I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 550 550: The Seed of Treason

The news of the Utopian Kingʼs fall had spread swiftly through Sancta Vedelia, and with it came an urgent summons. A meeting was hastily convened in Central Vedelia, calling upon all the Heads of the great houses.

Most had answered. A few had not. But those present held enough influence to decide what came next.

Seated around a grand circular table of polished glass were Reiner Dolphis, Namys Elaryon, Jefer Moonfang, Evan Indi Zestella, and Duncan Tepes. Among them sat Alector, one of Sancta Vedeliaʼs prominent figures, though not a Head himself. And at the tableʼs edge, observing was Claudia Tepes, the Prophetess.

Three Heads remained absent—the leaders of Teraquin, Olphean, and Raven.

Despite their win, there was a lingering tension. Glances were filled with unspoken accusations and lingering resentment. Some of it was exhaustion from the war, but most of it ran deeper than that.

Reiner Dolphis, in particular, was brimming with fury.

His glare was locked onto Duncan Tepes, jaw tight, fingers twitching at his sides.

Then, in an instant, the dam broke.

-BAM!

A loud crack echoed through the chamber as Reiner slammed his palm against the table, sending a fine web of fractures through the glass.

Alector and Claudia visibly grimaced seeing that but didnʼt say anything.

”While the rest of us were out there fighting for our lives, what the hell were you doing, old man?”

”Mind your tongue, Reiner,” Claudia glared.

He turned to her, eyes blazing.

”Donʼt you dare tell me how to speak! Your husband—this man—abandoned us in war!”

No one spoke. Because, in truth, there was nothing to argue.

Duncan hadnʼt lifted a single hand to help.

And worse? No one knew what the hell he had been doing these last few months.

Reinerʼs frustration only grew, his voice rising.

”If he had actually fought, he couldʼve ended this war in a damn week!”

Duncan finally shifted in his seat. He sighed before leaning forward slightly.

”Perhaps,” he said. ”But tell me, Reiner—what would Sancta Vedelia have learned if the war had ended that quickly?”

Reiner narrowed his eyes. ”What?”

”If I had ended this war in an instant, what would our people have gained from it?” He let the question linger, then continued. ”Nothing.”

”This war was necessary. It forced people to open their eyes to the reality of Sancta Vedelia.”

Reinerʼs fingers dug into the table. ”And what reality is that?”

Duncan smiled faintly. ”That we are alone.”

A heavy silence settled over the table.

”Edenis Raphiel—the one who should have been our greatest ally—chose to remain neutral. They stood by and watched as we fought for our survival. And in the end, we won this war alone.”

He let his gaze travel across the room, meeting the eyes of each leader in turn.

”And that,” Duncan said, ”is the only thing that truly matters.”

”Only thing that matters, you say? Do you even know how many of my people have been enslaved and slaughtered?! Itʼs the same for you! The same for all of us!” Reiner erupted.

Duncan, however, remained composed. His gaze drifted toward Namys, whose already pale complexion turned even worse. Her hands clenched in her lap as he spoke.

”I donʼt think I should be blamed for that,” he said. ”The war erupted in Sancta Vedelia because of betrayals—betrayals from within our own ranks.”

Namys flinched, eyes darting away.

”Weʼve already captured Rolaem and Edea,” Aerinwyn spoke up, stepping in beside her mother. She had come knowing Namys would struggle through this meeting, and it was clear now that she had made the right choice. ”Theyʼre currently being held in a prison cell at the capital.”

”Imprisoned?” Jefer Moonfang raised a brow. ”Considering the nature of their crimes, they should have been executed by now.”

Reiner nodded his head in agreement.

Alector raised a hand, urging restraint. ”Calm yourselves. Rolaem and Edea are royals. They cannot be dealt with so easily. Trials will need to be held first to determine the full extent of their involvement.”

Namys sighed, almost imperceptibly, a flicker of relief crossing her features.

Claudia, however, was not so forgiving. Her voice dripped with contempt.

”Royals who betrayed us. Royals who sided with Utopia in a plot to bring us all down.” Her meaning was clear—she would see them dead, trial or no trial.

Alector met her gaze. ”They need to stay alive. Otherwise, where will the blame fall? The Elyaron Kingdom will bear the full weight of this, despite half their forces fighting alongside us. The same goes for the Teraquin Kingdom.”

Evan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. ”Has the Teraquinsʼ Kingdom been taken back?”

”It has,” Alector confirmed. ”A few hours ago, Alvara Teraquin arrived in Vanadias and took back her Kingdom during that short amount of time. Tanya has also been released, but neither could attend this meeting. Theyʼre still dealing with the aftermath.”

Evan frowned. ”Alvara? Wasnʼt she with Utopia?”

”Thereʼs no evidence of her siding with them,” Alector said. ”Her brother sent her to Utopia to marry the Utopian King, but she escaped their capital and even returned Alea to us. From what we can tell, she was simply caught in the middle of it all.”

At that, Namys finally perked up, her exhaustion momentarily replaced by something else.

”Alea is back?” She asked, unable to hide her happiness.

”She is,” Alector confirmed. ”But sheʼs still recovering.”

That was also why neither she nor Christina had attended todayʼs meeting.

”So we havenʼt reclaimed all of our kingdoms yet, have we? What about Harvey?” Duncan asked, turning his gaze toward Evan.

A faint smile tugged at Evanʼs lips. ”He was returned a day ago. He should be back to Zestel in a day.

”Returned?” Claudiaʼs frown deepened. ”By whom?”

Though they all knew Utopia had crumbled, the specifics of what was happening there were still murky.

Evan hesitated before answering. ”I heard it was the High Elf Princess of Elyen, Kiora.” Even as he said it, there was uncertainty in his voice. Why would she release such a valuable hostage? Harvey could have been a crucial bargaining chip, a powerful leverage in negotiations when they inevitably marched into Utopia to take their due. Instead, she had simply… let him go.

”All the better, then!” Reiner said, his eyes narrowing with intent. ”Sheʼs the last royal left, isnʼt she? We need to take hold of her immediately. Sheʼll be the key to controlling Utopia in the future.”

For the first time in this meeting, there were no objections.

Everyone silently agreed—if Utopia had no remaining leadership, then securing the last royal standing was the smartest move. Even more so when she had made the seemingly foolish decision to release Harvey without conditions. Or at least… they thought it was foolish.

”They have no leaders left,” Alector nodded. ”We should mobilize our armies immediately. Strike before they have the chance to regroup. Their morale must be at its lowest right now—thereʼs no better time.”

-Thud!

At that time the doors of the meeting room burst open.

A guard rushed inside, breathing heavily, his face pale.

”My lords!” He said, barely catching his breath. ”You need to see this. Utopia is broadcasting a live message to the world right now!”

Alector frowned but acted quickly. He tapped the surface of the glass table, activating the projection system.

The air above them flickered, forming a glowing screen.

And what they saw made every Head in the room freeze.

Mouths slightly agape. Eyes widened in shock.

The screen displayed what appeared to be an engagement ceremony. At its center stood the Royal High Elven Princess, Freya Ruvelion, dressed in ceremonial attire. But it wasnʼt her presence that sent a chill through them.

It was the young man standing beside her.

Even with his hair dyed grey, none of them could mistake that face.

They had all seen him before. They all remembered also that his other name was Edward Falkrona but in Sancta Vedelia he was....

Amael Idea Olphean.

A silence filled the room, stretching on for long, tense minutes as they processed the shocking words told and the shocking scene happening.

And then—

[”Edward Falkrona has been chosen as the Guardian of the Holy Tree of Ymir.”]

[”The Guardian of Utopia….and my Guardian.”]

-BAM!

Reinerʼs fist slammed down on the glass table, shattering it into countless shards. The force of the impact caused the projection to flicker and vanish, leaving the room in stunned silence.

No one moved to reprimand him. No one even breathed a word.

Because every single one of them was reeling from what they had just witnessed.

Their minds could focus on only one thing—

The Holy Tree.

A true treasure of Eden, of the supreme God.

The Seed of Eden…

”They got it?” Alector muttered in shock. His expression, usually composed, now reflected something close to disbelief. ”How?”

”Well, she said it herself, didnʼt she?”

Before anyone could attempt an answer, a voice—smooth and laced with amusement rang out.

The heavy doors, still ajar from the guardʼs abrupt entry, creaked open further.

A man strode in, completely unfazed by the charged atmosphere. His long, flowing crimson hair cascaded down his back, and his piercing crimson eyes gleamed with a obvious arrogance.

Cyril Magnus Raven.

But he wasnʼt alone.

In one hand, he casually dragged a battered figure by the collar—Kendel Teraquin. The Teraquin Prince was barely conscious, his body slumped in defeat, his face marred with bruises.

”What are you doing here?” Claudia asked narrowing her eyes.

Cyril simply shrugged.

”Well, my dear sister decided to ignore my warnings and throw herself into this war. So naturally, I had to cross the borders of Zestella to drag her back.” His tone was light, as if discussing something trivial. Then his smirk widened. ”But imagine my surprise when I found my good friend Kendel still struggling to fight—even after his grand plan had completely fallen apart.”

He laughed, a deep, unbothered chuckle. ”You shouldʼve seen his face. He looked so desperate.”

After saying that, Cyril threw Kendel on the ground like a trash.

Kendel groaned, but he didnʼt have the strength to retaliate.

Cyril ignored him and raised his other hand, revealing a small glowing orb. A flickering image appeared on its surface—the same projection they had all just seen.

Freya Ruvelion standing there grasping Amaelʼs arm.

”Anyway,” Cyril continued lazily, his eyes locked on Freyaʼs face in the projection. ”Turns out, my sister had the Seed of Eden all along. A stupid move on my motherʼs part, really—giving it to her without even explaining what it was.” His gaze flicked toward the room. ”And then, surprise… Connorʼs brother stole it from her.”

He paused for a moment.

Then his smirk deepened as he added, ”All so he could fuck the High Elf Princess. Well, I guess she could be worth indeed a Seed of Eden.”

For a moment, there was no reaction. Then—

”This brat…”

Claudiaʼs voice trembled with barely restrained anger, her fingers digging into the arms of her chair.

Across the room, Reinerʼs body was rigid, his expression unreadable.

But the way his teeth clenched and his hands curled into fists made one thing clear—

He was just as furious.

This was clear betrayal toward them, not this was beyond it. He became engaged to her using the Falkrona name. The Olphean name wasnʼt even mentioned once.

In brief, he had screwed them. They could do nothing against Utopia anymore.