The Demon's Menu - Chapter 1070: The Separate Courtyard. The Beginning

“The masterminds are cooler than heroes,” I mutter as I stare at the chess pieces before me. It is easier to be the one who sits in the shadows and moves the pieces, likewise deciding the flow of the game.Heroes will foolishly sacrifice their lives for the good cause and villains will sacrifice the world for their own gain, but masterminds will use both the heroes and villains to their own benefit.Why, you ask? Well, that's because I've lost my life once while trying to be a hero so, I don't want that anymore. I'd rather be a mastermind who molds the world as per my convenience and live peacefully. Because, why not?***[Defender of Divine Glory says you are the hope of this world.]What?[Goddess of Wisdom believes that you will be the one to save the world.]Wait, what?![Propose the Grand Duke the idea of a fake marriage.]And, why would I do that?![Stop the assassination of Prince Eric.]Why would I save him?![The candidates for the throne are:... Who will you choose?]Ah! I give up...It seems like a curse that anyone who wishes for a slacker life in Isekai will have to go through the most troublesome things.In my past life, I died because of one rookie mistake but after being transmigrated in the world of fantasy I've gotten an opportunity to start afresh, but unlike the protagonists who look for their love and glory, I'd rather make money and live a life of a slacker.I have magic, I have power and I have money, what else do I need?Well, that was the plan but this damn system is getting on my nerves. I mean who in their sane mind would want to mess with the complicated royal family and political affairs? But that's not all though.I've also become the saviour of this world. Things just can't be anymore worse!Besides, the penalty of failing this quest is...[Failure: Destruction of the World.]It seems like if I screw up in selecting the right person then the destruction that is going to befall the world won't be stopped.If I speak of my reward then it's this vague thing.[Reward: Fulfillment of any wish.]“If that's the case then, I'd rather choose the person who would be the best fit for the throne.”And that's how I decided that I would become the Kingmaker.

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

Ryan, a normal office worker who could be considered an extra in a boring world, did his job regularly and spent time here and there.He found himself, by mistake, being killed by a female reaper. Yet, the only thing he received as justice was a chance to transmigrate into a new body with his memories intact.Meanwhile, that female reaper faced a very small punishment: her powers were suppressed for ten minutes, leaving Ryan with nothing but a mocking smirk from the reaper as she ridiculed him for being a meager human with no life that belonged to him. He was left with no choice but to stand in front of the one who had granted such “justice” and watch the reaper laugh while turning to leave the place.In front of him was the reincarnation pool, and beside it stood the woman smirking at his misery while completely powerless for a whole ten minutes—there was no justice for him here. With his hands clenched, he decided that if he was really going down, he would take her with him. Swiftly tackling her, he pushed the reaper and himself directly into the reincarnation pool.The next moment he knew, he found himself being born as a extra disposal substitute of the Ducal Prince, destined to die at the hands of the princess in his stead.Soon enough, he understood that instead of some random world, he had been transmigrated into the last novel he was reading and a fan of—Invincibility Starts with Marriage and Having Lots of Children.[ Disclaimer: First POV for main charcter is mixed in chapters with Third POV of other characters ]( Disclaimer: There could be mistakes in the chapters, not because I am weak in grammar or something, but when one has to write 8K a day, the chances of things being left out are pretty obvious. So, if you understand what that sentence means, just ignore the minor mistakes, but if you want to point out grammatical mistakes, please do so. I will correct them as soon as possible.)

Severin Reignhart was just an ordinary gamer—until a truck accident sent him into the world of Legacy of Heroes, a novel he had once read.But instead of becoming the protagonist or even a powerful villain, he finds himself reborn as a complete nobody. An extra with no screen time, no future, and worst of all… no real strength.His so-called Talent Ability—Command—doesn’t make him stronger. Instead, it grants a 300% boost to the abilities of those who are bound to him and follow his orders. A powerful buff, but utterly useless when he is weaker than even the lowest-ranked students at Zenith Hero Academy.Thrown into a world where strength is the only law, Severin quickly learns that if he can’t fight, he’ll be crushed. Refusing to accept the fate of an extra, he turns to manipulation, deception, and blackmail, using his intelligence to twist the battlefield in his favor. If he can’t be the strongest, he’ll control the strongest.With the looming threat of world-ending catastrophes and prodigious heroes destined to take center stage, Severin must navigate the deadly hierarchy of the academy. He will recruit, betray, and outwit both heroes and villains—because in a world where power is everything, strategy is his only weapon.And one thing is certain: he refuses to die a nameless extra.