I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 500: [Event] [Elven Utopian War] [39] Amael's Promise



"That is the law of the strongest."

The response came not from me, but from another voice.

We all turned, searching for the speaker, and saw a woman descending gracefully.

It took me only a moment to recognize her, though her expression seemed a bit off.

"Elizabeth..."

"Utopia has spent years hesitating to launch a proper attack on Sancta Vedelia," Elizabeth said. "They knew—even with their vast armies-that victory would be impossible. This time, you dared to try because you thought you were prepared. And now, you're going to lose. Again. Blame your own weakness for it." A smile curled her lips.

Shuria's glare burned back at her. "We fight for our future!"

Elizabeth tilted her head slightly. "Oh? Is that how you justify enslaving others? Collaring them like animals?"

"Don't lump us in with the rest of them!" Shuria's voice tremble. "If only you had given us the Seed when we asked-none of this would have happened! You're nothing but selfish, arrogant scum! Your leaders are the ones responsible for this war!"

"Is that so?" Elizabeth's smirk widened. Slowly, she raised her rapier.

"Wait, Elizabeth!" I called out, extending my arm to stop her.

She paused, raising a delicate brow at me. "Why? Their King is dead. Let them die and join him in the afterlife."

"What..." Shuria whispered, her voice breaking with disbelief. Her composure faltered, and the others around her flinched, their expressions shifting to shock.

Elizabeth seemed amused by their reactions. With a motion of her hand, she withdrew a crimson blade from thin air and tossed it to the ground.

The metallic clang echoed ominously in the silence.

"No... no, it can't be..." Shuria's knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.

Edryn and the others behind her stared, their faces painted with despair.

"As I said," Elizabeth murmured, narrowing her eyes. "He is dead. Shall I help you join your beloved King?"

"Elizabeth." I scowled at her.

She sighed, unfazed by my disapproval. "Don't give me that look, Amael. This is war. We kill every last one of them, or there will never be never ending to this war."

What happened to her?

The Elizabeth I once knew... was this truly the same person?

-SPURT!

Before I could speak a fleshy sound resounded.

I spun around, and widened my eyes in shock.

"Lady Shuria!"

The collective gasp of the Blood Elves echoed around us.

Shuria had plunged Elashor's sword into her own chest. Blood spilled from her wound,

soaking her hands as she began to cough violently, her body trembling.

"No! What are you doing?!" I rushed forward, catching her as she collapsed. "Are you stupid?! Why would you-?!"

Shuria's eyes fluttered. "A... world... without my King... I—I can't..." Her words faded, her strength draining like the light from her eyes.

Frantically, I reached for a vial of healing elixir, hoping to stave off her death. But her trembling hand shot up, gripping my wrist with surprising strength.

"Let me... die... in peace...at least." She whispered with a glare.

I glared back at her. "What about all your speeches about protecting your people? What about Edryn and the others? Are you just going to abandon them to die?!"

Shuria's lips curved into a faint, sorrowful smile before coughing more blood.

"N-Now... I can see you, Loki," Shuria whispered, her voice trembling. Blood seeped from

her lips, staining my clothes in vivid crimson. "Perhaps... you weren't acting after all."

Her frail body convulsed as another fit of coughing overtook her.

"H-Hey..." My voice cracked as I watched her condition worsen. My expression hardened as I pulled out the sword from her body.

At this point, she wouldn't make it even with vials.

"If my death... has any meaning to you..." Shuria gasped, her trembling hand reaching out to grasp my arm. "If you are... the Loki we knew... the one we trusted in... then..." She bit her bloodied lip, her tears flowing freely. "You will do... the necessary for Utopia..."

Her voice broke, and her arm fell lifelessly against her side.

-Thud.

A heavy silence descended upon the scene. One by one, the Blood Elves dropped to their knees. Some wept openly. Others remained still, their faces etched with despair.

I stared at Shuria's lifeless face for a long moment. My lips trembled, but I bit down hard, forcing my emotions into submission.

"I hope you'll find peace... with your King," I whispered, closing her eyes with gentle fingers. I carefully laid her body on the blood-soaked ground.

Straightening up, I turned to face Edryn and the rest of her people.

"I didn't know about Utopia," I began keeping my voice calm but it was definitely strained. "I had no idea about this story of the Seed or what our Heads refused you. But now... now I'm aware. And I swear I'll find a way-"

"Why should we trust you?!" A voice from within their ranks cut me off. "You betrayed us before, and you're nothing but a Human!"

I didn't flinch and stepped forward facing them.

"Yeah, I'm a Human. So what?!" I snapped, glaring at them. Without hesitation, I tore off what remained of my shirt, revealing the bandages wrapped tightly around my waist and arms. "Look at this!" I gestured to the wrappings, the bloodstains visible for all to see.

"You should recognize these bandages," I continued, my tone rising. "They're the same ones you're wearing right now! The knights we fought side by side to reach Valachia-was that all just an act?! Did I risk my life for some stupid charade?!"

Their silence was deafening, their gazes faltering at my words.

"I spent an entire week fighting alongside idiots like you!" I groaned. "How many chances do you think I had to poison your food? To slaughter you in your sleep before we ever reached

Valachia?!"

Their eyes darted away, fists clenching at their sides. Their distrust was still there but they couldn't deny my words. It was hard for them-impossibly hard-to trust a Human.

"I don't know about the strife and hatred Utopia and Sancta Vedelia have harbored for centuries, and honestly, I don't care!" I yelled. "Why should I concern myself with the sins of people who lived and died long before I was even born? What about now? What about you? Shouldn't we all be focused on the present-on our current situation? Isn't that what truly

matters?!"

"Our present and future are doomed..." Edryn replied.

"I know..." I nodded my head. "I know... and I understand." Reaching down, my hand hovered over Elashor's sword. I gripped the blade tightly, its edge biting into my palm. Blood began to seep from the wound, staining the ground in crimson

streaks.

"I swear on all that I hold dear, on Shuria, and on my own honor, on the Olphean name- I...Amael Idea Olphean, only Heir to the Olphean House, will offer the Seed of Eden to

Utopia."

nn

Edryn and the others widened their eyes in disbelief. Even Cylien and Rodolf stared at me, mouths agape. Elizabeth, however, didn't share their surprise. Her gaze turned sharp and disapproving in displeasure.

This was a promise no one of my status could make. Even a Head wouldn't dare vow such a thing without the agreement of the others. But I didn't care.

For the first time, I saw the Blood Elves exchange uncertain glances. Doubt lingered in their eyes, but it was no longer complete mistrust. I had cracked their wall of resistance, if only

slightly.

"You all have families-people waiting for you, I know since you shared your stories to me," I said, my voice softening. "Do you truly wish to continue this war because of the pride of

ancestors who couldn't care less about you? Shouldn't you at least try to build a better future for your children? Sancta Vedelia isn't perfect, just as Utopia isn't, but I'm certain we can find

a common understanding. And I swear-I will make it happen."

I glanced down at Shuria's lifeless form.

I couldn't be this heartless.

I had to do something.

Raising my gaze back to them, I stood, waiting for their response. But hesitation still lingered

in their eyes, their silence stretching on.

I gritted my teeth in frustration.

"We've fought together! We've eaten together! Laughed together! Mocked each other! We've

slept side by side under the same sky! I treated some of your wounds with my own hands! I even saved a lot of your lives! And all that time, I was a Human-your so-called enemy!" I clenched my fists.

"How do you think it felt for me?! Eating with people who have attacked my kind?! Yet, I managed to trust you! I learned to understand you." My voice lowered slightly and my gaze turned pleading. "Can't you do the same for me? Not for all of Humans-but at least for me,

as your former comrade-in-arms?"

I had enough of these deaths already.

Why did victory have to come at such a devastating cost? Why did an entire camp need to be wiped out, stripped of their pride, their very essence, just to claim a fleeting win?

The oppressive silence was broken when Edryn stepped forward hesitantly. "I-I don't trust anyone from Sancta Vedelia..." He said, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"I don't trust you either, Amael Olphean, but..." He paused, his gaze locking onto mine. "I

will trust Loki. I'm certain you weren't acting with us. I want to see my family again..."

"Edryn...?"

The others looked at Edryn, surprised.

"Guys..." Edryn turned to face them. "Let's try to trust Loki. If he offers us the Seed of Eden without us having to shed more blood, isn't that the best outcome for all of us?"

For a moment, the group hesitated. Then, one stepped forward.

"Right..."

Another joined.

"One last time..."

"You better not betray us again..."

"I'll trust you, Vomiting Princess..."

The odd comment earned a faint chuckle from the group, breaking the tension a bit. One by

one, they nodded, stepping forward to join Edryn's side. Edryn turned back to me, managing a small, hesitant smile.

Relief washed over me, as if all my guilt from the last week lifted off my shoulders.

"Until the end of the war, I promise none of you will get hurt," I said awkwardly. "But... we'll have to make it look convincing, so you might be treated as prisoners."

A collective groan rose from the group, but none of them objected outright. They understood

their situation. With their King and Commander gone, this was their only viable option.

I turned to Cylien and Rodolf. "Nothing should happen to them-or the other Blood Elves who surrendered."

Cylien smiled warmly at me, while Rodolf gave a nod.

Normally, Cylien would have found my promise to deliver the Seed of Eden completely absurd, given her position as a responsible Princess. But thankfully, she was also Marlene, one of my closest friends from Earth. And Rodolf? Without Yanis' memories, he'd have

outright rejected me without hesitation.

Still, I cast a wary glance at Elizabeth.

She met my gaze, her expression inscrutable. After a tense pause, she sheathed her rapier. "As

long as you take responsibility for your words in the end," she said.

I nodded, grateful for her restraint.

Turning back to the horizon, I looked up at the dark sky over Valachia.

No more loud noises, no more mana circles igniting the sky.

Finally, this battle was over.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I believed I'd done something good-not for selfish

reasons, but for others.

The war was far from over. Durathiel and the Dark Elf King still loomed as threats. Kendel

Teraquin was still out there. But at least, for now, the Blood Elf army was no longer in play.

"It's over..." I muttered with a small smile, allowing myself a moment of peace.

"Not yet."

"Huh-?!"

Before I could react, Elizabeth grabbed my arm.

With startling speed, she pulled me with her and leaped away from the spot.