125. Even Overkill Can Be an Art Form
The monster roared ferociously and lunged at Seraphine.
“…”
She didn’t scream in fear, nor did she swing her sword wildly.
She simply advanced forward, calm and composed.
She kicked off her cumbersome shoes.
The already tattered hem of her skirt she tore off without hesitation.
Raising her sword herself, Seraphine confronted the enemy.
Her swordplay was crude and unrefined, yet precise, slicing through the air.
“Kyaaaah!”
The sharp blade cut through the monster’s belly, piercing its bones.
A fountain of dark blood erupted, pooling on the ground.
“This can’t be…”
“She’s facing that monster all alone?”
“Even a group of strong men couldn’t handle it—how on earth is she managing this…?”
Meanwhile, the nobles had evacuated to a safe distance.
They whispered among themselves in disbelief, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.
Unlike the shocked spectators, the knights watched the scene with satisfaction.
“Impressive stance! Whoever trained her did an excellent job.”
“She doesn’t flinch even in front of that massive monster. Our trainee is brave indeed.”
“She could be ready for the knight entry exam immediately.”
Every swing of Seraphine’s sword drew praise:
“Oh.”
“That last strike landed perfectly.”
“It would have been better if she had aimed for a vital point, but still, well done.”
Captain Johnson turned his gaze to me.
“How do you find it, Miss?”
“Find what?”
“Don’t you feel proud? It’s rare to see such improvement in just a few days.”
“What nonsense? Why would I feel proud watching that girl?”
“Ah, we can tell. It shows in your voice.”
Hmph.
As Captain Johnson said, despite my curt reply due to my movement restrictions, I was secretly full of admiration.
‘Is this what it feels like when the protagonist shows their true potential?’
[SYSTEM: Mission! ‘Love Rides the Rain’]
Things were going better than I expected.
Though the mission window had tried to mess with me, I had anticipated this.
‘It’s the usual fate of a villainess.’
If I tried to avoid being a villain like last time, the system might retaliate and reverse the mission judgment.
‘Last time the administrator helped, but…’
[Unknown: (๑^⩊^๑)]
The administrator was currently absent.
Since Cayenne’s dream event, he hadn’t appeared. When summoned, only an emoticon appeared as an automatic reply—no real conversation was possible.
‘Suspicious.’
Something must have happened to him.
Though I wanted to contact the administrator, I had to focus on the current event first.
‘I’ll manage fine on my own.’
For this episode, I resolved to play the villainess thoroughly, making sure the system had no grounds to penalize me.
The only problem…
‘There’s no prince on a white horse.’
I had no trouble playing the villain, but if Seraphine got into danger because of me, who would clean up the aftermath?
In the original story, the male lead who liked Seraphine would have stepped in to save her.
But Seraphine had only stayed at the duke’s residence and hadn’t interacted with the original male leads.
‘There wasn’t time to build up the male leads’ affection.’
There was only one solution.
I had to let her overcome adversity on her own.
I gave her special training to survive on her own, provided protective items, stationed the duke’s knights nearby—all set for the protagonist to shine.
‘Is this what a mother bird feels like?’
The administrator might scold me if he knew I devoted myself to Seraphine.
[As a possessed one, you must act like one.]
[If you focus only on helping others, people will hate you, calling you a protagonist pushover.]
[The virtue of a villainess? Being smart and cunning, looking out for your own interests.]
But I can assure you: helping the heroine isn’t foolishness—it’s self-interest.
Boom.
With a heavy crash, the monster’s massive body collapsed onto the arena floor.
“Is… it dead?”
“That young lady defeated the monster…!”
The monster spewed a black liquid, staining the ground as though the earth itself was poisoned.
As its agonized thrashing subsided, the rain drenching the arena grew thinner.
‘Event complete.’
[SYSTEM: Congratulations! You have successfully completed the ‘Love Rides the Rain’ mission!]
[SYSTEM: Mission rewards granted!]
[1,000 Luck Points]
‘Thanks for the points refill.’
At the same time, I felt the movement restrictions that had bound my body vanish.
[SYSTEM: Achievement unlocked! ‘Discovery of Talent’]
[Reward: 1 ‘Lucky Roulette Ticket’]
‘Oh.’
Even a bonus reward—nice.
Feeling generous, I looked at Seraphine.
Relaxed now, she slumped to the ground.
The duke’s knights rushed to help her back on her feet.
“Truly brave, our trainee! Your courage is top-notch.”
“You are now worthy of being a knight.”
They even tried to toss her in the air in celebration, and Captain Johnson gestured toward me.
“Miss, won’t you join?”
“I’m not interested.”
“Then, whenever you are, come on over.”
I turned my head haughtily.
Though my restrictions were gone, I didn’t want to appear too favorable toward the heroine and risk a judgment reversal.
The nobles watched her being tossed with disbelief.
“To think she defeated that monster alone… I can hardly believe it.”
“But why was that young lady facing the monster in the first place?”
“As far as I know, she tripped in front of it while trying to escape…”
It was then that someone shouted:
“No!”
“…!”
“I saw it! Lady Roselia pushed that young lady! That’s why she fell in front of the monster!”
One of the onlookers, who had felt sorry for Seraphine being scolded, spoke up.
All eyes turned to me, murmurs reaching my ears.
‘Oh no.’
No matter the scale, committing misdeeds inevitably brought backlash.
People accused me of framing Seraphine as a thief, striking her cheek, and scrutinized my every move.
“Even a noblewoman should formally raise this issue, shouldn’t she?”
“If someone else had been targeted, what would have happened…?”
‘What I did was right, but the atmosphere is turning overly hostile.’
Even Seraphine, who had been congratulated by the knights, sensed the tension and looked at me.
[Judge, I am innocent (one-time use)]
[Using this item helps sway public opinion. It becomes easier to survive in a scheming social circle.]
[☞Use Item☜]
I used it.
Seraphine stepped in front of me.
“It’s a misunderstanding!”
“…!”
“Lady Roselia isn’t that type of person. I tripped by accident, so please don’t spread false stories.”
Seraphine defended me desperately.
Though she kept glancing at me, which made some doubt her sincerity.
‘It’ll look like I made her lie.’
Still, Seraphine persisted in defending me.
“She was the one who helped me practice swordsmanship. She cares more about my safety and health than anyone else.”
“That’s true.”
The knights nodded in agreement.
Though the nobles remained skeptical, the item’s effect gradually calmed the previously furious public opinion.
It seemed the incident had finally settled.
[Error! The heroine Seraphine has deviated from the original story’s scenario.]
‘Again.’
Another warning popped up about a character straying from the scenario.
I hadn’t done anything wrong—this was the original character’s action.
Why was the system targeting me?
Yet it seemed determined not to leave me alone.
[SYSTEM: A sudden event has occurred.]
“…”
Cayenne looked around. He was still in the forest, but it was clearly a different space than before.
He clutched his throbbing head.
He lost consciousness several times, as if the power had been cut off, and regained it repeatedly.
By now, even events from a few hours ago felt like faint memories from a past life.
He had overused his magic to eliminate Perwin, but the backlash of the barrier had distorted the spatial coordinates.
Since he had fainted from the strain, the opponent was likely dead.
As he staggered to his feet, something caught his eye in the distance.
“…Master?”
It was Roselia.
She had fainted and fallen atop the bushes.
His heart raced uncontrollably.
He ran toward her without thinking.
Her neatly kept hair, delicate soft skin, rosy cheeks and lips.
Her faint breath escaped from slightly parted lips.
Warmth reached his fingertips. The intoxicating scent of a woman teased his senses.
