I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 541: [Event] [Elven Utopian War] [80] Retribution

As soon as I left Freyja behind, I stepped out of the palace, crossing its grand courtyard with swift strides with mother in my arms. Alvara followed close behind but silent.

Dealing with Freyja had been surprisingly easier than I had anticipated. She was utterly consumed by the single-minded obsession of reclaiming her body, and despite my betrayal, she hadn’t turned against me. Perhaps, in the end, she saw me as her last, fragile thread of hope.

After all, I was a royal of the Olphean House. If anyone had a realistic chance of getting close to her original body, it was me. There were others, of course, but would they willingly return it to her? I doubted it. Compared to the uncertainty of strangers, I was the safest bet she had. At the very least, we knew each other well enough by now. And there was no one else better suited for the task.

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I sighed inwardly. ’Talk about what?’

[]

’Not really.’

[]

Sorrow, huh…

Perhaps, if I had never met Amael, Kleines’ words would have devastated me completely. And truthfully, they had still left a deep fracture within me. I had felt something inside me crack at his words. But somehow, I had managed to keep my emotions in check.

But now, it was over.

Whatever I once had with Christina, my mother, or even Alea—it could never be the same again. I had foolishly convinced myself, ever since arriving at Sancta Vedelia, that I had found something resembling a family. That illusion had already been shaken by Amael. But Kleines’ words… they shattered it completely.

They were just words—simple, fleeting things. And yet, they had inflicted an irreparable wound.

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But even that word—disappointed—felt like a shallow attempt to describe the emptiness clawing at my insides.

’You and Jarvis kept pestering me about Elona, Simon, and the others… telling me they were still my family. But why, Cleenah? So I wouldn’t feel alone? So I wouldn’t feel abandoned?’

I let out a bitter, humorless laugh.

’Was I that pathetic? Did you think I needed to believe I had a family just to keep myself from snapping out of nowhere?’

[]

’I know… but I would have rather never hoped at all… than felt the fleeting joy of having a family, only to have it ripped away again by the words of the man who was supposed to be my father.’

Nyr had been right all along.

If only I had thought reasonably from the beginning, I could have spared myself a great deal of pain. But hindsight was useless now. My thoughts were still a tangled mess, but I didn’t have the luxury to sort them out—not with Kleines still lurking nearby.

Even now, I wasn’t sure what held him back. He clearly wanted to take me away, but something stopped him. Maybe he still didn’t know how to return Amael to his body. Or maybe he couldn’t act because of Cleenah and Nemes at my side. Perhaps it was both.

Either way, I couldn’t afford to dwell on it.

I was worried about the five I had left behind, but Alvara staying in Elyen Kiora was out of the question. It was too dangerous.

As we moved through the bloodied streets, my eyes landed on a mana-powered car parked nearby. I wasted no time, gently laying my mother in the back seat before turning to Alvara.

”Here.” I tossed her my phone, which she caught it. ”Call James Raven. He has Bryelle, and he should already be on the boat I arranged. Join him and leave immediately. Don’t wait for me.”

I would find another way out—for myself and the others.

Alvara hesitated, her lips parting as if to question where I was going or maybe about something else, but she must have sensed I wouldn’t answer. Without another word, she climbed into the vehicle and drove off.

At least I had managed to get Alea out of here. That was something.

With a quiet sigh, I slipped Bryelle’s pendant back around my neck and set off, my eyes scanning for any means of transportation. A short walk led me to an abandoned car, and without hesitation, I got in and started driving toward the shore.

The closer I got, the more uneasy I became.

Then I saw them.

Bodies.

They were scattered everywhere—Ruvelions and Teraquins knights alike.

I stepped out of the car, my boots crunching against blood-soaked dirt as I moved ahead.

The Ruvelion Knights seemed to have won… but at what cost?

”C—Commander!”

A voice called out, hoarse yet relieved.

I turned to see a wounded knight staggering toward me, his armor dented and smeared with dried blood. Bandages covered his head and arms, but fresh blood still seeped through the fabric.

”What happened?” I asked.