Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! Chapter 591: Who are you? [2]

I observed Kyle and noted his expression; every word I intended to speak felt lodged in my throat, forming a tight, uncomfortable lump.

"Y-you..."

Hearing Kyle’s voice resonate once more, I exhaled deeply and parted my lips.

"I am Seth."

My response was entirely honest.

"I know you're aware that I am Seth."

Although his lips trembled, Kyle remained rooted to the spot. It was clear that he had fully grasped my true identity.

Truthfully, I wrestled with whether to confess my origins from 'another world,' but one glance at him convinced me that silence was the wiser path for the moment. There was simply too much for him to process already.

"I am Seth," I reiterated, stalling for time while my mind raced to determine what should be said next.

"I... have endured a great deal, and I eventually awakened with a unique Decree. It is known as the [Shepherd] Decree."

As I spoke, Kyle’s lips continued to quiver, yet he refrained from interrupting. He allowed me to continue in silence as I explained, "The nature of this Decree is rather singular; it permits me to personally contain anomalies and enlist them for my purposes."

This much, at least, I was willing to disclose.

Indeed, I lacked any other option, as Kyle had undoubtedly already encountered the Conductor, Mirelle, and the others.

I pressed my palm against the surface of the table, and suddenly, several figures coalesced around the room.

The reaction from Kyle was visceral; he retreated several steps, his features altering drastically at the sight.

"Do not be alarmed; they have no intention of attacking you."

I attempted to pacify Kyle, but he remained visibly rigid. Initially, I found his reaction perplexing. He was a Paragon—a man of immense talent. Logically, he shouldn't harbor such overwhelming fear.

Then, the realization dawned on me.

I gestured with my hand, recalling every one of them instantly.

Only then did Kyle regain a veneer of composure, though his gaze remained fixed on me with a hardened, tense expression.

I continued the explanation.

"Yes, that is the full extent of my capabilities. I am able to—"

I was cut off midway through the sentence by Kyle’s interruption.

"You... you are the Jester."

The words died on my tongue as I stared back at him.

"...You are... him."

Kyle cupped his mouth, his brows knitting together as his hand began to shake.

I hesitated for a beat before offering a slow nod.

"Yes... I am."

Given that he had witnessed the presence of Mirelle and the Conductor, denial was futile. I truly was the Jester.

I produced a specific mask, pressing it against my face. It adhered instantly, and the familiar sound of bells began to chime within my consciousness.

"A-haha."

A strained, brittle laugh escaped Kyle as he kept his hand firmly pressed over his mouth.

"Right...? H-how did I fail to see this coming? I mean... Myles did mention it before. Was he cast out because... he uncovered the truth?"

"No, that is not..."

I pulled the mask away.

"...I did notice changes in you. They were, in fact, quite obvious. Still... I attempted to look the other way. I kept telling myself that... you were merely evolving. That you were maturing and that... those changes were positive. But... but..."

"Wait just a moment, Kyle."

I realized immediately that he was operating under a misconception. As far as he was concerned, he had cast me as the villain.

That was not who I was.

"Allow me to elaborate. Let me—"

"In... the end, you were the J-jester... A monster."

"....."

My mind went completely blank at that moment.

The words I had meticulously prepared to deliver simply vanished.

"You... you destroyed lives. Innocent lives."

"No, I..."

"But you have."

Suddenly, the words began to pour from Kyle with fluid ease. His tone leveled out as he dropped his hand away from his lips.

"Yes, you have taken lives. Many of them. Not merely in Malovia, but long ago alongside the Conductor. If he is your anomaly, then... Ha."

Kyle laughed once more, though the sound was hollow and forced.

He refused to maintain eye contact.

In truth... it felt as if he were too deeply repulsed to even look at me.

"Very well."

Finally finding my voice, I forced myself to maintain an outward calm.

"...You are currently under immense stress, so I understand your perspective. Grant me a moment to explain. There were specific circumstances that led up to those events. As a matter of fact—"

"Since you have summoned me, I must be an anomaly too, correct? Something of that nature. I am... no longer human. Back then, you must have... killed me or done something to me. Yes, I have been... feeling quite strange lately. I am correct,am I not?"

"....."

"Answer me!"

Kyle’s voice echoed sharply through the room as he glared at me.

"You did something to me, did you not!? You... you are the reason my head has been so shattered lately, right?! What have you done to me!"

"As I stated, events transpired under specific circumstances. Just allow me to speak. Let me provide the explanation you require so that—"

"You have truly become a different person, Seth."

Despite all my attempts to reason with him, Kyle barred me from articulating my side.

Perhaps it was my own fault for allowing him to interrupt.

Perhaps...

It was because I knew talking over him would yield nothing. A single look at his face told me he was entirely unprepared to hear my side.

His voice drifted through the room again, the intensity of his rage beginning to wane.

"You have taken lives. Innocent ones at that. You have been the cause of several smaller Guilds crumbling, and you forced blameless people out of their dwellings. You are... a monster. You—"

"Well, I suppose that is enough for now."

I clapped my hands, and Kyle vanished as I recalled him.

Silence descended upon the room once more, and I leaned back into my chair.

I nodded to myself, preparing to stand, but just then, a silhouette manifested at the far end of the room. He leaned against the wall, fixed on me with the same crooked smile he always wore when greeting me.

I froze.

"You have been summoning yourself without my consent quite frequently of late."

"Have I...?"

The Conductor chuckled softly.

Of all the anomalies, only the Conductor possessed the capacity for such intrusion. Fundamentally, he was simply stronger than I.

"You have."

"It was unavoidable. I could not pass up on such an amusing spectacle."

"Is that so...?"

I felt no surprise.

To the Conductor, anything steeped in chaos was mere entertainment.

Straightening my attire, I headed toward the door. Just as my fingers closed around the handle, his voice drifted to my ears.

"But keep in mind... he is not entirely incorrect. That 'friend' of yours."

I paused, my attention fixed squarely on the door.

"You have undergone quite a transformation."

"....."

"Not in the way that occurred when your Cognitive Shard was unstable, but on a more fundamental level. I cannot say for sure, yet I suspect that if millions were to perish now, you might feel absolutely nothing. No... I suspect you might even find it humorous. Well, I certainly would. In a sense, we are both twisted in the same fashion."

I shook my head, pulled the door open, and stepped out.

Absurd.

While the Conductor was correct that I had changed, I certainly hadn't reached the point where the deaths of millions would amuse me. It was merely the Conductor spouting his typical nonsense.

"You see?"

The Conductor’s voice reached me again as I strode past the entrance.

"You are not even considering your friend’s perspective or the turmoil he is enduring. You are simply assuming he will understand eventually."

"That is because he will."

"And what gives you such absolute certainty?"

"Because I know him."

That is right, I know.

Because he was Kyle.

Clank—!

The door clicked shut behind me, and I drew out the compass, beginning my walk. Even as the Conductor’s voice continued to haunt my thoughts as I traversed the halls, I simply shook my head.

Minutes ticked by as I followed the faint guidance through the winding corridors. Finally, I halted in front of a specific door.

From within, a muffled but heavy sound reverberated through the wood.

Without further hesitation, I pushed the door open, and I was instantly swamped by the thunderous roar of the crowd as the main platform came into full view.