Hearing that familiar yet enchanting voice, Lathel turned—and froze.
Standing before him was a woman so stunning that for a moment, even the noise of the bustling street seemed to fade.
She was around 165 centimeters tall, her long golden hair cascading down her back like a shimmering waterfall. Her face was delicate and refined, exuding both elegance and mystery.
She wore a sapphire-blue dress with a silk shawl draped gracefully over her shoulders. Her posture was composed, her presence noble—undeniably the bearing of a high-class lady.
"Ah... you're..." Lathel frowned. He couldn't quite recall her name—nor when he'd met her.
The woman tilted her head slightly, lips curling into a polite smile. Her eyes shifted briefly toward Arina, assessing, before returning to Lathel.
"Lucia," she said softly. "Manager of Spring Garden in this kingdom."
"Ah—!" Lathel gasped as realization struck.
Two days ago. Of course. He'd met her that night at Spring Garden. They'd talked for a long time... though after that, he'd gotten ridiculously drunk. By the time he woke up, he barely remembered her face—let alone her name.
'Beautiful...' he thought, momentarily dazed. 'With looks like that, she's got to be a heroine.'
[Incorrect. She's a villainess.]
The System's sudden voice made him blink. 'Huh?! You serious?'
[Absolutely. She's one of your allies in this world. She admired your loyalty so deeply that she secretly fell for you. After your death in the original timeline, she took her own life—refusing to become the main hero's woman.]
'...Woah.'
For once, Lathel was genuinely surprised. He never would've guessed that someone from Spring Garden—a so-called den of pleasure—would be the most loyal person to him.
'Never judge a book by its cover. Even in the filthiest places... a lotus can bloom.'
Lucia smiled gently. "Last time, I was deeply impressed by your insight, Lathel. So I'd like to invite you to Spring Garden again—to discuss a few matters. Would you happen to have time right now?"
"Pfft!"
Arina burst into laughter, tone dripping with mockery. "Insight? Hahahaha! What could he possibly know? Lucia, I know Spring Garden specializes in deceiving men, but do you really have to flatter him so shamelessly?"
Lucia's smile didn't falter. Her eyes flicked toward Arina, voice turning smooth as silk—but laced with quiet disdain. "Everything I said is true. It's just that some people are blind and deaf—too shallow to recognize true brilliance. But I'm not like them... I see him."
Her gaze softened as it met Lathel's.
Lathel felt something stir in his chest.
In this cruel world—where he was always treated as a useless villain, scorned and mocked—someone actually valued him. The warmth of that realization nearly brought a smile to his face.
"You..." Arina gritted her teeth. "You're just a filthy whore! How dare you—"
"Enough!"
Lathel's sudden roar cut through the air.
Arina flinched. Her eyes widened in shock—she'd never seen him like this before.
"Y-you... you yelled at me? For her? For this whore?"
Lathel's face darkened. "Arina, do you even understand what basic respect means?"
Arina's lips trembled. Pain flooded her eyes—real, raw pain. "Lathel... you... you're not like this. You used to love me, protect me, follow me everywhere... you—"
Lathel sighed. "That Lathel is gone." His voice was calm, almost weary. "Back then, I was a fool. Even knowing you were already engaged, I still chased after you. That was my mistake."
"But I already told you—I won't pursue you anymore. I won't bother you again. So I hope you can also respect my life... and the relationships in it."
"You... you..." Arina's voice trembled. Her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. "How dare you talk to me like that?!"
Her breathing quickened, reason slipping away as raw emotion overtook her. Mana began to surge—arcane symbols flickering into existence around her raised hand, glowing faintly in the air.
The crowd nearby gasped, backing away in alarm.
"Arina! What do you think you're doing?!" Lathel instinctively moved, stepping between her and Lucia.
That single motion stunned both women—Arina's fury froze midair, while Lucia blinked, surprised by his reflexive protection.
Arina bit her lip, hand trembling before she finally lowered it. The glowing runes faded away, dissolving into the air.
Lathel let out a breath of relief. Even though he still had one active resurrection left, he had no desire to waste it on something this stupid.
But Arina's eyes were still burning with unspoken anger. She looked down, lips pressed tightly together—then suddenly raised her hand again.
Lathel flinched, thinking she was about to unleash a spell—
SLAP!
"Heh—?!"
The sharp sound echoed through the street as Arina's hand struck his cheek.
"You bastard! I hate you! Go to hell!" she screamed, tears glimmering at the corners of her eyes before she turned and ran.
She leapt back into the carriage, slamming the door behind her, and the horses bolted away.
Lathel stood frozen for a moment, rubbing his cheek. Then he sighed. "Ah... finally, she's gone. Honestly, I don't mind the slap if it means—"
But his thought cut off.
Everything around him—people, horses, even the drifting dust in the air—suddenly stopped moving.
Time itself froze.
"What the hell...?" Lathel muttered, eyes widening. "Is this... forbidden magic?"
It wasn't just the people. The world itself seemed caught in suspension, like an invisible force had seized it by the throat.
"Huh—!" Lathel gasped as crushing pain gripped his chest. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by an unseen hand, vision trembling at the edges.
And then he felt it.
A gaze.
Something—someone—was watching him. Eyes that couldn't be seen, yet pierced straight into his soul, stripping him bare. A divine, terrifying presence that seemed capable of unraveling the world itself.
[This isn't good. The Script Guardian has detected a fracture in this world. It's attempting to repair the narrative flow.]
'What?!' Lathel panicked. 'What the hell is a "Script Guardian"?!'
[It's... complicated to explain. But because your actions have diverged too far from the original plot, the Guardian has awakened to restore order.]
Lathel's head spun. None of this made sense.
'Wait—didn't you say my choices wouldn't affect the main storyline?!'
[They wouldn't have—if you'd followed the event sequence properly! But you went to Spring Garden too early and met Lucia ahead of schedule. She's a major villainess who wasn't supposed to appear until after Alex helped Arina and Catrina rebuild their family business.]
[Her presence now breaks the balance of the narrative. Lucia's power and influence would completely crush Catrina's family, forcing Alex to abandon this kingdom altogether.]
Lathel's face turned pale. Cold dread seeped into his bones. He hadn't realized it before—but he was the real anomaly in this world.
'Son of a—! Then why didn't you warn me earlier?!'
[...Because I didn't expect things to escalate this fast.]
'You've got to be kidding me!' Lathel wanted to scream, but the pain in his chest flared up again, forcing him to grit his teeth. 'Fine! Just—what's going to happen to me now? Am I going to die?!'
[Wait—don't panic. I'm trying to negotiate with the Guardian.]
Lathel froze, clinging to that one sliver of hope. The crushing pressure began to fade, the invisible hand loosening its grip on his heart.
He still couldn't move—his body felt as rigid as stone—but at least he could breathe again.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, the System's voice finally returned.
[Negotiations complete. You now have three options.]
Option 1: Continue following the current altered storyline.
However, since the narrative has already been disrupted, the chance of completing it successfully is extremely low—and the entire world may collapse as a result.
Option 2: Return to the starting point—the moment you first transmigrated into this world—and make better choices.
This time, the System will implant the original scripts into every character. None of them will act outside their written roles. They'll be bound by the original plotline, ensuring the story unfolds exactly as it was meant to.
Option 3: Continue the current timeline, but if the narrative flow is damaged any further, you'll automatically be forced back to the starting point, same as in [Option 2].
Lathel studied the options in silence, brow furrowed, then said, "I'll take Option Three."
[I thought you would. It's the most reasonable choice under current conditions. Don't worry—if the storyline starts to fracture again, I'll notify you immediately.]
"Fine," he replied with a nod.
The moment he confirmed, the frozen world around him began to move again.
The wind stirred. The carriage wheels turned. Voices and footsteps returned as if nothing had happened.
For a moment, Lathel wondered if the entire incident had just been a bizarre dream.
But deep down, he knew—it was all real.
He'd chosen Option Three because, right now, it was the smartest path. Even though the story's structure had cracked, he needed to see where it would lead—to learn, to observe, to prepare.
If things fell apart completely, he could always start over—with knowledge this time, with experience, and a clear understanding of what to avoid.
'So that's how it works,' he thought. 'Finishing the script isn't just about fulfilling everyone's wishes... it's about following the correct sequence of characters and events. If I trigger them too early, everything collapses.'
A small, ironic smile tugged at his lips.
'It's like a beginner walking out of the tutorial village and bumping straight into a level-100 boss. No matter how many protagonists you have, that's still a guaranteed death flag.'
He glanced at Lucia, standing calmly beside him—so serene, so gentle, yet shrouded in that enigmatic aura.
'Who would've thought that she—the woman who smiles like moonlight—is the hidden Boss of this kingdom?'
'To put it simply... if this kingdom is the tutorial village, then Lucia is the final boss guarding its exit.'
'And for the true protagonist to unlock the next stage of the world, he'll have to defeat her.'