Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

[Plains of Drago, Alfheim.]

[Central Army.]

Wilhelm blinked away the dizziness in his eyes as he walked out of the teleportation portal.

Despite all the restrictions that had been placed on teleportation, Wilhelm had no choice but to use it.

'There has been an increase in activity on the border.'

He thought as he began to walk towards his tent.

This was also the reason why he had met with Queen Pasithea just now.

He addressed the problem once again and asked for reinforcements as soon as possible.

'I just hope we can hold them down till then.'

But the more Wilhelm looked around, the more he doubted it.

The Elven army was already at a critical point, with the deaths of their people taking a toll on them.

A cold wind blew across the open plains, carrying with it the scent of smoke and blood.

Wilhelm clenched his fists as he walked past rows of tents, many of which were damaged or half-empty.

A few saluted as he passed. He gave them a firm nod in return, not stopping.

He could feel their eyes on him, the silent expectation and the pressure.

His tent stood at the centre of the camp.

As he pushed the flap open, he found his second-in-command, Aries, already inside, bent over a map spread across the table.

"You're back," Aries said without looking up. "How did it go with the Queen?"

"She agreed," Wilhelm replied, stepping inside and closing the flap behind him. "Reinforcements will come… but not immediately."

Aries finally looked up. His tired eyes said more than words.

"We might not last that long," he said quietly.

Wilhelm nodded, pulling off his gloves and tossing them onto the cot in the corner. "Then we hold. No matter what."

There was silence for a moment before Aries asked, "You look happy. Something happened?"

Wilhelm didn't answer right away. His thoughts drifted back to Himmel.

'My daughter would be free of her curse.'

He would be lying if he said he wasn't happy.

Wilhelm, since the start, had seen how his sick daughter suffered every day.

Time and time again, he was broken by it.

He dearly loved his daughter and really wanted to save her.

"I might take a leave for a while," Wilhelm said, looking at the young boy. "I need to see my daughter."

Aries frowned. "We can't afford that—."

"I know." He cut in his words. "That's why I came back, I will leave when reinforcements arrive."

Wilhelm sighed as he sat down on a chair, rubbing his eyes.

Truth be told, he was tempted to just accept Himmel's offer and stay until his trial was over, but—.

'It's better to not leave the border unsupervised.'

Aries didn't argue further. He simply nodded and returned his gaze to the map.

"We lost another scouting squad near the river," he muttered. "We think it's the same unit that ambushed the southern post last week."

Wilhelm leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "They're getting bolder."

"Or desperate," Aries said. "But I'd bet on the former."

A moment of silence settled between them.

Wilhelm let out a sigh as he looked at Aries. "We need to—."

Almost immediately, his instinct kicked in, Wilhelm's eyes widened as he felt something abnormal.

"ARIES—!!"

His words died down as a blinding light covered his view.

A split-second silence followed before—.

BOOOMM!!!

The explosion tore through the camp like thunder ripping across the sky.

The tent was shredded instantly, canvas flung like paper, wooden poles snapping in the air.

Wilhelm's body hit the ground hard, his ears ringing, his vision swimming.

Dust, fire, and screams swallowed the world around him.

He coughed, struggling to rise as hot debris rained down.

His fingers gripped the ground, steadying himself.

"Aries!" he called out, blinking rapidly through the smoke.

There was no answer.

He turned his head, searching through the haze.

His eyes finally landed on Aries, half-buried under part of the splintered table, blood running down the side of his face.

Wilhelm scrambled to him, dragging the broken wood aside. "Aries, hey! hey! Wake up!"

A low groan escaped Aries' lips. He was alive.

Not far off, the sounds of steel clashing and shouting soldiers filled the air.

They were under attack.

Wilhelm stood up, heart pounding. "We're being ambushed!"

He stepped out of what remained of the tent and saw flames flickering across the edge of the camp.

Black arrows rained down from the nearby hill, and Wilhelm immediately formed a shield to save his crew.

An ambush this deep into the central camp?

'How did they breach our defense lines?'

A soldier came running toward him, blood dripping from his shoulder.

"Commander Wilhelm! The west side has fallen. They came out of nowhere!"

"Form a second barrier! Protect the healers and the injured! Get the mages into position!" Wilhelm shouted, his voice sharp and commanding.

He pulled the sword from his waist and charged forward without hesitation.

The air was thick with the stench of burning tents and dying men.

But the more he moved, the more confused he got.

Because he couldn't find any enemy in the place, just his broken soldiers.

"We need to get them—!"

Wilhelm's words died down as he felt a shadow over his body.

His eyes slowly moved up as he looked at them.

Five figures floated in the sky, sun shining behind them.

---

---

"I may have the answer for that."

Hmm?

Everyone, including me, turned to look at Mariam.

"Lady Mariam?" Pasithea said, frowning. "Please speak."

"Nerissa, you should be aware of it as well," she said, looking at Nerissa.

"The World Tree chose Himmel."

Nerissa's hand trembled violently as she still had it on my face.

Like everyone in the place, I was also confused by what she meant.

Pasithea seemed to share my doubt as she asked, "What do you mean, Lady Mariam?"

Mariam didn't reply to her as she looked at Nerissa.

The woman slowly loosened the grip on my hand as she slowly stumbled back.

Nerissa's hand fell to her side as if the strength had been drained from her body.

Her eyes, wide with shock, refused to look away from Mariam. "You're… you're lying."

"I am not," Mariam said calmly. "The World Tree does not lie, nor does it choose lightly—."

"That never happened!!" Nerissa yelled, like she had completely lost her reasoning. "The World Tree never chose anyone!!"

The room fell into stunned silence.

Even Pasithea looked unsettled. "Are you certain?"

"I was there," Mariam replied. "I saw it with my own eyes—."

"Shut up!" Nerissa yelled, covering her ears. "It never happened!! Never!"

Pasithea's eyes narrowed. "Lady Nerissa. Control yourself."

But Nerissa wasn't listening.

Her hands trembled as she took another step back, shaking her head furiously.

"You're all being deceived! He's tricking you! This is all this demon's trick!"

'...'

Did she just call me a demon?

Mariam didn't flinch, and her voice remained steady, almost cold.

"You can deny it all you want, Nerissa, but we saw the roots glow—."

"I said shut up!!" Nerissa screamed, her voice cracking.

Then, just as suddenly, she collapsed to her knees.

She was breathing heavily…

Nerissa, for the first time, looked defeated, angry….and lost.

Nymeria quickly slipped past the others as she knelt down beside her. "Mother—?"

"Go away!" Nerissa snapped, pushing her away. "This was your fault as well!"

She glared at her daughter furiously. "You were born just to torment me!!"

Nymeria froze, her eyes wide.

The slap of her mother's voice seemed louder than anything else in the chamber.

She didn't move, didn't speak, just knelt there beside Nerissa, hurt flickering in her face.

Pasithea let out a long, tired breath as she looked at Mariam. "Can you please send her out?"

Mariam looked at Pasithea and gave her a nod.

She flicked her hand, and an invisible force swept both mother and daughter out of the room.

The door opened and shut down after that.

Nerissa wasn't in her right mind so she didn't even resist.

"Now, can you tell us what actually happened?" Pasithea asked, still looking at Mariam.

Mariam let out a sigh as she rubbed her eyes in pain.

"When Himmel was a child," she said, her voice low, "he was severely injured once."

"Huh?" I let out a startled voice. "What the hell are you saying?"

She just ignored my words and didn't even look at me.

"To save Himmel, the World Tree reacted," she continued. "It saved his life."

Pasithea's eyes widened, her brows drawing together. "The World Tree... healed him?"

Mariam nodded slowly.

"Hey! Hey!"

I yelled, glaring at the elven woman.

"Don't act like I am not here!"

Mariam let out a sigh as she said, "You don't—."

"Why don't I remember anything like that happening!" I cut in her words. "You are making things up now, aren't you?"

Mariam looked at me without any words.

But what triggered me was the pity that her eyes held.

"Lady Mariam, are you saying the World Tree gave him its Nourishment?" Selyra asked, disbelief clear in her voice.

Mariam shook her head in response. "I am saying, maybe that's why he could control it."

Pasithea sat back, her expression unreadable as the words sank in.

Now that I think about it… even El once told me about this.

The weirdness of how I could control something that no one ever could.

[<It's definitely weird.>]

'...'

I remained quiet as I looked at Mariam, who tried hard not to show any emotions.

But even then, I could tell she was holding back her pain.

'What the hell happened that day?'

Bam!

Before the meeting could continue, I heard the sound of the door slam open.

A soldier ran towards Pasithea. "We have a problem, my lady!"

Everyone glared at the soldier, but he looked on edge.

"What happened?" Pasithea asked calmly.

"There… there in the sky," he said, his voice trembling. "Someone is broadcasting something in the sky."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"What does that mean?"

Everyone looked confused as Mariam stood up.

She waved her hand, and immediately the ceiling above us began to move.

'Wait, we can do that?'

I looked up as I stared at the sky, where a screen flickered.

But my blood turned cold as I looked at it.

Hundreds of Elven soldiers knelt down in the screen in front of a Demiurge, Soren.

What took all my attention was the elf at the forefront.

"….Wilhelm?"