I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Elena's POV]

The battle was over...

Brian could be seen walking out of the Arena with Ariel supporting him. I was genuinely shocked to see Brian awaken that power.

There was no mistake about it. The Mark on his left hand was the Codex Pendragon.

Pendragon was a legendary Knight from the past. When his brother, Aragon, began establishing this nation, it was the Knight Pendragon who was tasked with protecting it.

He was the strongest Knight in the history of the Empire.

One day, the Demon Race launched its first invasion of this world. Pendragon sacrificed his life to slay the Demon King who led the attack.

Even now, his sword, Excalibur, remains preserved and can only be wielded by the Chosen One, who appears once every hundred years to protect this land from a great catastrophe.

I walked down from the Arena and approached the black-haired man who was still lying unconscious against the Arena wall.

Raul de Garcia...

There was no doubt about it. He had intentionally lost that fight.

Otherwise, he could have defeated Brian at any point during the battle.

Did Raul already know from the beginning that Brian possessed the Codex Pendragon?

What exactly are you planning, Raul?

Why are you supporting me as the next candidate for Emperor?

I stared at Raul's face as he slept soundly.

For some reason, I found myself smiling when I saw him in this condition.

"Well... You actually look quite handsome when you're not causing trouble, you know."

I lifted his body and carried Raul toward the infirmary.

---

[3rd PoV]

That night, inside the Headmaster's office at Grunbelt Academy...

An elderly man with a thick beard was sitting at his desk, reading a piece of paper. In front of him sat a large-built man who had come to report something to him.

"Why have you come here, Instructor Torun?" the old man asked without taking his eyes away from the paper in his hands.

"Headmaster William, I have found the Chosen One," Torun replied, immediately stating the reason for his visit.

Hearing Torun's answer, Headmaster William stopped what he was doing and looked at him.

"Are you certain that the Hero has returned?" Headmaster William asked, seeking confirmation.

"Absolutely, Headmaster. I saw the Mark of the legendary Knight—Pendragon—appear on his left hand."

Headmaster William rose from his chair and walked toward the window. He looked up at the night sky, where a beautiful full moon illuminated the darkness.

"The Hero has been chosen... This means a great calamity will befall humanity before long," William murmured, his voice carrying a hint of concern for the future.

"Torun, keep this information secret for the time being," William ordered.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

He was worried that if the information spread, their enemies would begin searching for Brian and kill him before he could master his newfound power.

"As you command, Headmaster."

"You and Erina will serve as his guardians and teach him how to control that power."

---

The Demon World—the place where demons and other terrifying creatures dwelled.

"I can sense it, Regulus," said a Demon seated upon a throne. "The Hero has returned to that world."

"Impossible... Just when we are about to carry out the plan we've been preparing for nearly two hundred years?" his subordinate replied, clearly shocked by the information his master had given him.

"Yes... Send several of your subordinates to find out who the Chosen Hero is," the Demon ordered.

His subordinate lowered his head before replying,

"As you command, Your Majesty."

---

[Ariel POV]

The following day, we were at Marina's Tavern, an establishment not far from the academy.

We were here with our friends to celebrate Brian's victory over Raul the previous day.

"Once again, a toast to Brian's victory over the rotten noble!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone looked happy.

They were people who had been oppressed by Raul in the past.

Brian often talked with them. He was closer to students from other classes than he was to his own classmates at the academy.

Perhaps that was because the elite class was mostly made up of nobles from across the Empire.

"Hey, Ariel. Brian hugged you in the Arena yesterday. Does that mean the two of you are already a couple?" asked a female student sitting beside me.

I remembered that embarrassing incident...

Ughhh... Why did Brian suddenly do that yesterday?

I knew he was excited, but couldn't he at least control himself?

Because of that incident, all sorts of strange rumors had started spreading about us.

I only considered Brian a friend.

I admired his determination to achieve his dream. I wanted to have the same unwavering resolve that he possessed.

"Ahahaha... We're not like that. Brian and I are just close friends."

I looked over at Brian, who was surrounded by a large group of people.

His kind and helpful nature made it incredibly easy for him to make friends.

"Hey, Brian, what about your bet with the rotten noble?" one of the students asked.

"You're right. I was so exhausted yesterday that I forgot to demand what I won from our bet," Brian replied with a smile.

It seemed that defeating Raul yesterday had made him more confident.

The students who had previously been oppressed by Raul were no longer afraid to speak to the nobles either.

"Hey, Brian. Speaking of that rotten noble, I saw him in the Arena earlier training several members of the Discipline Committee," another student told Brian, informing him of Raul's whereabouts.

"Really?"

He then looked toward me.

"Ariel, let's go there and demand Raul's apology like he promised."

To be honest, I didn't really care about Raul's apology.

I didn't take offense at what he had said to me.

Instead, his hurtful words had made me realize the weakness within my own heart.

"I've already stopped thinking about what he said, Brian. So we don't need to go through the trouble of meeting him."

"But Ariel, a promise is a promise, and my Knight's way is to never take back the words I've spoken," Brian said seriously.

Well...

What else could I do when Brian was being this stubborn?

"All right, Brian."

We then left the tavern and headed toward the Arena.

The academy seemed livelier than usual.

Several students were still talking about yesterday's duel. Others were discussing what Raul would do after losing to Brian.

Would he still act arrogantly like before?

When we arrived at the Arena, we saw Raul training several members of the Discipline Committee.

There seemed to be far fewer of them than before.

"Raul!" Brian called as he approached him.

The black-haired man stopped what he was doing and turned to face Brian.

"What do you want?" Raul asked, speaking in the same manner as before.

It seemed that losing to Brian yesterday hadn't changed his attitude at all.

"Cih, even after losing, your attitude is still as rotten as ever," Brian said mockingly. "Apologize to Ariel for making her cry yesterday."

Hearing that, Raul shifted his attention toward me.

He then walked over.

His black eyes were like dark abysses, while his calm and dignified expression made it clear that he was a high-ranking noble of the Empire.

"Ariel..." Raul said, looking directly into my eyes.

"Y-Yes..."

For some reason, my heart began beating faster than usual, making me nervous in front of Raul.

"I'm sorry if my words hurt you ..."

I fell silent upon hearing Raul's words.

His apology sounded as though it had come sincerely from the bottom of his heart.

What was happening?

The Raul standing before me now...

He was like the Raul from the past, before I had met Brian.

His voice and demeanor were much gentler this time.

"Is that enough?" Raul asked, his tone suddenly returning to the unpleasant manner he had used before.

Hearing that made me feel as though his previous gentleness had been nothing more than an illusion.

"How about it, Ariel?" Brian asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes... I suppose it's enough. I've already forgotten about it, Brian."

Brian nodded.

We then left the Arena to rejoin the others at the tavern.

However, Raul's words from earlier continued to linger in my mind.

Could I really change Raul and bring back the kind version of him from before he met Brian?

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!