I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

About twenty minutes later, the Hunters summoned by Minerva finally arrived at Davon's encampment.

"You should've taken your time. You're a bit too ahead of schedule," a snide voice said.
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The Private Hunters turned toward the source of the comment and saw King leaning casually against a tree, his arms crossed. At his feet lay Davon's body, wrapped tightly in cloth, alongside the frozen corpse of the Demonic Beast.

King seemed unshaken in his determination to bring back the creature's remains for study, despite the risk and inconvenience.

"King, shush!" Reynold said, pressing a finger to his lips in a futile attempt to keep the situation under wraps.

The Hunters present were no ordinary group—they were elite private Hunters, handpicked and hired by Duke Rosenwald himself. Among them, one figure stood out.

A tall, middle-aged man with sharp, distinguished features stepped forward. His silver-grey hair, piercing blue eyes, and neatly trimmed beard lent him an air of a true veterant hunter.

King's eyes narrowed slightly. He instantly recognized the S-Rank Hunter Minerva had mentioned earlier.

"My deepest apologies for our delay, Milady," the man said with a deep, formal bow.

"No, it's not your fault, Mr. Ridgen," Minerva replied, shaking her head gently. "I made the choice to go ahead on my own."

Ridgen's expression twisted a bit. "Even so, I must ask that you wait for us next time."

He couldn't bear the thought of facing Minerva's father—if something dire were to happen to the Duke's daughters because of his tardiness.

"I will," Minerva assured him with a nod.

Satisfied, Ridgen straightened and began surveying the area. "The Mayor mentioned this was about Davon Crook. Am I to assume the situation has been… resolved?"

"Yes," Minerva confirmed, her gaze briefly shifting to the wrapped corpse at King's feet.

"Ah, Mayor, you're here as well?" King spoke up with a playful wave, spotting the jittery man hovering nearby.

"Y-Yes…" the Mayor stuttered, cautiously stepping closer. His eyes darted to Davon's motionless form. "So he's truly… dead?"

"Davon Crook is as dead as they come," King said with a broad grin, a hint of smugness in his tone. "Now then, I trust you brought the reward?"

The Mayor nodded hesitantly, reaching into his satchel. "Yes… I wasn't entirely confident you'd succeed, but I came prepared. As promised, ten gold coins."

At the sight of the small pouch, Reynold practically bounced on his heels in excitement, his enthusiasm mirrored by the gleaming eyes of the other women in their group.

Without hesitation, the bounty was divided. Each of the four took two coins, leaving King with the remaining pair.

King twirled the two gold coins between his fingers with a thoughtful expression. Then with a sudden flick, he sent them flying toward Minerva.

Startled, Minerva instinctively caught the coins but she was confused. "What's this for?" She asked.

"May I entrust you to use these for the children, Lady Minerva?" King asked.

Minerva blinked, processing his request, before a warm smile graced her lips. "Of course. I'll see to it."

Reynold and the other three were dumbfounded. He just gave away two precious Gold coins for the children. It was a great act of altruism but what they didn't know was that King was already filthy rich.

King's expression shifted, as if remembering something. In an instant, he vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of Minerva, so swiftly even Ridgen was taken aback.

Ridgen, an S-Rank Hunter himself, couldn't hide his surprise at King's speed. It was rare for someone of his caliber to feel outpaced.

But King paid no mind to the others' reactions. Ice formed in his hands, taking shape into two exquisite roses. They glistened in the light, their crystalline petals so perfectly crafted they appeared almost alive.

"For the little girl am I right?" Minerva asked, cradling the icy creations carefully guessing it was for the little girl King had promised to give a flower which would never melt.

"One of them is." King replied with a small smile. "Both of them won't melt, so it should last forever. Please give one of them to the girl."

"What about the other one?" Minerva asked puzzled.

"The other one…" He picked one of the roses and gently tucked it behind Minerva's ear.

Minerva froze, her cheeks tinged pink. "Ah…" She murmured, clearly caught off guard.

Her usual composure wavered, and for a moment, she appeared genuinely flustered. Despite her embarrassment, a subtle warmth spread through her. King's unexpected gesture, tender and without a hint of disrespect, stirred emotions she wasn't accustomed to.

"U-Um, thank you…" She said softly, and quite shyly.

The other Hunters stood agape, including Ridgen, whose expression mirrored their disbelief. King, however, ignored them, his focus now on Diana, who was staring at the scene, stunned.

"If Lady Diana feels jealous, perhaps I should prepare a rose for her as well?" King teased.

"J–Jealous? Who said I'm jealous?!" Diana shot back with a glare.

King sighed before turning his attention to Reynold and his group.

He reached into the void and retrieved a gleaming sword, tossing it to Reynold. "For you."

Reynold caught the weapon, his eyes wide with awe.

King continued, producing more items. A finely crafted staff found its way to Mona, while Lua and Saya each received their own expertly forged bow and sword respectively.

"These are gifts for assisting me on this mission," King said. "Take good care of them—they're premium weapons."

Though he didn't explain further these weapons weren't just powerful—they were masterpieces, crafted by Karna Mishra himself in Camelot.

"O-Oh, thank you, man!" Reynold shouted, examining the details of the blade in his hands.

The women, equally delighted, expressed their gratitude with genuine smiles, marveling at the craftsmanship of their new treasures.

King strode back to the two corpses. With quite ease, he hoisted them onto his shoulders as if they weighed no more than feathers. Turning to face the group, he gave a casual wave.

"Well then, farewells, Ladies and Gentlemen," he said with a faint smirk before vanishing into the night. His sudden departure left everyone momentarily stunned—and ensured that no one would be able to examine the mysterious Demonic Beast he had taken with him.

Ridgen broke the silence first. "Who is he, Milady?"

"..." Minerva didn't respond immediately. Her gaze lingered on the spot where King had disappeared.

"Milady?" Ridgen prompted again.

"Ah… yes," Minerva replied, snapping out of her thoughts. "He's a Hunter from the Ocryphia Guild."

Ridgen frowned slightly, still processing what he'd witnessed. "He doesn't seem like an ordinary Hunter," he said.

Minerva didn't answer, though her expression suggested she agreed. As she looked down at the two gold coins in her hand and the delicate ice rose still tucked behind her ear, a small smile crept onto her face. She turned her attention to the children nearby, her heart softening.

***

That night, Celine was leaving work earlier than usual, a rare occurrence for someone as diligent as her.

"Thanks for covering my shift," she said gratefully to her colleagues.

Normally, she would stay until the end of her shift, but tonight was different—she had a very specific reason to leave early.

One of the women grinned mischievously. "Don't worry about it, but you'd better have some spicy stories to tell us tomorrow!"

"T-That's…" Celine blushed furiously and averted her gaze, flustered.

By now, everyone knew about her upcoming date with King. His inability to be discreet had ensured that. He had asked her out in front of everyone at the guild, and to everyone's shock, Celine had said yes.

"I still can't believe it—our Celine!" One of the male clerks started crying.

"Gross," a woman staff grimaced nearby.

"Shut up!"

Amid the teasing, Cecil, the Guildmaster's assistant, approached Celine. In the Guildmaster's absence, Cecil was responsible for overseeing everything, including keeping an ear to the ground on rumors. Knowing Celine well, Cecil couldn't help but feel concerned.

"Are you sure about this, Celine?" Cecil asked with a concerned tone. "You're not naïve—you know what kind of man he is, don't you?"

By this point, everyone in the Guild knew what kind of man King was.

A notorious flirt and shameless skirt-chaser, he had a reputation for pursuing any woman who caught his interest. Just that morning, he had been openly charming Betty, who was now standing nearby, a touch of jealousy evident in her expression. King, it seemed, had been her first crush.

"He probably has other women already—and he'll keep adding more," Cecil said bluntly.

"I know…" Celine admitted with a nod. "But it's just a date. I want to get to know him better before making up my mind." She smiled faintly, as though reassuring herself as much as Cecil.

Though King's frivolous nature was undeniable, there was something about his honesty and straightforwardness that drew her in. It wasn't as if she was diving into a relationship. For now, it was just a date—a chance to understand him better.

Cecil studied her for a moment before her expression softened. "You've grown so much since we first met. I'm proud of you. But if he tries anything inappropriate, call me immediately. I'll send a team of Hunters after him without hesitation!"

Celine giggled at Cecil's dramatic declaration. "King isn't like that. There's nothing to worry about."

With those words, she turned and left the Guild.

But as she walked away, she remained unaware of what the night held in store for her.

That very night…

…she was going to die.