I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 438  [Event] [Semester-Exam At Vanadias] [26] Tanya's Fall

"Is everything in place for the Exam?" Tanya asked.

Kendel nodded as he faced his mother. "Yes, mother. Professors Zestella and Raven are overseeing everything personally. There's no need for concern."

Tanya exhaled softly, her expression softening as she processed the news. "Good." She still remembered all too vividly the disaster that unfolded during the last exam in Dolphis. She wasn't there that day but from what she had seen, it was quite catastrophic.

That day, chaos had nearly swallowed the Dolphian capital whole. Adrian Dolphis had been left in a coma, clinging to the edge of life, while King Reiner himself was still healing from the brutal fight with his once-believed-dead brother, Navas.

Even now the kingdom was still reeling from the devastation. The Queen of Dolphis had plunged into a deep depression, barely able to recover from the potent poison she had been administered during her abduction. Tanya had never been particularly close to her fellow rulers, their relationships tinged with the inevitable distance of politics and differing thoughts, but as a fellow leader, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for them. She knew the pressures they were under. She hoped, in her own quiet way, for their swift recovery. They would need all the strength they could muster—especially with the looming threat of war hanging over all of them.

Utopia's forces were stirring, and she knew the coming conflict would demand everything they had. The Olphean Kingdom's refusal to take part in the war until it directly impacted them had been a blow to their preparations, but Tanya understood Christina Olphean's position. She held no grudge against the decision. After all, Christina had her own kingdom to protect, and in times like these, personal survival often came first.

Tanya had even decided against sending a rescue mission for Alea Olphean, despite the deep personal history between them. Alea had been taken captive, but the truth was, they simply didn't have the resources or time to spare. Their focus was consumed entirely by the preparations for war, every hand already preoccupied with fortifying their defenses and rallying their forces. She couldn't afford to divert their efforts, even for someone like Alea.

It wasn't that Tanya didn't care. Far from it. Though they often disagreed and clashed over their differing views on Sancta Vedelia, Alea had been a constant figure in Tanya's life since their days together at the academy. They had bickered and argued like rivals, but deep down, they had shared a bond that couldn't be easily dismissed. Now, however, Tanya was no longer just a student or a peer. She was a Queen, and her duty to her people outweighed personal feelings. Her priority was the protection of Sancta Vedelia from Utopia's impending invasion.

 "I heard Bryelle will be attending the Exam as one of the VIPs, mother," Kendel's voice broke through her thoughts.

Tanya nodded. "Yes, I permitted it, just this once. She wanted to see Alvara, and keeping her confined all the time isn't healthy. If we don't give her some freedom, she might try to escape again, like she did just the other day."

A small sigh escaped her lips as she thought of Bryelle. The girl wasn't even her own blood, yet Tanya had grown to care for her over the years. In the beginning, her feelings toward Bryelle had been far more complicated. The girl was the illegitimate daughter of Rhys, the man Tanya had once loved with all her heart, and the revelation of her existence had initially filled Tanya with nothing but anger and betrayal. She had raged at the thought of Rhys's infidelity, and it took years for those emotions to settle.

But time, as it often does, had softened the edges of her fury. Bryelle was still the daughter of the man she had loved, and slowly, Tanya's resentment had given way to something else—something closer to maternal affection. Despite the initial sting, Tanya couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility for the girl, and over the years, that sense of duty had blossomed into genuine care.

"You care for her, don't you, mother?" Kendel asked.

Tanya paused, narrowing her eyes slightly at her son, studying his expression. "And don't you, after all these years?" She returned the question, sensing something off in his demeanor.

Kendel hesitated for a moment before replying. "I'm... not certain. But if you and Freydis care for her, then I suppose I will as well."

Something in his response didn't settle well withing Tanya. His words weren't the reassurance she had expected. They felt hollow, distant. The way he said it—it was strange. "What do you mean by that?" Tanya asked.

Kendel met her eyes, unblinking. For a brief moment, his face was unreadable, but then a faint smile—apologetic, almost regretful—curved his lips. "I apologize, mother."

Tanya's heart skipped a beat, a sudden sense of danger flooding her senses. She tried to stand, but before she could fully rise, her body stiffened—frozen in place as if her very bones had turned to ice.

The throne room, which had been eerily empty save for the two of them, was now rapidly filling with figures. One after another, twelve people emerged from the shadows, their movements unnaturally silent, surrounding the hall in a tight circle. Tanya's eyes darted to each one, her breath catching as she recognized the faces of every single one of them.

The Elite Knights of Vanadias. They were the kingdom's finest, handpicked for their loyalty and unmatched strentg. Knights of the 8th Ascension rank or above. Some had fought alongside Rhys, her late husband, in countless battles, sworn protectors of the royal family. And now...they stood against her, their hands raised, each of them weaving complex Mana Circles in perfect synchronization.

Tanya felt the oppressive weight of the binding spells descend upon her, the patterns of magic coiling around her like invisible chains. She struggled, but her body refused to move, locked in place by the overwhelming force of their combined power. Her disbelief turned into a cold anger.

"You..." Her gaze snapped back to Kendel, her eldest son, standing calmly in the center of it all. "What is the meaning of this, Kendel?" "I'm sorry, mother," Kendel said again, but this time there was no warmth. "But you wouldn't understand. Once Sancta Vedelia is cleansed of its filth and fully restored to the heritage of the Elves, then perhaps you will."

Tanya's blood ran cold. Her mouth went dry as the realization dawned on her.

"Kendel..." She whispered, her eyes widening in shock. "Don't tell me you..." The pieces clicked together. Her son was conspiring with Utopia. The very enemy they had sworn to fight. Her throat tightened in rage. "You're working with Utopia?"

She couldn't believe it.

It couldn't be. Not Kendel. Kendel's expression didn't falter, but there was a flicker of something—regret, perhaps. "You've been blind to the truth for too long, mother," he said softly. "Sancta Vedelia will fall under Elves. It's the only way to save our people."

Tanya's heart clenched with fury. "Kendel! Get ahold of yourself!" Her mana surged violently in response, a powerful burst of energy rippling outward from her body, shaking the foundations of the throne room. Despite the restraints, her power was immense, far greater than the knights had anticipated. The air crackled with Mana and Ruah as the ground beneath them trembled, cracks splintering across the stone floor.

The twelve knights groaned under the strain, their faces tightening with concentration as they pushed more mana into their binding spells, trying desperately to contain her. Even bound, Tanya was a force of nature, she wasn't the Queen and Head of the Teraquins for nothing.

But no matter how hard she fought, the combined force of the knights' Mana Circles was relentless, tightening around her like a noose.

Blood began to seep from the corners of Tanya's mouth, staining her lips as her body trembled with the force of her resistance. The pressure from the knights' Mana Circles was crushing her. Blood trickled down her arms, pooling beneath her skin where it had burst through broken veins.

Kendel, who had remained composed through it all, now turned away, unable—or unwilling—to watch his mother suffer any longer. His jaw clenched as he took a step forward, distancing himself from the sight.

"Kendel!! Look at me!" Tanya called once more.

With an immense effort, she forced one foot forward, bones cracking under the strain. She almost collapsed onto the cold stone floor, but at the last second, her mana flared to life, plants erupting from the ground around her, their thick vines curling under her body, lifting her upright like crutches.

She fought to stay conscious, to keep looking at him, even as the world around her began to fade.

"You… idiot…" Tanya's voice was faint now. "Leena… didn't want this…" The words were her last before her strength gave out.

Her knees buckled, and the vine support she had conjured wilted as her mana faded. The world tilted, and with a sickening thud, she collapsed to the ground. -Thud

But Kendel rushed forward and caught her before she fully crumpled, his arms wrapping around her frail form, holding her as gently as he could. "I'm sorry, mother," Kendel murmured. "But… I can't turn back now."

There was no turning back anymore.

"Prepare the Teleportation Circles. We need to retrieve Freydis and Bryelle."