Of course, the demonic monkey would be played by Marina.
As the water demon surrendered, he bitterly spat that none of this would’ve happened if he’d been at his own pond and his dear pal had been healthy.
At this point, Anemoni kindly offered to heal his friend, the tree demon. He should’ve been Zhu Bajie the pig, but since no one knew that, I’d made him a tree demon, since plants and water seemed compatible. She even cured the water demon’s wounds after that. I had no idea whether holy mana could heal monsters or not, but that was how it went in my story!
At any rate, the two demons were impressed by Anemoni’s mana control and mercy and pledged to serve her for the rest of their lives. Just like that, the saint gained two more companions. Sidenote: I’d picked the two boys who’d sung with Marina for the roles of the water demon and tree demon.
After gaining her new companions, Anemoni asked why the water demon had left his pond and how the tree demon had gotten hurt. The two explained that their dwelling had been stolen by mysterious intruders. At first, they’d tried to talk it out, but the intruders wouldn’t listen. Eventually, they’d fought—and lost.
“We’re not the only ones who were chased away!”
“My, how sad...”
“Saint, you don’t need anyone else but me as your companion. Let’s return these two to where they came from and continue our journey, just the two of us!”
At the demonic monkey’s suggestion, the group left to challenge the intruders.
Whenever I reread that part, I was struck by how incredibly representative it was of the popular period dramas I’d watched in my past life. I hadn’t seen that many, yet I just knew. This trope was practically engraved in the DNA of Japanese people. Even though I’d been reborn as a citizen of this empire, that mark still hadn’t left my soul. It got me thinking about the true nature of reincarnation...
Not the time for that! Focus on the story, Ekaterina!
I was getting better at dragging myself back on track after escaping into my thoughts.
So, the saint and her friends arrived at the water demon and tree demon’s dwelling. There, they found a man and a woman in odious dress, roaring with laughter.
The saint tried talking to them, but they retorted that they had nothing to discuss with her. With a snap of the woman’s fingers, countless monsters appeared, and the pair drove the saint away with their powerful mana and summoned beasts.
That was the entrance of the villainess!
The saint’s companions were eager to fight back, but she calmed them and swiftly retreated.
“Why flee when you could easily defeat her?!”
“Because she doesn’t seem like a bad person to me.”
While saints were always the type to say kind things like that, I’d cast Olga as the villainess. She was just like a little rabbit or a chihuahua, so I could hardly imagine anything less suited to her than villainous laughter. I had no doubt the audience would agree with the saint’s assessment.
Cut to black! In the sequence that followed, the villainess reappeared to sing a heart-wrenching song. She’d always believed love and hope would lead her down a noble path—but her life had turned to hell, her dreams to ashes, and now she didn’t know how to turn back.
After that, the saint and the villainess faced off again. The saint won, and the villainess’s circumstances were finally revealed.
She was, in fact, the princess of a ruined country. Her homeland had been destroyed by a volcanic eruption, and she’d led what few remained of her people in search of refuge. But every time they tried to settle, they were driven away. No one trusted their intentions. At last, the princess had to face the truth: If she wanted her exhausted people to survive, she had no choice but to take land by force. That was why she’d acted as she had.
As for the army of monsters under her command, it was in fact her own people in disguise. When they removed their costumes, a group of wounded humans appeared.
It was as though she were pleading, Be nice to me! I’m not a real villainess!
Well, she’s no villainess at all, I thought. But let’s not get hung up on details.
In the end, the saint called back those who’d been driven away, and everyone agreed to live together in peace. As for the water demon and the tree demon, they straight up gave their dwelling to the princess, saying they didn’t need it anymore. They were going to follow the saint for life.
“Live well!”
With that, they brought the story to its denouement.
The last scene had everyone singing together in harmony. I’d modified the lyrics of a famous song about encouraging a friend through heartbreak, turning it into one about new beginnings and prioritizing dreams over love.
I’m sorry for taking such liberties, dear singer-songwriter!
Now, I did have a bit of an ulterior motive for writing the story this way. Villainesses all have their own circumstances! So let’s not condemn them without knowing the whole story, okay? was the message I hoped to convey.
Obviously, I wasn’t sharing any of that with the class.
“The main themes of this story are peace and cohabitation,” I declared, having finished my overview of the script.
Everyone seemed very impressed, and they applauded.
“I tried to balance pathos and tone in my arrangement. What do you think?” Renato asked, lifting his fingers from the piano keys in the music room.
My first response was to clap.
“It was wonderful! Although I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Lord Renato. I could feel the princess’s strong resolve to move forward despite the pain. She feels like a true queen in your version. I believe you’ve grasped her essence perfectly, and I have no doubt this song will resonate with the audience. Surely you agree, Lady Olga, Lady Flora?”
The two of them were clapping as well. They nodded, bright smiles on their faces.
I’d put Renato in charge of transcribing—putting the songs into sheet music—as well as arranging them. I didn’t have a talent for music and would have been hard-pressed to do it all myself.
“I’m sorry for asking so much of you, Lord Renato.”
Renato was playing the villainess’s retainer in the musical, would perform onstage at the piano, and not only was he arranging all the songs, he’d also started composing background music for every scene.
In the empire, dance numbers in plays accompanied by instrumental music were very popular. In my opinion, they were more or less a primitive form of ballet.
I’d personally never seen an opera or dance number in the empire, so I was relying heavily on Renato for pretty much anything music-related. He was basically the music director of this play.
What sort of school play has a music director?
But Renato laughed off my apology. “I’m having a lot of fun now that my days are filled with music. I’ve always believed I was born for music, but until now, no one allowed me to live for its sake. Now, however, everyone around me understands and respects my path.”
A statement worthy of a genius. He truly has nothing but music on his mind.
Come to think of it, Renato’s father had struck him on the face not long ago. He was a nobleman and a hot-blooded one at that. Renato had probably been told to give up on music and live for his house a million times.
For those born with exceptional talents, letting those talents flourish was often the surest path to fulfillment. Renato seemed happier than ever, and I rejoiced for him.
“Besides, your songs are incredible once again,” he added. “They’re so novel. I can’t believe you’re letting me tweak them to my tastes... Truly, I’m always impressed by the depth of your imagination! Where do you get your ideas from?”
Urgh. Sorry, I didn’t invent anything at all!