I Am The Game's Villain

"Huh?"

I blinked twice, my eyes scanning the words on the page.

One name immediately caught my attention.

Princess Viessa Teraquin.

A flick of my wrist, and the book vanished from the shelf, appearing in my hand thanks to Samara's ability. My gaze drifted to the cover. It was a historical account of the Blood Moon War.

"Viessa..." I murmured under my breath.

Was this just a coincidence?

My mind immediately began piecing together an absurd theory—what if this Viessa was the same as the one I had met?

But that war happened five hundred years ago.

Could elves even live that long? I knew their lifespans far surpassed most other races, but half a millennium? That seemed... excessive. If it really was her, she should have been dead centuries ago.

No, I was probably overthinking it. Maybe Viessa was just a common elven name.

Unfortunately, there was no detailed portrait to compare. The book only contained a rough sketch of Viessa Teraquin, making it impossible to confirm if they were the same person.

"Viessa Teraquin."

Alicia, standing close beside me, muttered the name as her gaze settled on the book.

"You know her?" I asked.

Alicia shot me a look like I had just asked if the sky was blue.

"Anyone with a shred of culture knows her," she said dryly.

I raised an eyebrow. "I spent most of my life in Celesta."

She ignored my excuse and casually flipped through the pages.

"She was one of the Five Heroes who took down the Vampire Witch," Alicia said.

I blinked. "Wait... seriously?"

Until now, I had only known their houses, not their names.

Alicia nodded, her fingers gliding across the aged pages, her eyes practically devouring the text. It was clear she had never come across this book before, and now that she had, she wasn't letting go of it anytime soon.

Curiosity burned in my chest. "Who were the other four?"

"Thomas Olphean, Gruna Moonfang, Celeste Zestella..." Alicia listed them off, showing me an old illustration depicting the five legendary figures.

I paused. "Wait... Celeste?"

Alicia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Not Senior Celeste," she said, as if I had just suggested the moon was made of cheese.

I couldn't help it—my mind was already spiraling into ridiculous possibilities. Was time travel involved? Had Viessa somehow leaped from the past to the future?

Or was the woman I met simply not Viessa Teraquin at all?

"Who's that one in the middle?" I asked, pointing at the last hero standing at the center of the illustration.

The figure's face was obscured, making it impossible to tell if they were a man or a woman. Clad in armor, they gripped a sword with both hands, exuding an air of quiet strength.

"Amael Falkrona," Alicia replied, glancing at me.

I frowned. "Amael, huh..." My eyes narrowed slightly. "You think it could be me from another life or something?" I asked absentmindedly.

She fell silent at my words.

I turned to Alicia, only to find her staring at me with an expression that spoke volumes—mostly about how ridiculous she thought that theory was.

"Amael Falkrona was the Head of the Falkrona House," she said flatly.

I raised a brow. "And what the hell was he doing in Sancta Vedelia?"

"Sancta Vedelia had requested aid from across the world, and the Falkrona House answered the call," Alicia explained. "Together with the other Heroes, he helped take down the Vampire Witch."

"I see..."

That was... news to me.

"Very few people actually know about the Falkrona House's involvement in the Blood Moon War," Alicia added.

I tilted my head. "Why's that?"

"It was a matter of prestige and honor," she said, flipping to the next page. "The nobles wanted all credit to go to the Sancta Vedelian-born heroes at the time. Amael Falkrona agreed to remain in the background."

I clicked my tongue. "Of course he did..."

These Heads...

Regardless of the generation, they were all the same. Prestige, pride, and their own damn egos—nothing else mattered to them.

Alicia turned the page, revealing a sketch of the Vampire Witch.

This time, the book contained a wealth of text about her—far more than the brief mentions of the heroes. The ancient figure had been immortalized in history, her legend preserved through the ages.

I dusted off the book's cover for a clearer view. The words looked familiar, yet... foreign.

It was the same language used in this world, but the writing style and vocabulary were archaic, almost as if the text itself belonged to another era.

"Can you read this?" I asked.

Alicia didn't even glance up, her eyes glued to the page.

She nodded.

"Selene Amaya Tepes. The Vampire-Witch."

"Her beauty was said to be beyond mortal comprehension. A presence that brought nothing but death and blood wherever she went. All Vampires fell under the Blood Moon Spell, bending to her will. For ten long years, no warrior, no king, no hero could even reach her, let alone defeat her. Anyone who laid eyes upon her succumbed to the Blood Moon's curse. But in the final year—the tenth year—the Head of the Falkrona House arrived. With the other Heroes, we launched one last desperate assault on her castle in Valachia. We lost many, but we finally vanquished her. At a terrible cost... a loss so great it should have ended there... but the truth was different. That day... that day—"

Alicia suddenly stopped.

She had turned to the next page, only to find it blank.

The ink had faded with time, leaving nothing behind. No conclusion. No revelation. Just emptiness.

I frowned and flipped back to the previous page, scanning the words again.

"Tell me about her description," I said, pointing at the passage detailing the Vampire-Witch.

Alicia hesitated for a moment before lowering her gaze back to the book, tracing the ancient text with her fingers as she read aloud.

"She was depicted in many forms, yet the most common description was this—long, flowing dark hair... beauty that defied nature itself... an appearance that was inhuman in its perfection. Many believed she was the reincarnation of Merithra..."

She trailed off, her brow furrowing.

"Merithra?" I asked.

The name seemed somewhat familiar but I forgot it.

Alicia nodded. "Vampires are said to have been born from Merithra's blood."

I arched an eyebrow. "So she's basically the Goddess of the Ravens and the Tepes Houses?"

"In a way, yes," Alicia admitted. "But the Vampire Witch couldn't possibly be her reincarnation."

I pointed at the eerie sketch of the Vampire-Witch. "Why not? According to these accounts, she had the strength and beauty of a goddess."

Alicia shook her head. "Because Merithra was the one who protected us from the Vampire-Witch."

That made me pause.

"Wait... What?" I stared at her.

"The Vampire-Witch was the first vampire but she misused her power…and she used the Blood Moon Spell long before the Blood Moon War even happened…" Alicia said.

"How come I've never heard anything about this?" I frowned.

It wasn't just because I was unfamiliar with vampire history—something told me that even among scholars, this truth had been buried deep.

"My mother told me," Alicia said.

I narrowed my eyes. "Does your mother know more about this?" My tone turned serious. "About the Blood Moon War and everything surrounding it?"

Alicia gave a small nod. "She used to read me books about it when I was younger. Our house also has an extensive collection of historical texts."

I folded my arms, piecing together my scattered knowledge. "Your mother is from the Bloodspire House, right? One of the noble houses from Sancta Vedelia that later shifted allegiance to Edenis Raphiel or something like that?"

Alicia blinked, slightly surprised, before nodding again.

The Bloodspire House—another offshoot of the Merithra lineage. But now that I thought about it, how had the Seed of Eden ended up in their hands? That part of history was still murky to me.

I let out a breath, thinking a bit. Then, I turned back to Alicia.

"I need to see your mother."

"Hm?" She furrowed her brows, clearly skeptical.

"I have important questions," I said, keeping my gaze locked on hers.

A lot of questions. Most of them about the Blood Moon War, but if I got the chance, I wouldn't mind prying some information about Lazarus Raven too. That bastard was going to be a problem in the last arc.

But Alicia immediately shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

"Tell me why you want to see her first," she asked warily.

Right. I had tricked her before—no wonder she didn't trust my intentions.

"Just information about the Blood Moon War," I replied. "And… I guess I might as well apologize for the whole Seed thing and, you know, sucking your blood."

Alicia's face turned red in an instant. "D-Don't!" She snapped, glaring at me. "She doesn't know about that!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Who does, then?"

"No one… except Senior Celeste and King Reiner Dolphis, I suppose."

Right. They must have seen it.

"I guess it'd be bad if your new fiancé found out too, huh?" I said, watching her reaction closely.

Alicia's lips pressed into a thin line. She said nothing, her fingers tightening slightly around the book in her hands as she shifted her gaze away.

Interesting.

She took a step back, probably hoping to create some distance—but unfortunately for her, I still had my arm wrapped around her waist.

Her body tensed.

"...!"

Realizing the situation, she quickly pushed against my chest, forcing me to take a step back.

-Thud!

The trembling bookshelf behind me gave out, and a stack of old books tumbled down, landing squarely on my head.

"Ugh…" I groaned, coughing as a cloud of dust engulfed me.

Through the settling haze, I caught sight of Alicia. A small, amused smile resting on her lips as she watched me struggle.

Oh? She found this funny?

Before she could turn to leave, I grabbed a book from the pile and flicked it toward her.

-Thud!

It landed right against the back of her head.

"Aah!" She yelped, rubbing the sore spot before whipping around to glare at me. But by the time she did, I was already standing right in front of her.

"After class," I said, brushing past her, "I'll be waiting."

As I walked away, I instinctively reached behind me—just in time to catch the book she had thrown in retaliation.

Glancing over my shoulder, I smirked.

"You should respect your Senior."

"A stupid Senior."