I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Raul POV]

I made my way back to my hiding place deep inside the abandoned mine after my fight with Elena.

I had managed to incapacitate her until the end of the exam, but...

I looked down at my limp left arm, which had been rendered completely useless by the backlash from using Reject Impact.

Yes... My left arm would remain completely paralyzed until the exam ended.

Still, the risk was worth it, considering I had managed to take Elena out of the decisive battle that would take place tomorrow.

However, fighting directly with only one arm would be quite difficult.

I could only hope that seeing the tunnel collapse would make the others hesitate to enter the remaining tunnels and give me enough time to prepare for the wave of attacks that would inevitably come.

I believed I had seen ten people accompanying Elena inside the tunnel.

That meant there were still around forty people left for me to defeat.

But I had already figured out how to deal with them, assuming they would enter through the three remaining tunnels.

The groups led by Brian and Geralt would be relatively easy to handle first, while Valeria could think logically despite her leadership abilities not being as good as Elena's.

Before they reached my hiding place, I needed to reduce their numbers as much as possible—at least by half of what remained.

When I finally reached my hiding place, I saw Ariel had already awakened.

Her eyes were beautiful, like rare gemstones. Her smooth white hair resembled freshly fallen snow in winter, while her melancholic expression made the sight before me look like a classical painting that could be auctioned for billions of dollars.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't captivated by Ariel's beauty at this moment.

Realizing that I had returned, Ariel turned toward me.

"Raul? What happened to your face?" Ariel asked, staring at my right cheek. "I also heard a rather loud rumbling sound earlier."

Well... Apparently, Elena's punch had left a mark on my right cheek.

No wonder it had hurt so much.

It seemed Ariel had awakened because of the noise from the tunnel I had collapsed earlier.

I ignored her question and sat down against a stone wall to rest for a moment.

I needed to prepare myself for the final battle that would take place here.

As I closed my eyes, I began thinking about my life ever since I had entered the body of Raul de Garcia.

I didn't know whether the Death Flag attached to this body had disappeared or merely changed into something else.

However, as the person who had created this world, I wanted to dedicate my current life to erasing the misfortunes that would eventually occur because of the scenario we had created.

I remembered a cutscene from the game.

Ariel was walking through a village that had been transformed into a bloodbath after demons slaughtered its inhabitants.

Children cried after losing their parents.

Parents desperately mourned the loss of their children.

And lovers were driven mad after losing the people they cherished.

All of it would become reality if I didn't do something.

But I wasn't a perfect human being.

I was only one person.

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There was a limit to what a single human could accomplish.

It was impossible for me to be everywhere at once and prevent every tragedy that would occur throughout this world.

I needed to make this world stronger so that, at the very least, the damage caused by the great catastrophe that would eventually arrive could be minimized.

But while I was reflecting on all of this, a warm sensation suddenly appeared against my right cheek—the same cheek Elena had just punched.

I opened my eyes and saw Ariel sitting in front of me.

A soft light radiated from her hand, indicating that she was using healing magic.

Our faces were close enough that I could clearly see how nervous she looked.

Ariel's palm was warm and gentle against my cheek, making me reluctant to interrupt what she was doing.

"Why are you healing my wound, Ariel?"

Ariel's body trembled in surprise when I suddenly spoke.

Our eyes met.

She quickly looked away, her cheeks beginning to turn red.

"I'm a Priestess. Healing other people is already a habit of mine," she answered softly.

I noticed Ariel's ears twitch as she said that.

It was a peculiar habit of hers whenever she lied.

"You're lying."

Although Ariel had a gentle and kind personality, she wouldn't normally heal someone who was trying to hurt her friends.

That's why I wanted to know why she was doing this.

"You wouldn't heal someone who was trying to hurt others."

Ariel's body trembled again.

She seemed genuinely surprised that I could see through her feelings.

"I-I don't know. Just stop talking while I'm healing you..." Ariel said, beginning to look annoyed.

Apparently, she didn't want to tell me the reason.

That was precisely why, despite being naive and innocent, Ariel would always be loved by so many people because of her kindness.

People like her were the ones who kept humanity's hope alive.

Not those who pretended to be cruel and rejected innocence while relying on overwhelming power to defeat anyone who stood in their way.

Such people inspired no one.

Their lives existed only for themselves, and once their strength disappeared from this world, so too would the traces they left behind.

As I contemplated this, the warmth against my cheek suddenly disappeared.

Ariel withdrew her hand.

She had finished healing me.

After tending to my cheek, she turned her attention toward my limp left arm.

Several small blue spots had appeared across it.

"You won't be able to heal this unless you're a Saint."

Ariel's hand, which had been about to touch my arm, stopped.

"Huh? Why?" she asked, looking confused.

"This isn't a physical injury. It's damage to my mana circuits," I explained. "You can only heal it if you possess powerful Divine Magic or an enormous amount of mana."

That was precisely why this spell wouldn't work on Brian because his Codex granted him an effectively limitless supply of mana.

"I see..." Ariel murmured, seemingly lost in thought.

Her pink eyes then returned to my face.

She seemed as though she wanted to ask me something.

"Why didn't you tie me up or knock me unconscious? Couldn't I escape whenever you're not here?" Ariel asked curiously.

"You've always gotten lost in complicated places. I'd have no trouble following your trail if you tried to escape."

Ariel was exactly the type of woman who couldn't read a map.

"At most, you'd probably wander around in circles until I found you again not long afterward."

Hearing me point out one of her weaknesses, Ariel puffed out her cheeks and turned away from me.

"You still remember when we got lost together during our first year," Ariel said, her tone suddenly different from before. "I thought you didn't remember any of the memories we shared back when we were often together a year ago."

I had no idea how to respond to that.

That was incredibly out of character.

There was no way the original Raul would remember something like that. His mind had been consumed by hatred and his desire to eliminate Brian.

Well...

Speaking of Brian, I thought I had already found a way to wipe out the group he would be leading later without having to fight him directly.

---

[3rd POV]

The Eagle and Griffon Clans now had only around forty members remaining after none of the people who had entered the collapsed tunnel with Elena had returned.

"We have no choice but to enter it, whether or not that perverted man has prepared another trap for us," Valeria said, persuading the others to enter the abandoned underground mine where Raul was hiding.

"I agree with Valeria," Brian added. "We only have a day and a half left to eliminate Raul, and we don't know whether that coward will run away again like he always does."

"I have no objections to Valeria's proposal either," Geralt said, clearly impatient to beat Raul into the ground. He then turned toward the members of the Eagle Clan. "What about you?"

Hearing Geralt's question, one of the men stepped forward.

"Of course we want to teach that trash noble a lesson and avenge our fallen comrades and our leader!"

"All right. It's decided. We'll enter the mine this afternoon!" Brian shouted.

Once everyone had agreed to the plan, Valeria stepped into the center of the crowd to draw everyone's attention.

"All right. If everyone agrees with the plan, then first we need to divide ourselves into groups and enter through each of the remaining tunnels," Valeria explained.

"Huh? Why don't we just enter together?" Brian asked innocently.

Valeria stared at him as though she were looking at an idiot.

"Seriously? Didn't you see what happened to the collapsed tunnel? What if we all walk into another trap like that? Who's going to defeat that perverted man then?"

Hearing her explanation, Brian scratched the back of his head awkwardly despite it not being itchy.

"I'll lead fifteen members through the southern tunnel. Geralt will lead another fifteen through the northern tunnel, and you—Brian—will lead the remaining ten through the eastern tunnel."

Brian, Geralt, and the other members nodded after hearing Valeria's assignments.

"Good. If everyone understands, then move out immediately. We'll make sure that perverted man is eliminated before the exam ends!" Valeria shouted.

"Yeahhh!"

"Yeahhh!"

The three groups began making their way toward their respective tunnels.

Only twenty-two hours remained before the first stage of the exam ended at 6:00 p.m. on the seventh day.

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