Chapter 128: This actor can also improvise

Before the other party could recover from the shock, Red swiftly pulled out that little notebook from the room.

After skimming through it, he more or less understood the role he was supposed to play.

An evil grand Magus…

A domineering mage falling in love with a little thief like me?

To be honest, this plot is a bit abstract.

Red didn’t want to complain too much about it.

After all, it was the proper way to play, and the money had already been paid.

All the Blood-Hunting Spiders used for searching had already been released, and since it would still take some time to find those heretics hiding here, he figured he might as well make use of the idle time to play along.

Thinking this, Red’s gaze fell onto the other party’s White Stockings-clad thighs, and he couldn’t help but put on an exceptionally sinister smile.

“Kehehehe… Pathetic Miss Thief, you never expected this, did you? You’ve fallen into my trap.”

Hearing Red’s voice, Satania was startled.

She’d clearly used all her strength to strike, so why hadn’t he fainted?

Weren’t magi supposed to be so frail that a gust of wind could blow them over?

Besides, this guy looked as if he had some severe kidney deficiency…

Wasn’t that supposed to be the case?

At this moment, Satania felt a bit regretful.

Setting aside the fact that Red hadn’t passed out—

What even is a thief?

Why was he making such a strange laugh?

And… why couldn’t she move?

Feeling a little puzzled, Satania finally noticed that there was a Binding Spell Formation under her feet.

Crap!

She’d walked right into a trap!

Faced with the current situation, Red only glanced at the Script and nodded in satisfaction.

After all, the little notebook told him to act this way.

If he followed the plot, maybe he’d get to enjoy a White Stockings lap pillow later.

Even though this script seemed quite childish—perhaps even silly…

But those were White Stockings!

Come to think of it, he had never really touched anyone wearing White Stockings before—what would that feel like?

He didn’t dare touch Litt’s White Stockings, and as for Letia’s… that cheeky monkey would never let him touch hers except to tease, so thinking about it now, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of sorrow.

What was up with that?

Forget it, let’s get through the plot first…

If only there were a skip function…

Don’t talk to me about how skipping the plot is like skipping life.

Who watches these things and doesn’t just scroll to the climax after a few glances?

Red sighed, but his expression remained just as sinister.

He saw that Satania, now immobilized by the Binding Spell Formation, had started to ponder.

For the record, this Binding Spell Formation wasn’t something he set up; it had already been here in the room.

Thinking about it, who would be foolish enough to step right onto such a basic spell formation?

Clearly, it was set up for the sake of Roleplay, for his benefit.

“Damn it…”

Satania tried to struggle, but found she simply couldn’t break free from the Binding Spell Formation.

There was something she couldn’t quite figure out, though—the Binding Spell Formation was tight and hard to escape from, but it didn’t actually feel all that uncomfortable.

Yet, the thought that Red might have deliberately done this made her feel both humiliated and confused.

The humiliation was from being forced into such a position by this damned guy; the confusion came from his reaction—it was as if he knew she was coming and had even prepared the spell in advance, just waiting for her to fall into his trap.

Almost like someone had tipped him off in advance.

But none of that mattered now; the important thing was—

“Let me go!”

Satania gritted her teeth, clearly unwilling to submit.

“Or… or I’ll scream!”

Red took another glance at the little notebook and scratched his head.

That line wasn’t supposed to be what she said.

His gaze swept over the bound “thief” before him—masked, dressed for the night, her eyes brimming with humiliation and defiance, her body tightly bound by the Binding Spell Formation’s magical glow…

Quite a sight.

He had to admit, she really was a professional.

So that last line was probably improvised?

Never mind, let’s stick to the Script.

Next up was to reveal the conspiracy, let her realize she’d been betrayed, and then join forces—leading to the classic “happy ending.”

“Ahem!”

Red cleared his throat, doing his best to mimic the signature, echoing, mocking laugh of a villain from memory, lowering his voice until it sounded sinister and cold.

“Kehehehe… Little thief, do you know why you fell into this Magus’s hands so easily?”

“Guh… Despicable! If you’ve got the guts, let me go and fight me fair and square!”

Satania squirmed in vain, but upon hearing Red’s question, her struggles paused, a flash of genuine confusion in her eyes.

This was exactly what she couldn’t figure out.

That was the right line.

Red glanced at the Script—this was exactly the sort of thing the thief should say.

It seemed her earlier outburst really was improvised.

She was a true professional—her performance was full of effort.

He stopped just close enough to feel Satania’s rapid breathing, leaned down, and moved his lips near her mask-shrouded face, speaking with a mocking tone, word by word.

“I wouldn’t dare fight you one-on-one,” Red paused deliberately, savoring the moment when her breath caught, “With someone as ‘skilled’ as you, even I would have a hard time catching you without precise intel. There’s no way I could have lured you out so easily otherwise.”

At first, hearing his words, Satania actually looked a bit proud, lifting her chin and puffing out her chest.

But when he finished the sentence, she froze on the spot.

Setting aside whether or not she really was a thief, the key point in Red’s words was—

She’d been betrayed!

Someone had leaked her whereabouts!

The realization made Satania furious.

“Don’t tell me… don’t tell me it was you and that damned Priest who set me up?!”

Satania looked utterly enraged, her voice going sharp with agitation.

“I knew that jerk couldn’t be trusted! She pretended to help me just to lure me into this trap! Shameless! Despicable! Vile!”

Huh?

Red glanced again at the little notebook in his hand.

Looks like this staff member hadn’t read the plot carefully.

Wasn’t it supposed to be a Noble who set her up?

And that Noble was supposed to be her most trusted friend.

Still, he had to admit, her acting was flawless—she made it seem real.

So there was no need to get hung up on such details.

He just needed to keep acting.

“Priest?”

Red let out an even deeper, abyssal chuckle, shaking his head slowly.

A look of pity for the “ignorant” and a trace of devilish temptation appeared on his face at just the right moment.

“Your sight… is too narrow. You underestimate the endless darkness lurking in the depths of the human heart…”

His sinister grin vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness, almost compassionate.

This kind of righteous expression on the face of an “evil grand Magus” created such a stark contrast that even Satania forgot to struggle.

“Think carefully,” Red’s voice grew even lower, carrying an almost bewitching power, his deep gaze seeming to penetrate the soul.

“Very few know where you’re headed. For someone as ‘powerful’ as you to step into a trap completely unguarded, without a hint of suspicion…”

He stressed the word “powerful,” and with a touch of coldness, his finger gently traced along Satania’s cheek, where the mask pressed down.

“Think—could it be that the one behind all this… is precisely the person you trust and are closest to?”

Seeing Red’s earnest expression, Satania’s eyes gradually widened.

The only people who knew she was coming here were Letia and… the Priestess.

With that realization, Satania’s breathing grew heavier.

She shook her head in disbelief, even a little fearfully.

“No way! Th-this can’t be, how could he betray me?!”

“Being betrayed by the one you trust most is never easy to accept.”

Red’s face was now devoid of any smile.

He gently placed his hand on Satania’s cheek, and there was no denying that, with his good looks and such a serious expression, it would be easy to win over a girl’s heart—especially someone like Satania, whose entire world was being shaken.

With Red’s hand on her face, she even forgot to struggle.

Seeing Satania’s stunned look, Red was quite pleased.

He pressed the advantage, his voice sinking even lower, filled with a magnetic, comforting tone.

“I know it’s cruel. I know you don’t want to believe it…”

His voice jolted Satania back to her senses for a moment, but even so, she refused to accept Red’s words.

“You’re lying!” she cried out, agitated.

“He was the one who took me in! How could he betray me?!”

“Yes, yes…”

Red replied with a cold laugh, “From your point of view, of course the one who took you in wouldn’t betray you. But what if he always intended to use you for some purpose from the very start?”

“Taking you in doesn’t mean you weren’t his pawn.”