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When I first became Damian, or rather, when I realized I was living a second life, my goal was to protect my family.

I set this supposedly grand goal because I was aware I was the villain, Damian Kraus, in a story. Villains are destined for destruction, and the House of Kraus had indeed fallen into calamity due to Damian’s actions, so it was only natural that I aimed to avoid that fate.

Having lost my family in my previous life, this matter was profoundly important to me.

They say those who have experienced loss understand pain better, and while I knew this couldn’t simply be a second chance, that didn’t mean I would just sit back and watch as events unfolded.

Simply put, if I were careful about my actions, it should be an easy problem to solve. Above all, I loved this family that cared for me.

The catalyst for these thoughts was the death of my mother, Arwen.

Living her usual life, one day, without any premonition, she drifted off to eternal sleep in her beloved garden.

Her cause of death was a natural weakness due to her innate constitution. There were no other causes. No villains were involved, nor had she succumbed to illness. It could only be said that it was simply her time to close her eyes.

In a world where swords, magic, and divine power existed, it seemed there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Her death was quiet, yet at the same time, sudden.

While it wasn’t impossible for someone with her frailty to pass, for me, who had not been anticipating her death, it was indeed quite shocking. How could it not be surprising that someone with whom I had exchanged smiles just the day before could suddenly be sitting peacefully in a chair and never wake again?

I knew she had always been frail, but due to my name, her death felt like it was somehow my fault. Because I was the villain, it seemed like my family’s misfortune stemmed from the fate tied to my name.

Why did Damian become a villain? It felt like the sequence of events leading to this was repeating itself within me. After experiencing my mother’s death, scenes of why the Damian in the story had become a reckless fool began to play out vividly in my mind.

The awkward father-son relationship that surfaced after my mother’s death.

Communication between us was severed, and the child who lost the one to comfort his wounds became warped.

By the time my father recovered from his sorrow and sought to reclaim his child, it would already be too late, and even the youngest son, despite being still young, would become something to be concerned about—a typical story.

The image of a warped aristocrat’s young man, laden with such clichés, flitted through my mind like a comic scene. It could merely be my simple imagination, but for some reason, it felt like truth.

Was my mother’s death merely a plot device for Damian Kraus to transform into a villain? I remember her kindness and beauty. I knew her death wasn’t something that could be dismissed with just the phrase “plot device.”

Was it from that moment on? I began a silent competition within myself against the Damian Kraus of my heart. I didn’t know what kind of life the original Damian had lived, but at least I decided to be better than him.

I was not an oblivious child, and I was confident I wouldn’t become the reckless character depicted in the story. Aging without doing anything would not lead me to become the same villainous Damian from the source material.

However, as I contemplated the significance of my mother’s death, I could not afford to remain passive.

I didn’t want the world to treat her death as a mere plot device. If my mother sacrificed herself as a prerequisite for Damian to become a villain, my defiance to move against that became the driving force behind my actions.

Destiny.

Originally, the concept of destiny had varying opinions based on its existence, but having become a character in a story and already knowing the future’s contents through the book, destiny felt almost like a reality to me.

The unfolding of the contents of the book was simply my destiny as the character within it.

Then, my fate must indeed be to become the villain. After all, I was Damian Kraus. But I had no intention of merely accepting that fate. Who would follow a path that only leads to destruction after taking my mother from me?

If Damian was destined to become a villain, then I wouldn’t let that destiny take shape. That was the newly assigned meaning I found in my mother’s death.

But perhaps my feelings were a bit too intense.

In trying to escape that destiny, I ended up developing an obsession with the thought of needing to “improve.” While this obsession sounds negative, it was in fact proof of my resistance against destiny.

Obsession arises when the mind is restless and anxious, and for me, the only way to cure it was to escape my fate. Until I resolved this, it felt as if it were an incurable disease.

Yet, it didn’t only have negative effects. It made resting a bit uncomfortable, but ultimately, bettering myself in pursuit of improvement was a commendable act. Excluding the anxiety factor, it didn’t seem too bad, so I had no intention of fixing it.

But now that I think about it, it’s likely that my overly complacent mindset led to this remaining obsession, and not in a good way.

Ideally, I should have avoided my engagement with Elena altogether to escape the ties of the original story, but I couldn’t do that. The moment I realized fate was indeed real was when I met Elena.

Thoughts I had never considered before surged forth the moment I looked at Elena’s face, and to this day, that memory sends chills down my spine. How much effort I put into keeping my composure as my feelings bounced around when I saw Elena…

In any case.

Thanks to my efforts or perhaps because I am entirely different from the original Damian, I found myself on a path different from the original destiny, although not completely detached from Elena’s story.

Understanding that preventing my life from flowing according to the original fate was simple, I began to doubt myself for resolving it so easily.

If only I had realized that my destiny had changed, but unfortunately, I could not erase my doubts about my fate then, as it was before this world truly began as the “original.”

Worries that the relationships I had built until that point would start to play out like the story once the original began, like the thoughts that erupted in my head during my first encounter with Elena, were difficult to shake off. Even though the content was already fundamentally distorted, invoking the original story as a reference stemmed from the lingering effects of the obsession with which I had been dealing all along.

I should have just let go and thought simply.

If only I hadn’t known the future, perhaps I wouldn’t have been so fixated, but now these lamentations bear no meaning. I’m just a bit disheartened at the realization that I’ve struggled over something unnecessary.

Of course, I hadn’t wished for such a change to this extent, but now it’s become an indifferent matter.

*

I wasn’t far from the seat overlooking the venue where I met Elena.

She was also supposed to come there after the duel, so I could have just waited instead of going outside to find her, but how could I remain there after discussing matters with Noel? Since I was going to talk to Elena anyway, it felt better to move to a spot where it was just the two of us.

Seeing me outside instead of waiting in my seat, Elena approached with a puzzled expression and asked me.

“Damian, why are you out here?”

“I thought perhaps I should check if you got lost since you weren’t coming. Oh, how’s Orcus doing? I saw him laughing and then collapsing earlier.”

“Ahaha…”

From the way Elena tried to brush it off with laughter, it seemed Orcus still hadn’t regained his senses.

But given how badly he was battered, it seemed unreasonable for Orcus to immediately recover, despite his natural resilience. Although it was less embarrassing than their last bout, I imagined the damage he sustained was significantly greater this time. Still, if he was satisfied with how it went, that was what mattered.

“This time, unlike before, I felt he was really trying. There were some areas he still needed to work on, but it was nice seeing Orcus put in that effort. After all, Orcus isn’t someone who changes easily. What did you say to him?”

“I said something, but I think it might have more to do with you, Elena.”

It seemed Orcus had made a notable impression on Elena this time, as she unusually commended him. Up until now, she had kept him at a distance, but maybe her perception had shifted a bit after this duel.

We didn’t head back to our seats right away but continued our conversation while walking around.

Like always, our discussion didn’t have a specific topic, but it felt as if Elena knew I wanted to say something and was deliberately prolonging the conversation for me. Honestly, I still hadn’t decided what to say to Elena, so I was relieved.

Maybe it was because my conversation partner was Elena. I could chat easily with Altair, but when it came to Elena, I found myself being cautious about what to say.

As time passed and the previous duel concluded, it was Reinhardt’s turn to enter the venue when Elena looked at the stage and asked me.

“Everyone’s expressions look serious; it seems they prepared hard. Damian, you seem more focused this time. Is there something special about this Sacred Festival for you?”

Elena’s question felt filled with multiple meanings as she looked at Reinhardt. To meet Reinhardt’s burning challenge as my rival and to prevent any clashes between Elena and Altair. What did Elena mean with her question?

Whatever I responded with, neither was a wrong answer.

Looking at her question, I realized I didn’t really need to overthink it; this answer might just be what I should tell Elena. With narrowing choices, I pinched her cheek lightly in response to her question.

“If you ask like that, doesn’t it make me seem like a slacker? As if I enjoy losing?”

“Owwww…”

“If we don’t keep track of others, where else would I have a stage to give it my all? So, it’s just that I look a bit different from usual. By the way, even if I face you, I’m determined this time. You should prepare yourself too.”

“Wait, really?! You’re really going to fight me?”

Elena’s gaze looking up at me seemed to ask if I would truly follow through. I nodded vigorously in response.

“…Yes. After defeating Noel and Reinhardt, I plan to win. The glory of victory will be dedicated to Elena.”

“Can’t I just win?”

Well, that’s a bit…

Seeing me with a reluctant expression, Elena grinned and said.

“Then, if I win, I’ll dedicate that glory to you, Damian. It’s a promise. Now, let’s lock fingers. Promise.”

“Promise.”

Elena and I intertwined our pinkies and pressed our thumbs together.

It might seem like a silly show of confidence, but in this promise, the important thing wasn’t truly the victory. Just confirming that she’s on my side and that I’m on hers was enough.

 

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