Chapter 27 The Best Wish
1951words
【Congratulations, player.】
【Main quest: "Redemption of the Villain" has been completed.】
【Task rating: SSS (Perfect)】
【All hidden objectives achieved. All character arcs concluded.】
【Final reward: World's Wish. You may make one, and only one wish. There are no restrictions.】
The text shimmered with golden light, pulsing like a gentle heartbeat. Below the main announcement, three suggested options materialized, each representing a universe full of temptation.
The first one is a rotating pure white orb of light. [Immortality]. With just a gentle touch, a thought, my existence would be woven into the fabric of time, never to wear away, never to fade. I would witness the rise and fall of empires, the birth and death of stars. I would become a goddess, eternally immortal. The idea is shocking, an infinite burden, both terrifying and alluring. I could live forever, free from the mortal shackles that brought me so much sorrow in my first life.
The second one is a pile of glittering jewels and gold that seem to flow and multiply within their own flickering window. [Infinite Wealth]. This is not merely gold or gems, but the concept of ownership itself. I could possess anything, everything. Castles, kingdoms, even entire galaxies if I wished. The power to buy armies, topple nations, and establish my own paradise. Every material desire I could imagine would be satisfied in an instant.
The third, and perhaps the most powerful one, is a dark, swirling cosmic energy nebula, a miniature galaxy in a box. [ABSOLUTE POWER]. The kind of power that Frederick once wielded, the source of all magic, the fundamental laws of reality itself—all of them would be under my command. I could rewrite the code of this world, resurrect the dead, create life from nothing. I could become a new god, the supreme architect of this reality, shaping it as I please.
For a moment, a dizzying wave of vertigo washed over me. Any one of these wishes would make me a being beyond human comprehension. The system wasn't exaggerating. These are true, infinite boons, the kind of power that people in my old world could only dream of, could only write about in stories like this.
I tore my gaze away from the glowing panel and let it fall on the man lying beside me.
Frederick.
He lay on the shattered ground, his head resting on my lap. The terrible black armor that had once been like a second skin to him had dissolved, and he wore only a simple black doublet, now torn and stained. His face, once a mask of cold rage and tyrannical pride, looked peaceful in sleep. The sharp lines of his jaw had softened, and his silver hair spread around his head like a halo, gleaming in the dim light. His breathing, though faint, was steady.
He had given everything. To save me, he sacrificed his abyss-like vast magical power, gave up his authority as the Demon King, and shattered the system that bound him to the role of a tyrant. He was no longer that dreaded Shadow Lord, no longer the dictator who ruled the continent with an iron fist. At this moment, he was just Frederick. That youth who, ten years ago, would clumsily practice magic under my guidance and secretly curl up his lips with a smile at the slightest progress. That man who, after my "death," carried alone the malice and misunderstandings of the entire world, freezing his heart for ten years.
My fingers lightly brushed across his cheek, feeling the faint warmth of life beneath the skin. His eyelashes were long and thick, casting small shadows beneath his eyes, like a pair of motionless butterfly wings. Looking at his peaceful sleeping face, my heart was filled with an indescribable tenderness and ache.
I raised my head again, gazing at those three options that glimmered with supreme temptation.
【Immortality】. If I chose it, I would possess infinite time. But what would immortality without Frederick look like? I couldn't imagine. It would be an endless, lonely river, with me walking alone along the shore, watching everything around me turn to dust, while I could never rest, never reach the end. That wouldn't be a blessing; it would be the cruelest curse I could imagine. My first lifetime had already taught me that the meaning of life lies not in its length, but in whom you spend it with.
[Infinite Wealth]. I scoff at it. In this world, I have been a penniless garden attendant, a tutor beloved by the prince, and even briefly experienced all the luxuries available to a future queen. Money and status can bring comfort and convenience, but they cannot bring inner peace and true happiness. They are cold and hollow. Everything I cherish cannot be measured by wealth. Frederick's smile is far more brilliant than all the diamonds in the world.
【Absolute Power】. Looking at this option, what welled up in my heart was not desire, but a trace of fear. I had witnessed firsthand how power could twist a person. It had corrupted the heart of Saint Emilia, transforming her from an innocent and kind girl into a monster of jealousy and paranoia. It had also been Frederick's heavy shackle, the source of his suffering. He wielded power capable of destroying the world, yet only to protect a phantom long gone, to take revenge on a cold world. Power itself has no right or wrong, but it infinitely amplifies the desires and obsessions of its possessor. And now, I no longer have any obsession that requires absolute power to fulfill. My greatest obsession is quietly lying in my arms.
What I want, none of these three options can give me.
My journey, my long and winding quest, has finally come to an end. From the very beginning when I was forcibly dragged into this game world by the system, becoming the tragic character "Winifred" who was destined to die, I have been struggling, fighting to survive. My goal was simple: stay alive, complete the mission, and then go home.
But during this process, everything changed. The "villain prince" who was designed to be cold-hearted and eventually turn evil, showed me the vulnerability and tenderness hidden deep within his heart. That NPC, supposedly made of nothing but cold code, possessed a soul deeper and more passionate than any human I had ever encountered.
The relationship between us evolved from that of teacher and student at the beginning, to disguise and testing, and finally to honest confrontation after tearing away all facades—each step was incredibly difficult. I was once a substitute for the flawless "moon goddess" in his heart, a shadow he both longed for and resisted. And for me, he was the "mission target" I needed to both save and guard against. We hurt each other, suspected each other, yet unwittingly, we were attracted to each other's authentic souls.
Until the end, he gave up everything for me.
At that moment, all identities, all settings, all missions lost their meaning. The boundary between "player" and "NPC" blurred, and the labels of "villain" and "hero" were torn to shreds. We were just two wounded souls who found each other atop the ruins of the world.
So, what is my wish?
I lowered my head, gazing at Frederick. If I wished for him to regain his power and become the ruler of this world, it would only be burdening him again with the weight of his past. If I wished for us to live happily in this world, but this world itself is a massive lie, a stage manipulated by code and settings. The script of this stage has ended; staying here, we would only be ghosts living within the backdrop.
No. I don't want that.
What I want is a completely fresh start. In a real world, without systems, without quests, without predetermined fates. A place where he is no longer a prince burdened with hatred, and I am no longer a player executing missions. A place where we can truly and freely be together.
My homeland.
That world with blue skies, bustling cities, and ordinary daily life. Perhaps there is no magic there, no deities, but there are real people, real bonds, and real futures. I want to take him to see it. I want him to feel the sunlight without conspiracies and killings, to taste the freshly baked, warm pastries from an ordinary bakery at a street corner, to hear the meaningless yet incredibly precious laughter and chatter of ordinary life.
I took a deep breath; a trace of gunpowder from the battle still lingered in the air, but this scent seemed to remind me that everything old had ended. There was no longer confusion in my eyes, replaced instead by an unprecedented determination and hope.
Facing the flickering system panel, I spoke clearly, word by word. My voice wasn't loud, but in the absolute silence of the battlefield, it sounded remarkably clear, carrying an undeniable resolution.
"I don't want any of this."
I waved my hand gently, and those three options representing supreme power, like illusions scattered by the wind, dissolved into specks of golden light and disappeared. The system panel seemed to freeze for a moment, the text on it stopped pulsating. It was as if this great will that controlled the entire world was also surprised by my unexpected decision.
Then, I smiled, my eyes filled with longing and hope for the future, and spoke the one and only wish in my heart, which was also the best one.
"My wish is—to leave this game world together with Frederick."
The moment these words fell, the entire world seemed to have been paused. The wind stopped, and the movement of distant clouds froze. The light on the system panel suddenly contracted, condensing into a dazzling singularity, and then exploded outward.
【World Wish Confirmed.】
【Wish Type: Cross-dimensional Transfer.】
【Target Locked: Player, Independent Data Entity "Frederick".】
【Analyzing wish composition... Analysis complete.】
【Calculating energy consumption... Calculation complete.】
【Constructing teleportation channel...】
A series of cold system prompts flashed rapidly before my eyes. Immediately after, soft white light poured out from the panel, enveloping Frederick and me like warm tides. I could feel the ground beneath our feet slowly becoming void, and the surroundings—broken city walls, scattered weapons, distant mountains—began to decompose into countless tiny, glowing cubes, dissipating into the air like pixels.
This world was being deleted.
I didn't feel any fear or reluctance. I just held Frederick tighter, burying my face in the crook of his neck. He carried a familiar scent, mixed with blood, dust, and a faint, cold fragrance like winter cedar. This was my only anchor in this world, and the sole treasure I would carry to the new world.
"We're going home, Frederick," I whispered in his ear, not caring whether he could hear me. "To my home. A wonderful place. From now on, no one will ever hurt you again."
The white light grew brighter and brighter, eventually consuming everything. I closed my eyes, feeling my body become incredibly light, as if I had broken free from gravity and was ascending toward some distant, warm place.
In the final moment of consciousness, I seemed to hear the system's emotionless voice, resonating one last time in the depths of my soul.
【Transfer initiated. Good luck, visitor from another world.】
