Chapter 16: The Fake Villain Who Saved the Future
The forge's renewed sparks had barely begun to dance when the tension still clinging to the air finally snapped.
Aeon quietly stepped back from Grigor's workstation and let out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His pulse was steady. His expression unreadable. But the veneer of calm he wore wasn't fooling everyone.
Layla's and Aria's gaze was a razor.
Nadia's held disbelief.
Luna's shimmered with conflicted trust.
Ali's carried irritation and concern.
And Amelia—still pink and flustered—kept hiding behind a support pillar like a startled rabbit.
But Grigor?
Grigor was watching Aeon with the sharp, evaluating eyes of a veteran who had seen too many men break under pressure.
"…You're a strange one," the blacksmith muttered finally.
Aeon shrugged. "I get that often."
He didn't elaborate because he couldn't. Not without revealing he'd just rewritten an entire future—one originally scripted in a VR game he created.
In that game, Amelia died.
And a closed-off, grief-stricken Grigor stayed stuck for months, refusing the player any advanced crafting. Only after a long quest chain—three regions, five errands, and surviving an S-class mutant boss—would he open his heart enough to reveal the formula Aeon just handed him casually.
But in reality?
Aeon had broken into a timeline where he could move freely.
And by accident, he'd saved Amelia early.
This one change alone would ripple forward, changing everything from zombie boss difficulty to future alliances. The more he meddled, the more the "game world" twisted away from the rails meant to contain it.
He wasn't sure if that comforted him… or terrified him.
Grigor Slams Down His Hammer
A clanging smash echoed as Grigor dropped the dwarf-core hammer onto his anvil.
"Boy."
Aeon met his gaze. "Yes?"
"You threatened me."
"You refused first."
"You scared my daughter."
"You were too stubborn."
"You acted like a scoundrel."
"You believed it."
Grigor's eyelid twitched. "You're one arrogant brat."
"And yet," Aeon replied, "you agreed."
The forge went silent.
Then—unexpectedly—Grigor laughed. A deep, booming laugh that filled the chamber.
"I haven't met someone who could corner me mentally since my wife. Damn brat."
Amelia sputtered, "Father! Don't… don't compliment him for that!"
"Why not?" Grigor smirked. "He did what no one else ever has—broke through my guard in five minutes."
Layla muttered, "I still hate the method he used."
Aeon ignored her. He had to. Meeting her eyes right now would feel like walking into a storm he caused himself.
The Aftershock Among the Girls
Nadia leaned against Aria, whispering, "He hugged her pretty convincingly…"
Aria's eyebrow twitched so sharply it could've sliced steel. "Shut up."
"I'm just saying," Nadia teased, "Amelia looked like she saw her future flash by."
"I said shut up."
Ali pinched the bridge of his nose. "Aeon, next time you want to negotiate, just use words."
"I did."
"No, you used trauma."
Luna stepped closer with a soft, hesitant tone. "…Aeon, you wouldn't ever do something like that for real, right?"
He finally looked at her—his childhood friend, someone who'd trusted him longer than anyone.
"…Of course not. Not even as a joke."
Her shoulders relaxed, relief washing over her.
Layla, however, crossed her arms. "Your 'act' was too natural."
Aeon felt that one like a stab.
It shouldn't have mattered. Her opinion shouldn't have meant anything.
So why did it sting?
The Blacksmith's "Apprentice Proposal" Chaos
Grigor wiped soot from his cheek, studying Aeon like he was inspecting rare ore.
"You impress me, boy."
Aeon raised a brow. "That's good, right?"
"Good enough for me to say this—"
He pointed the hammer at Aeon.
"Become my apprentice."
Aeon blinked. "Sorry?"
"And marry my daughter."
"EH?!"
"EH?!"
"EHHHHH?!"
The entire party shouted in perfect disharmony.
Amelia turned so red she nearly lit on fire.
"F-Father! You can't just—! I'm not—! He's—!"
"So he is your type?" Aria shot sharply.
Amelia choked but blushed. "W-WHAT?! NO—!"
Nadia smirked. "You blush way too easily to deny that."
Ali sighed. "This is becoming a dating sim."
Luna puffed out her cheeks. "H-Hey… he's not up for marriage just because he saved someone!"
Layla remained quiet, but the sharp look she gave Amelia was unmistakable.
Aeon raised his hands. "I came here for weapons. Not marriage candidates."
Grigor shrugged. "Same difference."
"What twisted philosophy do you live by?!"
"One where loyalty matters more than skill. You saved her. You used strategy, not violence. You face danger without flinching. A man like that is rare."
Aeon opened his mouth to refuse again—
But paused.
Grigor was praising not the villain act…
But the heart beneath it.
He saw through him.
Yet still approved.
That was… new.
Aeon's Invisible Pain
Aria watched Aeon quietly.
He was playing it cool. He always did.
But she saw something nobody else did—a flicker of sadness when Layla looked at him with disgust. A subtle breath of relief when Amelia wasn't afraid. A tension in his shoulders when Ali doubted him.
He wasn't a villain.
He was a guy trying way too hard to protect everyone.
And the act hurt him more than he'd admit.
Aria clicked her tongue.
Idiot.
Stop making me want to worry about you.
The Weapon Formula — A Future Pulled Forward
Grigor unrolled the parchment again, eyes sparkling with both disbelief and awe.
"This… this is decades beyond anything I planned to finish."
"It'll work," Aeon said.
"How do you know?"
Aeon simply looked at him with wide smile. "Because you're the one who wrote it."
The blacksmith froze. "I… have never shared the initial concept with anyone, nor was I able to complete it."
"You will. One day."
"A future I haven't lived yet? Hah… you're either from the future or a madman."
"Pick whichever helps you sleep."
Grigor chuckled deeply. "This formula… if I begin now, I can finish a prototype in a month."
"Make it three days."
"That's—!" The older man felt cornered
"You can do it right? or is your skill level too low?." Aeon smiled slyly
The older man stared at him…
Even though he understood that Aeon is intentionally using his pride as blacksmith against him
"Fine. I'll do the impossible." still the old man as blacksmith was prideful
He turned toward the forge, gripping the hammer like a blade of purpose.
"But know this, Aeon—if you ever hurt my daughter, even by accident, I'll hunt you to the ends of the wasteland."
Aeon smiled faintly. "Good. If I ever turn into the villain I pretend to be… someone should stop me."
Grigor grinned back.
"You're too soft to ever become a real villain." He chuckled then continued
"But... you might (?????)"
And that single sentence—spoken in a half-buried forge—would later echo across a battlefield drenched in blood, smoke, and mutated carnage.
For the future Grigor was unknowingly forging…
Aeon's act would change the VR game ending and Layla's fate.