THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system
Chapter 23: Beneath The Smile

Chapter 23: Beneath The Smile

Mira stopped crying, though she said no more, still lost in confusion. Someone in the crowd muttered, "Dan."

Luna’s confusion lingered for only a moment before her face drained pale. She ran toward the village, the crowd trailing after her, leaving Niel and Mira alone under the tree.

She soon reached the village and turned toward her house, but someone stopped her mid-stride, pointing her toward the market instead. Her confusion only deepened the crowd’s own—she clearly had no idea where Dan even was.

She ran straight to the market and found a small crowd gathered around what looked like a body. The cries of two girls rose above the murmurs—Mira and Anna—while the rest of the crowd whispered among themselves.

Luna pushed through, and the crowd parted as she approached. A few feet away lay Dan’s headless body, Anna and Mia weeping beside it.

Her knees buckled, and she sank down beside them, trying desperately to recall what had happened. Tears streamed down her face, though nothing about the scene made sense to her.

"Why?" Mia’s voice came out smaller than she meant it to. "Why would you do it?"

Luna’s hands flew to her hair, scratching at first lightly, then frantically, as though she could claw her way back into her own missing memories. Nothing surfaced.

"What—what is this, what’s going on?" Luna stammered, her breath shaking.

The crowd parted again, this time from the other side. Footsteps approached, slow and deliberate—Lady Amira.

Her gaze drifted from the body to Luna, carrying no warmth, her voice calmer than she likely intended. "What happened here, Luna?"

They gathered in the village hall soon after. A handful of villagers were present. Mira sat at the edge of the room, looking like a hollow copy of herself.

Over the past three years, they’d grown close as something like family, even without blood ties—leaning on each other through hard times. As the oldest, Luna had helped them through sleepless nights, sickness, and all of their bad moments. It felt nearly impossible to reconcile that with what they’d all just witnessed.

Somehow, everyone seemed to be waiting for a logical explanation, a missing piece that would make it all make sense.

Luna stood at the podium, her gaze fixed on the floor, though her eyes seemed to be looking somewhere far beyond it. Amira and two others sat across from her, serving as judges—an old man and an old woman.

Witnesses testified about what they’d seen. Mira, though a witness herself, offered little—she was in a far worse state than Luna.

Mia was called forward, and Amira spoke calmly. "Mia, has there been any change in Luna’s behavior recently?"

"Sister—I mean, Lady Amira, not that I’ve noticed. She’s always been kind and helpful—she even helped bandage Dan’s wounds just yesterday. I don’t know what to think, Lady Amira, but Luna doesn’t seem like someone capable of this."

Sister? Mia is Amira’s sister? I should have guessed from the hair. I recall her mentioning she had one family member left—I assumed a parent or grandparent. The threads keep connecting.

"Very well, then." Amira’s voice cut through his thoughts, her gaze shifting to him. "Niel, did you notice any change in her leading up to today? You were the last one with her—tell us what you know."

Claire: New skill acquired. Authority of Deception—Lie Discernment.

Oh, I nearly forgot she has an authority. The opposite of Valak’s, though it functions differently. Unlike his, hers has more gaps to exploit.

Mia stepped down as Niel took the stand and cleared his throat. "Well, I haven’t noticed any change in her behavior these past few weeks. She’s seemed like her usual self. As for the murder—from what I’ve heard, she went into the village, killed Dan, then fled to the field, where she collapsed unconscious in my arms."

"At the time, I assumed I’d done something wrong somewhere. But looking at it now, something feels off. It doesn’t add up."

Amira leaned back. "—And why do you say that?"

"I don’t believe Luna is capable of murder. She’s the kindest person I know, and I think a deeper investigation might turn up the truth. Maybe some kind of mind spell was used—maybe she wasn’t herself in that moment—but there has to be an explanation," Niel replied, his voice and expression layered with concern that read as entirely genuine.

The hall fell silent long enough for the wind to be heard through the windows before Amira’s voice cut through it again.

"Luna, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Luna lifted her head, her expression numb. Her eyes found Niel first, his own faintly glassy with tears, then drifted to Amira, whose face gave nothing away. For a long moment she said nothing. Then: "No. I don’t remember anything."

Amira let out a slow breath and leaned forward. The old man and woman leaned in as well, murmuring among themselves for a stretch of time before finally breaking apart.

The old man picked up a quill and wrote something down; the old woman did the same. Both handed their notes to Amira, who studied them for a long moment.

The silence stretched on before Amira’s gaze moved to the old man, who gave a nod, then to the old woman, who echoed it.

Amira sighed, weary, and finally spoke.

"The council finds you guilty of murder, but we also conclude you were not in a sound state of mind." She paused, letting the words settle. "Because of that, we cannot reach a final verdict."

She set both papers down and folded her arms. "You will be sent to the Warstone Kingdom, where you’ll stand trial over the next six months. If it’s found you were under mind control, your sentence may be reduced. But if it’s determined you acted of your own free will, you will be executed immediately. That is our conclusion."

Luna nodded faintly, her eyes hollow, empty of anything behind them.

"Very well, then," Amira said, rising. "This case is settled."

Two adventurers approached Luna and bound her hands behind her back with rope. She didn’t resist or protest as they led her toward the door. As she passed through it, she glanced back at Mira and murmured weakly, "I’m sorry."

Then they led her from the hall. A carriage waited outside, fitted with a cage-like compartment at the back. She was guided inside, and the door sealed shut behind her.

Niel ran to the carriage before it could leave, standing before her as she stared down at the floor of the cage.

His voice came out gentle, laced with concern. "I know you’re innocent, Luna. I’ll do everything I can to prove it. Just trust me, and be patient—I promise, I’ll come find you."

She said nothing, didn’t lift her head. Then, as the carriage prepared to depart, she raised her eyes to meet his, and a smile crept across her face.

It wasn’t gratitude. It wasn’t hope for the truth to come out. It was a knowing smile—one that looked almost guilty, or perhaps simply aware.

As the carriage pulled away, her gaze never left his face, the smile stretching wider, edging into something faintly unhinged.

For a moment, a chill ran down Niel’s spine, and for the first time since he’d entered the human world, his heart skipped a beat. If he hadn’t killed Dan himself, that look would have convinced him she had something to do with it—but that was an impossible lie.

His hands trembled slightly as he clenched them tight. He looked down at his own hand, then back toward the carriage, now shrinking into the distance, and a small, panicked scoff slipped from his lips.

You were right, Claire. We should have killed her instead.