Chapter 2: When the Hero's Party Was Actually the Villainess' Party

Everything in Franz's world had its clichés.

These were the predictable elements and developments in novels and movies that anyone could see coming from a mile away.

For example, the character who says, "Let's get married after this war ends," inevitably dies. Or the squinty-eyed weakling who actually harbors tremendous hidden power.

If there's a Demon King wreaking havoc on the world, then the existence of a Hero to oppose them is also a kind of cliché.

And the Hero gathering a party to defeat the Demon King, followed by a happy ending where everyone laughs together after it's all over – these are all classic Hero story clichés.

So how about this world?

There was a Demon King and a Hero. The Hero gathered a party and set off on a journey to defeat the Demon King. The Hero's party successfully vanquished the Demon King.

Although peace hadn't yet fully returned to the world, with so many people working tirelessly day and night, it seemed it would be achieved soon enough. So this world could be said to embody the very essence of Hero story clichés.

Yet the strange semi-transparent display floating before Franz's eyes now completely denied all of that.

『Save the world from the villainesses who will lead it to destruction!

Hero Yuna (0.00%)

Saint Yustia (0.00%)

Elven Archer Hera (0.00%)

If you fail, the world will be destroyed!』

This was the first time he'd seen anything like this in the 20 years since his reincarnation. Franz felt tears welling up as he recalled all those days he'd spent shouting for a status window in vain. Though this wasn't exactly a status window, it was still a semi-transparent display, so close enough.

After letting those momentary surges of emotion subside somewhat, Franz looked at the guidance window again with a cool gaze.

And once more, he felt overwhelmed.

No matter how he thought about it, 20 years seemed a bit much.

Hoo─.

In the end, Franz managed to regain his composure with a sigh after venting his emotions twice, once per decade.

He immediately began analyzing the guidance window floating before his eyes.

"Hmm..."

Save the world from the villainesses who will lead it to destruction, huh?

Contextually, it seemed the three names listed below were these world-destroying villainesses, but why did they all sound so familiar?

With even their titles matching, they couldn't be mere namesakes.

Franz was puzzled.

Sure, their personalities were filthy... no, extremely filthy, but to call them world-destroying villainesses seemed a bit much.

The fact that they participated in the Hero's party and sacrificed themselves for the world could be considered proof of that.

Or not...? Come to think of it, it seemed like the entire Hero's party had been forced to participate.

Anyway, at least in Franz's memory, while the Hero's party members had trash personalities, they weren't bad enough to destroy the world.

Next were the percentages next to the names, which he guessed might indicate story progress. Defeating the villainesses? Or perhaps rehabilitating them? He wasn't sure which.

But the real problem lay in the last line.

"If you fail, the world will be destroyed!" It meant that if he failed, not only would this world be gone, but his life would be forfeit as well.

Of course, something similar was written in the first line too. But there was a world of difference between "These are the villainesses who will destroy the world" and "If you fail this, you're dead."

Well, that was it, then.

He'd thought this world was just a Hero story, but in fact, that had merely been the prologue. If this were a movie, they'd be at the point where the MGM lion would be roaring.

The problem was that the main content turned out to be a life-or-death game.

Anyway, since things had already unfolded this way, he had to do something about it.

So, for starters, let's try this.

Franz began writing a letter.

* * * * *

After pondering all night, Franz concluded that the guidance window was quite unhelpful.

Usually in RPG games, even when given a quest, there would be various conditions attached. But this one just threw out the objective of saving the world and a list of villainesses, leaving him to figure out the rest on his own.

Where else would you find such a situation?

Thump-.

As Franz was thinking this, an enormous stack of documents landed on his desk.

From aid applications for rural villages to permits for renovating the magic tower's laboratories.

It was only natural for Franz to furrow his brow, given that all of this had to be completed today.

This definitely meant another day of overtime work.

"That expression won't change anything. Who told you to become the Tower Master?"

The one who delivered this scathing criticism to Franz with an expressionless face was his personal secretary, Arian.

Yes, the position of Tower Master was so lofty that it came with a personal secretary!

However, the kind of things that people of the 21st century might imagine happening with a secretary never occurred.

Instead, her constant harsh criticisms delivered with an expressionless face had initially chipped away at his self-esteem.

Despite this, the reason Franz couldn't help but keep Arian by his side was that she was exceptionally good at her job.

Not just good. Exceptionally, exceptionally good.

She handled most matters on her own with flexibility, and even took care of things the Tower Master had forgotten. She was the epitome of the ideal personal secretary.

Moreover, Arian had been Franz's peer since he first came to the magic tower.

Being both competent at work and close to him gave her scathing criticisms a certain validity.

Of course, Franz had grown accustomed to it by now and was largely unfazed. He just accepted it as part of his daily routine.

"Here, deliver this."

Franz handed Arian an envelope, as if exchanging it for the documents.

Arian's head tilted diagonally as she received it.

"Saint Yustia of St. Serphia Cathedral...?"

"Yes, please deliver it for me."

Franz wanted to assess the situation first. Even if the guidance window called them villainesses, he needed to know more before taking action.

So he chose the Saint as his first target. Among the Hero's party members, she was the closest to having a human-like personality, and she had even bestowed a miracle at the end, making her something of a benefactor.

Though that was like choosing the least harmful demon among demons. Ah, was calling the Saint a demon going too far?

However, Arian didn't seem to like Franz's request.

"Tower Master, what was it you always used to say when you were just a tower member? 'Don't delegate tasks that aren't mine.' 'Make your own tea.' 'Five-day work week! Leave on time! No personal errands! Even company dinners are an extension of work!' And now you're asking me to deliver a letter? Isn't using your secretary for personal matters crossing a line?"

Arian furrowed her brow as she spoke.

Surprisingly, everything she said was true, but Franz couldn't help feeling a bit wronged.

When Franz first set foot in the magic tower, it was a place with stricter discipline than even the military.

People were busy pawning off their work to subordinates and ordering others to make tea despite having perfectly functional hands and feet themselves.

On days when experiments failed, calling everyone "below me and above you" to assemble was the norm.

If it had been a small business like the Magic Association, he might have followed along without a word, but wasn't this the magic tower, a major corporation among major corporations?

Franz, who had hoped for the welfare of a 21st-century major corporation, naturally rebelled.

As a result, he earned the enmity of the old men in the tower, but since he ended up becoming the Tower Master, it could be said there was no problem at all.

Of course, he had never once thought he'd be on the receiving end of this from his own secretary.

Still, it wasn't like he had no options.

"If I deliver it myself, it'll take quite a while, and you know that means you won't be able to leave on time either, right?"

Typically, a secretary is expected to leave work later than the person they serve. So if the Tower Master's departure is delayed, it's only natural that the Tower Master's secretary's departure would be delayed as well.

This would surely be a critical issue for Arian, who desired to leave work on time.

"Hah, resorting to threats about leaving time. It makes me miss my peer Franz who was once so full of justice. Well, I'll think of this as an official letter and deliver it myself."

Despite a few unnecessary comments, Arian ultimately cleared her throat with a "Ahem-" and turned to leave the Tower Master's office.

If she had complaints, she should have become the Tower Master herself.

Once again, Franz emerged victorious today, but...

As he lowered his head, the sight of the thick stack of documents drew an involuntary sigh from him.

It seemed today was all but guaranteed to be another day of overtime work.

* * * * *

St. Serphia Cathedral, known as the headquarters of all religious people.

If one were to choose the most famous person within this grand and ornate building, it would undoubtedly be Saint Yustia.

She had participated in the Hero's party, overcoming all manner of hardships and ordeals, and was the only one who could hear the voice of God and perform miracles.

However, she herself had never wanted any of this. To the small girl who had only occasionally offered prayers, everything felt overwhelming.

From the start, she hadn't sought the title of Saint. God had arbitrarily chosen her and given her power.

Yet she couldn't simply abandon everything, as too many people sought her teachings and desired to hear the voice of God through her.

Every day felt like hell. There was no freedom as eyes followed her everywhere, and she had no say in the clothes she wore, the water she drank, or the food she ate. Her will existed in none of these things.

In the midst of this exhausting life, Saint Yustia thought to herself:

If I had known the world would be like this, I wouldn't have saved it.

It was then that an attendant handed her a letter.

The sender was Franz Gilbert, the magician from the Hero's party and current Tower Master.

Upon confirming the sender, the Saint's shoulders twitched slightly. She carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.