I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 574 574: Talk With Priscilla Tepes

”The final written exams for Mana Theory are approaching. You will be tasked with encoding some of the most complex Mana Circles, and I expect all of you to achieve excellent results,” Priscilla said, her gaze sweeping across the classroom.

Written exams—just one last hurdle before the end of the year. After the trip to Fangoria, this was all that remained.

There should have been a practical exam as well, but after the disaster that unfolded during the last one in the forest, the academy had quietly decided to forgo any more this year. With everything that had happened—the betrayals, the deaths—it made sense. The academy was severely understaffed, struggling to recover from the loss of several faculty members.

Take Edea Elaryon, for example. She had once been a respected professor teaching first-years. Now? She was rotting away in prison. And she wasnʼt the only one. Too many teachers were either dead or missing, forcing the administration to take a more lenient approach to the yearʼs conclusion. Even the trip to Fangoria, which was originally meant as an educational experience, had turned into little more than a peaceful retreat for the students.

”Some of you might question the usefulness of learning how to decode different types of Mana Circles,” Priscilla continued. ”However, if you ever find yourself in enemy territory—trapped by magic seals commonly used in infiltrations or rescues—you will realize just how valuable this knowledge truly is. That is why I urge you to master seven- and eight-layered Mana Circles. Your task today is to analyze them and determine the correct method to break through.”

With that, she turned on her heels and left us to our work.

She had a point.

I had encountered plenty of barriers constructed from complicated Mana Circles before. But up until now, I never really bothered trying to decipher them. If something blocked my way, I simply broke through it with brute force. That was always my solution.

But looking back, I had been wasting an absurd amount of mana doing it that way. A more controlled approach—one that relied on knowledge rather than sheer power—would have saved me a lot of energy. If I took the time to study this properly, I could break through these barriers without exhausting myself.

But letʼs be real—I was absolutely terrible at this. Some things just didnʼt click, no matter how hard you tried, and for me, deciphering Mana Circles was one of them.

John, on the other hand, was a genius in this field. I had even asked him to teach me once, but that turned out to be a complete disaster. Not because I lacked effort, but because John had no idea how to explain things properly. His teaching method? If you donʼt understand, then youʼre just stupid.

Yeah. Not exactly helpful.

I shifted my gaze to Elizabeth, curious about how she was handling the assignment.

And, as expected, she was doing nothing in particular.

She sat with her legs crossed, idly swinging them back and forth, her expression calm and composed—like she had all the time in the world. Despite this she was still exuding that potent thirst for blood.

”Elizabeth… what exactly are you doing?”

Priscilla asked as she finally stopped in front of Elizabethʼs desk, her eyes narrowing at the sight of her apparent slacking.

”Nothing, Aunt. I already finished deciphering all the Mana Circles, from the seven-layered ones to the eight-layered ones.”

She casually reached for her notebook and handed it over.

Priscilla flipped through the pages, scanning Elizabethʼs work. A brief pause. Then, without a single word, she closed the book and handed it back.

”May I assist my fiancé? He looks rather lost,” Elizabeth said, throwing a glance in my direction.

I didnʼt even give her the chance.

”No, Iʼm good here,” I answered quickly.

In all honesty, I doubted she could teach me anything useful. Not because she wasnʼt capable, but because her way of explaining things would likely ended up in a session of blood drinking and maybe worse…

”You heard him. Here—revise the nine-layered Mana Circles instead,” Priscilla said, mercifully shutting down the conversation as she placed a thicker book in front of Elizabeth before walking away.

Elizabeth went completely still.

I could feel her cold stare drilling into me, but I deliberately avoided looking at her.

The moment class ended, I shot up from my seat, ready to make my escape.

But before I could take a step, a hand latched onto my arm.

I turned, meeting Elizabethʼs unwavering gaze.

She smiled. A slow, knowing smile. ”I need your blood.”

I sighed with a complicated expression. ”Later,” I muttered, trying to pull away.

Her grip tightened. Her nails pressed into my skin—not enough to draw blood, but enough to make a point.

I met her gaze again, more seriously this time. ”Later, Elizabeth.”

I couldnʼt let this become an addiction. It wasnʼt good for her. It wasnʼt good for me. And worst of all, I had no idea what my blood was doing to her.

Ever since she started drinking it, she had been changing. Subtly at first, but now… it was becoming more obvious. If my blood somehow triggered the dormant power of the Vampire Witch inside her, things could spiral into something far worse.

After a moment of silence, she finally released my arm. I didnʼt wait for her to say anything else—I turned and left immediately, putting as much distance between us as possible.

I moved through the hallways, my eyes darting around in search of Priscilla. She had disappeared from sight, but luck was on my side—I spotted her just ahead. Without hesitation, I rushed toward her.

”Professor.”

Priscilla barely spared me a glance before continuing forward. ”What is it, Mr. Olphean?” She asked in that cool, detached tone of hers.

”I need to talk,” I said, keeping pace with her.

She let out a light scoff. ”About what, I wonder? I must say, I didnʼt quite enjoy that little history lesson on the Seed. Though, I suppose you did look rather good in those images,” she added with dry sarcasm.

I ignored the jab. ”Itʼs about Elizabeth.”

At that, she halted mid-step.

For the first time, she turned to face me properly.

”I know about her birth,” I said. ”And what Duncan Tepes did.”

Her expression flickered. A brief widening of her eyes—quickly masked by a neutral facade. But I had caught it.

Without another word, she scanned our surroundings, then swiftly stepped into a nearby empty room. I followed, and as soon as the door shut behind us, Priscilla raised a hand. A mana circle flared to life around the classroom, its glow forming a protective barrier that ensured no one could eavesdrop.

Her voice dropped to a serious, almost dangerous whisper. ”Who told you that?”

I shrugged. ”Does it matter? I have the right to know, considering Iʼm engaged to her.”

Her gaze bore into me, assessing, weighing her options. Then, after a beat, she asked, ”What exactly do you know?”

I leaned back against a desk, crossing my arms. ”What your father did to Elizabethʼs mother. How he injected the blood of the Vampire Witch into her. Quite the exemplary grandfather, isnʼt he?” I said, sarcastically.

Priscillaʼs hands curled into fists, but she controlled herself. ”Hilda had a fragile body,” she said. ”Vampires have an incredibly low birthrate. After years of struggling, she was finally going to bring a child into this world. My father simply wanted to ensure the birth would be successful.”

I scoffed. ”How convenient. Iʼm sure that was his only motivation, right?” My voice took on a biting edge. ”And donʼt try to convince me he didnʼt have other plans in mind. What was he hoping to accomplish? Reincarnating the Vampire Witch into his granddaughter?”

Priscillaʼs teeth clenched. A shadow passed over her face.

”The Vampire Witch—Selene Amaya Tepes—was a once-in-a-millennium genius,” she said, her voice softer now. ”A being like her will likely never exist again. Her strength, her knowledge, her talent… My father always desired those things. He thought giving them to his granddaughter would be for the best—for the House of Tepes.”

”Regardless of the price? Regardless of the consequences this would have on his own granddaughter?” My voice was cold.

Elizabeth and Selene—both were far from stable.

Selene might have seemed normal now, but I knew the truth. If Victor hadnʼt accepted her, she would have crumbled into something unrecognizable. And as for Elizabeth… it was already too late.

Priscillaʼs expression tightened with guilt. ”I never wanted this either,” she admitted. ”I loved Hilda like a sister. And I love my nieces.”

”Then tell me,” I said. ”How do I gain control over Elizabeth? Every time I try, I feel like my blood is only pushing her deeper into insanity.”

Priscilla hesitated, then shook her head. ”Thereʼs nothing you can do… at least, nothing that Iʼm aware of.”

I bit back a curse.

”But she wasnʼt always like this, was she?” I asked.

”No, she wasnʼt,” Priscilla murmured. ”But eventually… Seleneʼs blood merged completely with her own. It took dominance over her. They became one.”

I lowered my gaze, my hands curling into fists.

I had no fucking idea how to deal with this.

For a long moment, I stood there, lost in thought, my mind running in circles searching for a solution that didnʼt exist.

And then, finally, I made a decision. A forceful one.

”After the trip to Fangoria, Iʼm breaking off my engagement to Elizabeth,” I said.

Priscillaʼs eyes widened. ”W-What?”

”I donʼt care what your father wants.”

Without waiting for her response, I turned and walked out of the room.

This engagement was tying us together in ways that were far too complicated. If I wanted to do something—if I wanted to take control of this situation—I had to start over from scratch before it gets out of my control.