A Villainess Should Be Strong

Rewinding the scenes a bit, he played a clip of Estelle and Elias' conversation.

It was all recorded.

Everything that Heine took interest on, he recorded it with his devices.

Heine kept tabs on her and lots of other people. This behavior wasn't prominent in the first years of meeting Estelle, but as time went on, his memories as 'Astarte' began to resurface.

This led him to develop a twisted mindset.

He deduced that it was the stress of having to cope with a new set of personality and memories, ones that differed quite greatly from his original belonging that ended up causing such a change.

He also began to build his own people, ones that he made sure wouldn't be able to betray him.

They were people he personally scouted. Everyone had a dark past that dragged them down, and Heine gladly played the role of a savior to make himself their 'idol'.

Someone they all are indebted to, someone they must repay.

In the end, a couple dozen followers were gathered.

From different races, different backgrounds, and different skills.

He kept them all in a passive stance, structuring regiments that performed well in their separate subjects.

The people, who varied in terms of seniority and age groups worked to assist Heine in his actions.

A widespread reach over the world.

Heine was the leader of such a fearsome squadron outside of Estelle's knowledge.

Behind everything, Heine had been spiralling into stress and piled up anxiety.

He was anxious, anxious at everything around him.

The first major hit he got was when he was taken off the throne so suddenly.

He played it off as nothing much, but his psyche was hit with the brunt of a mountain of dilemmas.

He realized that even though he had devoted himself to the sacred Tree for as long as he could remember, the Tree didn't act towards him the same way.

It was just him that respected the plant, and not otherwise.

The thought disgusted him.

What was he working so hard for?

To tell the truth, he already had deranged thoughts before he even met Estelle.

It was back when he first interacted with Minerva.

He saw a streak of freedom in the woman. A striking, blinding freedom that he never possessed.

It befuddled him.

What was the title of a Ruler worth? Why would he deliberately chain himself to the spirits, who took his power as granted because it was his 'role'?

(A/N: A kind reminder, I had a chapter on Heine's backstory a while back, you can reread it to refresh your memories hihi)

It didn't spark him joy. He heard about the faraway Rulers of other races. They were proud of their standing.

It was an achievement for them, because it meant that they were worthy.

But instead, what was with Sylvania?

Everything was decided before birth.

He hated to see it.

Hated how low-leveled spirits were bound to set conditions.

Hated how noble spirits obtained rights that were far more extensive than those below them.

Hated how him, one of the many spirits, were directly given power to minister and chained to the sacred Tree.

He didn't know when, but somehow, he had grown to dislike his own race. Not spirits as a whole, but their embedded system.

Perhaps this was why he got dethroned.

He wasn't fit to be Sylvania's Ruler.

He possessed the qualities for it, but not the mindset.

Minerva, Yulia, and Estelle were the first trio that he had a truly genuine relationship with.

The only ones that seemed like a refreshing blast of wind when compared with the rest of the world.

That was why, Heine was able to stop himself from rampaging out of control when the settlement of Kalis into Sylvania started.

He convinced himself. Convinced that this dethronement was a form of freedom granted by fate. Convinced that it was all part of a massive ploy, and that he can make everything benefit him from now on.

Convinced that he didn't lose, but instead gained from this whole ordeal.

Knowing the Spirit Tree meant that he also knew a great part of the world. How it worked, what was pivotal, and what couldn't be shaken up.

Manipulating and exploiting this, he was suddenly granted with a dangerous ability he never thought would be possible.

That was what brought him to this point, someone who used the power to build a force comparable to no one.

The current him, he no longer knew who he was.

Heine, or Astarte?

Or even something outside of that?

He kept a face, a stable composure and wore it everywhere he went.

It was suffocating, but it was enough.

Enough to keep him going.

"Estelle, oh Estelle. My sister, you're still as gullible as ever," Heine mumbled, closing down the vision.

"Haven't I told you.. that not only the monsters evolve, but also the world?" He looked into the bleak sky, shuffling his hair as he whistled a tune he was familiar with.

The tune that would summon his own subordinates.

"Master, shall we assist the Miss?" People who donned black clothes that covered their bodies from head to toe appeared behind Heine, respectfully greeting him.

His group.

And the new race, the Ancient Humans.

He dragged his palm across his hair, his lips tightening up as he gazed into the storm with a piercing stare.

There was one variable that showed up outside of his calculations, and that was the Ancient Humans.

These folks did not know who they were, and couldn't explain how they came about.

He searched far and wide for records of their existence, but nothing discussed these people.

They were similar to humans.

Yet, it was as if they came from a time that was way beyond their own world's progression.. a realm outside of the Surface.

He once questioned if they might've been transported here from the Underworld, but that wasn't possible.

To transfer places from the Underworld to the Surface, a large amount of mana was needed. Complex and intricate magic spells to send them here.

Calculate it with the amount of people and their potential levels, and the result was that it was extremely unlikely.

Unless someone, who had a

Did someone break the flow of time?

This badly?

Heine had gotten quite powerful, but he wasn't there yet.

"No. Leave her be. You folks are still no match to my sister. Instead, I want you all to do something else.."

Estelle was definitely more than enough to take care of the current monsters. Their evolution couldn't compare to the girl's absolute potential.

Heine lightly tapped on his lips, pondering upon his next move.

Yes, moves. Moves that are well thought out and served to bring him the most benefits.

Like a game, he was a Player and the world was the setting.

He lived inside the setting and had to consider his moves.

In truth, this cursed game of life, everyone was standing in the gray area of 'good' and 'evil'.

Just like Estelle and him, everyone had their own questions.

Many mysteries existed, but few answers were scattered.

Everyone sought the key to opening up the box of answers.

But, mysteries are fun because they are, obviously, mysterious.

Once the answer was unraveled, many people would feel a sense of loss.

In the end, once you completed the mystery, what if the answer was unlike what you wanted it to be?

What if, you end up becoming even crazier after you learned of the truth?

More than a simple question and answer, Heine felt like it was deeper.

A mind game. One that breaks your mind.

This cursed game of life.. Is it even worth it to put an end to the series?

"..A war. How long has it been since a war started in these vast lands?"

"Hundreds of years, sir," One of the men responded. He didn't seem to be fazed by Heine's question.

In his mind, Heine's commands were his duty to fulfill.

"Then, what do you think about starting our own chaos inside this world?" Heine asked once more.

"Whatever Master's desire is, we will spare nothing to complete it,"

Blind worship and loyalty. This was what Heine envisioned from the start, but facing the actual thing was quite humorous.

"Good," Heine chuckled. "Go and call Sui for me,"

Sui was the only one he brought from Sylvania. Sui pledged her loyalty to Heine after he started to make his plans. She was sharp, and became the first one to realize that something wasn't right with Heine.

After asking, she realized the actual reasoning behind that abnormality and swore with her life that she would always follow him.

In a sense, she was his most trusted confidante.

"Yes, sir," One man retreated and disappeared into the blank space, and the others soon followed.

Heine became the only person left on the rooftop.

He pulled out his recorder pearl once more, deciding to watch Estelle until other things surfaced.

"This game.. I will win it," Heine snickered, his clothes fluttering in the harsh winds as he laid down on the rough rooftops.

Holding his pearl up, he saw Estelle now flying above the Knights.She was fast to make a move.

He won't let anybody else claim the seat. He was going to be the winner, the one who laughs at the very end.