This world is a Romance Fantasy.
I realized that fact suddenly when I was 19. More precisely, I realized my past life.
In my past life, I had a hobby of reading male-oriented web novels, and by chance I got lured in by a pretty cover and fell into Romance Fantasy novels.
In Romance Fantasy, single villains who exit after only a few chapters appear quite often.
'Astin von Kardenos' was that kind of character too. A disposable villain who exits after five chapters as a sacrifice for a cathartic development.
-Gold, jewels, dresses. I gave you everything you asked for! What on earth was lacking!
-Do I look like such a snob? You never gave me love. But this man is different. He loves me sincerely and cherishes me.
The crazy bitch ate everything she was given and now pulls this shit.
Astin was definitely a disposable villain, but I sympathized with him more.
It wasn't a one-night fling or a childhood friend. She was a fiancée bound by a formal engagement, a fiancée.
I emptied my entire fortune for my fiancée, and what comes back is NTR? Anyone would see red.
What was even more ridiculous was the high-handed attitude of the man who stole my fiancée.
-This is a showdown with Azelin on the line, Astin. Whoever wins this fight gets Azelin.
-You...! You're just a fallen noble who couldn't even meet my eyes at the Academy!
What the fuck is this supposed to be.
It's an arranged marriage? You can break it off with a duel against some adulterous man who wandered in?
The plausibility was completely fucked.
In the end, Astin loses the duel miserably.
-This duel is invalid! I can't accept it!!!
After that, he cowardly tries to stab the other man in the back and gets punched in the jaw by his fiancé and knocked out.
Astin von Kardenos exits pathetically until the very end.
...Why am I bringing up Astin at this point?
"Because I am that Astin."
A disposable villain who gives everything to his fiancée like a pushover, gets NTR'd, and exits pathetically.
That was me.
It's fine since I realized it now.
My mind cleared up, and if I fixed things gradually, I could avoid Astin's foreseen future.
However, the fact that I was Astin was only the lesser evil.
In my past life, I reluctantly watched the Romance Fantasy ending while crying. It was because I paid for everything in one go without thinking.
Because of that, I know very well how this world is going to get fucked up.
'Outer Gods invasion, extinction of humanity, destruction of the world. A completely fucked-up Bad Ending.'
Outer Gods and Servants suddenly invade, and the main characters get mind-controlled and kill each other.
As for the ending, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it dark fantasy.
So NTR and reputation and all that can go to hell; I need to save the world first.
***
There was a time when I thought that too.
"If I hadn't realized my past life, I would've lived comfortably and died, fuck."
Ptui-
I chewed and spat out a clump of blood mixed with nausea.
In the middle of a violent storm of fire, I blankly looked around.
Blood splattered everywhere flowed like a river. The devastated soil had lost life, and corpses lined the fields instead of barley.
Everything in sight is red.
When I closed my eyes, my vision filled with black, and when I opened them, it filled with red again.
Does this make any sense as a Romance Fantasy ending?
-To think humans could wield such power. As expected, your skill matches your reputation.
"What the. You're still alive?"
At my feet lay the 'tongue that whispers mirages'. Commonly known as Black Death.
It was a Servant of the Outer Gods and the one who created this disaster.
-You are more than worthy of being called a Demon Slayer. Who would have known a single human could become such a great obstacle.
"Thanks for that. I even got recognition from the great Moon Clan."
-You may be proud. The Goddess of the Moon has also taken an interest in you. You too shall be embraced in the great goddess's arms.
"Is the goddess's heart that broad?"
-She is a being with a very broad heart. Even if you are mortal, if you are human like you, she will gladly embrace you.
"You don't understand a damn thing I'm saying."
Well, I'm the idiot for trying to talk with something that isn't even human.
I, who knew this world's conclusion, did all sorts of things to prevent destruction.
The Outer Gods' limbs I beheaded alone, including this one, number three.
Three out of seven. If humanity had caught the remaining four, destruction would have been delayed.
'What do you expect from Romance Fantasy bastards.'
The Crown Prince, the Northern Grand Duke, the Saint of the Holy Empire, the Tower Master Candidate, the Swordmaster.
While I was struggling, they were distracted by women and made the world like this.
"You bastards were right. What's the point of me struggling alone? Everyone else is dead and the world is finished."
I should have given up early, enjoyed everything I wanted, and died from overindulgence.
-No, mortal. Your efforts were not mere desperate flailing. They could truly be called an astonishing feat.
"You're good at flattering. No wonder you're the tongue of mirage or whatever."
But I still can't let you live.
Shhk!
Black Death's head rolled along the ground and sank into a pool of blood.
I cut it down in one stroke, afraid I'd waver if I heard more.
Step-
Step-
That was when I heard a presence from a distance.
Human footsteps.
There was a survivor. I felt like I knew who it was without looking.
A metallic taste lingered in my throat and my vision spun.
I desperately held onto my mind, which felt like it would collapse at any moment.
I dragged my broken leg and headed toward the presence.
"Yo-"
It was the first time that face felt welcome.
I waved first, but the other person's face rapidly darkened.
"That pretty face is going to get ruined. Relax your face, man."
Lucia von Elzerna.
The protagonist of this world, and at present the commander-in-chief of the Human Alliance.
She was the only person on this battlefield I could trust with my back.
If I had been alone, I would've already joined those corpses.
Lucia opened her cracked lips.
"Your arm?"
"Arm?"
"What's wrong with your arm. Where did you leave it?"
I wondered why she was making that face, but that was why. I almost misunderstood.
I shook the shoulder joint where one arm had been torn off. I had cauterized it, so the bleeding had stopped.
"Ah, you could say I left it in the new era."
"Cut the bullshit."
"Black Death got it. That bastard was pretty strong. I'm lucky only one arm got cut off; I really almost died."
"...I thought you'd be fine, Astin."
"I am fine. Can't you see?"
"Does that look fine in your eyes, idiot."
"You lost an eye yourself."
Whoosh-
Lucia threw something with one hand.
I wondered what it was, but it was the head of Black Fang, a Servant of the Outer Gods.
As expected of this world's protagonist.
"Are you the only one alive?"
"Everyone's been dead for a while, why ask. Velbruck, Alex, Valerian, all of them."
"I see."
Lucia accepted it calmly.
She had already been through too much to grieve for comrades' deaths and tear herself apart.
"I collected Azelin's body over there. Want to see? She was your fiancée once."
"Why would I want to see the face of a cheating bitch. I don't even want to pray for her."
"Pfft. I knew you'd say that."
"Huh? What's with you, not even getting angry?"
She was my old fiancée who cheated on me, but she was Lucia's Academy alumna and best friend.
I thought she'd cut me off and tell me to watch my mouth.
Lucia just shrugged and staggered over.
Thump-
She came to my side and collapsed as if falling.
I sat down too, and she handed me a cigarette. I gently pushed it away.
"I'm a non-smoker, originally."
"I know. You said you wanted to live until you shit on the wall. Do you still have thoughts like that after seeing that?"
Lucia pointed at the sky.
The sky was dyed entirely blood-red, and in the center was a gaping hole with no end in sight.
Black things were pouring out of it in droves.
"Still not opening it. Why would I light incense before dying."
"That's surprising. You look like the biggest chain-smoker of all."
"Your face and mouth don't match either."
"I was originally modest, you know? It's all because of those things."
Fwoosh-!
Lucia lit the cigarette with a flame from her fingertip.
She bent her neck back and exhaled acrid smoke.
"Astin."
"What."
"Is it all over now?"
"Yeah."
"We're both going to die, right?"
"Probably."
For a while, no words passed between us.
Lucia silently spat out only thick cigarette smoke.
I felt it anew, but she had changed a lot.
She had lived modestly without losing her dignity and was admired by many young ladies.
Thinking of that old appearance, she was a woman suited to high society rather than a battlefield.
Lucia's current appearance was very unfamiliar.
Soot stuck to the bridge of her nose. Lips so dried out they had split. Dark gray eyes engraved with old scars.
Even her skin, cracked as if from drought, and the noble fair complexion that once had not a single blemish had long since faded.
"Still, I'm glad I'm not alone."
"...."
"I'm even more glad it's you. I truly think so."
"Why are you being like this, giving me goosebumps."
Pretending to be warm just because it's the last moment.
We weren't the kind of relationship to exchange such words.
"You know, Astin."
Lucia exhaled cigarette smoke lightly.
"If I had walked the right path like you, would things have been different?"
"What's the point now. Just shut up."
"I don't understand my past self. Why was I so swayed by men? Until the world became like this. I should have refused when I hated it...."
"Hey."
I wanted to end things on a good note.
But it was so disgusting that no good words came out.
"Shut up. Before I say something harsh."
Lucia had received the world's protection in one body.
If it was Swordsmanship, then Swordsmanship; if Magic, then Magic; if Spirit Arts, then Spirit Arts.
Not to mention talent, her mind was also remarkably brilliant.
Administration, accounting, diplomacy, linguistics, law, astronomy, engineering, Magic Engineering, and so on.
She monopolized every field of study, enough to make those around her sick of it.
Furthermore, Lucia was chosen by the Holy Sword that had remained unmoved for 300 years.
She was recognized by the World Tree and granted the divine item Mystiltein.
The Spirit Kings lined up to contract with her, and even the arrogant grand dukes of the Demon Realm clung to her skirt and begged for meetings.
The protagonist loved by all things in the world.
Yet with all those blessings, what she did was flirt with men.
She danced with the Crown Prince in a corner of the imperial palace, exchanged cringeworthy love letters with the Magic Tower Master, and had outdoor secret talks with the Northern Grand Duke under the pretense of subjugating monsters.
Of course, this wasn't only Lucia's problem.
The continent's leading ruling class were all sitting around singing love songs.
But her solitary indulgence carried a different weight from indulgence with hundreds or thousands of others.
If only Lucia had devoted herself to saving the world, the ending might have definitely changed.
"I'll say it straight. You're a bitch crazy for men. You're the whore who switches from this man to that man and enjoys herself."
"...."
"You've come to your senses now? You only snapped awake because all your men died."
Even at the thorny verbal abuse, Lucia didn't make pathetic excuses.
She just dropped her head weakly and hugged her knees.
"You're right. I was crazy. I was an idiot. It's all because of me."
Lucia threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it.
Seeing her so miserable, I couldn't even curse anymore.
Yeah. What's the point of arguing over right and wrong now.
At most, it's 3 minutes.
3 minutes later, both of us would be torn to shreds and killed by those black things.
"Ha, fuck. It was all pointless."
I sprawled out and muttered in dismay.
"What kind of hero act did I think I was doing. If I'd known this would happen, I should've just hugged pretty women like you."
Trying to save the world alone. Struggling to prevent a shitty Bad Ending. That past became laughable.
Boom-! Boom boom-!
The eerie roar echoing across the ground gradually gets closer.
The grotesque black things pouring from the sky were gradually tightening their siege.
Lucia let out a self-mocking laugh.
"I thought I'd die without regrets, but apparently not. I don't want to die like this. I still have dreams I haven't achieved."
"What. Gonna seduce men again?"
"I won't deny it. This time, I want to seduce them first."
Both of us had run out of stamina long ago. The mana circuits we had forced out had long since burned out from overload.
My vision blurred and my eyelids felt incredibly heavy.
I closed my eyes and calmly accepted death.
"Hey, Astin. Have you ever heard of Deus Harben's legacy?"
At the sudden question, I raised my closed eyes.
Deus. Deus Harben....
I thought it was a strangely familiar name, and it was the name of the 7th-rank great mage known only in legend.
"Why bring that up when we're all dying?"
"The research Harben clung to until just before he died. You know he tried to complete Time Magic? And that it ended incomplete with only the theory left."
"I know roughly. So why do you keep bringing it up?"
"I think I completed it."
"What?"
I immediately bolted upright.
"Maybe, just maybe, we can turn time back to the past."
I stared at her, dazed.
If it was the Lucia I knew, those words were close to the truth.
Because she was the protagonist who received every miracle and blessing in the world in one body.
With Lucia's overwhelming talent, she might have completed a miracle even the great mage failed at.
"This is it."
Lucia took something palm-sized from her bosom. It was an old silver Pocket Watch.
I could feel vast magic condensed inside it.
"Ha, haha."
Laughter came out on its own.
It felt like a tiny ember that had been overturned in muddy water was blooming again.
"But...."
Squeeze-
Lucia gripped the Pocket Watch. Blood seeped out.
"Even if we turn time back to the past, I'm not sure I can do well. No, honestly, I... I don't have confidence that I can protect the world."
"What kind of weak bullshit is that?"
"Even if I walk upright like you, I don't think I can save the world. What can I do with this mindset? I guess I can't become as strong as you."
Lucia forced open my remaining right hand.
I felt the heavy, cold touch of a metal lump in my grasp.
"What are you doing...."
"I'm sorry."
Tick- Tock- Tick-
I hear the second hand. The Pocket Watch's spring begins to engage violently.
"You can think I pushed the responsibility onto you. You can curse me."
Lucia raised her dropped head and faced me.
Then, as if forcing stitches, she pulled up the corners of her mouth and smiled.
"You're different from me. So please, save the world. I'm begging you, Astin."
So what this crazy bitch is saying is....
She meant to dump all the burden on me.
Fwoosh-!
Before I could argue, blue light burst from the gap in the watch. At the same time, threads of magic with geometric patterns wrapped around my body.
As the light grew fierce, the red battlefield began to bleach white.
Space twisted grotesquely, time and space reversed, and a sense of supernatural power pressed down on my entire body.
"If you go back, seduce me."
Through my flickering vision, Lucia's face was clearly visible.
A faint blush rose on the face of the woman standing before death.
Lucia's old face, completely unsuited to the terrible battlefield.
"Make me love only you. You love only me too. It's a dream I couldn't fulfill in this life."
Lucia's last voice remained in my ears like an echo.
***
"Young Master, are you still confining yourself in your room?"
"You're not even eating. Is something wrong...."
"You went to meet your fiancée yesterday. Could something have happened with Lady Azelin?"
"She's so fickle too. Why get engaged if you don't even care?"
"That's how arranged marriages between families are."
"Did your fiancée draw a line with you? If you're starving yourself, it sounds like the pain of a broken heart."
-Ugh, that fucking bitch.
"Gasp! I think that's it!"
"What do we do.... Did he hear everything?"
"Now, now, everyone get back to work."
The whispering maids scattered in all directions.
Meanwhile, inside Astin's room.
"Lucia, you fucking bitch, you're dumping everything on me and leaving?"
Astin gritted his teeth and trembled with rage.