I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain-Chapter 168

It felt like someone was gripping his throat, choking him. Breathing was difficult, and his insides twisted as though they were burning away.

"Theo... I'm sorry. I really tried not to get hurt, you know?"

Luke’s trembling voice flowed into Theo’s ears. Seeing the face that had never once shown weakness now drained of all color, Theo breathed heavily, as though he were the one struggling to breathe.

"But don’t worry."

Luke frowned as if his legs had given out, collapsing to the floor.

"Luke!"

Theo shouted and rushed toward him, catching Luke’s body as it slumped forward. He held him tightly in his arms.

"...I’ll keep my promise to come back to you..."

Cradled against Theo’s chest, Luke forced out those words, offering a final, faint smile. That smile was the last expression Luke showed before his eyelids drifted shut.

That night marked the beginning of chaos in the Welharun Imperial Palace. The fact that a battle had taken place within the palace was already a major issue, but the fact that Prince Heath had been at the center of it, and the sudden rumors of an army from a treaty nation invading, threw the ministers into utter confusion.

However, it was Cairn who quickly brought order to the chaos.

Cairn gathered the key ministers and laid bare the entire truth. He revealed that Heath had been relying on NOX for some time to resolve matters, and that NOX had exploited that trust to prepare for an invasion of Hainere — a plot Heath had opposed.

Cairn explained that Hainere, having discovered the plot ahead of time, had no choice but to bring in their military to aid Welharun. Most of the ministers, though bewildered, were convinced by Cairn’s explanation. However, some viewed the Hainerean army’s entry into Welharun as a sign of potential conquest.

When suspicions arose that Hainere might have used the chaos to subjugate Welharun, Cairn had no choice but to reveal Heath’s letter.

In the letter, Heath had explicitly requested aid from Cedric Loelard, the Emperor of Hainere. What Heath’s exact intentions were in writing such a letter didn’t matter much at that point.

What was needed was a way to reassure the ministers. Moreover, the one who had permitted the Hainerean army to enter Welharun was none other than Cairn himself, and above all, the Hainerean forces had not committed a single act of aggression while in Welharun. The most decisive testimony came from the captain of the imperial knights.

The knight commander personally attested that a mage from Hainere had directly confronted the leader of NOX, risking his life to aid them and prevent further devastation. At those words, the eyes filled with doubt finally subsided.

"Fortunately, the ministers listened to me. They won’t be suspicious of you any longer."

"Thank you for your assistance."

Theo bowed his head toward Cairn.

"Don’t thank me. If anything, I should be the one bowing to you."

"...It is truly unfortunate about Prince Heath."

Cairn bit down hard on his lower lip, pressing his fingertips against his eyes. Theo remained silent, aware that Cairn was struggling to hold back tears.

Since entering the Welharun Imperial Palace, Theo had been moving systematically to eradicate NOX’s influence alongside Leo and the rest of the 7th Division.

Unexpected assistance also came their way.

A boy named Dante, who had been with Felix during the confrontation, revealed the locations of all the action captains.

There were seven action captains hiding in a small safehouse, awaiting Felix’s orders. In truth, they were all boys and girls whom Felix had manipulated and forced into crime through systematic abuse. Thanks to Dante, Theo’s team managed to secure them without resistance.

The fortunate part was that none of them resisted. At Dante’s quiet declaration — "Father’s been captured. It’s all over." — they all surrendered without a fight, allowing themselves to be tied up without struggle.

Nearby the safehouse, they found a single corpse buried in a shallow grave.

Even in death, Heath’s face remained as gentle and warm as ever, as though he had retained his soft smile even while closing his eyes for the final time.

Felix, seeing Heath as nothing but an obstacle on the path he had chosen, had ultimately taken his life. And even as his life was being snuffed out in that top-floor room, Heath had hidden the letter he held close to his heart.

He had left it there, hoping that someday, someone would find it and uncover the truth.

"Thanks to you, my brother, Welharun has been freed from their clutches. At least now, I can finally let you rest in peace," Cairn said, his voice trembling as he forced himself to speak.

"By the way, have you managed to contact His Majesty Loelard?"

Theo nodded slowly. It was only natural that Hainere would be thrown into chaos. The commander-in-chief had crossed the border with an army without the emperor’s permission.

At dawn, Theo had used a communication crystal to report everything to Cedric, explaining the circumstances and the current state of affairs.

‘You do know that reporting after the fact is utterly meaningless, don’t you, Commander Redrick?’

Cedric’s familiar, slightly sardonic voice had echoed through the crystal, making Theo lower his head in shame. He’d been prepared to take full responsibility. He did not apologize. There was no regret. But Cedric’s next words ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) were unexpected.

‘Finish what you started. I’m entrusting everything over there to you. But make sure to capture the leader of NOX and bring him to me personally.’

Theo had been wondering how to refuse Cedric if he ordered him to return immediately, but instead, the emperor had pushed him forward, allowing him to remain and finish the mission.

"His Majesty also ordered me to remain in Welharun and provide aid as necessary."

"How can I ever repay you?" Cairn said, offering his thanks for what felt like the tenth time.

"By the way, Your Highness. I heard you helped us cross the border that night."

"Luke told my subordinate Brett everything and added one final warning — until everything was over, don’t move recklessly and focus solely on protecting the second prince."

Luke had known from the start that if Cairn’s safety was compromised, Welharun’s future would be in grave danger. With Prince Heath’s fate unknown, Cairn’s safety was paramount.

When the border guards reported that Hainerean forces were approaching, Cairn had no choice but to act. Felix, masquerading as Heath, had ordered the guards to seal the border tightly, refusing entry to any foreign troops.

Cairn had defied that order and commanded the gates to be opened.

"Luke tried to help me, so I wanted to help him too. Whether it was of any use, I don’t know."

"Please don’t say that. If you hadn’t opened the border at just the right time, none of this would have gone as smoothly. I wouldn’t have been able to save Luke, either."

The air in the room grew heavier. Cairn looked at Theo’s haggard face and hesitantly spoke.

The leader of NOX had been captured. The Welharun crisis had been averted. The threats to Hainere had been removed.

Despite achieving the best possible outcome, the expressions of the two men were steeped in grief. There was still one unresolved matter.

"...May I be excused?"

"Yes."

Theo left Cairn’s study and began walking somewhere. The palace, though once filled with chaos, was now deathly silent.

Ascending the stairs, Theo halted upon hearing sobs.

Before one of the rooms stood Paul, Levi, and Jade, all standing guard with grim expressions.

"Commander."

The three men saluted Theo, their faces wrought with sorrow.

"Go get some rest. You’ve all been through enough."

"But Sir Luke..."

"Paul."

Theo gently placed a hand on Paul’s trembling shoulder.

"Luke wouldn’t want you to be like this."

"...Understood, sir."

After a brief salute, they left, and Theo stepped into the room.

Inside, lying on the bed, was Luke. His complexion was ghostly pale, as if he were in a deep, unending sleep.

Theo knelt beside the bed, holding Luke’s cold hand tightly. If he couldn’t feel Luke’s warmth, terrifying thoughts kept surfacing.

"...How is he?"

"As I said before, I can only slow the corruption."

Dante’s calm voice echoed through the room. He had been the one to save Luke that night.

"But to completely purify the tainted mana... only that man can do it, right?"