I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Raul POV]

Before me lay the corpse of a man who had died with a smile on his face.

His stomach had been torn apart by a disgusting crawling creature that had devoured him from the inside.

"He didn't say a single word about his master until his final breath," I muttered as I looked at what had happened earlier. "He would have made an excellent agent if he had become one of my subordinates."

Hearing my words, the four subordinates present lowered their heads.

It seemed we wouldn't be able to discover which candidate's faction Count Juan had contacted today.

However, eliminating his envoy was already enough to disrupt his operations in this city.

Before taking his final breath, the man had muttered two names that were most likely—

"Bell and Winda?"

I turned around and gave Karl and the others their next orders.

"Find this man's family," I ordered Karl. "Considering that he failed his mission, we'll bring his family here and protect them from his master in case he decides to target them."

"Understood, Boss. We'll carry out your orders immediately," they replied simultaneously.

"And don't forget to bury him somewhere proper."

I walked out of the warehouse and looked up at the moonlight illuminating the night sky.

The world wasn't simply black and white.

If I wanted to change this world, I would sometimes have to kill a good man who was loved by his family.

But that was simply how this world worked.

Good people existed everywhere, and they wouldn't be spared from the cruelty of the struggle for power within this nation.

Lives would be lost, whether those people were good or evil.

Thinking that such things could be completely avoided and that we could obtain exactly the outcome we desired was nothing more than a naive fantasy.

For that reason...

I wanted this thought to become my consolation whenever I had to kill another good person in order to accomplish my goals.

---

[3rd POV]

The following day, at the office of the Aragon Empire's Minister of Foreign Affairs, a man stood before a young blond-haired man in his early twenties.

"Duke Rayodel, what news could possibly have brought you here in such a hurry?" the blond-haired man asked.

He was Felix de Aragon—the eldest son of Emperor Philip de Aragon and one of the strongest candidates to become the next Emperor of the most powerful nation in the human world.

"It's begun, Your Highness," the Duke replied. "Someone is targeting the nobles belonging to our faction."

Hearing the Duke's words, Prince Felix immediately became serious and listened carefully.

"I've just received word that officials from the Ministry of Trade searched Count Juan's residence—one of the nobles belonging to our faction," Duke Rayodel reported, referring to the maneuver carried out by Raul and Elena earlier.

"I see... What kind of punishment do you think Count Juan will receive?" Prince Felix asked.

He was already aware of the crimes committed by the noble within his faction.

"Considering the enormous amount of money that has been flowing into Count Juan's pockets, I believe the Empire will force him to abdicate and allow his eldest son, who is still underage, to inherit his title," the Duke explained, clearly regretting the situation.

With Count Juan falling because of this incident, Prince Felix's faction would lose several votes during the upcoming election.

"I've already sent someone to help him, but he hasn't reported back yet," the Duke continued anxiously. "I suspect he was captured by someone working for another candidate in order to prevent us from helping Count Juan."

After hearing Duke Rayodel's explanation, the Prince began tapping his fingers against the desk as he thought.

"Whatever happens, happens. Just make sure there are no traces of our involvement in the investigation into Count Juan," the Prince instructed. "Find out which candidate is attacking us. I will teach those who dare stand in my way a lesson."

Prince Felix was an ultra-nationalist.

There was no doubt about his love for the Empire and the Aragonian people.

However, he despised the current policies that allowed people from races and nations other than the pure Aragonian bloodline to hold important positions within the Empire.

In his eyes, the nation must not be contaminated by races and peoples other than the pure Aragonian people—especially those he considered inferior to them.

Several ministerial positions were currently held by nobles or tribal leaders from territories the Empire had conquered not long ago.

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This policy had been implemented so that the Empire could quickly stabilize the regions it had recently brought under its control.

That was why he wanted to become the next Emperor.

He intended to abolish these policies and steer the Empire toward what he believed was the path it was meant to follow.

"Year after year, the Empire's influence continues to be pushed aside by other nations that are beginning to rise," Prince Felix said as he rose from his chair.

"I will make certain that the Empire is feared once again, and that no one in this world will dare oppose the will of our nation."

---

[Brian POV]

The following day, after spending the night in Murcia City, we began traveling toward the southwestern region of the Empire.

For some reason, security in Murcia City had been much tighter than usual before we left.

Rumor had it that the Count ruling this city would be arrested and brought to the capital to stand trial for certain crimes.

I didn't understand it.

Why did so many nobles commit crimes and take things that didn't belong to them in the first place?

Why weren't there more nobles like Ariel?

Most of them had the same despicable attitudes and behavior as that black-haired bastard.

Speaking of that black-haired bastard, the students had been talking about him more often lately.

"Are we going to fight him again in the second stage?"

"I hope what happened during the first stage doesn't happen again."

"I just want to take the next part of the exam easy."

Tch.

A bunch of cowards.

Why were they so afraid of that man?

Couldn't we defeat him?

He wasn't some invincible monster like the Empire's greatest Knights!

"Brian, what's wrong?"

I heard Ariel's voice beside me.

At the moment, the second-year students were taking a break after traveling for several hours.

Ariel and I had planned to have lunch together, just the two of us.

"You look like you're in a bad mood. Is something bothering you?" Ariel asked with a worried expression.

Lately, Ariel had changed as well.

Ever since that man had held her captive, she hadn't been as responsive as she used to be whenever I told her stories.

For some reason, spending time with her had become more boring lately.

"I'm fine, Ariel," I replied naturally. "I should be the one asking you that. Ever since the first stage of the exam ended, you've been spacing out more often."

Hearing my question, Ariel touched her chin as if she were thinking about something.

"Hey, Brian... Why do you hate Raul so much?"

For some reason, Ariel suddenly asked me that.

Wasn't the answer obvious?

He was an arrogant noble who was always forcing his will upon other people!

He looked down on ordinary people like me!

Of course I would hate someone like him.

He had even made Ariel cry and suffer countless times because of his attitude.

"Isn't it obvious? Why are you asking me this, Ariel?"

As I said that, Ariel seemed to be looking somewhere else, completely ignoring me.

I followed her gaze.

There, I saw a black-haired man sitting against a tree.

He had a small notebook in one hand and a writing instrument in the other.

He seemed to be writing something down.

Ariel had also been watching that man quite often lately.

And it was starting to irritate me.

"Stop thinking about him, Ariel," I said, trying to bring her back to reality. "I know being held hostage by someone you hate must have been terrifying, but you need to confront those feelings so you can move forward."

Ariel didn't respond.

She merely lowered her head and played with her fingers.

She seemed troubled by something.

"We should focus on the second stage of the exam instead. I think we'll arrive at the examination site in two days."

I tried to touch her hand as I said that.

But, to my surprise, Ariel pulled her hand away as though she didn't want any physical contact with me.

What was happening to her...?

"Sorry, Brian. I want to be alone for a while."

All I could do was stare at Ariel's back as she walked away from me.

I then turned my gaze toward the black-haired man who had been sitting against the tree earlier.

My eyes were filled with hatred.

"This must be his doing..."

"He must have done something to Ariel..."

I clenched my fists as tightly as I could, struggling to contain my emotions.

My feet carried me toward the black-haired man.

He seemed to notice my approach and slipped the notebook he was holding into his pocket.

"What do you want from me?" the black-haired man asked in a completely disinterested tone.

He had previously claimed that he had done something indecent to Ariel during the exam.

But I had asked Ariel about it afterward, and she denied that this man had sexually assaulted her while she was his captive.

Even so, seeing how strangely Ariel had been acting lately made me suspect that something had happened between them during the exam.

"What did you do to Ariel?" I demanded.

I wouldn't know anything if neither Ariel nor this man was willing to talk about it.

"Ever since you kidnapped her, she's become like a completely different person!"

Yes...

The cheerful Ariel who was always smiling had disappeared.

Now, whenever we were alone together, she spent most of her time silent and lost in thought.

I would never forgive this man if Ariel had truly changed because of something he had done.

The black-haired man stood up.

Now, our faces were directly facing each other.

His black eyes were like darkness itself, ready to swallow anyone who dared stare into them.

"You don't like the way Ariel has changed?" the black-haired man asked in an emotionless tone.

To be honest, I preferred the old Ariel.

She always listened to my stories.

She listened whenever I complained about something.

And her beautiful smile always gave me the motivation to train harder and pursue my dreams.

The current Ariel was quieter than usual.

For some reason, it felt as though her heart had grown distant from me, even though our bodies were still physically close.

I didn't answer his question.

But somehow, he seemed to already know what I was feeling.

"Do you love Ariel, Brian?" the man asked again.

This time, there was a serious look in his eyes as he questioned me.

His question made me think about my feelings toward the platinum-haired woman.

Did I love her?

Seeing her gentle smile always made me more motivated to train.

Spending time with her had always been enjoyable before the kidnapping incident.

And I didn't like it whenever another man approached Ariel.

Yes...

I loved her.

For some reason, I had never truly thought about it until Raul asked me that question.

"Yes. You're right."

I admitted my feelings.

"I love Ariel."

Hearing my confession, Raul's expression changed.

I had no idea what was going through his mind.

"I see..."

"You really do love her," he murmured quietly.

What did my feelings for Ariel have to do with her sudden change in personality?

"Everyone changes," the man said seriously. "It depends on the circumstances a person experiences. Humans cannot possibly maintain the same attitude toward everything forever."

I...

I didn't understand what he was saying.

What did any of this have to do with Ariel?

"Loving someone means accepting everything that comes with them."

"If the person you love changes, then you should continue to love them, whether that change is good or bad for you. That what called 'love' is."

For some reason, his words sounded as though they came from his own experience.

"If you only love someone because of the good qualities they possess, then that's nothing more than obsession."

Hearing those words irritated me.

Why did he speak as though he understood Ariel better than I did?

I was the one who had always been by her side.

I was the one who had always accompanied her whenever she faced difficulties.

His attitude only made me hate him even more.

"What do you know?"

I was becoming increasingly frustrated.

What could he possibly know about Ariel that I didn't?

The black-haired man didn't answer.

Instead, he simply walked past me, leaving me standing there alone.

"Damn it..."

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