Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

[Six Months Later.]

[Plains of Drago, Alfheim.]

[Central Army.]

The stench of death reeked from the place near the border between the Demiurge lands and the Elven front.

Flags of legion fluttered above the tents, the flags that represented the elves in the war.

It was the army stationed on the plains, the main force against the Demiurge.

Exhausted and wounded elven soldiers were common, their eyes devoid of any warmth.

Their eyes were like those of dead fish with no life or hint of hopes in them.

In the center of the camp stood a larger tent—plain, worn by the wind, but guarded at all times.

Inside, maps were pinned, red lines drawn, updates constantly scratched and rewritten.

A young elf sat hunched over the table. His armor was scuffed, silver dulled with grime.

His golden hair, once neatly tied, now hung loose in strands.

A long scar ran across his neck, not deep, but old.

He kept on staring at the map with his dull eyes.

The flaps of the tent flickered as a man walked inside. "Aries?"

The elf stood up as he turned and saluted. "General Wilhelm."

The short-haired elf nodded as he looked at the young man. "What are you doing?"

"I am just looking at the ways of…" his words trailed off before he sighed. "…I don't understand how we are going to win the war."

Wilhelm blinked as he took in his words, only for his face to harden as time passed.

He walked and stood tall in front of Aries.

"The morale of the army is already low," he said, his voice firm. "Do not talk like that, do you understand?"

Aries strengthened his back. "Yes Sir!"

Wilhelm nodded as he turned around. "Follow me."

They walked out of the tent as they took in the situation outside.

The ground just a few miles away was stained in blood, clear from even here.

Corpses littered all over the place and vultures roamed above it.

In the far distance, the solitude of the Demiurge's tents was faintly visible.

"Why… did you join the war?" Wilhelm asked, glancing back at Aries.

"I joined for money, General," he replied, his voice firm. "As you know, commoners don't really have a good life, and joining the army is the easiest way to earn power and money."

"You did showcase incredible abilities," Wilhelm praised, his voice soft. "No wonder, you became second-in-command in only six months."

"…It means nothing," he replied back, his voice grim. "What's the need of it when we are fighting a war that we can't win—"

"I just warned you, boy," Wilhelm cut in his words sharply. "Don't say it."

"Not saying it won't change—"

"Then say it to the dying soldiers outside," Wilhelm turned to face him, his eyes sharp. "Say it to the scouts who don't come back. Tell them it's all pointless."

Aries fell silent.

For a long moment, neither of them said anything.

"…I'm sorry," Aries said at last, lowering his gaze. "I just… I'm tired."

Wilhelm's expression softened, just a little. "We all are."

In the last six months, they'd been through three large-scale battles and countless skirmishes.

Out of those three, the elves had only won once.

Time and time again, the Demiurges crushed them.

Their troops, smaller in number, still tore through elven lines.

"It's all because of those five," Aries mumbled. "Had they not been included, we could have…"

His words trailed off, but his intentions were clear.

Wilhelm silently stared at the dipping sun on the horizon.

"They're all High Eternal rank," he said. "I faced one of them—Soren, the one in charge. He's strong. Unbelievably strong."

Aries didn't say anything but he remembered the time.

It was the first full-on war between them and he'd only been a foot soldier then.

He'd watched from the dirt as the Eternal ranks tore the sky apart.

Fighting one while being an Overlord was a death wish.

'I am not some legend or monstrous being like the Segyal household's heir.'

He thought grimly as he looked forward at the vultures who came down to eat the dead soldiers.

"I don't understand," Aries mumbled softly. "Why are they dragging the war?"

Wilhelm glanced back at him without any words.

Taking it as a sign, Aries began to explain.

"They have everything better than us—army, supply, high ground, and even support," he said.

"Then why are they sending small troops and not ending the war in one battle?"

"That's not how war works," Wilhelm replied softly. "Maybe they fear a demigod will attack them if they gather their forces in one place."

Aries frowned hard. "Isn't it a tactical agreement to not drag demigods in the war?"

"There is no such thing as an agreement between two enemies," Wilhelm replied, turning around. "A battle between demigods isn't going to do anyone good."

Aries walked beside him in silence, digesting those words.

"Still," Aries said, lowering his voice, "I can't help but think something is off."

Wilhelm didn't respond immediately.

They walked past a row of injured soldiers, some with bandaged limbs, others too wounded to speak.

A few raised their heads and gave faint nods as the two passed.

"Demiurges don't fight like this," Wilhelm said, his eyes scanning the distant hills. "They're precise, cruel—they don't drag battles without reason."

"Then why are they doing it now?"

"That's what we need to find out." Wilhelm's tone dropped. "If I had to guess… they're stalling us."

Aries narrowed his eyes. "For what?"

"I don't know."

Aries wanted to say something but a cart caught his eye.

A few of the soldiers acting as guards passed them, and then the first cart halted.

A little girl stared off the edge of the mountain path as her grandfather controlled the reins.

Two large bags of grain were strapped behind them.

Her parents had died fighting at the Wall.

Due to the space distortion in the place, it was a strict order to not use the teleportation portal.

"Hello, Cargil," Aries said, giving her a small wave.

When she didn't wave back, he slipped something out of his bag and tossed it at her.

She watched it land on the seat next to her with a vacant expression, then jumped with excitement and hurried to remove the wax paper.

Her eyes widened with excitement as she shoved the chewy caramel in her mouth.

"Poor kid," Wilhelm said under his breath as the cart rolled past.

The place that now had become a warzone was once a small town.

The first to die were those who lived here, unable to defend themselves.

Families had been ripped apart, people enslaved, their properties taken from them or destroyed in just the first few days.

Before the elven army could even get things under control, countless lives were already lost.

And with countless mothers, daughters, sons, and fathers never returning from the war, too many families just couldn't survive.

Aries just let out a sigh as he walked along with him once again.

"Is there any news from Lady Mariam?" he asked, his voice expectant. "Anything?"

"We haven't informed her yet," Wilhelm said softly. "But she isn't coming out for a while."

They moved away from the soldiers as they arrived in a much quieter place.

"What about Heir Himmel?" Aries asked, his voice barely audible. "Where is he now?"

"We don't know," he replied, flatly. "He has been gone for months."

Even though Wilhelm had met with him a few times, he kept that information to himself as Himmel asked him.

"Why can't he just join the war?" Aries muttered. "I am sure we would have won long ago if he did."

"A single person can't change the outcome of the war," Wilhelm said, and he firmly believed so. "It's impossible."

Aries halted in his place abruptly as he gave him an absurd look.

"Are you really saying that?" he scoffed, like he couldn't believe his words.

"Do you really think an Avatar of two gods can't change the outcome?"

"There is a reason why he isn't joining the war, Aries," Wilhelm replied, turning fully towards him. "And yes, he can't change the outcome."

Aries laughed, placing his hand on his waist.

"I don't know about you nobles, but us commoners worship him."

He said, his voice filled with emotions.

"Do you have any idea how many people, including me, want to be like him?"

Wilhelm didn't speak right away.

"Why does the royal family and Highbloods not want him anyway?" he asked, his voice grumpy. "Is it really true that Her Majesty fancies him?"

Wilhelm simply stood there, letting Aries' words hang in the air.

Finally, he spoke. "He isn't one of us."

Aries' patience snapped in an instant.

"Are we letting thousands of elves die just because of this petty reason!?" he growled, messing with his hair. "I have buried countless children with my own hands, General…"

He felt tears building behind his eyes and quickly blinked them away.

"…I am sorry," he said softly. "I shouldn't disrespect you, General, but… we are going to lose if things keep on going like this."

Wilhelm cleared his throat but wasn't sure what else to say.

The young elf wasn't wrong here.

His army was doing the best out of the three stationed around the kingdom.

Nymeria led the army from the forest and they were always under attack.

Lorvil had the mountain range under some control, but he was the one who lost the most soldiers.

The tension with the Vampires was still high, and it was only their kindness they weren't attacking them in their weakest stage.

…Things weren't going good for elves, and Wilhelm was fully aware of it.

Yet…

He didn't show it on his face.

Was it Pride?

Perhaps, or maybe he just didn't want to see the grim reality.

He let out a sigh and began to walk again, Aries following behind quietly.

"I have a daughter at home," Wilhelm said, his voice fragile.

"She recently started going to school, a long-term wish of mine… I missed her first day at school that I always wished to see."

Aries glanced away, jaw clenched. "…I never knew you had a daughter." This chapter first appeared on M|V|L^EMPYR.

"I never told anyone," Wilhelm replied with a small shrug. "Because the second you share something you care about, it becomes a target."

They walked a little further before Wilhelm stopped again.

"I'm not saying you're wrong, Aries," he added. "About Himmel or the way people believe in him."

He turned to look at the younger elf, speaking what he firmly believes.

"But the war is more complicated than what one person can fix."

Aries lowered his head, unsure of what to say.

Just when Wilhelm wanted to say something, a soldier came sprinting towards them.

"It's from the… capital," he said, breathing unevenly. "You have a call, General."

Wilhelm nodded as he began to walk back to his tent.

It only took him a minute to reach it as he entered inside.

The moment he entered, he was greeted by the current Queen of the elves.

He knelt down at once. "Your Majesty."

Pasithea looked at him with her lifeless eyes.

She had matured a lot in the last six months, both mentally and physically.

There was no such thing as innocence in her eyes, replaced by the coldness of a ruler.

Wilhelm kept his eyes down, waiting for her to speak.

"You may rise," she said, her voice calm and clear.

Wilhelm stood slowly. "Should I give the report?"

"No," Pasithea said, her voice firm. "Come back to the capital."

"But I can't leave my—"

"It's important," she cut in.

"Lady Mariam is back."