I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain-Chapter 136

When he woke up, Luke had never felt so refreshed before. With a strange feeling, he slowly lifted his eyelids. The first thought that struck him was, "Ah, this isn't my room." He looked around at the ceiling, similar yet unfamiliar.

Next to him was Theo. Even in sleep, he exuded the same serious aura he always did. Luke stared blankly at his face, which was tranquil as if in death.

Suddenly, yesterday's events came to mind. He had confessed his feelings to Theo unabashedly, and they had fallen asleep together in the same bed. Luke slowly reached out his hand and caressed Theo's face, sweeping down his high nose bridge to lightly touch his lips.

Touching his well-defined features, Luke felt anew the thrill of being intimately connected with someone for the first time. He had lived just going with the flow after accomplishing what he considered his life's tasks, never belonging anywhere. He hadn't expected to develop such attachment.

It was strange how his heart could feel so full without having done anything. Luke snuggled deeper into Theo’s embrace.

"...Luke, I told you clearly. Don't provoke me."

"Huh? Were you awake?"

Theo cleared his throat with a hum, his face flushing under the morning sun shining through the window.

"I was awake."

Then, familiarly, Theo pecked Luke on the lips and pulled him closer into his embrace.

"Hey, your chest is too big; I can barely breathe."

"...Do you always have to talk like that?"

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"But Theo, there's something I'm curious about."

Luke leaned forward and asked.

"When did you start liking me?"

Luke's eyes sparkled with curiosity. His transparent sincerity made Theo smile involuntarily. How could he be so direct and unreserved? Theo felt embarrassed by his own hesitation and confusion over his feelings for Luke, starkly contrasting with Luke’s forthrightness.

"That's a secret."

Luke's face immediately scrunched up.

"Come on, tell me."

"Get up. We need to start getting ready."

As Theo got up with no intention of divulging more, Luke clicked his tongue. It was nearing time to leave for work, and it was odd that no one had come looking for Theo in his room. Normally, Gwen would have entered by now to help the little duke get ready.

"What about Gwen?"

"Gwen? Oh, I told him not to come up today. Actually, I told him not to enter my room."

"Why?"

Theo turned to look at Luke. His slightly disheveled hair, the casual clothes that hinted at the nape of his neck, and the mere sight of him sitting on his bed were too provocative.

"Because I don't want to show him."

Luke still looked puzzled, tilting his head.

***

"What on earth does the military think of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! And you dare to seek approval from His Majesty the Emperor before consulting me?"

Paul gave an awkward smile as the Foreign Minister’s reprimand echoed through the halls of the Imperial Palace's Foreign Ministry. They were here to greet the minister, as members of the special unit tasked with the upcoming operation. Luke was at the forefront, followed by Paul, Levi, and Jade in a straight line.

"Where have all the proper procedures gone? Procedures are there to be followed! Don't you even know such basic things?!"

"Even procedures have their exceptions," Luke replied with a sly smile.

"Exceptions? It's always those who know nothing who spout such nonsense! This is why I say the military isn't cut out for this. Brains made of muscle..."

Bang!

Just as the Foreign Minister’s hysteria «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» seemed to escalate, Luke, who had been quietly listening with a smile, suddenly slammed his palm down on the minister's desk. The loud noise startled the minister, who squeaked comically and stepped back.

Paul and the others were just as shocked by Luke's action. The three exchanged surprised glances from behind.

"What, what was that!"

"Ah, there was a bug. But it seems I missed it," Luke said, showing his palm and waving it cheerily.

"And what did you say earlier? That soldiers have brains made of muscle?"

The minister flinched as Luke's voice turned markedly cooler. The usual interactions with military personnel for high-ranking officials like himself involved dealing primarily with the Supreme Commander, Theo, and occasionally with rank-and-file soldiers who came on errands.

Despite the prideful taunts from the ministers, Theo never reacted, knowing he was being deliberately ignored, which was extremely annoying. But this was not the case with the rank-and-file soldiers, who would typically grovel before the head of the Foreign Ministry.

However, the reaction from the strikingly handsome man before him was completely different. A former captain of the special forces and a powerful mage whose abilities could rival even the Supreme Commander. His name was well-known, and the minister had seen him at official functions before.

"Foreign Minister, how could the brain possibly be made of muscle? If that were the case, the Imperial Army wouldn't have been able to defeat monsters or achieve numerous victories in wars, would it?"

There had been rumors about Luke's challenging personality when he was in the military. The minister had dismissed these as irrelevant, thinking no one would dare to be so insolent directly to him, but Luke's demeanor was unexpectedly audacious.

"Isn't that so?"

Luke asked again, his voice heavier and the smile on his face growing deeper.

"Uh, yes, that's right."

Feeling an inexplicable pressure, the minister had no choice but to nod. Paul and the others secretly suppressed their laughter from behind, finding it quite amusing to see the minister, who was so full of pride, unable to say a word and simply nodding in fear.

"That's right. We are all struggling for the sake of our country. Please do keep that in mind."

"But, still! Isn't it too dangerous to infiltrate Welharun through the delegation? Who came up with such a foolish plan?"

"I did. That fool."

Silence fell in the room.

"I understand it's a risky operation. But this is a matter critical to the fate of the Empire."

"What if we're caught? If Welharun notices something suspicious and turns everything against us, what then? Our diplomatic relations could be ruined!"

"If we don't get caught, that's it."

It was a fitting response. Paul found himself fervently supporting Luke from behind.

"Look here!"

"It's not 'look here', it's Luke. And something does seem off."

Luke stroked his chin and tilted his head.

"I thought the Foreign Minister was just being overly cautious and skeptical because of his loyalty to the Empire..."

The Foreign Minister squinted his eyes as if to say, "So what?"

"Now it seems like you're siding with Welharun?"

Luke smirked, and the minister's face slowly turned red, finally grasping the implications of Luke's remark.

"How dare you accuse me?! There's no one more loyal to the Empire than I am!"

"Yes, I know. That's why I suggest we work together for the sake of the Empire."

The Foreign Minister sputtered in anger, completely caught up in Luke's pace and realizing it only too late.

In the end, the minister couldn't bring himself to voice half of what he wanted to say and had to respond to Luke's greeting. Afterwards, a quiet rumor circulated around the palace: the Foreign Minister had been thoroughly put in his place by the very military personnel he so often disparaged.

***

"Aaah, that old raccoon-like geezer."

As soon as they left the palace, Luke started grumbling with irritation.

"What? Is his brain full of muscles? What nonsense..."

"Haha, still, thanks to Lord Luke, I’m sure his blood pressure went up a bit."

Paul spoke with amusement, and Levy and Jade nodded in agreement.

"Why do you guys look so happy? It's my blood pressure that's going to rise."

"Ah, that's... actually, we've been through a lot with that person. He really dislikes soldiers, so every time we run into him, he always says things we don’t want to hear."

Levy added, causing Luke's face to twist even further. He thought to himself that he should have hit that Foreign Minister’s back of the head with his palm earlier instead of slamming the desk.

"When we get to Welharun, that old raccoon will get a chance to...”

"That’s not going to happen. Absolutely not."

Luke muttered in a cold voice, and Paul quickly shook his head, recoiling. Luke's words didn’t sound like a joke at all.

While walking toward the headquarters, Luke suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned around and began scanning the three of them, one by one.

The three people who locked eyes with Luke awkwardly stood in place, not understanding what was going on.

"It's been a while since I’ve been in charge of the special forces."

Luke let out a complicated sigh and scratched his head. Being the leader of the special forces was something he had done regularly until his retirement, but things were different now.

Back then, he had to act as the villain, so he had no choice but to treat his subordinates harshly. There were words he had wanted to say but couldn’t.

"Hey, you three."

"Yes."

"I understand if you don’t want to work under me. The operation itself is tricky. But I guarantee you, if everything goes smoothly, there won’t be anything too dangerous. But just in case..."

Luke, who had been speaking fairly easily, trailed off. The three of them simply waited silently. After all, Luke was their superior in this mission.

"If something dangerous does happen, don’t worry. You won’t get hurt. I’ll make sure of it."