I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 527: [Event] [Elven Utopian War] [66] Nyrel Loyster

Obviously if Amael was there.

Nyrel Loyster was there as well.

He looked exactly as I remembered myself after Epheraʼs intervention, his posture poised, his green eyes locked onto mine with clear lack of emotions.

I was familiar with that gaze.

Thanks to Ephera, I finally was able to meet peopleʼs gazes directly again, breaking the habit of avoidance. However, the deep-seated distrust I had accumulated after facing betrayals and countless traps was still painfully visible in these green eyes.

Amael chuckled suddenly. ”Why arenʼt you saying anything, Nyr? I thought you were only awkward around girls.”

His jab felt like a direct hit. I groaned, feeling targeted as much should Nyrel there.

The truth was, he wasnʼt entirely wrong. After what happened during middle school-and then again in high school-Iʼd grown awkward around girls. Not because I was shy or nerdy or anything like that, but because I was terrified of repeating those incidents. Both times, my life had been ruined because of a girl.

The same logic extended to guys like Curtis or anyone who reminded me of him. Iʼd made myself invisible, avoided attention, and stuck to my own space. Chloe had been annoyed by my ʼcowardiceʼ, as she put it, but it wasnʼt about being scared-it was about avoiding unnecessary problems.

After my familyʼs death, that avoidance only deepened. I carried it with me into college until I met Ephera. She didnʼt just teach me how to dress or act; she uncovered the part of me Iʼd buried so deep Iʼd almost forgotten it was there.

Nyrel didnʼt bother answering Amael directly. Instead, his gaze was fixed on me, a small, almost disdainful look in his eyes. ”Why should I waste time with someone like him? A useless guy.” ”What did you say?” I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him. ”Save that look for the weaklings of Sancta Vedelia,” Nyrel shot back. His brows furrowed dangerously as he lowered his legs and walked toward me. ”Youʼve been in this world for two damn years yet...”

Once he reached me, he towered over me, much like Nyrel always had. ”...You couldnʼt even manage to find Ephera. What the hell have you been screwing your time on? Pathetic,” he spat. ”I donʼt even know where the hell she is!” I shot back. ”Nihil never told me a damn thing about her whereabouts!”

Nyrel sneered at me. ”I donʼt give a shit about your petty excuses. I know where Ephera is. Youʼve met her. It didnʼt even take me a second to figure it out, yet you-what a joke-you couldnʼt even recognize her. Itʼs honestly laughable.” ”Wait, what-” ”All youʼve done is fight and follow that pathetic script that bastard Nihil laid out for you,” Nyrel interrupted me. ”And what has it gotten you? Following the gameʼs scenario like some brain-dead player? Nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing. Except for Elona Falkronaʼs death.” ”You think you couldʼve done better?” I scoffed. ”Definitely,” Nyrel replied, nodding his head. ”Instead of groveling like some scared pup, you shouldʼve taken Brandonʼs offer and taken Luciferʼs Legacy.” ”...” I was speechless. ”Donʼt give me that pathetic look,” he growled at me. ”Amaelʼs Emotions made you weak. I canʼt believe Iʼm staring at such a sorry version of myself after everything I had gone through.” ”Hey, thatʼs rude,” Amael said, but Nyrel didnʼt so much as glance in his direction. ”If you had accepted Luciferʼs Legacy, you wouldnʼt have lost to anyone,” Nyrel continued. ”Elona Falkrona would still be alive. Sancta Vedelia? Theyʼd have been nothing before us. But here you stand, beaten by a second-rate Sin Holder. What a disgrace.”

I clenched my fists. ”Take Luciferʼs Legacy? Join Brandon Delavoic? You mean the same bastard who killed Aunt Oryanna?” ”Sheʼs not your damn aunt,” Nyrel snapped, grabbing my shirt and pulling me closer, his face inches from mine. ”And if you cared so much about avenging her, youʼd have still taken Luciferʼs Legacy, joined his pathetic organization, and used him until the time was right to kill him. Thatʼs how you take revenge.”

I grabbed his wrist, forcing his hand away from my shirt. ”If I had taken Luciferʼs Legacy, I might have lost control over-” ”No, you wouldnʼt have,” Nyrel snapped. He jabbed a finger in Amaelʼs direction. ”That weakling over there might be emotionally fragile, but Iʼm not. If Leon Grimlock managed to control it, then why the hell couldnʼt I? Why should you fear Lucifer when you wield Wrath? You shouldʼve used him, manipulated him just as much as he wanted to manipulate you. Who cares who dies in the process? As long as your people survive, thatʼs all that matters.”

Amael grimaced at the jab but I looked at Nyrelʼs eyes.

He wasnʼt just angry-he truly believed every word he said. ”You think like me, deep down,” he continued. ”Because unlike that guy who has a Hero fetish, you donʼt rely on borrowed memories. Donʼt let that goody-two-shoesʼ emotions cloud what you know needs to be done.” ”What...what are you saying?” I muttered. ”Whatʼs the difference between that mindset and being just like Edward from the game?” ”Who the fuck cares?” Nyrel barked, shoving me back with enough force to make me stagger. ”Weʼve already lost enough on Earth. Thereʼs no room left to waste strength or feelings on strangers.”

I stood there, speechless.

My thoughts flickered back to that day-the day I almost got myself killed trying to save a drunk man riding a bike. I could still hear Epheraʼs voice, telling me something similar to what Nyrel was saying now. Back then, I didnʼt really understand but Iʼd eventually adopted that mindset. It made life easier, even if others saw it as despicable.

Nyrelʼs voice pulled me back to the present. ”Since youʼve come this far, do what you want, but mark my words-youʼll die like a fool if you keep clinging to this naïve idealism. Michael, Zeus, Hades, Samael, Eden-whoever the hell they are, they need to die. Only then will you ever know a semblance of peace. But the way you are now? You wonʼt accomplish a damn thing. You can keep kissing Persephoneʼs Ring for eternity, but youʼll never see her again. Neither Ephera nor Cleenah will be saved when their time comes.”

With that, he vanished. ”Hey, Nyrel, you didnʼt have to be so hard on him,” he grumbled, clearly stung by the verbal jabs Nyrel had aimed at him. ||||

I remained quiet as I tried to process everything.

But I remembered his words about Ephera. I turned immediately toward Amael. ”Wait, whereʼs Ephera?” I turned toward Amael.

How did they seem to know so much, and I was completely in the dark? They were supposed to be a part of me, werenʼt they?

Amael gave me an amused look. ”Well, the thing is, we are the fully synchronized memories. You, on the other hand, havenʼt synced completely. Weʼre in your deepest consciousness, so something like an instinct-Nyrelʼs instinct-recognized her. But you? You missed it. Of course, you did.” ”Stop with the damn explanations!” I snapped, cutting him off. ”Just tell me where she is! And why the hell didnʼt she recognize me?” ”You want to find Ephera this much but through me, of all people? You really think that is the way to do it? Donʼt you want to find her with your own eyes? I donʼt know her, but Iʼm sure sheʼd be upset if you relied on me.”

I clenched my fists.

I had met her, but I didnʼt even recognize her? Was that really possible? ”Did she... Did she recognize me?” I asked after a long silence.

Amael shrugged slightly with a thoughtful expression. ”She doesnʼt remember you... yet. But

Iʼd say she definitely noticed you, more than anyone else. More than you did with her as well...” ”Right...” I whispered to myself, a small smile creeping up.

Ephera was alive. She was truly alive.

And that, right there, was the confirmation Iʼd been desperately searching for. More than

Nihilʼs words, their words were more trustworthy. ”See that?” Amael suddenly called out to me.

I lifted my gaze, still processing everything. ”What?”

He pointed at me with a knowing grin. ”The happiness you just showed. That little spark. Itʼs obvious—itʼs coming from Nyrelʼs feelings for Ephera. But the raw emotion behind it? Thatʼs all me. Nyrel would never let that kind of feeling show so plainly, especially to strangers.

Thatʼs the difference.” ”What difference?”

Amaelʼs smile widened as he gestured toward my chest. ”You have my emotions mixed in with those ʼborrowedʼ memories of mine. You thought I merged with Nyrel Loyster because of that. ”And Nyrel Loysterʼs memories?” I asked. ”Some of them,” Amael replied. ”But you havenʼt inherited his emotions. Thatʼs the key thing. The reason youʼve been so patient in your search for Ephera, why you care so much about others—itʼs my emotions driving that. Pretty clever of Nihil, donʼt you think?” ”I donʼt understand him...” I scoffed.

Amael gave a small shrug, as though he were equally in the dark about Nihilʼs methods. ”But do you understand who you are right now?”

I hesitated. Amaelʼs ʼborrowedʼ memories, his emotions, Nyrelʼs memories-everything was blending together to form me. But what did that mean? ”You have most of Nyrelʼs memories, but thereʼs something crucial thatʼs missing. Something that happened on Earth, something Nihil erased from your mind along with his emotions. Thatʼs probably why heʼs so wary of you. But I have no idea what it is.” ”I see...” I muttered, still trying to wrap my head around it all.

Why did things have to be so complicated? ”Do you have any questions before we say our farewells now?”

I blinked, a little surprised by the sudden shift. ”Yeah, actually. About your emotions... do they affect my decisions, like when I help people? I mean, what a dumb question, of course they do,” I laughed, shaking my head at myself.

I could see Nyrel, the real Nyrel, never being as altruistic or concerned about others as I had been.

Amael raised an eyebrow, looking amused. ”Worried about your relationships with your women?” ”Well...” I hesitated, not sure how to phrase it. There was that part of me that wondered-if I had just been Nyrel, would I have gotten this close to Layla and the others? Amael seemed to read the hesitation in my voice. ”If it makes you feel better, Iʼm pretty sure

Layla and your three banshees fell for Nyrel Loyster, not me. Honestly, I donʼt think I couldʼve done anything about that. And Cleenah? Yeah, I donʼt think sheʼd be interested in someone like Amael Idea Olphean to begin with,” he added with a grin. ”Am I that boring?”

I didnʼt answer.

I was lost in my thoughts.

Amael continued, tapping his chin thoughtfully. ”As for my little Miranda, Celes, and the rest,

I canʼt say for sure. But if youʼre thinking about adding Alvara to your... wonderful harem, Iʼll tell you this-sheʼs definitely not into the whole ʼcrying Amaelʼ.” ”Fuck off,” I groaned. ”Thatʼs better,” Amael chuckled laughed.

I just groaned. ”Whatever, Iʼm leaving,” I muttered, turning away to walk off. ”Edward.”

That stopped me. The name-Aunt Belle had given it to me.

I glanced back over my shoulder. ”Elona... It wasnʼt your fault,” Amael said, his expression serious, a rare change from his usual teasing demeanor. He had somewhat a sad expression. ”Yeah...” I answered, my voice distant, before my form faded, disappearing into nothingness.