Stuck Between A Rock And A Harder Rock

I advanced forward through the narrow path, my heart pounding in my chest as I tried to keep my steps light. In a few minutes, I found myself bursting out into the open.

No…

Nonononono.

Gazing at the sight before me, I instinctively stepped back into the shadows. The moment my eyes adjusted to the scene, panic began to creep into my veins.

No way in hell am I escaping through that death trap.

Right out there, spread across the courtyard, was a battalion of soldiers, securing the entire perimeter. They were armed to the teeth, stationed like statues with their cold, lifeless eyes sweeping over the area. 

Why they didn't find it sensible to at least check the back of the mansion? Beats me.

Tsk.

This is a dilemma.

THIS IS A FREAKING DILEMMA!

I can't get spotted trying to slip away. If I'm caught, then that's it. I'll be locked up in this mansion until the start of the academy arc. And if that happens…

Shit!

Though Amael, the character whose body I now occupied, was known as the [Agent of Bad Endings] in the game, there was a way he could die before he even had the chance to become that. And that death was supposed to happen during the second arc of the first game: the academy arc.

The freaking start of the whole game!

I discovered that route as a veteran player that I am, I found a way to kill Amael before he even got the chance to become a [minor villain]. It was during the entrance examination on the very first day of the academy arc. A loophole.

A hidden trigger.

And it worked.

But killing Amael early came at a cost.

A cost I never anticipated.

That decision… led to the emergence of her.

Christina.

One of the main heroines of the game. One of my favorite heroines, actually.

And she… well...

....she turned into the [Ultimate Villain] of the second act of the game.

Hah!

I still remember the shock.

....The sheer disbelief.

Finding a loophole to kill Amael was supposed to give me a fresh start. I thought I was a genius for pulling it off, thought I'd broken the game. But no. My clever little plan set off a chain reaction, and instead of Amael's minor villainy, the game turned Christina into the worst nightmare imaginable.

Though the probability of the protagonist following that route is slim to none, with my luck?

He'll probably end up triggering it. And that means Christina—the sweet, lovable Christina—will become a nightmare.

Again!

But not before I freaking die!

"Tsk."

I clicked my tongue in frustration, scanning the area with narrowed eyes. I needed a way out, a way to sneak past the guards and avoid turning this into a suicide mission. But those soldiers were everywhere—perimeter, corners, everywhere. No gaps. No chance of slipping through unnoticed.

"But… those guards," I muttered under my breath, the memory of the guards posted outside my room flashing in my mind.

"!"

My heart sank.

If, for any reason, they decide to check up on me and realize I'm not there…

"Just fuck me to death." The words slipped out of my mouth as I collapsed to my knees. 

I can't catch a break, can I?

Here I was, stuck between a rock and a hard place. I could wait for the heightened security to ease up after the party, sure. But the problem was, the guards back at my room might have already noticed I'm missing. If that's the case, then the entire mansion could be on high alert.

"Tsk." Another click of my tongue, my frustration simmering.

"Alright, what do I do?" I asked myself, but it wasn't a real question. 

Because I didn't have a single answer.

My head was blank—completely empty. What could I even do? I wasn't some overpowered protagonist with plot armor or superhuman abilities. I was just a helpless villain who could die at any second.

Why couldn't I have reincarnated as the protagonist instead? At least then I wouldn't be in this goddamn mess.

"Alright. Let's do this," I muttered, more to myself than anything, and took a deep breath. 

A plan began to take shape in my mind, but it wasn't a good one. It might backfire spectacularly. I could get killed before I even had a chance to know it. But…

Yeah. What's the worst that could happen?

Shit!

… I really shouldn't have said that.