I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

"What a drag," James muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he took a step forward.

James darted ahead with astonishing speed, heading straight for the towering Ferris wheel. Without hesitation, he began climbing it.

"What in the world…?" Someone muttered, voicing the collective disbelief of the group watching below.

They could only stare in amazement as James scaled the wheel. Climbing itself wasn't unheard of—there were plenty of skilled climbers out there—but James? He was something else entirely. The way he moved was surreal. Every motion was smooth, efficient, and almost animalistic. If monkeys were masters of climbing, James was their superior, leaping and gripping with precision that defied logic.

In mere seconds—ten, to be exact—he had reached the highest cabin.

Cattleya, startled by his sudden appearance, barely had time to react before James grabbed her arm.

"What—?!"

"Hold on," James said, pulling her into his arms without a moment's pause.

Before she could process what was happening, James leapt off the cabin with her.

"...!" Cattleya instinctively buried her face into his chest, her eyes squeezed shut. She clung tightly to his shoulders as they plummeted toward the ground.

The fall, however, was over in a flash. Barely two seconds later, James landed smoothly.

"Alright, off you go," he said flatly, setting her down.

"I–I know!" Cattleya stuttered, quickly stepping away, though her face was flushed with embarrassment.

She froze, though, as the scent of him lingered on her—fresh and clean, like a blend of sea breeze and citrus. That was really nicest scent she had ever smelled, more than her own perfumes in which she spent dozen of Lux or Gold Coins.

"Kyaa—!"

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the other cabins. They were swaying dangerously, and the people inside were screaming for help.

"Y–You have to save them too!" Cattleya shouted, turning toward James.

James didn't even glance back. "No. Let them deal with their fate," he said dismissively, grabbing her arm. "Now come on, let's find your parents."

"L-Let me go!" Cattleya glared, thrashing in his grasp, but it was useless.

"Lady Cattleya!"

"Help us!"

"Please save us!"

She turned and saw her friends, her classmates, even families with children, their faces pale with fear and tears streaming down. The Ferris wheel was on the verge of collapsing, and if it did, it would be a disaster. Few would survive, and those who did would be scarred forever.

"Hey!! They are going to die!"

Though she had never been particularly close to her peers, they had been there in her moments of loneliness. They'd stuck around, even if it was shallow. And the families... the children...

James laughed in response. "No way. I don't waste my time on meaningless things."

Cattleya stared at him, utterly speechless.

People were going to die. Families torn apart. Innocent children crushed in the chaos. And he... he was laughing? Laughing without a shred of concern for anyone but himself?

Sure, Cattleya was self-centered—she knew that much about herself—but the man in front of her was in a league of his own. James was the most heartless, gold-obsessed individual she had ever met. It was as though nothing stirred him except the clink of coins.

Her gaze flicked back to the crowd. People below were screaming, their cries desperate and full of panic. Even the high-rank hunters present could barely do anything. What could anyone do against hundreds of tons of steel about to come crashing down?

Cattleya felt the same helplessness gnawing at her. Yet, a part of her clung to the hope that James could act—would act. She had seen what he was capable of. She'd watched him kill an army of demons, bend others to his will, and even face off against a priest of the Holy Church, leaving him dead. His arrogance was maddening, but it wasn't baseless. And he had saved her just now, hadn't he?

But no. Instead of helping, he was laughing. Laughing exactly like some despicable pirate.

Cattleya's blue eyes turned cold as ice.

"Let me go, I said!" She snapped.

This time, she summoned her mana. If James wasn't going to do anything, she would. A surge of power shot through her, bursting forth in a radiant pillar of light that illuminated the area.

The force was strong enough that anyone nearby would have been thrown back, but as the light faded, she realized her attack had done nothing.

James didn't have so much as a scratch on him. He stood unscathed, calm and unimpressed.

His Stigma must have acted automatically, absorbing the energy of her light. He didn't even need to lift a finger or use his lightning.

"Don't waste my time, lass," James said, his narrowed eyes showing the faintest flicker of irritation.

Before she could respond, he continued dragging her along.

"Lady Cattleya!"

"Release her at once!"

"Stop right now!"

Her bodyguards, who had been scrambling for a way to stop the falling Ferris wheel, turned their attention to their Lady. Protecting her was their main mission, after all.

They rushed toward James, weapons drawn.

James, however, barely spared them a glance. "Now, now," he said with a exasperated sigh. "I held back the first time. But if you show your faces again, I'll make sure to break every one of your limbs."

As he spoke, his body crackled with red lightning. The air around him seemed to vibrate with a dangerous energy.

Was it mana? Or something far darker?

Whatever it was, the aura he unleashed sent a wave of fear through the bodyguards. Their legs shook, and their determination faltered, but they didn't back down entirely. Despite their terror, they stood their ground—though barely.

James's crimson eyes glowed with a menacing gleam. Until now, he'd held back out of as they were Cattleya's followers, and he still needed her cooperation. But they were pushing their luck.

Cattleya shivered involuntarily as her eyes locked onto James' eyes.

James reached for one of his sabers. "Anyone bold enough to point steel should be ready to die by it." A smirk tugged at his lips as he took a step forward, still dragging Cattleya with his other hand.

"W–Wait I'll pay you in gold!"

James froze mid-step.

Cattleya blinked in surprise at his sudden pause. He said nothing, standing completely still, as if waiting for her to continue.

"I—I'll pay you one gold coin for every person you save," she trailed off.

For a moment, there was silence. Then James glanced over his shoulder at her, his expression unreadable.

"Five gold coins," he said finally. "Five for each head."

"I'm not asking you to kill them!"

"Then let's keep moving," James replied, resuming his pace, dragging her along like she was a mere inconvenience.

"W–Wait! Fine! Five gold coins for each person you save! Now hurry—!"

Before she could finish her sentence, James released her arm. In the same instant, he vanished, leaving nothing but a faint crackle of red lightning in his wake.

Cattleya barely had time to process his disappearance before she spotted him—his figure a blur, surging toward the falling Ferris wheel at incredible speed. The air seemed to thrum with power as lightning danced across his form, crimson sparks crackling like fireworks.

James's glowing eyes locked onto the wheel. He raised his saber high, a grin spreading across his face. "May the seas boil and the ground quake before the great Captain Grayling!"

With a swift downswing, he slashed his saber through the air.

-CRACKLE!

A deafening explosion of lightning erupted, crimson crackles surging in an arc. But instead of scattering wildly, the lightning formed a dome around the Ferris wheel, encasing it in a glowing, electrified field.

The air buzzed with energy as crimson lightning danced and shimmered, freezing the wheel mid-collapse. It hovered in place, suspended as though gravity itself had been overpowered by James's will.

The crowd below fell silent, their mouths agape at the surreal sight before them.

But James wasn't done.

His form blurred once again, a streak of red lightning racing upward. In an instant, he reached the top of the wheel, standing atop the highest cabin—the same one where he had rescued Cattleya moments ago.

Securing his saber at his waist, James clenched his fists tightly.

"This might hurt a little," he muttered, waiting for the massive Ferris wheel to straighten itself out under the influence of his lightning field. Sparks danced across his fingers, and the air around him buzzed.

When the towering structure finally shifted back into its original upright position, James smirked, rolling his shoulders.

"This can't be…" Cattleya murmured from the ground, staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. The thought forming in her mind was so absurd, so impossible, she didn't want to acknowledge it.

But he was going to do it.

Lightning crackled fiercely along James's right arm, sending waves of electricity rippling through the air. When he was ready, he drew back his fist and struck.

-BAM!

-CLANG!

The sound was a deafening blend of an explosion and a metallic shriek that forced the bystanders below to cover their ears. James's punch drove straight into the wheel, which hovered barely thirty centimeters above the ground.

The Ferris wheel crashed down with immense force, a cloud of dust erupting on impact. But instead of toppling over, it sank deep into the earth. James had aimed precisely, searching for minerals beneath the surface that could react to his lightning. Using the steel of the wheel as a conductor, he created an electromagnetic field to stabilize it.

When the dust finally settled, the wheel stood perfectly upright, its base embedded firmly in the ground. It was completely inert, save for faint residual crackles of electricity along its frame.

Satisfied, James deactivated his field, letting the energy fade away, and leapt down from his position. He landed hard, grimacing slightly as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

If he was Rufus Quintus Flamma he would have certainly not a single bruise.

Ignoring the stunned faces around him, James walked to the wheel's cabins and began counting the passengers inside. His eyes darted from one cabin to the next, tallying with a casual flick of his injured hand.

When he finished, he turned toward Cattleya with a smile. "Perfect round number—one hundred. That means you owe me five hundred gold coins, Cattleya Starlight."

But Cattleya didn't react. Like her guards, she was frozen in place, staring at him as if he'd just summoned a god.

"What's up?" James asked, raising an eyebrow before glancing at a nearby staff member. "Make sure they get everyone down safely when the fire department—or whoever's in charge—shows up."

The staff member gawked at him, too stunned to speak, but James figured the message had landed.

Turning back to Cattleya, he let out an exaggerated sigh. "Let's go. You can pay me when we get to your estate."

Still, she didn't move. Her gaze was locked on the Ferris wheel, now buried firmly in the ground, faint sparks still flickering along its steel frame.

"What's with the staring contest?" James muttered under his breath before shaking his head. "Women are such a hassle," he grumbled, turning to her guards. They too were frozen, their eyes filled with awe as if James had just performed some divine miracle.

James grimaced at the attention, brushing off the thought. He grabbed Cattleya's arm and began walking. "Come on already. Your friends will be fine."

Cattleya still didn't answer letting herself getting dragged by James.