I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain-Chapter 127

"Sparring is a type of training where two people cross swords in simulated combat. However, since it wasn’t a real battle, there was usually no need to exert one's full strength—unless the goal was to completely dominate the opponent."

“Huff... Haah...”

Sweat trickled down from Mile’s forehead, sliding along his jawline before /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ dripping onto the ground. A whole bucket’s worth of sweat had already soaked the training hall’s floor. But his opponent hadn't shed a single drop, nor was he even out of breath. He simply adjusted his grip on his sword with perfect composure. Seeing this, Mile inwardly groaned.

"Already exhausted?"

Mile, barely managing to block Theo’s relentless strikes without being able to counterattack, found it difficult to answer. Because, truthfully, he was exhausted.

But as a Captain, and in a situation initiated by the Supreme Commander himself, he couldn’t admit that he was struggling.

It was only a few minutes ago that Mile had sensed something was off. At first, when they had crossed swords, he hadn’t thought much of it. His only concern had been how to impress Theo. But the more their blades clashed, the more he realized—something was very wrong.

Theo’s strikes were ferocious. As if he were genuinely angry, each blow was heavy and unrelenting. This wasn’t a simple spar meant to loosen up stiff muscles. He was attacking with full force, leaving Mile no choice but to take the fight just as seriously.

Theo was not only a powerful mage, but also an exceptional swordsman. Even back when he and Luke had been rivals, no one disputed that Theo had the upper hand in swordsmanship.

Most members of the Mage Corps prioritized magical abilities over swordsmanship, often neglecting their blade skills. But from the start of his military career, Theo had never neglected his training. His swordsmanship was so refined that he could hold his own against even the elite knights of the Imperial Order.

"Your movements have slowed. Where did all that spirit from earlier go?"

It was inevitable—no matter how skilled a captain was, they couldn’t match Theo’s overwhelming power. It felt like fighting a massive, high-tier monster. No matter how much effort he put in, he couldn’t even land a single proper hit.

Then, at that moment, Theo saw an opening and thrust his sword toward Mile’s right side. Mile barely dodged, but his foot slipped on the sweat-soaked floor, causing him to stumble backward in a disgraceful fall. His sword flew out of his grasp, clattering loudly across the ground.

Theo pointed his sword at the fallen Mile. For a brief second, Mile felt a chilling illusion—like the training sword was a real blade poised to cut him down. He knew Theo was an ally, but in that instant, it felt disturbingly like he was being treated as an enemy.

There had been no effort to hide the hostility in Theo’s attacks. The realization sent a shiver down Mile’s spine. Perhaps... Theo hadn’t called him here for a simple training session after all.

"Commander."

Mile pushed himself up from the ground, his muscles screaming in protest.

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"Did I... do something wrong?"

"What makes you think that?"

Theo’s voice was as calm as ever, as if he had already expected Mile to reach that conclusion.

"It just... doesn’t seem like you called me here solely for training."

"You’re right."

At Theo’s blunt confirmation, Mile clenched his fists, tension surging through him.

"Then... do you mind telling me why you summoned me?"

Mile's eyes darted nervously. What could it be? Had Theo noticed how harshly he was disciplining his unit? Or had he realized that Mile was forcing his adjutant to write his reports? Maybe he had even uncovered the minor deception regarding his leave records? Or worse...

"You can’t answer? Too many things on your conscience?"

"S-Supreme Commander..."

"Mile, I lack the patience for beating around the bush. So I’ll ask you directly."

The sweat on his skin turned ice-cold. If he didn’t control himself, even his facial expressions would betray his growing anxiety.

"The supply embezzlement incident from last year. Do you have anything to say about that?"

His stomach dropped. His heart pounded violently as he bit down on his lip.

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What was this? How much did Theo know? But there was no way he could have figured it out. Back then, for some unknown reason, Luke had covered the whole thing up himself. He had even gone so far as to take responsibility for it, claiming that he had been the one who had tampered with the supplies.

"I... I have nothing to say."

Mile lowered his head, his voice lacking confidence. Until he knew exactly what Theo was aware of, he couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

"Is that so? Then let me spell it out for you. You knew that Fail had stolen supplies, and you threatened him. You wanted to pin it all on Luke."

Mile’s eyes widened in shock. The fact that Theo knew everything made his mind go blank.

"Did Luke... tell you?"

"Is that really what matters right now?"

"S-Supreme Commander, I—!"

"I was giving you a chance. I wanted to hear it from you directly. Perhaps that was the last bit of faith I had in you as both a Captain and a fellow soldier."

Theo had deliberately tested him, hoping he would come clean. Even now, he had tried to give Mile one final opportunity to confess.

"I have committed a grave sin. I have no excuse, Supreme Commander."

Mile dropped to his knees before Theo.

"Why are you apologizing to me? The ones you should be begging for forgiveness are Luke and Fail."

"But, Supreme Commander... back then, most of the military hated Luke. No matter how skilled he was, his arrogance and independent actions alienated everyone! You must understand that! Yes, I was wrong, but I only wanted to stop him from throwing our ranks into chaos and acting however he pleased—ugh!"

Mid-sentence, Mile suddenly collapsed forward. The oppressive force of Theo’s magic pressed down on him like a crushing weight.

"You just keep making it worse for yourself."

Theo’s voice was eerily cold. And in that moment, Mile realized—he was completely trapped. There was no way out of this.

"Were you jealous of Luke?"

"..."

Mile hated Luke. While most soldiers disliked him, Mile was the only one who actively sought to tear him down.

So there had to be a reason for it. Theo didn’t believe that Mile had acted without motivation. Mile had always been ambitious, obsessed with status and reputation. Theo understood exactly where that drive had come from.

"You were born a commoner, just like Luke, weren’t you?"

Theo withdrew his magic, but Mile couldn’t bring himself to lift his head.

Most of the current captains came from noble families. While the military prided itself on recognizing ability over status, it was still rare for someone of low birth to climb as high as Luke or Mile had.

Coincidentally, Mile had also come from a small rural village—just like Luke. He had probably been thrilled when he managed to reach the rank of Captain. But when faced with Luke’s natural talent and combat prowess, he must have felt nothing but frustration.

Luke had never been ashamed of his origins. Even back in the academy, he had stood his ground against arrogant noble cadets, refusing to back down. He had never let his low birth hold him back.

Perhaps, deep down, Mile had envied that about him.

"Nothing is more foolish than letting your jealousy destroy you."

Mile let out a hollow laugh at the bitter truth in Theo’s words.

"I’m not going to overlook this. Even though this case was considered closed, I’ll make sure it’s properly dealt with."

To prevent something like this from happening again, the issue had to be resolved.

"But you know as well as I do that we’re on the brink of war. The situation with Welharun could escalate at any moment, and we can’t afford unnecessary disruption within the base."

If the truth about the embezzlement was revealed now, it would cause an uproar. And if the soldiers learned that Luke had been the real victim all along, their reactions would be even more unpredictable. Right now wasn’t the time for that. More importantly, Luke wouldn’t want that.

"I’ll decide your punishment after this mission is over. Until then, conduct yourself wisely."

"..."

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Mile looked up, his expression dazed. But this, too, was part of his punishment—until Theo made his final decision, Mile would have to live in constant anxiety.

"No, sir..."

Theo turned without hesitation.

"Supreme Commander... I just have one question."

Theo nodded slightly without looking back.

"If you already knew everything... why did you bother sparring with me?"

"Because it was my personal revenge."

With that, Theo left the training hall.