I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain-Chapter 133

Luke searched for a suitable place to talk with Leo. However, the wide open space was filled with prying eyes, and after a while, they ended up in the training hall, where they could speak quietly without being overheard.

Since Leo, as the captain, used this place, the other members wouldn't easily come in. Moreover, a training hall was perfect for this. As soon as they entered, Luke grabbed a training sword neatly arranged on one side and tossed it in front of Leo.

"Huh? What’s this? You said we were going to talk. Did I do something wrong? You planning on hitting me?"

"Shut up and just grab it. I want to sweat it out."

Leo stared at Luke’s face for a moment before picking up the sword.

The two began to spar in the wide training hall, moving nonstop and clashing swords. After each round, Luke would immediately request another. They repeated this several times until Leo finally gave in.

"Enough! We’ve sweated enough. If we keep going, both of us will die."

Leo collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily. Luke was in the same condition. When he was training Dillon, it was simply to teach him, so he didn’t have to exert much effort, but facing Leo, he was swinging his sword with all his might, regardless of everything else.

Sweat flowed from his forehead, dripping down his chin and hitting the floor with a soft sound. Luke lowered his head and gasped for air. He watched his own reflection faintly in the smooth floor before finally sitting down with a thud.

"I don’t feel refreshed."

"Huh?"

"I’m frustrated."

He thought he’d feel better after sweating it out. But the expression Theo had shown kept growing clearer in his mind.

"Something’s bothering you?"

"...Theo isn’t happy about me being the leader of the special task force."

Luke explained the argument he had with Theo in front of the palace. As he spoke, Theo’s words and expressions came {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} back to him, making his chest feel tight.

"Ah, it seems like he really worries about you."

"But I don’t need to worry..."

"You’re saying you’re strong enough that you don’t need to?"

"..."

"Do you think the Commander doesn’t know that? He’s the one who knows your abilities best in this army."

Luke pressed his lips together. The voice telling him that his worries were unnecessary echoed in his ears.

"Luke, want to hear something funny?"

"What? I’m so serious right now."

Leo gave him a playful smile, and as usual, Luke furrowed his brow. But Leo didn’t seem to care and began speaking freely.

"This army has so many rumors, right? Do you know what rumor went around for a while? That the Commander’s sensitivity was through the roof."

Theo sensitive? Luke thought hard, but it didn’t make sense. Theo being sensitive? No way. He was someone who would deal with any major issue quietly and without showing his emotions, and he definitely wasn’t the type to express his feelings on a whim.

"When did this rumor spread?"

"Are we playing 20 questions now?"

"Since you retired."

Luke stopped in his tracks at Leo’s playful words.

"You should have seen the Commander’s expression the first time he heard that you were leaving."

Luke suddenly remembered the time when Fail first came to visit after they left Kailum.

‘At the commanders' meeting, some of them said that Luke’s decision to retire was irresponsible...’

After he left, he thought Theo would carry on without a second thought, scolding him for being an irresponsible former rival. But Leo’s words told a completely different story.

"He even went to your house."

At first, Luke was surprised to hear this, but then he felt a small flutter in his chest. The fact that Theo had not thought of him as irresponsible but had gone to visit him made his lips go dry.

"Well, what I’m trying to say is, the Commander’s worry isn’t just about you being in danger."

Luke tilted his head, looking confused. Leo laughed softly, seeing the confusion in Luke’s expression.

"Luke, do you know why I found you interesting when others in the headquarters didn’t?"

"No."

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He just thought Leo was an eccentric guy who didn’t care about anything. He never thought there was something particularly special about him.

"Well, if I were to compare you to something, you’re like the wind. You don’t seem to have any attachments, you know? It’s almost as if you’re not burdened by anything."

Attachments. That could perhaps be what shackles people in life, whether it be material things or emotions. When someone has attachments, it limits their actions and stops them from doing what they want freely.

As Leo said, people usually have attachments to something. Whether it’s material or emotional, everyone holds on to something.

But Luke had none of that. He only focused on his goal and once it was achieved, he decided to just go with the flow and live how he wanted. If someone asked him if he had attachments... well, that was hard to say.

"I guess that’s why I find it fun to watch you. Maybe your decision to leave the army without hesitation was just an extension of that. Even though you didn’t become the Supreme Commander, you left without any attachment."

Well, that wasn’t the exact reason, but the context was close. He left the army because he had no more attachment to it.

"I think that’s what the Commander is worried about."

"...What?"

"I think he’s afraid that you’ll just up and leave one day. Even if you disappeared tomorrow morning, it wouldn’t be strange at all."

Leo stretched out and lay on the floor.

‘That freedom of yours is starting to scare me.’

Suddenly, Theo’s words came back to him. At first, he didn’t understand why freedom would be scary, but after hearing Leo’s words, he finally got it. He understood why Theo said that.

"This is just my guess, but I think the reason the Commander brought you into the military as an assistant is because he needed your abilities, but also because he wanted to somehow keep you around."

Why hadn’t he realized it before? When Theo asked why he didn’t want to rejoin, Luke had brushed it off, thinking it was just about his abilities. But Theo must have felt that way from the start—Luke was someone who could leave at any time.

"So, what I’m saying is, stop fighting and just get along..."

"Hey, I’m leaving first."

"Huh?"

When Leo looked up, Luke had already left the training hall.

It was already getting dark outside. He hadn’t realized how late it had gotten while sparring and talking with Leo.

Luke turned without hesitation toward the Supreme Commander’s office. Sure enough, as soon as he entered, Zion greeted him with wide eyes.

"What’s going on?"

"Phew... Theo... No, is the Supreme Commander in there?"

Luke took a deep breath, staring at the tightly closed office door. Surely, such an important person would still be inside working.

"Ah, the Supreme Commander just left for the day."

"What?"

No way. Theo, who usually worked the latest, was changing things up today? Luke could only swallow his frustration, feeling like he had rushed here for no reason.

"Today, he said he couldn’t focus on his work..."

Zion added, and Luke sighed deeply. He felt like the cause of this was somehow himself, but he couldn’t say anything.

After stepping back outside, Luke hesitated briefly before turning toward the mana conservation area. He had intended to warp directly to the Duke’s residence, but his right hand bothered him. It wouldn’t do anything immediately, but he didn’t want to worry Theo.

"Damn it."

Clenching his right hand, Luke left the headquarters and started running toward the Duke’s residence. Though he had just been drenched in sweat from sparring with Leo, this was easy for him. He had endured even harder training back when he was a soldier.

As the Duke’s residence came into view in the distance, his pace quickened. Luke rushed across the large entrance and garden, grabbing the door handle. But before he could open it, someone inside pulled the door open.

"Huh?"

As he almost stumbled forward, Luke managed to steady himself. That’s when he met Theo’s gaze. For some reason, Theo was standing there with a serious look, as if ready to charge out at any moment.

"Theo."

"......I was surprised you weren’t at the residence."

Theo’s face softened a little as he saw Luke, who had spent so much time in the training hall that he hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. Was Theo worried that he might have disappeared again?

Theo surely knew that Luke wouldn’t recklessly disappear without responsibility, but his heart couldn’t follow his logic.

"Now that you’re here, it’s fine. Rest."

Perhaps sensing the strange atmosphere between them, Gwen made sure to keep her distance to avoid disturbing them.

Theo turned and began heading upstairs to the bedroom. As he reached the door, a hand quickly pushed it open, and the door swung wide.

"......Luke."

Luke followed him into the room and slammed the door shut behind him. An awkward silence filled Theo’s bedroom.

"Hey, let’s talk."