I Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble, Nothing More Than the Hero’s Foil: Since the Hero Can Only Bring Misery to My Favorite Heroine, I’ll Use My Game Knowledge and Over-the-Top Effort to Rewrite the Scenario and Make Her Happy. - Chapter 1

“Damn itttt! That woman is mine! Give her back!”
“Selvia belongs to no one. It’s time you set her free!”

With that, the hero Abel swung his sword down on the villainous noble Cain.

“Brother Cain, I’m sorry… I’ll be happy with Lord Abel from now on.”
“Ah, from now on, we’ll always be together, Selvia!”

Victorious, the hero Abel stood over Cain’s lifeless body, tightly embracing the beautiful Selvia.

Selvia had been Cain’s childhood friend and fiancée, but she had long suffered under his twisted love.
Now, at last, she was freed from the bonds that had weighed her down for years.

“This doesn’t make sense, hero. What’s all this ‘we’ll always be together from now on’ nonsense?”

I found myself muttering in disbelief.
On the screen was a famous scene from the early stages of the game Apocalypse.

But after my 100th playthrough, I felt nothing. No awe, no excitement.

Why? Because I knew exactly what would happen next. Hero Abel would keep saving one beautiful girl after another, gathering them into his harem as the story progressed.

At every opportunity, he’d declare lines like, “I’ll protect you!” or “I won’t forgive anyone who hurts you!”—basically love confessions.

Selvia, who started out as the main heroine, would eventually be reduced to just another harem member.

Despite the romantic comedy moments interspersed throughout the game, Abel’s extreme obliviousness and selective hearing meant he never grew closer to any of them, resulting in a harem ending.

Even the recent major update announced on the official social media wasn’t for a happy ending with Selvia.

I had poured my life into this game, all because of Selvia, and now this? What the hell! I wanted her to be happy!

And yet, even after 100 playthroughs, the only reward was carrying over stats—no hidden Selvia route, no extra episodes. What kind of joke was this!?

“Cain, you were strong. But you didn’t know the true meaning of love. That’s why you lost.”

On-screen, hero Abel was delivering his sanctimonious monologue, standing over the defeated villain.

It was infuriating. Here he was flirting with the heroine while preaching from a moral high ground. The audacity!

I had endured it all because Selvia was adorable, but after completing this update, I was done. I’d graduate from this game.

With that thought, I turned off the console and went to bed.

The next day—

“What… what is this?!”

I stood frozen, staring at the reflection of a sinister-looking boy in the full-length mirror.
That wasn’t my face. But it wasn’t unfamiliar either.

It was Cain—the pitiful noble from Apocalypse who gets killed by the hero Abel.

“No way… is this one of those reincarnation scenarios you see in manga?”

Had I died in my sleep? Was this some bizarre afterlife?

And to make matters worse, I’d reincarnated as Cain, the meme-worthy “heroine-stealing loser” mocked endlessly online?

While I was spiraling into panic, a knock came at the door.

“Ah, yes?”

I responded instinctively, and a butler dressed impeccably in a tailcoat entered.

“Young Master Cain, your fiancée, Lady Selvia, has just arrived.”

“Huhhh!?”

I nearly fell over as I turned around.

Walking in was none other than the main heroine of Apocalypse, Selvia, clad in an elegant dress.

“P-pardon me. Brother Cain, it’s been a while.”

Nervously, she stepped forward, her dress catching slightly underfoot. Though she faltered for a moment, she quickly regained her composure, gracefully curtsying.

Her beauty was breathtaking. My heart raced.

Selvia’s character design had made me fall in love with Apocalypse and hit the “Buy Now” button. But seeing her in person? She was angelic.

“I’m Selvia Fernand, the eldest daughter of Viscount Fernand. It’s an honor to see you again.”

Her cheeks were faintly flushed as she spoke.

Wow. I’d known her to be polite from the game, but seeing her like this… she was truly a good person.

My favorite heroine. The epitome of perfection.

But wait… something felt off.

Selvia looked younger than her in-game sprite. The same went for Cain’s reflection in the mirror.

I dug through my memories. Cain had been 15 when he got engaged to Selvia three years before the game’s events began.

Which meant…

If the game scenario played out as intended, I’d die three years from now, killed by hero Abel.

Realizing this, a chill ran down my spine.

“Brother Cain? Are you alright?”

Selvia tilted her head slightly, her expression concerned.

But I couldn’t focus. My memories as Cain and my past life as a gamer were a tangled mess.

Cain’s life experiences were intact, but when I woke up, everything from my previous life had come flooding back too.

Okay. Calm down. Let’s piece this together…

Cain and Selvia’s families had been neighbors, and their marriage had been arranged since birth to solidify their territories’ prosperity.

However, a year ago, when Cain was 14 and Selvia 13, a divine prophecy declared Selvia as the “Saint of the World Tree.”

Prince Leon, the crown prince of this country, took Selvia as his fiancée.

But when it was revealed that she couldn’t wield the saint’s powers, Prince Leon cast her aside in fury and banished her from the palace.

And now, she was back, reinstated as Cain’s fiancée.

“Thank you for taking me back after Prince Leon annulled our engagement. I’ve been waiting for this day. Please, as your fiancée, take care of me always.”

“Ah… yeah…”

But Selvia didn’t know that Cain had been ordered by Prince Leon to torment her relentlessly and drive her to suicide.

Cain, blinded by petty jealousy and a warped sense of ownership, had eagerly accepted. What a fool he had been.

“Brother Cain, your face is pale. Are you feeling unwell?”

“N-no, I’m fine.”

If I wanted to survive, I had to befriend Selvia.

In the game, she sought help from Abel to escape Cain’s abuse, awakening her dormant saint powers in the process.

But the memory of Abel’s harem ending filled me with indignation.

If the hero wouldn’t make Selvia happy, then I would!

“Selvia, you’ve grown so beautiful. I’m looking forward to our future together.”

Selvia’s eyes lit up, her tension melting away.

“Oh! Thank you! I was so worried you wouldn’t forgive me for being engaged to Prince Leon. I’m so happy!”

From that moment, my resolve was clear:
If the hero couldn’t make Selvia happy, I’d do it myself.