The Genius Villain Dies Tomorrow

[Estimated Lifespan: 24 hours.]

[Host, it is advised that you write a will.]

"..."

"What the fuck?"

A boy with tousled black hair and maroon eyes suddenly sprang up from his bed. Yet the moment he did, an immediate discomfort tore through his head, causing him to groan in pain.

Memories of the body’s previous owner started flowing into his head, making the headache grow until it felt like his skull had been split in half.

"Rian Rosenheim...is that really me? Have I really become a villain of that novel? The last thing I remembered was..."

’A Hero’s Journey.’

Three years he’d spent reading that damn generic novel.

Not because it was particularly good. If anything, the protagonist’s absurd plot armor had nearly made him drop it more times than he could count.

But there was one character he’d always thought deserved better. The novel’s first villain, Rian Rosenheim.

A genius cursed from birth, driven mad by his deteriorating body, and eventually killed by the protagonist.

’If that shitty author didn’t give him plot armor, Rian would’ve won already.’

Now, staring at the translucent message floating before him, Rian found himself reconsidering the circumstances.

[Estimated Lifespan: 23 hours, 58 minutes.]

"Screw becoming a villain, I’m gonna die before that even happens..."

However, when he tried to move his body, the movement felt...heavy, as if he was wading through mud. When Rian took a closer look at himself, he noticed that his pale skin clung so tightly to the bones that it would be hard to tell him apart from a corpse.

"Right, I forgot...this character was cursed."

Rian Rosenheim had been cursed from birth. The perpetrator was caught, however, it was just a henchman. The real perpetrator was still out there somewhere, maybe a political rival or someone who just wanted the youngest Rosenheim out of the equation.

Regardless, Rian had been taken to every treatment known to man. Medicines, spells, prayers, cleansings...nothing worked. The curse simply kept sapping away at his life force.

And now, he was lying on his bed, which might as well be his deathbed if things continued as they were.

"No...I can’t die. There has to be something I can do."

But just as he uttered those words, another blue status screen appeared in front of his face, causing Rian to flinch slightly.

[Ding!]

[Character synchronization complete!]

[Information will be displayed.]

〔BASIC INFORMATION〕

Name: Rian Rosenheim

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Race: Human

Compatible Elements: Fire/Water/Wind/Earth/Lightning/Ice/Light/Shadow

Magic Circles: 1

〔ATTRIBUTES〕

[Magic Sensitivity Lv. MAX]

[Chain-Casting Lv. MAX]

[Spell Memorization Lv. MAX]

〔STATUS EFFECTS〕

[Curse of ??? — Analysis Failed]

[Body Fatigue Lv. 1]

[Chronic Headaches Lv. 1]

[Weak Bones Lv. 1]

〔STATS〕

Strength: 2

Speed: 3

Stamina: 2

Spirituality: 15

Magic: 17

〔Spells Known:〕

***

Rian closed the status panel before it could overfill his vision, as the entire thing had stretched from pretty much the top of his bed all the way to the floor.

’My status...really is pathetic. Still, I really am a genius. With all those benefits, Rian could easily become a court mage—no, even higher than that.’

’Though, none of it is going to matter if I keel over the very next day.’

It took several minutes to merely get out of his sheets. His legs nearly folded the moment his feet touched the floor.

Rian managed to catch himself against the bed frame and remained there until the room stopped spinning, then dragged himself upright with one trembling hand at a time.

’Pathetic...forget about being court mage. A healthy kid could probably beat me up right now.’

Yet as he stood fighting for breath, a thought had occurred to him through the panic:

Maybe the original Rian Rosenheim had died because he didn’t know how to prolong his life or find a cure. Though most importantly...he had lost hope.

"But me...I know this novel in and out. Spent three years reading this thing for god’s sake. And hope was the only thing I’m running on right now."

Rian looked over at a small map pinned onto the wall, describing all the kingdoms, empires, and territories this world had to offer. Places that the original Rian had never visited and treasures that were yet to be discovered.

And in five years, a Saintess would awaken a divine power capable of purifying curses. Whether it could remove his curse was another matter entirely.

Still, it was better than nothing.

However, that only happened five years from now. So there was only one priority that was left on his mind:

Prolong this body until then. Well, at least until tomorrow.

Rian’s eyes flicked across the map before settling on a location much closer to Rosenheim territory.

"There. The Forgotten Temple of Ephenia. That’s where I’ll find the Seed of Abundance."

In the original novel, the protagonist—Robin, wouldn’t discover it for another six months on his expedition to the Rosenheim territory.

Rian curled his trembling fingers into a fist. "Sorry, but I need it more than you do."

That was when his eyes caught the big painting that had been hanging behind his bed, just out of sight. It depicted a huge family of eight.

Lord Rosenheim stood at the center, flanked by his two wives. Their five children surrounded them, dressed in elaborate clothes befitting a Ducal house.

However, the patriarch was one with high expectations. The two oldest children were holding influential positions while the two middle children had potential as well.

Rian, coincidentally, was the youngest of the five children. Since he was also a once-in-a-lifetime genius, Lord Rosenheim spared no effort. However, when all hope was lost, the youngest was tossed to the side manor, slowly awaiting death’s door.

’Getting out of the estate shouldn’t be too difficult. And even if I was caught, the patriarch would likely not care.’

’The problem was...I need someone who can fight for me.’

Braving a forgotten temple alone was a hard task in and of itself. But Rian knew there was no way he would be able to deal with any potential monsters or bandits that have made their home there as well.

And the perfect candidate to accompany him, was someone Rian had secretly suspected wasn’t an extra in the original novel at all.

His personal maid, Alicia.

It was just a feeling, but as Rian was the youngest and most talented of the Duke’s children, surely word would’ve gotten out. The target on his back couldn’t have been any bigger.

Yet miraculously, Rian managed to survive for this long. Maybe it was a coincidence, but if it wasn’t...

’Well, there’s only one way to find out.’

"...Alicia."

Instantly, the door opened, and in came a maid. The reaction was so fast that Rian could’ve sworn she was standing in front of his door, just waiting for the moment he would call on her.

"Young Master. You called?"

She wore the Rosenheim household’s black-and-white maid uniform, though at first glance, very little about her resembled an actual maid.

Her long white hair was completely messy with several loose strands blocking her vision that she never cared to sweep away. Beneath said strands, a pair of pale gray eyes felt unfocused and exhausted, as though she had only just gotten out of bed.

Yet the moment those eyes landed on Rian sitting upright, her eyes widened significantly.

"...Young Master? You’re sitting up."

Before Rian could answer, Alicia was already beside him.

"Any dizziness?"

"A little."

"Nausea?"

Rian shook his head.

Her hand suddenly pressed against his forehead, which caused even Rian himself to flinch due to the speed at which it happened.

"Your fever has gone down."

’She’s awfully touchy...’

Then again, she had probably been dressing, feeding, and bathing this body for years. Well, the realization just made it all worse for Rian.

Pulling away as best as he could, Rian stabilized himself on the bed frame and cleared his throat.

"Alicia...I need to go somewhere."

"Right away," the maid nodded, already turning away. "I’ll inform the First Lady so she can call for the doctors—"

"No."

The single word caused her to stop right at the edge of the doorway.

"I need to go somewhere secret. And I need you to follow me."

Slowly, she turned around, her eyes dropping to his trembling legs immediately after he expressed his intent.

"Young Master...you can barely walk."

"I can walk."

"You collapsed attempting to use the bathroom yesterday."

’...Was that really necessary to mention?’

"That’s beside the point," Rian coughed to change the subject. "I need to exit the house somehow undetected, and only you can help me."

Alicia was about to retort, but seemed to realize whatever he wanted to say was much more important than she gave it credit for.

So, she finally asked with a serious tone.

"Young Master. I have two questions," she raised up two fingers. "One, why me? I’m just a maid. Why not have a knight follow you?"

"And two...where are you even going?"

Rian stayed silent for a while, trying to pick the best choice of words. He wasn’t exactly sure where Alicia’s allegiance lay.

’She’s been with me for this long...it’s probably safe to think that she’s not an enemy assassin, or else she would’ve killed me already.’

Mustering up all the strength he could, Rian finally spoke.

"Alicia...I know you’re not a normal maid."

Her eyes widened at the accusation.

"Young Master, I’m not sure what you—"

"Please," he cut her off before she could finish. "I can’t trust the knights. You know what my relationship with the rest of this family is like."

"..."

Rian tightened his trembling fingers around the bedframe.

"You’re the only person I can rely on."

After a moment, the distant look in her pale eyes seemed to have disappeared. She stepped back into the room, quietly closing the door behind her and turning the lock.

"Why now? What’s changed?"

There were a thousand things he couldn’t tell her, like this wasn’t his world. Or that—according the plot he knew—Rian Rosenheim’s story ended here.

But it didn’t have to.

He looked Alicia directly in the eyes, uttering only a single thing.

"I found a way to live."

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