SPELLBOUND - Chapter 657: Flames of hope

On one spring evening when I was eight years old, I, Erica, Duke of Aurelia’s daughter, realized something.

Huh, I have reincarnated into a fantasy world, haven’t I?

Moreover, it was the romance-fantasy girl game that had the reputation of being bloody, 『Liber Monstrorum ~Phantom Beasts and the Winter Princess~』

The face reflected in the mirror was that of the villainess character of that game.

After repeatedly harassing many characters, including the heroine, she would die without exception, signaling the beginning of an event called the bizarre incident. She was a villain who deserved to get the consequences!

—I absolutely don’t want a destiny like that, though?

No, for me who has remembered the memory of my previous life, there would be no such thing.

In my previous life, I was harassed immensely by an irrationally angry yandere man who proclaimed ‘She is absolutely in love with me.’

My cause of death, too, was from being stabbed by another yandere man who I only had talked with a few times……

Now that I have become the haughty villainess Erica, I shouldn’t encounter more misunderstandings like with the previous life’s yandere men anymore, right……?

In that case, it will be fine as long as I deal with the death flags that I may have raised myself.

All right! First of all, before the bizarre incident begins at the Magic Academy, I will strike down the death flags accordingly!!

—Or so I thought, but it seems that I am about to die.

Eeh, how did this happen—!?

In the rural northeastern mountainous regions stands a tiny Buddhist temple, named One Finger Temple. It isn’t a large one but it is extremely miraculous.

The temple has rice that emanates an aromatic fragrance.

The temple has sweet and refreshing water that rivals ambrosia.

The temple has Buddhas that grant wishes to the sincere.

The temple isn’t large but it has everything. The temple isn’t large but it has flourishing incense offerings that far exceed all temples. The temple isn’t large but it attracts both citizens and foreigners that line up overnight…

The temple has a bald but handsome monk. Every day, he would bawl, “I want to renounce asceticism! I want to marry a chick that’s not too pretty, have a cute baby, and lead a stable life!”

Zhang Yang, the office drone, spent his days slacking off with the campus beauty and his nights watching his sister-in-law practice leg lifts. His girlfriend Xiao Man watched him every day, falling deep in thought... Until one day, while straddling Zhang Yang, she unleashed a soul-searching interrogation, “Why did the dean bow to you? Why did the richest man gift you a villa? Why did the tattoo-covered big brother kneel before you, begging you to take his wife?”

[Warning: Sexual content, lemons, comedy, MILFs, face-slapping, and a shameless protagonist!].....Creed Walden was a man of culture. Refined. Sophisticated. A true enjoyer of the finer things in life.Which was exactly why he ended up getting shot in the nuts.Who knew that messing with a gangster’s woman would lead to such unfortunate circumstances? One moment, he was enjoying the peak of pleasure, the next—BANG! Eternal darkness.But instead of fading into nothingness, he woke up… in a completely different world.A world he knew.It was the setting of a novel he had read ten years ago—a brutal, unforgiving wasteland where monstrous creatures roamed, and humanity teetered on the brink of extinction.The Apocalypse had begun.Here, humans awakened incredible talents to survive. Some became swordmasters, capable of cutting mountains in half. Others became mages, wielding fire and lightning at their fingertips. The strong ruled, the weak perished, and only those with true power could thrive.And Creed?He awakened… a summoning ability.Not bad, right? He could call forth mighty beasts, legendary heroes, or divine warriors to fight for him!At least, that’s what he thought.Until his first summon appeared.A gorgeous, sultry woman with horns, bat-like wings, and a very inappropriate outfit.A Succubus.It didn’t take long for Creed to realize the shocking truth—his summoning ability could only summon Succubi!The apocalypse was raging. Civilization was collapsing. People were awakening godlike powers to fight for survival.And here he was.Surrounded by beautiful, seductive demons who thrived on… other kinds of energy.Creed leaned back with a grin, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and wicked excitement.“...Well, I suppose there are worse fates.”