Winter Swan - Chapter 14

In a world consumed by monsters and chaos, survival is a cruel game of fate.Every year, the system selects a group of unwilling teenagers by lottery to fight, a death sentence Olivia didn’t ask for. Betrayed by her family and forced to fight, Olivia barely escaped death.In her near-death encounter, her system awakens….. only to deem her abilities “Useless”. But a chance encounter with a mysterious white snake sets her on an unforeseen path.Now, with the monsters lurking in the shadow, she has one goal: survive, grow stronger, and uncover the truth behind her fate.Survival is just the beginning. The real war is yet to come.

“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.

After Lin Qi married into the Huo family, the entire Huo family was eagerly awaiting her to give birth to an heir for the ailing young master.She originally thought that marrying Huo Tingdong meant she was destined to be a widow, never expecting that her vegetative husband would suddenly awaken.Overnight, with a divorce agreement, she became a discarded woman of the wealthy family but suddenly disappeared from Beijing.Seven years later, she returns with two powerful sons by her side, with countless people lining up wanting to be the stepfather of these children.The most regrettable thing Huo Tingdong ever did was to force that little ancestor to sign the divorce agreement. To win her back, the once all-powerful man poured his heart into appeasing her, pampering her to no end, but the two sons were determined to be his biggest obstacles.Eldest son: “Daddy! Your posture while kneeling on the washboard isn't as handsome as mine!”Youngest son: “Daddy! Your speed at swiping cards isn't as fast as mine!”Huo Tingdong never expected that the biggest hindrances on his path to win back his wife would be these two little treasures!

On the will left behind by the 14 year old suicide victim K:

“Taku Sugawara is the devil. Nobody should believe his words.”