The Savior Labeled Villain
“Th-thank you…”
Honestly, I was on the brink of death.
“You okay?”
In the blink of an eye, my comrades had been slaughtered right before my eyes.
“Y-yes… somehow…”
The gap between us was something I couldn’t put into words—something felt only on an instinctive level. I was facing an enemy so overwhelmingly powerful that “overwhelming” was the only word that came close.
“…Sorry it turned out like this.”
But… at the moment I was trembling in terror, a hero appeared.
“Pardon?”
“If only I’d gotten here a little sooner…”
With his young body, he boldly blocked attacks that no one could hope to chase.
“N-no, sir! If you hadn’t come, even I wouldn’t have survived!”
Not only that—he utterly dominated a high-ranking demon in direct combat.
“Still… it’s truly tragic about your comrades. No words can console that kind of loss.”
And so incredibly kind. He was exactly the knight I’d always admired.
“Um… m-may I ask your name?!”
Strong, righteous, considerate—a virtuous warrior who cared for others.
“You’ve probably heard of me. Arnold Stenman.”
When I asked out of sheer admiration, he quietly gave his real name.
“Pardon?”
But… hearing his name, I couldn’t help but panic inwardly.
Arnold Stenman? Could he possibly be the eldest son of that notoriously wicked noble family?
“Uh… um…”
My mind reeled as if I’d been struck in the back of the head. Rumors had painted the Stenman nobles as utterly ruthless. Blinded by wealth and fame, they committed atrocities without hesitation when it suited them.
“Something wrong?”
Yet the man before me exuded a gentle aura.
“N-no… no?”
Or maybe there was another Stenman with the same name?
“Wha?! No, sir!”
No, that couldn’t be.
“Please call me Sophia, Young Master Stenman.”
If it was the Stenman family… it had to be the one I knew.
“Sophia.”
“Yes, sir!”
Honestly, I’d never dreamed someone like him could come from a lineage known for generations of villainy. Lady Elisha had only ever spoken ill of him, though…
“I’m going to tie up the surviving enemies now. You’ve been through enough—head back to the Grain estate first and report what happened.”
My head was a whirlwind of thoughts.
“Y-yes…? No, sir! Let me help too!”
But soon enough… I realized there was no need to overthink it.
So what if the rumors were bad? I’d seen the truth with my own eyes.
“I can handle it alone.”
“No, sir! Let me assist!”
I just needed to hold gratitude toward the man who’d saved my life.
The incident wrapped up as smoothly as possible.
Sophia and I each bound one of the captured spies, securing them all alive. She said she’d report the demons and our comrades’ bodies to her superiors, and the estate guards would handle the rest appropriately.
Knock knock knock.
That left nothing more for me to do.
“Lord Philip? It’s Arnold Stenman.”
I tidied my battle-worn appearance and headed straight to Philip’s room.
“Come in!”
When I knocked, a voice far brighter than before rang out, the joy practically radiating through the door.
“Lord Arnold! I heard the news.”
As soon as I entered, Philip welcomed me with a broad, relieved smile.
“To think you took down a Demon King’s unit single-handed at such a young age—your future looks incredibly promising!”
He’d clearly already gotten the report.
“What happened afterward?”
I learned the cleanup details from him.
“I dispatched a support team to handle it. It’s regrettable that sacrifices were made… but given what we gained, their devotion was meaningful.”
He paused solemnly, offering a moment of silence for the fallen.
“The captured spies will all be handed over to the royal knights. They likely hold valuable intel, so I expect hefty rewards.”
He went on to explain their measures and the financial implications.
“Naturally, after compensating the families of the deceased guards, the rest will go to the Stenman family.”
Philip propped his chin on his interlaced fingers as he outlined the compensation.
“No, you’ve suffered headaches from those scum for long enough. Use the rewards to offset your losses—it’s fine by me.”
But I shook my head, refusing the rewards outright.
“What?!”
His eyes widened just as much as when he’d first heard about the spies.
“And this.”
Thud.
I went further, placing a somewhat bulky pouch on the table.
“What’s this?”
“The horn of a high-ranking demon. As you’ve heard, I cut it from the head of their leader, Rael.”
It was Rael’s horn. I’d brought it as proof originally, but now that he knew, it held no evidential value—only market worth.
Side note: In the game, defeating Rael gave you his horn as a reward, but beyond selling it for a high price, it had no real use.
“I’ll give you this too.”
“Wh-what?! Y-you’re giving this too?!”
Offering the horn as well left Philip stammering in shock, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
“Yes.”
Was it that big a deal…?
“But…! A demon’s horn is a body part possessed only by true high-rankers.”
“It’s a precious resource in magical research. On the market, it’d fetch an insane price. You’re giving up the rewards and this?!”
Philip rattled off explanation after explanation, listing every bit of value that should’ve been mine.
“I see.”
Honestly, aside from why demon horns were so valuable, I couldn’t care less. I’d never planned on taking any rewards to begin with.
“It’s fine.”
“Wh-why?!”
The reason? Connections.
Even if the Stenman family pocketed a massive sum, not a coin would reach me. Any rewards sent to the main house would go straight into Gregory Stenman’s—the man currently playing my father—pockets.
“Take it all. It doesn’t matter to me.”
He was my biological father now, but he was still the villain from the original story. Handing him more wealth would just breed future headaches.
“You’re really okay with this?”
“Yes.”
“This puts me in a tough spot… I can’t repay my benefactor with nothing.”
“Then I have one request.”
Instead, I’d leverage the trust from this incident to pull the Grain family to my side.
“What is it?!”
His demeanor shifted to one ready to grant anything.
“From now on, whenever I need it, provide discreet assistance. The key point: not for the Stenman family, but for me personally.”
“Not the Stenman family… but you personally, Lord Arnold…”
He pondered my intent for a moment upon hearing I wanted future support.
“Understood. I don’t know why you’d set that condition, but after all this help, I can’t refuse.”
Soon, he smoothed the wrinkles from his brow, deciding it wasn’t worth overthinking.
“Just say the word anytime. I’ll treat it as repaying every reward we got from this—with interest.”
He pledged absolute support, meeting my gaze with resolute eyes that promised he wouldn’t back down.
“I’ll hold you to it. Oh, and please keep my involvement in this from Elisha.”
“Pardon?”
But when I added to keep it secret from Elisha, he tilted his head as if he’d misheard.
“Why…?”
It was a look that said: This could make Elisha see you in a new light—why hide it?
Well, it was a natural question. Philip knew our relationship wasn’t smooth.
“It’s…”
Truthfully, it tied into my goals.
If this earned Elisha’s favor, I couldn’t pair her with the protagonist later, potentially breaking the harem route. The Grain family head already trusted me now, blocking the route where Arnold falls to her and her family’s schemes. So I wanted her to keep hating me.
“I want Elisha to come around through direct, person-to-person interactions.”
“A man with firm pride and style—I understand.”
Plus… honestly, I’d acted alone without the Stenmans’ knowledge. Spreading it widely could complicate things.
“Then we’ll keep your involvement secret from everyone except the few who already know.”
“Including them—order silence.”
“Yes. Thank you for understanding.”
I couldn’t tell him that, so I brushed it off with an excuse and moved on.
“Sophia! You’re the hero, right?!”
A few days after the major incident.
“Huh? Uh… y-yeah…”
The Grain estate had been buzzing lately.
It made sense—the cause of years of poor harvests had finally been revealed. With news that demons were behind the veil, whispers followed everywhere.
“Why so glum? Lighten up! You did something amazing!”
But while everyone else was smiling, I couldn’t.
“You basically saved the family!”
People mistakenly thought all the credit was mine.
“Uh, um…”
For some reason… Lord Philip had ordered us to hide that it was thanks to Lord Arnold.
So the credit for the sole survivor naturally fell to me.
“Capturing all those guys at once! How strong are you?!”
Even though it was good, I couldn’t just laugh it off.
It weighed on me that I’d taken credit that belonged to him—even if it was what he wanted.
“I… got lucky…”
Lying like this made my shoulders so heavy…
Haa—
Leaning against the training ground wall, I gazed at the sky and let out a deep sigh.
“One! Two! Three!”
The training ground was chaotic with extra guards training.
After the incident, security had been beefed up.
“…”
I watched them quietly, arms crossed.
Then I thought of Lord Arnold.
Even with all their effort, they couldn’t beat a high demon. Yet he’d defeated one effortlessly. And he’d boldly refused the wealth and honor that should’ve been his.
“…”
He was truly remarkable.
Helping those in crisis with his strength, asking nothing in return—like a fairy-tale hero.
“…”
And… he was handsome, with that unique charisma so appealing…
“What’re you thinking so deeply about?”
“…?!?!”
As my thoughts veered oddly, a comrade’s voice startled me into a violent reaction.
“Y-you scared me! What is it?!”
“No… you kept spacing out, so I wondered. Got a crush or something?”
“Eek…?!”
Her pointless question made me yelp like a criminal caught red-handed.
“Whoa, for real?! Who is it? Your face is red—you totally like someone!”
“N-no!!”
No, wait… I was just thinking of Lord Arnold—why was I embarrassed? My face burned… He was just my savior…
“C’mon, tell me~ Who captured the heart of the woman who beat a high demon~?”
“Eek!”
Honestly… I didn’t know.
“Quit teasing!”
Today, my feelings were a muddled mess even to me.
Time passed.
The spy incident at the Grain estate was now old news.
“Master, it’s today!”
I’d been living as Arnold Stenman for quite a while now.
Long enough that this world felt familiar.
“Yeah, it’s today.”
It had been five years since I possessed Arnold.
“How’re you feeling? A bit nervous?”
By my old world’s standards, Arnold was now an adult.
“Maybe?”
It was a milestone, sure.
But today held something more important.
“Don’t worry! Eily will be by your side at the academy too!”
Academy enrollment—today was the day.
“Yeah, looking forward to it in more ways than one.”
This marked the start of the original game.
My real journey began now.
“Heehee, yes~!”
It also meant pouring everything into it.
All the magic and swordsmanship I’d honed, plus every scrap of game knowledge in my head.
“…”
I’d prepared relentlessly for this day alone.
“This the place?”
“Yes, so many people~”
The academy gates, swarming with students—the game’s iconic stage.
I steeled myself, staring at the main entrance.
“Eily.”
“Yes!”
No matter what lay ahead.
“Let’s go in.”
I’d carve through it boldly—