I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Ariel POV]

It had been four days since Brian and I fought that terrifying monster, yet I still hadn’t discovered the true identity of the student who had saved us.

There were two male Seniors with white hair at the academy: Senior Baldwin and Senior Luis. However, I had already asked both of them about it, and neither knew anything about the masked figure I was looking for.

”Hey, is it true that those two students were the ones who defeated a Level 5 monster?”

”According to the testimony of the disciplinary committee members who witnessed it, that’s what happened.”

”How could second-year students, who should only be capable of fighting Level 2 monsters, defeat a Level 5 monster!?”

I could hear them talking about us.

Not long after the mysterious man saved us, members of the disciplinary committee arrived at the place where we had fought the monster. I explained to them that we weren’t the ones who killed it, but I couldn’t logically explain how the monster had actually been killed either.

In the end, they reported to the academy that Brian, Roland, and I had been the ones who defeated the monster.

This made our classmates curious, and they kept asking us to tell them how we had defeated it.

I remained silent. Brian, on the other hand, was extremely enthusiastic as he described how he had cut down his opponent.

”Ariel, let’s head to the Duel Arena and practice!” Brian said enthusiastically.

Practice? Whenever Brian had asked me to train with him in the past, I had always refused. Training continuously only exhausted me, often leaving me barely able to move afterward.

”All right. I’ll come with you, Brian.”

But this time was different. After what happened with that monster, I had finally realized how weak I still was.

Ever since I was a child, I had wanted to become a Priestess who could always help those in need—someone who could heal the illnesses and suffering of others.

I hated violence. It always emerged when people became consumed by their emotions. Violence led to pain, and the pain inflicted by others would turn people into vengeful individuals who hated one another.

That was why I had chosen to become a Priestess, someone who could save countless lives without resorting to violence.

I was also deeply grateful to Goddess Diana for blessing me with Divine Magic, allowing me to become what I had always wanted to be.

When we arrived at the Duel Arena, I saw more than a dozen students lying on the ground. Their bodies were covered in injuries. Judging by the red ribbons attached to their uniforms, these students were members of the disciplinary committee.

”What happened to all of you?” I asked as I crouched beside one of the students lying on the ground.

”Ugh... I-It’s because of our training session...” he replied weakly.

I had no idea what kind of training he was talking about. But I needed to heal them first.

”Brian, go find some other students who can use healing magic! I’ll heal them first.”

”All right, Ariel.”

I began healing them one by one. Most of their injuries were concentrated on their arms and legs.

What kind of training could possibly leave their bodies this battered?

Not long afterward, Brian returned with two other students who specialized in healing magic.

After several minutes of performing the healing spells, all of the students had finally recovered. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief.

This was exhausting...

”Who gave you permission to heal them?”

I heard a cold voice filled with intimidation.

Before us, a black-haired man was walking toward us. He was Raul de Garcia—the man infamously known as the Rotten Noble.

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”I was the one who asked them to heal these students because their bodies were covered in injuries,” I replied as I stood and approached Raul.

”I left them for a few minutes to rest during the disciplinary committee’s routine training session,” Raul said, staring sharply at me.

”Don’t you think this is going too far?” I said, raising my voice. ”Look at them! They can’t even stand because of the pain throughout their bodies.”

”That’s good. Pain allows the body to learn faster and remember the consequences of repeating the same mistakes,” he replied flatly. His words seemed completely devoid of compassion.

”Why does it have to be like this? Isn’t there another, better way?” My emotions began to rise. I couldn’t stand watching violence and oppression happen right in front of me.

”Perhaps you’re right. There may be another way. But only through methods like this can they grow stronger faster,” Raul said. For some reason, his gaze toward me wasn’t as sharp as before.

”Why do they have to become stronger so quickly? They can do it gradually without sacrificing their bodies!” I wanted to challenge his way of thinking. I couldn’t accept the idea that violence could simply be the solution to every problem.

”But reality isn’t kind enough to wait for you to become strong,” Raul replied, his voice now carrying a faintly melancholic tone. ”You never know when danger will strike. You never know when death will approach. And you never know when someone close to you will be in danger.”

Raul’s words reminded me of what happened when we fought that monster. Brian and Roland had been defeated, leaving only me to protect them.

All I could do was tremble in fear and pray that someone would come to save us. If only we had been stronger, perhaps we would never have found ourselves in that situation.

If I remembered correctly, the student who died in the monster’s attack was Raul’s servant.

Could he be saying all of this because of what happened to her?

I clenched my fists tightly, trying to contain the emotions overflowing in my chest. Before I realized it, tears had already begun streaming down both of my cheeks.

This was so frustrating...

I couldn’t refute his words because I had experienced exactly what Raul had just described.

No. Violence was wrong. I didn’t want to admit that violence could be the answer to any problem.

In the end, all I could do was cry with my head lowered without responding to him.

I really was pathetic.

—Bam!

I was startled by the sound of a punch.

Brian had just punched Raul in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground. A smear of blood could be seen at the corner of his mouth.

”How dare you make Ariel cry!” Brian shouted, his face filled with anger.

Raul rose to his feet and spat out the blood in his mouth. He smiled at Brian as though mocking him.

”You’re awfully talkative for someone I beat unconscious not long ago,” Raul said, deliberately provoking him.

”What did you say!?” Brian stepped toward Raul until their faces were only inches apart.

”Raul de Garcia! I challenge you to a duel, with my honor as a Knight on the line!” Brian declared, formally challenging Raul to a duel.

”N-No, Brian! Why would you risk your honor over something like this?” I protested against Brian’s reckless decision.

If a Knight wagered his honor in a duel, losing meant that he would never be entitled to become a Knight for the rest of his life.

That meant that if Brian lost this duel, his dream of becoming a Knight would disappear over something as trivial as this.

”Ariel! Your tears aren’t something trivial to me,” Brian said, trying to convince me. ”I’ll beat him and make him apologize for making you cry!”

Hearing Brian say that touched me deeply. I don’t think there had ever been anyone who cared about me this much before.

”Brian... I—”

”All right! I accept your challenge, Brian!” Raul said, accepting Brian’s invitation to duel. ”If I win, you will give up on becoming a Knight. If I lose, I will apologize to Ariel for making her cry! The duel will take place tomorrow after classes.”

After saying that, Raul left the Arena.

---

[Raul POV]

As I walked out of the Arena, I was relieved that my plan had gone smoothly.

With this, I could awaken Brian’s Codex during our upcoming duel. I had also managed to strip away some of Ariel’s naïveté, allowing me to trigger the awakening of the Codex she possessed.

However, I hadn’t expected seeing Ariel cry to affect me so deeply that I failed to react to Brian’s punch.

I suppose I’m still not accustomed to the emotions of the original Raul lingering within this body.

For some reason, seeing Ariel cry reminded me of Liana’s tears when we decided to part ways.

As I passed through the main gate, I finally left the Duel Arena.

”You really do cause trouble wherever you go, don’t you, Raul?”

I heard a familiar voice beside me.

I turned around and saw an elegant blonde woman leaning against the Arena gate. Apparently, she had witnessed everything that happened inside.

”What are you doing here, President?”

President Elena then walked toward me.

”Well... as the person who recommended you for this position, I had to see how your first day as the new head of the disciplinary committee went,” she replied with a smile. ”But, just as expected from Raul the Rotten Noble, you always manage to make people hate you at every opportunity.”

This woman...

Did she come here just to rub salt into my wounds?

Seriously, I think I must have messed up her personality settings when I was testing the game back then.

I swear, if I ever return to my original world, I’ll make Elena marry the cruel Raul de Garcia and become hopelessly in love with him in the game.

Let’s see if she’ll still act like this toward Raul then.

Your life in the game is going to be filled with suffering, Elena.

”What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” the President asked, hugging herself as though she were standing in front of some perverted criminal.

I could only sigh at her behavior.

”We’d better hurry back and discuss preparations for the Survival Examination that will be held next month, President.”

”Hey, don’t rush off like that.”

I pretended not to hear her and began walking toward the academy’s Student Committee Office.

Preparations for the Survival Examination...

This examination was the first major Event of the opening Chapter.

The examination was extremely important to the academy students because the number of points awarded at the end of it was enormous.

I had to make sure Ariel and Brian awakened their Codex before the Event began.

I couldn’t guarantee that I would be able to stop all the professional assassins who would attack them later.