How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 109

If I were to think simply, it could just be that Nanna had broken the covenant behind the other gods’ backs.  

 

Even to my ears, that strange voice didn’t sound human, and Selene was certain it was Nanna’s voice.  

 

‘But something feels oddly off about this.’  

 

To be honest, I had found it strange earlier when Huluppu told me about the divine incarnations. He seemed to believe that since the gods no longer interfered with the mortal world, they wouldn’t know even if something happened here.  

 

‘But would the omniscient and omnipotent gods really have been unaware of Nanna’s actions?’  

 

Honestly, I was skeptical about that part.  

 

‘Just looking at the divine oaths I’ve frequently made since coming to this world, it’s clear that Huluppu’s claim contradicts reality.’  

 

In this world, when humans swore oaths in the name of a god, the mentioned god would kindly determine the oath’s authenticity and brand the liar if it was false.  

 

No matter how you looked at it, even among gods, breaking a covenant without the others noticing seemed nearly impossible.  

 

‘Moreover, it was said that Lady Astarte enjoyed observing events in the mortal world.’  

 

So, in my opinion, there was no way the other gods wouldn’t know that Nanna was currently running rampant on the surface.  

 

Therefore, Selene’s actions were likely happening under the gods’ tacit approval.  

 

‘The only problem is that we can’t gauge the gods’ intentions.’  

 

All Selene had done, despite turning back time countless times, was capture the hearts of a few men.  

 

The superficial reason was to purify the curse—that is, to save descendants suffering from excessive divine power in the mortal world. But that was something that could have been done without creating a Saintess in the first place.  

 

The gods could work any miracle they wished.  

 

If the covenant prevented them from directly reclaiming divine power, then Nanna shouldn’t have been able to send divine messages directly to Selene either.  

 

‘If the gods reclaimed their divine power directly, it would have been a much cleaner solution than having Nanna guide Selene’s actions…’  

 

Lost in thought for a long while, Yves Leblanc was startled by Selene’s lively voice piercing his eardrums.  

 

“For the first time, Laura didn’t die! Now, all I have to do is prove her innocence in the trial.”  

 

While she was still deep in contemplation, trying to decipher the intentions of the gods, the story had already progressed to the day of the trial.  

 

‘So, we’re finally entering Xenon’s route properly.’  

 

As expected, Selene began cheerfully arguing for Laura’s innocence—but soon, dark clouds shadowed her face.  

 

Despite her pleas, Laura had been sentenced to execution for the crime of attempting to poison the continent’s first saintess.  

 

The scene shifted, revealing a towering guillotine in the middle of a crowded square.  

 

Selene, her robe pulled tightly around her, desperately sprinted toward the scaffold.  

 

“It’s okay. I can save her. No matter how fatal the wound, as long as she’s still breathing, my power can bring her back.”  

 

Muttering to herself without pause, she pushed through the crowd, trying to reach Laura—but unfortunately, before she could make it to the guillotine—  

 

“Ah, no…!”  

 

Once again, Laura had died.  

 

In stark contrast to Selene’s despair, the people gathered in the square were ecstatic at Laura’s death.  

 

Amid the roaring cheers of the crowd, Selene stared helplessly at the blood spilled so mercilessly.  

 

“Again… I… failed again… Do I really have to keep watching her die…?”  

 

Staggering weakly, she was pushed aside by the dispersing crowd and collapsed in a corner of the square.  

 

“Hey, you alright?”  

 

Xenon had appeared.  

 

‘He said he became interested in Selene—the only one grieving the death of the villainess everyone else celebrated.’  

 

Recalling the original narrative, she focused on the scene.  

 

Selene tried to ignore Xenon’s persistent questions, preparing to die again—but then, as if suddenly remembering Nanna’s divine prophecy, she paused.  

 

“Wait… Could this be what Nanna meant?”  

 

Mulling over the cryptic words—“Saving Laura is meaningless, but the method isn’t bad”—she wondered if the true meaning was that she was meant to meet Xenon.

 

Because of that, Selene decides not to die and instead resolves to grow closer to Xenon.  

 

After that, it followed the original story I knew. The narrative unfolded with a curious Xenon and a weary Selene gradually becoming closer.  

 

‘The rest should be the same as the game… Huh?’  

 

Everything up to breaking the curses of the romance targets and traveling to the Babylonian Empire with Xenon matched the original plot, so I assumed the rest would be predictable. But suddenly, the scene shifted, and Fenrir and Xenon appeared.  

 

“Fenrir, why are you avoiding Selene?”  

 

[That child… feels strangely unsettling.]  

 

This scene wasn’t in the game.  

 

“In what way?”  

 

[They possess divine power far beyond what a mere human should have.]  

 

“That much? I didn’t notice anything.”  

 

[Naturally. Ordinary humans can’t sense divine power. You wouldn’t know, but at a glance, it’s strong enough to mistake them for a god.]  

 

“Hmm, then does that mean they’re stronger than you? They might’ve already noticed your presence.”  

 

[No. That child is unaware of my existence.]  

 

“What? That doesn’t make sense. You said their divine power is strong enough to be mistaken for a god’s.”  

 

[That’s why it’s strange. They seem completely unaware of their own excessive divine power.]  

 

“Are you sure?”  

 

[I circled around them a few times just in case, but they never once noticed me.]  

 

“They’re not just pretending not to know?”  

 

[Absolutely not. I’m certain.]  

 

“Even if you explained the reason, I probably wouldn’t understand since I don’t know much about divine power. But even so, there’s a limit to hiding it. It’s well-known in the empire that I’ve contracted with a divine beast.”  

 

[Once we return to the ducal house, they’ll inevitably find out.]  

 

Fenrir clicked his tongue lightly and wrinkled his nose in displeasure.  

 

“But it’s not like there’s no way at all.”  

 

Xenon, who had been stroking his chin in thought, then offered a suggestion.  

 

[Do you have a clever plan?]  

 

“Yeah. I’ll just hide my identity.”

 

[What? That’s nothing more than a stalling tactic.]  

 

Xenon shrugged at Fenrir, who had clicked his tongue in disapproval, and replied with a teasing smirk.  

 

“Suit yourself. Doesn’t matter to me either way.”  

 

[Ugh…]  

 

“Hiding it forever would be tough, but in the meantime, you could investigate whatever’s bothering you.”  

 

[Hmm…]  

 

Fenrir hesitated briefly, seemingly unable to come up with a better alternative, then reluctantly agreed.  

 

[Fine. Let’s do that for now.]  

 

“Good.”  

 

💫

 

“Hah!”  

 

I gasped awake, my eyes snapping open.  

 

The familiar sight of my own room finally brought relief, and I let out a slow breath, steadying myself.  

 

‘Why did it have to cut off right there?!’  

 

Just as my interest was waning, Xenon’s perspective had appeared—revealing why Fenrir never showed up in the game. But then, like a blown fuse, the screen went black, plunging me into complete darkness just as I was about to be fully consumed by it. That’s when I woke up.  

 

“Haah…”  

 

And there was something even stranger. The moment the screen turned off, I’d felt an intense, unsettling sensation.  

 

‘It gave me chills, like when I heard Nanna’s voice.’  

 

Right as I registered that eerie, soul-piercing feeling, I drew a sharp breath and woke up.  

 

‘What was that?’  

 

It was an incredibly bizarre experience.  

 

My body had felt semi-transparent, as if I’d left it, and Selene’s memories…  

 

‘No, more accurately, it was like an omniscient observer’s perspective in Xenon’s route.’  

 

Though the scenes clearly revolved around Selene, there were moments where I glimpsed events she couldn’t have known—just like how the game had explained the relationship between divine power and curses.  

 

‘It seems related to divine power somehow.’  

 

But there wasn’t enough information to say for sure. The only clear thing was that Selene was ultimately a victim.  

 

After all, she was struggling to end an unwanted regression.  

 

The most important task now was figuring out what Nanna wanted.  

 

‘Based on Selene’s actions and the original story, it seems like she’s being pushed to mingle with multiple men.’  

 

Unless Nanna had some voyeuristic tendencies, there had to be another reason.  

 

‘Another possible hint is how similar the game I played was to the scenes I just saw.’  

 

The difference was that I could now see all the moments that had been skipped in the game.  

 

For instance, the original story never depicted how Selene had died dozens of times trying to save Laura.