I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

Chapter — The Garcia Family’s Serpent

You are not Raul.

Duke Alvaro’s words immediately put me on high alert.

Ironically, the first person to realize that I wasn’t Raul was the very same person who had never cared about him in the slightest.

”What do you mean, Father?” I asked, pretending not to understand.

”Don’t test my patience, Intruder,” Duke Alvaro said as he released an even greater amount of mana, causing several objects around the room to crack under the pressure of his magic. ”Raul, that foolish boy, was nothing more than a naive child without any ambition whatsoever. Yet here you are, suddenly standing before me with a request that is either utterly ridiculous or outrageously ambitious.”

If things had come to this, then I had no other choice.

My current strength was nowhere near enough to defeat Duke Alvaro, who was considered one of the five strongest people in the Empire.

”My soul merged with Raul’s soul. I don’t know why it happened, and that’s all I can tell you for now.”

I carefully watched Duke Alvaro’s expression change upon hearing my explanation.

To be honest, I had fabricated that explanation on the spot because I remembered that this world possessed magic related to souls.

”Is that so? Perhaps it was triggered by an artifact or something else...?” Duke Alvaro muttered, placing a hand against his chin as he contemplated what I had just told him.

As a mage, Duke Alvaro was naturally curious about what had happened to me. That was precisely why he would eventually dare to betray the Empire—to pursue the mysteries of magic that existed within this world.

”I don’t particularly care whether you’re the real Raul or not,” Duke Alvaro said as he walked back toward his seat. ”I’m actually pleased that you’ve replaced that useless boy. At least I can see that you’ll be far more useful than he ever was.”

For some reason, his words irritated me.

He truly was the villain with the worst personality in Path of Destiny. Even the Demon King cared about all of his descendants, despite his hatred toward humanity.

Yet this monster standing before me cared about nothing except his insatiable thirst for knowledge.

”I will approve your proposal for House Garcia to support Princess Elena,” Duke Alvaro said as he removed a ring from his finger.

It was the symbol of authority belonging to the Garcia Family.

”But I have one condition.”

”What kind of condition?”

At my question, Duke Alvaro smiled slyly, as though he were already plotting something sinister.

---

[3rd PoV]

After Raul left, Alvaro continued staring at the door through which the person who had taken over his son’s body had disappeared.

”His eyes... They showed no fear toward me,” Alvaro muttered, contemplating his conversation with Raul. ”Could it be that a powerful mage has entered his body?”

Alvaro began considering the possibilities of what had truly happened to his son.

Throughout the history of this world, the only beings capable of manipulating souls were high-ranking Demons.

Several years ago, Alvaro had made a pact with one of the Demon King’s daughter to open a massive portal connecting the two worlds.

”It seems I’ll have to alter some of my plans regarding my cooperation with those Demon.”

Raul’s transformation was a variable he had never anticipated.

One year from now, Duke Alvaro had originally planned to sacrifice Raul’s soul to a Demon and turn his own son into a test subject.

That was the route that should have occurred in the future according to the storyline of *Path of Destiny*.

However, Evans—the developer of *Path of Destiny*—had transferred his soul into Raul’s body, causing the future storyline to become completely unpredictable.

”I suppose it doesn’t matter whether he is the real Raul or not.”

Alvaro’s lips curled into a faint smile.

”I’ll still use him to accomplish my goals.”

---

[Raul POV]

Inside the carriage, I stared at a ring bearing the emblem of a serpent coiled around a sword.

With this ring, I could establish a soul-binding contract with Princess Elena to secure my family’s support for her.

However, I was certain that she wasn’t the kind of woman who would take away someone’s freedom simply because of something like this.

That was why I trusted her and chose to support her over the other seven candidates from the Imperial Family.

Prince Ramon, the Emperor’s second son, was certainly not someone I could entrust with the fate of this nation. He was impulsive and ruthless, making him the worst candidate among the eight.

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Prince Felix, the Emperor’s eldest son, was respected by many nobles throughout the Empire. However, several of his policies regarding the rebellions in the southern territories were disastrous, creating the seeds of new conflicts that would emerge in the future.

Princess Elena, on the other hand, was far less prominent than her brothers and sisters, yet she possessed the qualities of a capable leader.

Her subordinates in the Student Council respected her deeply. She was also capable of resolving conflicts between different factions fairly well. In the future, every Knight within the Empire would follow her and pledge their loyalty to her.

There was only one flaw in Princess Elena’s character.

She trusted the people who followed her far too much.

That trait was what earned her the respect of so many people.

But it was also the very reason that eventually led to her death in *Path of Destiny*.

When I arrived at the Academy, I immediately headed toward the Student Council Building to meet Princess Elena.

However, when I arrived, I was informed that the President wasn’t in her office.

I then headed toward a lake not far from the Academy.

In the game, there were four locations where the NPC Princess Elena would frequently appear. One of them was the shore of Lake Trebia, where she often practiced her swordsmanship.

When I arrived, I spotted a blonde-haired woman holding a sword with both hands.

Her eyes were focused straight ahead, and her stance was firm and steady.

She took a deep breath before slowly exhaling.

Lightning began to course through the blade in her hands, illuminating it with a golden-yellow glow.

This was one of Elena’s signature spells—

Lightning Blade.

She then performed seven consecutive slashes.

Her movements were incredibly graceful, almost like a professional dancer performing on stage.

She ended the sequence with a 360-degree slash that faintly formed a swirling vortex of lightning.

At my current level, even though I knew every single one of her movements, I would have a difficult time fighting Elena.

I walked toward her.

Elena turned around after noticing my presence.

”Ah, Raul. How did you know I was here?” the President asked as she sheathed her sword.

Because I know where your character respawns.

I wanted to answer that, but I didn’t exactly want her to think I was some kind of stalker.

”I was simply lucky enough to find you here, President,” I replied with an excuse. ”I wanted to discuss something with you.”

”All right. Let’s go somewhere more comfortable.”

---

We were now sitting inside a café that had recently become popular throughout the capital.

The place was packed. A long line of customers stretched outside, all waiting to get inside.

Fortunately, we were able to bypass the queue because I showed the ring Duke Alvaro had given me.

I had never realized how useful having that kind of privilege could be.

However, the President lectured me afterward about social equality.

I couldn’t exactly blame her.

If I were in the position of an ordinary citizen, I would probably protest as well if nobles were allowed to abuse their privileges so freely.

I suppose this kind of problem had existed in my previous world too.

”So, you managed to convince your father to support me?” Elena asked.

Her mood seemed somewhat sour after what I had done earlier.

I took out the House Garcia ring Duke Alvaro had given me and placed it on the table.

”Is this real?” Elena asked in surprise.

She picked up the ring and examined it carefully, almost like a jeweler inspecting a precious piece.

”How did you convince him? My father told me that Duke Alvaro is extremely cunning and cautious.”

The President’s confusion was understandable.

Duke Alvaro had agreed to support Princess Elena under a condition that we had previously negotiated.

However, I couldn’t reveal the details of our agreement to her just yet.

”You could say that I reached a win-win solution with him,” I replied vaguely.

”Huh? What does that mean? What kind of agreement did you make?”

”Ugh... I can’t tell you right now, President.”

Hearing that, Elena puffed out her cheeks in frustration before returning the ring to me.

”President, what is our plan for winning the Imperial succession?” I asked.

I wanted to hear what Elena had prepared to compete against the other candidates.

”Well... Didn’t I already tell you? I’m implementing an equality policy within the Student Council,” Elena answered seriously. ”I’m also planning to join the Calvatra Knight Order and gradually build my influence within the Imperial military.”

Her plan was exactly the same as it had been in the game.

Back then, Elena had indeed managed to gain enormous influence within the military.

But it wouldn’t be enough.

Eventually, after realizing how dangerous Elena’s growing influence had become to the candidate supported by Duke Alvaro, he would set a trap to assassinate her, ultimately leading to her death.

”President, your plan isn’t bad,” I said, preparing to explain its weaknesses. ”But what we need is the support of powerful nobles who possess significant influence throughout the Empire.”

”There are only two ways for us to win this struggle.”

”We either persuade other nobles to join our faction, or we bring down the nobles belonging to rival factions and weaken their influence within the Empire.”

Hearing my explanation, Princess Elena lowered her gaze.

Elena wasn’t naive.

She understood perfectly well that such methods were necessary to win.

However, choosing either option would go against the principles she had originally fought for.

In a feudal nation like the Empire, achieving the social equality Elena had always dreamed of would be incredibly difficult.

Even in my original world, where many nations practiced democratic systems, social equality remained an ongoing issue that people continued to debate and work toward improving.

”President, you’re afraid that if you invite nobles into your faction, they’ll demand conditions that burden you, aren’t you?”

”And you don’t want to sabotage other nobles because doing so would violate your moral standards.”

I asked those questions to make sure I understood her correctly.

Those two problems were precisely what made Elena the weakest candidate compared to her siblings.

She had no method of attracting nobles into her faction that aligned with her ideals.

At my questions, Elena could only nod weakly.

”Then leave the recruitment of nobles to me,” I said, offering her a way out. ”I have several methods to persuade them to side with us.”

Hearing that, Elena’s eyes widened in surprise.

But the reaction lasted only for a moment before she quickly composed herself and gave me a sharp look.

”You aren’t planning to do anything illegal, are you?” Elena asked seriously.

I simply shook my head.

There was one major advantage I possessed as the developer of this game after entering the world of *Path of Destiny*.

I knew almost everything about the NPCs and characters that existed within this game.

As the wise saying went:

Information was the strongest weapon in the world.

I would blackmail corrupt nobles and threaten to expose their secrets if they refused to support Elena in the upcoming Imperial succession.

”Hey, Raul. You have a pretty terrifying smile, you know.”

Elena’s voice suddenly pulled me out of my brief reverie.

”Wh-What? Really? Perhaps that’s just your imagination, President.”

I touched my cheek as I said that.

”No. Your smile reminds me of what my father once said about the House Garcia.”

”Huh? What did the Emperor say about my family?” I asked, curious about the Imperial Family’s opinion of House Garcia.

”He said that they’re as cunning as venomous snakes.”

Well... Isn’t their family crest literally a snake?

I never knew there was a reason behind the design of the Garcia Family’s emblem.

I wasn’t the one who designed the characters, illustrations, or symbols used in the game.

If I remembered correctly, that had been Marek’s job—my childhood friend from my previous world.

”Please enjoy your order.”

A waiter arrived and placed our orders on the table.

Two glasses filled with what appeared to be vanilla ice cream sat before us.

For some reason, this ice cream looked incredibly familiar.

Wait.

Path of Destiny is set in the fourteenth century, just like my original world.

Was ice cream even around during this period?

”President, what is the name of this drink we ordered?” I asked curiously.

”Ah... This is the newest drink from the Republic of Venetia. If I remember correctly, it’s called... Misue.”

Huh? Misue?

Isn’t that one of the drink brands Liana—my ex-girlfriend from the real world—used to buy all the time?

I didn’t know.

And I didn’t want to know.

I wanted to forget her.

This world was my reality now.