Inner Demon

With righteousness on my face and ten thousand curses galloping in my heart, that’s exactly how I feel right now.

After all, I didn’t even get the chance to “turn over a new leaf” or “repent sincerely” before the overpowered female protagonist Kefir finished everything with just one slap!

Great. Not only did I fail to surrender, but now the pose of me holding a folding chair looks suspiciously like I was about to ambush Kefir.

Normally in a script like this, if a villain doesn’t manage to cling to the protagonist’s thigh, they’ll be killed off with one sword strike! Who would believe a pretty girl would buy the “massage your legs” act!?

As I stood frozen in silence, unsure of what to do, Kefir’s next question actually made me breathe a huge sigh of relief.

At least she isn’t just a “protagonist” in name and power—her intelligence is also on point.

“You guys having an internal conflict?”

“Wanna know why?!”

With an excited question, I quickly tidied up my posture and put on a “righteous smile” that I’ve practiced countless times, trying not to look like a notorious conman but rather a noble undercover agent.

Because this moment could decide whether I live or die!

Kefir took a step back, but the suspicion in her eyes didn’t lessen at all.

“Conman Euclide, using so-called ‘prophecies’ to deceive people, infiltrating evil organizations, fooling the public. Hmph. If you think that trick will work on me too, I’ll give you one last sentence before you die.”

Great! I won’t need a whole sentence—I’ll finish in three words!

I tensed up, ready to act. So did Kefir! She must’ve sensed something off, her hand finally resting on the hilt of her sword, ready to strike.

As a villain—a major one at that—once you meet the protagonist, there are only two outcomes: fail to bluff and get killed, or…

“I surrender!”

Just in time, before her sword poked a hole through me, I threw myself onto her black-stockinged thigh!

Soft, silky, fragrant—it’s the kind of thigh only a true protagonist would have!

Kefir clearly didn’t expect that! Her intentionally low and threatening voice pitched up several notches into that of a flustered girl.

“You… what are you doing?!”

“I surrender! Miss Kefir! Boss Kefir! Sure, I’ve been a conman, lying to people, working as a strategist for evil organizations—but I want to be a good person now!”

I’ll serve tea, act as a stool, be your lackey—it’s all fine! Serving the protagonist isn’t selling out—it’s moving the plot forward!

Now that I’ve finally latched onto these silky thighs, I feel like I can see the light of a bright future!

“L-let go!”

“No! Look at my sincere eyes! Look at my honest face! I’m dead serious about surrendering! You are lightning, you are sunshine, you are the only myth! If you accept my surrender, from posing cool to making tea and warming your bed, you name it—I’ll write the plot for you!”

Now Kefir was seriously panicking! Her formerly icy and confident gaze—one that only protagonists have—was now filled with shock and… confusion.

She kept trying to shake off her leg, which I was clinging to for dear life, but—

I’ve waited too long for this moment to let go now! Unless I’m brain-dead, I’m not letting go! I’m basically an octopus at this point!

“Quit joking around, you conman!”

Trying to pry me off, but clearly caught off guard by my sudden antics, Kefir didn’t go straight to stabbing me.

Instead, she kept pushing my head with her hand, trying to shove me away!

“After all the evil you’ve done, now you want to surrender? You think anyone at the Tribunal will believe you?!”

“I haven’t done anything bad! In fact, I’ve only done good deeds!”

“Nonsense! Is this one of your tricks to manipulate people?! Let go so I can give you a quick death!”

“It’s not! Before every major evil organization was taken down, didn’t you always receive anonymous letters from someone named ‘Lei Feng’?!”

Kefir’s hands stopped moving for a second.

“You…”

“That was me!”

I’ve been masquerading as a villain to avoid some cannon-fodder-style deaths, but I never forgot to leave myself an escape route—to turn over a new leaf and hug the protagonist’s thigh when the time came!

Yes, I’m the infamous conman Euclide, infiltrating various evil groups, but I’ve never done any real harm. My reputation is bad, that’s all.

Every time I felt it was time to “move on,” I’d send an anonymous letter to the local kingdom, helping them bust the organization I was in, and walk off into the sunset with a handsome smile.

“I’m this continent’s Invisible Guardian! Can you bear to shatter that image!?”

“There are rumors about Euclide’s tricks being extremely bizarre. How can I trust you?”

“You want proof?”

I suddenly let go of her thigh, and surprisingly, Kefir didn’t immediately slice me down. She just frowned and stared at me.

Proof? Easy. According to the plotline, there’s some real danger coming up, and I’d rather warn her ahead of time—after all, she’s the protagonist I need to cling to. Can’t let her get hurt.

“There will be three enemies with poison arrows entering through the front door any moment now!”

This warning wasn’t even mine to begin with—just as I spoke, Kefir turned and slashed her sword! The resulting shockwave sent the “reinforcements” flying the second they appeared at the entrance!

In the script, Kefir’s current power is around dual Level 6 in swordsmanship and magic. In this world, Level 9 is Saint-tier. So dual Level 6? She’s already a genius among geniuses!

And this is just the beginning! Now that I’ve clung to this thigh, dying will be harder than living!

After the attack, Kefir turned back, her surprise clearly aimed at me—not at the ambush.

“You arranged that?”

“Does it look like I did?! The mage hiding behind the chair is prepping a spell!”

This time, it really was a plot leak from me! Kefir hesitated for a second but chose to follow my advice. She vanished and reappeared next to the cannon fodder, stomping his head into the floor.

When she looked back again, her gaze was even more puzzled.

Don’t look at me like that—if it gets me closer to you, leaking a few side-character scripts is no big deal.

“The two thieves near the door are using Stealth to escape!”

Just as the words left my mouth, a pair of throwing knives—clearly drawn from under her skirt—nailed both cannon fodder in the shoulders, pinning them to the ground.

“Whew… Don’t worry. That’s all of them who pose a threat to you.”

I let out a big breath and leaned against the chair. That was how this segment of the script went:

[Kefir infiltrates the evil organization solo. Though she easily defeats all members, she suffers a minor injury due to an ambush.]

But I’m planning to cling to the protagonist’s thigh—I can’t let her get hurt. Besides, it’d be a real shame if a beauty like her got injured!

After all this, even the iciest protagonist should at least believe I genuinely want to surrender, right?

I looked at Kefir, mentally preparing the next “lines” to continue clinging to her thigh, but instead, I saw her worried shout—and then…

Two large, soft things landed right on my face.

“Conman! Watch out behind you!”

Crap! I forgot about my death flag as the “major villain”! I haven’t hugged that thigh properly yet!

Hello everyone, this is your shameless author speaking.

This new book is officially launched, and I’ll be updating regularly moving forward.

Details about release schedules, bonus chapters, and monthly giveaways can all be found in the first volume. Colored illustrations and character art will be added as progress continues.

So please support this book! To keep the story flowing smoothly, I’ll keep my announcements short from now on.

Thank you all for your support!