Reincarnated as the Final Villain’s Vessel

"It seems you’ve changed a little."

Alicia’s voice echoed through the room, calm as always.

I raised an eyebrow, a small smile forming on my lips. "Maybe."

"Then how have things been recently?" I asked, while she answered.

"Quiet... although that won’t last now."

I ignored the hints of blame she was throwing at me. "So, do you have a way to deal with this?"

She placed her hands over one another. "Just put the truth before their eyes... and that also depends on what you’re about to tell me."

I nodded in understanding and relaxed against the sofa in silence while we stared at each other for a while until she tilted her head.

"Then are you going to talk?"

A few more moments passed in silence before I answered. "Yes... I’ll talk."

"As I said before, everything started when Talia found the merchant..."

I spoke and spoke, recounting everything while covering the details this time. Whether it was how we escaped the ruins and crossed through the gate, or meeting Arthania and the ancient monster, I told her everything... even what old Elias had said.

Time passed while my voice echoed through the study, accompanied by the ticking of the old clock on the wall.

Throughout all of this, Alicia listened attentively with a calm expression until I reached the part about the ruins, which had happened only hours ago but for some reason felt as though months had passed since then.

I stopped at the part where we entered the ruins, and instead of telling her directly, I asked,

"Do you know who lived in this world before us?"

Alicia’s eyes flickered for a moment as she rested a hand on the armrest of the sofa in silence. Her gaze changed several times, revealing a few rare emotions... I didn’t understand them, but perhaps it was longing.

After a few moments of silence, she spoke, her beautiful voice breaking the quiet.

"Humans."

It was a single word, yet heavy enough to linger in the air.

I wasn’t surprised and didn’t say anything, allowing her to continue.

"There are small remnants of evidence deep within the continent... they’re incomplete, as if someone tried to erase them."

Alicia looked into the empty space.

"The Empires didn’t consider them evidence of humans... instead, they considered them another species that merely resembled us physically."

"But they are humans."

Her final words were decisive and left no room for argument, as if she was completely certain.

But why?

I rested my elbows on my knees and leaned forward. "Yeah... they’re humans."

I was looking at the table in front of me instead of at her, so I didn’t see her reaction as I continued.

"You know, before we found the gate, there was a huge hall."

"On its walls was a depiction of the past and a record of... this world’s past, and humanity’s as well."

Word by word, I told her everything I had read there without hiding anything... I even tried to repeat what I had read directly, unlike the summary I gave the others.

"And just as it said we would return, we returned to this world."

With those words, silence returned to the room.

Alicia stared into the empty space with distant eyes, lost and filled with emotions I had never seen from her before.

I leaned back against the soft sofa and relaxed there before asking,

"Do you know any of what I just said?... The part about Arcadia, the Pantheon, and the First Ones... even the Devourer?"

I asked, hoping to get an answer from her... an answer that would fill the void in my head and guide me.

Perhaps there was still a part of Arcadia somewhere... perhaps she knew more about the First Ones or the other things.

That distant look remained on her face as she replied in a strange tone... as if she doubted her own words.

"I don’t know."

"Haaaa..." I let out a long sigh after all the anticipation I had built up... well, it was expected, and also disappointing.

After a few moments, Alicia returned to her usual self and that lost look disappeared from her face.

She looked at me quietly, waiting for me to continue.

So I took a breath and went on.

"After that hall, we found the gate in the next room... as for how it worked for us and brought us directly to my room, that all has to do with this."

I pulled back the sleeve of my white shirt, revealing my arm, then turned my wrist over so she could see the black tattoo there.

Her crimson eyes blinked as she examined it from afar.

I opened my mouth to tell her where it came from, but she interrupted me.

"Is that what that card left on you?"

My expression changed to surprise.

"You knew about that?"

She nodded, her white hair swaying with the movement.

"Yes... it was very obvious to me."

"Then why did you simply overlook it?"

She gave me a look as though I had been hit in the head.

"There are many things I’ve overlooked... and that wasn’t the most important one."

Come to think of it, she really had overlooked a lot of things without asking.

I raised a hand and ran it through my messy hair.

"You have a point."

She replied. "Of course I do."

I raised an eyebrow at that, but she quickly changed the topic and returned to the important matter.

"So that’s everything that happened to you, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, you can ask the others as well."

She nodded and rested a hand against her slender chin, sinking into thought, while I turned my gaze toward the window...

Outside, the darkness that had covered the sky had vanished, replaced by a clear blue color and the sun resting on the distant horizon.

Without taking my eyes off the window, I asked,

"So how are you going to deal with this?"

Her voice carried a hint of annoyance.

"You seem quite happy dumping this on me."

I smiled as I turned my head toward her.

"Of course not... why would I be?"

She shook her head with a sigh.

"All of their families are nobles of high standing, so revealing the truth will be the best solution."

"Especially the Imperial Family..."

I nodded...

I hadn’t mentioned the part about reading those texts, and I didn’t think the others would mention it after I warned them...

Well, there was still that girl.

"You all need to remain here indoors and make sure no one sees you, no matter what, except for those I allow."

She gave her instructions calmly, while my gaze remained fixed on the beautiful and strange woman before me, a peculiar curiosity stirring within me.

She seemed to notice my stare and raised an eyebrow at me in silent question.

But I didn’t look away.

Instead, I decided to simply ask... there was nothing to lose anyway.

"I’m curious... why are you like this?... Cold and distant most of the time?"

I leaned forward slightly. "And more importantly... what is your goal?"

Her behavior had always intrigued me.

That coldness and calmness weren’t the artificial kind many people in power displayed, nor did it seem like something she did intentionally...It felt completely natural...

I don’t know how to describe it exactly.

But it was strange somehow.

For a moment, I thought she would ignore the question or refuse to answer...

Or perhaps she had a tragic past that made her this way...

After all, she was an orphan.

But to my surprise, she answered immediately.

"I was born this way."

Born this way?

Before I could ask anything, she turned her head and looked outside through the window as she moved on to my second question.

"And I’m waiting for something."

I frowned and asked unconsciously,

"What are you waiting for?"

Alicia looked at me calmly.

"I don’t know."