Prologue: Let’s Become the Charisma of Evil!
The romantic action RPG «Altena Fantasia».
Set in the Royal Academy of the Solstia Kingdom, it’s a classic tale centered around the protagonist and heroines as they strive to defeat the Demon King.
With its meticulously crafted world-building, a cast of captivating characters, and a thoroughly developed combat system despite being a romance game, it earned considerable acclaim as a masterpiece.
However, there was one point that left many players dissatisfied.
And that, quite frankly, was the lack of charm in the final boss.
After achieving the long-held goal of defeating the Demon King, the true mastermind, Duke Luciel von Central, emerges—but this is where the problem lies.
Luciel barely appears in the story, and there are almost no foreshadowing hints that he’s the final boss. To players, he comes off as nothing more than a sudden, last-minute villain who’s defeated in a flash, a mere punching bag.
The disappointment was so great that some players felt the excitement of the Demon King’s defeat and the tears shed during each route’s emotional scenes were completely undermined.
According to the official fanbook released later, it seems a lot of background material was prepared for Luciel, but due to development time constraints, it was reluctantly cut.
“Seriously, that’s the last thing you should cut!”
“They should’ve just scrapped Luciel entirely and made the Demon King the final boss instead!”
Such sentiments flooded the internet.
Now, I’ve rambled on about all this for a reason.
You see, somehow, I’ve been reincarnated as Klaus Renford, a mob villain in «Altena Fantasia»—a character who’s merely described in a single line in the epilogue as “Luciel’s subordinate, ○○, and others were all executed.”
…What? You think it’s normal to reincarnate as Luciel, the Demon King, or even the protagonist?
Trust me, I thought the same thing!
It took me days to even recall Klaus’s existence after hearing his name!
That said, there’s no point wasting brainpower on things I can’t change now.
What matters is this: if things continue as they are, the only fate awaiting me is execution—the worst possible ending.
So, what should I do from here—?
◇◆◇
“Well, what to do…”
I muttered to myself in my study, prompting a reaction from Oliver, the butler standing nearby.
“Is something troubling you, Klaus-sama?”
“No, it’s nothing. I’d like to think alone for a bit, so please leave.”
“As you wish.”
If I were to honestly admit that I’m agonizing over what to do after being reincarnated as a mob villain in a game world, I’d surely be thought mad.
Thus, after sending the butler away, I sat alone, groaning and pondering my options.
In many web novels, the typical course of action would be to take steps to avoid a doomed fate like execution.
But for me, this reincarnation feels like a bonus stage granted after my previous life ended. If I’m destined to die as part of the story, I’m inclined to accept it as inevitable.
That said, I’d like to have some say in how I die. I absolutely want to avoid a meaningless death, like keeling over from overwork as I did in my corporate slave days.
“But how do I even go about choosing how to die?”
Naturally, having never contemplated my manner of death before, I found myself at a dead end.
It seemed I needed to shift my perspective.
And then, I remembered something crucial.
“That’s right! If this is a game world, that means I can use magic, doesn’t it?”
Though faint, Klaus’s memories linger within me.
According to those memories, Klaus isn’t particularly skilled with a sword or magic, but that’s a trivial issue to me.
The mere fact that I can wield miracles, impossible in my previous life, is enough to get my blood pumping.
“Alright, let’s get to it—!”
With my thoughts at an impasse, I headed to the training grounds, picking up a sword first.
Recalling the image of a certain sword-wielding character from «Altena Fantasia», I slowly swung the blade upward.
“Haa!”
As expected, my first swing was rather feeble.
“Well, I’ve never swung a sword before, so that’s to be expected.”
But from there, things began to change.
With each subsequent swing—second, third, and so on—my form grew more refined. I wouldn’t say I’d reached the level of an average swordsman, but I already felt I’d surpassed the Klaus in my memories.
“How am I improving this quickly…?”
Barely containing my excitement, I decided to try magic next.
Drawing on Klaus’s memories for the sensation of manipulating mana and my game knowledge for tips on improving spell activation and power, I began constructing a spell.
I felt a definite response. I might even be able to cast a spell on my first try.
With that expectation, what happened next left me utterly shocked.
“«Fireball»!”
A fireball far larger than I’d anticipated erupted, incinerating the target set up in the training grounds.
“…«Lightning»!”
A bolt like that of a thunder god streaked forth, scorching the wall.
“…«Ice Storm»!”
The room’s temperature plummeted, and the floor froze over.
“…”
Staring at the results, I was dumbfounded.
These spells were far more powerful than anything in Klaus’s memories.
“What is this…? The swordsmanship too—could Klaus have been this strong?”
Both my swordplay and magic far exceeded my expectations.
No, they were on a completely different level from Klaus before my reincarnation.
Why could this be happening—?
“—Wait, I get it!”
Then it hit me.
The key was that Klaus had always possessed this kind of potential.
However, without a mentor to guide him in the right direction and with a tendency to slack off on training and studies, his talents had gone to waste.
No matter how high-spec the hardware, it’s meaningless without robust software. In this case, by leveraging my game knowledge—ideal movements and techniques for swordplay and magic—I must have unlocked Klaus’s full potential.
“In other words, with proper effort, Klaus had the talent to grow this much in such a short time…”
A talent that might even surpass the game’s protagonist.
“To think he has the potential to outshine the protagonist… In a way, it’s almost like—”
At that moment, I glanced at the full-length mirror by the training ground’s entrance.
Reflected there was a handsome boy with striking gray hair.
(This is Klaus Renford, huh… With looks like these, he’d definitely have been a fan favorite if he’d appeared in the game. Such a waste.)
I couldn’t help but think as much.
(And with that faintly dark aura, he feels more fitting as a final boss than Luciel. With his sword and magic talents, maybe Klaus was originally meant to shine as a villain—!)
“—That’s it! That’s the answer!”
A stroke of genius hit me, and I leapt to my feet.
I’d found the solution to the question of a fitting death, which I’d shelved earlier.
And in a way, it would also fulfill the regrets of my past life.
For Klaus, with his final-boss-worthy looks and talents, there’s only one death befitting him.
And that is—
“I’ll become this world’s final boss and stand in the way of the protagonists!”
—Exactly. The lack of a compelling final boss was «Altena Fantasia»’s sole flaw.
But if I take Luciel’s place as the final boss, I might be able to fix that problem.
And if this ambition comes to fruition, I’ll witness the ultimate climax I’ve always longed to see!
“Alright! If that’s the plan, I need to become worthy of a final boss—a charisma of evil!”
Thankfully, I’m a noble with the power to act as I please.
The conditions for committing evil deeds are perfectly in place! It’s the ideal situation!
Raising my fist to the ceiling, I shouted with conviction:
“The path to becoming the final boss starts with a single step! I’ll pile up evil deeds and become the charisma of evil!”
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