I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Runa POV]

Run.

Just keep running.

Everyone we passed on the streets stared at us as we fled.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw five city guards chasing after us.

Honestly, I didn’t want to keep running like this. Why didn’t we just try to defeat them? Didn’t we have abilities far stronger than theirs?

But Thomas and Deana seemed to understand our current situation better than I did.

I trusted the two of them.

”Catch those children!”

Suddenly, four more guards appeared from ahead of us.

The three of us stopped for a moment as Thomas looked around, searching for a way to escape the guards pursuing us.

”Into the alley!” Thomas ordered.

The two of us followed him into the city’s narrow alleys.

However, not long after entering the area, we found ourselves facing nothing but a dead end.

Footsteps echoed as someone approached.

The guards would reach us soon.

”Deana! Runa! Get ready. I’m going to use my power!”

Thomas stretched out his hands.

Suddenly, Deana and I were lifted into the air, flying upward before landing on top of a building.

After lifting the two of us up, Thomas flew after us using his own power.

”Thomas, you’ve gotten really good at controlling your power!” I praised him.

”Thanks. It’s because I’ve been practicing longer than you, Runa,” he replied, looking embarrassed.

We started running again, leaping from rooftop to rooftop to shake off the guards chasing us.

After several minutes, we stopped to catch our breath.

There was no way they could find us up here, right?

But I was wrong.

Several guards suddenly appeared on the rooftops surrounding us.

”There they are! Quickly, catch those children before they escape again!”

Ugh...

Whether we liked it or not, we had to keep running.

But we were trapped on the rooftops now, with nowhere left to go.

The guards began closing in.

”Deana, carry Runa down!” Thomas ordered.

My female friend immediately picked me up.

She then jumped from the rooftop and landed on the street below.

I had forgotten that Deana was incredibly strong.

Not long afterward, Thomas followed and landed smoothly beside us using his power.

We started running again, but the streets here were packed with people, making it difficult for us to get away from the pursuing guards.

”Get over here, you damn brats!”

Several guards were already right behind us.

One of them reached out to grab me, but Deana suddenly appeared and struck him, sending him flying into a cart on the side of the road.

The commotion immediately caught the attention of the surrounding citizens.

”Thomas, whether we like it or not, we have to use our powers!” Deana shouted.

Thomas nodded.

He brought his palms together before rapidly spreading them apart.

Wosshhhh!

The sea of people filling the street was suddenly pushed aside, clearing a path in front of us.

We ran again.

But I had absolutely no idea where we were in the city anymore.

”Contact the mages and Knights! They can use troublesome magic!”

I heard one of the guards shouting that.

”Thomas, how much longer do we have to keep running? My legs are already exhausted!” I said.

Thomas’s expression turned grim at my question.

It seemed that he didn’t know where we should run either.

Suddenly, the boy pushed me to the ground.

Not long afterward, an explosion sounded nearby.

I opened my eyes and saw flames engulfing the area around the three of us.

It seemed Thomas had just saved me from a magical attack.

”Their escape has been stopped! Quickly, incapacitate those children!”

I saw several men wearing robes standing on top of the surrounding buildings.

Everything was chaotic.

I didn’t understand what was happening anymore.

”Got you!”

A large man wearing armor suddenly appeared in front of me, swinging his sword.

Clang!

Deana protected me by blocking the man’s sword with her bare hand.

The large man looked utterly shocked when his sword shattered upon striking Deana’s hand.

”Take this!”

Deana then struck the large man.

The armor he was wearing shattered, and his body was sent flying into the wall of a nearby building.

”Damn it! There’s no mistake. It’s Telekinesis!”

On the other side, I saw Thomas moving his fingers.

The mages standing on the rooftops suddenly began floating in the air.

Thomas then slammed their bodies into one another while they were still airborne.

”They’re Cursed Children! Quickly, call the Inquisitors!”

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[Brian POV]

After obtaining Excalibur, Master and I discussed the matter while inside the Soul Room.

At first, he was surprised when he heard that I could already wield Excalibur.

He still believed that my mental maturity and understanding of what it meant to be a Hero were insufficient.

I was quite offended by what he said.

But I supposed Master wasn’t entirely wrong.

After all, I wasn’t the one who had summoned this sword.

It was the masked man.

However, I didn’t tell him that.

Right now, I was training alone on the training grounds of the fortress.

I usually trained together with Holy Knight Remilio, but today he had gone to the Main Temple to discuss something with the Temple authorities.

”Brian! Quickly prepare your equipment! We’re going to Grenaut City!”

Suddenly, a woman wearing armor approached me.

She was Inquisitor Elvira, the woman who had become my mentor after Inquisitor Marcus was killed by The Masquerade.

”Huh? What’s the rush, Inquisitor?” I asked.

”We received a report that three Cursed Children are running amok in the city.”

Cursed Children?

Why were the Temple authorities so afraid of these children?

Weren’t they the reason The Masquerade had been formed in the first place?

After putting on my combat equipment, I and the other Inquisitors immediately headed toward Grenaut City on horseback.

After nearly an hour of travel, we finally arrived.

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Chaos and screams could be heard everywhere.

”Ah, you’re finally here. Hurry to the trade district. The three Cursed Children are there,” one of the city guards told us.

We dismounted and immediately rushed toward the area the guard had mentioned.

Honestly, I had never encountered a Cursed Child before.

Inquisitor Marcus had once warned me never to underestimate them.

Judging from the destruction they had caused and the trouble they had given the city guards, I supposed my Mentor’s words had been completely correct.

Not long afterward, we arrived at the trade district.

Several guards and mages were lying unconscious on the ground.

Not far from them, two girls and one boy were staring at me and the Inquisitors with hatred in their eyes.

”Impossible... All of them were defeated by just three children?” I muttered in disbelief.

”Subdue those three children!” one of the Inquisitors shouted.

Four Inquisitors began advancing toward the three children.

The boy moved his hands.

Objects scattered throughout the area suddenly rose into the air and shot toward the four advancing Inquisitors.

Tung! Tang! Ting! Tung!

Two Inquisitors were struck by the flying objects, while the other two managed to block them with their swords.

However, just as they were about to attack the boy, one of the girls suddenly appeared before them.

The girl grabbed the legs of the two Inquisitors, spun their bodies around, and then threw the two armored Knights high into the air.

So...

This was what they called a Cursed Child?

Their magic and physical strength were truly troublesome.

Inquisitor Elvira and I approached the three children this time.

The one with Telekinesis once again controlled the objects scattered throughout the street and directed them toward us.

I drew Excalibur and cut down every object flying toward me.

Not long afterward, I found myself standing directly in front of the boy.

”Stop this! We won’t hurt you if you and your friends come with us!” I said, trying to persuade him.

”You know, a Priest once said the same thing to two of my friends,” the boy revealed. ”But I never saw them again after they accepted the people from the Temple’s invitation. You need to come up with something smarter if you want to fool a child, sir.”

After hearing his answer, my body suddenly rose into the air.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Ugh...

The boy used his power to repeatedly slam my body against the buildings lining the street.

”Uraaaa! Come on, you criminals!”

On the other side, I saw the girl beating the Inquisitors with a massive support beam from a building.

”Keep cornering them! They should suffer Mana Exhaustion soon!” Inquisitor Elvira shouted.

Just as Inquisitor Elvira ordered, we continued advancing toward the three children.

But all this time, only two of the children had been using their abilities.

Was the last child saving her magic for a particular moment?

After nearly half an hour of fighting against us, the boy appeared exhausted.

His Telekinesis was beginning to weaken.

Meanwhile, the super-strong girl had dropped to one knee, apparently lacking the strength to swing the massive support beam anymore.

The Inquisitors and I slowly surrounded the three of them.

Their expressions became increasingly panicked and frightened.

”Don’t come any closer, you bad people!”

”I won’t forgive you if Deana and Runa get hurt!”

However, when the distance between us and the children was only about twenty meters, thick white smoke suddenly filled the area, completely obscuring our vision.

”Cough! Cough! Damn it! Who released this annoying smoke!?” one of the Inquisitors complained angrily.

Besides blocking our vision, the smoke also made it difficult for me to breathe.

I couldn’t stop coughing, and tears constantly filled my eyes.

After some time, the smoke finally began to dissipate.

But so had the three children.

”Damn it! Quickly search for their trail! We can’t let those three Cursed Children escape!”

”Immediately call a Sensor-type Mage from the nearest Magic Tower!”

Did someone help those children escape?

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[Sister Giada POV]

I was shopping at the main market of Grenaut City when I heard a commotion nearby.

At first, I didn’t want to pay attention to it and intended to return to the orphanage.

However, I overheard several guards saying that the commotion had been caused by three children.

I immediately hurried toward the area where the disturbance was taking place.

When I arrived, my worst fears became reality.

In the middle of the city street, Thomas, Deana, and Runa were surrounded by several mages and Knights.

How could they be here!?

Hadn’t I forbidden them from leaving the orphanage?

They were usually obedient children, so why had they disobeyed me this time?

My body went cold when I saw the Knights swinging their swords at Deana.

Fortunately, she possessed physical strength greater than that of even a wild beast.

On the other side, Thomas successfully sent several mages flying after they had continuously fired projectiles at them.

Deana and Thomas were fighting remarkably well...

However, neither of them could perfectly control their powers yet.

A single mistake could cause their abilities to run out of control and injure themselves.

Furthermore, they were in the middle of the city, where a large number of Inquisitors had been stationed because of the dragon attack several days ago.

”Corner those children!”

Several Inquisitors began arriving.

They were elite Knights, far more experienced than ordinary Knights, specifically trained to hunt Heretics like us.

Thomas was already extremely exhausted from continuously using his power, while Deana had stopped swinging the support beam she was holding.

What could I do to help them?

If I entered the battlefield, there was no doubt I would die with this many Inquisitors around.

The Inquisitors began approaching Thomas, Deana, and Runa.

They looked terrified.

Their eyes darted from side to side, but every possible escape route had already been blocked by the Inquisitors.

I bit my lip and clenched my fingers tightly as I watched the children I had raised wear such sorrowful expressions.

I would not allow the happy lives they had finally found to be destroyed by blind zealots like those Inquisitors!

I pulled an object from the pouch I was carrying.

It was an artifact given to me by Joker some time ago.

After activating the artifact in my hand, I threw it toward the group of Inquisitors.

Thick smoke immediately began filling the area.

I held my breath and hurried toward the three children.

”Eh, Sister!”

”Shhh! We need to get out of here quickly! Hold my hand and don’t stop running, understand?” I told the three of them.

I carefully led the children into the city’s alleyways.

Thomas and Runa coughed after inhaling some of the smoke from the artifact I had used earlier.

We continued running.

But when I saw how exhausted Runa had become, I led the three children into an old building so they could rest for a while.

All three children were breathing heavily.

Thomas sat down with his eyes closed.

Deana leaned against a wall.

Runa could only lower her head.

After giving them some time to catch their breath, I turned toward the three children with an angry expression.

”Thomas, Deana, Runa, didn’t I tell you not to leave the orphanage?” I asked coldly. ”Why did you ignore my orders?”

The three children trembled.

They could only remain silent, unable to answer my question.

Good grief...

I knew they were still children and wanted to see and explore places outside the orphanage.

But Thomas and Deana should have known how dangerous it would be if they were discovered by the Inquisitors.

Suddenly, Runa raised her head.

In her hands was a wooden necklace decorated with beautiful carvings.

”Happy birthday, Sister,” Runa said as she handed me the necklace. ”We’re sorry for ignoring your orders. We only wanted to buy you something for your birthday as a thank-you for always taking care of us with patience and love.”

Hearing Runa’s words made all my anger toward the children disappear instantly.

I put the necklace they had given me around my neck.

”Thomas, Deana, come here, my darlings,” I called to the two of them.

I gently placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

”Thank you for this gift. I’m truly very happy to receive it from all of you.”

Hearing the sincerity in my voice, the three children smiled happily.

”But don’t ever do something this dangerous again, okay? I could never forgive myself if something happened to you. Understand?”

All three nodded.

I could only smile at their attempt to surprise me with a birthday present.

They really were good children...

They didn’t deserve a fate like this.

To be hunted and chased like mindless monsters with no feelings at all.

Tap... Tap... Tap...

Suddenly, I heard footsteps.

”Search every corner! They can’t have gone far from this area!”

Hearing those words, the children became frightened again.

I gestured for them to remain silent and control their breathing.

Peering through a hole in the building, I took out a knife from the pouch I was carrying.

I saw them entering the surrounding buildings one by one.

One of the Knights was heading this way.

I prepared myself to kill him.

The moment he opened the door, I rushed forward, stabbed him in the neck, and covered his mouth with my hand.

His body trembled.

He tried to scream, but no sound escaped.

His body then collapsed, causing blood to spread across the floor of the building.

I ordered the children to follow me.

Sooner or later, we would be discovered if we remained here.

After leaving the building, we began sneaking around, careful not to be noticed by the Knights searching the area.

”Hey! One of our men has been killed here!”

”They must be nearby! Quickly, search for them!”

I heard someone shout.

It seemed they had just discovered the body of the Knight I had killed.

”There they are! A woman is with the children!”

I saw a Knight standing on top of a building spot us.

”Runa, Thomas, Deana! Run as fast as you can!” I ordered.

The three children began running.

I glanced behind me and saw four Knights chasing after us.

But the bodies of children and an ordinary woman like me were no match for them.

The Knights quickly began catching up to us.

”Die, Heretic!”

One of the Knights launched an attack.

I blocked it with the knife in my hand.

”Thomas, Deana, Runa! No matter what happens, don’t stop running!” I ordered.

”But what about Sis—”

”I’ll protect you no matter what! Keep running and don’t look back!”

Hearing my command, the three children ran as fast as they could.

Two Knights attempted to chase after them, but I immediately intercepted them and stabbed one of them in the ribs.

”Agghhhh! You damn woman!” the Knight screamed in pain.

”I won’t let you capture these children!”

After taking one of them down, I ran after the children again so I could protect them.

However, more and more Knights began joining the pursuit.

”The Inquisitors are here! Kill the woman and capture the Cursed Children!”

Two Inquisitors quickly caught up with us.

I tried to stop them, but their strength was far beyond mine.

Clang!

My knife was knocked away after clashing with the sword of one of the Inquisitors.

Bam!

My head throbbed violently as he kicked me, sending my body crashing into the wall of a building.

”Quickly, capture the three children!”

No.

I wouldn’t let them hurt the children.

I forced myself to stand, then ran as fast as I could and struck one of the Inquisitors who was chasing them, sending his body flying.

Several Inquisitors then attacked me.

I tried to dodge, but several sword slashes struck my body.

Blood began soaking through my clothes.

My breathing became ragged.

My body was exhausted.

At a time like this, I regretted not having any talent for magic or combat whatsoever.

”You will die for defying our teachings, Heretic!” one of the Inquisitors said.

”I won’t let you take my family away from me again! Even if it makes me an enemy of this entire world, I will always stand by their side!”

Three Inquisitors attacked me.

I used everything I had to dodge their attacks and strike back.

But it was all futile.

The wounds covering my body continued to increase, and my consciousness was beginning to fade.

”Die!”

Suddenly, a mage fired a fireball from the rooftop toward the children.

I immediately ran and leaped in front of them to protect them.

Bomb!

My body blistered as I took the fireball with my back.

I no longer had the strength to stand.

I dropped to both knees, my vision extremely blurry and my breathing becoming increasingly difficult.

”Sister!”

I heard the children’s voices.

No...

Don’t come back here.

Keep running...

It’s over for me.

At the very least, I wanted you to survive.

I wanted you to have a chance to escape while I held these people back.

”Any last words before you face the end of your life, Heretic?”

Suddenly, I felt cold steel pressed against my neck.

Tears began streaming down my cheeks.

I looked toward Runa, Thomas, and Deana as they tried to run back toward me.

Ever since I was little, I had lived with only my brother...

After the Temple authorities took my brother away and killed him, I had been nothing more than a lonely girl.

But after joining this group, I found a new family.

They gave me a place where I wasn’t alone anymore.

They gave me a reason to live.

For ten years, I had taken care of unfortunate children...

I had come to regard all of you as my own younger siblings...

A family that meant everything to me.

”Runa, Thomas, Deana... Everyone...”

I was grateful that I had met all of you.

”Thank you for loving me...”

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[Runa POV]

The world is cruel...

Yet the world is also beautiful at the same time.

We have to find our own happiness in this world filled with suffering and protect it from those who wish to take that happiness away from us.

That was what Sister told me when I first came to the orphanage.

Back then, I didn’t understand what she meant at all...

But the days I spent with Sister, Thomas, Deana, and everyone else gradually made me understand the meaning behind some of her words.

At first, I thought there was no happiness in this world...

In a world where people never accepted me for who I was...

They kept their distance because I was different from them.

But then I met Joker, who told me to search for people who were like me.

In the end, I found happiness in this orphanage.

I met kind people like Sister Giada, Thomas, and Deana, who accepted me for who I was.

For the first time, I was truly grateful that I had been born into this world.

But now, I finally understood the last part of Sister’s words.

There would always be people who tried to take that happiness away from us.

Before my eyes, Sister’s blood-soaked body lay motionless on the ground.

Her head slowly rolled toward me before finally stopping at my feet.

The wooden necklace I had just given her as a birthday present had been shattered by the sword of those evil people.

My lips bled from suppressing the scream of anguish building inside me.

My hands were bleeding because I was clenching my fists so tightly, consumed by the overwhelming rage in my heart.

My eyes burned as tears began streaming down my cheeks.

”YOU MONSTERS! I’LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!”