[That crazy idea resurfaces in your mind. If you turn Rosalyne into a corpse and then resurrect her, she'll belong to you forever.]
[However, your technique for reviving corpses isn't perfect yet. To ensure your plan goes off without a hitch, you dive back into research on modifying and reviving human bodies. Under the guise of conducting dissections, you acquire nurous corpses for your experints.]
[The equipnt and resources at the Suru Academia are far more advanced than those at Favonius Cathedral. You pour all your energy into this research and finally succeed in reviving a female corpse that had been dead for just one day. You are ecstatic—not only because you are closer to your goal of reviving Rosalyne, but because you've accomplished a dical miracle! As a doctor, you have cured the one 'disease' no other doctor could—death.]
[Achievent unlocked: Necromancer]
[Reward: Resurrection Spell]
[Effect: Revive a corpse and make it your servant.]
Wow, can I really do sothing this godlike?
Although Lucas was shocked, he couldn't help but feel that this was a bit too fantastical.
Sure, in the magical world of Teyvat, reviving the dead might not be impossible, but can re dical skills really resurrect a corpse?
Or is this resurrection rely granting a body the ability to move again, without restoring its consciousness?
[Now, all that remains is the final step: killing Rosalyne as gently as possible to preserve the perfect corpse. You must ticulously plan how to execute this without causing damage.]
[However, just as you're preparing to carry out the final step of your plan, your research on reviving corpses is discovered by the Academia. They deem your work as blasphemous and a violation of divine will. You are branded a heretic and permanently expelled from the Academia.]
[Being cast out by the Academia doesn't bother you in the slightest. After all, there is nothing left for you to learn there. Your only regret is that you couldn't get your hands on Rosalyne. As you leave the Academia, you notice the conflicted look in Rosalyne's eyes—disappointnt, sorrow... and a hint of disgust.]
[You return to Mondstadt, but word of your disgraceful actions has already reached Favonius Cathedral. Stripped of your title and reputation, you go from being a revered doctor to a reviled outcast. You are forced to hide in Mondstadt's slums, eking out a living by treating the poor.]
This is... too tragic, isn't it?
Sure, it's all the protagonist's fault for his downfall, but still, the ups and downs of his life in this simulation are incredibly harsh.
[Age 31: The war in Khaenri'ah breaks out. Arundolyn, the Lion of Light, leads a contingent of Favonius Knights to battle. anwhile, Rostam, the Wolf Pup, stays behind to defend Mondstadt. A disaster soon befalls Mondstadt as the poisonous dragon Durin descends upon the city. To protect Mondstadt, Rostam leads his forces into battle. You volunteer as a military doctor, despite being despised for your past. With the shortage of dical personnel, your application is reluctantly accepted.]
[The battle is brutal. Durin's imnse power takes a heavy toll on the Knights of Favonius. However, your extraordinary dical skills save many lives. Rostam begins to appreciate your work, though he doesn't recognize you as his once-close "brother" due to your altered appearance.]
[Many tis, Rostam is brought to you, critically injured. You have countless chances to end his life without suspicion. Yet, you know that if Rostam dies, no one will be able to stop Durin, and both Mondstadt and you will face certain destruction. So, you tirelessly treat Rostam's wounds. In turn, Rostam saves you from danger multiple tis.]
[Finally, when Durin is slain atop the frozen mountain and the disaster ends, Rostam lies fatally wounded. When you find him, he is on the verge of death.]
[Forced switch to imrsive mode.]
Wait a second!
Can it really switch to imrsive mode on its own?
Before Lucas could complain, the scene in front of him changed to a snow-covered valley. However, the once-pristine snow is now soaked with dark red blood, and countless bodies are piled around. In front of you lies a bloodied and broken Rostam, his arm torn off, his body in ruins.
It's worth ntioning that while the *Villain Simulator* is text-based, the protagonist's experiences and emotions affect Lucas to a certain degree.
For others, it may just be simple text, but as the story unfolds, the protagonist's life flashes before Lucas's eyes like a movie.
So even though this is his "first ti" eting Rostam, Lucas feels complicated emotions towards him.
"Cough... cough..." Rostam, his face pale, manages to smile when he sees you. "I knew... you'd co to save ."
Lucas is montarily silent. Durin is dead, and he doesn't even need to lift a finger for Rostam to slowly die.
Yet, there is no sense of satisfaction in his heart.
"I'm not here to save you," Lucas coldly responds, slipping into his villainous role. "You're already beyond saving."
"I know," Rostam says softly, "I never planned to make it back alive. Brother, it's been eighteen years... I've always wanted to apologize to you."
"You... you know who I am?" Lucas is shocked. "When did you recognize ?"
"That day... when I saw your silhouette in the square, I knew right away," Rostam's voice grows weaker. "So, I started going to the square every day, hoping for a chance to apologize... but instead, I ended up eting Rosalyne. Do you really think I went there just to hear her sing? No, I was always looking for a chance... to make things right with you."
What?
What kind of plot twist is this?
So, all this ti, I was watching Rosalyne, Rosalyne was watching Rostam, and Rostam... was watching ?
This relationship triangle is way too tangled!
"And what of it!" Lucas bursts out. "I trusted you completely... and you betrayed !"
"It was the village chief," Rostam replies calmly. "He rigged the lottery. The village needed a knight to rise to prominence more than it needed a doctor. But years later, when I returned, the village had already been wiped out by the plague. I thought... you had died too."
So... that's how it was?
In an instant, everything that had tornted Lucas for years seed like a cruel joke.
"I don't expect your forgiveness," Rostam says as he closes his eyes. "You can hold onto your hatred for . But please... take care of Rosalyne."
With those final words, Rostam's cold hand falls lifelessly to his side.
Lucas stares at his corpse, and for a mont, he's back in their carefree childhood, living peacefully in the village. Now, the once-dreaming knight Rostam can never raise his sword again, and the once-aspiring doctor Lucas has beco a twisted, evil physician.
"Heh... hahahahaha!"
After a long silence, Lucas suddenly bursts into maniacal laughter. His handso face distorts with the intensity of his expression.
"Don't worry, I'll 'live' for you."
For so reason, every ti Lucas enters "imrsive mode," he feels like he's becoming a different person.
In the previous simulation, Lucas had felt an intense desire to possess Shenhe.
Now, as he looks at the decaying, blackened body of Rostam, poisoned by Durin's blood, Lucas's feelings are equally complicated.
No matter the cause, his life had undeniably been "stolen" by Rostam.
Lucas knows deep down that Rosalyne's love is for Rostam, not for him, this twisted and self-loathing man.
And so, a new, even more insane idea takes root in his mind—one far crazier than resurrecting Rosalyne's corpse.
Lucas swiftly draws a sharp scalpel from his dical kit. In swordsmanship, Rostam was a master, but even ten Rostams couldn't wield a scalpel as deftly as Lucas.
Lucas placed the scalpel against Rostam's jaw and, with the precision of cutting a priceless piece of art, perfectly peeled off the frozen skin from his face.
Even in subzero temperatures, Lucas's hands didn't tremble in the slightest.
[This ti, you're going to take back the life that was stolen from you!]
[The war against the evil dragon Durin has ended, and although the Young Wolf Rostam was severely injured, he survived. As for the mad doctor who once researched reviving corpses, he was buried forever under the eternal snow, with no one left to rember him.]
[Yes, you have survived in Rostam's place. Using your unparalleled skills in costic surgery, you replaced your face with Rostam's. Months later, you removed your bandages to reveal a face identical to his.]
[You claid that during the battle with Durin, you were poisoned and lost all your strength, unable to lift a sword ever again. Despite this, you were hailed as the great hero who saved Mondstadt, revered and admired by all.]
[At the ceremony honoring you, as you basked in the adoring gazes of the crowd, you rembered the ti when you were the outcast, hiding in Mondstadt's slums. Once again, your life had completely changed.]
[Suddenly, a young woman rushed onto the stage and threw herself into your arms. To your surprise, it was none other than the woman you had longed for, Rosalyne! Worried about Mondstadt after hearing of the disaster, she had returned in a hurry.]
[You were shocked to realize that Rosalyne hadn't noticed anything unusual about you. Of course, after years of separation and your severe injuries, it was only natural that 'Rostam's' body and appearance would have changed. Who knows Rostam better than you? Your flawless performance had deceived Rosalyne, and fooling everyone else would be even easier.]
[Seizing the mont, you publicly proposed to Rosalyne right then and there. Overwheld with happiness, Rosalyne, dizzy with joy, imdiately accepted your proposal.]
[You were elated! Your revenge plan had succeeded! You had taken back the life that Rostam stole, won the woman you loved... even if it was in soone else's na. But so what? You told yourself you *were* Rostam, and as for Lucas? He no longer existed in this world.]
Is this... really how things turned out?
Lucas found it difficult to calm down.
Was this a good ending?
He wasn't sure. After all, he had obtained everything he wanted—a life of respect, the woman he loved, supre honor... but none of it had anything to do with the na "Lucas" anymore.
[The wedding was soon held. Your marriage to Rosalyne beca a grand celebration in Mondstadt. In the bridal chamber, you saw your new wife, her cheeks flushed from dandelion wine...]
"Activate imrsive mode."
[Imrsive mode activated.]
Ahem... I'm doing this to avoid slipping up!
Lucas shalessly explained to himself.
[No need to explain, I understand. Go for it! Full speed ahead!]
The room, carefully decorated, was filled with the scent of incense, rose petals scattered across the bed...
And the woman he had longed for every day and night.
The most remarkable thing about the *Villain Simulator* is that once the imrsive mode is activated, Lucas fully assus the role, adopting the character's personality, actions... and obsessions.
Sitting gracefully on the bed, dressed in a white wedding gown, was Rosalyne.
She looked remarkably similar to how she would be 500 years later as "The Lady," but her deanor and expression were entirely different.
Of course, Rosalyne's transformation into "The Lady" was largely due to her inability to cope with Rostam's death. But now, "Rostam" was alive and had married her, so she had no reason to turn into that bitter figure.
Lucas felt a slight sting on his cheek occasionally, perhaps a lingering effect of the "face swap."
"Rostam?" Noticing sothing off about her husband, Rosalyne softly called out, "Are you alright?"
"I... I'm fine..." Lucas snapped back to reality and smiled at Rosalyne. "You look beautiful."
"You..." Rosalyne blushed slightly. "You never used to say such things. Did you practice saying these words to other girls while I was away?"
Lucas's heart skipped a beat.
Won really do have keen intuition.
It was true that Rostam had always been reserved, the kind of man who found it hard to speak sweetly.
anwhile, Lucas, after years of charming countless won, had beco quite the smooth talker.
"I... I ant every word," Lucas quickly corrected himself. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
And he truly ant it.
Strictly speaking, every simulation takes place in a different parallel world.
So, Keqing and Shenhe—they belonged to other worlds!
"You... why are you just standing there?" Rosalyne blushed even more as she shifted on the bed, patting the spot beside her. "Co... sit with ."
"Oh... oh!" Lucas snapped out of it and hurriedly sat down beside her.
Strangely enough, despite his experience with countless won, Lucas suddenly felt awkward in front of the one he loved most.
"Rosalyne... can I ask you a question?" Lucas suddenly thought of sothing and asked, "If that day, I hadn't co back alive, if I'd died in the battle against Durin... what would you have done?"
"Why would you say such unlucky things?" Rosalyne's expression darkened briefly, but she answered seriously, "But if... that had really happened, I wouldn't have lived on by myself."
Her answer brought Lucas a sense of relief.
I wasn't wrong!
If I hadn't taken Rostam's identity, Rosalyne would've died too.
"Rosalyne..." Lucas suddenly held her hand and softly said, "Could you sing for one more ti?"
"Now, of all tis?"
Rosalyne was montarily stunned. Singing on their wedding night seed quite unusual.
But to her, it also felt romantic. After all, she believed it was her singing that had brought her and Rostam together in the first place.
"Yes, right now," Lucas held her hand tightly, his voice choked with emotion. "All these years, I've longed... to hear you sing again."
Lucas didn't even know if he was speaking as Rostam or... as himself.
----
Author's Note: Please donate powerstones!!
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