Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

"Huff…"

I looked around me as I found something unexpected.

Hundreds of elves now knelt in front of me.

Their heads were bowed low, hands over hearts, weapons laid beside them.

Silence stretched across the field like a blanket of snow.

I landed gently on the ground, brushing dust from my coat as I looked at them.

"…Why are they kneeling?" I asked quietly, more to myself.

Aries stepped beside me, still catching his breath. "Because they saw a miracle."

"I'm not a god," I muttered.

I turned to Elijah, who still held Izara close.

She looked so peaceful now. Like she hadn't been sick at all.

He gave me a small nod, his eyes wet.

"Thank you, Himmel."

I gave him a nod as I gestured him to follow me.

Elijah, hesitant for a second, chose to follow behind as I began to walk between the elves.

Though they remained on the ground, many of them reached out.

Their fingers brushed against my arms and legs like I was something sacred.

Uncomfortable as it may feel, I didn't stop them.

'Let them believe in something,' I thought. 'They'll need it if they're going to survive what's coming.'

I kept walking.

The sky above was still cloudy, grey like ash.

One of the elves whispered something in a language I didn't understand.

'A prayer, maybe.'

Elijah stayed behind me, quietly holding Izara.

His footsteps were soft, like he didn't want to disturb the moment.

At the far end of the field, past the kneeling crowd, a few elven children stood.

They didn't kneel…. They just stared at me, wide-eyed and unsure.

I paused for a second, glancing at them.

One of them, barefoot and no older than eight—took a step forward.

He held a flower in his small hand….. A white one.

He walked up to me, shaking slightly, and held it out.

I crouched down and took it.

"Thank you," I said softly.

The boy blinked, then ran back.

I kept the flower as we were already out of the reach of the elves.

"I asked Mother," Elijah said, making me glance back at him. "She is ready to take care of Izara."

I turned back to look at him. "Is it alright?" I asked. "Your mother isn't really in a good shape."

Elijah smiled as he looked at me reassuringly. "It's fine, I will look after her as well."

I didn't say anything as Elijah walked towards a bench and placed Izara down.

"It would be better if you get your mother back to Akasha," I advised as he looked back. "I can arrange—."

"No." He cut me off. "I don't want my mother anywhere near that accursed family."

He remained quiet before he continued. "Tyshara could try to kill my mother out of jealousy."

"..."

I always forget about it, don't I?

Elijah never liked his family, not even once.

The event of games may not be real but the justification behind it was completely real.

I rubbed my temples as I let out a sigh. "Fine, look after Izara for a while."

"Wilhelm was my mentor," Elijah said, looking back at me.

"He was there when I had no one. The least I can do is make sure his daughter is safe."

Ah, right. Elijah met with Wilhelm long before the events of the games.

He was always a father figure to Elijah, someone who he could never have.

"…You've grown up," I said quietly.

He gave a small smile. "Maybe."

Elijah slowly walked towards me as he hugged me tightly.

There was a silence between us as Elijah gradually lost his strength.

His body began to lean on me as I supported him.

With a sobbing voice he whispered. "I..I will miss him."

"….I know."

I blinked as I looked towards the World Tree, noticing a gaze on me.

Near the World Tree, Elife stood at a distance, watching us with a blank expression.

She bowed her head slightly, then disappeared back into the tree.

---

---

It was already afternoon when I returned back to the place of my previous life's graves.

I have nothing else to do and the elves have still placed me under their 'arrest.'

But most importantly, I just couldn't bear the look of hope the elves were giving me.

"Hmm?"

The first thing that I noticed when I entered the illusion was something unexpected.

Close to the grave of Buinal, a girl sat alone with a blank expression.

"Oye." I called her. "What are you doing here?"

Nymeria turned to look at me with that still blank expression.

She blinked before she looked away. "None of your business." She replied. "Just leave me alone."

I wanted to send her away or provoke her but I decided against it.

Letting her sit there, I walked towards the bench that I made before.

I let out a tired sigh as I sat down on the bench.

Just as I did, a cluster of energy left my body before she turned into a woman.

Her long golden blonde hair flowed behind her as she stood tall in front of me.

"..."

No matter how many times I see her, I can't help but wonder.

'…Why is she so beautiful?'

Inna blinked before she took a seat beside me.

I got out of my trance state as I looked towards Nymeria.

"Can you come out in front of her?" I asked, frowning.

"Why?" She asked, bumping her body into mine. "You don't want others to see us together."

"No, isn't she going to lose her mind or something if she sees you?"

"She can't see me." She replied, shaking her head. "Don't worry."

I rubbed the back of my neck as I nodded in response.

"Why come out now?" I asked, picking up a small pebble and hurtling it towards Nymeria.

The girl didn't respond.

Inna picked up a stick as she began drawing on the ground. "I wanted to talk about a way to save Zenith," she informed.

I grew more interested as I asked. "Are we thinking of the same method?"

"The one you used to contract with El, right?" Inna asked, making a drawing with a stick.

"Yeah." I nodded. "If we can just remove only that part of her soul that's marked."

"But it essentially means making her feel the pain of tearing her soul." She mumbled, making two figures on the ground. "It's not easy."

"She can survive it." I replied. "I mean, I did as well."

Inna stopped whatever she was making as she looked at me.

"Qais, there is no other like you in this world," she said, with a serious look. "No one can reach the height that you can, neither can they endure what you have."

"...."

I remained silent as I stared at her serious face for a while without saying anything.

I rubbed my nose in embarrassment as I asked. "So, what do you suggest."

She didn't say anything for a while as she completed the drawing.

"You know, I see things a lot different than you," Inna mumbled softly. "And from my perspective there is no difference in the soul of Zenith and Yennefer."

"Hm?" I looked at her confusingly. "What do you mean."

"The soul of both mother and daughter is almost identical," she replied, pointing at the two figures. "And it's understandable as she is her mother's clone."

"Wait, what are you trying to say?"

"If done properly, we can transfer the mark from Zenith to Yennefer," she replied, her voice without emotions. "It's hard but not impossible."

"…..That is dangerous for Yennefer's life, isn't it?"

Inna looked deep into my eyes. "You said you wanted to save only Zenith now, didn't you?"

"...."

I couldn't rebuke her words as I stared at the drawing.

Well, given the circumstances… it does sound the best option.

And, I am sure even Yennefer will agree to it.

But….

'Do I really want to do this to her?'

As much as I hate her for killing Pasithea's family and Wilhelm….

…I do love her as well and I can never deny that.

In the end, it all comes down to how much am I willing to forgive her for the crimes she committed.

'…I can't do that.'

I just can't right now.

"…Why is your drawing so bad?" I couldn't help but ask as I glanced at Inna.

The older lady turned flustered immediately. "I am not good in everything, okay."

"You are older than the World Tree," I rebuked, "I would honestly die from shame if I don't know how to draw at that ag—."

Inna dropped the stick as she pinched my waist and twisted it.

"Don't make fun of my age." she said, with a chilling smile.

I immediately stood up, pain assaulted my mind. "Alright, jeez. It was a joke."

"There is also another way to save Zenith," Inna said, standing up as well. "We just need to kill her for a while."

I blinked in confusion. "Pardon?"

"If she dies the mark will fade away," she explained. "We just need to keep the soul out of her body for a while."

I frowned, confusion crawling my mind. "Won't her soul just go to hell then?"

"You forget already?" she replied with a sweet smile. "Both mother and daughter have identical souls."

"What does that have to do....Oh, right."

Well, I get the gist of her plan and honestly it wasn't half bad.

"But before all that, you need to work on El's blessing," she said, patting my head. "It will help you control things if needed."

I opened my mouth to argue but thought against it.

El's blessing is still one of the most broken abilities I have currently.

It's better to get more proficient with it.

I let out a sigh as I nodded. "Fine."

She smiled before she clapped her hands.

The world immediately turned into a dark gloomy mist.

"Now, let's learn more about Flawless Kingdom."

That was the last thing I heard before Buinal and Lazarus attacked me simultaneously.