I settled into the plush chair and checked the appearance of today’s target through the screen.

A handsome man with black hair and black eyes was admiring his own beauty while looking around the room.

Dazzlingly good-looking. An extraordinary aura.

Seeing the face of a man who seemed to say “I’m the main character” to anyone who looked at him, I felt oddly at ease.

‘Black hair and black eyes – he’d fit perfectly as the male lead of a tragic novel too.’

Thinking that this target might be the male protagonist I was looking for, Callys von Agrian, I couldn’t help but feel excited.

‘All that’s left is to observe his behavior.’

In the original work, Callys had a special power.

An ability that manifested rarely, only in those who inherited the imperial bloodline.

He could freely control his own shadow.

‘It was basically an unfair ability. Not just for fighting, but he could eavesdrop and use it like an extra limb.’

The important thing was that if this man was Callys, he might use that ability someday.

But then.

“Huh?”

As I was casually watching the screen, I was startled by the man’s sudden action and rubbed my eyes.

The handsome man, who had been curiously examining various parts of the room, suddenly stopped in front of the door and stretched his hand toward empty space.

Immediately, black mana gathered and instantly took the form of a sword.

“What… what is that…?”

As I was still blinking in confusion, he swung the sword widely at the door.

Crash!

A strong vibration that shook the hideout was felt even here.

The thick iron door, at least a hand’s width thick, shattered easily like glass.

“Holy shit.”

Shocked by the scene, I unconsciously let out a curse.

It wasn’t simply because he demolished the iron door.

‘The problem is the method.’

Creating a sword’s form with mana and attacking was the unique combat style of magic swordsmen.

In this world, magic swordsmen only came from the Belvedere ducal family, which was the female lead’s family.

‘If he’s a young, handsome man from the Belvedere family, there’s only one person in the world it could be.’

The main villain of the original work, who would murder his parents in a few months.

The person I had kidnapped without knowing was undoubtedly Dietrich Belvedere.

And that cruel villain, seemingly intending to catch and punish me, was heading towards where I was without hesitation.

He had only blinked.

Yet Nils, who had been nagging beside him, and the chaotic city scenery had instantly vanished.

Instead, a luxurious room filled his vision.

Dietrich, who had somehow been brought to an unfamiliar place, calmly began to assess his situation.

‘The door is completely locked.’

He tried to open the door that seemed to connect to the outside, but it showed no signs of budging, blocked by something.

This time, he quickly scanned the room’s interior.

An ornate bed with a silk canopy, a wide desk made of dark wood, and an expensive-looking mat spread beneath it.

The surprisingly luxurious room matched exactly what was described in the newspaper interview.

‘This is undeniable.’

He had been kidnapped.

And not just anyone, but him.

By that serial kidnapper of handsome men.

Dietrich, lost in shallow thoughts, suddenly burst into laughter.

An action that didn’t look like a kidnapping victim at all.

His face, slightly bowed as he laughed, was filled with a joy rarely seen in his usual demeanor.

Yes, he had headed to Hildes Street intending to be kidnapped from the start.

There was no reason to stride down the street without covering this handsome face, even though people’s eyes might go blind.

Everything was intentional, planned.

It must have been, and yet…

Being caught so helplessly was not part of the plan.

Honestly, when he heard that the victims and those around them hadn’t even seen a trace of the kidnapper, he thought it was an exaggeration.

When he heard that Princess Veronica von Agrian had formed an investigation team but failed to catch the culprit for months, he thought it was due to incompetence.

But after being caught by the kidnapper himself, he understood.

It was natural that mere investigators couldn’t catch them.

The kidnapping method itself was utterly simple.

Cover the target’s eyes with one hand, lift them with the other, and move them. That was all.

However, it happened so quickly that it was difficult to even realize one was being kidnapped.

It was only because it was him that he noticed this much; others must have felt like they had fallen into a different world when they opened their eyes.

‘Where on earth has such a talent been hiding?’

Moreover, this talent wasn’t just skilled at kidnapping. They seemed to have a good eye for furniture too.

Dietrich continued to look around the room with a pleased expression, then suddenly stopped.

It was somewhat fun comparing it to the newspaper’s description, but he soon lost interest.

‘The original purpose of coming here was something else, after all…’

Dietrich stretched his arm towards empty space.

Ominous mana began to surround him, gathering in his hand.

Soon, the concentrated mana in his hand grew into the shape of a sword.

A sword emanating a dark light as black as obsidian.

Dietrich swung the sword filled with sinister energy widely at the door.

Crash!

The firmly locked iron door couldn’t withstand the pure mass of mana and shattered in an instant.

Dietrich smiled slightly, then slipped out through the split in the door with ease.

“Why are you coming out of there…?”

Secretly observing the target through the surveillance device, I muttered softly, filled with shock.

This can’t be right. This can’t happen. This can’t be happening.

I had been suspicious from the moment I heard this target had black hair and black eyes. I thought he might be Dietrich.

‘But to think he really was Dietrich!’

I let out a bitter laugh, dumbfounded and bewildered. How did this happen?

I only wanted to find the male lead.

But instead, I kidnapped the villain from the original story. Not just any other minor villain.

None other than Dietrich Belvedere himself.

That grim reaper who was said to chop off the heads of those he disliked!

In the original work, Dietrich was someone who considered human life lower than that of flies.

It wasn’t for nothing that he was the main antagonist of Part 1.

The number of characters who died by his hand was too many to count.

‘That’s why I thought I should never get involved with him…’

Not only did I get involved, I even kidnapped him, so it was obvious what would happen to my neck.

‘Should I run away?’

For a moment, I wanted to abandon everything and escape, but I forced myself to resist the urge.

There were other handsome men imprisoned in the hideout. My conscience wouldn’t allow me to leave them behind.

Moreover, the only exit was already blocked by Dietrich.

If I tried to run away recklessly, I’d end up going to greet him instead.

‘Am I really this stupid? I should have made at least one more escape route.’

I regretted being so careless when first building the hideout.

But I couldn’t just wallow in despair.

My mind had gone blank long ago, but I tried desperately to find a solution.

‘Should I just hug him roughly like when I kidnapped him and throw him outside?’

But I shook my head as I watched the man in the surveillance feed.

Not a single weak point could be found in his appearance.

While I might be able to kidnap someone who was defenseless, I had never kidnapped someone so alert.

‘How about fighting and knocking him out? Then kicking him out while he’s unconscious.’

Hmm. Even as I thought of it, it was a ridiculous and nonsensical idea.

Despite my ability, I didn’t have the confidence to face off against the empire’s greatest magic swordsman. Let alone win.

I kept racking my brains for a way to overcome this situation.

But with no ideas coming to mind, it seemed my death was all but certain.

‘It was a short and crappy life.’

If I had known I’d die so absurdly, I should have at least tried to get revenge on the Schmidts.

The only consolation was that Ren wasn’t in the hideout right now.

‘The Gerald Information Guild’s headquarters is quite far, so it’ll take him a while to return.’

I was really fortunate that Ren went to meet the master instead of me today.

If that kind boy had gotten caught up in this too, I wouldn’t have been able to die in peace.

At that moment.

Crack.

The locked door was split in two by a pitch-black sword.

With just one swing of the sword, an ominous wind filled with mana engulfed me.

The killing intent was palpable even on my skin.

My legs gave out and I collapsed from the overwhelming pressure I had never experienced before.

Soon after, a figure entered through the gap in the shattered door.

Step, step. The sound of footsteps crushing the door’s remains sent chills down my spine.

I held my breath silently.

At last, I made eye contact with Dietrich, the villain from the original work.