"Why, why is that?"
Ignoring the question of why I had done it, I glanced around.
Familiar faces surrounded me in a circle, as if to encircle me.
No, “as if” wasn’t the right way to put it.
They really *were* encircling me.
I wasn’t particularly interested, but after three years, I recognized the faces of my classmates.
Amelia and Dorothy. And… a few heroines whose names I couldn’t quite recall, the ones who’d joined recently.
School teachers, and even the frontline heroes I’d seen once before.
So the Association’s elite forces had come too. To cut off the loose end?
They’d gathered quite the crowd for this so-called final battle.
…So I failed, after all.
Everyone looked exhausted, with minor wounds here and there, but their numbers hadn’t thinned much.
Fine, maybe the heroines and Yu Siwoo were tough, but to fail against *extras*?
Annoyance flared, and I clicked my tongue.
"Since you’ve gone through the trouble of coming here, I’ll ask just one thing. What happened to the other Arachne members? They should’ve gone that way."
"…."
"Well, I figured as much."
No answer came, but the silence was answer enough.
They were probably lying cold and stiff on the ground somewhere.
"I *knew* I shouldn’t have let them live."
Irritation twisted my expression into a scowl.
And since they had nowhere else to go, I’d had no choice but to take them in as comrades.
Thinking they might be useful someday.
…Turns out that was a mistake.
Useful? What use could they be if they couldn’t even handle *extras*?
"But they were your comrades! You can’t just—"
"Comrades? *Those* things?"
Hah.
I couldn’t hold back my laughter at Amelia’s glare and her words.
Comrades? What nonsense.
"You think things that can’t even clean up *extras* could ever be comrades? The moment they failed their mission, they stopped being comrades."
"…You’re lying."
"Lying?"
"You never considered them comrades from the start."
"That’s a harsh thing to say… We’ve shared life and death for years, you know…"
I forced out a few sad tears, but no one sent me a pitying glance.
They were all just waiting for Yu Siwoo to speak.
…What a humorless bunch.
"If you *really* thought of them as comrades, you wouldn’t have sent just three of them to take on all of us."
"…Ahaha. Well, that’s true."
I didn’t feel the need to deny it, so I just agreed.
Not like he was wrong.
Did I really need to consider mere puppets as comrades?
Sure, I’d grown a little attached to those puppets…
But in the end, they were nothing more than puppets, not humans.
It was a little regrettable, but…
Not enough to give parting any real meaning.
"...Arte, why did you change so much?"
"Hmm... It seems everyone’s gathered. Should we get started soon?"
"Answer me! Why the hell did you change like this?!"
Yu Siwoo shouted at me again, his voice trembling with rage.
...I had planned to ignore him.
But he seemed so desperate to hear an answer that if I didn’t respond, he’d just keep asking. I had no choice but to reply.
"Change? Whatever do you mean?"
Fine, whatever.
It’d be boring if the final boss and the protagonist’s party jumped straight into battle the moment they met.
Having a conversation like this... it was necessary, wasn’t it?
Especially when the final boss used to be an ally.
A tragic, sorrowful exchange between former allies always drew the audience in.
"I’ve never changed, not even once."
"That’s impossible. Then what was all the time we spent together at the Academy?"
"...Ah, that."
"We solved cases together at the Academy! We visited Amelia’s house! What were all those memories for?!"
"Hmm, they were fun."
Yes, they were.
Life with Yu Siwoo and those heroines had been genuinely enjoyable.
How could it not have been?
Countless incidents and accidents prepared to entertain the audience.
The precarious love lines between Yu Siwoo and the heroines.
It had been a little exhausting to orchestrate all of it.
But I, too, had sincerely enjoyed the world unfolding exactly as the Author and I had envisioned.
"Arte, please... It’s not too late. Go back to how you—"
"And your faces, so happy without realizing it was all my doing... How hilarious that was."
"What?"
"...Did you really not notice? AHAHAHAHAHA! This is too funny!"
I was genuinely shocked.
I’d at least expected some suspicion, but to have none at all?
Then again, if he hadn’t suspected a thing, no wonder he still thought it wasn’t too late.
"You didn’t realize? Why do you think so many things suddenly happened at the Academy over the past three years?!"
I burst into laughter, not bothering to hide my amusement as I watched their stunned faces.
What kind of gap had existed between us?
I’d assumed they’d at least have a vague idea.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine they’d come all the way here without a clue.
"Y-You... don’t tell me..."
"Yes, that’s exactly it! Every single incident you’ve been through... I was the mastermind behind all of it!"
"Th-That can’t be—!"
"Ahaha, ahahaha... I can’t believe you actually thought Amelia’s father was killed by some overseas mafia. That was just something I made up on the spot. The shock on your faces is priceless."
"...What?"
"Oops. Was I not supposed to say that?"
I feigned surprise, covering my mouth, but all I got in return were furious glares.
Well, of course.
Not only had I disrespected the dead, but I’d basically admitted to killing him myself.
"Ahem, well, there’s no helping it now... Fine. I did it. I killed him."
"S-Stop lying! Then... what were those tears for when my dad died?!"
"Huh? Ah, the tears...?"
At Amelia’s outburst, I stopped laughing and checked my emotions.
...Hmm, is this enough?
"Amelia... Don’t be so sad. Your father would be proud that you’re honoring what he did."
"...You!"
"Ahaha. Guess my acting was pretty convincing."
The dolls’ faces twisted in disgust.
Did they feel like they’d been disrespected in front of the dead?
Well, I *had* disrespected the dead—but!
...Wait, they weren’t even human to begin with, so maybe "disrespecting the dead" isn’t the right term.
"...Arte."
"Oh dear... Looks like you’ve finally made up your mind!"
Yu Siwoo’s expression hardened too.
He still seemed hesitant, but his resolve to stop me had clearly grown stronger.
Good. That’s what a protagonist should do.
...Maybe I should prod him a little more.
"It was fun. Playing pretend friends with all of you."
I glanced around again.
What I saw now was unmistakable hostility—nothing like before.
Earlier, they’d had the justification of defeating a great enemy, but they hadn’t truly *felt* it...
But now, after seeing my actions firsthand, they finally understood.
This woman was dangerous.
"Hmm, good. Good. Looks like everyone’s motivated now."
Which was perfect for me.
I needed an exciting finale, and what good was a show without an eager audience?
Even if they were just extras, they still had their uses—like setting the mood.
Leads, supporting cast, extras—all of them glared at me with icy hatred.
Only then did I realize it: the final act had truly begun.
The end of this world was near.
"Aha, ahahahahaha..."
"...Tch!"
"W-Wait! Don’t move reck—"
Squelch.
One of the extras, unable to contain their rage, lunged at me.
Yu Siwoo must have told them about my ability. How stupid could they be?
That’s why they were just extras.
Yu Siwoo tried to stop them, but of course, there was no way he could.
And the result was exactly as expected.
Like a fly caught in its own spiderweb.
So simply, so effortlessly, they fell into the trap.
They didn’t even get to scream before dying a pathetic death—torn apart, face and body separated.
"Well then, shall we begin the final act...?"
I bowed my head to the invisible audience.
As if greeting spectators at an old-fashioned puppet show.
"Please, enjoy the show."
"...Damn it! Everyone, snap out of it! The fight’s already started!"
I’d long since overcome the penalty of not being able to reuse threads once pulled from clothing.
So yes, I could enjoy this to my heart’s content.
The author would surely be pleased.
"Operation: Marionette Extermination begins! Everyone, watch out for invisible threads!"
The bloodstained festival had only just begun, after all.