Sometimes I don’t want to read about healthy people doing healthy things in a healthy way. Every now and then I just want to read about a shitlord finding a shred of humanity, and The Villain’s Savior scratched that itch for me in the best way possible. Really, I can’t emphasize more that this is about a villain’s redemption, so if you’re expecting the male lead to be anything like a sweet, decent person you will probably have a frustrating reading experience.
Aseph Randell is, we learn from the start, a rather tragic figure. All the cards are stacked against him, and his response to being put in brutal situations is to make himself more monstrous in order to overcome them. Elzay Tiathe knows everything about Aseph, and wants nothing more than to make sure his life doesn’t follow the same tragic patterns even if he’s well on his way down that merry path of damnation already. Watching Elzay attempt to help Aseph is both heartwarming and unintentionally hilarious. For every moment he finds it in himself to be sweet to Elzay he turns around to show his whole ass to someone else, and it makes his slow climb back towards being something like a decent human being all the more satisfying.
For all the buildup, the actual plot is a bit weak and main supposed antagonists in this story don’t really feel so important comparative to the chapters that focus on the main characters’ interpersonal interactions. The secondary characters barely register in many ways, and usually I would be saltier about that but in this case I was perfectly happy to watch Elzay and Aseph live out their romantic drama. Did I suspect the big reveal? Most certainly. But I loved the journey anyway. I heartily recommend searching this one out if you like your male protagonists of more the anti-hero variety.
