THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system
Chapter 22: Borrowed Face

Chapter 22: Borrowed Face

As he drew closer to the village, Claire’s voice stirred in his mind.

Claire: You still haven’t said why you decided to keep her alive. Are you falling in love with her?

Are you jealous?

Claire: I—

Claire went silent, only a faint hiss following. A small smile tugged at his lips as he walked on.

Don’t worry, I don’t have a heart for love. The reason I decided to keep her alive is her unique skill. You said my theft ability could develop further—maybe even learn to steal abilities outright someday—so I’d rather wait until then before she dies. Her ability is too valuable to waste.

Claire: Oh, I see. I thought—never mind. Well, since you’re wearing her face now, I assume you have a plan to set her up.

Certainly. I can’t keep her around for long—her intuition is too sharp for comfort. Better to have her sent away, kept somewhere safe until the right time comes.

He soon reached the village, moving with the same graceful ease she would have carried. He headed toward the market center, in the direction of Amira’s residence.

The same warm expression stayed fixed on his borrowed face as he moved carefully through the streets. Soon he spotted Mira and Dan approaching from a distance—they’d left Mia and Anna behind, since the girls had refused to leave the gathering. Dan spotted him first, mistaking him for Luna, and hurried ahead while Mira trailed a few steps behind.

Dan stopped a few feet from "Luna," his eyes lighting up as though he’d been saving up something to say and finally had someone to say it to. "You missed it! You missed Lady Amira’s story—the way she described slaying that monster, it was incredible!"

He paused, glancing around as Vael drew closer. "Where’s Niel?"

"He’s out in the field, waiting for me. I came back to finish something quickly." Vael, still wearing Luna’s face, stopped a foot away from Dan as Mira caught up beside them.

Dan looked around, as if trying to guess what she could possibly have left unfinished.

"What’s that?" Dan asked.

Vael’s smile widened, brightening Luna’s face into something almost gentle, and he murmured, "You."

Before Dan could process the answer, Vael yanked him closer, drew the blade from its scabbard, and in a blink took his head clean off. Dan’s body hit the ground with a heavy thud.

The entire street froze in stunned silence. Everyone knew Luna—kind, gentle, always the first to help. She’d never once picked up a blade to fight; healing was her role in a crisis, not violence. It felt almost impossible to accept what stood before them, and yet there she was, blood on her hand, Dan’s severed head dangling from her grip, blade still dripping at her side.

The silence stretched long enough for the flap of birds’ wings overhead to carry clearly across the street before Mira shattered it with a scream.

"Luna!!!"

She dropped to her knees, her legs giving out beneath her, hands trembling, breath catching in ragged pulls.

Niel, still wearing Luna’s face, tossed Dan’s head toward Mira. It rolled to a stop in front of her, eyes still wide with shock.

In an instant, Mira’s horror twisted into rage. She surged to her feet and lunged at "Luna."

The blade slipped from his hand as he spun and ran, a handful of adventurers breaking into a chase behind him, convinced they were hunting Luna herself.

Niel outran them easily, weaving through corners toward the open field, until the crowd was forced to split apart to search for him.

He reached the field, shifted back into Niel’s face, and hurried to the tree where he’d left her body, lifting her off the ground as if she’d only just collapsed into his arms.

The moment the crowd came into view, he began shaking her gently—gently at first, then more frantic the closer they got—before finally shouting.

"Wake up, Luna! Wake up!!!"

Mira reached the tree first, several adventurers close behind, drawn by the sound of him screaming her name.

"I’ll kill you, Luna!!!" Mira shrieked, launching herself forward, hands wreathed in flame, at the still-unconscious woman. Niel caught her midair and hauled her back.

"What are you doing?! You’re trying to kill her—what did she do to you?!" he demanded, his face a careful mask of horror and confusion, convincing enough that no one would guess it was anything but genuine surprise at Mira’s outburst.

Mira lunged again, and Niel took the hit with his own body. The flame tore through his clothes and scorched his skin, and he cried out in pain, though he’d barely felt it at all. Only then did her fury begin to break.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing. The rest of the adventurers arrived just as Luna’s eyes fluttered open.

Mira looked up at her, tears streaking her face. "Why—why did you do that?" Her voice shook, then rose. "How could you do that?!"

Luna blinked back at her, confused, and the gathered crowd looked just as lost. She seemed pale and fragile—nothing like the woman who had murdered Dan only minutes ago. The crowd fractured into mixed reactions: confusion, anger, doubt, and total disbelief. It was as though they had all witnessed the act, yet found it impossible to accept.

"Wha—what happened?" Niel asked, his voice shaking. "She left just a moment ago, and now she’s back, collapsed in my arms—what did she do?"

Niel’s expression was carved from concern and fear so precise it was impossible to doubt. He turned to Luna, eyes glistening, and asked her softly, "Luna? What did you do?"

Luna searched his face, unable to recall anything beyond the moment she’d blacked out. She stood in silence, straining to remember something, anything, while the crowd’s anger swelled around her.

She looked from face to face, then back at Niel, tears already forming on his cheeks. A tear slid down her own as her gaze landed on Mira, still on the ground, still sobbing, still shaking. Her voice trembled with fear and confusion as she asked:

"What did I do?"