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Chapter 0
Prologue
As expected, messing with the original plot is not something one should ever do.
“GROOOOOAARRR.”
“Grrrk, grrrk.”
“Screeeeech──!”
All kinds of monsters let out grotesque cries as they charged toward me.
They were the “Army of Ruin,” beings determined to bring about the destruction of this world abandoned by the gods, following its predetermined fate.
“Hup!”
I swung a shining golden bat forged from divine power—no, a baseball bat—at them with all my strength.
Whoooosh.
With a violent gust of wind and blinding divine energy, the monsters were erased without even the chance to scream.
But that was all.
The cursed monsters still filled the vast horizon ahead.
“This is way too much, seriously.”
“Shhhhaaaaaa!”
Clang!
I struck down a monster aiming for my back with my divine bat and shouted in frustration.
“Wasn’t this supposed to be an R-19 reverse harem romance?!”
It had already been two years and six months since I was possessed into a high-rated, dark fantasy romance heroine.
To change the “bad ending” where the saintess destined for sacrifice to prevent the world’s destruction is rescued by the three male leads and shares a passionate final night with them… I struggled to change fate.
And yet—
“It’s the Saintess! The Saintess has arrived!”
“Everyone, follow Saintess Linzia!!”
I had somehow ended up on the front line of the final battle against the world’s last hidden mastermind—the “Harbinger of Ruin.”
Haah. Life really isn’t easy.
“…But I’ve come this far. I have to see it through.”
I murmured as if to steel myself.
After dying of overwork while rolling around in a toxic corporate job, I was lucky enough to be given a second life.
Unlike my previous life, I now had not only a face so beautiful it was almost unreal, but also the title of “Saintess,” the only one of its kind in this world.
On top of that, as a transmigrator bonus, I even had a status window—practically a cheat code for effortless growth!
To protect this once-in-a-lifetime jackpot of a life, I could endure something as trivial as the side effects of “breaking the original story”!
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
Just as I tightened my grip on the bat—
“The Harbinger of Ruin, Calix Nepherto, is over there!”
A blood-soaked shout rang in my ears.
Following the voice, I turned my head.
And I saw him.
“There you are.”
In the middle of a gray battlefield stood a pitch-black abyss.
In the original story, he had been nothing more than a nameless extra—but in reality, he was the final mastermind of this world: Calix Nepherto.
Around him swirled a black vortex of curse energy, spreading corruption in all directions.
Everything touched by it withered and collapsed instantly. Even the sky had lost its blue color and turned ashen gray.
Through his wildly flowing black hair, I caught a glimpse of a deathly pale face.
Without hesitation, I kicked off the ground.
“Calix Nepherto──!”
As I charged forward shouting, a black greatsword guarding him blocked my path.
KWAANG!
A thunderous collision shook the world, and the cursed sword Eclipse snapped in two and fell to the ground.
“….”
The mastermind finally turned his head toward me.
His ghostly pale face held two eyes so dark that even the whites were blackened.
Completely void, they looked like empty holes, eerily unsettling.
“Ugh.”
A chill ran down my spine and my hair stood on end, but I forced it down and gripped my bat tighter.
As I focused, preparing to defend against his next attack and counter, strangely enough, he just stood there blankly.
‘Is this a trap?’
I was suspicious—but I couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.
If I captured him, this endless war would finally end.
Then I could truly enjoy a happy life as a high-powered R-19 reverse-harem heroine!!
Bang.
I stomped my left foot hard and pulled both arms back over my right shoulder.
“Hup.”
The moment I exhaled sharply, I released my coiled body in one explosive motion.
CRACK──!
A clean, ringing impact echoed across the battlefield, like a home run hit beyond the stadium.
“Grrk?!”
“A-ah…!”
Monsters spewing sticky curses froze in place, as did the humans struggling to hold them back.
Silence fell instantly. Even the wind stopped.
Only the mastermind who had been struck by the bat was sent flying alone through that stillness.
“Who knew swinging a bat in anger at a coin batting cage near my old office would be useful here.”
As I muttered to myself, watching his arc through the air with satisfaction—
“…Huh?”
I frowned.
For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of light in those abyss-like eyes.
“No way. I must’ve seen wrong.”
As I shook my head slightly, a status window popped up repeatedly.
[Subjugation Complete!]
Congratulations!
Calix Nepherto has been rendered incapacitated.
You have won the final battle against the world’s ultimate mastermind!
[Unclaimed Reward Detected]
Would you like to receive the final battle reward: <■■ ■■■>?
YES / NO
Without hesitation, I closed the window.
Even though it was blocked, I already knew what it was.
A return ticket to reality.
A classic trope in possession stories’ endings.
“But that has nothing to do with me.”
Why on earth would I go back to Korea?
It’s not like I have family there waiting for me, or money piled up.
I’m going to live here as a beautiful, successful Saintess forever!
“Now all that’s left is choosing between the three male leads…”
In the distance, three handsome men were running toward me.
A knight, a mage tower master, and a prince—a truly luxurious lineup.
“Saintess, are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?”
The first to reach me was Wayne, the Holy Knight and my personal guard.
“I’m fine.”
“Please don’t push yourself.”
Though his voice and expression were as hard as granite, he was the most reliable presence by my side.
“Wow, impressive as always.”
Flashing his brown hair, Noel—the youngest Mage Tower Master—approached.
Despite his somewhat frivolous attitude, he was a genius who reached 8th circle magic at just twenty.
“You took down that monster in one hit. I’m falling for you all over again.”
He slipped past Wayne and grabbed my hand, pressing it against his face.
His green eyes shone beautifully as they narrowed.
Honestly. He knows he’s handsome.
But before it could continue, a large hand shoved Noel away.
“Step back, Tower Master.”
Noel frowned but didn’t protest.
Because the owner of that hand was Marev Nepherto, prince of the empire who ruled this continent.
As the likely crown prince, he was arrogant and bold—but that was part of his charm.
“Saintess, Linzia.”
His crimson eyes stared directly at me through his golden hair.
The blatant desire within them made me shy, and I awkwardly turned my head away.
Then his firm fingers caught my chin and turned my face back.
“….”
In the sudden tension, I swallowed dryly.
After a long silence, Marev finally spoke.
“Thank you. And… well done.”
His rough fingers slowly left my chin.
The place he touched remained warm, as if burned.
‘This is troublesome.’
I forcibly suppressed my rising smile and clicked my tongue internally.
And in doing so, I ignored the blinking status window—that was my mistake.
That Evening
On the vast plains, a small celebration party was held in the joint camp of the Imperial Army, Mage Tower, and Holy Order.
Soldiers sat around a large bonfire, drinking and sharing stories.
“Ohhh—there it is! The door of hope!”
Some began singing in excitement, and soon everyone joined in.
As I awkwardly clapped along to a song I didn’t know—
“Saintess. May I have a moment?”
Wayne approached and whispered.
Startled, I turned to see his unusually tense expression.
‘Hmmm… is this a confession event?’
Trying to calm my racing heart, I followed him into the command tent.
And the moment I stepped inside—
A red cloth covered my head.
Through the crimson-filtered vision, I saw two familiar figures.
‘Noel… Marev?’
As I widened my eyes in shock, a sacred chant struck my ears.
“By the name of God, I command you, spirit from another dimension.”
Wait. What is thi—?
“Return to where you came from.”
A powerful exorcism prayer echoed loudly.
It hurt. More than the backlash I suffered when purification first failed.
[※ERROR DETECTED※]
Severe system error caused by external interference!
Emergency escape recommended!
Forcing shutdown and reboot!
The status window screamed warnings in chaos.
Meanwhile, the exorcism continued.
“You shall not covet a body or place that is not yours.”
A horrifying pain tore through my soul as if it were being ripped apart.
The unstable status window flickered with noise, breaking into pixels from the edges.
A cold voice reached my ear as I gasped without even being able to scream.
“You should’ve returned quietly on your own.”
It was Marev.
“I didn’t want to exorcise the soul I personally summoned into this world.”
As I froze in shock at that revelation, another familiar power approached.
Noel’s mana.
Invisible force grabbed my battered soul and forcibly tore it out of the saintess’s body.
CRACK.
With a sound like something that should never break breaking, I lost consciousness.
And when I opened my eyes again…
“…squeak?”
I had become a mouse in a prison cell.
