The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 223 - Oh No, Am I the Sidekick Now?

—

“In school, did you have any particularly close... friends?”

Finally, during a smooth exploration of the dungeon, Will asked the question.

He felt it was a bit abrupt—an awkward transition that screamed, “I’m asking this for a reason.”

But...

Depending on Shuna’s answer, he could confirm the suspicion gnawing at his mind.

“Hmm...” Shuna responded simply.

“No.”

“!”

Will froze.

“Uh... I mean, like someone you could team up with to explore dungeons, someone you could discuss dungeon theories and knowledge with from your classes, or someone you could test out theoretical gear and skills with in practice—”

Mid-sentence, Will suddenly realized something was off.

“Hmm~”

Shuna had stopped walking and was now standing with her arms crossed, watching him with an amused expression.

“This... this sounds like...”

Teaming up to explore dungeons—like what they were doing now.

Discussing dungeon knowledge—like the ten years they’d spent corresponding through letters.

Testing gear and skills in practice—they’d already done that together.

In the original story, the person who had guided the protagonist—a blank slate—into dungeon exploration, who had helped him develop his obsession with the “support” role, who had ultimately set him on the path he was meant to follow...

That person, who existed only in flashbacks as a deceased best friend...

“Uh... this... this description sounds a lot like me?”

“I was wondering,” Shuna said with a wide grin. “You’re usually so sharp. How did you not figure it out until now?”

She laughed heartily, clearly enjoying herself as if Will’s realization was some kind of reward for her.

“That’s right—it’s you!”

She grabbed Will’s hand and pulled him forward, opening the door to the next floor.

“Hmm... for some reason, I always ended up with a dorm room to myself. I didn’t get along with the other students. Honestly, during my school days, you were the only one I really talked to.”

“So, in that sense, yes—I did have a very close friend.”

“Right, Little Will?”

...

It sounded like a declaration of friendship...

But all Will could think was: Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no.

So this was the biggest deviation from the original story.

The real divergence wasn’t the protagonist.

It was the person who had influenced the protagonist’s fate.

That person was gone. Without him, the Morning Star party was never formed. Without Morning Star, Shuna never experienced the heartbreak of losing her entire team.

But now...

Will had taken that person’s place.

Morning Star was now his party.

The bright and non-obsessive yet still incredibly strong protagonist was now his teammate.

He had gained an additional identity—the one who was supposed to have died...

“Focus, Will! Even if it’s just a simple whack-a-mole game, don’t zone out,” Shuna said suddenly.

Thwack.

Her hammer came down in front of him, knocking a little demon back into its hole as it tried to spray them with ink-like liquid.

“I’ve saved you so many times already.”

“S-Sorry! I’ll focus more...”

Why...

Why had he ended up in the role of someone who was supposed to die to trigger the protagonist’s transformation?!

This felt like an even bigger death flag than being a disposable villain!

But why was he still alive? Could it be that the timeline he thought was inevitable had somehow been disrupted?

Something about this world’s “fate” wasn’t quite right...

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“Still thinking about the princess?” Shuna interrupted his spiraling thoughts with another question.

When Will snapped back to reality, he realized they were standing in front of Lucifa’s boss room door.

Somehow, he had wandered through twenty-nine floors of Tenth Demon Castle—a dungeon that felt more like an amusement park—without even noticing. His mind had been too preoccupied with analyzing Shuna’s identity and his own role.

“Yeah... it’s an important matter,” he admitted. “But don’t worry about it too much. Lucifa put so much effort into designing all these fun things—you should enjoy it. Who knows when we’ll find another dungeon like this?”

Shuna reached out and patted his head as she spoke.

This was bad...

Will felt like he was playing the role of an overworked office worker who went to an amusement park with his girlfriend but couldn’t stop thinking about work—and now she was comforting him instead of the other way around.

“Mm...”

Will wasn’t sure if he should share his thoughts with Shuna.

But how would he even phrase it? Hey, by the way, you might accidentally kill me because you’re the protagonist. Whether I’m a disposable villain or your best friend doesn’t matter—it’s all bad for me.

“Relax,” Shuna said reassuringly. “We’ve gone through so many floors already. You should’ve realized by now—she really just wants to play with us. She’ll give you her heart.”

Will felt like their conversation wasn’t even on the same wavelength anymore.

It also confirmed how much Shuna genuinely enjoyed this dungeon.

Despite appearing as a “mysterious girl” and carrying an aura reminiscent of a “protagonist,” Shuna was incredibly straightforward and easy to understand.

She had been wholeheartedly enjoying this month-long dungeon adventure with him.

“You seem a bit down today,” Shuna noted. “Is it because of the princess? No... that doesn’t make sense. Last night you were so full of ambition.”

She leaned closer and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead.

“You don’t seem like you have a fever.”

“I’m fine,” Will said quickly, brushing her hand away and putting on his most confident expression—one he hoped would hide any signs of inner turmoil.

She was right.

Dungeons like this didn’t come around often. He should enjoy it while he could.

“Besides,” he added with a smirk, “if I mess up dealing with Treya, she might chop me into pieces. Naturally, I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

Shuna paused for a moment, her expression briefly flickering with surprise before she placed her hand on the door handle leading to the boss room.

“Alright then,” she said. “Shall I open this door?”

“Of course.”

“And you remember our plan?”

“I fight; you watch.”

“Good. Here we go.”

Creak—

The door opened slowly, revealing...

Lucifa—no longer dressed in her casual schoolgirl-like outfit. She now wore an elaborate costume: glowing demonic horns towering above her head, a red-and-black idol-like dress that sparkled under the light, and thigh-high white stockings that shimmered as if dusted with starlight.

“Hi-hi-hi! I’ve been waiting for you! It’s me—Lady Lucifa!” she declared dramatically from her throne.

The Empress of Tenth Demon Castle, who appeared outwardly as a petite loli demon.

“So? Are you impressed by my meticulously prepared glamorous outfit?” she asked confidently, puffing out her chest as she crossed her legs on her chair.