Show menu NOVEL BIN5Novel The Villain Is Destined to Die: But as the Creator, I know All Endings Chapter 53: Library of Astral-Tale [2]THE VILLAIN IS DESTINED TO DIE: BUT AS THE CREATOR, I KNOW ALL ENDINGSC53: Library of Astral-Tale [2]
Chapter 53: Library of Astral-Tale [2]
"All of you must pair up according to the names I will be calling."
The challenge inside one of the book's stories was not something a single student could handle alone.
So the institute had decided to pair students with the lowest physical strength together with those holding the highest, to balance fairness in the examination.
Of course, that didn't mean the weaker one would get an easy pass by relying completely on their partner.
No.
The whole trial would be monitored thoroughly by the professors before the final evaluation.
And if they found out one of the two hadn't contributed at all, that student would be given the lowest rank.
"Any doubts?"
The professor asked, glancing around at the faces.
One hand rose.
"Do we also get a chance to encounter the Calamities in one of the books?"
It was an interesting question, and it made Leon recall a certain event in the arc.
'I think it was after he got his hands on the Moonblade,' Leon thought, glancing at Ethan.
The Moonblade was rooted with the Silvernight Goddess, and after Ethan acquired it, he caught a glimpse of her.
That was the first time a Calamity had ever appeared in the game.
'I wonder if I'll get to see her too.'
If the timing was right, and if he completed the quest under certain conditions, then it would be possible.
To the student's question, the professor answered without pause.
"That will depend on the book you choose."
The reply made several students uneasy.
What if they ended up picking the hardest book?
What if they really had to face the past of one of the Calamities?
"Now then, stand in pairs according to the names I call."
The professor said, lifting the register. Opening it, he read the names.
"Evan Vayl, and Maria Necter."
"Julius Trute, and Nicole Artister."
"Cyan Miller, and Rosy Bernet."
.
.
"Ethan Graves, and Susan Sleath."
.
.
"Rinna Lunovar, and Mia Zen."
"And lastly..."
"Alice Nightson, and Leon Valentine. That's all, meet up with your partner, you have fifteen minutes to pick up the book of your choice."
Never in his life had someone felt such a sudden fall of excitement in just a matter of seconds.
Leon, who had been thrilled a moment ago, was now standing still with a blank expression.
Out of all the students...
'Why does it have to be that psychotic bitch?!'
"Alright Leon," Ethan said, turning away, "I'll be going now, good luck."
'Good luck my ass.'
"Sigh, good luck to you too."
Looking around, he saw the rest of his batch mates already with their pairs.
'Do I really have no other choice?'
Leon never thought Alice would end up as his partner.
He thought for sure he would be paired with someone lower leveled than her.
Leon didn't hate her or anything, but he couldn't stand her overall personality. Even when he was approving her character designs back on earth, he had almost changed his mind if only Alice wasn't that popular on the online forum.
'Heh. I still remember little kids playing the game, picking up her vocabulary, and using it in school as normal greetings... it was funny.'
"Ten minutes!"
The invigilators reminded the students.
"Fuck."
Having no other choice, he started searching for Alice.
"Now, where is she...?"
As someone who disliked nobles despite being one herself, she was bound to be standing alone somewhere far away...
Thinking this, his eyes shifted to the corner of the library.
Alice, in her Eclipse uniform, stood with one leg braced against the wall, arms crossed, letting herself sink into the surroundings.
"Ah. Found her."
Maintaining a straight face, Leon walked toward her.
As he came closer, he noticed an unusual look on her face, something that felt distant.
'Focus.' Leon reminded himself.
Pushing aside distractions, he took his first proper look at Alice.
Short black hair, purple shades at the ends of each strand, her red piercing eyes. She looked exceptional.
His eyes moved to her uniform.
It was the same Eclipse uniform as everyone else's, yet the way she wore it made anyone think, "So cool."
Half-buttoned shirt from the top, skirt a bit shorter than usual, and her cropped hairstyle. All of it made her stand out.
Anyone who knew nothing about her would think she was not serious about Eclipse.
Leaving the thought aside, Leon glanced around.
From his subtle glances, he noticed that some boys from other classes were staring at her.
'Quite the popular one.'
Looks like she had her own fan following.
'Now that I think about it...' Leon recalled something. 'Didn't Eula have something similar?'
Leon sneered in his mind as a certain scene replayed.
He remembered how, in the near future, Eula's NPC-fans would even build a dedicated church just to praise her.
As Leon stepped a bit too close, Alice's piercing red eyes locked on him.
Standing face to face, he spoke directly.
"Good afternoon, Alice."
Leon started the conversation.
Alice narrowed her eyes and replied with the most irritating tone.
"What?"
'Maaan, I hate that face.'
Leon sighed, then continued.
"The instructor told us to choose the book we desire to enter."
"..."
She said nothing.
A vein popped on his forehead as he resisted the urge to snap.
"Do you want to choose, or should I do it myself?"
Stepping down her foot from the wall, she asked something completely off-topic.
"Tell me something. Was it you, whom my grandpa interviewed a few weeks ago?"
"Huh? Why do you want to know that? The topic—"
Cutting him mid-sentence, Alice pressed.
"For fuck's sake, if you want my cooperation, then your ass better answer me."
'Ah... how very cocky.' Leon shot her a glance. 'Very well, I'll play along.'
Just like Leon, Alice was also a research scholar. Finding another her age as talented as herself made her curious.
When she first met Leon that day, she had discarded him as just another arrogant noble brat. But after overhearing his conversation with Professor Esther in class about Advanced Magic and spellcrafting, she was stunned to realize she didn't understand a single thing they were discussing.
After replaying the conversation in her head for many days, she finally understood one thing. That time...
They were talking about three-line incantation.
The very concept of three-line incantation was not something that should have ever come up in an ordinary student's mind.
Leon closed his eyes to hide the annoyance in them before replying.
"What if I don't want to cooperate?"
"Hm?" Her eyes twitched. "What did you say?"
"I said exactly what you heard." He answered, mimicking Alice's mocking tone. "Are your ears as rotten as your mouth, you damn psycho?"
.
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[A/N] : We won WPC 2025, thanks for the support! And For the 2 days gap, I was hospitalized, and had to undergo treatment, anyways, now that I am fine, I will be back on regular updates.
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THE VILLAIN IS DESTINED TO DIE: BUT AS THE CREATOR, I KNOW ALL ENDINGSC54: A piece from the past
Chapter 54: A piece from the past
"What did you call me? A psycho?"
Alice crossed her arms, glaring at Leon.
Leon smirked, shrugging.
"Oh? Did I hit the nail?"
"All right, you're asking for it—"
She took a step forward.
Leon's shoulders relaxed. Rubbing his temples, he said,
"Is this really necessary? We're just a pair for this exam. Let's cooperate, and I promise I'll never talk to you again."
Leon was running out of time. If he didn't convince Alice to cooperate, then they would both end up with failing grades.
In the original storyline, it was never mentioned who Alice paired up with, nor was it mentioned how she cleared the exam and got selected into Class S. All the story showed was Ethan.
"Heh," Alice dryly sneered, "your wording makes it sound like I'm the bad guy here."
Then, pausing, she added,
"Sure, if you wish to stay the fuck out of my sight, then let's cooperate... but let me add another condition."
Leon perked his ears. Raising his palm, he said to Alice,
"All right, it's only fair. What do you want?"
"Oh," Alice grinned, "so you do know I want something? Perfect."
Leon listened.
Alice said with a serious tone,
"Very well, I want you to share with me your findings."
"Findings?" Leon tilted his head.
"Agh, don't play dumb. I saw your entrance test answers, the ones you gave during your interview with my grandfather. I want to know, how do you plan to do it?"
She must have seen the answer on the test paper. The third question was the hardest, one that needed an extensive field of studies and data, yet Leon had answered it very well while leaving a few loopholes deliberately, just to make the readers curious.
The question was simple: What possible methods should one use to reduce spell casting time?
Yet, the answer was something that hadn't been discovered yet.
And after listening to Alice's words, Leon grinned, realising some progress in one of his traps.
'Well, I don't mind sharing, because she will be one of the contributors to this field in the near future...'
Composing his expression, he answered,
"All right, I'll share my findings. But... since your demand is so high-priced, I'll be adding another condition."
"..."
Alice didn't question it. Demanding someone else's research... even just a peek was too much. One must put one's whole life into this kind of research.
"What is it?" she asked.
Leon replied,
"For the entire time in the exam, I'll be the one making the shots. You don't get to question me once we go in. If you agree, then I'll agree too."
Alice thought for a second.
From the beginning, she had no real interest in Eclipse at all, so failing a class allotment exam was not something she cared much about.
"Deal," she said.
"Perfect," Leon replied, fighting his urge to grin.
"You two!"
A sharp voice cut through from the front.
Both Leon and Alice turned their heads.
"Everyone else has already chosen their book. Do you two want a special invitation?!"
It was one of the invigilators. Register in hand, he glared at them.
Leon scratched his cheek awkwardly and dipped his head a little.
"Ah, sorry, professor. We were just... debating which book to pick. In two minutes, we'll make it on time."
"You'd better hurry! We don't have time to waste!"
"Yes, professor," Leon answered quickly, then turned to Alice. "Let's find the book."
Alice let out a long sigh.
"Haah... what a pain."
Still, she walked beside him as they headed straight to the right side of the library.
The library had six floors, each stacked with thousands of shelves stretching endlessly.
"How're we supposed to pick?"
Alice muttered, eyes scanning rows of selves.
"Don't tell me you want to check all the books."
Leon shook his head. "Are you nuts?"
"Then how?" she pressed, already impatient. "Seriously, let's just pick—oh, yeah, that red one over there."
Before Leon could reply, she jogged to the shelf, reached up to the third rack, and yanked out a thin book. Without even glancing at it, she held it up high.
"This one's thin. Let's choose this."
Leon's eyes flicked to the title. He stared for a moment.
"..."
He blinked, then looked up at her with a strange expression. "Are you sure? Don't complain to me later."
"Huh?"
Alice frowned and finally looked down at the cover to read the title.
[Shieldmaiden's Forbidden Nights]
Her hand froze.
She read it again.
Forbidden. Nights.
These two words sent an unknown spark through her mind.
Almost instantly, a flush crept up her neck and spread to her cheeks, and the crimson tone bloomed like wildfire.
She fumbled, nearly dropping the book as if it had burned her fingers.
Her lips parted, but only a jumble of half-formed syllables spilt out before she finally managed to choke.
"H-H-How is this supposed to be related to war and warriors?!"
Leon just stood there, enjoying the scene in front.
'Ah, I am glad I came today.'
That was the perfect reaction he had ever seen.
"Th-this... this isn't war! Wh-what kind of... s-sick joke is this?! Are they even allowed in a sacred place like this?!"
The way her hands clutched the book, pressed close to her chest, hiding it as if she'd been caught for the first time.
Leon chuckled.
"Heh, don't judge the book by its cover. The warrior in the title, Shieldmaiden, had a tragic story back then..."
Alice narrowed her eyes at him.
"Looks to me you read this before."
He hadn't read it, but Leon knew the story written inside. Though the title promised valour, it was more of a dark fantasy.
"The past was a cruel place," Leon said, taking the book from Alice's hands. "No one deserves the way she was treated."
He placed the book back on the shelf.
"What do you mean? What happened to the Shieldmaiden?" Alice's curiosity rose after seeing the grief in his eyes.
Leon didn't answer. He only said,
"It's a long story. Why don't you read it after the exam?"
Alice, however, had already decided she would.
Pointing to the left, Leon said.
"Let's go there."
Alice quietly followed behind, her gaze locked for the last time on that book.
Passing through a few shelves, she saw two students standing beside a rack, holding two books in their hands.
One boy with white hair, and another girl with red hair.
Noticing the pair approaching them, the white-haired boy said.
"Leon? You haven't found your book yet?"
"Ethan?" Leon dryly stated, "I thought you, of all people, had already decided on the book."
Ethan scratched his cheek.
"Yeah, we were just confused about which to pick."
He raised his hand and showed Leon the two books he was holding.
Leon and Alice read the titles of both books.
[The Light of Ruination]
[The Shattered Swordmaiden]
Both books caught Leon's attention.
"What do you think?" Ethan asked.
But before he could answer, Alice interrupted.
"It's... a normal title."
"Hm?"
Ethan turned to her.
"Oh, how impolite of me."
As he noticed Alice standing beside Leon, he quickly greeted her.
"I am Ethan Graves. It's nice to meet you, and this..."
He gestured to his partner.
His red-haired partner greeted them with etiquette.
"Greetings to the daughter of Nightson, I am Susan Sleath, fifth daughter of the house of Sleath."
Alice's eyes twitched. She didn't like the way Susan showed etiquette.
But before Alice replied, Leon interrupted.
"Greetings, I am Leon Valentine, and the angry lady beside me is Alice Nightson."
"Hey." Alice shot him a glare.
After a brief exchange, Leon jumped to the main point.
"Ethan, what book do you want to choose?"
"Honestly," Ethan glanced at both the books, "they both look interesting."
In the original story, Ethan picked [The Shattered Swordmaiden]. Upon clearing it, he acquired the legendary [Moonblade], which he rarely ever used.
But the second book, [The Light of Ruination], had an even better reward which would suit Ethan more than [Moonblade].
Leon wanted him to choose the second book, because he himself wanted the first.
"Hmm, if you ask me, I will suggest The Light of Ruination," Leon said, shooting Ethan a brief glance, "who knows, you might stumble upon something interesting, given the title."
Indeed, the title [The Light of Ruination] had the word 'Light' in it, which might have some answers regarding Light Affinity. And who knows, Ethan might encounter another Light Affinity user.
"I think so too," Ethan muttered.
"And besides," Leon continued, "that swordmaiden sounded a little boring."
Alice was witnessing the whole conversation. She didn't interrupt, as Leon had given her a condition not to question him.
But her mind had one question.
'What is he trying to do?'
"Susan," Ethan asked his partner, "what do you say?"
The red-haired girl glanced down.
"I, too, think that swordmaiden would be boring."
"Is that so?" Ethan gave a final glance at the book, then decided. "Alright, let's go with Light of Ruination."
He placed the other book on the shelf and bid farewell to Alice and Leon.
After they left, Alice asked,
"They are done, now, which book do we pick?"
Leon smiled and picked up the book that Ethan had just left.
"What else?"
"Dafuck?"
Alice was left speechless.
'Didn't this bastard just say it's boring?'
And this whole conversation between Leon and Ethan made Alice gravely think.
'This guy is the real psycho.'
.
.
[A/N] : Support me with Powerstones and Golden Tickets.
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THE VILLAIN IS DESTINED TO DIE: BUT AS THE CREATOR, I KNOW ALL ENDINGSC55: She was here the whole time?
Chapter 55: She was here the whole time?
When Leon and Alice reached the main hall, they found the whole area empty.
"Where did everyone go?"
Alice muttered while looking around.
'Fuck.' Leon cursed in his mind.
Glancing at Alice, he quickly said,
"Don't tell me we're late?"
In Eclipse, the one thing that is never forgiven is a lack of punctuality.
But Leon was sure he arrived in time.
"Oh, great."
Alice showed no sense of guilt.
Just as they were in the midst of panic, a voice called out to them.
"Why are you two just standing there?"
They both turned to the source.
One of the Invigilators walked to their side.
"Everyone else was waiting for you in the Resonator room."
The invigilator filled them in.
To proceed to the next step in the examination, the allotted groups had to go to the Resonator room along with their chosen book.
But because Alice and Leon took their sweet time, the others had already been taken to the next phase, leaving the two of them behind.
"They should have just called us! Are they idiots?!"
Alice's point was valid.
'Why didn't they call us?'
Leon thought the same thing.
The invigilator replied to Alice.
"We made the announcement three times."
"What?"
At this point, Alice nearly lost her mind.
"But we didn't hear any announcement. Do you think I'm lying?!"
"I don't know about that, and please stop wasting our time," the invigilator said irritably.
"Huh?! What did you just say?"
Alice argued with the invigilator, meanwhile—
'This was not supposed to happen.'
Leon thought back on all the events that had occurred so far.
None of them seemed out of the ordinary.
'Everything went smoothly as it should have, unless...'
...unless someone did not want them to pass the examination.
'Who could have done it?'
"You still have three minutes. Visit the top floor, where the next phase is being conducted."
The invigilator looked at his pocket watch, then added,
"You should make it, if you make a run—"
The moment he said that, Leon harshly grabbed Alice by the wrist and dashed towards the stairs.
"WHA—?! H-HEY! Ouch!! Y-YOU SON OF A BITCH!!"
"We don't have time."
Leon said in a hurry.
If Leon failed this exam, it would create great difficulties for him in the future, and he would also lose his chance to get his hands on the Moonblade.
It was a one-time opportunity.
Leon clicked his tongue.
Someone must have done it on purpose.
There was no way he and Alice missed the announcement. It had to be the work of some third party.
Leon ran up the stairs, ignoring Alice's rapid curses. Simultaneously, he was racking his brain in top gear.
He eliminated names in his mind that might have caused this.
'Wait.'
A sudden thought clicked.
Until now, he had been thinking the person behind this had targeted him.
But... it could also be Alice.
'It could be that they don't want Alice to pass...'
He glanced at her.
'Well, her attitude is shity. No wonder she had created an enemy so soon.'
As he thought that, both of them reached the final floor.
Just like below, this floor had the same structure, with endless rows of shelves lined up, but with an open circular space in the middle.
From afar, Leon saw several students standing, before some of them vanished into blue pixels one after another.
"We're saved." Leon sighed.
He glanced at Alice.
She was giving him a serial killer's glare.
"..."
It sent chills down Leon's spine.
"Let go."
Alice said, yanking her wrist from him.
"...my bad."
Leon had no regrets. He didn't have the luxury to explain why he did that.
It was all a simple reflex!
"I will throw in some extra research."
"You better be." She shot him a glare, "otherwise... "
"Yeah, yeah."
Leon dryly said.
Both walked towards the open circular space.
But as they got closer, they saw not only their classmates' faces but also a few others.
"Third years?" Alice muttered, noticing them.
"Why are they here?"
Leon was taken aback, too, because in the game, the Allotment Exam never involved upperclassmen.
But surprisingly, there were several third years present among the first years.
Alice went ahead, leaving Leon in a daze.
"Hm? Hey, wait for me."
Following behind her, he scanned the area once again.
The invigilators, as well as the third years, were helping the first years set up their chosen books in the Resonator.
A Resonator was a football-shaped compact magic tool used to send the consciousness of one entity into one of the books present in the library.
The students lined up with their partners, along with a third-year student standing beside them.
"Will they come too?"
Alice asked, looking at the scene.
Leon replied.
"We'll find out soon."
Truth be told, there was a high chance the third years would tag along with them or at least keep an eye on them.
'The course of the story has changed a little...'
Leon didn't do it, which meant it happened on its own.
'The main cause must be me,' Leon concluded.
Because ever since he set foot in this world, small choices of his had piled up one after another.
Even the tiniest actions, words he should not have spoken, books he should not have touched, people he should not have crossed paths with, had rippled the main storyline.
'Though, I wonder why I didn't get any Fate Points?'
The Fate Points were meant to be awarded whenever he made changes to the storyline.
'Is indirect involvement not counted?'
It was highly possible.
That must be why the world system refused to acknowledge it for a reward.
"Haah... what a pity."
Leon sighed, realising it.
"What?" Beside him, Alice narrowed her eyes.
"You keep mumbling weird crap under your breath," she said, tilting her head. "What pity? What are you even talking about?"
Leon froze for half a third.
"Nothing important."
"Nothing important, my ass." Alice snorted.
Ignoring Alice, Leon approaches one of the invigilators.
"We've picked our book, what should we do next?"
"Hm?" The invigilator, noticing him, turned to him.
"You are the last pair to arrive. Please be punctual next time."
"Ah, yes, we're sorry."
The invigilator then told Leon that he needed to convince any of the third years to ask them to be their guide in this examination.
"Guide?" Alice asked, "Will they join us, too?"
"Not exactly," he replied, "the third years will act as monitors. Only your consciousness will be allowed inside. If either of you ends up in a troublesome situation, they'll immediately pull you out."
"So basically, babysitters."
"You could call it that." The invigilator gave a small shrug.
In the whole conversation, Leon picked up one word.
"What do you mean by 'convince any third year'?"
"You are quick to catch," the invigilator explained, "the rules have changed. Before this year, the first years had to take the exam in pairs without any supervision from the seniors. But, due to the recent attack on Eclipse, the management has taken a couple of steps to maintain a safe environment for the dangerous examinations like this."
Leon's doubt was spot on.
'So, it was all because of me, huh?'
This made him think of what more changes it could bring to the story if he continued to make slight changes.
Will it lead to salvation, or a catastrophe?
In any case, Leon was the least bit anxious.
"Wait?" Alice raised another question.
"Why do we have to convince them? Isn't it supposed to be an exam? We should get someone to monitor us by the institute itself, right?"
The invigilator, however, looked rather annoyed at her words.
"We've already explained it before. We won't repeat ourselves for the sake of a few inattentive brats."
"The hell?! For the last time, we didn't hear any such announcements being made!" Alice snapped.
"That's not my problem, missy." The invigilator shrugged coldly. "If you can't keep up, then maybe you don't belong here."
Alice's teeth ground together, her fist clenched tight.
'This is bad.'
"Alice, calm down. Picking a fight with them won't change anything."
Leon stepped in before it escalated any further.
Alice turned and shot him a deadly glare.
"You spineless sack of donkey vomit," she hissed at Leon. "Are you scared even though we were telling the truth?"
Leon raised his hands slightly, keeping his voice low.
Her eyes flared.
"Oh, so we're just supposed to swallow it? Look, I am not like you all."
"Yes, I know it well," Leon said bluntly. "But if you blow up here, they'll use it as an excuse to fail us. Don't fall for it."
Alice clenched her jaw, her shoulders trembling with rage.
"Tch... coward."
'Coward, huh...'
Leon sighed.
'It's a pity really, because pride never saved anyone from the grave.'
He gave her a sidelong glance. "Donkey vomit? Really?... where are you even finding these words?"
She snorted. "From the same place you left your spine."
'Oh, someone's annoyed,' Leon thought.
Dropping the topic for now, he and Alice walked toward a group of third years.
There were three males and five females in the group, all chatting with each other. They wore the classic Eclipse uniform, each holding a crystal ball.
"So that's a Resonator?" Alice wondered, looking at the crystal balls.
"Seems like it. Let's go, we need to convince one of them."
Leon walked to them, clearing his throat, ready to make a request, but his senses froze the moment his eyes spotted a familiar figure seated just behind the group of third years.
"..."
White moonlight hair, an open book in her hand, her ocean-blue eyes constantly scanning the text within. She was completely indulged in the little world she held, so much so that at first glance, one might think the outside world no longer mattered to her.
At first glance, one might think that no outside world would matter to her.
A grin crossed Leon's face. Ignoring the other seniors, he moved toward that particular girl.
'Ah, it almost slipped my mind that she was a third year too.'
Alice tilted her head, then froze when she noticed who Leon was approaching.
The other seniors whom Leon ignored glanced at him at the same time.
Standing right before the white-haired girl, Leon politely greeted,
"Good afternoon, princess."
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THE VILLAIN IS DESTINED TO DIE: BUT AS THE CREATOR, I KNOW ALL ENDINGSC56: It's just a coincidence.
Chapter 56: It's just a coincidence.
She had never bothered to participate in any extracurricular activities; she also never made any friends. For her, it was all just a waste of time.
As the second princess of Liora, she had a duty to fulfil.
How could she waste her time on trivial things that wouldn't prove beneficial to the kingdom?
"What an eyesore..."
Eula muttered under her breath, turning her focus away from the first year's request for her classmates to her book in hand.
The Eclipse had made it mandatory for the third years to act as guides to their juniors in the Class Allocation Examination today.
Eula didn't want to act as a babysitter to a bunch of brats. She had only come because Rinna was also taking this exam. And as a good elder sister, she came here just to cheer her up.
But as soon as she entered the library hall, she attracted attention. Occasionally, she could hear whispers from her juniors talking to each other.
"Hey, should we ask Princess Eula to act as our guide?"
"Are you nuts? She would never accept. Just look at Princess Rinna—even she asked her sister, but she was rejected."
"Sibling fight?"
"What rubbish, they're not ten!"
"Oh? My mother and aunt still fight, though."
"...nobody asked. And that's messed up."
"..."
Eula sighed, listening to their conversations. Sure, being a princess brought attention, but at the same time, people would think ten times before ever approaching her.
'The only good thing about being a princess.'
With that in mind, Eula relaxed and continued reading her book.
She flipped the pages with her graceful fingertips, her eyes glued to the text with a straight face.
She had been reading this book from the moment she stepped into the library. This made others wonder exactly what she was reading.
But they couldn't see the title, because Eula had hidden it under a cover.
Almost all of them thought it was some kind of secret book, the secret to Eula being this powerful at such a young age must be because of that book.
"Good afternoon, Princess."
A voice called out to her from the front.
Lifting her gaze, she saw a pair of golden pupils staring at her in a weirdly polite manner.
"May I have a moment of your time?" Leon asked, presenting himself elegantly.
Eula's eye twitched at the sight.
'I nearly forgot about him...' Her eyes shifted towards the group of stunned third years behind him, then returned to Leon.
'What is he up to now?'
That look on his face wasn't helping matters. The confidence in his golden eyes seemed almost predatory, as if he knew something she didn't.
Around them, murmurs began to ripple through the gathered students.
"Is that guy seriously approaching Princess Eula?"
"Does he have a death wish?"
"Wait, isn't that Leon Valentine?"
"How does someone like him have the guts to—"
"Maybe he'll ask the princess to be his guide."
"Hahaha... that would be foolish."
Leon ignored the whispers entirely, his gaze fixed solely on Eula. But something was unsettling about his composure.... It was too calm.
Eula sighed, closing her book with deliberate slowness.
"What is it?" she asked, her tone carrying the weight of royal authority.
Leon's lips curved into the faintest smile.
"I'd like to request that you act as our guide for the Class Allocation Examination."
The entire hall fell silent.
Everyone gasped in unison. Even the third years stopped their conversations to stare.
"Did he just—"
"No way!"
"He's actually asking Princess Eula?!"
Alice, who had been standing a few steps behind, came running to Leon's side, her face flushed with panic.
"Deepest apology, princess! Please don't mind this idiot!" she said, bowing hastily to Eula.
Then she grabbed Leon's arm, hissing, "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Let's ask the others instead!"
But Leon didn't budge.
His eyes remained locked on Eula's, and for the first time, she found herself genuinely curious.
There was something different about Leon from their last encounter that night.
Everything had gone according to his plan, exactly as he'd wanted. The Primordial was killed, and Eula had also discovered that he possessed Light Affinity, not to mention that three-line incantation spell he'd provided her on the spot.
They had much unfinished business.
Among all their matters, the most important was inviting Leon to the Twilight Order. After the incident, she had proposed him to the rest of the members. They'd been doubtful at first, but Eula convinced them that he would work solely as a strategist.
It was unprecedented since the Twilight Order only comprised warriors and assassins. Taking in a non-combatant had never been done before.
'Perhaps through this examination, he'll show me his combat ability,' she mused.
This would be beneficial to her.
Eula thought back to that night. Leon had played a crucial role in killing the demon, but he'd barely raised his sword. He'd used some special ability to stop the demon's movement, but this wasn't combat, it was simply a skill.
But it was also possible that he was hiding his combat strength. Wasn't it?
"Do you accept the proposal, Princess?" Leon asked, his voice cutting through Alice's frantic attempts to drag him away.
Eula studied his face for a long moment.
The murmurs around them grew louder, but she barely heard them. Something in Leon's expression reminded her of Lady Veronica.
After a second that felt like an eternity, Eula said, "Alright."
"WHAT THE?!"
The reaction was immediate and explosive. Students throughout the area turned to stare, their faces displayed genuine shock.
"Did Princess Eula just say yes?!"
"To Leon Valentine?!"
"This has to be a dream!"
"Pinch me!"
Even Alice was flabbergasted, her mouth hanging open as she stared between Leon and Eula.
"Princess... you're serious?" Alice managed to stammer.
Eula rose gracefully from her seat, tucking her mysterious book under her arm.
"I said what I said," she replied coolly. "Now, shall we proceed? Time is limited, and I have other matters to attend to after this examination."
Leon's smile widened just slightly.
"Thank you, Princess. I believe this arrangement will prove... mutually beneficial," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
Eula smiled back.
"Likewise."
As the three of them moved toward the Resonator setup area, whispers still followed in their wake.
"H-Hey, when was the last time someone saw Princess Eula smile?"
"This is the first time."
"Did Leon Valentine just charm Princess Eula?"
"Are you nuts?!"
"H-Hey, don't kick—ouch!"
"Maybe he is talented, and the rumours about him being adopted were wrong..."
"Nah, I highly doubt that."
Leon's cheeks flickered at the comment. 'Who the hell is spreading these rumours?!'
Alice walked between them; her mind was racing. The exchange she'd just witnessed had felt calculated somehow, like Leon had expected Eula to say yes. But that was impossible, wasn't it?
'This guy... who is he really?' she thought, stealing glances at Leon's satisfied expression.
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THE VILLAIN IS DESTINED TO DIE: BUT AS THE CREATOR, I KNOW ALL ENDINGSC57: The Shattered Swordmaiden [1]
Chapter 57: The Shattered Swordmaiden [1]
"You two are aware of all the rules, I presume?"
Eula asked, picking up the football-shaped crystal ball from the desk.
Alice glanced at Leon, who was standing beside her.
Leon didn't say anything, nor did he look the slightest bit confused, as if he had been in this place hundreds of times.
Noticing both of them remaining quiet, Eula sighed and proceeded with her explanation.
"This library is called the Astral-Tale due to its unique nature. Every book you see here was not handwritten by humans, but by the World System itself. This place stores more than a million old stories that have left their mark on history. But it doesn't stop there; the library has a heart of its own. In each era, it automatically documents great heroes and warriors in one of its books, storing them forever."
Silence fell over them. Even Leon was hearing this for the first time.
'Interesting...'
In the game, it hadn't been mentioned in such detail.
Eula continued.
"The name Astral-Tale was derived from one of its unique properties. It stores a copy of the great heroes' or warriors' souls in each book. Readers will experience the story by witnessing it, by living inside it. The reader's consciousness will be temporarily shifted into the story."
Leon, curious, questioned.
"The copy of the souls of great heroes you just mentioned. Will the characters inside have all the traits of the original?"
Eula nodded.
"Correct. And because of that, you will experience the real nature of these great heroes, which is often falsely portrayed in public textbooks outside the Eclipse."
Alice asked this time.
"Um, Princess, I heard that Astral Travelling is a dangerous territory. Is it safe for our consciousness to enter one of these?"
Eula turned to her and asked for the first time.
"And you are?"
Alice stiffened. Without acting bratty, she politely answered, portraying a basic courtesy.
"How rude of me. I am Alice Nightson. I humbly greet the second princess."
Upon hearing the name Nightson, Eula's ears perked up.
"Nightson? Are you related to Headmaster Raizen?"
"Ah, I have heard about you quite a lot." Eula smiled at her. "Headmaster Raizen always brags about you."
"O-oh, I apologize."
Eula smiled.
"No, it's true. I have read one of your articles about Mana Resonance before, and truth be told, it's simply brilliant."
"U-Uh... I am honoured, Princess."
Eula must not have noticed it, but Leon did.
Alice was blushing.
"...."
He thought, 'If only she had a filter for her words... haah.'
Leon changed the topic.
"So, what are the drawbacks of Astral travelling?"
Eula coolly answered, "Astral travelling depends entirely on how strong your mental consciousness is. Your brain will suffer the most if you let the story affect your consciousness too much."
"Like how much?" Leon asked hurriedly.
"It's not much, but your brain will suffer a stroke, and then you'll be left paralyzed for years."
"..."
"..."
Both Leon's and Alice's mouths hung open.
Leon was aware of the drawbacks, but that was in the game and not here. Whenever Ethan and other characters got lost in any book, the game's mechanism would bring them back to the last save point.
"Now, then," Eula extended her hand toward Leon.
Leon looked down.
"What?"
Eula's eye twitched, but she simply replied.
"The book. Give it to me."
Leon passed the book to her.
Staring at it, Eula read its title.
[The Shattered Swordmaiden]
"Hm? Interesting..." Eula commented, and then, looking up, she asked Alice.
"Did you choose it?"
Alice shook her head vigorously.
"No, it was him."
She pointed at Leon.
"Huh?" Eula's eyes snapped to him.
"What?"
Leon blinked, knowing very well what she was about to say next.
"I didn't know you had such... refined tastes in literature?"
"Wait, what?" Alice reacted, her voice climbing in pitch. "What do you mean by 'refined tastes'?"
Eula lifted the book that Leon had just handed her.
"The Shattered Swordmaiden, tells the story of Lady Lumina Elizabeth Dare, born into the highest nobility but who abandoned her luxurious life after her beloved died protecting her during an assassination attempt."
Taking her breath, Eula continued.
"Consumed by grief and guilt, she took up his beloved sword and began a relentless journey of vengeance against those responsible for his death. She trained under the harshest masters, enduring pain that would break even the seasoned warriors, all while her heart remained frozen in sorrow."
Eula paused, a knowing spark glinting in her eyes.
"She became history's greatest swordmaiden, but the title 'Shattered' came from how love and loss forged her into an unbreakable blade... yet left her heart in pieces forever. It's quite a popular book among young maidens who romanticize the idea of love transcending death."
Leon felt his eye twitch.
Alice slowly turned to stare at him, her expression a mixture of shock and barely contained laughter.
"I had no idea you were drawn to tragic love stories."
"Haah... are you done?" Leon sighed.
"Well," Alice grinned wickedly, "your taste in literature is... surprisingly sentimental."
'Of course, Eula had read this book,' Leon thought, already regretting his decision.
When it came to romance novels, Eula was the right person to consult. Since birth, she'd had a keen interest in reading, aside from Rinna it was the only thing that kept her company wherever she went, filling the lonely spaces of royal duty.
Moving past the topic, Eula took the book and placed it over the crystal, which was connected to a large metallic apparatus with several pipes extending underground.
Brrrr–! Grumblrrr—!
The Resonator shook once before golden light erupted from its core.
[The Shattered Swordmaiden]
Genre: Romance, Sword Art
Maximum readers: 2 to 5
[Start Astral Travel?]
[Yes] [No]
Eula pressed [Yes].
As soon as she did, she pulsed her mana into the resonator.
The book began to glow, hovering mid-air as its pages flipped rapidly. Both Leon and Alice felt their consciousness being pulled toward the book, as if caught in a powerful gravitational field.
Their bodies started dissolving into streams of light and data.
"Wha—!" Alice panicked.
"Don't be nervous. I'll be monitoring you the entire time. Just give me a signal, and I'll call you back immediately," Eula assured them.
Before Leon's body completely faded away, his eyes caught sight of a familiar translucent window.
[Unknown Interference Detected]
[Reconnecting to the World System...]
[||||||||||||||||||||.....]
[ERROR]
[World System: Disconnected]
[Searching for a nearby data bank]
[Success]
[Applying rollback]
[Success]
[Reallocating skills and stats]
[Success]
Several lines of code cascaded before his eyes until everything dissolved into pitch black, ending with two final notifications:
[Welcome, Administrator]
[Warning: Due to unauthorized access, the administrator may attract the attention of System Root]
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THE VILLAIN IS DESTINED TO DIE: BUT AS THE CREATOR, I KNOW ALL ENDINGSC58: The Shattered Swordmaiden [2]
Chapter 58: The Shattered Swordmaiden [2]
[Warning: This Chapter contains some scenes which might not be suitable for some readers.]
Haru had never been interested in reading stories before. Most of the books he had read until now were either technical or political.
Beyond that, he only had a vague idea about how a novel actually began.
Even so, Haru had given his utmost best to shape the game's lore. Hiring professional writers and editors to further improve the lore of [Rebirth of the Fivefold Calamity] had been a brilliant move at the time.
After the game's beta release, Haru's company [Arcane Legacy] had gathered valuable feedback and bug reports from beta players, which were compiled and reported back to the core development team to address all the issues.
At that time, Haru had millions of dollars from investors in his company, so money was never a problem for him.
Carefully noting the issues in the game's lore, Haru hired a group of professional scriptwriters to refine the story to peak perfection.
Starting with the lore of side characters and extending to the main cast, [Rebirth of the Fivefold Calamity] successfully created something the world would soon be praising.
It was the revolution that would further evolve the gaming industry.
A masterpiece, crafted and led by the youngest billionaire in the world.
"Achoo!"
Alice sneezed delicately, wrapping both arms around herself as her petite frame shivered.
"Iz's swo cwold, heree!"
She attempted to speak normally, but only broken, adorably cute fragments managed to escape between her chattering teeth and quivering lips.
But the coldness that was enveloping them was not cute in the slightest.
She, alongside Leon, had finally entered the storybook, where a vast snowfield awaited them.
Alice had to squint through the haze to examine her surroundings.
Turning to her left, she found Leon standing nearby. But unlike his previous confident expression, his face had now shifted to display unmistakable terror.
Leon was simply staring into the empty air before his eyes, his pupils darting left to right, widened as if he had just read some kind of death sentence.
Alice found it disturbing, shook him by his shoulder.
"Hey!"
Her force knocked some sense into him, making his eyes finally shift towards her.
"What happened?"
"Hm?" Leon tilted his head in confusion.
"No, nothing," he replied casually.
"..."
"Anyway," he said, gazing at the snow below his feet, "all of this looks so real, don't you think?"
Snow slowly dug beneath their feet, and the feeling of coldness hit their skin.
Everything looked and felt all too real.
"You're right," Alice agreed, stomping her feet on the snow. "Oh, we also have different clothes too."
Leon wore a white shirt with black pants, and Alice wore a simple top and skirt. They both looked like commoners from afar, but with how refined their facial features were, anyone could tell that both of them were nobles.
"Achoooo! Ahhhchoooo!" Alice was clenching her body even more, "ugh! For fuck's sake!"
The weather was indeed harsh right now.
Curiously, Leon finally asked Alice the question he had wanted to ask for so long.
"How the heck do you catch a cold when you're not even in your real body? That's kinda... pathetic if you ask me."
"You think I'm doing this on purpose? I just can't withstand cold weather. That's it," she hissed.
It had been only ten seconds since Leon and Alice had entered this world.
But before entering, Leon had seen several system warnings flash before his vision. Some of them were alarming, but a few caught his attention and have been bothering him ever since.
[World System: Disconnected]
[Searching for a nearby data bank]
It took Leon a few minutes to decipher the meaning of these commands.
When his actual consciousness left his real body, his system had stopped responding. It was as if it had never existed.
Leon tried to activate his old status window, but nothing popped up.
"Weird?" He muttered.
But before he could test out other methods, Alice's stunned voice came from his right.
"What the—there's some kind of projection in front of my eyes..."
Leon's head instantly turned to her.
'A system window?!'
"How?" Leon asked.
"What do you mean?" she replied.
A minute later.
A yellow window, similar to his system in the real world, popped up and was now hovering with a single line of message flashing on it.
[Warning: Due to unauthorized access, the administrator may attract the attention of System Root.]
This line alone was enough to send chills down Leon's spine, because it was his first time hearing that name.
[System Root]
'What is that? No... who is that?'
What did that "may attract attention" message mean?
'Is there someone who's been watching me, or...'
Leon seriously contemplated the message, but he soon found it too difficult to think further.
After the message vanished, a new piece of information rewrote the previous statement.
[The Shattered Swordmaiden]
Genre: Romance, Sword Art
Difficulty: ★ ★ (2 star)
Player needed: 2 - 4
Progress: [0%------------------]
It was the description of the book that they had both entered.
"That's pretty handy," Alice commented, probably reading the same message in her own window.
"Let's find a warm place first," Leon suggested, taking note of the weather.
It was getting worse with each passing second.
Covering their ears from the biting cold air, they both moved ahead.
"Where are we going exactly?" Alice asked Leon, since he was the one leading her. "Please tell me you're not one of those 'trust me, I know what I'm doing' guys who ends up getting everyone killed."
"Just wait and see," he answered smugly.
"Oh for fuck's sake! That's exactly what those guys say!" Alice groaned. "Next you'll be telling me to 'stay calm' while we're being eaten by some horrific monster!"
"Okay, fine. I'm like 90% sure I know where we're going," Leon admitted.
"Ninety percent?! What about the other ten percent?"
Leon remembered playing this portion in the game, and as far as his knowledge went, there should be a cave nearby.
Ethan had been able to find it, so he would too.
"That ten percent is the part where we wing it and hope for the best." He replied.
"...Look," Alice's tone became serious, "I'm already freezing my ass off in this winter. If your ten percent fuckup gets me in trouble, then forget about the research; I'll make you wish you never crawled out of your mother's womb."
'Classic Alice.'
Leon blinked at her words.
In the game, Alice had been one of the most popular characters among players. Her brilliant research papers, her adorable reactions when flustered, and even her tsundere-like personality had made her a fan favorite.
But if it hadn't been for her foul mouth, she probably would have topped the popularity charts.
As for Haru... it hadn't really mattered to him. Throughout his entire career as both a gamer and a developer, he had never felt any sentiment toward any character he had played or designed. For him, they had all been simply... characters whose fates had already been coded.
Glancing at Alice as she followed behind him, he thought wryly.
'I wonder how many of those fans would survive meeting the real Alice Nightson in person.'
After trudging through the snow for several minutes, Leon still hadn't spotted what he was looking for.
'It should be here...'
That was weird. Leon was certain it was situated somewhere nearby, but this place had nothing of the sort.
As he walked deeper, he recalled the game's story.
'Ethan was able to meet the swordmaiden right after he found a cave to stay in... I just need to find the cave.'
Leon was also considering the possibility of the swordmaiden confronting them first.
But that would only happen under special circumstances.
'Shit, this psycho will end me if it fails.'
"Haaah..."
Thinking back to Alice's reaction, Leon understood that she was just being cautious.
After all, everyone feared death, and she was no different. Given the fact that she wouldn't actually die in this two-star book if she got killed, the worst that could happen would be only a couple of months or maybe even years of paralysis.
Leon noticed that Alice was simply walking behind him with crossed arms, puffing her petite cheeks, following him like he was her only source of guidance. Which, in this case, was true.
It was Leon who had chosen the book, and it was he who had given his word that he knew what he was doing.
Sighing, Leon began to speak.
"Look, I know it—"
MUNCH—! MUNCH—!
"!?"
"!?"
His steps halted. Every hair on his body stood on end as a disgustingly foul smell reached his nose, followed by a munching sound as if someone was biting through rock.
It was coming from his left.
Both Leon and Alice stood side by side. They both wanted to turn and look, but their bodies froze.
Gulping, Leon forced himself to turn.
What he saw made him question whether this was the same game he had created.
It was a human girl... Maybe calling it a human would be too much.
The left half of her skull was caved inward, exposing brain matter where pale maggots writhed and crawled through the grey tissue. Her skin hung in rotting strips from her frame, revealing blackened muscle.
She was completely naked.
The creature was hunched over the mangled corpse of what appeared to be a large dog; her jaw was constantly tearing chunks of meat from the dog.
When the creature sensed their presence, it stopped munching. She slowly turned her head toward them, making a sickening wet sound.
Her remaining milky eyes fixed on Leon and Alice.
Drool dripped down her mangled mouth.
Leon felt his stomach lurch.
Alice, despite her usual bravado, could only manage to whisper.
"...See, that's what your ten percent lead us to."
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THE VILLAIN IS DESTINED TO DIE: BUT AS THE CREATOR, I KNOW ALL ENDINGSC59: The Shattered Swordmaiden [3]
Chapter 59: The Shattered Swordmaiden [3]
The bizarre creature drooled, her mangled mouth stretched at both ends, before an ear-piercing scream tore through Leon's ears.
"Kreeerrrraaaaaaaaahhhhh!"
Even though the scream nearly burst their eardrums, none of them shuddered.
"Is that a chimera?"
Alice asked, squinting her eyes to get a clearer view.
"Gross," she added.
Of course, this wasn't the first time Alice had seen a demon. Back when she was a kid, her grandpa always brought her along on a few of the hunts.
Well, because of her grandpa, she was pretty much used to witnessing these kinds of gruesome creatures.
Leon let out a sigh and met Alice's gaze. "Can you deal with that thing?"
"Excuse me?"
Alice blinked, not believing what she just heard. The look in her eyes said, Did this fucker just order me?
Sure, Leon could fight that chimera on his own, but if he had Alice at his side, then why go to such trouble?
If Leon had to provide his research, then he would make sure Alice understood what it meant to accept his conditions.
"Grrrraaaaahhhh!"
The chimera growled, leaving the dog's corpse on the ground. Her arms made a sickening wet sound as she cautiously walked toward them.
A chimera was usually found in the warzone. When the corpses of fallen warriors were left to rot, the demons turned those corpses into one of them.
"Aac... wint..." The chimera tried to move her lips, but her words were inaudible to Alice and Leon.
It was how they played with the emotions of humans, turning their comrades against them into rotting corpses. Most who faced them lost hope on the spot.
The chimera, after leaving the dog's corpse, was growling at Leon.
"So?" Leon asked Alice again, looking at the scene.
"Huh? Don't you know how to fight?"
Alice blurted in annoyance.
Leon gave her a flat look. "I can, but... why should I waste the effort when you're right here?"
Alice narrowed her eyes. "Lazy bastard."
He smirked. "I prefer the term 'efficient.'"
Alice clicked her tongue in irritation and stepped forward.
She flipped her side hair with the motion.
Lifting her right hand slightly and rubbing the ring on her fingers, she walked slowly towards the chimera.
—-Grrroowwwwlll!!!
"Wow, how noisy. You need discipline," she said, looking at the chimera.
The gem on the ring pulsed with a deep violet glow, expanding and twisting until the small ring transformed into a massive scythe. A golden purple shaft supported a gleaming amethyst blade.
Alice spun it once, then rested the weapon behind her, letting its weight sink into the earth with a heavy thud.
A crack formed beneath her boots.
Leon's eyes widened a little, his mouth forming a small "O."
"...Well, she doesn't have to act that dramatic," he muttered, clapping lightly with an unimpressed expression.
Alice quickly dashed towards the chimera. Using the momentum, she swung the scythe, aiming for its head.
Leon had never seen such moves outside of movies or video games, so witnessing it in real life made his heart beat faster.
Chop!
Keeeeuuuugghhhh!
The chimera screamed as its head tore halfway from its torso, but the cut wasn't deep enough. The oesophagus still clung to the throat, allowing the creature's scream to escape its mangled mouth.
"The fuck!"
Alice landed on the ground, tightening her stance with the scythe.
Her eyes locked onto the chimera as it staggered forward, dragging its nearly severed head behind.
"Disgusting," she said, gripping the scythe with both hands this time.
The headless body lurched and swung toward Alice before she could press forward.
"S-Shit!" She fumbled, raising her scythe in front of her to guard against the attack.
But the moment the chimera's flesh made contact with the blade, a grin spread across Alice's face.
"Got you," she muttered a spell, and soon after, her scythe began to glow.
Keeeeuuuugh!
The chimera screamed louder, its skin shrivelling as if it were drying from the inside out. An unimaginable amount of affinity was being sucked into the scythe, pulled directly from the chimera's body.
No matter how much the chimera struggled, it couldn't tear itself away from the weapon, as if its hands had fused to the scythe.
The glow on Alice's scythe slowly dimmed, its hunger satisfied. She twisted her body and kicked the chimera square in the abdomen.
Bang–!
The chimera was flung across the field, smashing through the air like a rag doll. Before it could hit the ground, Alice launched herself after it, her figure vanishing in a blur of speed.
Her lips parted as she whispered, "Mist Blade."
The blade of her scythe vibrated with power. In a single sweeping arc, the weapon released a storm of dense, black mist that hardened into razor-sharp darts.
Shhhhh–!
Dozens of dark projectiles slashed through the air, slicing into the chimera before it could even scream. Each dart cut deeper, severing limbs, splitting flesh, and shattering bone.
By the time the mist cleared, what remained of the chimera fell into pieces.
"Whistle~" Leon was impressed, looking at the body of the chimera scattered across the ground like broken pieces of glass.
Alice rested the scythe against her shoulder, swaying her hair. She gave Leon a smug, full smile as if to say, 'See that, fucker.'
Alice swung the scythe back into place, letting it rest against her shoulder as she strutted toward Leon with a smug little hum.
"Mhhmmm~"
Her boots tapped against the ground like she was walking a runway.
Leon's eyes narrowed.
'Yeah, yeah, I saw all that. No need to rub it in.'
Alice tilted her chin up, smirking. "So? Not even a 'wow, Alice, you're amazing'? Come on, don't be shy, clap harder, bastard."
Clap.
Leon clapped once. Just once.
"There. Happy?"
Alice's smile twitched. "You stingy piece of shit."
"Heh, don't act so tough. You could've finished it quicker if you hadn't done those weird poses."
Alice scoffed.
"Tch, fuck off. If I wasn't here, you'd still be scratching your balls while that thing chewed your face off."
"Alright, sure... You did great, bravo..." Leon said without minding his tone.
Alice grined her teeth before a low guttural growl spread across the area.
"Hm?"
Leon's brows furrowed. "...You hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Shh!" He gestured for Alice to lower her voice.
In that moment, Alice senses it too.
The shadows beyond the trees stirred, and one by one, more of those distorted, stitched-together chimera's dragged themselves into view.
This time, there were both males and females. Some have limbs, some don't.
Alice's smirk froze.
"...Well, fuck me sideways."
Leon raised an eyebrow.
"Fifty? Sixty? What the—see, they all get attracted by your earlier shit show."
She clicked her tongue, spinning the scythe back into her hands.
"Oh, shut it. Don't just stand there, dipshit—help me! I can't take them all!"
Leon sighed, drawing his blade at last.
"Yeah, fine. But don't expect me to do the same fancy-ass move as you."
"Shut up and focus!"
Finally, Alice, alongside Leon, noticed that they were surrounded. Both met gazes and silently nodded, telling each other to take as many as they could.
Alice dashed forward first, and her scythe moved with the same arc. One chimera fell before it could even move.
Thud–!
Leon, meanwhile, didn't move. He just stood there, waiting.
There was a reason for that; as pathetic as it sounded, Leon didn't actually know how to use a sword properly yet. He had never really had the time to learn sword art.
One chimera circled him, its yellow eyes locking with his. The moment it pounced, Leon did a voiceless incantation. A miniature shard of ice appeared right in front of his face. It spun forward like a drill and split the beast's skull in half.
Shasssshhh—!!
Thud–!
The headless body hit the ground with a thud but kept twitching. Leon grimaced, walked up, and stabbed it over and over like a madman until it finally stilled.
"Phew..." He wiped sweat off his forehead.
Alice's voice rang out, furious.
"What the hell kind of lady-ass fight is that, dumbass? You trying to get us all killed or what?!"
By the time she yelled, Alice had already taken down four chimeras, while Leon had managed just one.
Leon only shrugged. "Well, can't waste energy yet. Just... wait."
"Wait?! Wait for what, your period to end?!"
Despite her insult, the sheer numbers pressed in harder, forcing them back step by step.
"Fuck!!" Alice spat, her scythe cleaving another chimera.
"Hufff... huff.. huff..."
Thirty minutes passed. The ground was painted with blood and gore. Alice, whose clothes were soaked and stinking of rotten ichor, had only managed to take down fifteen. Leon, in comparison, has just three.
"We're so screwed!"
Alice cursed, wiping her bloodied hands against her thighs.
Leon, on the other hand, was completely clean. He had been using his voiceless incantations to pierce skulls, while Alice had been forced to rely on raw scythe work. For her, casting a spell would need time, and they didn't have it.
Leon wiped his mouth, chuckling darkly.
"Maybe we're doing something wrong?" His head tilted slightly, but his eyes were fixed on the tip of the iceberg beyond the battlefield.
A grin tugged at his lips.
More than fifty chimeras roared in unison, their bodies crouching low, ready to lunge on them at once.
"Shit! Shit! Run!"
Alice shouted, stumbling back as the horde surged toward them.
And then—
Click–!
A sharp metallic clicking sound echoed through the frozen air.
Every beast froze mid-motion.
The next heartbeat, their fifty bodies collapsed, diced into neat, impossible pieces. Flesh and bones splattered across the white ice, staining it red in a grotesque chorus of wet sound.
"You kids have balls."
The voice was heavy, feminine, and dripping with authority.
Leon smirked, lowering his sword.
'I knew she was watching.'
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Chapter 60: The Shattered Swordmaiden [4]
"You kids have balls."
Alice blinked at the voice. Her hands were still clutching the blood-slicked shaft of her scythe.
"...What the hell just—?"
She looked across the bloody field.
Leon stayed silent; his smirk faded. He wasn't surprised or anything.
"..."
Leon shifted his gaze upward.
Following his line of sight, Alice spotted her too.
A lone figure seated on a dried, crooked tree branch jutting from the ice-cliff wall like a bone.
The branch itself looked brittle, ready to snap under a feather's weight, yet the woman resting there sat with perfect balance.
Her legs crossed loosely over each other, one arm draped over her knee. The faint shine of a blade rested across her waist, catching the light of the ice.
Strands of pale silver hair spilt from beneath her black hood, brushing her shoulders. Even from this distance, those crimson eyes of hers cut through Leon and Alice like a sharp blade.
Leon put back his sword. He recognized the person.
"The Swordmaiden..." he murmured.
Alice's brows pinched together.
"Wait, that's her?"
The woman on the branch smiled faintly before jumping off.
Poof–!
She landed on the bloody snow, just in front of Leon and Alice.
"You two don't seem to be local." Her tone was overly calm, flat, almost dead. "Are both of you lost?"
"Wow... she doesn't look that old."
The words slipped out of Alice's mouth before she could stop herself.
Leon, however, said nothing, his focus locked on the woman.
A faint chuckle left her lips.
"Not old, hm? I'm thirty-seven. Of course I'm not."
Alice blinked, caught off guard.
Thirty-seven was not... old? she thought, but wisely chose not to argue.
The Swordmaiden slipped her hood back further, tilting her head slightly. Despite the silver-white hair spilling past her shoulders, her figure was anything but frail.
The cloak shifted, revealing the sharp outline of a navy-blue military uniform; it was old, worn out, and faintly stained with blood that the fabric failed to fully hide.
A silver sword, adorned with a golden gem, rested at her waist. As she untied the hood and knotted it around her belt, Leon's gaze remained fixed on the weapon. Even from here, he could feel the amount of mana pulsing inside it.
"Hm?"
The Swordmaiden's crimson eyes followed his stare.
"I don't like men staring at me." Her voice cut through the air. "Especially not like that."
Alice stiffened; she nearly choked for air.
Leon exhaled slowly, unbothered.
"I was looking at your sword," he said evenly. "Not you."
She tapped her finger against the sheath resting at her waist.
"Quite the eye you have." She unsheathed the blade in the open, letting the light reflect off its silver surface.
The surface of the blade was so white, as if it were made from the moon itself.
"This one is called the Moonblade; it is a blade crafted under the moon's light continuously, absorbing the mana emitted by it. With one slash, this blade could perish even the mountains."
It was the same weapon Leon had his eyes set on. A legendary weapon known as the Moonblade. Lost in history, it was once wielded by the Swordmaiden.
And after the Swordmaiden perished, the sword was nowhere to be found. The only clue that could lead to the sword was clearing this book.
In the game, Ethan was rewarded with a teleportation coordinate that would lead him directly to the Moonblade hidden in the real world.
Though the weapon was quite powerful, it had some side effects.
But despite that, the Swordmaiden was able to wield it. And the side effects did not bother her.
What exactly did she do differently?
She never disclosed it to anyone; even Ethan was unaware of it in the game, and because of that, the game didn't explain it either.
Leon wanted to know why she was not affected by it. Was it her skill? Was it due to some artifact?
Leon would get his hands on it anyhow.
A Moonblade was a catastrophe engraved in the form of a weapon itself. Getting his hands on it was like having a nuke at his disposal.
"So. Where are you two from?" Her voice was even. "Not many outsiders end up on this frozen desert. Certainly not... children of your age...hmm..."
She carefully studied both Alice and Leon.
"From your clothes, you don't look like commoners. Are you perhaps foreigners?"
At those words, Leon coughed before replying,
"And we don't know where we are either, and we didn't come here by choice."
"What is that supposed to mean?" the Swordmaiden whispered.
Alice shut her mouth; she let Leon deal with her. If anything went wrong, she would gladly blame it all on him.
Leon didn't try to lie outright because if he did, then the Swordmaiden would see right through it.
"We don't know," Leon said calmly. "After we both woke up, we found ourselves in this snowland, surrounded by chimeras."
"And, you both knew each other before?"
They both nodded.
"...Yes."
The Swordmaiden crossed her arms. After racking her brain for two minutes, she offered,
"If you are lost, we could help you two get to the nearest town. I know a person there; you might find your way home from him."
Leon and Alice exchanged looks, and then Alice whispered to Leon,
"Hey, why did you go silent? Answer her."
Sighing, Leon finally spoke.
"While we appreciate your offer, but... I don't know everything that has happened to us, and neither do I have any idea of who you are. Sure, after what I've seen, I can say that we both could be in safe hands if we stick with you. But I must humbly reject the offer."
The Swordmaiden blinked at him.
"Are you afraid that I might do something to you two?"
Alice immediately nodded.
"Precisely. I mean, why did you save us from all those chimeras only when we were about to get slaughtered? You could've saved us from the start. And now you suddenly offer help—it's kind of weird."
The Swordmaiden let out a faint sigh, her crimson eyes softening.
"I wanted to see how much you two could handle on your own. That's all. Had you been powerless, I would've stepped in much earlier. But I don't believe in protecting people who can't at least fight for themselves."
Her words struck both of them quiet for a moment.
Leon exhaled slowly.
"So, that was a test?"
"Think of it that way if you wish." Her tone was calm, without malice. "But I meant what I said. If you follow me to town, you'll at least have food, shelter, and information. You don't have to trust me fully. But wandering this land without direction is the same as choosing death."
Alice glanced at Leon.
"...She's right. We'll end up dead if we keep walking around blind."
Alice rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the blood-stained snow. She wasn't fully convinced about what Leon was trying to pull right now. But, she played along either way.
Finally, he nodded.
"Fine. We'll go with you. But don't expect blind trust from us just yet."
The Swordmaiden smiled faintly, almost approvingly.
"That's good. Blind trust only leads to betrayal. Keep your doubts... it means you'll survive longer."
Alice muttered under her breath, "Tch... wise old hag."
"I heard that," the Swordmaiden said flatly.
Alice froze, then awkwardly looked away.
Leon glanced at both of them.
'Damn, I didn't expect Alice to play along.'
In truth, he wasn't being honest. He was trying to gaslight the swordmaiden, crafting a persona that looked cautious, sceptical, and grounded. Someone who wouldn't blindly trust strangers but also wasn't hostile. A middle ground. The more reasonable he appeared, the more trust she would eventually place in him. And that was exactly what he wanted.
The three of them started walking through the blood-stained snow. Only the sound of their boots pressed against the ice broke the silence.
Then came the sound, a low, guttural growl.
Alice froze first, her grip tightening around the scythe. It wasn't one or two. The sound was coming from everywhere.
Leon narrowed his eyes. From the ridges above, from behind the frozen rocks, from the cracks in the snowfield, they came. Dozens, no, hundreds of chimeras.
"...Is this world owned by these things or what?" Alice spat, clicking her tongue. This was the third time she had seen these disgusting creatures, and her stomach still turned.
"Oh my," the swordmaiden said, her crimson eyes calmly surveying the horde.
Leon glanced at her sharply. "Is there no way to deal with them besides cutting them down one by one?"
"Yes," she replied without hesitation, "just cut off their heads, and they are all good as dead."
Alice twitched. "Easy for you to say, there's like a hundred of them!"
Leon grit his teeth. "No, I mean, isn't there a faster way to kill them?"
The swordmaiden tilted her head, thought for a moment, then shook it. "Not that I've ever heard of."
Leon and Alice looked at each other, both in disbelief.
'Then... is she going to take them all on her own?' Leon thought. She could do it, no doubt, but imagining it was another matter. A hundred chimeras—that was ridiculous.
The swordmaiden pulled her hood back over her silver hair. Her thumb rested on the hilt of her blade.
"Stay still.. This won't take more than a breath."
Click–!
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THE VILLAIN IS DESTINED TO DIE: BUT AS THE CREATOR, I KNOW ALL ENDINGSC61: The Shattered Swordmaiden [5]
Chapter 61: The Shattered Swordmaiden [5]
Click!
The clicking of metal sound was faint, yet it echoed through both of their ears like a church bell.
A gust of wind rushed across the snowfield.
They both blinked at the same time.
And then.
The scene was no longer the same. The horde of chimeras was gone. Not gone, but eradicated to the last bit of shred.
What remained was nothing but torn limbs, rolling heads, and rivers of blood soaking into the snow.
Alice stood frozen, her eyes widening. Her throat worked, but no words came out. Then, finally, it burst out of her.
"What the fuck was that?!"
Leon's body stiffened, his eyes darting across the field. Not even he could comprehend what had just happened. His heartbeat multiplied severalfold; he just couldn't suppress his excitement.
"Phew," the swordmaiden exhaled softly, brushing back a lock of her hair, "nearly got my hair damaged."
Her tone was casual, as though butchering a hundred beasts was no more effort than wiping snow from her cloak.
Leon got goosebumps all over.
This power... if he could grasp it, if he could wield something like this—what would even stand in his way?
Even Ethan wasn't able to do it in the game.
Leon gulped, holding onto his cold hand, to stop him from shaking.
He wanted to try it out, to have a taste of the power.
'I want it.' He thought.
Now, Leon would not want to risk losing such an opportunity.
The swordmaiden walked a few steps ahead, her boots crunching in the snow. Then she turned back, her crimson eyes glowing faintly before she spoke.
"Come on, you two. We will only encounter more chimeras if we stay here. It's better if we move tomorrow. For now, I will guide you to the cave, where I am staying."
— — —
It wasn't long before the dark clouds covered the sky. The white landscape, which was once glittering with the sun's rays, was now blanketed with darkness.
The chimeras were already out of sight, and even if they encountered one, then the swordmaiden would nuke it with her sword in the blink of an eye.
"Huff... huff..."
"Oh... fuck me sideways... how much more... I have to...huff... walk..."
The swordmaiden was leading the way; however, both Alice and Leon were out of breath now. Even taking a step was too much for them.
They were gasping for breath even though they had only walked a little around... twenty-five kilometres in the snow.
"I can't feel my legs." Alice cried, looking at Leon, "Hey, if I die, tell my gramps that I was the one who threw the family pot on my father's head."
"..."
Leon narrowed his eyes, maintaining his steady pace, listening to Alice's bullshit.
"Hey, at least speak, asshole." Alice clicked her tongue before muttering, "Ah, for fuck's sake, what a stupid exam. The temperature's so damn cold, it's killing me."
Leon glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
"You know... You burn more energy if you keep on talking."
Alice blinked, panting.
"...What's that supposed to mean?"
"..."
Leon didn't bother answering.
Alice groaned. "Don't tell me you're trying to act like some mysterious prick again. Just admit you're dying inside, too. Huff... I bet your legs are screaming like mine."
Leon ignored her, fixing his gaze on the swordmaiden up ahead.
"Tch. Fine. Don't answer me. When you collapse face-first in the snow, I won't bother giving you a fuck."
The swordmaiden, who had been walking several steps ahead, finally slowed down.
"We've arrived."
Alice raised her head; her exhausted eyes goggled.
The cave that the swordmaiden pointed toward was nothing special from the outside, just a dark hollow buried in a snow-filled mountain. But once they stepped inside, their breath got caught.
Alice's mouth was wide open in shock.
"Is that a pond inside a cave?"
A pond lay in the centre of the cave. Above, a wide gap in the ceiling showed the night sky, and the pale light of the moon could be seen; the moon's shadow rippled across the water like silver threads.
"Whoa..." Alice muttered.
Even Leon found himself pausing, unable to tear his gaze away.
The swordmaiden walked in without hesitation; turning around, she welcomed them.
"This is where I live."
The swordmaiden coughed awkwardly before adding, "I didn't expect to have any guests. It's been several months since I have seen any living human here."
'Living?'
Leon noted the word but didn't ask the meaning behind it.
Something was strange.
Leon made sure he would ask the swordmaiden about it later.
The swordmaiden gestured toward the pond.
"Wash yourself up in that pond."
She turned to Leon.
"I apologise, but I don't have any men's clothes with me. As for the young lady, I think my clothes will fit her just about right."
"It's alright," Leon said, forcing a smile.
A nice bath under the moonlight... how long had it been since Leon did something like that?
But Alice had other thoughts.
"Wait! That place is open, will he not see me when I... umm..."
Leon narrowed his gaze.
"I am not interested."
The swordmaiden interfered.
"Oh, I never thought of this before. During battlefields, it is quite common to wash up in the open."
"Yeah, but right now we're not on a battlefield."
Leon sighed, then said, "Don't worry, I will go outside. You can wash up before me."
His gaze fell on Alice's clothes and flesh.
"...And you stink. I feel sick just standing next to you."
"Huh. What was that, jackass—"
"Now now..."
Leon ignored them and went outside the cave.
He rested his back on the cave's entrance wall and sat on the cold snow.
Lifting his gaze, he looked up at the night sky.
"How strange," he muttered.
Despite being just a fragment of the story, the swordmaiden felt like a living human. As if she never perished.
"A legend's story, stored in a library to be remembered for eternity..."
That was the whole concept of the Astral-Tale Library. Some of the records even stored the fragmented tales of the Calamities. They were all five stars, and it was forbidden to even take a glance at them.
"Come to think of it..."
Leon recalled something.
"Didn't Ethan enter one of those five-star books before?"
It was in the game's original storyline. In that book, he witnessed the end of the Great Calamity War. He even got to meet all five Calamities, including the Silvermoon Goddess, again.
This book, [The Shattered Swordmaiden], was just a two-star book.
As he thought that, a yellow translucent window flashed before his vision.
[The Shattered Swordmaiden]
Genre: Romance, Sword Art
Difficulty: ★ ★ (2 star)
Player needed: 2 - 4
Progress: [0%------------------]
"Zero per cent progress even after all that?"
How much longer will it take for them to clear the book?
"Help the protagonist to reach the end of the book in the most efficient way possible."
That was the target of this exam.
'Well, we didn't help the swordmaiden, so I think that zero per cent progress is somewhat explainable.'
Currently, Leon has two goals:
First, clear the book and score in at least the top three. Second, gain the trust of the swordmaiden and uncover her secrets about the Moonblade and why she was not being affected by its side effects.
Both of them sounded simple, but there were hidden layers lying beneath each goal, which Leon needed to work through.
Leon stretched his legs out, but the snow was too damn cold, so he pulled his knees close and rested his chin on them.
He wanted to shut his ears off, but the silence of the snowfield made everything echo a hundred times louder.
From inside the cave, faint splashes of water could be heard.
"Why don't you join me too, miss?" Alice's voice called out to the swordmaiden, faint yet clear enough to reach him.
Leon's face stiffened.
'Oi, didn't I tell her to just act normal?!'
"Oh? Sure. I don't mind. Let me undo my clothes," the swordmaiden replied without a shred of hesitation.
Leon's head dropped into his hands.
'Of course she doesn't mind. Fuck me sideways.'
Splash-!
The splash grew louder, followed by Alice's sudden scream.
"W-Wow, your's are huge!"
Leon slammed his palm against his forehead.
'Can't she at least lower her damn voice?! Do they want me to hear all that?
Inside, the swordmaiden let out a light chuckle.
Alice asked, "...mine is nowhere close to what you have; look at them! Can I ask what you usually eat?"
"Eh? Me? Oh, I only eat meat and fruits."
"Meat and fruits? Noted."
Splash-!
More water splashing.
Leon pressed his back harder against the wall and groaned.
'Great. Just fucking great. I'm stuck here like some pervert eavesdropping on two girls talking while bathing. This teenage body's hormones are already killing me, and now this?'
He dug his fingers into the snow, trying to distract himself with the sting of cold, but the voices inside carried on without mercy.
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