I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 832: Disembarking on the Plateform Harbor

“Remind me again, David…”

Thomas Greenvern let out a long sigh as he descended the ship’s staircase.

“…why the hell didn’t we come to Edenis Raphiel earlier?”

David came up beside him, casually scratching the back of his head.

“Don’t drag me into your fantasy of boarding Alfred’s ship,” he scoffed. “I’m perfectly fine with the one we were on.”

Thomas gave him a knowing smile.

“I don’t believe a single word of that.”

He folded his arms as they continued walking.

“You must’ve spent the entire trip fantasizing about sharing a ship with Her Highness, Aurora. When are you finally going to give up, David?”

David didn’t miss a beat.

“I’ll answer that once you answer mine. When are you going to stop obsessing over Alfred? It’s honestly getting embarrassing.”

Thomas shot him a sharp glare.

“You dare insult the Crown Prince?”

“See?” David scoffed. “Even now you’re defending him instead of denying anything.” He shook his head. “No wonder everyone thinks you’re gay for Alfred.”

“I am engaged, you bastard!”

Thomas snapped, glaring at him.

“Sure.”

David nodded with complete seriousness.

“A perfect cover.”

Thomas stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a dry laugh.

“You’re a real piece of shit, David.”

He smirked.

“But at least I actually have someone.”

David clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Before he could think of a comeback, an irritated voice cut straight through their argument.

“God…”

Both men turned around.

Rubina was making her way down the staircase behind them, looking truly fed up.

She lowered the sunglasses resting on top of her head onto her eyes before glancing toward the servants carrying her luggage.

“Hey!”

She pointed at several large suitcases being unloaded.

“Be careful with those!”

Her voice echoed across the dock.

“Those are my belongings.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“They’re worth more than your entire lifetime’s wages.”

The two Scarlett household knights carrying them immediately stiffened.

“M-My apologies, Lady Scarlett!”

They bowed repeatedly before becoming noticeably more careful with every piece of luggage.

Rubina simply shook her head.

“Honestly…”

Without another glance, she continued walking as though the entire harbor belonged to her.

David watched her disappear into the crowd before grimacing.

“…How the hell does Eric deal with a sister like that?”

Thomas let out an amused snort.

“Tell me about it.”

He shook his head.

“I already thought my own sister was difficult.”

He glanced toward Rubina.

“But she’s on an entirely different level.”

David frowned thoughtfully.

“I don’t remember her being this troublesome when she was little.”

Thomas laughed.

“Then your memory’s worse than I thought. She was already a pain back then.”

His smile faded slightly.

“Then she got sick.”

For a brief moment, his expression softened.

“You’d think something like that would’ve humbled her. She somehow came back even worse.”

“Instead of talking shit about my sister…”

A familiar voice suddenly growled behind them.

“…how about you two start walking, you assholes?”

Thomas and David both turned around.

Eric stood there, glaring at the pair.

Thomas merely scoffed.

“Touchy as always.”

Without another word, he continued toward the gathering crowd.

David, on the other hand, simply gave Jeanne a polite nod as he walked past.

“Lady Jeanne.”

Jeanne returned the greeting with a small nod of her own.

Eric watched both men leave before letting out a tired sigh.

His eyes drifted toward Rubina, who was now confidently striding across the harbor as if she personally owned every stone beneath her feet.

“…She’s going to give me gray hair before I’m thirty.”

“Hey, guys!”

Jayden’s cheerful voice echoed from nearby.

“There you are!”

He jogged over with Milleia and Tyler close behind him.

“The airship’s ready.”

“We don’t want to miss seeing who the Saintess is, right?” Tyler said excitedly.

Eric blinked.

“…We already know who the Saintess is.”

Tyler froze.

“…What?”

His eyes widened.

“Really?!”

“There was a private ceremony at the Holy Church,” Milleia explained patiently.

“Only a handful of people outside the Church were invited.”

She smiled awkwardly.

“The royal family was among them.”

Tyler looked completely horrified.

“…What?”

His jaw slowly dropped.

“And I wasn’t invited?!”

He looked genuinely offended.

“They don’t invite idiots to the Saintess’s enthronement,” Eric replied.

“Come on!”

He pointed accusingly at the others.

“They could’ve at least invited Jayden and Milleia!”

At those words…

Jayden quietly looked away.

Milleia did exactly the same.

Tyler’s confident expression slowly crumbled.

“…N-No way…”

He looked back and forth between the two of them.

“T-Tyler…we couldn’t just refuse…” Milleia said with an awkward smile.

“Then why are you guys even coming today…?”

Tyler looked between Jayden and Milleia, still visibly confused.

Jayden shrugged.

“Well, the ceremony was pretty brief, and we had to arrive in Edenis Raphiel in advance anyway. We weren’t exactly going to show up on the actual day of the Entrance Ceremony. Since we were already planning to come early, we might as well have arrived around the time of the Saintess’s world reveal. Though, personally, I’m here mostly to accompany my sister and my parents. They haven’t seen the Saintess yet, so they’ll be attending today.”

“Oh…”

Tyler’s shoulders dropped slightly.

“I just wanted everyone to see the Saintess together.”

He sounded disappointed by the fact that he had missed out on the private ceremony.

Jayden couldn’t help laughing.

“Well, if you want, we can at least try to see the Prophetess for the first time together.”

Tyler immediately looked up.

“The Prophetess?”

“Yeah.”

Jayden grinned.

“Although I doubt she’ll actually be here today. But she’ll be attending the academy with us, so we’ll have plenty of chances to see her.”

“The Prophetess…”

Tyler’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“You mean the white-haired woman who looks like a goddess?”

None of them had actually stood directly in front of the Prophetess yet.

They had seen her several times, though.

Or rather, they had seen her image.

Since Celeste’s identity had been revealed to the world, her appearance had been projected onto enormous screens throughout the capital and other major cities.

Her face had become impossible to miss.

But seeing an image projected onto a screen was obviously nothing compared to standing before the real person.

“Yes, yes.”

Milleia chuckled.

“Her name is Celeste.”

A new voice interrupted them.

Amelia had approached alongside John, who was holding her hand.

She smiled proudly.

“And she’s my best friend.”

Tyler’s eyes widened.

“The Prophetess is your best friend?!”

He immediately stepped closer to Amelia, practically invading her personal space in his excitement.

John’s expression darkened.

Tyler noticed the glare.

He stopped.

Then took a small step backward.

“She is,” Amelia confirmed, apparently oblivious to how intimidating John was looking at him.

She smiled warmly.

“We’ve spent a lot of time together. I’ve known Celeste since we were children.”

Her expression became nostalgic.

“John knows her too. He actually attended the same academy as her for a year.”

Tyler’s attention immediately snapped toward John.

“Is that true, John?!”

“Something like that.”

John’s answer was vague.

Tyler stared at him in disbelief.

“Something like that?!”

He approached again, though this time he made sure to remain safely outside John’s personal space.

“You were classmates with the Prophetess!”

John sighed.

“Yes.”

Tyler’s face lit up.

“Then do you think you can get us some privileges through her?”

John stared at him.

“What kind of privileges?”

“Prophecies duh!”

Tyler’s eyes sparkled.

“Can you get her to give us one? Just one! Imagine getting a prophecy directly from the Prophetess!”

“Why would she waste one of her prophecies on an idiot?”

“John…”

Amelia immediately grabbed his arm.

She gave him a reproachful look.

John merely shrugged.

“What? I’m not wrong.”

Amelia sighed.

She had long since learned that arguing with John whenever Tyler was involved was often pointless.

Instead, she turned toward Tyler with a more reassuring smile.

“I can ask Celeste.”

Tyler froze.

“…Really?”

“Sure.”

Amelia nodded.

“If you really want to meet her, I can ask her but I am not sure about the Prophecies.”

“That would be awesome!”

Tyler’s disappointment from earlier vanished instantly.

“Thanks, Amelia!”

Eric, who had been listening to the entire exchange from nearby, shook his head with amusement.

“Why are you so obsessed with the Saintess and the Prophetess?”

Tyler looked at him as though the answer should have been obvious.

“Because they’re chosen by Eden!”

He pointed toward Jayden and Milleia.

“Just like them!”

Jayden blinked.

“Why are you pointing at us?”

“Because you guys are Heroes!” Tyler answered immediately. “I want to see the Saintess and the Prophetess, but I also want to see the Apostle of Nihil and the Priestess!”

His excitement only seemed to increase as he listed them.

“I want to see how strong all of them are. My grandpa told me this generation is blessed since we are all young and of the same range of ages.”

Eric gave him a doubtful look.

“Well you can see The Apostle of Nihil, maybe.”

He continued walking.

“But I don’t think anyone is going to let you anywhere near the Priestess.”

Tyler’s expression immediately fell.

“Why not?”

Eric didn’t even turn around.

“Because unlike the Saintess and Prophetess, Edenis Raphiel has gone out of its way to keep the Priestess hidden.”

John had already had enough of Tyler’s fantasies.

He moved ahead as well, gently tightening his grip around Amelia’s hand and pulling her along with him.

Amelia smiled at him.

John didn’t need to say anything.

She knew exactly what he was thinking.

Still, perhaps John couldn’t completely blame Tyler for being so fascinated.

The people carrying those titles weren’t simply famous.

They were closer to living legends.

Heroes were already celebrities on a worldwide scale, but the Saintess, Prophetess, Apostle of Lumen, Apostle of Nihil, and Priestess represented something even greater.

They were individuals directly connected to the powers worshipped by billions.

The moment Celeste’s identity as the Prophetess had been revealed, the reaction had been extraordinary.

Her appearance alone had caused an enormous increase in worship surrounding Eden. There was something almost unnatural about the way she looked, especially combined with the divine aura she naturally gave off.

To many people, she didn’t even look like an ordinary human being.

She looked like the physical embodiment of a goddess.

Her reveal had therefore become one of the biggest events the world had seen in years.

And then came the Saintess.

Naturally, her reveal had created another worldwide sensation.

Everyone wanted to see the other woman chosen by Eden.

Everyone wanted to know what she looked like, what kind of person she was, and what kind of power she possessed.

The Priestess, however, was an entirely different matter.

She had been chosen long ago.

Yet Edenis Raphiel had revealed practically nothing about her.

Not even much information about her background.

“Do you think the Priestess is even going to attend the academy?”

Eric lowered his voice as he and John walked a little farther ahead of the others.

John glanced at him.

“Why are you the one asking me that? I’ve nearly forgotten everything about this game already. I barely remember the little I knew in the first place.”

Eric scoffed.

“Don’t act like I remember everything either.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets.

“More than fourteen years have passed since I recovered my memories from Earth. You think even Einstein would remember every single detail after that long?”

John couldn’t really argue with that.

“Didn’t you write down the important events?”

“I did.”

Eric nodded.

“But don’t expect it to be complete. I wrote down what I thought was important at the time. There are plenty of things I probably forgot, and even more that I never bothered recording.”

“That’s fine.”

John shrugged.

“As long as we have something to work with. Besides, we don’t even know if any of it is going to be useful.”

Eric frowned.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“The timeline doesn’t match.”

John’s expression became more serious.

“The Third Game was supposed to happen roughly a year and a few months after the end of the Second Game.”

He glanced ahead.

“But we’re already almost two years past that point.”

Eric’s expression gradually changed as he understood what John meant.

“You’re right. Things might not unfold exactly the same way anymore.”

John sighed.

“Even if we remember what happened in the game, there’s no guarantee that those events are still going to happen in the same order. We’ve already changed too much.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Eric rubbed his chin.

“We’ll just have to see what happens with the first major event.” He shrugged. “If what we remember actually lines up, then we can start trusting the information a little more. But even then…”

He looked toward John.

“We can’t rely entirely on the game.”

“Yeah,” John nodded. “So try to actually be useful this time.”

Eric’s face immediately twisted.

“How many own goals are you planning to score today?”

He snorted.

“I remember how incredibly useful you were during the First Year Game. You spent practically the entire time threatening Alfred.”

“He deserved it.”

“Sure,” Eric grinned.

“And you want to talk about being useful?”

John shot him a look.

“At least I was there later on while you ran away from the Second Game.”

Eric’s expression became more serious.

“I chose my family.”

He glanced toward the people behind them.

“And now my family is going to be at Edenis Raphiel.” His eyes hardened slightly. “So I have no intention of hiding this time.”

“Right.” John nodded, glancing briefly at Jeanne over his shoulders. “You have two sisters now. Good for you.”

“Shut up.”

Eric immediately looked annoyed again.

A few steps behind them, Amelia and Jeanne had been walking together.

Amelia had heard enough of their conversation to understand that the two men were, as usual, arguing over something.

She smiled faintly.

“They’re getting along pretty well, aren’t they?”

Jeanne followed her gaze.

She nodded lightly.

“Yeah.”

Her eyes remained on the two men.

There was something almost strange about seeing John and Eric like this.

They were constantly bickering.

They insulted each other.

Yet somehow, they seemed comfortable together.

Jeanne’s expression became more thoughtful.

She gave John a peculiar look.

It had been about a year since Eric had finally revealed the truth about him.

John was a reincarnator.

An Earthling in his previous life.

He had been the second reincarnated person Jeanne had met after Eric.

At first, the revelation had been difficult to process.

Not because John behaved strangely.

Actually, that was the strangest part.

He seemed completely normal.

He didn’t act like someone who had lived another life on an entirely different world.

When Eric had eventually been given permission to tell her the truth, Jeanne had spoken with John briefly about his past life. She hadn’t interrogated him or asked too many questions, but she had been curious about Earth and what his life had been like there.

Since then, she had gradually become more comfortable around him than others.

Still, there was one thing that bothered her.

She had been excluded from the plans concerning the so-called “Third Game.”

Eric and John had been keeping her away from most of it.

According to Eric, there was a simple reason.

She was the Hero of Celesta.

Her existence attracted too much attention.

The moment she appeared somewhere, people noticed.

The moment she became involved in something important, the situation became more complicated.

They wanted her to focus on her role as a Hero, allowing her to act when they specifically needed her while keeping her away from the dangerous parts of their plans.

Jeanne understood their reasoning.

She really did.

But understanding didn’t mean she liked it.

She didn’t want to spend her time being nothing more than a symbol.

She didn’t want to stand in front of crowds while people applauded her, smiling and waving because she was the Hero of Celesta.

She wanted to actually help.

She wanted to know what was happening.

She wanted to have a role in deciding what came next instead of simply being told where to stand when they needed her.

Unfortunately, Eric had been stubborn about it.

And John hadn’t exactly disagreed with him. Rather she suspected it was John’s idea to begin with to keep her out of their plans and Eric obviously caring for

Jeanne gladly accepted the plans.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Amelia spoke.

“Lady Jeanne seems pretty close to Eric.”

Jeanne blinked before looking at her.

Amelia was smiling warmly.

“Please, just call me Jeanne.”

She glanced toward Eric.

“And yes…”

A small smile appeared on her face.

“He’s a good friend.”

“I see.”

Amelia nodded. Looked liked she had misunderstood their relationship as well.

Jeanne couldn’t really blame her.

From a distance, she and Eric probably did seem unusually close.

“I would’ve asked you to rely on me as well if you ever needed help,” Amelia continued.

Her expression became a little apologetic.

“But unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend Edenis Raphiel.”

She placed a hand gently over her stomach.

Jeanne’s eyes immediately dropped toward the small swell beneath Amelia’s clothes.

Only now did she properly take notice of it.

Her expression changed slightly.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty,” Amelia replied.

Jeanne’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

It was a small reaction, barely noticeable, but Amelia caught it immediately.

“In your world, is it different?” Amelia asked.

Jeanne nodded.

“Marriage usually happens later. Children too.”

She thought about it for a moment before continuing.

“Most people wait because of their studies, and then there’s work and everything else. A lot of people simply can’t afford to have children early in their lives.”

“I see.”

Amelia nodded thoughtfully.

“It’s understandable.”

Her hand returned to her stomach, gently resting over the small swell.

“I just chose to have a child early because we have everything necessary to raise and educate one properly.”

She smiled.

“And because John, my mother, and my brother all insisted.”

Jeanne gave her a curious look.

Amelia said it so casually, but there was something about her expression that made it obvious she wasn’t unhappy with the decision.

If anything, she looked genuinely happy.

Jeanne nodded slowly.

Amelia was a Princess, after all.

The differences between their worlds were impossible to ignore.

On Earth, Jeanne had known that early marriages and pregnancies had been common in medieval societies. Girls could be married while still very young and expected to have children soon afterward, though much of it had been dictated by family expectations, political alliances, and simple necessity.

But Amelia’s situation didn’t feel like that.

She might have said that her family had insisted.

She might have admitted that John had pushed her toward keeping the child.

Yet there was no resentment in her voice.

No feeling that she had been forced into something she didn’t want.

Jeanne could see it whenever Amelia spoke about her pregnancy.

She was happy.

Truly happy.

“Since you’re the Hero of Celesta,” Amelia suddenly said, bringing Jeanne out of her thoughts, “you shouldn’t be too shy about things like that.”

She smiled.

“I mean, Jeanne.”

Jeanne blinked.

“Enjoy what you’ve been given.”

“Enjoy…”

Jeanne repeated the word quietly.

She wasn’t sure she understood what Amelia meant.

Her life hadn’t changed as dramatically as people might have expected after becoming the Hero of Celesta.

Of course, there were differences.

She had access to considerably more money now than she ever had before, and there were countless things she could obtain simply because of her status.

But even on Earth, Jeanne’s family had been wealthy enough that she had never really wanted for anything.

Her parents had been able to give her whatever she needed.

And Jeanne had never been the kind of person to ask her father for extravagant things anyway.

If anything, she had preferred spending what she had on other people.

Whenever she went out to eat with friends, she would often be the one paying. The same happened when they went to the cinema or did something together.

It wasn’t because she particularly enjoyed spending money.

She just liked being able to do something for the people around her.

It made her feel as though she was contributing something.

As though she had a place among them.

Though, looking back…

There hadn’t actually been that many people she had been truly close to.

Eric was probably the only person her age with whom she had developed a genuinely deep bond.

And even that relationship was different.

He was her stepbrother.

The others were different.

Curtis had known her since high school and had eventually become part of the same group she spent time with.

Sharon and Felix had come later, during college, when they had joined the same circle.

They were friends.

At least, Jeanne considered them friends without knowing the real meaning behind it.

But she couldn’t honestly say that she had been particularly close to any of them.

They had eaten together.

They had gone out together.

They had spent time together because they happened to be part of the same group.

But there had never been anything that made Jeanne think they truly understood each other.

Not in the way she had grown to understand Aurora.

That was perhaps the strangest thing.

She had known Aurora for less time than she had known Curtis, Sharon, or Felix.

Yet somehow, she had become much closer to her.

Aurora was simply… different.

Jeanne had never felt uncomfortable around her.

She never felt like she needed to watch what she said or carefully consider every reaction.

Even though Aurora was a Princess, Jeanne didn’t feel intimidated by her.

And Sylvia was much the same.

There was a strange comfort in their presence.

Jeanne could simply be herself around them.

Unfortunately, Aurora’s position made spending time together difficult.

She was a Princess, after all.

Her responsibilities alone were enough to keep her busy, and on top of that, she was the fiancée of Prince Rythvel Arvatra.

There were duties, ceremonies, political matters, and countless other things that Jeanne knew she couldn’t expect Aurora to simply abandon whenever she wanted to spend time together.

So their opportunities to meet had become increasingly rare.

Especially during these past two years.

Jeanne’s expression became slightly more distant.

Those two years had been difficult.

Much more difficult than she had ever imagined when she first arrived in this world.

Sometimes she wondered how different things might have been if Eric hadn’t been there.

Would she have adapted?

Would she have been able to carry the title of Hero of Celesta without eventually breaking beneath it?

She didn’t know.

Perhaps she would have.

Perhaps she wouldn’t.

But Jeanne knew one thing.

Having Eric beside her had made those two years bearable. At last now, she became used to her life in this new world.