I Am The Game's Villain Chapter 848: Veyra’s Saintess Advent [5]

"Maria Reina Paradis."

The moment Aslan spoke her name, it felt as though the entire world froze.

For a fraction of a second, silence ruled the Grand Forum.

Then the crowd erupted.

"Shit!"

Someone inside the Crown Terrace cursed, and perhaps it was justified. More than 500 000 voices cried out at once, releasing a deafening wave of cheers that shook the very architecture of the Grand Forum. The immense stone structure seemed to tremble beneath the force. Even the reinforced windows of the Crown Terrace vibrated visibly.

The sound did not reach them at its full strength because of the thick glass and protective barriers, yet the pressure behind it could still be felt through the floor, the walls, and even their skin.

There was not a single person below who remained seated or silent.

"Maria!"

Her name rang through the amphitheater again and again.

"Maria! Maria! Maria!"

The chant rose from every terrace, every section, and every corner of the vast Forum. It spread like a storm, growing louder each time it was repeated.

John grimaced slightly at the impact of the noise, then turned his attention back to the screen.

Maria continued walking across the crimson carpet.

In her right hand, she carried a long and magnificent golden papal staff. Fine patterns ran along its shaft, leading upward toward a sacred ornament that shone under the bright light of the stage. It was a Hallow of Eden.

The Ferula Celesta.

Seeing it, John released a quiet sigh.

’So it was Maria in the end.’

Edward’s words had made him uncertain for a time. Edward had said that he had saved Seraphina, and that Seraphina had possessed as much potential as Maria to become the Saintess. John had wondered whether that single change might alter the future entirely.

But Maria still became the Saintess, just as she had in the game.

The only difference was that Seraphina remained alive.

Below, the cheers continued for more than a full minute, showing no sign of fading. Maria reached the lectern and took her place directly before it. She lowered the Ferula Celesta carefully, holding the staff upright beside her with right hand.

Her heterochromatic eyes swept across the endless audience.

She did not appear overwhelmed by the number of people watching her. She did not rush to speak. She simply stood in silence, allowing the crowd to release its excitement.

Slowly, the chanting began to weaken.

"Maria!"

The voices became fewer.

"Maria..."

The cheers gradually reduced until the Grand Forum was once again quiet enough for her voice to be heard.

Maria looked ahead, her golden and blue eyes reflecting the lights of the world watching her.

"I would first like to wholeheartedly thank everyone who has gathered here today," she began.

Maria’s voice was gentle, yet her tone seemed majestic. It did not sound strained by fear, nor did it shake under the attention of hundreds of thousands of people.

"I know that many of you have come from far away. Some have traveled across islands, crossed seas, and left behind their homes simply to be present for this moment. I am deeply grateful that you would give me such kindness."

"Today, people call me the Saintess of the Garden of Eden. It is a title that carries meaning, faith, and expectations far greater than I can fully express."

"I am only eighteen years old. There are many things I have yet to learn. There are many people in this world who are wiser, stronger, and more experienced than I am. I do not wish to stand here and pretend that I possess every answer simply because I have been given a sacred title."

The crowd remained still.

"I cannot heal every sorrow in the world. I cannot erase every wound left by war. I cannot bring back those whom we have lost, and I cannot promise that hardship will never come again."

Her fingers tightened gently around the Ferula Celesta.

"But I can promise this."

Her voice gained strength.

"I will not turn away from the pain of others."

She said.

"I will listen to those who are grieving. I will stand beside those who feel alone. I will offer my hand to those who have been abandoned by hope. If the Garden of Eden has truly chosen me, then I believe it did not do so for me to be placed high above everyone else."

Maria looked across the innumerable faces before her.

"I believe it chose me so that I could walk among you."

For several heartbeats, there was only silence.

Then applause began again.

It started in the lower terraces, where ordinary citizens stood shoulder to shoulder, and gradually spread upward. The people clapped slowly, some wiping tears from their eyes, others staring at Maria as though they had forgotten how to breathe.

Maria waited, allowing them to respond before she continued.

"Our world is filled with differences. We come from different kingdoms. We speak different languages. We carry different histories, beliefs, and traditions. Some of us have been taught to fear one another. Some have inherited anger that began before we were even born."

Her expression became only more serious.

"But the pain of losing someone does not belong to one race. The fear of war does not belong to one nation. The wish to return safely to the people we love is shared by every heart in Eden."

The blue eye and golden eye of the Saintess seemed to shine more brightly beneath the stage lights.

"I do not ask anyone to forget the past. The past matters. The lives we have lost matter. The wrongs that were done matter."

Her voice softened.

"But I ask that we do not allow those losses to become the reason more people must suffer."

"We cannot honor the dead by creating more graves. We cannot protect the children of tomorrow by teaching them only how to hate the children standing beside them today."

"I hope that the generation now entering academies, serving their families, learning their crafts, and preparing for their futures will become different from those who came before them. I hope they will not see a person’s race before they see their heart. I hope they will not see another kingdom as an enemy before they see the people living within it."

Maria turned slightly, her gaze briefly passing over the dignitaries seated behind her.

"Edenis Raphiel, the New Celesta Empire, Sancta Vedelia, and every other land in our world all carry their own burdens. But we also carry the ability to help one another."

She rested both hands around the Ferula Celesta.

"I do not believe peace is a dream too distant to reach. I believe peace begins in small choices. It begins when we choose to understand before we judge. When we choose to protect instead of exploit. When we choose to speak instead of raise a weapon."

Her voice did not rise into a shout. It remained calm, almost tender.

Yet every word reached the crowd.

"I do not know what tomorrow will bring. None of us do. There may be difficult days ahead. There may be trials that test our faith in one another."

She smiled then, soft and sincere.

"But I hope that when those days come, we will remember this moment. We will remember that people from every part of Eden gathered beneath one sky, not to celebrate war, not to witness power, but to hope together."

The Grand Forum had become completely silent again.

Maria looked toward the people standing at the furthest ends of the amphitheater, those who were so distant that she could barely see them beyond the rows and rows of terraces.

"To everyone watching here, across Edenis Raphiel, throughout Celesta, Sancta Vedelia, and the rest of the world..."

She placed one hand over her heart.

"Thank you for allowing me to stand before you."

"I am Maria Reina Paradis. I am the Saintess of the Garden of Eden."

She raised the Ferula Celesta slightly glowing in her grip, answering her call.

"And from this day onward, I will devote my life to protecting hope."

For a single breath, no one moved as they observed her figure under the light.

Then the Grand Forum exploded into cheers.

This time, the sound was not simply excitement at seeing a beautiful Saintess. It was the roar of hundreds of thousands of people who had been moved and completely overwhelmed by the speech of their new Saintess.

"MARIA!"

Her name rang through the Grand Forum once more, louder than before.

"MARIA! MARIA! MARIA!"

Behind her, Aslan and the seven dignitaries rose or leaned forward in their seats, applauding her words with open approval.

"Damn, that was something," Rodolf admitted from the Crown Terrace.

"Yeah," Amelia replied, glancing at him with a playful smile. "What were you doing at eighteen, Rodolf? Still desperately trying to get Cylien’s attention?"

"Do not drag me into this," Rodolf growled.

Cylien giggled softly beside him. "She is not wrong."

Around the Crown Terrace, the other guests watched the screen with clear admiration. Even those who had arrived merely because of political duty or curiosity now appeared impressed by Maria’s composure. She had stood before more than half a million people and spoken without fear, without losing a single word, despite being only eighteen.

Jayden in particular wore a wide smile as he continued applauding.

"You look very happy, Reinhart," Jennyfer said, noticing his expression.

"Of course he is, daughter," Philip chuckled. "The Saintess is promised to the Apostle of Lumen. Honestly, I could cry just thinking about it."

Laura released a soft sigh, though a small smile formed on her lips.

She would certainly be honored to have the Saintess as a daughter in law. Maria was not only beautiful and blessed with a sacred title. She was a remarkable young woman, mature beyond her age, clear minded, and entirely unafraid of the immense expectations placed upon her.

Back on the stage, the applause gradually softened.

Aslan turned toward Maria with an approving smile.

"I am truly at a loss for words, Your Holiness," he said. "I had heard much about you before today, but witnessing your presence and hearing your words in person is something else entirely. I believe the concerns people held about your youth have been completely underestimated."

Maria turned her gaze toward him and bowed her head slightly.

"I am honored," she replied.

Aslan’s smile widened. He lifted a hand and gestured toward the golden chair prepared behind the lectern.

"Please, do..."

He stopped midway through the sentence.

His eyes suddenly lifted toward the sky above the open Grand Forum.

Maria raised a brow at his abrupt change, then followed his gaze.

Something was flying high above them.

At first, it did not seem especially unusual. Edenis Raphiel’s skies were filled with airships, sky trams, and flying vessels every day. Yet the object was moving far too quickly. It tore through the air in an uncontrolled descent, its path crooked and unstable.

An airship.

Aslan recognized it immediately.

The vessel was burning.

Thick black smoke poured from its rear, leaving a dark trail across the clear sky as flames consumed part of its hull. It flew at dangerous speed, violently cutting through the air as though no one inside remained capable of controlling it.

Slowly, the attention of the entire Forum shifted upward.

The cheers died.

Confused murmurs spread through the crowd. People rose from their seats and pointed at the burning airship as the terrible whistling sound of its descent grew louder.

Then...

-BOOOOOM!

The airship exploded.

A massive burst of fire and smoke tore across the sky in full view of everyone. The shockwave rolled outward, striking the Grand Forum with enough force to make tapestries and banners snap violently and the glass windows of the Crown Terrace tremble.

For several seconds, the crowd could only stare in stunned silence.

Then screams erupted.

Reginald Fitzgerald moved immediately. He stood from his chair and stepped beside Aslan, his black eyes fixed on the burning wreckage above.

"Something is coming," Aslan said.

A dark shape was descending from the smoke.

It was moving directly toward the stage at terrifying speed.

Reginald extended an arm in front of Maria, signaling her to retreat. Maria stepped back, tightening her hold around the Ferula Celesta. The White Knight Commander’s other hand moved toward the sword at his waist, ready to intercept whatever was falling toward them.

The object did not strike the stage.

Instead, it crashed into the wall below the elevated stage.

-SPURT!

The impact was sickening.

The spectators nearest to the front had thankfully been kept a fair distance from the stage barriers, but they were close enough to see what had struck the stone wall.

A body.

Or what remained of one.

The force of the collision had reduced it to blood, torn clothing, and pieces of flesh scattered against the pale wall. A sharp metallic scent rose into the air. The nearest people screamed in horror, stumbling backward as panic began to spread through the lower rows.

Aslan stepped forward instinctively, trying to look down toward the point of impact.

"Careful!"

Reginald’s warning came too late.

Aslan looked up.

A shadow had appeared directly beside him on the stage.

His eyes widened. He swung his arm with tremendous speed toward the intruder, but purple lightning burst through the air before his strike could land. The figure vanished, leaving only arcs of violet energy crackling where it had stood.

Every people on stage followed the trail.

The lightning crossed the crimson carpet in a flash and gathered around the golden seat prepared for the Saintess.

A figure was sitting there.

Purple mist and flickering lightning concealed the stranger’s form at first. Then the mist slowly receded.

A man came into view.

He was covered from head to toe in blood. His silver hair was stained dark and wet, clinging to his face and forehead. Blood covered his clothes, his hands, and nearly every inch of exposed skin.

Yet even through the blood and the fading violet mist, one feature could not be missed.

A pair of glowing silver eyes.

The Grand Forum fell into a stunned, dreadful silence.

The man looked across the stage, then parted his lips.

"Forgive the disturbance."