Why Did I Reincarnate as the Heroine When I Wanted to Be a Villainess?

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: The Ones Who Refused

Silence.

An unnatural silence.

The First Guardian remained motionless.

Its crimson eyes swept across the countless fragments of the shattered illusion.

"...Impossible."

For thousands of years...

No challenger had broken the Trial of the Heart through sheer conviction.

Yet...

One light had already returned.

A golden pillar erupted into the crimson sky.

Within it stood Seraphina.

She stretched lazily before looking around.

"...That’s it?"

"I was expecting emotional damage."

Tax was nowhere to be seen.

Neither were the others.

Only the First Guardian watched her from beyond the floating islands.

"You rejected your heart."

Seraphina shrugged.

"No."

"I just know the difference between what I want..."

"...and what’s real."

The Guardian’s ancient gaze narrowed.

"You should have remained."

"You would have been happy."

Seraphina laughed.

"Oh, definitely."

"I would’ve had snacks."

"My parents would’ve lectured me."

"Kael would’ve complained."

"Tax would’ve stolen something."

She folded her arms.

"Which is exactly why I knew it was fake."

The Guardian remained silent.

"You can’t copy people."

"You can only copy my memories of them."

"And memories always miss something."

For the first time...

The Guardian frowned.

A second pillar of light suddenly pierced the heavens.

Silver.

Kael stepped onto the floating stone.

His sword rested calmly over one shoulder.

Seraphina waved enthusiastically.

"Kael!"

He glanced at her.

"...You’re loud."

She gasped dramatically.

"That’s your first sentence after surviving?"

"I missed you too."

"I didn’t."

"You liar."

A nearly invisible smile appeared on Kael’s face.

The First Guardian noticed.

Its expression darkened.

"...Another."

The Trial was supposed to isolate them.

Instead...

The first two challengers had reunited.

Far away...

The remaining pillars remained dark.

Seraphina’s smile faded.

"Rowan..."

"Daren..."

"Lysette..."

"Come on."

"You guys can do it."

The Guardian slowly raised one enormous hand.

"They still dream."

"They still cling."

"They still hesitate."

"And while they remain trapped..."

"You shall watch."

The sky split apart.

Like mirrors opening.

Visions appeared above the battlefield.

Every remaining companion could now be seen inside their own Trial of the Heart.

Rowan stood before his smiling uncle.

Lysette knelt before a throne surrounded by the family she had always wished to protect.

Corvin faced a hall filled with scholars applauding his every discovery.

Daren sat across from someone whose face he had buried deep within his memories.

Atlas wandered through an endless mountain of food.

Tax...

Tax stood inside a gigantic vault overflowing with sparkling treasure.

His tiny eyes shimmered.

"...Boss would understand."

He grabbed one jewel.

Then another.

Then another.

The Guardian watched without emotion.

"Even the smallest heart..."

"...has chains."

Seraphina stared at the image.

"...Tax."

The crow buried himself beneath a mountain of gold.

"I live here now."

"I have become one with the shinies."

Seraphina covered her face.

"...We’re doomed."

Kael quietly shook his head.

"He’ll surprise you."

"Hm?"

"He always does."

As if answering him—

Tax suddenly stopped moving.

He blinked.

Looked around.

Then frowned.

"...Wait."

He picked up a ruby.

"...Nobody’s trying to steal this."

Silence.

He picked up another.

"...Boss isn’t yelling."

Another pause.

"...Atlas isn’t trying to eat it."

"...This place is boring."

He tossed the ruby over his shoulder.

"I don’t actually like treasure."

"I like stealing treasure."

The illusion trembled.

Tax folded his wings.

"And if Boss isn’t chasing me..."

"What’s the point?"

CRACK.

A fracture spread through his world.

The Guardian’s eyes widened.

"...What?"

CRACK.

CRACK.

CRACK.

The mountain of treasure shattered into glittering dust.

A tiny pillar of golden light erupted beside Seraphina.

Tax tumbled out headfirst.

"Oof!"

He looked around.

Then immediately sit onto Seraphina’s head.

"...Boss."

"Hm?"

"I’ve learned something important."

"Oh?"

"I am emotionally dependent on causing you minor inconveniences."

Seraphina burst into laughter.

"I knew it!"

Kael quietly sighed.

"...I also knew it."

For the first time...

The First Guardian took a step back.

Three challengers.

Three impossible outcomes.

Its ancient certainty...

Had begun to crack.

The crimson world fell silent.

Even the endless legion beyond the horizon stood motionless.

The First Guardian slowly lowered its hand.

For the first time in ages...

It wasn’t looking down on challengers.

It was studying them.

"...Three."

Its voice carried across every floating island.

"Three hearts..."

"...unbroken."

Seraphina tilted her head.

"Is that rare?"

The Guardian didn’t answer immediately.

Instead...

It looked toward the still-dark pillars.

"They have yet to choose."

"They stand at the edge."

"They may still fall."

Seraphina crossed her arms.

"They won’t."

"You speak with certainty."

"I do."

The Guardian’s crimson gaze rested upon her.

"What makes you so sure?"

She smiled.

"Because they’re idiots."

A long silence followed.

Kael glanced sideways.

"...That isn’t a compliment."

"It absolutely is."

She pointed toward the remaining pillars.

"Rowan always overthinks."

"Corvin gets distracted."

"Daren pretends he doesn’t care."

"Lysette carries everyone else’s burdens."

"Atlas thinks with his stomach."

She reached up and scratched Tax beneath his beak.

"And this feathered criminal thinks every shiny object belongs to him."

Tax puffed out his chest proudly.

"It does."

Seraphina laughed.

"But..."

Her smile softened.

"They’re still my idiots."

"And that’s enough."

The Guardian watched without speaking.

It had witnessed countless heroes.

Kings.

Saints.

Conquerors.

Every one of them had claimed faith in their companions.

Most had been disappointed.

Yet...

When this girl spoke...

There wasn’t even the smallest trace of doubt.

As though failure had never crossed her mind.

CRACK.

A green pillar of light burst into the heavens.

Rowan stumbled out.

"Huh?!"

He blinked several times before looking around wildly.

"I’m back?"

His eyes landed on Seraphina.

"...Wait."

"You guys escaped too?"

Seraphina grinned.

"Took you long enough."

Rowan scratched the back of his head.

"My uncle kept trying to convince me to stay."

His smile became bittersweet.

"I almost did."

The Guardian listened carefully.

"What changed your decision?"

Rowan looked toward Seraphina.

Then Kael.

Then Tax.

A small laugh escaped him.

"I remembered something Seraphina once told me."

Seraphina frowned.

"I say a lot of things."

"Most of them are nonsense."

"Exactly."

She blinked.

"...Excuse me?"

Rowan chuckled.

"You told me that living in the past is like reading the same Chapter over and over."

"You already know how it ends."

"So..."

"Write the next one instead."

Seraphina stared blankly.

"...Did I actually say something that cool?"

Tax nodded solemnly.

"Accidentally."

Kael quietly added,

"It happens."

She looked offended.

"I’ll have you know I’m inspirational on purpose."

"No."

Everyone answered at once.

"...Rude."

For the first time...

A faint rumble escaped the First Guardian.

It wasn’t anger.

It wasn’t hostility.

It took Seraphina a second to realize what it was.

The Guardian...

Was laughing.

A deep, ancient laugh echoed through the floating realm.

"...Strange."

"You laugh."

"You grieve."

"You fear."

"You argue over foolish things."

"And yet..."

"You continue walking."

Its crimson eyes slowly closed.

"I had forgotten..."

"...that such people still existed."

Far away...

The remaining pillars flickered.

One after another.

The Trial of the Heart...

Was nearing its end.

The First Guardian’s laughter stopped.

Its burning crimson eyes swept across the three who had escaped.

Then...

Its lips slowly curled into a cruel smile.

"...Very well."

"If your hearts cannot be broken..."

"...Then your bodies shall."

The floating islands trembled.

BOOOOOOM!

The Guardian slammed one enormous foot onto the black earth.

Every island lurched violently.

Huge cracks spread beneath Seraphina’s feet.

Tax flapped his wings frantically.

"Boss!"

"The floor is floorn’t!"

Seraphina looked down.

"...He’s right."

"The floor has resigned."

Rowan blinked.

"...What?"

Another explosion shook the world.

Kael calmly stepped onto a floating rock before the ground beneath him collapsed.

"...Less talking."

"More surviving."

Seraphina pointed at him.

"You sound like an old man."

"I am fifteen."

"Mentally you’re eighty."

Tax nodded.

"He sighs like furniture."

Kael...

Actually sighed.

"...See?"

Tax shouted.

"I REST MY CASE!"

The First Guardian’s expression darkened.

"...You mock me."

Seraphina looked up innocently.

"Oh."

"Were we supposed to be scared?"

The Guardian’s voice shook the heavens.

"YOU STAND BEFORE THE FIRST GUARDIAN OF HELL!"

Without missing a beat—

Seraphina raised her hand.

"I have a question."

Silence.

Even the legion in the distance seemed to freeze.

"...Speak."

"If Hell has a First Guardian..."

"...Does that mean there’s employee training?"

Rowan slowly lowered his sword.

"...What?"

Seraphina continued.

"Like..."

"Do you have performance reviews?"

Tax gasped dramatically.

"Oh!"

"What if he gets promoted?"

Kael pinched the bridge of his nose.

"...Please don’t."

Too late.

Seraphina looked genuinely curious.

"Who signs your vacation requests?"

The Guardian stared.

Its eye twitched.

"I..."

"...What?"

She tilted her head.

"Do demons get weekends?"

Tax nodded thoughtfully.

"Union rights are important."

For three long seconds...

No one moved.

Then—

"ENOUGH!"

The Guardian roared so loudly that entire mountains exploded.

A gigantic spear of crimson stone erupted from beneath Seraphina.

She casually hopped onto it.

"Neat."

Another spear.

She jumped again.

Another.

Another.

She began hopping from pillar to pillar.

Then—

Completely out of nowhere—

🎵

"Hop hop hop~

Don’t you stop~

Angry giant’s throwing rocks~

If I fall~

That would suck~

Tax will probably steal my luck~"

🎵

Tax immediately joined in.

🎵

"Caw caw caw~

Shiny claw~

Guardian has a grumpy jaw~"

🎵

Rowan stared in disbelief.

"...They’re making a battle musical."

Corvin adjusted his glasses.

"I... have no explanation."

Even Daren looked confused.

"I’ve fought monsters."

"This is somehow weirder."

The Guardian’s patience finally snapped.

"INSOLENT MORTALS!"

Thousands of crimson spears burst from every direction.

The sky disappeared beneath them.

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

"They’re all real."

"No illusions."

Seraphina stopped singing instantly.

Her smile remained.

"...Now that’s more like it."

Golden mana exploded around her.

Rowan tightened his grip.

Daren rolled his shoulders.

Far away...

The remaining pillars of light suddenly blazed to life.

One.

Then another.

Then another.

The rest of the party had finally escaped the Trial of the Heart.

The First Guardian looked at every single one of them.

Its monstrous grin widened.

"...Excellent."

"Now..."

"I can kill you all at once."

The legion behind it roared.

The floating world shook.

And this time...

There would be no more trials.

Only war.