I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 844: Veyra’s Saintess Advent [1]

"Finally, it looks like things are starting," Rodolf said after releasing another long yawn.

Below the Crown Terrace, the Grand Forum had become a sea of people.

Several hundred thousand spectators filled the enormous amphitheater, spreading across the terraces and open standing areas in every direction. From the elevated height of the Crown Terrace, they looked almost like tiny moving dots, too distant for individual faces to be seen. Yet their presence felt real through the sheer volume of sound rising from below. Excited voices blended together into a constant roar, punctuated by cheers, laughter, and the occasional chant from groups who had come to celebrate the Saintess’s reveal.

The crowd was festive, restless, and full of expectation.

Reserved seating areas also lined both sides of the vast central space. Those terraces were meant for high ranking guests who did not possess access to the Crown Terrace, or who simply had not been considered important enough to receive a place there. Even so, those sections were luxurious compared with the overwhelming majority of spectators gathered farther back.

With a venue capable of holding more than 500 000 people, the enormous scale was not truly surprising. Still, seeing it with his own eyes made John question how anyone could possibly remain comfortable in the packed middle rows, much less the distant back sections.

At least giant screens had been placed throughout the Grand Forum. They would display everything happening on the stage, while powerful speakers spread every word and sound across the immense venue. Even then, John could not imagine willingly standing crushed among that crowd merely to catch a glimpse of the Saintess from a distance.

"Finally, they are moving their asses," Rodolf sighed as the staff members finished their preparations and began leaving the stage.

Everything had been arranged. The crimson carpet lay perfectly across the floor. The golden chair for the Saintess stood at the center behind the lectern, while the scarlet armchairs for the dignitaries waited in neat formation.

"Language, Rodolf," Cylien said, reaching over to tug lightly on his ear.

"Come on," Rodolf complained. "I am just tired."

"You chose to come, so get used to it," she replied with an amused smile.

Rodolf grinned and then elbowed John beside him.

"Hey, could you move now? I want Cylien back next to me."

"No," John refused immediately.

"Do not start another fight," Amelia sighed from behind them.

"Yeah," Victor added. "It is starting now. Let us calm down and get something to eat together afterward."

Amelia looked at him with raised brows.

"Right. The Apostle of Nihil casually going out to eat in some random restaurant. That certainly will not cause an uproar."

"Come on," Victor said, giving a sigh. "It has been ages since we had lunch together as friends. We can do it once, at least."

"I do not mind," Cylien replied. "If everyone is coming, we can do that. We will simply have to inform our parents first."

"Hm. If everyone goes, then I will come too," Amelia added.

John gave a low, reluctant grunt. It was obvious that he had no interest in joining such an outing, but once Amelia agreed to go, he had little choice but to follow along.

"Stop sulking," Amelia said, reaching down to pinch his cheeks. "Those two are your only friends. Try to get along with them."

"Victor, maybe," John muttered. "Not that wolfman."

Rodolf’s ears twitched sharply.

"What did you just say, punk?"

"Enough."

Cylien and Amelia spoke at nearly the same time. Both of them turned cold looks toward their respective partners.

John and Rodolf immediately shut their mouths.

With the argument temporarily settled, they turned their attention back to the enormous screen illuminating the stage.

A huge cheer suddenly rose from the crowd below.

A man had stepped onto the crimson carpet.

"Who is that?" Rodolf asked, staring the figure on the screen.

The man possessed neat auburn hair and clear tangerine eyes. He carried himself with a graceful but strict air. His expression remained gentle enough to seem approachable, yet there was no doubt that the entire crowd recognized him.

Cylien sighed softly.

"He is one of the Kings of Edenis Raphiel," she explained. "And he is also the leader of the Monarch Alliance. King Aslan Edenis Raphiel."

"Oh, right," Rodolf said. "Miranda’s unc. I wonder if the other Kings will show up too."

"No," Victor replied. "Only one of them will. King Aslan usually handles most public appearances, speeches, and important announcements for Edenis Raphiel. He is the public face of the archipelago."

"He is both a King and the leader of the Monarch Alliance after all," Selene added.

Amelia nodded slowly, watching Aslan approach the lectern.

"Yeah, that is a huge role," she said. "Honestly, I almost pity him. Are the other Kings just lazy?"

"They all have their own duties," Cylien replied calmly. "King Aslan simply happens to be the one most suited to speaking before the world."

On the screen, King Aslan reached the lectern.

The cheers below gradually quieted.

Across the Grand Forum, hundreds of thousands of people waited in breathless anticipation for him to speak

The moment King Aslan reached the lectern, the enormous screens across the Grand Forum focused entirely on him.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

He simply looked across the vast Forum.

Hundreds of thousands of people watched him from the terraces below. Others stood in the outer areas, packed shoulder to shoulder, while countless more observed the event through broadcasts on every island of Edenis Raphiel and across the rest of the world.

Then Aslan placed one hand over his heart and bowed his head.

"People of Edenis Raphiel," his voice began.

The voice transmitting device carried his words with perfect clarity through the entire Forum, powerful enough to reach even those standing at the farthest end of the amphitheater.

"To our honored guests from the New Celesta Empire, Sancta Vedelia, the Kingdom of Utopia, and every nation that has joined us on this day, I offer you my deepest welcome."

The crowd answered with a wave of applause. It rose from the lower terraces and rolled through the great Forum until the stone beneath their feet seemed to tremble.

Inside the Crown Terrace, Victor watched King Aslan with a thoughtful expression.

"He really knows how to speak," Amelia murmured.

"He has been doing this for years," Cylien replied. "He is one of the best public speakers in the world."

Below, Aslan waited for the applause to settle before continuing.

"Today is not simply a celebration. It is not merely the introduction of a remarkable young woman to the eyes of the world."

His tangerine gaze sharpened slightly, and a seriousness entered his otherwise calm expression.

"Today, we stand at the beginning of something that may shape the future of Eden itself."

The crowd fell almost completely silent.

"Throughout the past milleniums, our world suffered through division, fear, and war. Kingdoms that should have stood together turned against one another. Old resentments became weapons. Grief became anger, and anger brought only more grief."

King Aslan’s gaze moved slowly across the crowd.

"Edenis Raphiel choose neutrality during most conflicts. Some agreed with our decision. Others did not. Some believed we had abandoned them in their hour of need. But the past cannot be changed by pretending it did not happen. We cannot move forward if we refuse to acknowledge the pain that still exists between us."

Within the Crown Terrace, Rodolf crossed his arms and gave a quiet snort.

"At least he is honest about it," he muttered.

Victor nodded faintly. "That is better than acting as though nothing happened."

King Aslan drew another breath.

"Edenis Raphiel does not seek to command the world. We do not seek to stand above the other nations, nor do we wish to see ourselves as the sole voice that determines Eden’s future."

"Instead, we seek to offer a place where nations can speak to one another. A place where the future can be built through cooperation rather than conquest. A place where our children may inherit something better than the hatred we inherited."

This time, the applause that followed was slower, more thoughtful.

"As leader of the Monarch Alliance," Aslan said, "I have already opened discussions with the rulers and representatives of several great nations. The New Celesta Empire, Sancta Vedelia, and Edenis Raphiel will soon begin a new era of shared projects."

The great screens shifted for a moment, displaying the flags of the three lands.

"We will cooperate in education, mana technology, research, healing practices, trade routes, and security. The Holy Academy will welcome students from across the world, allowing the next generation to learn not only from their own people, but from one another."

At the mention of Holy Academy, a louder cheer rose from the younger parts of the crowd.

John leaned forward slightly.

"So they are openly announcing it now," he said.

"Of course," Victor replied. "They need people to understand that the academy is more than just another school."

"It is the center of their whole project," Cylien added quietly.

On stage, Aslan’s expression softened.

"Yet even great projects and alliances are not enough on their own. People need hope. They need symbols that remind them the world is capable of more than conflict."

His voice lowered, and the entire amphitheater seemed to hold its breath.

"Two years ago, the Prophetess appeared before the world. Her existence reminded us that the divine has not abandoned us, even in our darkest days."

The screens flickered with brief images from the Prophetess’s own reveal, drawing awed whispers from the crowd.

She indeed looked like a Goddess as the image showed a picture from Celeste from profile in Centra Vedelia, perhaps in some recents apparition of hers.

"And today," King Aslan said, "we gather to welcome another person chosen by fate itself."

The crowd began to stir.

"The Saintess of the Garden of Eden."

Cheers exploded across the Forum.

They were louder than anything that had come before. People rose from their seats, waving flags, raising their hands, shouting with unrestrained excitement. Even those who had remained skeptical of the political speech could not hide their anticipation now.

The Saintess was about to appear.

King Aslan allowed the cheers to continue for a few moments before raising one hand.

Slowly, the crowd quieted again.

"The Saintess who will stand before you today comes from the New Celesta Empire," he announced. "Yet she does not belong to Celesta alone. Just as the Prophetess does not belong to one kingdom, the Saintess belongs to the whole world."

John’s expression hardened faintly at those words.

"They really know how to claim someone," he muttered.

Amelia gently touched his shoulder.

"They are not saying Celesta has no right to her," she said. "They are saying she carries importance for everyone."

"Still," John replied, "they should remember where she comes from."

Victor remained quiet, watching the stage though he agreed inwardly. Edenis Raphiel had been often selfish monopolizing especially the Monolith and the Priestess after all.

King Aslan continued.

"She will enter Trinity Academy alongside Heroes, Apostles, heirs, princes, princesses, gifted students, and young people from every corner of Eden. Not to be placed above them, but to walk beside them."

His eyes lifted toward the upper sections of the Forum, toward the Crown Terrace where many of those very students sat.

"May this generation become the generation that ends the cycle of war. May they form bonds stronger than the divisions of blood, race, and nation. May they become the people who lead Eden into an age of peace."

The applause that followed seemed to shake the very air.

King Aslan stepped away from the lectern and allowed the response to continue.

Once the applause began to soften, he turned his gaze toward the two wide corridors connected to the building behind the stage.

For a moment, the entire Grand Forum became restless with anticipation.

Many believed the Saintess would now emerge.

Instead, King Aslan lifted one hand, asking the crowd for silence.

"To accompany us today, and to stand beside the Saintess during this historic reveal, we have invited several great figures of our world," he announced.