I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 484: [Event] [Elven Utopian War] [23] Heroic Beliefs

”Letʼs talk, dear Loki.”

”Could we... perhaps speak in a more suitable place, Your Highness?” I asked as politely as I could manage.

ʼCleenah, let me know if she tries to use her necklace against me.ʼ

[
]

Of course, I wanted reassurance. Ending up as one of Freyjaʼs prized additions to her ʼcollectionʼ wasnʼt on my list of priorities today—or ever!

Freyja shook her head in response to my request. ”I find this place quite relaxing for a conversation.”

Relaxing for her, maybe. For me, itʼs anything but.

I forced myself to exhale, steadying the unease twisting in my chest.

Opening my eyes, I straightened my posture and asked, ”What does Her Highness wish to discuss with me?”

Her lips curved faintly, an almost imperceptible smile. ”There are many things on my mind, but let us start with a simple question about yourself.”

”I doubt my life holds anything worthy of entertaining Your Highness,” I replied awkwardly, forcing a grin. The past I told her was a heap of lies. And that Goddess will certain pick up any incoherence.

”I will decide the one deciding what is entertaining,” Freyja replied to me dryly., ”You claimed to have traveled extensively after leaving your position among the Raonpherys-or was it after that? Either way, I am curious about your perspective. What is your opinion of the world after visiting so many countries?”

The truth was, Iʼd only been to Celesta, Edenis Raphiel as a child, same for the City of the Falkronas. Hardly the wealth of experience she imagined. But I couldnʼt admit that—not here, not to her.

”I think itʼs a beautiful world,” I replied cautiously. ”But there are things that must change.” Her expression shifted, as she raised a brow. ”Oh? Now Iʼm curious, Loki. What things do you believe need to change?”

I hesitated before speaking. ”The influence of terrorist organizations like Ante-Eden,” I said evenly, then added, almost as an afterthought, ”and... the Iris Project.”

Her reaction was subtle, almost imperceptible to an untrained eye. But to me, every flicker of her gaze and faint shift of her posture spoke volumes.

Yet I couldnʼt understand her thoughts, her true feelings about my answer.

”Thatʼs fair enough,” Freyja said at last. ”From an outsiderʼs perspective, everything appears black. Anger consumes them swiftly, especially when theyʼve lost loved ones.”

Outsiderʼs perspective?

What in the hell was she speaking about?

Whether it was Ante-Eden or the Iris Project, their actions had left a trail of blood and devastation. There was no ambiguity in their evil.

”Excuse me, Your Highness,” I said carefully, doing my best to keep the coldness out of my tone, ”but from anyoneʼs perspective, their actions would be seen as evil.”

I couldnʼt suppress the surge of bitterness that bubbled beneath the surface of my calm. The memories of Celesta burned in my mind. Elona had died indirectly because of them, and Aunt Oryanna... sheʼd been murdered by Brandon Delavoic, the leader of Ante-Eden.

And the Iris Project? They had crossed every boundary of morality, experimenting on innocent children as if they were nothing more than disposable tools.

Both organizations were cancers on this world, and until they were eradicated, true peace would remain a distant dream. This was the mission John and I had vowed to see through to the end.

Once Ante-Eden and the Iris Project were nothing but history, maybe just maybe I could finally rest and enjoy a life free from their shadow along the people I loved.

Freyjaʼs gaze lingered on me, her eyes probing as though trying to see something hidden within me.

11

”Is there a problem, Your Highness?” I asked, worrying that my words had betrayed too much of my thoughts.

”Not at all,” she replied, her lips curving into a smile that didnʼt quite reach her eyes. ”Sometimes, I forget that everyone around me is but a child compared to me...” Her voice trailed off.

To most, her words might have seemed harmless-some kind of words said by a woman of wisdom. But to me, they carried their true meaning.

She wasnʼt just any woman. Freyja was a goddess, one who had walked the earth for thousands of years and seen countless lives and wars. That truth made her earlier reaction all the more baffling.

If anyone should understand the importance of eradicating organizations like Ante-Eden and the Iris Project, it was her. She had seen the cost of wars, the devastation wrought by power- hungry organizations.

Why, then, did her words feel so distant from what I thought?

”Am I wrong?” I found myself asking, unable to suppress the question as it slipped from my lips.

”Youʼre quite talkative all of a sudden, Loki-not that I mind it,” Freyja said sweetly. She turned away, slipping gracefully back into the water, her hair cascading around her shoulders as she leaned her head back with a serene sigh. ”But your words... they reveal a great deal of your naivety and a still-childish mind. Not that I blame you for it. If anything, it makes you even more cute to me.”

”I fail to see how anything Iʼve said could be considered childish...” I retorted.

”Oh, my dear Loki,” Freyja giggled softly. ”You sounded very much like a child, spouting heroic beliefs as if the world operated so simply.”

”Heroic beliefs, you say...Iʼd like to hear what you mean by that,” I frowned a little.

Freyja cupped water in her palm, letting it drip back into the bath as she spoke, her voice taking on a more contemplative tone. ”You see, Loki, wars do not arise solely from the existence of so-called evil organizations. They are born from ambition, from fear, from the intrinsic nature of mortals themselves. Remove one threat, and another will inevitably take its place. You must have heard it. ʼPower abhors a vacuumʼ.”

She must mean that when a powerful force or influence disappears, something else will quickly fill that void.

Her silhouette moved behind the curtain, and I felt a subtle pulse of mana ripple through the air. It danced around her like silent music notes accompanying her words.

”You view the world in absolutes-good versus evil, heroes against villains. But the truth, Loki, is far more complicated. The lines between these concepts blur, shift, and often vanish entirely. Who is the hero, and who is the villain? It all depends on whose story youʼre

hearing.”

”That much is obvious,” I replied with a shrug.”But differing perspectives donʼt justify or excuse certain actions.”

”Absolutely,” Freyja agreed. ”Perspective and opinion are unique to each individual. You grasp this on the surface, but you refuse to accept it in your heart. That refusal blinds you, binding you to your ideals.”

She clenched her hand, and a droplet of water in her palm burst into dozens of golden bubbles. They floated upward, scattering across the bath like tiny, luminous orbs, their glow illuminating the misty air. It was a mesmerizing sight, the bubbles refracting light in unique

patterns.

”Every hero has their shadow,” Freyja continued, gently poking one of the bubbles. It popped, dispersing into shimmering particles of mana that lingered briefly before fading away. ”Every victor leaves behind victims. Every war carves wounds that linger long after the battles have ended. Even the pursuit of peace, noble as it may seem, often sows seeds of

suffering in its wake.”

”I... donʼt understand what you are... Your Highness is trying to say,” I trailed off.

”Hm. Think of it this way. You see Ante-Eden and the Iris Project as enemies to be destroyed,

believing that their end will bring peace. But what if, in your pursuit of this so-called peace, you become the very thing you aim to eradicate? What if, in your crusade against evil, you ultimately become the villain?”

”I donʼt think that is possible,” I replied immediately. ”Eliminating them will bring peace. Most people would be happy to see them gone.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, the sound of fabric shifting reached my ears. Freyja pulled the curtain aside.

My gaze immediately darted to the floor. Thankfully, she had wrapped a towel around her body. Yet, even in her modesty, she radiated an aura of divinity so potent it was almost

suffocating.

She stepped out of the bath, her feet meeting the ground with a soft splash. A small wave of water imbued with her mana rippled outward, reaching my boots.

”ʼMost,ʼ you say,” Freyja repeated as she began walking toward me. Droplets of water trailed down her skin, glistening under the light.

I fell silent. I had said ʼmostʼ because I couldnʼt imagine anyone but the twisted or deranged defending organizations like Ante-Eden.

Each step she took brought her closer, and with every inch, her presence seemed to grow heavier. Her golden eyes locked onto mine, and I felt as if she was gazing straight into my

soul.

This wasnʼt even her true body, and yet the sheer weight of her divinity made me feel really

powerless.

She stopped just a breath away from me. My muscles tensed as she reached toward me. I wanted to move, to stop her from whatever she intended, but my body refused to obey. Golden bubbles floated around us, their radiant glow intensifying as golden particles of mana gathered and swirled around Freyjaʼs outstretched arm.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for something I couldnʼt name. Instead, I felt a soft, warm touch against my cheek. Shivers ran down my spine at her touch.

”I see that you are still confused,” Freyja muttered. She tilted her head, strands of her wet, golden hair falling softly over her shoulder. Her smile-sweet yet undeniably mischievous-

made my breath catch.

ʼCleenah, is she using any spell or her necklace?ʼ

I asked in panic.

[]

The curt denial from Cleenah only deepened my sense of powerlessness.

”Join me in front of the gates,” Freyja leaned closer, her breath brushing my ear, sending another shiver down my spine as she whispered. ”When you are ready.”

Before I could respond, her form dissolved into golden particles. The bubbles surrounding us

burst one by one, and her mana enveloped my body in a radiant warmth that lingered long after she was gone.