Damien's heart jumped before his mind caught up. "She's here? At the estate?"
"In the gardens, yes. Arrived ten minutes ago with that stern Sister Catherine as chaperone." Margaret's tone carried amusement. "Shall I tell her you're indisposed?"
"No." He was already moving toward the door. "I'll meet her."
He found Elara in the same gardens where they'd danced, though this time the meeting was daylight-official rather than midnight-secret. She wore simpler robes than her ceremonial ones, and Sister Catherine stood ten feet away radiating disapproval.
"Damien." Elara smiled when she saw him, genuine warmth that made Sister Catherine's expression sour further. "I hope I'm not intruding. I wanted to thank you properly for... well, for visiting during my confinement."
Sister Catherine's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but Elara's voice was careful – technically she'd thanked him for something, but she didn't hear what.
"You're never an intrusion." Damien bowed politely. "Though I'm surprised the Church permitted a visit so soon after your contemplative period."
"They didn't know I was coming here specifically," Elara admitted, a hint of rebellious pleasure in her voice. "I said I needed to visit a noble house to discuss charity arrangements. Sister Catherine insisted on accompanying me. I just happened to choose House Valcrest."
[CORRUPTION PROGRESS: Active Deception of Authority Figures]
[Subject initiating contact despite restrictions]
[Intimacy +5]
Damien felt something warm in his chest that was absolutely not strategic satisfaction. "Well then, let's discuss charity arrangements. Perhaps we could walk the gardens while we talk? Sister Catherine is welcome to accompany us at a respectful distance."
The older woman clearly wanted to object but had no grounds – they were in public view, she was present as chaperone, and refusing would require explaining why the Saintess shouldn't discuss charity with a noble.
They walked, Sister Catherine trailing exactly fifteen feet behind.
"I needed to see you," Elara said quietly once they were out of easy earshot. "The three days were... difficult. But they also clarified things."
"What things?"
"That I don't want to live in a cage anymore." She glanced at him, vulnerable and determined simultaneously. "I don't know what that means yet. I'm not abandoning my faith or my calling. But I can't go back to simply accepting every restriction as necessary. You showed me there's a difference between devotion and imprisonment."
Damien felt the weight of that statement. She was changing because of him. Becoming someone different. It was exactly what he'd been working toward.
So why did it feel more like responsibility than victory?
"That's a dangerous realization," he said carefully.
"I know. Mother Superior would call it corruption." Elara smiled slightly. "Maybe it is. But it feels more like waking up."
They walked in comfortable silence for a moment. Damien was very aware of Sister Catherine's watchful presence, of the servants who could see them from the house, of the performance required.
But he was also aware of Elara's hand, close enough to take if he dared.
"There's something else," Elara said, her tone shifting to concern. "The Church received reports of demon attacks. Three incidents in the eastern territories. They're sending an investigation team, and I'm expected to join them."
Damien's strategic mind immediately engaged. "When?"
"Three days. They want me to bless the affected areas, perform purification rituals." She frowned. "But High Priest Aldous also mentioned that the blessed warrior – Aldric Brightblade – volunteered to serve as protection for the mission. I think they're trying to push us together."
Of course they were. The Church saw the hero as a more appropriate association than a suspicious noble. Put them in close quarters during a dangerous mission, let heroic protection blossom into devotion.
It was exactly what the original novel's plot demanded.
"How do you feel about that?" Damien asked, keeping his voice neutral.
"Complicated." Elara stopped walking, turning to face him. "Aldric seems like a good person. Earnest, brave, genuinely devoted to helping people. The kind of man the world needs."
"But?"
"But when I talk to him, I feel like I'm talking to the Saintess, not Elara. He sees the symbol, not the person." She met Damien's eyes directly. "You see the person. That matters more than heroic devotion."
[CORRUPTION MILESTONE: Explicit Preference for Player Over Hero]
[WARNING: Hero's narrative role being actively rejected]
[Intimacy +8]
[Timeline deviation critical - unpredictable consequences likely]
Damien should have felt triumph. This was exactly the goal – make her prefer him over the destined hero, break the original plot, survive.
Instead, he felt a twinge of something that might have been guilt.
"The demon attacks," he said, shifting topics. "They're not coincidence. The timeline is breaking because I've been interfering."
Elara looked confused. "What do you mean, timeline?"
He got distracted and said too much. She didn't know about his reincarnation, about the novel, about any of it.
"I mean the natural order of things," he corrected smoothly. "Heroes appear when they're needed. Aldric arrived just as demons became active. That's not coincidence – it's fate trying to assert itself."
"You don't believe in fate."
"No," he agreed. "But I believe in consequences. My... association with you is creating ripples. Some of those ripples might be dangerous."
Elara studied his face. "Are you trying to warn me away? For my own safety?"
"I'm trying to be honest about risks." He chose his words carefully. "Being close to me might put you in danger. Not from me, but from the larger forces we're caught in."
"Then we'll face them together." Her hand found his, their fingers intertwining despite Sister Catherine's immediate movement toward them. "I'm not fragile, Damien. And I'm tired of being protected from my own choices."
Sister Catherine reached them, her expression thunderous. "Saintess, this is highly inappropriate – "
"We're discussing serious matters, Sister Catherine." Elara's voice carried unexpected authority. "Matters of safety and demonic threats. Surely you don't object to me consulting with someone who's proven trustworthy?"
The older woman had no response that wouldn't sound petty.
Damien squeezed Elara's hand once, then released it. "When you investigate the demon attacks, be careful. If they're escalating, the danger is real."
"I will be. And Damien?" She lowered her voice. "When I return, can we meet again?"
"Absolutely." He smiled slightly. "I'll arrange something. Somewhere no walls."
"I'd like that."
Sister Catherine practically dragged Elara away after that, muttering about propriety and manipulation and the dangers of noble influence.
Damien watched them go, his mind already working through multiple calculations.
Elara would be away for at least a week on the investigation. Time he could use to gather the remaining corruption points needed for the Demonic Core. If he moved quickly, he could claim some territory, corrupt a few key individuals, and purchase the power before she returned.
Then he'd actually be capable of doing something when the threats escalated.
Because they would escalate. The narrative demanded it.
He returned to his study and pulled out detailed maps of his father's territory. Twelve villages, four major trade routes, various minor holdings. The Duke controlled them through a combination of legitimate governance and calculated intimidation.
Damien could do the same, but more efficiently. Use his psychology knowledge and his understanding of power dynamics.
Turn his father's crude dominance into sophisticated corruption.
The thought should have disturbed him.
Instead, it felt like clarity.
[QUEST AVAILABLE: The Path of Power]
[Objective: Earn 77 additional Corruption Points]
[Suggested Approach: Claim territory through morally flexible means]
[Time Limit: 7 days (before Elara returns)]
[Reward: Purchase Demonic Magic Core, +1000 XP, New Abilities Unlocked]
Damien accepted the quest and began planning.
Seven days to become powerful enough to matter, to walk the path the original villain was meant to take.
Seven days to become what he needed to be, while hoping Elara's affection would be enough anchor to keep him from losing himself entirely.
He worked late into the night, mapping out which villages to target first, which officials to corrupt, which methods would be most efficient.
And if a small voice in the back of his mind whispered that he was already changing, already becoming colder and more calculating, already thinking of people as resources rather than individuals...
Well. That was the price of survival.
He'd count the cost later.
---
Three hundred miles away, in a village reduced to ash and blood, something ancient stirred in the darkness.
The tear between worlds was widening.
And through it, patient and hungry, demons watched the mortal realm with interest.
A villain was being born.
A hero was being delayed.
A saintess was awakening.
The board was set for a game far larger than any of them understood.
And in the spaces between worlds, something laughed, a terrible knowing sound.