her down, his gaze darkening as his claws twitched. “You dare—”

“What are you going to do? Kill me? Go ahead!” Cattleya snapped. “Prove just how low you’ve fallen, you pitiful demon!”

Her boldness stunned both of them into silence. Gorn’s hand froze mid-air.

“Hmph.” With a huff, Cattleya turned on her heel and stormed out of the mansion.

Gorn stood there, speechless, his anger momentarily overwhelmed by Cattleya’s outburst.

“Lord Gin…”

“Don’t say anything.”

“It’s noisy up there. Come down, my friends.”

Gin exhaled heavily and began descending the steps. Lorn hesitated, his fists clenched tightly, but eventually followed.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found James standing amidst the treasure, his back to them.

“We’ve done everything you asked. We sent the ransom message to Ocryphia, just as you instructed. It’s completely untraceable. But… there’s something I don’t understand,” Gin said.

James didn’t turn around. “Go on.”

Gin continued, his tone growing sharper. “You asked us to demand a ransom for both Cattleya Starlight and a boy named Leon Cromwell. But we’ve never taken any boy with that name. What exactly are you planning?”

James finally glanced over his shoulder. “That’s none of your concern. Now, tell me about the ransom.”

Gin hesitated for a moment before replying, “As instructed, we demanded payment in Holy Coins. Ten for Cattleya Starlight and three for Leon Cromwell.”

Holy Coins were the rarest and most valuable currency in the entire Holy Continent, worth more than entire treasuries in the hands of the right people.

“Excellent work,” James said, a broad smile spreading across his face. “Exactly as I envisioned. Now, let’s prepare for tomorrow. I’m counting on your talents to make this performance flawless. You do remember your roles, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Gin replied, while Gorn nodded reluctantly.

James turned fully toward them, his arms outstretched, laden with glittering gold jewelry. He smirked a little.

“Then show me your best and I will give you a worthy life or….”

James stared at them with his red eyes.

“Disappoint me and death will be the least of your concern.”