Villain's Odyssey: Enslaving heroines, Conquering Villainesses
Chapter 53: Theory

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Theory

From the moment Asher realized he possessed an alter ego, his first thought was simple: ’How did that version of myself hide from the system?’

As far as he knew, the ego was definitely doing something that contradicted what the system was making him do. In fact, his whole theory was that he himself was the alter, and that other entity was the original. Since there were hidden memories he didn’t know about, and the fact that he had ether but was denied its use, that only meant THAT version of himself was aware of the system coming into play and what the goddess would do. It was also trying to keep things in accordance with the game by maintaining Azalea as he was supposed to be—etherless.

So him not possessing memories of THAT version of himself was probably to keep the goddess and the system unaware of THAT version’s existence, and...

’Keep things as they were meant to be.’ Yes, he had a feeling THAT version of himself had done this more than once. It was the only explanation. For it to know that the system would exist—unlike in the original game—only meant it had gone through this scenario multiple times. And this was the basis of his suspicion.

Knowing himself, someone who wouldn’t be able to trust anyone given his life as Noel and what would eventually happen with Isabella, it was safe to say that version of himself would act just like he was acting toward this entity. It would find a way to keep entities like the goddess and the one within him unaware of his actions.

’The bind.’

That blessing—it was probable that THAT version of himself had found an ability that could shield it from these omniscient entities whenever it took control. So that was probably why the entity wasn’t able to ’see’ him in that illusionary world. There was the possibility that THAT ability had kicked in, but then... why? Why had it activated at that moment?

If the bond was anything like his slave-binding ability, then he would have had to think of it first, but he didn’t. So perhaps it was pre-programmed?

Asher sighed mentally. At this point, he was running in circles. He had no tangible basis, and there was a chance all his deductions were off the mark. However, all possibilities pointed toward this theory.

Well, he wouldn’t overthink it for now, but there was another thought that emerged... What if, among those people dressed in black, there was someone [Bound] to him? Yes, that was a major possibility. There was a chance that person was the trigger.

’Was it the waiter? Perhaps.’

Why was he sure it was a woman? Well, that was because he knew himself. Even as Azalea, the only person he trusted—even though it wasn’t fully—was Isabella. Yes, it was stupid considering what happened in his past life, but he still did it. Perhaps because, in a dark part of his mind, he always knew that once you were able to control the heart of a woman, the chances of betrayal were slimmer... Or perhaps his self as Azalea just wanted to let himself go, flow with the script as had happened with the game.

Thinking about it now, it was foolish. Why was he so obsessed with Isabella? He always knew she would betray him, just like she did in the game, so why did he—?

Wait. Perhaps that was the objective of THAT version of himself. It wanted him to follow the script.

’This is getting complicated.’ He frowned inwardly. The more he thought about it, the more his mind spiraled deeper and deeper. He wanted to stop thinking about it before the entity got suspicious of his lack of ’thoughts,’ but he had a feeling he was onto something.

He finally just let it go. It was too early to force answers. He would eventually figure it all out.

"What are we doing here?" he finally asked after a while of silence.

"Buying my medicine," Natalia replied simply.

’Of course.’ This was also something that happened in the game. This so-called ’medicine’ was later discovered to be the cause of her condition.

’I’ll think of a way to use that to my advantage,’ he thought calmly.

"Ugh," he groaned and forced himself to sit up from the plush couch they’d been resting on.

"Just rest a little more," she said with gentle concern, but he ignored her protest and shook his head.

"There’s no time for that." He needed to head back to the academy. He was yet to see his dorm room, and he didn’t even know who his roommate might be.

"Miss, it’s ready," came a voice from ahead. They looked up to see a guy arriving with a package. Natalia nodded and collected the payment device, which already had her card inserted.

"Okay." She input her pin, then recovered her card. Quickly but gently, Asher helped her back into her wheelchair. "We’re good to go, right?" he asked.

As the attendant walked away with the transaction confirmed, he took a moment to commit this place into his memory.

She bit her lip slightly before nodding. It was obvious she wanted to ask him some questions—perhaps regarding what had happened in that illusionary world—but he didn’t have time for that. For now, he had successfully created a relationship with her. It was still just barely above acquaintance and leaning toward friendship. He would work on developing it further, but not now.

"Yes, we can go."

As they made their way back toward the teleportation zone, Asher’s mind continued to churn with possibilities. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together, but the full picture remained frustratingly out of reach. One thing was certain, though—nothing in this academy would be as simple as he wanted it to be.

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A/N- Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation! Also, if you have enjoyed the story so far perhaps you can try dropping a review, the author would appreciate that, thanks!

Villain, out!