I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain

"Ah, that’s... well..."

All the eyes in the room turned to Phael. Caught under the sudden and overwhelming attention, Phael shrank even further into himself. Noticing his discomfort, Theo gestured for the others to take a step back, giving Phael some space.

"Phael, speak freely," Theo said, his voice calm yet firm.

Perhaps having at least one familiar face helped ease his nerves. Phael took a deep breath before reciting what sounded like a memorized explanation. It was the same story he had given the soldier earlier.

"So, you’re saying you came here on vacation, discovered this monster by chance, and decided to report it?" Theo summarized.

"Yes, that’s correct," Phael replied, nodding vigorously.

"Then why did you hide the fact that you’re a soldier?"

It was Benjamin who posed the question this time, his tone carrying a hint of skepticism.

"Well... as I said, I’m on leave. Since I’m here as a tourist, I didn’t want to draw attention to my status. I really just planned to report the incident and leave," Phael explained hurriedly.

Benjamin nodded slowly, understanding the sentiment to some extent. Soldiers on leave often preferred to avoid revealing their identity, seeking a brief escape from their roles to enjoy life as ordinary civilians.

"Where exactly did you find this monster?" Kalon interjected.

"Near the forest by Coneinium Square," Phael answered, his voice trembling slightly.

"And how did you end up there? That’s not a place locals frequent, and there should be signs warning people to stay out."

"Well... the festival had the square so crowded that I couldn’t find a way through. I ended up wandering there by accident," Phael explained, his excuse plausible enough.

Tourists getting lost and stumbling into restricted areas was a common occurrence during large festivals. Both Kalon and Benjamin nodded, seemingly satisfied with his explanation. Phael let out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Theo approached the desk where the reported monster was being held. Inside a small cage with metal bars sat a creature covered in fluffy gray fur that matched the cage’s color. Its wide eyes darted around nervously, as though sensing the intensity of Theo’s gaze. The creature was roughly the size of an adult male’s palm, with small wings that, while functional, didn’t look particularly threatening.

Its appearance was almost cute—an unlikely feature for a monster. At best, it seemed to be of the lowest rank.

"Phael, why did you report this monster?" Theo asked, his tone laced with curiosity.

Although Phael now served in the administrative division, he had previously been part of the Detached Force. Someone of his capability could have easily dealt with a low-level monster on the spot.

"At first... I thought it was cute and mistook it for an animal. But upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem to match anything in the Empire’s Beast Codex," Phael explained.

"An undocumented monster?"

The group’s attention shifted from Phael to the creature.

"I’ve never seen anything like this before," Kalon remarked, his brow furrowing as he examined it.

Theo continued scrutinizing the creature, his sharp gaze making it shrink further into the corner of its cage.

"It’s unusual for a monster to remain undocumented, but that’s not the only strange thing," Theo said.

"What do you mean?" Kalon asked.

"Few monsters in the Empire have fur this developed, especially in warmer regions like this. It’s more typical of creatures from colder climates," Theo explained.

Phael bit his lip slightly. Theo’s observation echoed something Luke had told him before.

"And one more thing," Phael added, taking a deep breath before speaking again.

"When I first encountered it, the monster was invisible. It only became visible after I attacked it," he said, recounting the rest of his carefully memorized explanation.

"The fur also appears to adapt to its surroundings," Phael continued.

"Adapt?"

Theo opened the cage and grabbed the creature, ignoring its small protests and futile attempts to escape his grasp. His bold action caused Kalon and the others to shift uneasily, but no one dared to intervene.

Theo placed the creature on the table. Moments later, the gray fur began to shift in color, turning a light brown that perfectly matched the wooden table beneath it.

"Interesting," Theo remarked.

"I’ve never seen a monster with this kind of ability," Kalon added, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Indeed. It seems tailored for stealth and infiltration," Phael said, parroting the conclusion that had been fed to him.

"Infiltration?" Benjamin chuckled. "Where’d you get that idea, Phael?"

Realizing his slip, Phael quickly stammered an excuse. "Ah, I misspoke! I meant to say that’s just my observation."

"Regardless, good work. You’ve brought valuable information quickly," Kalon said, patting Phael on the shoulder in approval.

"Th-thank you. I’ll take my leave now," Phael stammered, bowing and making his way toward the door.

"Benjamin, escort him out," Kalon ordered.

"Yes, sir."

Just as Phael reached the door, Theo’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait, Phael."

The commanding tone froze Phael in place. Turning slowly, he saw Theo still holding the creature, his sharp eyes fixed intently on it.

"How did you catch this monster?" Theo asked.

"Ah… well…" Phael’s lips trembled as he struggled to form a response.

"I threw a rock at it," he blurted out.

Phael’s main magical ability involved imbuing objects with speed and force, so his response wasn’t entirely untrue. However, his hesitation was glaringly obvious.

"That’s right, you’re not an elemental magic user, are you?" Theo remarked.

"Er… no, sir," Phael stammered, sweat forming on his brow.

A chill ran down Phael’s spine, as though an insect were crawling up his neck. He felt his body stiffen, his mind racing with a single thought: I messed up.

"Then who injured this monster’s wing?" Theo asked, pointing to one of the creature’s wings.

The room fell silent as everyone turned to look. The wing bore a distinct puncture wound, its edges frosted over—a clear sign of ice-elemental magic. None of the soldiers present needed further explanation; the injury was obviously caused by deliberate magical interference.

"And those observations you mentioned… they weren’t your own, were they?" Theo pressed.

"…"

As Theo spoke, Phael’s head drooped lower and lower, like a stalk of rice bowing under the weight of its grain.

"You lied to your superior. That’s a grave offense."

Phael shut his eyes tightly, silently begging for forgiveness from Luke, who had no idea what was happening.

***

"That damn Phael… I hope he’s explaining things properly," Luke muttered, casting a glance around the well-tended garden.

The monster he’d encountered earlier hadn’t seemed particularly dangerous, but there were too many peculiarities about it—its ability to turn invisible, its fur that changed color to match its surroundings. It wasn’t something he could simply brush off.

Even if he reported it, the soldiers wouldn’t likely go to the trouble of meticulously analyzing a low-level monster. And even if they did, there was no guarantee they’d find anything useful. That’s why Luke had sent Phael instead, instructing him to take the creature and report it.

"Me? But why me? Can’t you just do it, Captain?"

"You think none of the Western Division soldiers would recognize me? Who knows who I might run into there. Like I said, I don’t want anything to do with the military anymore."

Besides, Luke couldn’t deny he felt a twinge of guilt. After all, he was the unintentional source of the rumors about the "faceless mercenary."

"But you’re with the administrative division. No one here will know who you are."

"That’s true, but still…"

"Don’t worry. I’ll tell you exactly what to say. I’ve even prepared excuses in case they figure out you’re a soldier."

Luke had accounted for every possible way Phael could screw up. As long as Phael remembered his instructions, there shouldn’t be a problem. Yet, Luke couldn’t shake the unease that gnawed at him. He sighed, realizing this must be what it felt like to send a child to the water’s edge unsupervised.

With a deep breath, he stepped out of the garden, carrying an armful of Swendy flowers. Chess had asked for some earlier, and now more people were placing orders, offering extra payment for these rare blooms.

Luke stared absently down the empty village road, the darkening sky above adding to the stillness.

"It’s just a report. What’s taking so long?" he muttered, kicking at a loose pebble with mild frustration.

Just as he debated heading back inside, a figure appeared in the distance, walking toward him.

"Hey, Luke!"

"Ah, damn it…"

The voice belonged to Woods, the village’s notorious drunk and troublemaker. He also happened to be the son of Chess, the village elder. Riding on his father’s authority, Woods had earned himself a reputation as a scoundrel, much to the frustration of the villagers.

"Wow, Luke, even at night you look so damn pretty."

"If you’re drunk, just head home. Your house is in the opposite direction," Luke snapped.

"Huh? Is it?"

Woods scratched his head, grinning foolishly. The stench of alcohol wafting from him was overwhelming, evidence of yet another binge. Luke couldn’t help but feel pity for the ever-cheerful Chess, who had to deal with this disaster of a son.

"Since I’m already here, how about letting me crash at your place for the night?"

"Get lost before I shave your head," Luke said with a forced smile, the words sharp enough to cut.

As much as he wanted to punch Woods, Luke restrained himself—for Chess’s sake.

"Aw, come on, what’s the big deal? We’re both guys, right?"

Despite his words, Woods’s gaze turned unmistakably lecherous. His eyes roamed up and down Luke’s figure as Luke pushed back his disheveled silver hair. Woods stepped closer.

"Look, I don’t have time for this. Just—"

"Ugh, I drank way too much. My head’s killing me," Woods slurred, stumbling forward with exaggerated movements.

The act was so poorly executed it wouldn’t pass in a third-rate play. Pretending to lose his balance, Woods leaned heavily into Luke. Caught off guard, Luke tumbled backward onto the ground.

"You son of a—!"

Luke groaned as an unpleasant weight settled on top of him. Rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the ground, he opened his eyes to see Woods straddling him, grinning down with a sickening expression.

"How can a guy be prettier than a girl?" Woods sneered.

Luke sighed in exasperation, his patience stretched to its limit. Thankfully, the flowers in his hand were unharmed. Just as he prepared to shove Woods off, the sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention.

He turned his head slightly, catching sight of a pair of boots walking directly toward them.

Phael? Luke wondered, preparing to throw Woods off quickly.

But before he could act, Woods’s body was suddenly lifted into the air, defying gravity. The owner of the boots—a figure with effortless strength—picked Woods up and flung him to the side like a sack of potatoes.

"Ahhh!" Woods’s cry echoed as he crashed into the distance.

"Uh…"@@novelbin@@

Luke, still sprawled on the ground, stared blankly at the sight of Woods being hurled like garbage.

"Enjoying retirement, are we?"

A familiar voice came from above. Luke’s head turned slowly, almost creaking like an old hinge.

Standing there, under the now pitch-black sky, was Theo, his dark hair blending seamlessly into the night.

Luke blinked, momentarily stunned. The sight of Theo felt surreal, as though he were looking at a figure from a dream.

Then, as if on autopilot, Luke extended the bouquet of flowers toward Theo.

"Uh… welcome?" he stammered awkwardly.