I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 835: Edenis Raphiel: Veyra [1]

Veyra Isla had never seen a gathering of this magnitude in living memory. While the prestigious upper-tier island frequently hosted grand presentations and high-society galas for the citizens of Edenis Raphiel, today was different. Today marked a monumental occasion that would be permanently etched into the world’s history: the World Reveal of the Holy Saintess of the Garden of Eden.

Because of its profound global significance, the ceremony was set to be broadcast live across every nation. It had been two years since the Prophetess made her debut. Now, the Saintess was finally stepping into the light, and hosting her introduction within the holy lands of Edenis Raphiel was a highly symbolic choice.

There was no better stage than Veyra. The island itself was named in honor of a past Saintess who had actually been born there. She was a miraculous anomaly, the first and only Saintess to ever originate from Edenis Raphiel. Her sudden emergence back then had caused a massive uproar, severely disrupting the geopolitical balance of the world. But the introduction of this current Saintess, who hailed from the New Celesta Empire, was designed to achieve the exact opposite.

Her debut served as the ultimate political bridge, a powerful gesture meant to forge an unbreakable bond between Edenis Raphiel and Celesta. This rekindling of relations was the culmination of sweeping reforms initiated by the previous monarch, King Lucius. When he had temporarily reclaimed the throne during King Charles’s illness, Lucius implemented policies that successfully charmed the ruling houses of the archipelago, laying the groundwork for this very moment.

The grand ambition didn’t stop there. The leaders of Edenis Raphiel secretly hoped that the Prophetess might serve as a similar anchor for Sancta Vedelia, drawing them into a unified, three-way alliance. That, however, was a monumental task. The bad blood between Sancta Vedelia and Celesta ran deep, and Sancta Vedelia’s historically warm relationship with Edenis Raphiel had turned bitter right before the Utopian War. Sancta Vedelia had taken deep offense when the archipelago refused to ally with them against the Utopians, choosing instead to maintain a stubborn neutrality.

Despite these lingering resentments, the authorities of Edenis Raphiel were pushing a new era of unity, carefully positioning their own floating nation as the indispensable cornerstone of the alliance.

Given the unprecedented nature of hosting the Saintess’s reveal in Edenis Raphiel, the demand to attend was staggering. The Grand Forum of Veyra was an architectural marvel capable of holding over half a million people, yet access was very much restricted. The guest list had been curated with surgical precision.

Countless wealthy aristocrats and high-ranking officials had their requests flatly denied. Forced to swallow their bitter disappointment, these rejected elites had no choice but to watch the historic event unfold on the massive live-feed screens erected across the city squares of the lower islands.

For the lucky minority clutching entry tickets, the logistics of actually reaching the Grand Forum were greatly regulated. The designated transit hub, the Grand Forum of Veyra Station, had completely suspended its public lines. It now operated exclusively for the sleek, private Air Trams of the VIP invitees.

From the station platforms all the way to the amphitheater’s soaring archways, the perimeter was entirely locked down. Towering security barriers lined the streets, manned by a dense wall of armored guards ready to instantly suppress any incidents. After all, this was a generational milestone; authorities knew all too well that desperate individuals would definitely try the impossible just to bypass security and witness the Saintess with their own eyes.

Because of how tightly the security net had been drawn, the people who actually held invitations found their path surprisingly open and easy. The sky tram station, sealed off from the public for the day, operated with precision. Private trams glided in one after another, doors parting so passengers could step down with only a small escort of knights at their sides.

Even so, the number of invited guests remained great. From the earliest hours of morning the platforms had been busy. Nobles, and high ranking figures poured out in a long stream, some heading straight for the amphitheater while others slipped into the fine hotels nearby so they would not risk missing a moment of the ceremony. The trams never truly stopped arriving. More than ten separate lines had been prepared to handle the flow. Two of those lines stood apart from the rest, reserved solely for the most important visitors: royalty and the highest ranked special guests, the ones who would sit in the most prestigious seats inside the Grand Forum for the Saintess reveal.

On one of those exclusive rails a tram eased to a halt. Its doors opened with a soft hiss of released air.

The first person to step out was a handsome man with blond hair. He stretched his arms wide and rolled his shoulders with an exaggerated groan.

“God, I really thought I was going to die of stiffness inside.”

A young woman from the station staff could only stare. A quiet gasp escaped her as she took in his appearance. He looked no older than twenty, his face pale and flawless, his refined features clearly marking him as a vampire. His eyes, a vivid crimson, seemed almost to catch the light of the open platform.

Still working the tension from his neck, he glanced back into the carriage and held out his hand. A pale, slender hand took his. The woman who stepped out beside him was breathtaking. She appeared the same age, with medium length dark hair framing a face of cold beauty. Her complexion was porcelain pale, and her crimson eyes matched his exactly. She moved with a quiet grace that drew audible gasps from the male staff waiting along the platform.

The female attendant hurried to compose herself and flipped open her leather notebook, checking the tram number against the guest list. On these private VIP rails, specially assigned staff waited to escort and accommodate every passenger until they reached their destination. Everyone on duty knew the people riding these particular trams were not ordinary nobles. They were the true elite of the world’s society, and that reputation proved correct the moment the attendant found the entry written in large bold letters.

Raven House.

Her eyes widened in pure shock. She nearly dropped the notebook. Raising her gaze to the blond man, she understood immediately. He could only be Victor Raven, one of the most famous men alive, known across the world as the Apostle chosen by the Holy Guardian Nihil.

Beside him stood the dark haired beauty still holding his hand. The attendant reached the only possible conclusion in a heartbeat: this had to be his wife, Selene Janet Tepes, Princess of the Tepes House. Together they looked like the perfect living image of vampire nobility, elegant, powerful, and almost unreal in their beauty.

Victor turned to her with an easy smile. “You are not feeling too stiff yourself, are you, Selene?”

Selene returned a small, composed smile and shook her head. “I had your blood only a couple of minutes ago. I feel perfectly fine.”

“Right,” Victor said as a faint flush of embarrassment touched his pale cheeks. “I suppose that would take care of it.”

“My son, this is hardly the moment to flirt and block the way for everyone behind us.”

The voice came from inside the tram, calm and lightly amused rather than truly scolding. A beautiful mature woman with white hair stepped out next. She could easily have passed for someone in her late twenties. Her amber eyes rested on Victor with deep warmth. She was Thelma Olphean, older sister of the Queen of the Olphean House, one of the great royal bloodlines of Sancta Vedelia.

Victor chuckled and gently drew Selene aside so the doorway was clear. “Sorry, mother.”

“Do not mind him too much, Thelma. Your son is simply deeply in love with his wife.”

The voice that followed was smooth and lightly amused. Stepping out right behind Thelma came Leora Raven, a crimson haired beauty. One could scarcely believe she had bore two children. Her figure remained fit and slender, her features still luminous with a beauty that seemed almost unfair. The female staff member felt a quiet stab of envy at the uncanny physiology of vampires, who aged with such cruel grace.

“As son, as father,” another voice added.

A handsome blond-haired man stepped out next, equally marked by the pale elegance of their race. He was James Raven, current Head of the Raven House. He smiled as he slid an arm around Leora’s back.

“We both love our wives very much,” he said, leaning in with clear intent to steal a kiss.

Leora turned her head at the last instant, letting his lips meet only air. A small smile curved her mouth as she slipped free of his arm.

“Good try, but you will have to do better than that,” she said, moving a step away.

James grumbled under his breath, though the sound held more fondness than true frustration. Two years had passed since the misunderstanding between them had finally been cleared away, yet Leora still kept him at a careful distance. He could not entirely blame her. He had lied, and the wound of that deception had not fully closed. Her lingering reserve was something he accepted, even as he continued to reach for her.

The female staff member drew a breath and beamed a bright, professional smile at the assembled family, doing her utmost to keep her composure in the presence of true royalty.

“Welcome to Veyra,” she said.

She consulted her carnet once more and began to recite the names.

“Lord King James Raven, Lady Leora Raven, Princess Thelma Olphean, Lord Apostle Victor Raven, Princess Selene Tepes.”

She lifted her gaze as she finished, then lowered it again. One name remained unaccounted for on the list she held.

“Alicia.”

The answer came from the woman herself. She stepped out of the tram, one pale hand resting lightly against the doorframe, her delicate fingers tipped with long nails painted a deep, glossy red.

The moment she fully emerged, fresh gasps rippled through the waiting staff. Her long blond hair was gathered and tied back with a simple red ribbon that rested against the length of her back. Her crimson eyes held a sharp, cold hue even though her expression itself remained calm and unreadable. She wore a white off shoulders top that left her pale shoulders bare, paired with a red skirt that fell just beneath her knees. Her gaze swept the platform in a single pass before she stepped fully into the open air.

For a heartbeat the female staff member stood momentarily lost in her beauty. She recovered with a quick nod and opened her mouth to speak, only to fall silent again when another figure appeared behind Alicia.

The newcomer stood a few inches shorter, yet shared the same blond hair and the same vivid crimson eyes. She was younger, somewhere in her early or middle teens, and every bit as striking. Standing together they formed quite pair, beauty echoing beauty across a single generation.

The attendant glanced down at her carnet, then back up, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face.

“Um…in my records there is no mention of anyone else traveling with this party,” she said, her tone awkward and carefully polite.

Alicia’s stare fixed on her.

“Vina is with us.”

The female staff member stiffened slightly. She did not argue. She stepped aside at once, gesturing toward the clear path ahead with a respectful motion.

“P…Please, this way!”