I Am The Game's Villain-Chapter 536: [Event] [Elven Utopian War] [75] Freeing Bryelle

"Look at me."

Bryelle flinched at first, hesitating before slowly raising her gaze. Her eyes, wide and filled with fear, darted around before settling on the pendant hanging from my neck. The moment recognition dawned, she opened her mouth.

I took a step closer, closing the distance between us. Before she could react, I gently placed a hand over her mouth.

She stiffened, her entire body trembling in fright, but I leaned in and whispered, "It’s me, Amael."

Her reaction was immediate. The terror in her eyes gave way to shock, then something softer—relief. The tension in her body melted, though she still looked slightly dazed.

At least try to doubt me.

I gave her a reassuring smile.

"I’m infiltrating this place, but I need your help. If you cooperate, I’ll bring you to your sister. Do you understand?"

Tears welled in her eyes again, but this time, they weren’t just from fear. She nodded slowly, her lips quivering.

"Good." I reached out and wiped away the tears trailing down her cheeks. "Stay silent and leave the rest to me, alright?"

Bryelle inhaled shakily before nodding again.

I exhaled and straightened up, turning toward the door. Without hesitation, I pushed it open and stepped outside.

"I’m taking Bryelle Teraquin with me. I need her to make Alvara Teraquin comply."

The guard at the door hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. His gaze flickered between me and Bryelle.

But in the end, he gave a small nod.

My current status was higher than Lykhor, as shocking as it might seem, and after the battles I had won for Elyen Kiora, my trustworthiness had significantly improved—especially with Freyja’s support. It was enough to make them trust my word.

Bryelle hesitated for only a moment before following, carefully spinning the wheels of her chair as she moved beside me.

We walked through the dimly lit corridors in silence until we arrived back at the place where Harvey was being held.

The moment we stepped inside, I found James Raven in the middle of a heated argument with a guard.

"I need to take him to the Tower," James insisted with a cold stare. "His Majesty wants to see him personally."

The guard, unimpressed, crossed his arms. "That won’t be possible. Harvey Indi Zestella is a high-value hostage. Unless His Majesty himself comes to claim him, he isn’t leaving this place."

James’ hands curled into fists. . I could see the wheels turning in his head, the way his muscles tensed with the urge to do something reckless.

Shit.

For a brief second, I could see him contemplating an all-out fight—taking down every single guard in the room just to get to Harvey. The mere thought sent a cold sweat dripping down my back.

Before things could escalate, I let out a heavy sigh and casually stepped forward.

"You’ve done what you came here to do, haven’t you? No need to cause trouble. Let’s not waste the time of these fine, hardworking guards."

Then, without waiting for a response, I walked past him, to leave.

Bryelle followed suit.

James blinked, momentarily dumbfounded. He looked at me, then at the guards, and I could almost see the battle raging inside his head. Would he fight? Would he throw caution to the wind?

Please don’t.

After what felt like an eternity, he let out a slow breath and reluctantly fell in step behind us.

Crisis averted. For now.

Of course, saving Celeste’s father would have been ideal, but trying to break him out too? That was pure greed. Not to mention, it would only draw more suspicion toward us.

James wasn’t an idiot. He must have understood why I chose to remain silent.

It was admirable that he had come all this way just to free his friend, but we were standing in the heart of Utopia’s capital—the last place we wanted to get caught. If we were discovered in this prison, we’d be as good as dead. Worse, Utopia would go into full lockdown, and right now, we couldn’t afford that.

Not until I got Alvara out of the Utopian Tower and onto the ship I had prepared to smuggle her—and the others—back to Sancta Vedelia.

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As the guards escorted us out of the prison, I kept my expression neutral, my breathing steady. But inside, I was a bit scared. Any second now, they could figure it out.

I had to fight the urge to hold my breath.

But to my relief, they didn’t question us. There was no hesitation, no suspicion in their movements.

The moment we stepped outside, the cold air hit my face, and I finally exhaled, tension melting away. Without a word, I reached for Bryelle’s wheelchair and gently steered her forward.

Behind me, James let out a frustrated growl, clenching his fists. "I came all this way for nothing..."

"Master, did you actually think you could take on this entire prison alone?" I scoffed, throwing him a sideways glance. "You have no idea how many traps could be inside."

"Maybe," James admitted, his jaw tight, "but if I don’t get him out now, he might as well be dead—no matter who wins this war."

I shook my head. "I doubt that. They’ll never kill him."

James narrowed his eyes. "And why’s that?"

"Because we’re going to win this war," I said confidently.

James blinked, caught off guard by my confidence.

I continued, "They need to keep him alive as leverage. Once the war ends, they’ll use him to negotiate for mercy, to save their own skins."

That’s exactly how it played out in the game, anyway.

James studied me for a long moment. Then, his lips curled into a smirk. "You sound pretty sure of our victory."

"I am."

Then, I turned to Bryelle, crouching slightly to meet her gaze.

"Are you okay, Princess?"

She blinked in surprise before nodding timidly. "Ah… u–um, yes. Thank you, Lord Amael..." Her voice was still shaky. Then, without missing a beat, she asked, "Is my sister safe?"

I smiled. Of course, that would be the first thing on her mind.

"She is. You’ll see her soon," I assured her. "But until then, you need to stay safe."

I straightened up and glanced at James. "Professor, I’ll need your help with that."

"Hm?"

"I need you to take her to Elyen Kiora and keep her safe until I come back," I said, locking eyes with James.

He crossed his arms. "And what exactly are you planning to do?"

"Free Alvara from the Utopian Tower, rescue my mother, and get some of my classmates who are imprisoned in Elyen Kiora. Once I have them all, I’ll send them off on a boat with Bryelle."

James exhaled, shaking his head. "You think I’m just going to run away?"

I smirked. "No, I know you better than that."

He nodded. "Good. Since I’ve come this far, I’ll make sure Utopia crumbles from the inside."

That was exactly what I expected from him.

"I know," I said, chuckling a bit. "I just need you to keep Bryelle safe until I bring Alvara and my mother to you. Once they’re all together, we can send them back."

James blinked, processing my words.

"Wait…you’re not leaving with your mother?"

"Not really." I gave him a knowing look. "Since I’ve come this far, I’ll make sure Utopia crumbles from the inside."

James was momentarily taken aback, but then a slow grin spread across his face.

"You really are something else," he muttered.

Beside me, Bryelle shifted in her chair, looking up at me with wide, worried eyes. "You’re not coming with us, Lord Amael?"

I crouched slightly, meeting her gaze with a reassuring smile. "I will. But not yet. Until then, stay with Professor Raven. I’ll bring Alvara back to you."

Bryelle hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Okay…"

I straightened up, turning to leave, but then paused.

I reached out a hand toward James. "I need your disguise pendant, Professor."

He frowned. "Huh? Don’t you already have one?"

I glanced at Bryelle’s pendant, still resting against her chest. "Yeah. But I need another one for Alvara."

James sighed, realization dawning. "Oh…" He reached into his coat and pulled out the pendant, but hesitated before handing it over.

I grinned. "Don’t worry, Master. You won’t need it. You just have to say you’re James Raven, and soon enough, their ally—the man whose family sold out Sancta Vedelia."

James shot me a sharp glare but eventually gave in, shoving the pendant into my palm. "That thing is extremely rare and expensive. Don’t lose it."

"I know, I know," I said, waving him off before turning to Bryelle. I held up her pendant. "Sorry, Princess. I’ll need to keep this a little longer."

Bryelle smiled warmly. "It’s fine. You can even keep it."

Seeing how strained her smile was, I let out a quiet sigh before reaching out and gently patting her head. Bryelle flinched slightly, caught off guard by the unexpected gesture.

"You’re not responsible for what happened to your sister," I said, looking directly into her watery eyes. "There’s no reason for you to feel guilty about anything. The only one to blame is Durathiel Ruvelion."

Bryelle’s lower lip trembled. "I–I…" Her voice cracked as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"When you see Alvara, don’t waste time apologizing," I continued. "She’s the one who feels the most guilt about all of this. If you apologize, you’ll only make it worse for her. Understand?"

She hesitated, then gave a small nod. "Y–Yes… thank you." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she bit her lip, the tears spilling over and trailing down her cheeks.

I offered her a reassuring smile before turning to James Raven, who met my gaze and nodded in silent agreement.

I took a deep breath and turned away, my hands tightening into fists.

Finally.

It was time to release my mother.

But first, Alvara.