I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain-Chapter 157

“You’re saying you infiltrated this place under the guise of a diplomatic delegation to find that evidence—but if you do find it, what exactly do you plan to do?”

“I’ll return. To Hainere. And I’ll report everything—what’s happening right now in Welharun.”

Brett’s brow furrowed slightly.

“That doesn’t help us in the slightest! Let’s say you really do find that evidence and take it to the Emperor of Hainere. Then what do you think Hainere will do? Right now, Prince Heath is practically the sovereign ruler of Welharun. If they find out that someone in that position attempted to betray the treaty, there’s no way Hainere will leave this country untouched!”

“So you’re saying I should just serve Your Highness here and then quietly go home?”

Brett faltered. Luke was making it clear: this couldn’t be a one-sided relationship where one helped and the other received. It had to be symbiotic—mutually beneficial.

“Just as Your Highness has a will to save this country and your brother, I, too, have something I must accomplish.”

From the start, the military—and the royal palace—had instructed him to return with evidence that could explain the current crisis. To that end, Theo had recruited him as an operative, persuaded the conservative ministers, and carried the weight of a promise to the Emperor that he would succeed no matter what.

So long as he had been entrusted with that mission, he had to see it through—so that Theo wouldn’t be harmed in the process.

“If I can assist Your Highness here in locating the head of NOX and restoring Prince Heath to his original self, perhaps all these problems can be resolved. But I didn’t come to Welharun just to help you. I’m a citizen of Hainere, and I must fulfill the duty entrusted to me by my homeland.”

As Luke’s eyes blazed with conviction, Brett instinctively took a step back. He’d unconsciously shrunk away from the threatening aura radiating off the man.

“But still—!”

“Brett.”

Just as Brett tried to step forward again, Cailern extended a hand. A silent gesture, telling him not to intervene further. Brett bowed his head and stepped back.

“Please overlook my subordinate’s rudeness. He’s more aware than anyone how mentally strained I am over everything happening in this country right now. I’m sure those words weren’t really his.”

Luke let out a deep sigh. He understood. Just as he wanted to protect Hainere, that man wanted to protect this land—his birthplace, the country he served.

“And I already told you. I will help.”

Brett, who had been staring at the floor, slowly lifted his head. Luke glanced at his troubled expression, then turned his eyes back to Cailern.

“Who do you think is behind all of this?”

“NOX.”

Luke nodded. From the start, this was all NOX’s doing. That organization—and the bastard who called himself its leader, Felix—harbored a deep grudge against Hainere. He was using Heath, and by extension, the entire Welharun Empire, to orchestrate his revenge.

“In that case, doesn’t that mean Hainere and Welharun share a common enemy?”

“What are you...?”

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Cailern trailed off, seemingly taken aback. But after a moment’s reflection, he seemed to grasp what Luke was getting at and gave a slow nod.

“Trying to resolve what’s happening within Welharun entirely on our own may be impossible. As Your Highness mentioned earlier—His Majesty the current Emperor is, in effect, being held hostage.”

Cailern’s face darkened again. The realization that his father’s life was in someone else’s hands struck a bitter chord.

“I heard Welharun has locked its borders and barred both the entry of foreigners and the exit of its own citizens.”

“Yes. Probably to stop even the slightest chance that outsiders might notice something is wrong in the country.”

“That’s not the only reason. I believe the biggest reason is Your Highness.”

Luke looked directly at Cailern.

“If the Second Prince of Welharun were to cross the border and expose the current state of this nation, what do you think would happen?”

The reason even an ant wasn’t allowed to cross the border was likely exactly what Cailern had said—to prevent the internal situation from leaking out. But there was more to it. With taxes being funneled into military spending and the country governed by fear, it was also likely an attempt to prevent citizens from fleeing abroad.

But the conversation with Cailern had just brought a critical objective to mind. He’d heard the palace was actively restricting Cailern’s freedom. With the borders closed, even the Second Prince wouldn’t be able to defy Heath, who was currently ruling as regent.

“Your Highness holds a position of considerable authority. Now imagine the following scenario: both you and a common Welharun citizen make the same claim—that Welharun’s royal palace has been seized ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) by a criminal organization. Whose words do you think people will believe?”

“Then... they’re keeping me from leaving the country because they’re afraid I might reveal the truth to a foreign nation.”

“And the foreign nation they’d fear the most is Hainere. After all, the two countries signed a peace treaty.”

A smooth smile crept up Luke’s lips. Cailern, who had been staring blankly at that smile, finally seemed to grasp what Luke had been implying all along.

“So you plan to return to Hainere with the evidence and... ask them to help Welharun in my stead?”

“Yes. Because the real villains here... are those NOX bastards.”

The peace treaty served as a non-aggression pact, yes—but more than that, it implied mutual cooperation when necessary. The exchange of envoys, the presentation of tribute, all of it served to uphold that mutual respect.

So when disaster struck, asking the other country for help wasn’t anything unusual.

“But... will Hainere really believe that? Especially after we were the ones to break the treaty first...”

Brett spoke up hesitantly. The aggressive attitude from earlier was long gone.

“If we break it down, it wasn’t Welharun that committed the crime—it was NOX. If I bring back solid proof and thoroughly explain the current state of Welharun, along with what Your Highness has shared, there’s a chance they’ll understand.”

“...Can you really be sure that Hainere won’t retaliate against Welharun?”

“Yes.”

“And what makes you so confident?”

“Hmm... just a gut feeling.”

Luke scratched his head lightly as he spoke. Cailern’s brow furrowed slightly. It was a flimsy justification, even in his own mind—but he had no other way to explain it.

Theo was in Hainere. If he returned with all the facts and presented them to Theo, he was sure the man would understand and offer his help.

Just as he worried for Cailern and this country under the grip of a criminal organization, Theo would feel the same. So would Cedric, the Emperor. Somehow, Luke couldn’t imagine him brushing everything aside and calling for war just because Welharun had violated the treaty.

Cedric was certainly eccentric—he’d once summoned his ministers to attend an opera together—but he was also a man who, as a prince, had once disguised himself as a soldier and snuck into a war zone to fight on the front lines. His beliefs were his own—and though it was still unclear whether those beliefs leaned toward good or ill, they were unmistakably real.

So Luke didn’t think Cedric would unsheathe his sword and declare Welharun guilty by association after hearing everything.

“....”

Once Luke had said everything, Cailern fell silent for a moment. The complex emotions he felt were clearly written on his face.

“The decision is yours, Your Highness. Will you keep watching, as Prince Heath turns this nation into a puppet and destroys it? Or... will you take a leap of faith on this slim chance?”

Luke hadn’t wanted to put it so bluntly—but the truth was, he too was standing at the edge of a cliff. If he let this opportunity slip by, he might be forced to return to Hainere empty-handed.

“...Alright. I’ll do as you say.”

Cailern’s quiet voice rippled through the air.

“Your Highness, are you really sure about this?”

Brett rushed to his side the moment the words left his lips.

“Brett, we don’t have much time left. If we keep standing still, my brother will only grow bolder. Eventually, they might even come for my life... just like they did with Father.”

Brett squeezed his eyes shut, as if the very thought of such a possibility was unbearable.

“If I’m going to die with this crumbling nation anyway, I’d rather take a chance on the possibility you’re offering me.”

“You’ve made the right decision.”

Luke breathed a sigh of relief and offered Cailern a quiet thanks.

“That being said, Your Highness... there’s one thing I’d like to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“What exactly is on the top floor of this place?”