The designer story: I was reincarnated as a villain in a game

Neron the Stateless’s Perspective

"Huh..."

I opened my eyes slowly, feeling a slight ache in my forehead. I looked around in a daze, realising after a few moments that I was, it seemed, inside the infirmary.

What happened?

I couldn’t remember much of what had happened, or why I’d ended up here... but it was only a second before the memories came flooding back.

...I couldn’t feel it anymore. It had vanished.

A faint smile formed on my lips without my realising it.

That sharp pain... that suffocating sensation that had been gnawing at my head, was finally gone.

"Tsk."

I clicked my tongue in annoyance, placing my hand on my forehead. There was still some pain, but it was nothing compared to what I’d felt before.

So I ignored it.

I was just about to get out of bed when the door opened and two people entered the room.

One of them was wearing a white coat and looked like a doctor, whilst the other was... Demian.

"Rest a little; you haven’t fully recovered yet," said the man in the white coat in a calm tone.

" I’m fine. In fact, I’m feeling better."

I replied quickly, as I swung my legs out of bed. But at that very moment, I felt a strange roughness on my hands... as if years had suddenly passed over them, prompting me to feel them quickly. But they were perfectly smooth, which made me think I’d just been imagining it.

"Huh?"

"Do as he says, son. I’ve got a few questions for you, too."

"I said I’m fine."

"All right, all right. If you say so, then no problem."

Damian said as he sat down beside me, before asking in a more serious tone:

"How are you feeling now?"

"..."

"I mean the pain you were feeling. Has it gone?"

"...What do you mean?" I asked him, the confusion clear on my face.

Wasn’t it gone at the time?

If it had been there, it wouldn’t have let me act so crazy... So how did he know?

He shrugged slightly before sighing.

"That’s not what matters now. It’s just clear that you wouldn’t have acted that way without a reason... Believe me... I know this better than anyone."

I furrowed my brow in silence as he continued.

"But that doesn’t justify your violent behaviour. Violence isn’t the answer to everything... There were plenty of ways to deal with the problem you were facing.... Besides, you nearly killed an innocent person. If I hadn’t arrived in time, you would have carried that guilt with you for the rest of your life.... It might even have come back to haunt you in a far worse way."

He sighed softly, as if an old memory had flashed through his mind.

"You know... there was someone very dear to me who said something to me a long time ago... Life takes... as much as it gives."

I listened to him quietly, unable even to speak.

I mean... I was so taken aback.

What on earth is going on?

Why is he telling me all this?

Is he trying to comfort me?

And why is he doing that in the first place?

I don’t remember him behaving like this when I was working on him in the game. He was always calm... quiet, hardly ever getting involved in other people’s business.

So why does he seem different now?

I feel as though I don’t really know him anymore—no, not just him, but everything that’s happening in front of me; I don’t understand a thing.

In fact, even at this moment, I don’t want to think about it too much.

What if I try to remember something about him... and end up feeling that same pain all over again?

Just thinking about it makes me feel scared.

I need to set a rule for myself.

From now on, I won’t think too deeply about anyone ever again.

I know this might be the worst decision I could make... but what else can I do?

I’m a coward.

And I don’t want to go through that pain again.

Just thinking about it makes me tremble, terribly.

"Did you get bored? I’m sorry about that... I’m a boring person by nature," said Damien, looking at me kindly.

There was a moment of silence between us, before he suddenly turned his gaze somewhere else, as if he’d just noticed something. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Oh... it’s a silver trinity flower." He paused for a second, then a faint smile spread across his face. "I know someone who loves them very much."

I followed his gaze.

And there...

I could see a beautiful flower shaped like an interlocking triangle, its petals intersecting in a strange harmony, whilst from its centre emerged something resembling a small silver ball, as if a metallic heart were beating at its core.

As soon as my eyes fell on her... I smiled without realising it.

"I like her too."

"Oh? Really?"

A look of surprise flashed across Damien’s face for a moment.

"I knew it... you really do—"

But he stopped suddenly, as if he’d remembered something.

He stood up, then looked at me for a few seconds before a quiet smile spread across his face.

"It seems my time here is up."

He turned slightly towards the door, then added:

"And if the same thing happens to you again... look for me."

I nodded silently as I watched him.

He approached the doctor and whispered something I couldn’t hear, before quietly leaving the room.

Only the doctor and I remained.

The man sighed softly and said:

"You can go now. It seems you’ve made a full recovery... though you might feel a bit of a headache for a while."

I didn’t pay much attention to his words.

I was just staring at the silver trinity flower.

I smiled at it silently... as if something warm had awakened inside me.

Then I muttered to myself, with a faint smile:

"Father... Father would have been so happy if he’d seen it."