I Am The Game's Villain



The limousine arrived at destination and Francis finished telling me the little he knew about my brother's last endeavor.

"I see…" I nodded, staying still for a moment before getting out of the car.

"Milord…if Lady Alea learns that I talked about that to you…" Francis looked at me with a conflicted expression.

"Don't worry, I won't tell mom anything," I waved my hand.

"It's not that, Milord…" But Francis shook his head. "If I may…I would advise you to not seek and involve yourself more in what had happened to you, your father and your brother…except you, they all unfortunately died and it's very dangerous-"

"You said it," I cut him off.

"Hm?"

"You said it, right?" I smiled. "'Except me', right?" 

"..." Francis opened his mouth but was unable to say anything.

"I'm not father or brother and while I love them and understand them…" I erased my smile. "I won't be as lenient as them concerning all of that."

….

….

Despite my determination to proceed cautiously and methodically, the prospect of danger to my family sent shivers down my spine. The mere thought that they could be targeted was sickening me to the core.

At the same time, I had to keep an eye on the unfolding events of the Second Game.

Lost in these thoughts, I found myself standing before the entrance to the Trinity Eden Academy's campus. This prestigious institution was situated at the heart of the Human Realm, in the neutral City of Central Vedelia and was renowned throughout Sancta Vedelia.

A grand avenue lined with trees of varying colors and sizes led up to the campus. Even though it wasn't the first day of school, there were still a few dozen students ambling along, engaged in animated conversations.

As I set foot on the path, a tingling sensation enveloped my body, as if I was being scanned by an invisible force. Most likely, it was a security measure put in place by the academy—a rather effective one, it seemed.

"Hey! Look at him!"

"He's incredibly handsome..."

"Absolutely my type!"

"Ugh, handsome men don't deserve to exist."

"You're just envious."

"L-Look at his pendant!"

"No way! That's the Olphean Family emblem!"

As I strolled, I clearly attracted attention, first due to my appearance and then because of the amber pendant hanging around my neck, which was quite conspicuous. I wasn't concealing my status; rather, I was flaunting it, in order to dissuade potential troublemakers. It seemed to be doing the trick.

"U-Um, excuse me?" A timid girl with a flushed face approached me. She appeared to be a Pure High Human, unlike me, who was a Half-High Human due to my father's lineage.

"Hm?" I raised an eyebrow.

The girl looked at my silver tie and spoke hesitantly, "C-Can I take a photo with you, Senior?" Her voice trembled slightly.

"I mean… yeah?" I replied.

"Thank you!" The girl beamed, quickly pulled out her phone, and then hugged my arm before taking a selfie. With a delighted squeal, she dashed away. However, before I knew it, other girls had gathered, eager to take pictures with me.

"What just happened...?" I muttered under my breath, hurrying my pace to escape the enthusiastic crowd.

[<You seem to be quite popular.>]

Seems like only among the Pure High Humans?

The Vampires, Elves, and Werewolves present seemed rather cautious around me, though some of them were eyeing me with obvious interest.

Taking in the scene before me, it was clear that the students sporting those shiny golden ties were the fresh-faced freshmen. The silver ties were probably marking the likes of me - the sophomores, while the more experienced folks sported the white ties, the third-year students.

This day seemed to be the first-year students' exclusive chance to snoop around the academy. I headed over to a portal where a bunch of kids were lining up with their academy cards. Thanks to the card my mom had hooked me up with, I got to cut in line. The scanner they had at the gate gave me a thorough once-over before deeming me worthy of entry.

Once I was through, I found myself in a kinda park-like space with pathways leading to the main event - a colossal white building right in the center. I couldn't help but feel like I'd stepped into some medieval fantasy flick, what with the castle-vibes the place was throwing out. The courtyard surrounding the building was dotted with students chilling on benches and even sprawled out on the grass, while the birds went about their business. It was the kind of chill scene that could make you forget all about the world's problems. I was half-tempted to just crash on one of those benches and take a power nap.

I strolled along the path, soaking in the laid-back vibes. Eventually, I ended up at these gates that seemed to lead further into the campus. A bunch of staff members were stationed there, carding every student that walked through. My pendant, naturally, got a bit more attention, but after a quick look, they let me pass.

Once I stepped in, I was greeted by a hubbub of voices, a throng of students all doing their thing. But then, out of the blue, this loud "Argh!" pierced through the crowd noise. Like, everybody stopped talking and turned to see what the fuss was about. There was this dude, sprawled out on the ground, groaning like he'd just gotten a taste of life's worst lemon. And standing on him, like he was some doormat, was this guy with blond hair and green eyes.

I recognized him immediately.

It was Allen Teraquin, one of the freshies, and—surprise, surprise, also one of those [Pretender] guys playing the [Second Game]. That bastard hailed from the Great Teraquin House, which had a rep for being all fancy-schmancy but also pretty messed up.

Teraquin…

It was indeed the same House that Kleah was coming from.

She told me a little how much she suffered because she was a Half-Elf but I could only imagine how much she suffered. That House despised Halves. I didn't want to know how they would treat Half-Elves from their own family.

These guys were like poster kids for racial elitism, with Elves at the tippy-top of the food chain, Vampires and Werewolves a step down, High Humans kind of in the middle, and Humans and Halves taking up the rear. They were all about keeping it 'pure.'

The groaning guy on the ground was probably a High Human, most likely the unfortunate victim of that guy's latest bout of jerkery. He probably did it willingly to show off his 'power' and status in front of his fellow mates to make them understand who he was. Typical of third-rate villains, I'd say.

"W-Why?" The guy on the ground choked out, his eyes all watery and helpless.

"Because I'm Allen Teraquin, mongrel," Allen declared, his voice dripping with arrogance and entitlement. His elven cronies behind him joined in the laughter, like they were all in on some sick joke.

Watching the spectacle unfold, I couldn't help myself but cringe..

The other students around us had a spectrum of reactions on their faces, from shock to anger to pure disgust. But what got to me was how unsurprised the Vampires, Werewolves, and Elves seemed to be. Guess this whole High Human prejudice was an old story around here. High Humans were technically stronger than regular Humans but not quite Werewolf strong. And in this wacky hierarchy of Sancta Vedelia, the Elves, Vampires, and Werewolves ruled the roost.

[<Good luck, Amael. You're a Half-Human, Half-High Human, and you grew up outside Sancta Vedelia.>]

Cleenha's voice echoed in my mind, her words heavy with a dose of reality. It was a pretty rotten combo in Sancta Vedelia, I had to admit. I just hoped my sister Christina didn't have to deal with this crap.

Well, for now, the High Humans in the crowd were clenching their fists and probably their teeth too, but they weren't about to start a brawl with a Teraquin Royal. Especially one as petty as Allen, which, honestly, was a bit of a head-scratcher. Compared to his older siblings, he was honestly almost cute.

And just as I was pondering how annoying it would be to have to tango with these Teraquin jerks sooner or later, a new voice butted in.

"Cut it out, Allen."

Ah, finally.

A Heroine of the [Second Game].