Transmigrating as a Villainess in a Game I hate

After what felt like hours of conversation, Magnus and Alaric finally left Selene's room. Before they left, Selene handed them the Encyclopedia of the Saintess Chronicles. "Take this with you," she said.

Magnus gave her a long look before nodding. "We'll look into it," he said, his voice heavy with thought.

When the door clicked shut behind them, Selene lay back down on her bed. Her mind was swirling with everything that had happened. She turned her gaze to the ceiling, her brows furrowed in thought.

This world... it's not just technology that's lacking. Their knowledge of magic is severely underdeveloped too. She recalled the conversation with Magnus and Alaric, and how they seemed to think that light magic and holy magic were the same thing.

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she pondered. Light magic and holy magic are fundamentally different... yet even Magnus doesn't know this?

Her mind wandered to Eri. While playing the game, Selene realized she had never once seen Eri use actual holy magic, except for Divine Healing. That was basic holy magic, not the kind needed to battle high-level demons.

"If Eri didn't train in holy magic," Selene murmured to herself, "then how did she defeat the Demon King?"

Her eyes widened as another realization struck her. Wait... the game never actually mentioned Eri defeating the Demon King.

She took a deep breath, sorting through the fragments of her memories. The game had three parts, each depicting Eri's first, second, and third years at Ravencroft Academy of Magic and Combat.

The first year revolved around Eri trying to fit in with noble students while fending off Prince Elias Ferrin, who sought to take her to his kingdom.

The second year focused on her battles against a cult that worshiped the Demon King.

The third year involved preparing for and fighting the Demon King's seven generals alongside the five male leads.

But... the game never showed Eri fighting the Demon King himself.

Selene frowned, her thoughts growing darker. When Eri and the male leads fought the Demon King's generals, it was already a grueling struggle. If Eri only trained in light magic, it wouldn't have been enough to defeat the Demon King.

She rubbed her temples as her mind raced. The Demon King's level was 1500, an almost unreachable height for any human. That was why Eri had to form a party with the male leads in the first place. But even with them, holy magic would be required to take him down.

"What if... what if the reason there wasn't a Part Four of the game was because Eri and the male leads failed?" The thought hit Selene like a cold wave. Her chest tightened. "That would mean... we are all going to die."

Panic began to creep in, but before it could overwhelm her, the barrier around her activated, calming her emotions once more. Selene exhaled deeply, her mind clearer now. "When I get out of this barrier," she muttered to herself, "I need to talk to Father and Alaric about this. They have to know."

Her voice softened as she spoke aloud. "Magnus... Father..." She paused, the word tasting unfamiliar yet warm on her tongue. Her heart swelled at the thought. Ever since her father's death on Earth, she hadn't had anyone to fill that role. Her grandmother was too old to do so, and Selene had learned to navigate the world on her own. But Magnus's constant care and worry for her were starting to chip away at the walls she'd built around her heart.

She smiled faintly. "I think it's about time I start calling him Dad."

As she lay lost in thought, Selene failed to notice Merly standing frozen beside her bed. The poor old woman's face was as pale as a ghost. She had overheard everything—Selene's discussions about special dungeons, her self-dialogues about the Demon King's rising, Eri's potential failure, and the looming possibility of everyone dying.

Merly clutched her chest, her heart pounding as if it might give out at any moment. The Demon King's return? The Saintess failing? Everyone dying? The old woman's mind swirled with dread. Her knees wobbled as she tried to steady herself. This child will be the death of me...

Meanwhile, in Magnus's study, the atmosphere was heavy and tense. Magnus stood by the wide window and stared out toward his fiefdom, his shoulders stiff and his arms folded tightly over his chest. Behind him, on the leather sofa, sat Alaric, shaking teacup in hand; the Encyclopedia of the Saintess Chronicles lay half open on the desk before them.

Magnus gritted his teeth. They had learned so much, and it had all shaken him greatly. For most of his life, he had felt very confident about knowing what was at hand and being prepared. Yet this book had turned that confidence upside down. Special dungeons? Monster types? Dungeon origins? It was more than could be assimilated into one sitting.

Alaric looked like he was doing worse. His face was pale, and his hands were visibly shaking. It had been a great shock for him when he learned of the rise of the Demon King, and now this. All these descriptions of how special dungeons appear and which monsters they house sent him reeling. Most terrifying was the explanation of chaos dungeons: how they formed and the catastrophe that could be wrought by them. That one existed at the border of Ravencroft, and at level 50 no less, was almost too much to bear.

"I really need to prepare myself mentally before reading more," Alaric muttered, putting down his teacup with an unsteady hand.

Magnus gave a deep sigh, breaking his silence. He turned from the window and glanced at a drawer on his desk. That drawer had once been filled with cigars, but he had quit smoking when Damian was three years old. Now, though, the urge for one tugged at him fiercely. His fingers twitched as he fought the impulse, instead lowering himself into his chair. He slipped a bookmark into the encyclopedia, closed it, and leaned back with a weary expression.

Alaric noticed that Magnus seemed lost in his thoughts and broke the silence. "What. What are you going to do about all this?

Magnus pinched the bridge of his nose before answering, "First, I will need to look into whether or not the information in this book is valid. If it is, we'll have to come up with some sort of plan." Sighing again, there was a hint of frustration laced within his tone. "Until then, we have to prevent Selene from venturing into the beginner's dungeon."

Alaric frowned. "Why? Isn't that a low-level dungeon?

Magnus shook his head. "Selene thinks it's level 50, but in reality, it's just level 5. If she learns that this world's leveling is significantly different from the game's, 90% less than she thought, she may stop pushing herself." He looked torn. "I hate the feeling of deceiving her, but she's a dark-class user. We must see how far she'll go.

"And when the time comes to tell her the truth?" Alaric asked gingerly.

"I'll tell her when she's ready," Magnus said firmly. His gaze strayed to the window once again. "For now, the problem is persuading her to give up on the noob dungeon. Any ideas?"

Alaric frowned, then stammered, "W-What if we send her to the chaos dungeon instead?

Magnus spun around, his eyes ablaze with anger. "Over my dead body!" he roared. "Are you out of your mind? That's the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard!"

"Calm down, Magnus," Alaric raised his hands in defense. "Hear me out."

Magnus gritted his teeth but nodded for him to proceed.

Her class is darkness, just like that chaos dungeon," Alaric said. "Also, by the time of special training, she's most likely going to be far beyond level 50. And her experiences in that other world could bring additional benefits when it comes to identifying monsters inside it and exploiting weaknesses." Magnus scowled at him, his hands tightly fisting against the edge of his desk. "I still don't want her near it.

"Then we'll send a minimum of ten knights, all above level 40, and Merly to guard her," Alaric countered. "With those precautions, she can train safely."

Magnus grumbled, his resistance softening as he mulled over the proposal. After a long moment, he sighed. "Fine. If it comes to that, we'll make the necessary preparations for her special training. But for now, our focus needs to be on distracting her from that beginner dungeon."