I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 873: A Not-so-lucky Moment For Edward

(Master, they were Princess Aurora and Princess Sylvia.)

[Jeanne was also present, Master. According to my data, she was once your classmate.]

"I am not blind," Edward replied as he stepped into the elevator. "And remind me exactly how much data you possess about my life?"

(Everything Queen Goddess Cleenah deemed necessary for us to serve you, Master.)

Edward pressed the button for the lower floor.

"A great deal of useless information, then."

[Should you not have said something to them, Master? I do not believe you hold any grudge against those three.]

"No grudge," Edward said shortly.

Then he added:

"And nothing else either."

There was simply nothing for him to discuss with them.

Edward had never been someone who enjoyed pointless conversation. He had no desire to approach Aurora, Sylvia, or Jeanne merely because they had once been part of his life. Their paths had crossed before, but that did not mean they needed to continue crossing now.

The elevator began descending.

(It seems Jeanne did not recognize you, however, Master.)

Edward was not surprised.

They had attended school together when he had been seventeen. The next time he had seen Jeanne, he had already become an adult, changed greatly, and met her only once.

Since then, his body had gone through even more changes.

Cleenah had altered him in ways no ordinary person could ignore. His black hair had turned silver. His green eyes had become silver. His skin, features, and presence were no longer those of Nyrel, the boy Jeanne had known on Earth.

There was no reason for her to recognize him.

Edward had learned from Layla that Jeanne was now Celesta’s summoned Hero.

When he first heard it, he had been surprised.

Then annoyed.

Of all the people on Earth, Jeanne had been chosen.

There were more than eight billion people in the world, yet Nihil, or whoever had truly decided the identities of the summoned Heroes, had chosen people Edward knew personally.

Jeanne.

Felix.

Sharon.

Curtis.

It was almost as though someone had deliberately searched through Edward’s memories and selected the people most likely to bring back unpleasant parts of his past.

It seemed they were determined to irritate him until the very end.

Regardless, Edward had no intention of revealing himself to Jeanne.

There was no point.

And there was no reason.

"Good," Edward said simply.

The longer Jeanne and the others remained unaware of who he had once been, the easier things would be for him.

It would spare him an unnecessary headache.

Still, he did not believe it would last forever.

Jeanne had looked at him for too long.

There had been something suspicious in her eyes.

She had noticed something.

(I thought Master was close to Lady Jeanne, however.)

"You think far too many useless things," Edward replied.

The elevator doors opened.

He stepped out onto the women’s floor, intending to find Samara, Tihana, Lunishia, Tessara, and the others.

His relationship with Jeanne had never gone particularly far.

But at one point, it had begun well.

Surprisingly well, perhaps.

Jeanne had never been someone who spoke much. She was quiet, observant, and reserved around most people, despite she was very famous in the school because she was both rich and very beautiful. Nyrel had become much the same after the incident in middle school. He had withdrawn further from others, avoided friendships, and tried to keep his distance from relationships whenever possible.

He did not want to repeat the same mistakes.

Yet somehow, he and Jeanne had found common ground.

They were alike in certain ways.

Neither of them needed constant conversation. Neither of them pushed for attention. They could exist in the same space without forcing words that did not need to be spoken.

If Edward was honest, he had liked her back then.

Not really love.

But he had liked her.

A small teenager’s crush maybe.

Jeanne was different from Sharon, who had been far more assertive and direct with him. Jeanne did not seem to openly like Nyrel in the same way. Perhaps she had only been curious about him. Perhaps she had been interested.

Perhaps she had simply been kind.

Nyrel had never truly known.

Then Curtis became involved.

Curtis had clearly held strong feelings for Jeanne, and whether he meant to or not, he had destroyed whatever connection had begun to form between Nyrel and Jeanne.

Nyrel would have been fine simply remaining friends with her.

But Curtis made that impossible.

Eventually, both Jeanne and Nyrel understood without needing to say it aloud. Staying close would only create more problems. It would make things harder for everyone involved.

So they kept their distance.

Not long after, Nyrel’s parents died.

And after that, he did not see Jeanne for four years.

Not until the incident at the restaurant.

Looking at her now, Edward realized she appeared to be barely older than the Jeanne he remembered from that meeting.

That could mean she had been summoned shortly afterward.

Or perhaps she had been summoned around the same time as Nyrel’s last months on Earth.

The timeline was confusing, as Edward had expected.

Earth and Eden’s world did not follow the same rules.

Their space, time, and natural order were fundamentally different. Events that occurred within a short period on Earth might correspond to years in Edenis Raphiel, or the opposite. There was no simple way to measure the difference, especially when gods, divine realms, and beings like Nihil had the power to interfere with reality itself though there were limitations and consequences.

At the same time, Earth seemed far more fragile.

It was a world without the same defenses, mana, or powerful races that existed here. Manipulating it appeared easier for those capable of reaching it.

Still, Earth was not defenseless.

It was in capable hands.

As Edward thought about it further, another possibility came to mind.

Perhaps the Heroes had been chosen from his surroundings because they wanted to control the consequences of his disappearance. The void and the alterations caused by his removal from Earth, along with what had happened with Ephera, might have created instability.

Choosing people connected to him could have kept that circle contained.

Him being both the Avatar of Wrath and the Aithra already was enough to even influence those around him without their own awareness after all.

Edward pushed the thoughts aside.

There was nothing he could do about it now.

He stopped walking for a moment.

People on the women’s floor were staring at him.

Especially the women.

Without his hood, Edward was far too noticeable. His silver hair and pale features attracted attention immediately, and his unusual eyes only made people look longer. A number of customers had stopped pretending they were not watching him.

Some whispered to one another.

Others simply stared.

Edward groaned inwardly.

Then he resumed walking, searching for Samara and the others.

He only hoped the entire Celesta group had not gathered somewhere on this floor as well. Aurora, Sylvia, and Jeanne were already enough of an unexpected encounter for one day.

"Dad!"

Tihana’s voice rang out.

Before Edward could react, she ran toward him and hugged him from the side.

"Tihana."

Edward looked down at her, patting her hair.

Then he noticed that Orlin and Olga were missing.

Lunishia and Tessara stood nearby, while Samara was approaching from behind them.

"Olga and Orlin are downstairs," Samara explained.

Edward nodded.

"Have you selected your clothes?" Samara asked.

"Maybe," Edward replied. "But it will still take several hours upstairs."

He looked at her.

"Once you are finished here, choose a private room beside ours."

Samara nodded.

"Come on, Dad," Tihana said.

She looked up at him with a bright smile.

"How about you choose clothes for Samara? She has not picked a single dress."

Edward glanced at Samara.

"You do not like anything here?" He asked.

Samara was not someone who enjoyed flashy clothes, but Crown and Silk had enough styles that Edward assumed there would be at least a few things she liked.

"That is not it," Tihana said before Samara could answer. "Samara would prefer if you chose her dresses."

"Tihana..." Samara called out embarrased.

Her cheeks turned faintly red.

Edward looked at her for a moment.

Then he held out his hand.

"If that is all you want."

Samara’s eyes widened slightly.

"I have time to spare," Edward added.

"But Layla..."

"Layla is busy choosing her own dress," Edward replied.

Then he looked back toward Tihana.

"Stay with Lunishia and Tessara."

"Yes!"

Tihana smiled brightly.

She seemed more excited for Samara than Samara herself.

"Will they be alright?" Samara asked.

She hesitated as she took Edward’s hand, her fingers shyly closing around his.

He had sent her to watch over the others in the first place.

"Only for a short while," Edward said. "It will not take long."

Then he gently pulled her along.

Samara followed him.

A small smile appeared on her face, and the faint flush on her cheeks became more visible.

"Let me guess," Edward said as they moved through the displays. "Dark colors. No symbols. No ornaments."

"Yes," Samara replied quietly.

Edward began helping her choose clothes.

Since she wanted him to decide, he took the lead. But he still paid attention to Samara’s reactions, watching whether she liked the fabric, the cut, and the colors before adding anything to the wheeled shopping box.

After years beside her, Edward knew her taste well enough.

Samara preferred simple clothes.

She liked dark colors: black, deep blue, gray. She disliked anything too revealing, too bright, or too heavily decorated. She valued comfort, practicality, and clothing that allowed her to move without feeling exposed but they must remain pretty for his eyes as expected.

It made choosing for her surprisingly easy.

Within twenty minutes, the shopping box was already full.

Samara looked at the growing collection of clothes inside.

"Is that not too much?" She asked.

"Not for you," Edward replied.

Then he continued looking through another rack.

Samara’s cheeks became warmer.

"Nyr..."

Samara stopped walking.

Edward turned toward her.

"I should try these on before we choose anything else," she said.

The shopping box was already full, after all.

Edward nodded.

He looked around until he found the dressing cabins near the back of the floor.

He walked with Samara toward them.

The cabins stood along a narrow private corridor, each one separated by dark wooden walls and fitted with mirrored doors. Several small benches had been placed outside for people waiting while friends or family tried on outfits.

Samara entered one of the cabins.

Edward remained outside.

But standing alone in the open store was beginning to draw even more attention. Customers glanced at him far too often, and he had no interest in becoming the center of conversation again.

So he walked into the corridor between the fitting cabins.

"Samara," he called as he moved farther in.

"Nyr," came her quiet voice from behind one of the doors.

Edward stopped when he recognized where she was.

Then he sat down on the bench directly across from her cabin and waited.

"Take your time," Edward said. "Do not rush because of me."

Then, without seeming to care about the curious looks gathering around him, he lay fully across the bench outside the fitting cabins.

He crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.

Samara gave a small hum from inside the cabin.

(Are you planning to choose clothes for everyone, Master?)

’Let us not exaggerate.’

Edward had helped Samara because she was a special case.

If the others directly asked him to choose for them, he might accept. But the others had already filled their shopping boxes almost completely, and they were still wandering through the women’s floor.

They clearly did not need his help.

Besides, Edward was not in any real hurry. Considering Layla’s enthusiasm upstairs, he doubted they would leave Crown and Silk before late afternoon.

And choosing clothes for his family was not something he did every month.

It was rare.

Perhaps that was why, despite everything, he did not mind spending time like this.

If anything, it was relaxing.

He would have preferred it without the irritating stares from people passing through the corridor. But he could do nothing about that without causing more attention, so he simply ignored them.

[Master, Samara is calling you.]

Edward opened his eyes.

Samara’s voice had been quiet as always.

She was normally calm and soft-spoken, but today, being alone with Edward while he chose clothes for her had made her even more shy than usual. Her voice had become so faint that it was nearly impossible to hear over the sounds of the store.

Edward found it only adorable though.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

He stood from the bench and reached toward the fitting-room door.

Then he opened it.

"..."

And froze.

The woman inside was not Samara.

She was older, seemingly around Belle’s age though Belle herself looked too young for her age. She had fiery orange hair tied back behind her head and equally vivid orange eyes framed by long lashes.

"Eh? W...What?"

The woman gasped and turned around in shock.

It was the worst possible movement.

Edward caught sight of her bare upper body except for the red lace bra covering her chest. Her breasts were heavy and well-shaped, barely contained by the delicate fabric, and straps straining again her shoulders.

For a brief second, their eyes met.

Disbelief filled the woman’s face.

Then anger and.... humiliation.

Her cheeks turned a burning red.

Edward closed the door immediately.

His expression twisted.

"Nyr?"

Samara peeked out from the neighboring fitting cabin, confused.

Before she could ask another question, Edward quickly pushed her back inside.

Then he stepped into the cabin with her and locked the door.

Samara’s back touched the mirror at the end of the small room.

Her face turned red as Edward placed a finger against his lips, silently telling her to remain quiet.

Samara nodded.

From the neighboring cabin came a muffled scream.

Then the sharp, furious sound of clothing being pulled back on.

The woman was clearly getting dressed as quickly as possible.

A few seconds later, the neighboring door slammed open.

"Where is he?!"

Her furious voice echoed through the corridor.

She did not hesitate.

She began looking around immediately, clearly intending to find the man responsible for walking into her fitting room.

"What happened, Nyr?" Samara whispered.

(A lucky pervert event.)

Edward’s expression darkened.

[Master, I have bad news.]

"I have seen her face before," Edward said quietly. "Who is she?"

[You saw her in Veyra, Master.]

Brain paused.

[She is Barbara Lindlum Attrias. The newly appointed Headmistress of the Holy Academy.]

"..."