I Am The Game's Villain
Chapter 634 634: [Event] [The Beauty And The Beast] [14] Outsiders

"What are you doing here, Jefer?" Rodolf asked.

Jefer turned his gaze toward Rodolf. "My younger brother skips his assigned duties, brings back three drug addicts to the edge of the castle walls, and not a single word of explanation makes it to me? If anyone should be demanding answers right now, it's me."

Behind him, Roda leaned in closer to me. "What are you doing?" She was clearly uncomfortable with how close I'd gotten.

I released her wrist. "It's Jefer," I muttered under my breath. "That guy's no ordinary one. He's a Monarch—he'll definitely figure out it was you."

I shifted my focus back to the group ahead, eyes scanning the cell as Rodolf started to explain.

"Well…" Rodolf began, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I caught these three with a stash of pills. I figured I'd bring them in and question them—see if I could trace it back to whoever's distributing the stuff."

He was being vague, dancing around the core of it. Not that I blamed him. I was relieved he hadn't just dumped everything out without thinking.

"But…" Rodolf hesitated, glancing inside the dim cell. "Two of them didn't make it."

From where I stood, I could see their crumpled bodies slumped against the wall—lifeless, cold. The two brothers. Dead. The only one left was the last one, curled up and trembling in the far corner.

"What a damn coincidence," I muttered, stepping forward, leaving Roda where she stood.

Jefer's gaze drifted toward me. But I knew—he'd already sensed me long before I made my move.

"Funny, isn't it?" I said, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. "The moment you come back to Fangoria, two of our prisoners—two who might've had valuable answers—just happen to drop dead."

"Oi, Ny—Amael." Rodolf's brows furrowed.

But I wasn't provoking nor was I joking.

"Don't you find that strange?" I asked him, locking eyes with Rodolf.

I wasn't trying to stir trouble—I was stating the obvious, something that had been gnawing at my mind for days now.

Jefer had always seemed… off to me. From the very first time I laid eyes on him, there was something in his silence that set me on edge. Too calm. Too distant. And after I learned he'd been the last person with Connor before the end… Well, that pushed him straight into my crosshairs.

There was something about Connor's death that didn't sit right. Something hidden. And if Jefer had anything to do with it—even indirectly—it meant he could be connected to scum like Behemoth. Maybe worse.

Still, even knowing all this, I couldn't figure out what his game was.

What the hell does he really want?

Jefer didn't even blink at my words.

"An accusation of treason… coming from you, Edward Falkrona? Now that's rich. Don't you think?"

His words didn't carry a trace of anger.

My fists clenched instinctively. I was holding myself back—barely—from confronting him directly about Connor.

But then I saw Rodolf.

He was slowly shaking his head, his eyes silently pleading: Not now.

Damn it.

Jefer's gaze slid to Rodolf for a moment.

"Behave yourselves," he said simply, and without another word, walked past us.

I watched him go, frustration bubbling under my skin.

That bastard… he knows.

He knows exactly what we're doing.

And then I remembered.

Shit—Roda!

I spun around just in time to see her standing face-to-face with Jefer. Well, not quite face-to-face—she was frozen mid-step, staring up at him. Jefer had come to a stop too, his attention now solely on her.

For a moment, no one moved.

She had her mask on, thank the gods. But… did he recognize her anyway?

Her body was trembling—visibly. Shoulders, arms, even her knees. I could see it from where I stood. It was like every part of her was screaming under the surface, barely holding together.

For a split second, I thought she might break. I imagined her stumbling forward, throwing her arms around him, crying out, 'Uncle!' like a lost child finally found.

She'd told me several times Jefer had been a good man, defending him. That she loved him. But for the life of me, I couldn't understand why. He had everything of someone who was plotting in the shadows.

Fortunately after a tense seconds, Jefer's gaze drifted away. He turned without a word and continued walking down the corridor.

"What the hell was that, Nyr?" Rodolf snapped at me.

I turned to him, eyebrows raised. "What?"

"Questioning Jefer like that? Are you out of your mind?"

"I told you already—he's suspicious as hell. And you know it too, Rodolf. You're just too afraid to admit it."

"Suspicious or not, you can't just accuse him like that without proof," he shot back. "And those two guys—they could've died from anything. Drugs mess you up. Heart failure's not impossible."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "Heart failure? Seriously? You think both of them dropped dead from a heart attack, right after Jefer shows up? What a damn coincidence."

Rodolf frowned. "Then explain this—why did he leave the third one alive?" He gestured toward the cell.

I turned my eyes toward the cell door, where the last addict still sat curled in the corner like a kicked dog. His eyes were wide, bloodshot, and filled with dread.

"Open it," I said.

Rodolf did as I asked. and we stepped inside, Roda trailing quietly behind.

"You," I said, walking up slowly.

"N-No!" He whimpered, shrinking into himself.

"I'm not here to hurt you," I said, crouching to meet his eyes. "I just want to know what happened to the other two."

"I… I don't know!" He cried, clutching his head in both hands like he was trying to block out a scream. "I swear—I was sleeping! When I woke up, they were already dead!"

Then suddenly, his voice turned sharp looking at me. "You killed them! You promised—"

"What?" I cut in, my expression hardening.

"Hiii!" He squealed, recoiling further, tears welling up in his eyes. He averted his gaze like a beaten dog, curling tighter into the corner.

"You really expect me to believe you just nodded off while these two dropped dead right next to you?" I asked, snorting in disbelief as my eyes flicked toward the motionless bodies sprawled on the floor.

They didn't look like they'd been attacked. No visible wounds, no signs of a struggle—nothing. Honestly, if you glanced at them quickly, you'd think they'd just collapsed from something like withdrawal or some sudden internal failure. But that explanation didn't sit right with me. It was too clean, too quiet. Too strange.

"I... I don't know," the guy stuttered, curling into himself. "Please... just leave me alone."

He sounded more scared than guilty, trembling in a corner of the cell, hands clenched around his knees.

"I think he really doesn't know anything, Edward," Roda said from behind me.

"Yeah, same. Their deaths are sketchy, but he's clueless," Rodolf added with a shrug.

I kept my eyes on the guy a moment longer, watching the way his shoulders shook, how he wouldn't meet my gaze. Then I sighed and turned away.

"Fine. But you're still taking us to that meetup spot tonight," I told him.

"I will! I promise!" He said quickly.

Without another word, I stepped out of the cell.

"Alright, the plan's still on for tonight. But Rodolf, put some guards here—ones we can actually trust," I said.

Rodolf gave a short nod. "Already thinking that."

With everything settled, we headed back to the museum. The rest of our class had already gathered, likely trying to squeeze some educational value out of the trip. We were supposed to spend the next few hours learning, absorbing knowledge, taking notes—but honestly, my mind was elsewhere. I couldn't care less about ancient artifacts or boring plaques.

The only thing I vaguely paid attention to was the exhibit about Deborah Dolphis. Let's be real—I was going to bomb the written exam that followed this field trip. Not that it mattered since I was going to get banned.

"I'm gonna go find Cylien," Rodolf said, peeling off from our group. "Catch you later."

"Sure," I said absently, watching him walk off. At least someone here had his priorities straight.

Next to me, Roda muttered under her breath, "I still can't believe Uncle and Cylien are a thing…"

"That surprising?" I asked, raising a brow.

She nodded. "Uncle was in love with her. But Cylien has always been into Victor."

"Well, things change," I reminded her, thinking back to the brief explanation Rodolf and I gave her earlier—that this wasn't just romance drama. This was deeper. Reincarnations. Past lives bleeding into present ones. Rodolf remembered being Yanis, and Cylien carried the memories of Marlene.

It influenced Cylien's feelings deeply I suppose.

That's exactly what I was fearing about the authenticity of my feelings toward Celeste.

I quickly shook off the thought and turned to Roda, trying to lighten the mood. "Anyway… what do you say? Want to finish the museum tour?"

She gave me a brief glance before nodding, almost hesitantly. "If I'm not going to be a bother…"

"You're not," I replied. "Honestly, my entire class acts like I'm radioactive. You're the first person to actually talk to me today. Just… might have to steer clear of Elizabeth."

Roda tilted her head, curious. "Why?"

I scratched my cheek and offered a small smile. "Let's just say… I kind of patched things up with her recently, so if she spots me now, she'll definitely come charging."

Roda blinked, her brow creasing slightly. "That's still so weird to me… Even Elizabeth is into you? I mean, it's not like her to fall for guys like… well, like you."

I gave her a flat look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She looked away, almost guilty. "It's just… she used to be the kindest among us. Back in my world."

That made me stop in my tracks.

"Wait, hold up. Elizabeth? Kindest of all?" I nearly choked on a laugh. "You gotta be joking there."

Roda glanced back at me, her expression genuinely puzzled. "Is she not?"

"I mean they don't call her Witch of Valachia for nothing," I said, chuckling.

"Eh?" Roda's steps faltered as she turned to face me, wide-eyed. "But… Selene's the Witch of Valachia. At least, in my world, she is."

That made me pause. "Seriously?"

She nodded.

Well. That was unexpected. Another divergence between her timeline and mine? How many of these little inconsistencies were scattered between our timelines?

I couldn't help but smile looking at her dumbfounded. Every time I mentioned someone different than her timeline, she would react strongly.

We finally reached the museum entrance. I gestured forward. "Any particular exhibit you want to check out?"

"Not really," she said, then threw a glance at me. "But… shouldn't you be studying or something? Don't you have an exam coming up?"

I shrugged like it was nothing. "I'm screwed either way."

She arched an eyebrow and gave me a mischievous look. "So… you're a kind of dunce, then?"

"Absolutely not. If I actually tried, I could easily snag first place. I am literally in competition with guys like Rodolf and Victor."

Roda grimaced. "That so?"

"Yeah. Back on previous world, I was always near the top of my class," I said.

Though Ephera always managed to outrank me.

"Wouldn't your parents be mad about that?" Roda asked.

I paused for a moment. She was talking about Alea—about the ones I had told her were my parents in this world. Technically true… but not entirely. I'd kept things vague on purpose, just enough to deflect. Still, I had a feeling she was starting to sense there was more to the story.

"It's… complicated," I muttered.

Her gaze lingered on me. "Does it have anything to do with you siding with Utopia?"

I let out a chuckle. "Let's just say… it didn't exactly win me any bonus points."

There was a brief silence before Roda spoke again. "You should treasure your family, Edward."

I turned to look at her, surprised by the sudden seriousness in her expression.

"You never know when you'll lose them," she added quietly.

I sighed slowly, then cut her off before she could say more. "Roda… my family is dead."

She blinked. I could see her expression falter slightly.

"My real family," I continued. "My mom, dad, and my little sister. The ones who loved me for who I truly was—they're gone. They died back in my original world. So whatever I have here… whoever claims or not even that anymore to be my family now, they're not the same. In this world, I'm no different from you. Just another outsider tossed into another world."

Roda was quiet. But then, she shook her head slowly. "That's not true. I've seen you. You have friends—people who care about you, who love you. That's enough to make you part of this world, whether you like it or not."

I stared at her for a beat, then let a small smile tug at the corner of my lips. "Then maybe the same goes for you. I don't know what kind of choice you made at my proposal, but if you really wanted to, you could belong too. Rodolf welcomed you without hesitation. You saw that, didn't you?"

She didn't answer, but I continued.

"And even if you still feel like an outsider, like you don't quite fit in… then I'll be there. As your fellow outcast." I gave her a faint grin. "We'll be outsiders together."

Roda stopped walking for a moment. Her back was to me, so I couldn't see her expression, but there was a pause—just long enough to make me wonder if I'd overstepped.

Then, she let out a small laugh. "Is that how you managed to seduce women like Layla and Alvara?"

I laughed. "If words alone were enough for that, then with everything I've just said, you'd have fallen for me already."

Roda scoffed and stepped ahead. "Keep dreaming."

I followed behind her.

Well, at least both of us weren't that tensed for this evening.