The Villain Professor's Second Chance

The world around me slowly came into focus—an all too familiar scene. The City of Peace lay before me, bustling as always, deceptively calm. Children ran through the streets, laughter echoing off the old brick walls, traders haggled over prices, their voices overlapping, creating a hum of daily life. It was almost enough to forget the horrors that lurked beyond the walls, to forget that I had just come back from yet another failure. Almost.

I stood there, numb. My chest ached, not from physical wounds, but from the weight of the countless failures that weighed on my soul. This was the 237th attempt. How many times had I watched them die? How many times had I died myself, only to open my eyes again, back here? Every single time I had tried a different strategy, changed something in hopes that it would finally lead to victory. But each time, it had ended the same way. The quest—"Protect the Queen"—remained unfulfilled.

I turned my head, my eyes finding Lyan. His gaze was already on me, understanding flickering behind his tired eyes. He was the only one who knew. The only one who shared my burden. As an incubus, Lyan had a unique power that allowed him to retrieve memories from me at every reset—holding onto the knowledge of each loop by reading my memories through touch. It was our only advantage. Without him, I'd be starting over alone every time.

"Let's head back," I said, my voice coming out strained, barely audible. "There's no point staying here." Lyan nodded silently, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. I could feel the familiar tingle of his magic, his ability to retrieve my memories from the loops. His grip tightened as he absorbed the memories, his brows knitting together. A moment passed, then another.

"I see," he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "So all of that happened..."

We walked through the city, the weight of the past attempts hanging over us like a cloud. The contrast between the lively streets and the heavy darkness in my mind was almost unbearable. Children playing, people smiling, traders arguing—they were all oblivious to the horrors that lurked just beyond their safe haven. The City of Peace lived up to its name, but only because they had no idea how fragile that peace truly was.

I sat down at a bench near the fountain, my eyes hollow as I stared at the water's surface. Lyan sat beside me, his silence speaking volumes. I knew he had seen everything—the monsters of the abyss, the relentless demon hordes, the countless deaths. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them—Aurelia, Anastasia, and the people of the city—falling before me. And every time, I had failed to protect them.

"Do you think… we'll ever get it right?" Lyan's voice cut through the silence, and I turned my gaze towards him. He was staring at the children playing, a soft smile on his lips, but his eyes were filled with the same exhaustion I felt.

"I don't know," I replied honestly, my voice hollow. "But I can't stop."

He nodded, a glimmer of determination returning to his eyes. "I've seen all the memories now. The 76th loop… that was the closest we've ever gotten, wasn't it?" He leaned back, his eyes closing briefly as he remembered. "We reached the altar's core, but the abyss monsters overwhelmed us. And the 192nd loop… we tried to redirect the demon horde, but Aurelia died. Her scream…" He trailed off, his voice trembling.

I closed my eyes, the memory replaying vividly in my mind—Aurelia's eyes widening in shock as the demon's claws pierced her chest, her body crumpling to the ground. I could still hear her scream, still feel the despair that had followed.

"She doesn't remember any of it," I whispered, my eyes drifting towards where Aurelia and Anastasia were. They were unaware of the loops, of the countless times I had failed them.

Of course.

Aurelia's quest is [Protect the City of Peace].

Which means the conditions for her to reset and still has her memories is by failing to protect the city or dying.

That's why, everytime we almost lost the city.

Everytime she almost die.

I would kill myself beforehand.

It was a small mercy, but it made the weight I carried even heavier.

"Maybe… maybe we've been looking at this wrong," Lyan said suddenly, sitting up straighter. "What if instead of trying to reach the altar, we focus on fortifying the City of Peace first? Make sure it can withstand any attack that might come."

I frowned, considering his words. "We've tried that," I said, my voice weary. "Remember the 12 attempts we made to defend the city? We built walls, trained soldiers, enchanted weapons. And every time, the altar still spawned abyss monsters that overwhelmed everything we had. The city was flooded, destroyed without anything left."

Lyan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah… I remember. But maybe there's something we missed. Some factor we didn't account for."

I shook my head. "No matter how many defenses we put in place, the result was the same. The altar's magic is too powerful. It's like it's designed to ensure failure."

A heavy silence fell between us, the weight of our dilemma pressing down on us. I could see the desperation in Lyan's eyes, a reflection of my own. We were stuck, caught in an endless cycle of failure, and no matter what we tried, we couldn't break free.

"So… what now?" Lyan asked, his voice barely a whisper.

I looked at him, my gaze unwavering. "We try again," I said, my voice filled with a resolve that surprised even me. "There are still some routes I didn't manage to try yet. Perhaps… perhaps one of them could be the key."

Lyan studied me for a moment, his eyes searching mine. Then, he nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Alright. Let's do it. Let's try again."

We sat in silence for a moment longer, the weight of our decision settling over us. The path ahead was uncertain, filled with danger and pain, but we had come too far to stop now. We had to keep moving forward, no matter how many times we failed.

"If we're going to do this," I began, my voice steady, "we need to prepare. We know where the demons will break through, where the defenses are weakest. We need to reinforce those areas first."

Lyan nodded. "And we should seek out people who can help. There are key figures in the city—people we ignored in previous loops. They might be willing to help if we approach them the right way."

"Like the Blacksmith Guild," I said, a memory surfacing. "There was a blacksmith in one of the loops—he enchanted a weapon with rare properties. It was strong enough to hurt even the abyss monsters. If we can find him again, get him on our side…"

Lyan's eyes lit up. "And the alchemists," he added. "They made a potion in the 145th loop that protected against abyssal corruption. We'll need a larger supply this time—enough for the entire defensive force."

"Then there are the mercenaries," I said thoughtfully. "They didn't trust us before, but if you use your powers of persuasion… maybe they'll see the threat for what it is."

Lyan grinned, his eyes filled with a determination I hadn't seen in a long time. "I like it. Let's give it a shot." He looked at me, his grin softening into a smile. "Maybe this time… we can do it."

I nodded, my gaze drifting towards the horizon. The path ahead was still shrouded in uncertainty, but for the first time in a long while, I felt a flicker of hope. It was small, fragile, but it was enough to keep me going.

"Let's try," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Let's try, one more time."