I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain-Chapter 158

Luke thought of the staircase he had tried to investigate earlier. The moment he first saw it, there had been something about the energy emanating from that place—it felt as if it were pulling him in. It wasn’t a good feeling. And the fact that the unclean mana lingering in his injured hand had reacted to it, along with the deeply unsettling sensation prickling at his nerves, still hadn’t left his body.

Cailern must have known something too—that’s why he had stopped Luke from heading in that direction before. When Luke posed the question now, Cailern seemed to consider it for a moment before finally raising his head with a rather somber expression.

“His Majesty is there.”

So the Emperor, with his chronic illness worsened by the unclean mana, was being confined on that floor. Then was the impure energy Luke’s right hand had sensed merely a response to the bedridden Emperor?

Somehow... that didn’t sit right.

“And...”

Cailern trailed off, hesitant.

“There’s one more room.”

“A room?”

“It’s a place my brother occasionally visits. Most people know it as his private space.”

Luke fell into thought at the mention that it was the only room Heath used aside from his office and personal chambers.

“But I don’t actually know what it’s for.”

“Has Prince Heath strictly forbidden others from entering it?”

Cailern shook his head briefly.

“But it’s clear that no one else could enter. After all, His Majesty resides on that floor.”

That made a certain amount of sense. If the Emperor was recovering in his chambers, even palace staff couldn’t easily access that area. They probably wouldn’t even be allowed up the stairs. And as Cailern said, if the perception that the place was the First Prince’s private space had spread throughout the palace, no one would dare try to enter.

But this made one thing certain—there was something in that room. Heath knew it, too. He must have realized that if he publicly declared the room off-limits, it might attract suspicion. So by placing the ailing Emperor in proximity, he’d constructed a kind of natural barrier.

He wanted to avoid suspicion that badly. So of course, there had to be something there.

“I want to investigate that place.”

Cailern, perhaps expecting those words, stroked his chin with a troubled look.

“But Luke, as His Highness said, only a few people are allowed to access that floor. Only the Emperor’s personal physician and the princes are permitted to enter at specific times.”

Brett, seemingly having lowered his guard, now called Luke by name with a faintly more familiar tone.

“Even if you want to investigate... I’m not sure it’s even possible.”

Hearing that it might be outright inaccessible, Luke clicked his tongue in frustration. The whole situation was like a tangle of string—whenever he found an end to pull, it would get knotted again. The irritation weighed on him.

Back then, too, when he tried to go up to the top floor, Dante had suddenly appeared from somewhere. Whether it was a coincidence ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) or not, in retrospect, there had definitely been a sharp sense of wariness in the air. If Heath truly valued that space, sneaking past his watchful eye might prove impossible.

“You believe there’s something up there?”

“Yes. The leader of NOX might even be hiding there.”

Both Cailern and Brett visibly flinched at the offhand remark.

Luke had asked earlier, during their conversations—whether Cailern had any idea where the NOX leader was hiding now.

According to Cailern, the man was still in Welharun—and more deeply entangled with Prince Heath than Luke had expected. That’s why he had a gut feeling the man was still nearby.

But Cailern had said he didn’t know. Ever since the plan to invade Hainere was proposed, the man had vanished and hadn’t been seen in the palace since. That had been a bitter disappointment.

“Oh, well. It’s just one possibility—probably the least likely one.”

When Luke waved his hand and laughed it off, having noticed how stiff the others’ expressions had become, Cailern let out a deep sigh of what might have been relief. That this man could joke even in such a situation was both impressive and baffling.

“So your plan is to sneak into that room, find evidence of Welharun’s betrayal, return to Hainere, and request their aid on our behalf—is that it?”

“Yes. Sounds simple when you put it like that.”

But right now, he didn’t even have a shred of evidence. He couldn’t just return and stand before Cedric, asking him to help Welharun based on nothing. He could relay everything Cailern had told him, but without hard proof, the Emperor would never be swayed. From the beginning, his purpose here was to find evidence.

“Perhaps... I can create a window for you to reach that floor.”

“...What?”

Luke’s eyes widened as he ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. Even Brett seemed surprised by Cailern’s unexpected suggestion.

“Is that even possible?”

“Didn’t Brett say earlier? The only ones allowed up there are His Majesty’s physician, me, and my brother. Of course, even when we go up, the physician and I are only permitted into the Emperor’s bedchamber.”

Luke nodded slowly, listening intently.

“His Majesty receives a check-up once a week. It’s nothing serious—just the physician checking his energy levels.”

Since the physician didn’t know about the unclean mana weakening the Emperor, he likely assumed the illness was just naturally worsening. So he simply observed, without taking any particular measures—at least, that was what Cailern explained.

“Each time, I accompany the physician to visit Father. Once a week, for ten minutes. That’s the only time I’m allowed with him.”

Luke’s chest tightened a little as he saw Cailern’s eyes momentarily shadowed with sorrow. He could imagine how much the man clung to those ten minutes every week.

“So you’re saying I should use that opportunity to go up with you? But unless we completely distract Prince Heath, the chances of getting caught are high. And the risk...”

If he got caught before securing any evidence, not only would he be in danger—his partner would be, too.

Luke sighed, rubbing his chin.

Cailern and Brett exchanged a glance, unable to hide their unease.

“Still... it must be done. If I don’t act, then nothing will happen at all. If I had no opportunity, I wouldn’t rush in blindly—but if you create that window, I can take it. I’m pretty good with risky bets.”

As a smooth smile curved Luke’s lips, Cailern’s shoulders sagged. Somehow, he felt like worrying about this man any further would be pointless.