Becoming the Terminally-Ill Villain Who Torments His Disciples

“I’m exhausted…”

Cielo collapsed onto the bed with a worn-out expression.

He had expected that Oscar would cause a fuss after he went through the heat cycle with Ryan, but he hadn’t anticipated such an intense reaction.

“Master. You should treat where the dog bit you before sleeping.”

Even now, Oscar was being relentlessly persistent.

“…It wasn’t a bite.”

“Well, from what I saw, it sure looked like one.”

Oscar muttered while pressing on the bruise showing through Cielo’s clothes. Then, hugging him tightly, he buried his face in Cielo’s neck.

The warmth against his back made Cielo, already completely drained, start dozing off.

“I know you only went through the heat cycle with Lord Doberman for your health… but I still hate it.”

‘…I want to be someone who can help you too.’

Muttering this, Oscar tightened his arms around Cielo.

“I don’t understand why Master stays so close to Lord Doberman.”

“…”

“You’re my master…”

Cielo, on the verge of dozing off, suddenly opened his eyes wide when he caught the last part of what Oscar said. Wait—was he…

“Are you… jealous?”

Turning awkwardly in bed to face him, their eyes met. Oscar pouted slightly and replied,

“…Yes. I’m jealous.”

How adorable.

Cielo reached out and gently stroked Oscar’s head.

At some point, Oscar had stopped hiding his feelings and started expressing them honestly, just like this.

That emotional honesty—like he’d risen above the pain and sadness of the past—was so precious. A version of Oscar that had never appeared in the novel. It made Cielo love him even more.

“It seems I’ve made you feel lonely.”

“…”

“Next time, I’ll try to end the heat cycle more quickly—”

“No!”

Cielo’s words made Oscar grab his shoulders in shock.

“It’s good if your cycle ends quickly, Master. But if that means you have to… do those things with Lord Doberman, I can’t accept it. No—if you’re going to do it, do it with me.”

“…What?”

“I’ll manifest soon too… and if I turn out to be an Alpha, and go through your cycle with you, it’ll definitely end faster. I—I can do it.”

Oscar spoke calmly, though the blush rising from his cheeks to the tips of his ears betrayed how nervous he was.

“Oscar, that… that kind of thing, the heat cycle… is meant to be shared with someone you love. Those acts, too. Just being close or knowing each other a long time isn’t reason enough!”

Flustered, Cielo rambled. Oscar, however, looked him straight in the eye and responded,

“…Do you really think I don’t know that?”

“Wh-What?”

“I know Lord Doberman is mature and good-looking. But…”

Hesitating for a moment, Oscar reached out and gently tucked a loose strand of Cielo’s hair behind his ear. With a faint smile, he murmured:

“I’ll be an adult soon too… So, even if it’s slow, I want you to see me as someone you could love. Or even marry…”

His shy voice trembled slightly.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The heartbeat sounded so loud and close—Cielo couldn’t tell whether it was Oscar’s or his own.

Did Oscar’s feelings of “liking” stem from a disciple’s admiration for his teacher? Or did he mean it in the way a person likes another person?

Cielo momentarily forgot how to breathe.

He must be like this because he hasn’t met the main character yet…

Once the main story began, Oscar’s emotions would surely change. They had to.

Besides, Oscar is…

He would manifest as an Omega, not an Alpha. That’s what the novel said. The way Oscar was clinging to something impossible, as if it were his only hope, was painful to witness.

Lowering his gaze, Cielo calmed the swirl of emotion in his chest.

When he looked up again, Oscar was gazing at him as if waiting for an answer.

“…Let’s talk about this another time, okay?”