57. Turns Out,
the Final Villain Was the Administrator
【Administrator: Being handsome is the best!】
【Administrator: ꉂꉂ(^ᗜ^*)】
The administrator said it so brazenly that I was left speechless.
This shallow, appearance-obsessed administrator.
Usually people at least try to pretend otherwise, but he didn’t even bother to hide his obsession with looks.
【Administrator: Hey, this is an argument based on objective statistics, okay?】
【Administrator: In the romance-fantasy genre, there’s a strong correlation between a character’s appearance and their narrative importance.】
…What nonsense is he spouting?
【Administrator: (ฅ˘⩊˘ฅ) Ahem.】
【Administrator: Generally, in rofan novels, the more attractive a character is, the more important they tend to be in the story.】
【Administrator: So if the villain happens to have male-lead-level looks, chances are he’ll play a much bigger role later on.】
“What kind of miraculous logic is that?”
Well, to be fair, male leads in romance-fantasy novels are usually handsome.
But isn’t it a stretch to say, he’s the male lead because he’s handsome rather than he’s handsome because he’s the male lead?
【Administrator: Oh, come on. (´▽`)】
【Administrator: Do you think the Creator would design the appearance of main or supporting characters carelessly when building this world?】
【Administrator: Everything is laid out under the Creator’s careful arrangement.】
It kind of made sense, but also didn’t.
【Administrator: Look, Cayenne even got promoted to male-lead candidate, right?】
【Administrator: He’s handsome for a reason.】
【Administrator: You agree, right?】
“Well… I suppose that’s true.”
For nonsense, it actually sounded strangely convincing, leaving me tongue-tied.
I wasn’t sure where exactly his logic started making sense, but one thing was clear—this administrator was a hopeless looks fanatic.
Then a stray thought suddenly popped up.
“Wait… is the reason you’re so biased toward me also because you like Roselia’s appearance?”
It sounded like a very plausible suspicion, but the administrator jumped up in protest.
【Administrator: ٩(◦`꒳´◦)۶】
【Administrator: What do you take me for!】
【Administrator: I value inner qualities the most when choosing a favorite!】
“You seriously look like someone who only cares about faces.”
Think about it—
He’d been calling me his favorite from the very beginning, even before he knew anything about me.
“Remember when we first met? We hadn’t exchanged a single word before you suddenly appeared and declared you were going to be biased toward me.”
Unless he could read minds, there’s no way he saw my inner qualities back then.
But despite my sharp point, the administrator strongly denied it.
【Administrator: No way—!】
【Administrator: Sure, we hadn’t talked before,】
【Administrator: but as an administrator, I had this feeling. A hunch. An intuition.】
【Administrator: You know, that it’s fate at first sight kind of thing.】
【Administrator: Like—this kid is a once-in-a-thousand-years possessor.】
【Administrator: (´ε｀*)】
“…You’re saying you got that kind of creepy feeling the very first time you saw me?”
Honestly, it would be less disturbing if he just admitted it was because of my looks.
I gave him a very dubious stare.
And at the same time, a vivid memory flashed in my head.
The day I first met the administrator.
【Administrator: ⸜(ˊᗜˋ)⸝】
【Administrator: Nice to meet you, possessor!】
【Administrator: I’m the newbie cutie administrator!】
【Administrator: I came here to specta— no, to help with your possession life.】
“Right. Now that I think about it, you did say back then you came to spectate my life as a possessor.”
Which means… he’d already been watching me before that?
【Administrator: Tch. ( ¯⌓¯)】
【Administrator: This is why I don’t like sharp possessors.】
“Wow, you’re not even denying it.”
So what was his real intention in approaching me?
Could it be… the final villain isn’t Cayenne, but actually the administrator?
Even that whole act of giving me a luck buff—wasn’t there some hidden reason behind it?
I’d grown so used to him and dropped my guard, but now that a seed of doubt had sprouted, suspicion kept snowballing.
【Administrator: Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t you trust me???】
【Administrator: You said you liked me! Said I was cute!】
【Administrator: You said thanks to me you had the strength to survive in this cruel world!】
【Administrator: (｡>﹏<｡)】
“I… never said that.”
I said flatly.
【Administrator: o(╥﹏╥)o】
【Administrator: How could you twist my pure intentions like this.】
【Administrator: Who else is as devoted as I am?】
“To be fair, up until now you really have been devoted to the point of moving me… But now I’m starting to wonder if it was really devotion at all.”
【Administrator: (-`ε´-)】
【Administrator: Unbelievable. It was devotion!】
【Administrator: In fact, I was going to tell you something useful about Cayenne today…】
“You said no spoilers.”
【Administrator: Yeah, no spoilers.】
【Administrator: That’s why what I’m about to say is strictly my personal opinion,】
【Administrator: and has absolutely nothing to do with the actual work, places, events, or characters.】
“…?”
The administrator rattled off a disclaimer as if he wanted someone else to overhear.
After finishing his mission, the administrator returned to the Possessor Management Department in high spirits.
It wasn’t every day Roselia called for him.
That alone was refreshing, but getting to drop some high-level info for her made him feel even more accomplished.
“See? I really am cut out to be a guardian angel.”
He hummed cheerfully as he sat back down at his station.
“Do you think it’s okay to go around leaking confidential information like that?”
From the seat beside him, Ian leaned over his monitor, glaring.
“Ian! You were watching me?”
The administrator responded innocently, but Ian’s face only grew darker.
“…You know, right? No matter how many disclaimers you throw in, it’s still turning a blind eye to the rules. Do you actually want to get penalized again?”
“Aw, don’t be so scary. The last penalty was already painful enough.”
The administrator’s honey-colored eyes sparkled as he spoke with mock cuteness.
But Ian only felt more discomfort rising in his chest.
Normally he could treat the administrator as an equal, but whenever he pulled reckless stunts like this, Ian was reminded of the special privileges the man enjoyed.
“That last time, the penalty was basically a slap on the wrist. If it had been anyone else, they’d have been fired long ago.”
Maintaining neutrality and preserving the balance of the world—
That so-called Neutrality Obligation was one of the most absolute duties imposed on administrators.
But this one had brazenly declared favoritism for Roselia from the start, flouting a major rule without hesitation.
And ever since then, he’d thrown himself into her affairs without a second thought, as if consequences to the world didn’t matter.
“I’m only saying this because we’re coworkers—and because you asked me to treat you like a friend.”
Ian warned him earnestly.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Letting yourself be swayed by a single possessor… you know that won’t end well for you, right?”
“…”
“I’m saying this for your own good. If you keep breaking protocol like this, no matter who you are, the backlash will be severe.”
“Our Ian worries too much.”
The administrator just grinned.
“Don’t worry. For now, there’s no problem at all.”
He shifted his gaze back to his smartphone.
As usual, he opened the Possession Live app and peered down at Roselia.
When the screen showed Roselia heading for Cayenne’s room, the administrator squealed in delight.
“Kyah~! Looks like my matchmaking worked. I smell romance brewing!”
That night.
Armed with the administrator’s crucial hint, I went to see Cayenne around midnight.
Moonlight streamed faintly through the corridor windows.
I lit the way with an oil lamp, treading carefully.
“Who would’ve thought I’d be sneaking into a servant’s quarters like it’s my own room?”
I muttered to myself wryly as I made my way to his room with practiced familiarity.
The very last room at the end of the third-floor hallway, one of the rare single rooms among the servant’s lodgings.
Knock, knock.
I rapped gently on the door.
But no answer came from within.
I pressed my ear against the door. Silence—no breathing, no movement.
‘Is he asleep?’
Surely he didn’t go out in the middle of the night?
I was still debating whether to wait or come back later when—
A massive shadow loomed behind me.
“Oh? My lady?”
“…!”
My heart nearly leapt out of my throat.
I almost screamed at the sudden presence that had snuck up on me without a sound.
Barely managing to steady my weak knees, I slowly turned around.
“Did I scare you?”
Cayenne shrugged, as if he hadn’t meant to startle me.
But seeing him made my eyes nearly pop out of my head.
“Why… are you half-naked?”
The only scrap of cloth on his body was a towel wrapped around his waist.
I couldn’t look him straight in the eye, so I lowered my gaze—only to be assaulted by the sight of his firm chest and well-sculpted abs, forcing me to whip my head away entirely.
Even though I averted my eyes, the visual impact was burned into my brain.
It wasn’t lewd so much as… divine—like the physical perfection of a god out of mythology.
And in that brief glance, I realized most of his injuries had healed. The bandages that once wrapped him nearly head to toe were now almost gone.
“Oh, I just got out of the bath.”
Only then did I notice the lingering heat and dampness around him.
His soft golden hair clung wet and heavy with water.
“So, what brings you here, my lady?”
Cayenne leaned in close, whispering slyly into my ear.
“Coming to see me alone at this hour… could it be…?”
