Ascension Of The Villain-Chapter 326: What’s Your Profession?

"So," Vyan asked finally, glancing sideways at Adrian, "you believe me now?"

"Not entirely. I mean, you could just be faking the name. Maybe you read the novel and decided to play the part of Vyan for fun or for some weird, elaborate con, I don't know."

Vyan gave a humorless chuckle. "Because impersonating a fictional villain is the obvious choice for I don't know what."

Adrian smirked faintly. "What's strange, though… is how calm you are about all this. If you really are from that novel world, then why aren't you more surprised? It's like you already knew you were a fictional character here."

Vyan tilted his head, resting it against the seat. "Oh yeah. I did know."

That caught Adrian off guard. "You did?"

"Yes. Someone from your world transmigrated into ours," Vyan explained. "She told me all about the novel. About how I was the villain… about how I died."

"So your death event, is it impending or you dodged it?"

"Dodged it. Because nothing happened according to the novel. Everything had shifted too much due to the transmigrator's appearance. It's probably what you'd call a butterfly effect. So, yeah, I'm alive, and now, I'm a transmigrator here."

Adrian chuckled, amused. "So things like that actually happen, huh?"

"Apparently." Vyan shrugged. "I just wish magic existed in this world. It would've made things a hell of a lot easier. You know, I ended up here during a time travel magic."

"Why did you do it? The time travel."

"I had no choice." He looked down at his lap. "I had to save the woman I love."

"Were you able to save her then?" Adrian asked, his voice gentle.

For some reason, Vyan felt comfortable now opening up. The previous discomfort that he felt from Adrian's presence was no longer. It all seemed to have been lifted as soon as he said that maybe he trusted Vyan's words.

"Yeah," Vyan smiled. "I saved her."

"That's good to know." Vyan could see a smile tugging at the corner of Adrian's lips, and it made him feel relieved.

While Adrian did seem to resonate Vyan's manipulative, calculating side, he did also seem to have resemblance in the way that Vyan wasn't inherently evil. Vyan might be portrayed as a villain in the novel, but he didn't actually thrive on other people's misery or killed innocents with no purpose. Whatever he had done until now served his revenge, for the sake of bringing justice to his family.

He wouldn't claim he was altruistically kind to everyone he saw, but he could say he was kind on occasions.

Maybe it was one of those occasions for Adrian?

"Hmm," Adrian mused aloud, his lips twitching with thought. "You know, it's not completely impossible that magic exists somewhere. I mean, you appeared here out of nowhere. I keep trying to explain it through science—quantum theory, multidimensional space, neurological hallucinations…" He trailed off, exhaling a sharp breath. "But honestly? No matter how I look at it, it's magic. Which means… maybe it does exist somewhere in our world."

Vyan's gaze drifted out the window. The lights of the city blurred in motion, artificial stars in a world that ran on electricity and speed, not mana and ores.

"Where exactly would it exist?" he muttered. "Where would be a place where I can trace some mana?"

"For that," Adrian said thoughtfully, "you'd probably need to talk to someone experienced in that field."

Vyan raised an eyebrow, turning back to him. "You know someone like that?"

Adrian's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "I might."

"Let's go meet that per—"

"But before all that," Adrian said as he made a turn, "let's get you home. You need rest."

Vyan shifted slightly in the passenger seat. "And by home… you mean your home?"

"Yeah."

"…Why?"

Adrian shrugged one shoulder, keeping his gaze on the road. "Because it'd make Emma feel more at ease."

Vyan frowned, watching the blur of city lights pass them by. "Why does your wife care about me so much?"

A soft chuckle escaped Adrian. "Isn't it obvious?" He glanced briefly at Vyan. "It's because you look like me."

Vyan scoffed under his breath. "Even so. I mean… I'm not you. It's not like helping me is somehow helping you."

Adrian's smile deepened, but it wasn't mocking, it was oddly admiring, as if he was thinking about Emma only. "That's exactly what she thinks, actually. In her own weird, twisty way. You know, she told me she feels like… by helping you, she's somehow helping another version of me. Some alternate-reality-me. Like it's fate knocking on the door and she'd regret ignoring it."

"Basically, after the whole thing about my name coming up on Google, you both believe me?"

"I guess so," Adrian admitted.

Vyan hummed. "Since we are on the topic, would you laugh if I ask what Google is?"

At that, Adrian laughed.

Vyan shot him a flat look. "I just told you not to laugh."

"My bad," he chuckled a little more. "Google is basically a search engine. And a search engine is something that searches information within a massive data storehouse. It knows almost everything, and it will answer whatever question you have in milliseconds."

"Hm." Vyan folded his arms.

He twitched his lips but didn't reply to anything else. He realized if he started asking more questions, they wouldn't have any end, so he preferred to stay quiet instead.

He turned back to the window, his gaze following the reflection of streetlights gliding across the glass. Cars whizzed by like silver insects, and the night was washed in blue and orange glows. Everything was so modern. So… unfamiliar.

He glanced around the inside of the car. It was fancy. Sleek leather. Subtle scent of pine. The dashboard lights blinked like starlight.

Everything about it made him wonder—what kind of life did this world's him live?

Elian had mentioned something earlier… about Adrian working even on a holiday.

"Hey," Vyan said, tilting his head, "what about you? What do you do? Like what is your profession?"

Adrian looked amused, as if he'd been waiting for the question. "Take a guess."

Vyan narrowed his eyes. "Businessman?"

"Nope."

"…Tax collector?"

Adrian made a face. "Nope."

"Don't tell me, you're also in the FBI?"

"Still nope."

Vyan groaned. "Then what? Just tell me."

Adrian grinned as he pulled to a stop at a red light, hands relaxed on the steering wheel. "Well, it's nothing fancy or world-shaking," he said modestly. "I'm just a simple criminal defense lawyer."

Vyan was impressed.

The way Adrian had said simple was anything but. There was something quietly dangerous in his tone.

And Vyan was certain this man could probably talk a snake out of biting him… or convince a jury that the snake was innocent.

"Yeah," he murmured, "you're definitely someone I wouldn't want my lawyer to be up against in court."

Adrian just smiled.