The Three Villainesses
The question always came up in gaming communities: if you asked people who had played Elion who the most memorable villain character was, nine out of ten would answer the same way.
The Three Villainesses.
Just as the name suggested, it referred to three female villains. Their stunning beauty, rare even among the entire cast of the game, certainly boosted their notoriety. But the real reason they were so infamous lay elsewhere.
It was their deeds.
They massacred hundreds of thousands of civilians, unleashed a plague that caused victims to writhe in unimaginable agony before death, and burned entire cities to the ground. They committed these atrocities for no other reason than boredom.
Unlike other villains who could potentially become allies depending on the player’s choices, these three could never be recruited. They were pure, irredeemable evil. That was why they were called villainesses.
With appearances so breathtaking they could make even demons jealous, they carried out acts of evil that would shock the devil himself. They were catastrophes given human form. That was what the Three Villainesses were.
Their existence had burned itself into the minds of every Elion player. And I was no exception. If someone asked me to close my eyes and picture their faces, I could recall them instantly. They were seared into my memory.
And the three children standing before me right now looked exactly like the villainesses from those memories.
Burning red hair and ruby-like eyes—Alice Blaze.
Wavy green hair that reminded one of a lush forest and soft, gentle eyes—Lana Flor.
Silver hair that caught the moonlight and intense golden eyes—Julia Librel.
Of course, they weren’t identical to the women in my memories. But the resemblance was uncanny. If the villainesses from the game had been children, this was exactly what they would have looked like.
Yes. I was already certain.
These children were the Three Villainesses.
From the beginning, faces like theirs were nearly impossible to find duplicates of. And more than that, my instincts were whispering to me: You’re right. The children in front of you are exactly who you think they are.
When my swirling thoughts finally reached that conclusion, one sudden idea rose to the surface.
…Should I kill them?
When I had first possessed Gunter’s body, I had been confused. Not just by the possession itself, but because I couldn’t understand the intent behind it. I had assumed something like possession wouldn’t happen by pure chance. It seemed far more likely that someone had deliberately placed me inside Gunter’s body.
Yet I couldn’t guess why.
If someone had intentionally reincarnated me here, why choose the body of an extra who wasn’t even mentioned in the game? And why ten years before the main story? What exactly did they want from me?
After thinking about it for a long time, I came to a decision. I would stop trying to figure out the intent. There were no clear clues, and no amount of sitting around would produce an answer. It was better to spend my time on something more productive.
I decided to prepare for the future.
It wasn’t what I had wanted, but the situation itself wasn’t bad. In fact, it was excellent. I had been given ten years and knowledge of the future. That meant I could change the future as I wished.
I could secure powerful items ahead of time. I could eliminate troublesome enemies before they became problems. Once I realized that, I began making plans and preparations.
Continuing the mercenary life that the original Gunter had lived was part of that preparation. I needed to get used to this body and, while I was at it, gather funds for my plans.
In that way, I had spent three months in this world. During that time, I adapted to the body, earned money, and refined my plans. By now, those plans were nearly complete. What items I needed to obtain first, who I needed to eliminate and in what order—everything was laid out clearly in my head.
But there had been no part of my plan concerning the Three Villainesses.
Why hadn’t I included the ones who were clearly going to be more dangerous and troublesome than any other villain?
The reason was simple. I knew almost nothing about them.
Despite their high popularity, almost no information about the Three Villainesses had ever been uncovered. Countless players, captivated by their beauty and intense personalities, had scoured every corner of Elion’s world and still found nothing.
Where they were born, what kind of lives they had lived before becoming villainesses—no one knew.
That was why I had excluded them from my plans. Since I knew nothing, I had judged that finding them would be nearly impossible.
And yet.
Here they were, standing right in front of me. In a state so weak it couldn’t even be compared to their appearances in the game.
I could feel it. The power they possessed was pitiful. No matter how generously I assessed them, they were still within the range of ordinary people.
In other words…
I can kill them.
If I wanted to, I could end the three of them right here and now.
These catastrophes in human form, who would one day plunge the world into an abyss of terror.
It was an unbelievable opportunity. With a single swing of my arm, I could erase the ones who would become my greatest enemies in the future.
Maybe…
The thought even occurred to me that the reason I had been sent to this time and this body was for this very moment.
It was such a perfect, once-in-a-lifetime chance that the idea felt natural.
I drew in a slow breath. The raindrops drumming against my tense body felt strangely vivid. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst.
“…….”
I could see their eyes. Three pairs of eyes trembling with fear, wariness, and terror.
What are you waiting for? Swing already.
My reason whispered to me. Why hesitate? Did I really think an opportunity like this would come again?
It was a perfectly logical argument. All I had to do was swing the sword in my hand and everything would be over. Just that one motion would lower the difficulty of the cursed future I had to face by several degrees.
“……”
Yes. There was no reason not to swing it. I had to seize this impossible stroke of luck.
With that thought, I slowly raised my sword.
And then—
“……”
In the end, I couldn’t swing it. I lowered the blade.
I knew this was a chance that would never come again. I knew that if anyone understood my situation, they would call me an idiot and point fingers.
Even so.
I couldn’t kill these children.
…They’re still just kids.
They were nothing more than children. These girls hadn’t done anything yet. The massacres, the plague, the city-burning—none of the events that would terrorize the world had happened yet.
These children were still innocent.
Because I knew that, I couldn’t bring myself to swing the sword.
“…Haah.”
Honestly, I was still hesitating. Was this the right decision? Shouldn’t I kill them even now? Those thoughts poured down like an endless storm inside my head.
But I forced myself to ignore that downpour. Killing children who had committed no crime was simply wrong.
…Yes. This is right.
I shook my head to clear away the lingering doubts and looked at the children again. They were still staring at me with trembling eyes.
If I had decided not to kill them, I needed to think about what came next. Obviously, I couldn’t just leave them here like this.
I brought the three children back to the villa. Fortunately, the building was still intact. After roughly tidying up the surroundings, I led them inside.
Then I immediately began preparing a meal. Their bodies were soaked from the rain and needed warming, and more importantly, a full stomach tends to ease people’s tension.
Of course, it wasn’t anything fancy. The situation and available ingredients didn’t allow for a proper feast. I made a simple stew using the salted meat and vegetables that had been stored in the villa.
Since the ingredients weren’t particularly special, I made sure to add plenty of meat. I ladled the stew into bowls and set them down in front of the children along with spoons.
“…….”
The children had remained completely silent ever since we met, but I noticed the shift in the air the moment they saw the stew. Sure enough, though they tried to hide it, all three pairs of eyes were locked onto the bowls.
As expected.
I smiled faintly. Aside from their ragged clothes, the three of them were noticeably thin. They probably hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time. In that state, even an adult would be desperate for food—let alone children.
“You can eat,” I told them.
But even after I said they could eat, none of the three picked up their spoons.
I spoke again. “There’s nothing strange in it.”
It wasn’t hard to guess what they were thinking. They were probably worried that it might contain poison or some kind of drug.
Still, their spoons didn’t move.
I let out a bitter smile. Of course it would be hard for them to trust me. From the look of them, they clearly needed to eat something, but I couldn’t force them. Maybe I should take my time and persuade them slowly.
That was what I was thinking when—
One of them slowly lifted her spoon. It was the silver-haired girl with the short bob. Julia.
“You…!”
“……!”
The other two widened their eyes in shock.
“What are you thinking?!” The red-haired Alice tried to stop her, but—
“…It’s fine. Probably.”
Julia shook her head.
“What…?” Alice frowned.
Julia answered quietly, “……No need.”
It was a heavily abbreviated answer, but it was enough.
She’s sharp.
I couldn’t help but admire her. I understood exactly what Julia meant. There was no need. There was no reason for me to tamper with the food.
If I had any ill intentions, there was no point in going through such a troublesome method. The difference in power between me and the children was overwhelming. If I wanted to do something to them, I wouldn’t need to rely on poison or drugs.
It seemed Julia had realized that.
After that, she said nothing more. She simply moved her spoon, scooped up some stew, and brought it to her mouth. The series of movements was concise and natural—at least enough that Alice couldn’t stop her in time.
The spoon carrying the stew finally entered Julia’s mouth, and—
“……!”
Her previously half-lidded eyes snapped wide open.
And then Julia’s arm began moving busily.
“……”
“……”
The other two stared at her in a daze. Soon after—
“M-me too…!”
The green-haired Lana picked up her spoon. She gave a short cry, scooped up some stew, and brought it to her mouth. The moment she took a bite, her eyes widened just like Julia’s had, and she began moving her arm vigorously.
“……”
Alice, who had been left standing there awkwardly, looked back and forth between the two girls devouring the stew with relish. Then, with a trembling hand, she picked up her own spoon. She carefully scooped some stew, frowned deeply, and put it in her mouth.
Just like the other two before her, Alice’s eyes flew open wide. She reached out with her spoon again to take another bite—
“……!”
—and then her eyes met mine.
Alice instantly hardened her expression, which had briefly softened, and glared at me. I covered my mouth with my hand and casually turned my head away, as if I had seen nothing at all.
A short while later, when I sneaked another glance, Alice was eating the stew with her head practically buried in the bowl, just like the other two.
I watched them with a warm smile.
It might have been a bit—actually, quite—early to say so, but looking at them, I thought to myself that I had made the right choice. I was glad I hadn’t killed them. These children weren’t villainesses at all. They were simply children. I had confirmed it with my own eyes.
Time passed in a somewhat busy silence, and the meal eventually came to an end. Alice, Lana, and Julia. Although none of them said a word, clear satisfaction was written across all three faces.
In Alice’s case, there was a hint of frustration mixed in with the satisfaction, but she seemed to have enjoyed the meal itself. Her expression, which had been sharp the entire time, had softened somewhat.
After carefully observing them, I made up my mind. It was time to talk.
I looked straight into each of their eyes and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t just let you three go like this.”