The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

77. The Story That Never Was (5)

Rumble—!

The thunder broke the silence.

At the moment time became zero, the main quest would be completed. Regardless of my will, it would move in a completely different direction and mark the end of the first act.

The outcome would be that I would survive, but the Ghost King would escape or be caught and killed by the Hunter Association, including Professor Jin.

Either way, Rebecca would disappear at that moment, completely absorbed into the Ghost King and vanishing into the background of the story.

Event Time Limit – 00:03:17

Now, the timer had stopped. With about 3 minutes left, it was frozen in silence.

I touched the necklace that was peeking out from my collar. The conversation I had with Camille Esperanza replayed in my mind.

-You still have that, don’t you……?

-That necklace around your neck. It looks like Grande’s.

Back then, I didn’t know what this necklace was. It was an artifact I had picked up from Sion’s room and hidden in my clothes.

-How long has it been since Grande ended, and you still wear it?

-I don’t know how you managed to hide it, but it’s dangerous, so throw it away. If you get caught, you’ll be punished.

-Were you really attached to it, pretending not to care?

At the time, I didn’t know, but Camille Esperanza said this necklace was made by Grande.

Of course, I had taken it by coincidence. My body wasn’t compatible with magic, and I suffered from magic exhaustion every day, so I had taken the artifact that helped with magic recovery.

I had hidden it from my instructor, fearing that if I got caught, I wouldn’t be able to escape.

Back then, I disobeyed my instructor and threw it away to survive. In the makeshift camp I had built on Mount Nilvania.

When I was sent back to the mountain for survival training, I reached the makeshift camp again and picked up the artifact I had abandoned.

Before, possessing it was dangerous, but now I had no reason not to take it.

I didn’t know back then, but now I do. The Ghost King had given me a hint in what he said.

-No, it’s three times, right? Including the declaration of war in front of Rebecca.

Rebecca, with her sword pointed at me, didn’t move forward or backward. She just stood still, gazing down at me with her sword reversed.

Her eyes, filled with killing intent, were now hidden by her hair. I slowly raised my hand and brushed her hair to one side.

Only then did I see Rebecca’s eyes.

“Rebecca-nim.”

“…….”

Rebecca’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t distort her face or smile brightly, but a single tear flowed down her cheek.

“Are you still holding onto that?”

The sword fell to the ground with a dull sound. Rebecca remained still for a moment, not speaking, but complex emotions were conveyed to me.

Perhaps I, or rather, the ‘Sion Esperanza’ before and after I possessed him…

was a very important person to Rebecca Fon Anastasia Grande.

I didn’t know that. As soon as I fell into this world, I was thrown into harsh training, and I only heard rumors related to it.

During that process, there were few opportunities to clarify my relationship with Rebecca. I thought her cold attitude towards me when we first met was just her personality.

However, Rebecca was clearly sending some kind of signal, which I failed to catch.

-“Nice to meet you in that name.”

-“Now, it’s Illeonhart.”

Back when I was trying to get into the academy, Rebecca had said that.

I would introduce myself not as “Sion Esperanza” but as “Sion Illeonhart”.

At the time, I thought it was just a clever trick, but it wasn’t. Rebecca had doubts about me and was testing me.

I replied, “I’m Illeonhart.” Now, I’m not Sion Esperanza, but Sion Illeonhart, and that’s how I’ll introduce myself.

-“I’m looking for Sion Esperanza, not Illeonhart.”

-“There is no Sion Esperanza here. Only Illeonhart.”

Now, I understand the true meaning behind Rebecca’s reaction at that moment.

I drew a line with Rebecca back then.

I’ll treat you as Illeonhart, and I don’t expect anything more. You should treat me not as Esperanza, but as an individual student.

It was a twisted fate. I don’t know what Rebecca felt at the time.

I can only speculate about the relationship between Camille Esperanza and Iana based on the words they exchanged. That’s why I couldn’t say anything more to Rebecca.

I thought whatever I said to Rebecca would be out of place.

It wasn’t I who hurt Rebecca, but the possessed Sion Esperanza before me. And I became that Sion Esperanza.

I don’t know how to deal with Rebecca now.

But one thing is certain: just as I settled the past with Camille when I became Sion Esperanza…

I can also cleanly cut ties with Rebecca’s past.

The tangled knot will be cut off here. The feud between Iana and Rebecca will also end here.

The ending of the first act I desired was actually a non-existent story.

The story that will begin now will also be a completely new direction, one that didn’t exist before.

Tap, tap, tap…

Rebecca struggled to get up. Rebecca didn’t reveal her true feelings. She calmly stood up, looking at me with a complex gaze.

“Where are you going?”

When I saw her eyes, mixed with various emotions, I realized that the main quest wasn’t over yet. Nothing had ended yet.

But my [instinct] was screaming.

I had to grab Rebecca right now.

If I let her go now, the situation would unfold in an uncontrollable direction.

That would be a completely different direction from the ending of the first act I desired.

I looked at Rebecca. The moment our eyes met, I saw the fragility in her gaze, as if it would break at any moment. I realized what Rebecca had decided at that moment.

“…It’s not possible.”

She stumbled and got up. Rebecca went up the stairs and disappeared. As Amelia approached, looking confused, I chased after Rebecca in the direction she disappeared.

The sound of footsteps going up the stairs echoed. I held my breath, hoping the sound wouldn’t stop, and followed Rebecca up the stairs, almost crawling.

I was out of breath.

I held my breath, gritting my teeth, and climbed the stairs, almost on all fours.

One floor up, then the next.

The next floor up, then the next.

Rebecca was getting farther away. I was heading towards the ending I least desired.

We finally arrived at the 8th floor, the highest level of the student council building. Rebecca stopped running only after there were no more stairs to climb.

I approached Rebecca.

I took a step closer, then stopped.

“Rebecca-nim.”

“…….”

Rebecca stood at the edge of the rooftop, one step away from falling. It was a precarious place where even a slight gust of wind could make her tumble.

“You can’t let the evil inside you… out into the world.”

Rebecca looked at me.

“Now that I’ve regained my sanity, I must take care of it. I must end it with my own hands before my inner demon awakens.”

Rebecca was determined to throw herself off the building to end this situation.

If she fell from the 8th floor of the student council building, Rebecca would die. It wouldn’t matter if she was a hunter or not.

I shook my head. I took a cautious step forward.

“Don’t you remember what I said?”

“What do you want to say?”

“I said I didn’t know what would happen until the very end. I said there might be a better way.”

“If this situation isn’t the end, then when is the end?”

Rebecca didn’t move, didn’t take a step back.

“Do you still think there’s a better way for me?”

“Just like I said, that’s what I believe.”

“…….”

“Don’t you remember what I said? I said I wouldn’t hurt you, and I wouldn’t let the opposite happen either?”

I raised my hand to my chest. The wound Rebecca had inflicted was slowly healing.

“I promised not to abandon you, and as you can see, I’ve kept that promise. You’re standing right in front of me now.”

“It’s all just a coincidence.”

“A coincidence that repeats itself becomes fate.”

Just like what happened with Scion Esperand and Rebecca.

“Even if it’s an ill-fated relationship, even if it’s a predetermined path…”

“…….”

“If there’s even a slight chance to change it, I’ll try to change it. If not, I’ll make it happen.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to.”

Rebecca gazed at me calmly as I took slow, cautious steps forward. I didn’t want to provoke her or startle her.

“No. There are things that can’t be changed, no matter how much you want to.”

Rebecca’s voice was quiet, but it was clear. She spoke again.

“Scion Ileyonhart, our relationship was like that. The engagement was finalized, and the breakup wasn’t my decision either.”

That was a story I didn’t know.

“Iana von Gaussfeldt Grander was the same. I was the only one who could stop her, so I took up the sword. I ended the tragedy with my own hands. It was something I couldn’t avoid, whether I wanted to or not.”

Rebecca gazed calmly out at the Arsen outside. The gate was still open, and the stormy winds howling around Arsen were still spewing out thunder and lightning.

“When you visited Arsen and found me, it was the same.”

A single flash of lightning crossed behind Rebecca’s back. Under the dying sky, Rebecca looked at me.

“I am a member of Grandeur, and I welcomed you as Esperanza. You greeted me as Esperanza, and it was not something I could change. It was a tradition between the two families.”

But Rebecca’s words were wrong.

Even if she had moved like a marionette, Rebecca was not an NPC bound by the system. She was a living, breathing person.

Just like Camille Esperanza, Aira, and Lara Stillhaiden.

“…Rebecca isn’t a puppet controlled by Grandeur, is she?”

Rebecca, who seemed to be living a predetermined life, had made her own choices.

“Did Rebecca come to Arsen on Grandeur’s orders?”

Grandeur did not order Rebecca to come to Arsen. Rebecca chose to come to Arsen on her own.

She chose to escape the suffocating life in the north. And in Arsen, she exerted her abilities and became the student council president.

“When I asked you to join as a team member, did Grandeur order you to move?”

Rebecca did not answer.

“And what about when we defeated the Mine? Wasn’t that also not someone’s orders? You came to find me on your own, didn’t you?”

“…….”

“Moreover, now, even the act of holding the Grim Reaper and dying is not something someone ordered you to do. You chose it because you thought it was the only answer, Rebecca.”

Rebecca thought she had no choice in her life, but in reality, it was different.

Originally, Rebecca was supposed to walk a predetermined path, but now she was acting according to her own will. She was not following a set path, but creating her own.

“There was always a choice for Rebecca. You chose it yourself, Rebecca.”

One step. Rebecca approached.

“Rebecca chose to obey the orders from above. There’s no law in the world that says you can’t choose the opposite.”

What was originally an impossible choice bound by the system was now possible.

“If Rebecca wants it, I’ll do it. Just say it.”

Another step. Rebecca approached.

“Rebecca just needs to say it. Whatever she wants. If Rebecca speaks, I’ll do my best to help her. If she wants to destroy Grandeur, I’ll gladly help her.”

“If she says she wants to leave Arsen, that the student council is tiring, I’ll gladly help her rebel.”

“Just say it. Whatever Rebecca truly wants. It’s not someone else’s orders, nor is it bound by tradition, but Rebecca’s pure desire.”

Another step. I approached Rebecca.

“Why are you trying to stop me so much?”

“I told you. I’m doing it because I want to.”

It’s fine if Grandeur is destroyed. If Arsen is unbearable, it’s fine to leave it all behind and leave. As long as she lives, that’s enough. I want to see the end of the first act together.

Just being able to distort the original story, which was suffocating, is enough to satisfy me. I want Rebecca to break free from her predetermined fate.

Rebecca has already broken free from her predetermined path. She has entered a world where there are no rules saying she can’t do something.

All she needs to do is say it.

Now, anything is possible. She can live as Rebecca von Anastasia Grandeur, a person, not just following a predetermined path.

Just like I wanted a different ending from the original’s first act.

If Rebecca wants it, now is the time to choose.

It’s not about consuming the story, but about living the life she wants. That’s enough.

“What does Rebecca truly want?”

…Thunder struck.

Rebecca stood still for a moment. I stopped in my tracks, not daring to take another step forward.

“Are you, as Sion El’heart, standing before me? Or are you, as Sion Esferanza, standing before me?”

Rebecca turned the question back on me. It was a puzzling story.

“As always, Sion El’heart is just a fake name I use while living in Arsene.”

But this part of the story had been decided long ago. I lifted my head and gazed at Rebecca.

“I am Sion Esferanza. As always.”

…That should be enough of an answer.

When I chose to remain as Esferanza’s assassin, I thought that someday I would have to absorb Sion Esferanza’s past completely. It was a task that had been left to me for a long time.

If I were to live as Sion Esferanza, I had to make Sion Esferanza’s past my own as well.

The witness to all this was standing right in front of me. Rebecca said it was all just a coincidence, but if coincidences keep repeating, they become inevitable, and inevitability ultimately means fate.

It’s ironic that I chose to save Rebecca as my first task after falling into this world.

In the original story, Rebecca was supposed to die, but since I fell into this world, I was destined to meet Rebecca from the very beginning, which means I was destined to alter Rebecca’s fate from the start.

I am now standing at a turning point in fate. The fact that I am standing here and Rebecca is still alive is already a story that was impossible in the original.

“I…”

Finally, Rebecca opened her lips.

“I didn’t want to kill my sister.”

“Who would have wanted that?”

“I didn’t want to become the student council president or have my engagement broken off. I wanted to live as Rebecca, not as Rebecca von Anastasia Grandeur.”

It was all just a dream, after all.

Rebecca said, “If you want it, it will happen.”

The power to change the predetermined ending is now in my hands.

“I need to get rid of the evil within me.”

“If you want it, I’ll get rid of it.”

“I don’t want to be the student council president either. I don’t need to live as a member of the Grandeur family.”

“You don’t have to be the student council president, and you don’t need to live as a member of the Grandeur family.”

As Rebecca von Anastasia Grandeur, the emotions she had suppressed began to burst forth.

“If I let go of everything, I can reveal my true feelings.”

“There’s nothing left for me. If I cast off the name Grandeur, I’ll be left with nothing but my body as Rebecca.”

“Everything was built on the false pretenses of the Grandeur name, and it’s all just a hollow shell that will disappear the moment I let go. That’s how I lived, and that’s why I could remain as Rebecca von Anastasia Grandeur.”

The demon king had asserted that Rebecca would never experience liberation, but that statement was wrong. The evidence was right before my eyes.

“Can I… can I live in this world too? Do I have the right to chase after my foolish dreams?”

Rebecca, who had been motionless, finally took a step forward.

“Who can stop me from doing so?”

“……”

“You can do as you want, Rebecca.”

I nodded my head.

Taking the first step is difficult, but after that, it becomes easier.

Tap… tap…

As Rebecca, who had been hesitant, approached me, I also walked towards her.

This time, I didn’t hesitate. The distance visible on [Cheonrian] was quite far, but if we walked together, the distance between us would shrink in an instant.

As Rebecca approached, I stretched out my hand. Rebecca cautiously stretched out her hand as well.

It was the moment when our fingertips were about to touch. My [Ki-gam] trembled.

—No, Rebecca.

A belated notion echoed.

Time, which had stopped, began to flow again.

Event Time Limit – 00:03:17

Event Time Limit – 00:03:16

Event Time Limit – 00:03:15

I rushed to grab Rebecca, but before I could, her hand twisted on its own and grasped her own neck.

A fleeting, short moment.

Rebecca, who met my gaze, signaled something to me. I pretended not to understand and stretched out my hand.

Rumble……

As the sky seemed to tear apart, Rebecca’s body leaned out of the student council room.

I threw myself forward. Although the distance was far and my [Ki-gam] couldn’t reach her, I stretched out my hand towards where Rebecca had disappeared.