I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain-Chapter 156

He couldn’t trust the man so easily. Perhaps noticing the hesitation, Kyren rubbed his face with both hands, his expression grave.

"Everything started when His Majesty the late Emperor’s chronic illness worsened, and my brother took over in his place."

Kyren began to speak slowly.

"My brother was a gentle person—so much so he’d never once raised his voice. He knew how to care for people. But he struggled under the weight of the heavy responsibilities that were suddenly thrust upon him."

Hys had a flawless character, but he lacked the innate qualities of a ruler. When the Emperor temporarily stepped down and left everything to Hys, he was crushed under the burden and lived each day simply trying to endure it.

"While he was acting as regent, the appearance of demonic beasts in Welharun increased. It wasn’t to the level of Heighnern, but we had competent {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} mages and a certain degree of military strength, so exterminating them wasn’t too difficult. But... the numbers didn’t decrease—in fact, they kept growing worse. That’s when things escalated."

The people lost their homes and lives to the unending swarms of monsters. They cried out in despair, and the endless cycle of chaos eventually gave strength to the voices questioning whether Hys had what it took to be emperor. Welharun soon fell into turmoil.

Listening to the story, Luke thought of Hys. The man Kyren described—gentle, helpless under pressure—seemed like a completely different person from who Hys was now. He’d thought the rumors among the Empire’s people, about Hys being possessed by a ghost, were exaggerated—but hearing this, he realized it might not be such a far-fetched idea.

"It was then that someone approached my brother."

Luke’s eyes sharpened.

"A man leading an organization called Nox introduced his people as wandering mages with no place to go. He claimed they wanted to help Welharun."

"And His Highness accepted the words of such shady people without hesitation?"

Kyren shook his head deeply, face lowered.

"My brother was cautious, of course... but they showed results with their actions."

Luke stroked his chin upon hearing that they had begun handling the troublesome monsters with ease. Was that truly a coincidence? The sudden appearance of monsters throughout Welharun, followed immediately by Nox’s arrival and swift suppression?

"My brother came to trust them from then on."

Luke wanted to ask how someone could so easily let unknown people get that close. But truthfully, he couldn’t say it was incomprehensible.

Someone forced to shoulder the burden of a nation without being prepared—crushed under pressure and unable to solve the country’s crisis—if someone came along and offered to share the burden, even if it was a rotten rope, he might not have realized it at the time.

Kyren said he had opposed them from the beginning. A man leading people with faces half-blackened—appearing out of nowhere and taking control of everything, securing a place at Hys’s side. They seemed too dangerous.

"Then the matter with Heighnern too..."

"It was all those bastards’ doing!"

Kyren slammed his hand down on the table. A dull thud echoed through the room as his face twisted in pain. Brett, still guarding the door, wore a similarly anguished expression as his master.

If Welharun were to seize the treaty nation Heighnern, it would become a dominant superpower across the continent. Kyren explained that Nox had whispered such ideas into Hys’s ears, goading him.

"Of course I opposed it. Even my brother didn’t seem pleased with the idea at first."

No matter how much Hys trusted Nox, he still maintained friendly relations with Heighnern and was aware of their powerful military strength. He knew they weren’t to be recklessly provoked.

"He told me clearly... that he would reject their proposal. He told me not to worry..."

Kyren’s voice cracked. The loss of composure didn’t suit the usually composed and refined prince.

His once-pale face had flushed red with rage.

"But then he suddenly changed."

"......He changed?"

"He not only approved the initial plans for the Heighnern invasion he’d said he’d reject—he acted like a completely different person. I may be a prince, but I’m also his younger brother. The same blood flows in our veins. I could tell immediately that he wasn’t the same as before."

Kyren scoffed as he spoke, saying that Hys used to place a hand on his shoulder or hold his hand without hesitation—but at some point, those actions started to send chills down his spine.

Luke remembered the moment when Hys had grabbed his hand and that murderous expression had flickered across his face.

"I’m certain it was Nox. They must have done something to him. I believe they used magic to manipulate his mind."

"Mind control magic..."

Luke muttered quietly. It was a possibility he had considered himself. If the leader of Nox had taken control of Hys’s mind, everything Kyren had just said would make sense. And yet—something still felt off.

"Then why has the Welharun palace just stood by and done nothing?"

"Very few people in the palace even know Nox exists. My brother never made their presence public."

"In that case, couldn’t Your Highness have exposed them and set things right?"

At that question, Kyren’s expression suddenly darkened.

"......Luke, your right hand. Doesn’t it carry a magical aura different from your original power?"

Luke flinched and instinctively lowered his right hand under the table.

"What if I told you... that ominous magic is threatening my father’s life?"

"......What?"

It was such an unexpected statement that Luke couldn’t immediately respond and simply let out a breath, questioning it again.

"That is the reason His Majesty the former Emperor lies bedridden now."

It was Brett, silent until now, who finally spoke. Luke stared down at his own right hand.

"What are you saying...? I thought His Majesty suffered from a chronic illness..."

"It was, at first. But the illness he has is not one that should threaten his life or leave him bedridden."

"......Are you saying they injected impure magic into His Majesty’s body and deliberately worsened the illness?"

Even as he said it, Luke found it hard to believe. But Kyren remained silent, and Brett looked away, eyes downcast—meaning it wasn’t a lie.

Kyren had sensed the strange magical energy within his father’s body. With his keen perception, he couldn’t help but realize it wasn’t normal—and that it must have been Nox’s doing.

"My brother is under their mind control. My father is teetering on the edge of death because of them. In such a situation, how could I possibly reveal everything to the ministers and confront them head-on?"

And at some point, Hys had even begun to restrict Kyren’s freedom—under the pretense of worrying for his health, he began subtly controlling Kyren’s movements and forbidding him from leaving the palace.

"Even in that situation, Welharun still welcomed the delegation with open arms."

Kyren ran his hand through his hair in frustration. It was clear how much he resented the hypocrisy of inviting Heighnern’s delegation while secretly planning to betray the treaty nation.

"I honestly felt like telling them everything the moment I met them."

Kyren’s eyes blazed. In them were fury, sorrow, resentment, helplessness. The eyes of someone who knew everything yet could do nothing—they were unbearably sad.

"But then... I saw that you were a mage. That you carried an ominous magical aura, like my father. That you acted as if you were trying to dig into what’s happening in the palace... and I felt a flicker of hope."

Kyren clasped both hands tightly, the veins on the back of his hands standing out from how hard he was gripping them.

"Luke, mage from Heighnern, please—help me. Help me put an end to this misfortune."

Kyren bowed his head. A prince of the Empire, lowering his head without hesitation. Brett was momentarily surprised, then followed suit, bowing to Luke.

"All right."

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And then came the light, confident reply—without even a moment’s hesitation. The two exchanged startled glances at Luke’s unexpected response.