Since I’m Just the Villain Who’ll be Defeated by the Protagonist Anyway, I’ll Go all out and do whatever I want using Forbidden Arts at Full Power until then! …Wait, what? Because I’m actually a good guy deep down, not only does the heroine like me, but the protagonist’s affection level is also maxed out from the start!? No way—that’s definitely just my imagination. I won’t be fooled! - Chapter 12

“What was that magic just now…!? When did you learn such an unnatural spell…?”

“You don’t know?”

“There’s only one answer—it’s Dark God Magic: Apple…!”

Gregor was practically snorting like a rabid bull, each breath dripping with murderous intent.

Of course, there’s no other magic that manipulates gravity besides Dark God Magic: Apple. Even if he didn’t see me use Forbidden Alchemy: Glass Shoes to transform the cloth, the moment he sensed gravity being altered, he should’ve realized what it was. That he didn’t… shows just how fundamentally wrong his understanding of the forbidden tome and Dark God Cliffoth truly is.

“Move aside!! I must finish the ritual! I’ll use that demon girl as a sacrifice to resurrect the forbidden tome!!”

“Forget it. It’s over. The book already served its purpose. Because—”

“What would you know!? The Dark God Cliffoth waits even now for revival!!”

Ugh, he’s completely lost it. He’s not listening to a word. His body’s wrecked, but he doesn’t seem to care as he keeps staggering toward us. His mind has crossed the point of no return.

Meanwhile, Sophie clung tightly to my arm. No surprise—Gregor’s deranged state is terrifying, and he was literally torturing her to the point of cardiac arrest just minutes ago.

“Get away from him, you demon! Trying to seduce my son and turn him against me!? I know your kind well! I saw what happened to dear old Dad when he was betrayed by the very familiar he created!!”

He must be referring to what happened ten years ago—what led to the Leipnitz family being branded as descendants of the Dark God Cliffoth.

Gregor’s father—my grandfather—thought he had mastered Dark God Magic: Apple from the forbidden book. He tried to turn a demon girl he bought into his familiar. But in truth, he had only thought he’d mastered the magic.

So, naturally, the demon rebelled and killed him. And all that was left behind was the infamy of being called a “Cliffoth family.”

Gregor eagerly took part in his father’s misguided research and carried it on. I feel no sympathy for him. Still… seeing how far gone he’s become…

“…So that’s why you bought this girl from the slave trader.”

“Exactly. But that slave trader’s entire network has been wiped out. Seems they were taken down by a pair of siblings called Lindwurm…”

“Wait, what?”

Lindwurm… could that be Ethica? So her brother was involved too!?

Looks like some of the traders escaped them, though. Sophie must’ve ended up in the hands of one of those remnants.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get another demon… I can’t research Dark God Magic: Apple freely anymore… Time’s running out… I have to complete my father’s work… Fulfill the Leipnitz family’s legacy…! Hee… heeheeheehee…”

“What are you trying to do…?”

His bloodshot eyes bulged unnaturally. I could almost see the centuries of resentment coursing through the Leipnitz bloodline.

And now that hatred wasn’t just aimed at Sophie—it was aimed at me, his own son, who shared that cursed bl00d.

“Yes… I’ll offer the bl00d of Leipnitz, too! To return to that glorious primordial world where Lord Cliffoth awaits!!”

He pulled a knife from his coat and, though barely able to stand, stumbled toward us with murderous intent.

Yeah… there’s no saving him now. Even the original Monad had no emotional memory of this man. I owe him nothing.

“Dark God Regression: Cliffoth Presents.”

I extended my right hand.

A cosmic-colored magic circle—formed from dark matter—pierced through my arm like a shadowy ripple.

“Th-that’s… the crest of Lord Cliffoth…”

Another black magic circle burst into existence. Gregor’s feet froze mid-step. He stared as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Dark matter can affect all things—gravity, cloth… even my own body.

A black hand.

My right arm turned pitch black—it was no longer human. In that moment, I became something else… a temporary incarnation of the Dark God Cliffoth.

I had transformed myself into the Dark God Cliffoth incarnate. That was the true nature of
Dark God Regression: Cliffoth Presents.

“Ah—”

Maybe he was too stunned to process what was happening. He didn’t even react until I grabbed him.

A thick black haze, barely visible to the human eye, surged from my right hand and wrapped around Gregor.

Dark matter can interfere with any physical body—even someone else’s. It can consume everything—down to the last cell—leaving behind absolute nothingness.

“…You look like you’re having fun.”

What I glimpsed through the cluster of dark matter in Gregor’s final moments… was a man smiling like a proud father, watching his son come into his own.

“Hahaha… I see now… You’ve been chosen by Lord Cliffoth—”

He couldn’t finish the sentence.

No mouth, no body—nothing remained. If any sound was left to echo from what had once been Gregor, it would be the voiceless lament of a vengeful spirit… beyond all comprehension.

(He’s dead…)

Even after my right hand returned to normal, that dark cloud lingered in my mind.
Maybe this was the psychological side effect of using Dark God Regression: Cliffoth Presents.

No… that wasn’t it.

This was guilt. Guilt from killing someone for the first time in both of my lives. Even if it had been self-defense—inevitable, really—it didn’t change the fact.

Taking a life… wasn’t something I wanted to do. It was something I had to do.

Still, in every route, Gregor had already died before the story began. Even if I hadn’t killed him, he would’ve hit a dead end somewhere. Maybe even in the exact same way.

…That was the excuse I told myself.

Once I’d finally come to terms with it, I turned back to Sophie.

She was still clinging tightly to my arm. What was this little creature, a scared animal?

“Well, then…”

Sure enough, the mark of a half-familiar still glowed on both of our right arms. It wasn’t going away.

“Master… Thank you for saving me…”

She looked up at me with wide, glistening eyes as she said it.

What the hell am I supposed to do with this girl?
This final boss-turned-half-familiar… now bound to me?