I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

Despite Selina's determination, her mind failed to pinpoint the exact cause of the problem.
It wasn’t as if some grand, malevolent force was interfering with her thoughts. No, it was simply that the reason was so insignificant that she couldn’t remember it.

Something akin to the butterfly effect.
Just as a butterfly’s small flutter could summon a typhoon, some minor, seemingly trivial change had triggered this catastrophe.
But how could she possibly figure out which flap of the wings had caused the storm?

Still, Selina kept trying.
She spent an entire day staring at Ian, a character who hadn’t appeared in the original story. (Eventually, Ian had hunched his shoulders and asked, Did I do something wrong? before she finally let him go.)
On another occasion, she had cornered Aiden, demanding to know if there was a magic spell that could improve memory.

She had filled an entire notebook, rewriting lists over and over, attempting to catalog the differences between the original story and this altered reality.
And every time she caught a glimpse of exhaustion on her family’s faces during rare encounters in the manor, she lost sleep, wracking her brain to find the cause.
For someone like Selina, whose only exercise consisted of breathing, this was an immense effort.

But life never unfolded the way she wanted it to.
Because effort didn’t always yield results.
Sometimes, even effort could betray you.

Despite all the long days and sleepless nights, she remained stuck in place, unable to make any progress toward the truth.
Meanwhile, unlike Selina, who was running in circles, the others had ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ been steadily working toward countermeasures against the monster crisis.
—

"Lucas, are these all the reports from the knight order’s reconnaissance?"
"Yeah. Oh, and I put the report on last night’s monster attack in the plaza right on top."
"Thanks. You’re a lifesaver."

Lucas was assisting Aaron in his office, handling matters related to the monsters.
As the deputy commander of the White Duchy’s knights—practically considered an adopted son of the household—he had to step forward in times like these.
As for Selina’s protection… well, painful as it was, he had temporarily left that to Aiden so he could focus entirely on the monster crisis.
After all, the territory had to be at peace for Selina to have anything to be protected from.

Lucas let out a quiet chuckle at the irony of his own thoughts and pressed his fingers against his tense brow.
Aaron glanced at him and spoke up.
"How many hours did you sleep last night?"

"I was out dealing with the plaza situation. Maybe… two hours?"
"You nearly lost your mind when I said I only got three hours the other day, and yet you’re the real walking corpse here."
For a brief moment, they indulged in casual banter.

These days, they had to make some time for jokes. Otherwise, the exhaustion would eat away at them.
Recognizing that Aaron was deliberately lightening the mood, Lucas set down his documents and leaned back slightly, his gaze meeting Aaron’s.
"How many hours did you sleep, then?"

"Me? I… got about three and a half?"
Lucas' eyes curved slightly in amusement. He nodded slowly, then spoke in a cheerful tone.
"Well, if I drop dead first, at least you’ll be buried right next to me. I won’t be lonely."

Aaron shot him a glare, his pupils shaking slightly before he let out a dry laugh.
And just like that, their brief moment of levity ended.
Now, it was back to work.

Aaron turned his attention to the report detailing the monster that had appeared in the plaza last night.
The name of the creature, its characteristics, the situation at the time, witness testimonies, the scale of damage—every detail had been recorded thoroughly.
"The monster last night was similar to the others we've seen so far."

He muttered the thought aloud as he finished scanning the report.
Lucas, who had already reviewed the document earlier, nodded in agreement.
Aaron’s comment referred to a strange trend they had begun noticing about the monsters appearing in their land.

At first, they had been so focused on the fact that monsters—creatures that had remained dormant for over a decade—were suddenly reappearing that they overlooked certain oddities.
But as time passed and the attacks increased, strange patterns emerged.
Aaron grabbed a blank sheet of paper and began scribbling.

Monsters disappear within ten minutes.
When unobserved, they leave on their own.
Despite causing damage, they never steal food.

There have been occasional casualties, but only in cases where multiple witnesses were present. When only one or two people were around, no one was harmed.
Their movements are untraceable.
When killed, they leave behind a red crystal.

Lucas, having already discussed these points with Aaron numerous times, simply skimmed over them again.
No matter how many times he read it, it was bizarre.
In the past, monsters had ventured into human settlements for food.

As cruel and horrifying as it was, their prey included humans.
People went missing. Stores and homes were looted. Farmlands were ravaged. The damage was catastrophic.
But these monsters… weren’t like that.

They appeared, caused an uproar, and then vanished within minutes.
Buildings were destroyed, merchandise was broken—but the more severe problems of casualties and food shortages? Practically nonexistent.
The strangest aspect of all was their behavior in the early stages of the attacks.

At first, monsters had only appeared in remote areas, where they were rarely seen.
If this had happened in the past, those unfortunate enough to encounter them would have been found as corpses soon after.
But in these recent cases, even when monsters did interact with humans, they only threatened them before vanishing without inflicting real harm.

At first, they had dismissed it as sheer luck.
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But as the number of incidents increased, it became evident that this was not random—it was a pattern.

And one unsettling theory arose from it:
Perhaps… the monsters weren’t attacking for survival.
Perhaps their true purpose was to make their presence known.

To stir fear.
To create an atmosphere of terror.
Honestly, it was a ridiculous idea.

"Do monsters really have that level of intelligence?"
Lucas frowned as he reread the notes.
"To deliberately announce their presence, to orchestrate fear… to plan a strategy?"

But as the days passed, the pattern only became clearer.
And there was no better explanation for the bizarre phenomenon.
It wasn't just the White Duchy that had reached this conclusion.

The Imperial research division, veteran warriors who had fought in past monster subjugation campaigns, and even the Mage Tower—
They all arrived at the same hypothesis.
Lucas’ gaze darkened as he continued scanning the notes. His fingers extended, tapping against the last entry on the list.

"What about the red crystals?"
"I sent them to the Mage Tower and the Imperial research lab. Now that you mention it, we should be hearing back soon."
They had first discovered the crystals after slaying the monsters.

Initially, when monsters reappeared, there had been no official response force. The best they could do was drive them away.
But after a while, knights began successfully killing them.
And when they did, they found a common trait—

Strange, crimson-colored crystals.
Aaron had even asked their father, who had fought in previous monster subjugation wars, whether he had seen anything similar before.
The answer had been no.

Which meant the crystals were yet another new element to this crisis.
"What do you think they are?"
Aaron’s voice was grim.

Lucas cracked his neck before blinking away his exhaustion. He was still holding the official approval documents for the subjugation campaign from the Imperial Palace.
"Who knows… but they’re definitely not normal."
Seeing Aaron's expression darken even further, Lucas playfully waved the papers in his hand, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I'll send you plenty more later."
By later, he meant the monster subjugation campaign.
—

It had already been a full season since the monsters reappeared.
Truthfully, no one wanted to resort to a full-scale campaign.
Because a monster subjugation campaign was no different from war.

And war required manpower.
Manpower meant casualties.
However—

The monsters were multiplying.
And no one could determine where they were coming from.
It didn’t take a genius to realize how dire the situation was.

For now, the damage was mostly structural—buildings collapsing, stores being wrecked.
But come winter? That could change.
Historically, every winter had made monsters stronger.

Humans, on the other hand, became weaker.
And winter was only a season away.
The monsters had to be dealt with before autumn ended.

The moment they returned from the capital, they had begun assembling a subjugation force.
Or rather, they had begun preparations for war.
—

Things moved swiftly.
A full-scale subjugation campaign usually required extensive preparation.
But this time, aid had poured in from all directions.

For now, the monsters were confined to the White Duchy’s lands—
But no one could guarantee they wouldn’t spread elsewhere.
If they did, the casualties would be incalculable.

Chaos would return, just like in the past wars between humanity and monsters.
To prevent this disaster, every major faction was willing to offer support.
The Mage Tower pledged both mages and magical artifacts.

The Imperial Palace provided elite knights and funding, even expediting the subjugation force's approval.
Even noble families had stepped forward to offer aid.
Frankly, they didn’t need the nobles’ contributions—

But they weren’t about to refuse.
If, later on, those same nobles demanded compensation for their support, they could simply remind them—
Did you seriously expect payment for assisting a national crisis?

Nothing to lose.
The thought brought a wicked grin to Lucas’ face.
Meanwhile, Aaron, watching Lucas gleefully plotting to exploit the nobles, let out a heavy sigh.

His eyes lingered on the approval documents in Lucas’ hands.
"The subjugation campaign is set to begin at the end of this month or early next month, right?"
"Yeah. We have to finish before winter arrives."

Lucas’ response was nonchalant, but Aaron sighed again.
"Why? Are you worried?"
"…Yeah."

Aaron leaned back in his chair, expression heavy.
"I’ll be staying in the duchy to manage administration and oversee security in the capital."
"But you and Father… you’re leading the subjugation force."

Lucas glanced down at the document in his hand.
Slowly, he flipped it over, tracing the ink with his fingertips.
Then he blinked, slowly and deliberately.

"Don't worry. I'll protect the Duke."
The words left his lips casually.
But for a moment, the thought crossed his mind—

I really am following in my father’s footsteps, huh?
Ten years ago, his father had marched into war alongside the Duke.
And lost his left arm in the process.

Now, it was Lucas’ turn to follow the Duke into battle.
Would he lose an arm too?
A dry chuckle escaped him as he placed the document back onto the desk.

He met Aaron’s gaze, a fleeting thought passing through his mind—
Was that concern in his eyes?
Half-serious, half-joking, Lucas murmured,

"If I lose an arm, you better be sad about it."
"You—!"
Aaron immediately flared up, eyes widening in alarm.

Satisfied with the reaction, Lucas leaned back against the sofa.
Ah.
If only Selina would react the same way.

If his arm were severed, would she finally show some real emotion on that blank face of hers?
She had smiled at Aiden first.
Maybe he could be the first to make her scowl.

The thought was utterly ridiculous.
But for now, it was enough to make him sit up straight again.