Serenade - Chapter 61: Taste

The story is about a boy entering high school, who answers a strange call from a public phone one night. The caller challenges him to a bet: She’ll remove the birthmark which he sees as the cause of so many problems, and he’ll have fifty days to win the heart of a girl he’d considered far beyond his reach. And with this, a very strange summer begins.

To save the hopeless Dark Fantasy World, I held back my tears and destroyed the world, then killed the Demon King and returned.

Now, I’m trying to save the world using the ‘System’ I gained as the ‘Regressor’s Privilege’… but the Main Heroines have also awakened their memories of the previous timeline.

God damnit.

Lumberling, a 42-year-old civil engineer, grew numb to the monotonous rhythm of modern life. Hoping to rekindle his sense of wonder, he set out on a solitary nature trip, only to stumble upon an ancient, forgotten pyramid. A strange red light burst forth, killing him instantly… and binding itself to his soul.Cast adrift in the void, his soul found no rest, until he awoke in the body of a young foot soldier, bleeding and broken on a war-torn battlefield in a world not his own.Determined not to die again, Lumberling fights to survive in this brutal new realm where knights clash with monsters, kingdoms rise and fall, and mysterious powers shape the fate of nations.Armed with a strange ability to devour the essence of those he slays, he begins to carve out a new path, one forged by blood, strength, and sheer will.But power alone may not be enough. In a world where danger lurks in every shadow, and ancient forces stir in the dark, can a lost soul rise above fate… or will he be consumed by the very essence he seeks to control?

“The masterminds are cooler than heroes,” I mutter as I stare at the chess pieces before me. It is easier to be the one who sits in the shadows and moves the pieces, likewise deciding the flow of the game.Heroes will foolishly sacrifice their lives for the good cause and villains will sacrifice the world for their own gain, but masterminds will use both the heroes and villains to their own benefit.Why, you ask? Well, that's because I've lost my life once while trying to be a hero so, I don't want that anymore. I'd rather be a mastermind who molds the world as per my convenience and live peacefully. Because, why not?***[Defender of Divine Glory says you are the hope of this world.]What?[Goddess of Wisdom believes that you will be the one to save the world.]Wait, what?![Propose the Grand Duke the idea of a fake marriage.]And, why would I do that?![Stop the assassination of Prince Eric.]Why would I save him?![The candidates for the throne are:... Who will you choose?]Ah! I give up...It seems like a curse that anyone who wishes for a slacker life in Isekai will have to go through the most troublesome things.In my past life, I died because of one rookie mistake but after being transmigrated in the world of fantasy I've gotten an opportunity to start afresh, but unlike the protagonists who look for their love and glory, I'd rather make money and live a life of a slacker.I have magic, I have power and I have money, what else do I need?Well, that was the plan but this damn system is getting on my nerves. I mean who in their sane mind would want to mess with the complicated royal family and political affairs? But that's not all though.I've also become the saviour of this world. Things just can't be anymore worse!Besides, the penalty of failing this quest is...[Failure: Destruction of the World.]It seems like if I screw up in selecting the right person then the destruction that is going to befall the world won't be stopped.If I speak of my reward then it's this vague thing.[Reward: Fulfillment of any wish.]“If that's the case then, I'd rather choose the person who would be the best fit for the throne.”And that's how I decided that I would become the Kingmaker.