Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Villains and Chosen Ones

Chapter 157 – Villains and Chosen Ones

’Oh my.’

Cassius whispered in a slight daze, his crimson eyes fixed on the multiple panels flashing continuously in front of him.

However interesting the notifications were, his full and undivided attention was settled entirely on the last one.

Anesthesia Amaris had gone from Chosen Heiress to Fallen Heiress, a Main Villainess category.

She had become the same as her own sister. And with that information sitting in front of him, Cassius genuinely did not know what to think or say.

He had not expected this at all.

’How did it happen?’ He wondered, then shook his head immediately. ’I mean, I know I worked against them to fracture their relationship. But Queen’s skirt, how did it break so quickly? I expected a bit more of a challenge than this.’

Was Emrys actually a fool?

Had he genuinely allowed himself to lose Anesthesia this easily? That could not be right.

It was objectively true that Anesthesia was not entirely innocent with her getting close to Raven for personal gain, willing to do certain things for certain benefits.

Add to that his own actions colouring the picture, and it was obvious that Emrys would interpret Anesthesia’s situation in the worst possible light.

’But do you not have a harem, Emrys? A harem that Anesthesia essentially handed you herself? And you cannot tolerate your girlfriend mirroring your behaviour for even a moment?’

It was almost laughable.

Emrys was incapable of accepting what Anesthesia had been quietly accepting from him for years.

And Cassius was not oblivious to what had been happening on the Net. He was too lazy to monitor it himself, but he had given Océane the task of watching it and reporting back.

He knew that Emrys and Love had grown closer lately. Far too close.

Taking all of it into account, Cassius was beginning to understand why Anesthesia had let go of Emrys with so little resistance.

But it remained foolish of Emrys to act the way he had.

’Now she is a Main Villainess...just like Isolde. Is there something in that family that naturally attracts this kind of fate?’ Cassius wondered with genuine curiosity.

[It is actually possible.] Ananke answered. [I have observed both Anesthesia and Isolde, and even their mother. All of them carry the fundamental characteristics of a Villain’s family. Anesthesia was always the anomaly: she had the subtle tendencies of a villainess while existing among Chosen Ones. Now I understand why. Your actions simply scraped away the veil she and the World had cast over herself to preserve her Chosen status.]

’Why would they go to such lengths for Anesthesia?’ Cassius asked, blinking and glancing down at Katherine, who had placed her head in his lap and appeared to be trying to sleep.

He smiled wryly, but said nothing and did nothing to disturb her.

[Because her potential exceeds most Chosen Ones. And, this is only my guess, she may be darker and crueler than most villains. Think about it: with her Aspect, if she fully becomes a Villainess, it would be a nightmare for the Chosen Ones. Well. It is too late to worry about that now.]

’So you are saying the World actively regulates Villains and Chosen Ones?’ His brow furrowed. ’On what basis are they selected and given these designations in the first place?’

[That falls under the Authority of the Eye of the World. I do not know. And you do not need to know.] Ananke said, her tone suddenly tight. [The only thing you must be aware of right now is this: now that you have pulled an important figure away from the Chosen Ones’ side, something will be done to recover what they have lost.]

’What kind of something?’

[I would very much like to know that myself, Cassius.]

’Queen, are you not the Goddess of Fate and Secrecy?’

[Suppress the disappointment in your tone, Cassius. I cannot peer into the secrets of most gods on the Upper Ladder, let alone those of the Eye of the World. But one thing is certain: whoever was invested in Anesthesia as a Chosen One will not be pleased. She was going to receive a Blessing and be a Blessed, wasn’t she?]

At that, Cassius remembered exactly what had happened in the game, and his lips twitched without control.

’Yes... she would have.’ He said. ’Chosen by the [Sleeping Beauty of the Eternal Kingdom].’

Even just thinking about that goddess gave him an immediate headache. He remembered how she had adored Anesthesia so intensely that she would repeatedly move against other gods the moment their Blessed so much as inconvenienced her.

And yet those interventions had only attracted more gods — particularly those who favoured Villainous people — to wish even more fervently for Anesthesia’s death.

None of them had ever succeeded.

Instead they had become perfect fuel for Emrys and Anesthesia, who grew stronger with each Blessed they defeated and plundered.

Now, what would happen when that unstable goddess realised he had corrupted her soon-to-be Blessed?

’Queen’s skirt. Will she come after me?’

[Based on everything we know about her.] Ananke smiled wryly. [Almost certainly, yes.]

Cassius nearly cursed. He wanted to spring from his seat and pace, but did none of that, mindful of Katherine, who was genuinely asleep with her head on his lap.

He managed to settle himself after a couple of slow, controlled breaths.

’It is always a poor choice for a mortal to attract divine attention. And lately I seem to be doing it far too often. First there is Vorn, and that makes me ask again: why did Vorn do any of this? And now I need to worry about yet another one.’

[You are not alone, Cass. Do not behave as though I am entirely useless.]

’I know.’ He sighed, dragging a hand backward through his white hair and pulling slightly. ’It is just that it is too early for this much attention. But there is no benefit in dwelling on it, let me see what I can do with what I have received.’

Deciding to direct his mind toward solutions rather than sinking into problems, Cassius turned his attention to his rewards.

First, the 20 Stat Points were a solid addition. Given that reaching 300 points in two or more attributes was required to rank up again, every stat point was becoming increasingly precious.

Reaching 300 across all six attributes was going to be a genuine challenge.

The next reward was a Ticket Cassius had never seen across the entire time he had played the game. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The Ancestral Call Ticket.

As he read the description and understood what it did, his heart shivered with uncontrollable excitement.

’This is extraordinary.’

The Ticket allowed him to call upon an Ancestor of his own bloodline by activating it with his blood. The Ancestor summoned would be random, but the effect went far beyond simple conversation.

Because through the connection established by the call, with his Ancestor needing him as a medium to exist in this world, Cassius would gain access to a glimpse of everything his Ancestor had experienced.

He could not have dreamed better. It was literally a pool of accumulated knowledge to draw from freely.

He was already eager to use it immediately. But he knew that impatience had the quality to ruin what could otherwise be magnificent.

Since he was returning to Desde City tomorrow, it was wiser to use it there, within his own home, where he was safer than anywhere else.

[Used correctly, this Ticket could be of tremendous benefit to your path, Cassius.] Ananke said with quiet seriousness. [So before you use it, know clearly what you wish to learn. This is an opportunity that may not come easily again.]

’Aye, Queen. I understand that well.’

[The same applies to the next Ticket.] She continued, her voice dropping. [The Blessing Ticket is a literal advantage with few equals. With it, you can receive another Blessing.]

’But a god only has one Blessing to give. Does that mean...’

[Aye.] The Queen nodded. [You have the opportunity to take another god or goddess as your Patron, Cassius.]

Her voice was strained as she said it.

Cassius heard it clearly, understood why, and chose not to comment.

Instead...

’Then I will leave the choice to you, when the time comes.’

[What?]

’I said I will let you choose my next Patron. I trust your judgment. Since the beginning you have done nothing but help me with everything you had. I would not be standing here without the GeumGeum you sacrificed to give me this Blessing that opened so many doors for me.’

He smiled softly, tilting his head upward. And there, unexpectedly, Ananke allowed the outline of her Gate to become visible — visible only to him.

His smile widened, and the image of his goddess formed clearly inside his mind.

’I do not say it often enough. But I am genuinely grateful to have you as my goddess. If I were to speak about you the way I feel it right now, people would accuse me of being melodramatic again. So let me keep it simple — and hope you feel the sincerity behind it regardless — and say only: thank you for everything, my Queen of Fate. So choose the next one. I will be content either way.’

Ananke smiled at those words with a fondness so open it surprised even herself, lifting a hand and pressing it over her mouth as though embarrassed by it.

Then, like fog dissolving under a rising wind, the reluctance she had been carrying about Cassius receiving another Blessing quietly faded.

[I understand now why that broken woman wants you as her son.]

’What?’

[Nothing.] She shook her head, laughing softly. [I will find the perfect one for you. Someone whose powers complement your own. It will not be easy, gods dislike sharing a Blessed. But I will do my best regardless.]

’Aye. I know that. Emrys is a special case as it stands. In any case, thank you in advance for the effort.’

Cassius replied, thinking that was the end of it, and moving to close his eyes, only to remember he had not yet inspected the reward for obtaining Earth as a Title.

He willed it forward. The reward appeared.

[Reward: Title’s Protection Ticket.]

Cassius arched an eyebrow and read the description. He smiled a moment later.

This Ticket would create an anti-divination effect specifically on his Title — Earth. People would be able to know the Title existed, but could obtain no information about the one who held it.

In a world where names and titles carried the very essence of the person wielding them, this was extraordinarily valuable.

Cassius was fully satisfied, and used it on himself without hesitation.

He would have loved another for Isolde. But that would have to wait for another time.

When everything was settled, exhaustion pressed down on him once more. Having a conversation with a grieving mother who decided she wanted to adopt you was not a simple experience.

He closed his eyes, leaning his body sideways and resting his left shoulder against the headframe of the bed, careful not to disturb Katherine, who had actually begun to snore.

’Is this what Isolde feels when I sleep?’

[No.] Ananke said immediately. [It is considerably worse.]

Cassius’s eye twitched. He chose wisely not to respond.

As he closed his eyes again, his thoughts drifted back to Anesthesia.

A quiet smile found its way to his lips.

’Now I can say with certainty that this world is no longer anything like the game I once played. Anesthesia has become a Villainess. Emrys has lost one of the pillars of his life, and the fool will only realise that once the adrenaline of being with Love fades. He will try to return. And I will be damned if I allow even the possibility of Anesthesia recovering her Chosen One designation. Because if she can lose it, she could probably reclaim it. And more importantly...this is not over, Emrys.’

His thoughts moved to Sarah, who felt as though something was still missing before she could fully step into her own Villainess identity.

The same seemed true for the others.

Cassius barely concerned himself with the men.

Most of them were either villains or irrelevant, except in rare cases like Klaus. And even those fell into the category of third-rate villains who appeared in a handful of scenes before being humiliated or killed off and forgotten.

It was the women he needed to pay particular attention to in order to further isolate Emrys and bring him down.

Because it was Emrys’s fate to slay villains. And the Desdemona, however you looked at it, were villains.

So Emrys needed to be neutralised for his family’s fate — their extinction — to be avoided by at least eighty percent.

There was no other path.

’So sorry and not sorry, Emrys.’

His smile widened.

’Anesthesia...done. Now let us continue with the rest. Ah, shall we just let the Academy begin already?’

As for Love de Bayard...

How did she dare do that to Klaus?

’...I will kill that bitch.’

If not him, then Anesthesia certainly would.

’I knew Anesthesia the Chosen One. Show me now Anesthesia the Villainess.’

Cassius was genuinely eager.

And so, after all of that thinking, he allowed himself to sleep, and began snoring almost immediately.

That was the scene Isolde walked into upon returning from her meeting with Hel Hood.

Katherine’s head on Cassius’s lap. The two of them sleeping in a deeply unsynchronised, wholly unpleasant harmony of snoring.

Isolde’s lips twitched.

’What in the world happened here?’

—End of Chapter 157—