The Life of the Third Villainess
The life of the third villainess could be summed up in one sentence: utterly ordinary, until the day she became the hero.
Yuna was born into a family that wasn't poor, but not wealthy either. She couldn't eat whatever she wanted whenever she craved it, but they never skipped meals. Considering that most commoners were destitute serfs, her family was doing pretty well by commoner standards. They even owned a modest little shop.
Her parents were positive people through and through. No matter how grueling the work or hardships they faced, they always tried to smile. Thanks to them, Yuna grew up bright and optimistic too. She'd dust herself off with grit after a fall and push through failures without complaint. It made her seem a bit more mature than her peers—kids usually couldn't control their emotions that well, after all.
Yuna was happy. Just living with her parents and little sister, sharing laughs every day—that was enough.
But the world wasn't always brimming with smiles. Commoners didn't have that luxury to begin with. How often do people scraping by day-to-day even get a chance to laugh? Maybe once in a blue moon, like when they stumbled across a coin on the street during a drought.
Watching all that as a child, young Yuna dreamed of making lots of people smile. It was just the vague hope of a little kid—an absurd wish, really.
Even so, there were days when the smile faded from her face. Her father passed away. He lay motionless in bed, his once-cheerful features turned pale and rigid. The cause was some incurable disease—no one knew its name. They'd visited priests over and over for treatment, and he'd improve a bit each time, but it never stopped the illness from worsening.
Honestly, it didn't feel real. She knew he'd been in bad shape, but he'd been hugging her and smiling just the day before. She never imagined he'd be gone overnight.
She couldn't muster a smile that whole day. And from then on, shadows began creeping across her mother's face. Losing her lifelong partner must have left her feeling so terribly alone. But her mother still tried to smile, as if carrying on her late father's will.
Yuna felt a pang of pity for her. It seemed like she was just holding back her pain for her daughters' sake.
So Yuna made a vow: she'd make her mom and sister smile for real.
"Look at this! I caught a huge fish by the river today!"
Yuna forced her smile wider, acted extra cheerful on purpose. She'd share every joyful moment with her family right away and handle any troubles on her own. But bit by bit, her true feelings were being pushed down. Unspoken negativity was starting to eat away at her heart from the inside.
But it was fine. If her family could smile, she could endure that much. For them, absolutely.
Then one day, it was as if the gods had heard her childhood wish and granted her the power to make many people happy: she became the hero.
An utterly ordinary girl, chosen as the hero. It was truly mystical. She'd never swung a sword in her life, yet her body moved naturally, and all sorts of knowledge flooded her mind.
But there was a problem. A hero was meant to slay the Demon King and bring peace to the world. To fulfill that duty, she'd have to leave her family and set off on an adventure.
Of course she hesitated. Her whole life was about making her family smile right now.
But in the end, there was only one choice. If the revived Demon King destroyed the world, her family wouldn't be able to smile either. To protect their happiness, she had to defeat him.
"I'll be back, Mom. Yuria."
"Come back safe, dear."
"Sis, be careful."
Yuna reluctantly left her family behind and embarked on her journey. At least once this was over, she'd get a huge reward—enough to let them smile more, live in a big house with a garden. Oh, a fountain would be nice too. She tried to think positively. It was her only escape.
The quest to slay the Demon King was, naturally, far from easy. With Franz, Justia, and Hera, she faced countless life-or-death crises. Battling the Four Heavenly Kings had death breathing down her neck.
But she always tried not to lose her smile. Even when her arm was severed, her leg crushed, or her gut ripped open spilling blood—she'd grin and say it was okay.
No, truthfully, she was just terrified. If the smile slipped from her face, she'd crumble. She'd give up everything and cower in fear. The smile was nothing but a mask to hide herself. When was the last time she'd laughed for real joy? She couldn't even remember.
Then one day, the mage Franz said,
"Hey, aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
"Just... watching you, it feels like you're forcing yourself to act fine. If something's tough, spit it out. I'm not family or anything, but we've been through a lot together."
It hit right on the mark. She was forcing the act.
But confessing would change nothing. It'd just darken the party's mood. So she had to smile—for her sake and theirs.
"Nah, I'm really fine—that's why I'm smiling. Thanks for worrying."
"...Okay."
In the end, Yuna kept her feelings buried, earning Franz's cold stare in return. She felt awful for brushing off his kindness, but she had no choice. Without the mask, she couldn't hold on.
Time flowed on. The hero party crushed the demon armies and reached the Demon King's castle. They successfully defeated him. There'd been a close call, but they pulled through somehow.
Collapsing onto the ground, she gazed at the cloudless blue sky.
It's finally over.
The thought of seeing her mom and Yuria again brought a genuine chuckle—her first real laugh in ages.
Now they could move to a big house. Yuria must have grown so much. But not taller than me, I hope. Happiness she'd forgotten amid the pain was slowly returning.
As the key figure in slaying the Demon King, Yuna skipped the celebratory festival honoring her feat and rushed straight home, eager for her family's surprised faces.
But the house was empty. The warm traces of family life were gone, replaced by cold, stale air.
"Mom? Yuria?"
Their everyday belongings were all still there—just buried under thick layers of dust.
Yuna's eyes darted frantically, her eager heart shattering.
Shadows fell over her ever-smiling face.
Then she spotted the letter on the dining table, as if begging to be read.
To the Hero Yuna,
If you follow my instructions to the letter, I will return your mother and sister unharmed.
Disobey, and they die.
— Istar Duke
Yuna snatched it up, scanned it, then gnashed her teeth and tore it to shreds.
Istar Duke. He'd kidnapped her mom and sister to covet her hero's power.
Fuming with rage, Yuna stormed straight to the Istar Duchy. She made examples of anyone who blocked her path—though her soft heart kept her from killing them.
Finally facing the duke, she held her sword to his throat.
"Give back my mom and sister."
"Didn't the letter say I'd return them if you obeyed?"
"That bullshit...!"
Yuna raised her sword in fury, but the duke didn't flinch.
"Kill me. Then your mom and sister die too."
She had no choice. Her sword hand slowly lowered.
"If that's how it's gonna be, you should've listened from the start. Emotional little brat."
Her hands trembled with boiling rage. Hundreds of ways to make him suffer flashed through her mind.
But she couldn't do a thing. She had to save her mom and sister. She wanted to see their smiles again.
"Now get out. Uninvited guests aren't welcome."
Yuna turned and walked away slowly, berating her powerless self. She even regretted leaving to slay the Demon King.
And now, here she was—haggard and hollow, holed up in the home where she'd once lived happily with her family. The gold coins from her Demon King reward lay scattered on the floor. Having so much money, yet no family to share the joy with—it tore her heart apart.
Then, out of nowhere, another letter arrived for Yuna. The sender: Istar Duke.
The message was simple: attend the heretic gathering. He wanted to show off inviting the hero, no doubt.
Yuna crumpled it and chewed it to bits, swearing she'd one day grind that bastard into dust.
No trace of a smile remained on her face. Ever.