Her story was meant to end like this.
Her once-pristine azure dress lay in tatters.
The blood of knights, nobles and innocents were soaking it red.
Her silver hair, which once glistened like the moonlight, was tangled.
The strands clinging to her face, damp from sweat and dust.
And her crystal blue eyes, once so bright and unyielding…
Were dimming as the Hero's sword buried itself deep in her chest.
The Grand Hall of Hearthorne Manor stood silent.
Everyone watched as the final moments of Lady Adelina Ruelle Hearthorne unfolded before them.
The infamous villainess.
The fallen noble.
The woman doomed from the start.
She knelt on the floor, breathless and bloodied.
Above her, the grand chandeliers cast a cold, golden glow over the carnage.
The bodies of her people.
Her maids.
Her family.
All cut down where they stood.
She had fought until the very end.
But no amount of power or brilliance could stop this.
Before her stood a man.
Azriel Luan Ravengarde.
The shining beacon of the world of Lutherium.
The Hero meant to rise and fight against invasion of the Chaos Order.
The man meant to save this world.
And the one who had just slain the glory villainess who dared to taunt him.
His face masked expressions of regret and determination.
At his side, Delilah, the Heroine, clung to his arm, her face streaked with tears.
Together, they watched the woman in front of them take her final breaths.
Adelina coughed, blooding spilling from her lips.
And yet—she smiled.
A tragic, broken smile.
The kind of smile that had long lost its light.
"I loved you," she whispered.
Azriel—the man she had dedicated her entire life to—looked down at her with a solemn gaze.
Even until the very end…
His grip tightened on his Holy sword.
"I know."
And then, in a single merciless motion—
SCHLK—!
He twisted the blade.
SHHHHK—!
Blood gushed out in a violent spray, staining his pristine armor, and pooling on the floor.
Adelina let out a choked gasp, her chest arching in agony.
Azriel leaned in close, his voice cold.
"But I hated you."
A final shudder. A strangled breath.
And then—
Adelina Ruelle Hearthorne, the infamous villainess, was gone.
***
The screen went black.
A moment later, notifications flashed in bold white text.
「 The Glory Villainess, Adelina Ruelle Hearthorne, has died 」
「 «Phase 4 - Act 35» has come to an end 」
「 Would you like to continue? 」
The cursor hovered over the prompt.
[ Yes ] [ No ]
"Haa…" I exhaled sharply. "Finally, it's over."
The Glory Villainess of the fantasy RPG—
[Lutherium Chronicles: The Great War]
The character who had been a nuisance since the beginning.
It wouldn't be a farce to say she had the most screen time for being a 'villain' character.
The game was divided into five main Phases, each subdivided into multiple Acts that spanned 25 to 35 episodes.
It took until the end of Phase 4 to truly see her demise.
"But…"
A strange feeling churned in my chest.
I had spent hours grinding through this phase.
I made sure to optimize every battle, every dialogue, every political maneuver to get the best possible outcome.
And yet…
Watching Adelina die like that, seeing her broken smile and hearing her final words—
It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I drummed my fingers against the desk.
I wasn't one of those players who sympathized with villain characters.
Adelina was an obstacle and a threat throughout the game.
Her intelligence, her influence, her sheer tenacity had forced me to plan meticulously just to survive the later acts.
She was so powerful that she had to be erased for the story to continue.
And yet…
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the flashing text on my monitor.
「 Would you like to continue? 」
A simple yes or no.
I moved the cursor over 'Yes,' but my finger hesitated over the mouse.
"What a ridiculous end."
The villainess who had given her all.
She who had fought and struggled in a world that despised her.
Reduced to nothing more than a tragic footnote in the Hero's journey.
She wasn't some mindless tyrant, psychotic murderer, or scheming warlord.
She simply loved someone who could never reciprocate that love.
And in the process, she hurt those closest to him because she couldn't stand it.
All out of 'love.'
And for that love, she had been slain.
For a character that had been there since the beginning—
For a character that could have stopped the endless tragedies—
For a character that could have been the Hero's loyal aide—
She sure died a pathetic death.
"Hoo...I should stop taking this so seriously."
I scoffed, shaking my head.
"It's just a game."
I clicked 'Yes' and watched the next phase load.
But a single thought lingered in my mind.
What if there had been another way?