I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 850: 25th Utopian King [2]

”They are all dead, Darling.”

”Good,” Edward replied simply.

The blood mist around Elizabeth curled lazily at her feet as she approached him, her expression turning almost sweet.

”Every blood tastes disgusting compared to yours, Darling,” she said, smiling as she reached toward him. ”I need yours .”

”Is this really the time to feed yourself, Beth?” Layla asked, still sitting comfortably on Edward’s lap. ”We are in the middle of a rather important discussion.”

”Very responsible words from the woman sitting on my love without an ounce of shame,” Alvara replied with a sneer.

Layla looked toward her with a sweet, perfectly innocent smile.

”Fortunately, I am not as prudish as you, dear Freydis,” she said. ”I can sit on him, kiss him, and enjoy myself without feeling ashamed because people are watching.”

Before Alvara could answer, Layla leaned forward and gave Edward a light kiss on the lips.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes immediately.

”You have been on him long enough,” she said as she came closer. ”Move.”

”Elizabeth.”

Edward’s voice cut through the brewing argument.

He looked directly at her, and Elizabeth paused.

”Later,” he said. ”We are in the middle of a discussion.”

”Hm?”

Only then did Elizabeth seem to truly notice the people surrounding them. Her eyes moved across the stage, taking in Aslan, Reginald, Alector, the Pope, Brutus, and the others. Her head tilted slightly, as if she had only just realized that they had arrived in the middle of a grand ceremony.

”Who are they, Darling?” She asked. ”Do you want me to kill them?”

The crimson mist around her, which had only just begun to recede, immediately rose again.

A dreadful pressure spread across the stage.

The people standing closest to Elizabeth felt dizzy at once. Their breathing grew heavier, and the instinct to move away gripped them. Even the experienced knights near the stage tightened their hands around their weapons, their faces pale beneath their armor.

”That is enough, King of Utopia.”

Alector finally spoke.

Edward turned his silver eyes toward him.

”If you wished to discuss anything with us,” Alector continued, ”you should have respectfully requested and arranged a meeting. You cannot simply barge into the middle of an important worldwide ceremony like this.”

”You are being awfully talkative,” Alvara interrupted.

Layla covered her mouth as she laughed.

”Goodness. Old men truly do nothing but speak and stare,” she said.

Edward looked at Elizabeth once more.

”Elizabeth, come here.”

Elizabeth allowed the bloodlust to fade. The crimson mist sank back around her like smoke disappearing into the ground. She walked to Edward’s side and leaned against the golden chair, resting one hand against its armrest as she waited quietly.

Only then did Edward look back toward Alector.

”I did not plan to intrude upon your little gathering,” he said. ”Truthfully, I came here to speak with the person who did not think it wise enough to invite a recently crowned King.”

”We only received news of your coronation recently,” Aslan said. ”There are preparations and discussions that must be held before such matters can be formalized. We intended to arrange something following this event.”

”Whatever,” Edward replied with a shrug, showing no interest in the explanation. ”I came here to discuss matters. Unfortunately, on our way, we encountered a particularly annoying group of trash in airship who attempted to capture us.”

”Are they the people you killed?” Aslan asked.

”They were.”

”A harsh punishment for pirates,” Isabel Arclight said.

It was the first time she had spoken since Edward’s arrival. Her composed gaze remained on him, observant and difficult to read though she was actually frightened inwardly especially by Elizabeth.

Edward glanced at her, clearly not recognizing who she was.

”Perhaps,” he answered. ”But they tried to lay their hands on my women. Death was already a very kind punishment.”

Aslan sighed inwardly.

At least the dead men had not been innocent civilians. If Edward had simply murdered ordinary people to make an entrance, there would have been no possibility of resolving the matter peacefully.

Still, the circumstances were far too convenient.

”Would you really expect us to believe that your appearance here, the burning airship, and a corpse falling in front of the stage were all coincidence?” Reginald asked, his sharp eyes fixed on Edward.

It certainly looked as though Edward had used the pirate attack as an opportunity to force his way into the ceremony and make his presence impossible to ignore.

”Believe whatever you wish,” Edward replied, unconcerned. ”I came to speak with one of the Kings of Edenis Raphiel and obtain proper explanations. Instead, I have received nothing but flimsy excuses.”

”They are not excuses,” Aslan said, his voice hardening. ”Edenis Raphiel stands at a turning point, as does the rest of the world.”

”The world, except Utopia, is that it?” Edward interrupted coldly.

The stage fell silent.

”No one from Utopia was selected or offered an opportunity in Edenis Raphiel. You have ignored Utopia entirely for the past two years. For a country that prides itself on neutrality and friendship with every nation, Edenis Raphiel showed remarkable enthusiasm and sympathy toward Sancta Vedelia after the Utopian War.”

”Utopia began that war,” Aslan replied. ”Sancta Vedelia suffered greatly because of it.”

”Then stop your bullshit about neutrality,” Edward snapped.

Aslan fell silent hearing that.

”You cannot call yourselves neutral while deciding that one nation deserves sympathy and opportunity while the other deserves to be excluded. You cannot speak about bridges, unity, and a new world while leaving an entire kingdom outside the gates.”

He leaned back against the golden seat.

”It is complicated to form a new relationship built on trust,” Aslan finally replied. ”Truthfully, Edenis Raphiel has complicated feelings toward Utopia. Some of our decisions may have been influenced by those feelings. But the ruling Princess of Utopia has not made matters easy for us during the past two years.”

”Ruling Queen now,” Edward corrected.

Then his silver eyes narrowed.

”But her actions were understandable. As dogs run toward a throne when they smell the possibility of a bone, so did the other kingdoms when they discovered Utopia possessed a new Holy Tree.”

Aslan grimaced.

Several others on stage showed similar reactions. The comparison was openly insulting, and Edward clearly had no concern for softening his words.

”You can hardly blame my Queen for rejecting you,” Edward continued. ”You came running toward her only after you saw potential in Utopia’s future. I wonder whether any of you would have approached us at all if the Holy Tree of Ymir had not been in our possession.”

Aslan remained silent.

That silence was answer enough.

Edward’s mouth curled into a faint smile.

”Very much what I expected,” he said. ”Still, I am here now. I wish for a future for Utopia as its King and as the Guardian of the Holy Tree of Ymir. That is what my people deserve after everything they have endured through war. However...”

His expression turned cold right after.

”Whether Edenis Raphiel will have any place in that future is no longer entirely in my hands.”

Aslan stared at him.

It sounded like a threat.

Some might have found it laughable. Edenis Raphiel was powerful, wealthy, and protected by the skies themselves. Utopia had only just regained stability under a newly crowned King. Yet Aslan’s gaze drifted toward Elizabeth, who stood nearby with a faint smile and a blood stained presence that made the air feel colder. Then he looked back at Edward.

Edward Falkrona was not an ordinary King.

He was the Guardian of a Holy Tree as well.

For now, Utopia was not a direct threat to Edenis Raphiel.

But turning it into an enemy could become a mistake they might regret deeply in the future.

”What do you wish, Utopian King?” Aslan asked at last.

”A great many things,” Edward answered.

His gaze briefly moved across the stage before returning to Aslan.

”But before any of that, there is one matter that is not open to discussion. My wives will be attending the Holy Academy as it seems.”

”Certainly not without you, my love,” Alvara added coldly.

She would never attend the academy if Edward were not there. In truth, he was the only reason she had accepted the idea at all.

”Yeah,” Layla said, her arms still loosely resting around Edward’s neck. ”I will not attend that academy without Honey either.”

”We will prepare seat for you immediately,” Aslan answered without hesitation.

It was an easy decision. Having the new Utopian King and Guardian of the Holy Tree of Ymir, enrolled at the Holy Academy would only strengthen Edenis Raphiel’s image. It would also send a powerful message to the world that the academy truly welcomed every major nation. And Aslan also hoped to form a new relation with Utopia.

”Very much appreciated,” Edward said.

He erased his smile and rose from the golden seat, and Layla finally uncoiled her arms from around his neck, slipping gracefully to her feet beside him.

Edward took several steps forward, clearly prepared to leave.

Then his eyes shifted toward Maria.

The Saintess had remained quiet throughout the entire exchange. Her heterochromatic eyes were fixed on him, her lips slightly parted. Reginald still stood protectively in front of her, but even he could not completely block the line of sight between them.

”Maria,” Edward called slowly as if remembering her.

It had been more than three years since he had last seen her.

She had changed greatly since then. The young girl he remembered had grown into a woman, the Saintess standing before the whole world. Yet the sight of her still carried something familiar, something that briefly pulled at memories Edward had thought he had left behind.

”Lord...Edward,” Maria replied quietly.

She gave him a small almost timid nod.

Edward did not look at her for long.

He turned away again, ready to leave the stage.

”If you are willing,” Aslan said behind him, ”then in three days, Edenis Raphiel would gladly welcome you properly as the King of Utopia.”

The offer was clear.

Three days from now, the Kings of Edenis Raphiel would meet Edward officially. They would discuss Utopia’s place in the growing alliance, the academy, the Holy Tree, and every issue Edward had raised.

”Thoughtful of you,” Edward replied.

He stopped for only a moment.

Layla walked past Reginald without the slightest concern for the White Knight Commander’s stare. She returned to Edward and wrapped her arms around his neck. Edward placed one arm around her back, drawing her close against him before glancing over his shoulder toward Aslan.

”However, I will decide when I see fit to meet the remaining Kings.”

The next instant, Edward pushed off the ground.

His form blurred, silver particles swirling around his body, and he shot upward into the open sky before anyone could react. Layla remained secured in his arm as they vanished above the Grand Forum, leaving the people below staring upward in stunned disbelief.

Alvara stepped forward next, ready to depart as well.

”Princess Alvara.”

Alector’s voice stopped her.

Alvara turned her golden eyes toward him.

”What is the meaning of this?” Alector asked, his face tight with suspicion.

Edward was alive.

And Alvara had clearly known for some time. She had hidden the truth from everyone, from Sancta Vedelia.

Alvara’s lips lifted into a cold smile.

”Hopefully, none for you,” she replied.

She twirled her flower shaped umbrella in one hand, then glanced toward Elizabeth.

Elizabeth walked behind her without another word. Reaching the edge of the stage, Alvara stepped down into open air.

Elizabeth followed immediately jumping.

She caught Alvara’s free arm, and the two women rose into the sky together, their figures soon becoming distant against the vast blue above Veyra.

For several long seconds, no one spoke.

The stage was left stained with blood, confusion, and the lingering shock of what just happened.