I Am The Game's Villain

The rest of the meal, Layla spent comfortably seated on my lap.

Since she insisted, I ended up feeding her every bite, sharing the meal between us as she leaned into me, completely at ease.

For over an hour, we remained like that—our warmth mingling, our scents intertwining, wrapped in our own little world. Neither of us wanted to move, but eventually, to our shared disappointment, we had to part and leave the restaurant.

Of course, if I truly wanted, I could have paid extra to keep our spot for the entire day. But even I had limits.

Once outside, we didn't bother with parks or any scheduled activities. Instead, we simply walked through the streets, side by side, Layla clinging to my arm and resting her head against my shoulder. A contented smile played on her lips, as if nothing in the world could ruin this moment.

After a while, I broke the comfortable silence.

"Are you sure you don't want to buy anything?" I asked, glancing down at her.

Layla lifted her head slightly, peering at me with mild amusement. "Buy what exactly, honey?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe some souvenirs? It's Central Vedelia, after all. People dream of coming here."

Central Vedelia—the heart of Sancta Vedelia, home to the legendary Holy Tree of Eden. It was a renowned tourist destination, but also one of the most restricted places in the kingdom. Layla and I, as high-ranking nobles, had easy access, but that wasn't the case for most people.

She wouldn't have many opportunities to visit, so I figured she might want something to remember the trip by.

Layla hummed thoughtfully. "Souvenirs, hm? I'll think about it… but for now, I just want to make as many memories with you as I can, honey."

I chuckled. "I'll be back in a month. You won't have to wait that long."

She sighed, her grip on my arm tightening slightly. "I know… but a month still feels long. And now that I've seen you, I don't want to part from you anymore."

Since John was here, Layla was the only one who could help her father, and it was clear that he relied on her a lot. She wouldn't say it out loud, but I knew she didn't like leaving him alone for too long.

"If he gets mad, just tell him you were with the Guardian of the Tree of Ymir," I said with a smirk, lifting my right arm. It was wrapped in bandages to conceal the emblem of the Guardian, which was a little too bright and attention-grabbing for my liking.

Layla giggled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "My husband, the great Guardian of the Holy Tree of Ymir," she said playfully. "You should've seen my father's reaction, honey. He was clearly happy about it. But…I left at the worst possible time."

I raised a brow. "Worst time? What do you mean?"

She hesitated for a moment before answering. "Celesta's Hero of Eden was summoned, and I was supposed to be there to meet her. But instead, I left to see you."

I blinked, completely caught off guard. "Hero of Eden?"

Layla nodded. "Yes, a Hero from another world. Like you, I suppose?" She glanced at me as teasingly.

A frown formed on my lips. Hero of Eden…? What the hell?

Was there something like that in the Third Game? I didn't remember it. Then again, I barely played the third installment. Maybe it was possible? But even in Eric's notes, there was nothing about a 'Hero of Eden.' Sure, it had been more than ten years since he last played, and he admitted to forgetting a lot of details, but still…

"Another world, huh…" I muttered under my breath. Could this so-called Hero be from my Earth?

Layla tilted her head slightly. "Yes. I even searched through your memories, but I found nothing about a Hero of Eden," she said. "So I have no idea either, honey."

"My memories?"

She smiled and flicked her fingers, summoning a golden sphere that shimmered with an ethereal glow. "Yes, your memories. Nihil gave them to me, remember?"

The sphere pulsed, and suddenly, a projection appeared.

I saw myself at the academy, standing beside Ephera.

And in front of us—

["W–Wait, I'm sorry, man! Jayce told me to do it!"]

A guy was on the ground, crawling backward in fear. His wide, panicked eyes were locked onto Nyr, who stood over him.

["Jayce, huh?"]

Nyr stepped forward, his expression unreadable as he loomed over the student, who flinched and scrambled backward in panic.

Wait...I think I remember this.

It was that time.

That guy—at Jayce's order, had pushed Shayna down the stairs.

It was supposed to be me, but Shayna had stepped in, shielding me, and ended up tumbling down instead. She broke her arm because of it. I still remember how she stood there afterward, cradling her injured arm, a plaster cast wrapped around it. Even now, in this projection, she looked uneasy.

["Y–Yeah, sorry, man. H–He promised me money, and I kinda need it—ughhh!"]

Before he could finish, Nyr slammed his foot into the guy's chest, knocking him back down. Then, without hesitation, he pressed his heel against the guy's arm, pinning him to the ground.

His face turned deathly pale as he stared into Nyr's cold green eyes.

["N–Nyr…"]

Shayna hesitated, taking a step forward, but Ephera stopped her with a gentle grip.

-Crack!

["G–Gyarghhh!!!"]

A gut-wrenching scream tore from the man's throat as Nyr mercilessly stomped down, snapping his arm without a shred of hesitation.

["Tell that coward to face me next time instead of hiding like a rat,"] Nyr said.

He trembled, tears streaking down his face as he clutched his broken arm. He was in too much pain to even reply.

That was when Ephera stepped in. She crouched beside him, resting her hands on her knees as she looked down at him with a calm expression.

["Does it hurt?"] She asked.

The man bit his lip hard and nodded desperately, his whole body shaking.

A small, almost delicate smile graced Ephera's lips. ["Did you ou try to hurt Nyr?"]

["N–No…!"] He stuttered, shaking his head frantically.

Ephera's smile didn't vanish, but her blue eyes darkened. ["If Nyr had gotten hurt… do you have any idea how I would have felt?"]

Her tone was soft, almost affectionate. But her face? Completely devoid of warmth.

The man didn't answer. He couldn't. He was frozen in terror.

And now that I thought about it… he left the academy not long after this. At the time, I thought it was because of me. But was it really?

Did Ephera… do something?

["What the hell are you doing?"]

Nyr's voice rang at that time. His frown deepened as he looked at Ephera.

She turned to him, beaming. This time, her smile was real.

["Don't be so jealous, Nyr, I'm right here,"] she teased, reaching for his wrist.

["Get off."]

["You're so cute when you're grumpy like this, Nyrel~."]

Though I had looked awkward at the time, I hadn't really tried to shake off Ephera's hand. I simply walked alongside her, letting her do as she pleased.

["Do we just leave him there?"]

Shayna's voice had been uncertain, her gaze flickering toward the man groaning on the ground, his body twitching in pain. Drool slipped from the corner of his mouth as he clutched his broken arm.

["Let him die. He deserves that much."]

["Nyrel?!"]

Shayna had stared at me, dumbfounded, while Ephera merely giggled, amused by my response.

Then, she turned to Shayna with a reassuring smile. ["Don't worry, Shayna. He won't do anything against us. I'll tell my brother to take care of it. I don't want Nyr to go to jail, after all."]

Shayna hesitated before nodding, relieved. She hadn't been concerned about the student himself—only about what he might try to do in retaliation.

["What about Jayce?"]

At her question, Nyrel's expression had darkened.

["I've been too patient with him."]

["But if you do something, he could get you expelled…"] Shayna said, worried. Jayce's family held influence—too much influence.

["Then I'll just transfer."]

["You're not leaving the academy, Nyr."]

Ephera suddenly pulled on his arm.

["You stay with me."]

She looked up at me, her expression unusually serious.

["What?"]

Ephera grinned right after.

["You won't last long without me around, Nyrel. I've already become too big a part of your life."]

She puffed out her chest.

"Alright, enough, Layla," I said quickly, pulling myself out of the memory.

"Oh, Honey, you looked so manly when you broke his arm," Layla said, her cheeks flushed as she gazed at me with open admiration.

I grimaced. "I hope I don't have to break arms just to look manly."

Layla giggled softly. "No, you don't. But I have to be honest… seeing your violent side truly excites me, Honey."

I blinked. "It… excites you?"

She nodded eagerly. "Mhm. Look, even Ephera looked thrilled back then."

She gestured toward the memory again, highlighting Ephera's quite intense gaze, as if she wanted to devour me. That was just typical Ephera gaze. Silent, smiling, watching.

But a realization hit me. "Wait, you still have those memories?"

Layla tilted her head, looking at me like I had asked something obvious. "Of course, Honey. How do you think I waited a whole year for you? I've always been sleeping with the background movie of your life playing in my head."

I froze in embarrassment.

"…Every night?" I asked.

Layla smirked, stepping onto her tiptoes before leaning in, her breath warm tickling against my ear. "Every day and night." Then she nipped my ear lightly. "Honey."

A sharp shiver ran through my body at the sensation, and before I could stop myself, I pulled Layla into my embrace.

"You just can't help yourself, huh?"

Layla's laughter was breathy, teasing. "How could I?"

I smiled and leaned in, about to kiss her—

—but then I stopped.

Layla did too.

At the same time, we both turned.

Someone was approaching.

My eyes widened as I saw who it was.

Elizabeth.