VILLAIN'S HAREM IN OTOME GAME

Eren’s entire posture instantly went rigid.

A chill passed through his spine as his blue eyes turned toward the uniquely haired youth.

"Relax, Volsver. I have zero interest in blowing your cover. In fact, my operatives have been tracking that rogue syndicate for nearly three weeks. You saved me time."

"Get to the point," Eren muttered, his tone dropping cold. "What do you actually want from me?"

Vaelis casually rested his chin in his palm, turning his head to lock eyes with Eren, giving him a toothy grin.

"A simple exchange of services," Vaelis replied. "I provide my mechanical mastery to ensure your little prototype works within three months... and in return, you assist me with a private investigation of my own. So... do we have a deal, Eren Volsver?"

Violet puffed out her soft cheeks, eyes narrowing into a cute, suspicious glare as she stared at the two men intensely whispering.

’What on earth could they possibly be plotting with such shady, intense faces?’ the purple-haired cutie pouted internally, aggressively tapping her pen against her notebook. ’Are they discussing some perverted nonsense? Men are truly incomprehensible.’

At the podium, Norelia’s lecture on mana-frequency modulation echoed across the hall. Every couple of minutes, the petite genius would casually adjust her spectacles, shooting an affectionate, yet warning glance straight toward the back row.

Back in the corner, Eren crossed his arms over his chest, his finger tapping a beat against his forearm.

"Alright, smartass," Eren muttered, keeping his lips barely moving as he locked eyes with Vaelis. "Why were you hunting that exact smuggling syndicate in the first place?"

"For the same reason you stuck your nose into that, Volsver. To secure a direct lead on that specific compound. The Substance."

Eren raised a brow. "And how exactly does a foreign exchange student know about something which is not even available to Blackmerkt?"

Vaelis tilted his head back, his gaze drifting down toward the petite professor learning at the podium before swinging back to Eren.

"There is no point in dancing around the obvious between us," Vaelis whispered. "In all my years serving beneath her, I have never once seen Madam Carolynn so relentlessly adamant about an assignment. She practically commanded me just to ensure your mechanical project succeeded. Tell me, Eren... you already know she’s the Supreme Demon Queen, don’t you?"

Eren didn’t flinch, merely offering a flat, unimpressed stare that gave away absolutely nothing.

To a high-ranking demon commander, however, that complete lack of shock was an answer in itself.

"Fascinating," Vaelis murmured with an amused hum. "My terms are straightforward, Lord Volsver. I want you to help me assist me in permanently bury every single trace of the Lord’s nightmare compound now that it has resurfaced in the human realm. And in exchange for my mechanical engineering services... I want your help in convincing her to finally return home to her throne."

A hidden lore bomb detonated directly on Eren’s forehead, his mind scrambling in chaos. ’What in the absolute hell is this? The original game canon never once mentioned a direct historical link between The Substance and the Demon Queen!’

"What is the actual connection between The Substance and Miss Carolynn?" Eren pressed, his tone dropping into a dead serious tone. "Why did she look like she had seen an apocalypse the second she laid eyes on that vial?"

Vaelis raised a brow. "What exactly did Madam Carolynn explain to you when you presented it?"

"Not a damn thing yet," Eren muttered dryly. "She looked traumatized, and asked for two days of containment time to process her mind."

Vaelis let out a sigh, his eyes darkening with centuries of unspoken historical weight.

"Then it is vastly better that you hear the gruesome history directly from her own lips," the demon commander admitted quietly. "All I will confirm for you today is this: that thing is the horror that drove her to despise her own bloodline, gave up her crown, and resent the very existence of the demon race."

Eren’s eyes widened slightly as the historical puzzle pieces clicked together in his mind

.

"Does this tie back to the United Humanity War?" Eren asked in a low whisper.

Vaelis gave a slow, rough nod. "Something like that, Lord Volsver."

–

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–

Silence occupied the rest of the lecture, broken only by the scritch-scratch of Violet’s pen and the occasional suspicious glare at their conspiratorial faces.

At the front of the hall, Norelia wrapped up her final chalkboard breakdown. When she finally dismissed the class, both Eren and Vaelis slumped slightly in their seats, mentally drained as if they had just survived a thousand years of unmoving babbling.

Vaelis got up, rolling his shoulders.

"That was agonizingly tedious," the undercover demon commander groaned. "For a moment, I doubted whether my mortal disguise possessed enough endurance to survive standard human academics."

"You literally chose to hold a meeting in the class, genius. You could have met me normally anywhere else."

Vaelis chuckled, an amused glint in his eyes.

"You really are an entirely different animal these days, Volsver. Who would have guessed that the arrogant brat who got his skull caved in by Reinhardt Angulus months ago—the guy who spent half his life chasing Lady Alice like a pathetic, drooling dog—would turn into an engineering prodigy admired by the entire campus?"

Eren offered him a flat, deadpan stare. "Was that a compliment?"

"Take it however you like," Vaelis smirked, extending a hand. "May we both secure precisely what we’re hunting for, Lord Volsver."

Eren looked at his hand for a moment.

Sure, Vaelis was a demon commander with zero loyalty to humans, but he was also the fourth capture target from the game. Eren already knew the guy’s profile, psychological vulnerabilities, and mechanical genius like the back of his hand. Right now, with the things he was dealing with, having him as an ally was better.

Eren also extended his hand, giving a handshake.

"A pleasure doing business with you, partner," Vaelis gave an easygoing wave, casually blending into the departing students like an ordinary, carefree noble.

Violet immediately blinked with curiosity.

"So... what were you two actually whispering about the entire hour? You both looked like you were plotting a coup."

"Nothing that exciting, Miss Violet," Eren replied, offering a lazy shrug. "Just a typical male exchange of unwarranted arrogance regarding his supposed mechanical craftsmanship."

"Ohhh," Violet murmured with an accepting nod.

Eren then pulled a notebook and rested his chin on his palm.

"Are you ready for today’s experimental treatment on your curse, Miss Violet?"

Violet stared down at the journal for a blank second.

Then, her tiny brain finally connected the dots.

Violet’s entire body went rigid. Her face turned red as if she might be using a fire spell through her head.