Chapter 2
The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away – 2
EP.2 Return to Ten Years Ago
Looking out the window, Acella, had an atmosphere that was very appropriate for her age of fourteen.
Adorned in a luxurious dress befitting a princess, she inflated it magnificently.
When the sunlight streamed through the trees, Acella’s slender silhouette was revealed through the dress.
Her clean shoulders, extending from the soft neckline, unintentionally sparked imagination as her gestures were concealed by the dress collar.
A nonchalant expression as she gazed at the flowers carried a spoonful of curiosity.
It was as if she was a being from a different world than the crazy villainess I knew, making me suspicious.
She’s certainly beautiful.
“No, she’s not.”
I deliberately dispelled the doubt that the girl might be someone other than the 13th Empress of the Empire.
The villainess who had caused me to face death numerous times. Even if she looked young, I had no thoughts of being deceived.
“First, I need to understand the situation. I’ve returned not for a month but ten years. Any side effects?”
A sentence in the status window caught my eye.
[All playtime has been used.]
[Regression is no longer possible.]
This meant that this was the last chance.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s more than enough.”
Rather than endlessly repeating a blocked month, it’s better to live through the boundless possibilities of ten years once.
Not just ten years.
There is no bad ending in this life.
I must enjoy the heavenly fate, right?
There was even one more special reward.
“Ending List.”
A list appeared on the status window.
○ Ending List:
You can see the probability of each ending occurring in real-time at the current moment.
Bad endings with a probability of 0% are removed from the list and will not occur later.
-
- Bad Ending:
No. 001: Dragon Legion (New!) 42%
No. 002: Great Collapse 22%
No. 003: The Filial Piety of a White Phoenix 87%
No. 004: Sweet Poison 56%
No. 005: Demon King Army Victory 73%
…………..
No. 101: Magic Explosion 4%
“Wow, it’s all wiggly.”
I didn’t realize there were this many since it wasn’t organized as a list before.
Kindly numbered, too.
Checking one by one, they were all deaths I had experienced.
Among them were bad endings I had experienced several times. For example, number 5, Demon King Army Victory, occurs if you lose in the final battle against the Demon King.
“Ugh, gives me the chills.”
Each character brings unpleasant memories. I don’t want to see them again.
The list continued. I scrolled down.
-
- Normal Ending:
-
- ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ 0.1%
-
- ■■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■■ 0.3%
-
- ■■■ ■■■■ 0.2%
-
- Good Ending:
-
- ■■■ ■, ■■ ■■■■ 0%
-
- ■■■, ■■■, ■■■■ 0%
-
- ■■■ ■■ 0%
-
- ■■■■
-
- ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ 0%
“It was there, huh?”
Normal and good endings were diligently listed too.
“If I do nothing from now on, it will probably appear, right?”
No, this probability is rubbish.
The probability of the good ending was 0%.
I should sue for violating fair trade laws.
“Does the probability mean it changes according to my actions in the future?”
Maybe the probability of the good ending will appear.
I need to experiment with this.
At that moment, with a knock on the door, the voice of a middle-aged man was heard from outside.
“Young Master, you really need to get ready now.”
I wanted to check the status window a bit more, but it seemed like there wasn’t much time available.
Acella is my fiancée and the princess of the empire.
It’s absurd that her fiancee of the Marquis family isn’t going out to greet the visiting princess and empress.
Originally, it’s midday, but the sun is high, and that guy who has been lazing around is a nuisance.
‘In the original work, I, Lars Gothberg, am a troublemaker known as a disgrace to the family.’
My position and evaluation in the family are undoubtedly at the bottom.
So, even in this large mansion, I was stuck in the far corner of the annex and didn’t bother waking up ahead of time to cause trouble on a day like today.
‘Ten years later, I lost my family, became weak, and received only contempt from those around me.’
Continuing in this state will only lead to the same future.
I need to change from now on.
I got up from my seat and opened the door.
“Oh, are you up?”
The butler was surprised, avoiding eye contact.
His face seemed familiar, as if it was someone named Cervus.
I calmly replied to him.
“Good morning, Cervus.”
“Oh… yes, yes.”
Cervus was taken aback, sweating profusely in response to my greeting.
It seemed like he had eaten something wrong.
“Get ready right away. Bring me a suit. I will apologize to the princess for the delay in welcoming her courteously.”
At my request, Cervus opened his mouth wide in surprise.
“Um, did I speak too quickly? If you’re competent, you should remember. Now, bring the suit and don’t forget the refreshments for the princess.”
“Understood! I’ll prepare right away!”
I tapped Cervus’s shoulder as he hurriedly moved.
“Yes, Young Master. Is there anything else you’d like to ask…?”
“Always working hard, Cervus.”
Cervus choked up at my words. It was easy to see that his emotions were intense.
“Why are you like this?”
“Oh, no. It’s been ten years since I’ve been in your service, and I didn’t think you’d remember my name… Please leave it to me!”
He ran off to carry out the task I assigned to him. His loyalty pleased me.
With the help of Cervus and the maids, I quickly finished preparing.
I descended the stairs to the first floor of the annex.
Just before leaving the entrance, various beautifully decorated weapons on the fireplace caught my eye.
“Hmm.”
I looked around. Since I walked down so quickly, the clock hadn’t struck yet.
I swiftly pulled out a dagger from the decorations, concealed it at my waist, and continued walking as if nothing happened.
As befitting the Gothberg Marquis, the mansion was comprised of several buildings, and the estate was incredibly vast.
My room is located in the annex of the mansion.
The garden where Acella was strolling is right behind the annex, so I could meet her immediately.
Entering the flower garden, the sound of grass being gently stepped on echoed.
Passing through the tall bird trees, sparkling golden hair came closer with each step.
The refreshing wind gently caressed her, causing her to turn her head and meet my eyes.
‘The eyes are the same.’
Acella’s long eyelashes, like raven wings.
It seemed as if she was fanning them above her eyelids.
The golden irises had the color of sparkling topaz in the desert. If you lose focus for a moment, it feels like you’re being drawn in.
Acella von Württemberg.
The woman who will become the 13th Empress of the Empire, and the one who will ascend to the realm of magic.
No, should I call her a magical weapon?
A villainess of the ages, mobilizing all the means at her disposal to bring about destruction, driven by hatred for the world.
And now, she’s my fiancée.
Ugh, gives me the chills.
“Your Highness.”
As I casually called her, a response came from her small lips.
“Lord Gothberg.”
…Hearing that voice, I involuntarily clenched my fist.
Was it the fear of her I had felt until now, or perhaps anger?
Now that I’ve spoken, what should I do with this woman?
Part of me wants to vent all the resentment I’ve harbored until now with a single blow.
‘I must endure, I have to.’
Now that I can’t regress anymore.
There’s a part of me that wants to run away.
Thinking about the magic Acella has used so far makes my heart pound with fear.
I wish I could sign the divorce agreement right away and go about my business, and this villainess could go her own way. That would be nice.
But if I run away now, Acella will become the Empress, and there’s a high probability that she will destroy the world.
The ending list is telling me well.
‘Then, what if I kill Acella now?’
Future Acella will gain immense power and magic.
There won’t be any enemies anywhere.
If I eliminate her now before she becomes Empress, wouldn’t that erase dozens of bad endings?
…Now that I’ve returned to ten years ago, she hasn’t committed any crimes yet.
I’ve faced countless deaths because of Acella, and it’s an undeniable fact that she becomes the worst villainess in history.
“Greetings. It’s the first time I’ve met you in person. Gottberg’s everlasting son greets the princess.”
I bowed in greeting. Acella lowered her eyes slightly and scanned me.
‘How will it turn out like this?’
I slowly bring my hand to the dagger hidden behind my back.
I gently draw it out, preparing to assassinate her.
Now’s the time. Acella can’t wield powerful magic yet.
On the other hand, I’ve experienced countless battles.
I can finish it in an instant.
As I was about to act, the numbers in the status window began to change frantically.
-
- Bad Endings:
No. 001: Dragon Legion (New!) 42% → 0%
No. 002: Great Collapse 22% → 0%
No. 003: The Filial Piety of a White Phoenix 87% → 0%
No. 004: Sweet Poison 56% → 0%
No. 005: Demon King Army Victory 73% → 98%
……
No. 101: Magic Explosion 4% → 100%
‘Oh-ho.’
As expected, most of the destruction endings due to her atrocities seem to be deleted.
But only one, the occurrence probability of the bad ending called Magic Explosion, jumps to 100%.
‘Surely, it was the ending where Acella’s magic exploded, swallowing the entire continent.’
The memory is still vivid.
The unpleasant sensation of my body being crushed by her mana was memorable.
If I kill her now, the magic inside her will explode instantly.
It’s not like she’s a living bomb. Anyway, she’s a complicated woman.
‘I can’t just kill her recklessly.’
Besides, if I assassinate her here, it’s obvious that I’m the culprit, and I can’t execute the princess for regicide.
I’ve figured out how the ending list works.
I returned the dagger to its original position, hiding it.
‘If I ruin her now while Acella is still young, I can prevent her from triggering the bad endings. Escaping comes next.’
While I was contemplating this, a cold voice pierced my ears like a spear.
“Aren’t you going to take it out? That dagger.”
…Hmm
Am I in trouble?
One of the numbers on the ending list was shining ominously and changing drastically.
[No. 056: Villainess’s Hatred 6% → 99%]
‘No, this is just an ending where Acella kills me.’
It usually happens when I can’t stand the anger and provoke or fight with Acella.
This is bad. Could a bad ending occur immediately?
I underestimated this woman too much.
She even noticed the dagger hidden behind me.
‘Tsk.’
Well, I have to improvise now.
“Of course, I’ll take it out. Wouldn’t it be disgraceful if a man doesn’t draw the sword he once grabbed?”
“You’ve got guts.”
“Instead, wouldn’t the princess also reveal what she’s hiding behind her back?”
Acella hesitated at my suggestion.
She had been hiding both hands behind her back since we met.
I learned about the incident that happened that day from her.
Acella claimed that she was scolded by me while picking yellow roses in the garden.
I apparently yelled at her for carelessly damaging another family’s belongings.
She had been harboring that incident in her heart.
Indeed, a woman’s grudge runs deep.
As Acella continued to hesitate, I urged her more strongly.
“We should show each other what we’re holding without hiding anything. After all, we are engaged.”
“…Your words make sense.”
Acella reluctantly dropped the rose she had been concealing onto the floor. Despite our engagement, she seemed to feel a bit tense, knowing she had damaged another family’s garden without permission.
Approaching her with the dagger in hand, I knelt down slowly and began to handle the stem of the rose with the dagger.
“What are you doing?”
“A beautiful flower often comes with many thorns. If, by any chance, the princess were to get hurt, it would be a big problem.”
I meticulously removed the thorns from the stem of the rose with the dagger.
“How did you know?”
“My room is upstairs.”
I nodded towards my room.
“I saw the princess from above. I prepared for this moment when I saw you picking the flowers.”
“Hmm.”
Wasn’t it convincing enough? She looked like a stupid rose. I’d rather have had an assassin show up. No, wait. An assassin did show up.
Please, just let it go. While praying silently, I continued to diligently remove the thorns from the rose stem when suddenly Acella spoke.
She bent down, grabbing my chin and making our eyes meet.
“Come to my room in a little while.”
Acella said this with a devilish smile, a smile I remembered well.
Notification: The probability of a new ending has changed.
Bad Ending
No. 056: Villainess’s Hatred 99% → 21%
-
- Good Ending:
-
- ■■■ ■, ■■ ■■■■ 0% → 0.04%
-
- ■■■■
-
- ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ 0% → 0.001%