I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 374  [Elizabethʼs Engagement Party] [9] The Girl Named Emilia Raonpherys

”Why did you call me? I donʼt have time to discuss anything with you,” Myrcella said, her tone laced with annoyance.

A chuckle rang out from an old man, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He was none other than Alector, the Guardian of the Holy Tree of Eden. In Claudiaʼs absence, he had taken on the responsibility of caring for it. However, today he was present at the engagement party between Amael and Elizabeth.

Upon seeing Myrcella, he had requested a private conversation, prompting her to separate from the others.

”I never imagined you as someone who would attend such parties, Myrcella,” Alector said.

”Donʼt pretend you know me,” Myrcella retorted coldly. ”You know nothing about me.”

Alector smiled, not upset by her hostility. ”On the contrary, you are mistaken. I know you quite well. Years ago, Kleines sought my help. He had found a young girl in a dire state and asked for my silence and protection. I swore to the Tree that I wouldnʼt utter a word to your father. Yet, in the end, you chose of your own volition to leave in pursuit of vengeance.”

Myrcella remained silent, her expression unreadable.

If she claimed she had no regrets about her decision, it would be a lie. If she had stayed, perhaps she could have prevented their deaths. Now, while Kleines seemed to be alive, Connor was gone. But she couldnʼt change the past. Her nightmares about her time with the Iris Project still haunted her. The screams of her fellow subjects echoed in her ears even now. She wanted to end everything, to find peace for herself and others.

”You should have followed Emiliaʼs example and stayed back,” Alector said.

Myrcella laughed, a harsh sound. ”If you think Emilia is staying back, then youʼre completely wrong.”

There was a tense silence before Alector spoke again, his voice softer. ”How is she?”

”You donʼt need to know that,” Myrcella replied curtly.

”I have the right to know. She is my granddaughter,” Alector said, his glare hardening.

”She can open the gates between worlds,” Myrcella cut him off.

Alectorʼs eyes widened in shock. He glanced around, making sure no one had overheard their conversation.

”You might think that, but believe me, Emilia thinks nothing of you or anyone else in this world. The Queen that the Raonpherys nurtured out of pure selfishness to be your perfect puppet is gone,” Myrcella said.

”You donʼt understand the precariousness of her situation. This child can—”

”She can open the gates between worlds,” Myrcella cut him off.

Alectorʼs eyes widened in shock. He glanced around, making sure no one had overheard their conversation.

”No one heard it. I soundproofed this whole, useless conversation,” Myrcella replied.

”You know...” Alector trailed off, dumbfounded.

”I know about her and why youʼre so obsessed with her,” Myrcella began. ”A year ago, the Key to the Holy Garden of Eden was stolen, yet you showed no reaction. None of the other Heads did anything to help Celesta either.”

Alector remained silent, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Myrcella scoffed, a sound filled with disdain. ”The Key wasnʼt an object. It was always a person. The Key to Open World-Gates. Emilia Raonpherys. I donʼt know what Key Ante-Eden was after, but I do know that the true Key was stolen centuries ago by Dorian Celesta, the Founder King of Celesta. The First Holy War was all about the Key, the Key to open World-Gates.”

Alector could no longer hide his shock. The depth of Myrcellaʼs knowledge was unsettling.

”I donʼt know what exactly transpired during the First Holy War, but Dorian Celesta committed a great sin,” she continued, her voice tinged with disgust. ”Then, a hundred years later, another war broke out between Celesta and Arvatra, the Second Great Holy War. It wasnʼt just a mere quarrel; it was about the Key once again. The woman who possessed the Key had been taken from the Holy Garden. Years later, the Blood Moon War began. The Head of the Falkrona House died, and Alphonse Celesta and Lisandra Arvatra vanished, along with the woman who held the Key. Nineteen years ago, the Prince of Raonpherys found his perfect match—a very beautiful woman, or so Iʼve heard. Is that just a coincidence? Their child, a girl blessed by the Mother of All and loved by Enigma Beasts, Emilia Raonpherys, now possesses a power surpassing anything that has ever existed: the Key to open World Gates.”

Alectorʼs shock deepened. Myrcellaʼs knowledge was not only extensive but dangerously accurate.