As a Villain I Really Don’t Want To Be Pursued by the Heroine

57

In the mornings, he trained his extraordinary powers; in the afternoons, he danced with Alice; and in the evenings, he casually flipped through the family’s ancient books, untouched for many years. Roy’s days were quite pleasant.

However, he vaguely felt that these peaceful days would not last forever.

Aside from the looming danger of the ‘contrary fate node,’ as a member of the Ainbrad family on the frontier, Roy was increasingly aware of the threats to the kingdom.

Even a marquis of Karl’s stature had to personally deal with crises like monster attacks and border unrest from time to time, making Roy realize that Vezieria was not as peaceful and serene as the ‘Angel’s Waltz’ depicted it to be.

The young master Roy was indifferent to such matters, but he had no desire to be a foolish and useless noble. Thus, he would take the initiative to ask Carl about recent events at the dinner table.

And Carl would answer without hesitation, clearly intending to cultivate his awareness of the kingdom’s current state.

Tonight was no different.

“Father, did you go to subdue magical beasts today as well?”

“No, today was a bit different,” Carl replied while cutting his steak, glancing at Roy with a probing tone. “Do you remember what I told you are the three greatest threats to humanity on the continent?”

Roy blurted out, “Magical beasts, demons, and heretical cults.”

These three were also mentioned in “The Angel’s Waltz.”

Among them, magical beasts were the most common.

Magical beasts refer to those wild creatures imbued with extraordinary powers, mostly roaming the wilderness and dangerous lands. The extraordinary bloodlines of humans today also come from marriages with friendly magical beasts in ancient times.

Though it is a rather terrifying thought.

The threat from demons is the greatest.

The demons of Visezia are not beast-eared girls or vampire princesses, but bloodthirsty monsters.

These monsters consume humans.

Magical beasts lack reason and do not have armies; their conflicts with humans are mostly limited to territorial overlaps.

But demons are much more troublesome.

They come specifically for humans.

There have been several great wars between humans and demons throughout history, the most recent being the “Third Demon Tide” of the current Iron Age.

At that time, the nations of the western continent united like never before, assembling a massive army to engage in a decade-long war with the demons along the western frontier.

It is said to be the most fruitful human victory to date, yet even so, the western continent suffered over a million casualties, with countless extraordinary bloodlines lost forever.

Roy dared not imagine how horrific the “First Demon Tide” of the Third Era was, when humanity was utterly defeated. In fact, much of the history from that time has been lost, proving that humanity was on the brink of extinction, unable to continue its legacy.

It is precisely because of the threat of demons that the nations of the western continent have maintained peace for two eras, with few large-scale wars.

But Roy wasn’t too worried about the demons, after all, there was the “Desolate Frontier,” a defensive line built jointly by the nations of the continent, blocking the demon armies to the west.

More importantly, until the end of “The Angel’s Waltz,” very few demons showed their faces.

Strong as the demons are, once they enter the human world, they become top-tier fugitives, typically beaten to death the moment they appear, having little to do with Roy.

So what truly concerned Roy was the last one.

“Magical beasts are the most common, demons pose the greatest threat, but heretical cults are the most dangerous.”

Under this topic, Carl lost his appetite, set down his knife and fork, nodded slightly, and looked at Roy with a solemn gaze: “That’s right, heretical cults are the most dangerous. Remember, heretical cults are the enemy of mankind.”

“Conflicts between people are merely for profit.”

“Food, money, land, hatred… these things will ultimately disappear with the defeat and compromise of one side, with the passage of time. After the chaos of war, there will eventually be peace.”

“But heretical cults are different.” Carl’s voice grew colder, and a thick, indissoluble shade of blood flashed in his eyes.

It was an unmasked hatred and murderous intent, so intense that even Roy couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“Are they all born villains?” Roy asked subconsciously.

But Karl shook his head.

“The reason villains commit evil acts is out of greed or compulsion by circumstances.”

“But cultists just want to watch the world burn.”

From noble mtl dot come

Roy wanted to say ‘I understand,’ but upon seeing a bitter smile cast his way by Karl, he heard, “I truly hope you never understand.”

“Cults are like weeds, they never burn out, and one day you’ll have to deal with them too.”

Karl seemed worried that Roy might develop a savior complex, earnestly advising, “Just remember, law and mercy are for people; for them, there’s only fire and sword.”

“I’ll remember,” Roy nodded firmly.

Karl was a veteran of many battles, having seen horrors that Roy couldn’t even imagine, and Roy didn’t dare claim to understand cults as well as he did.

But the cultists that appeared in ‘Angel’s Rondo’ were indeed nauseating madmen, with inhumane tactics emerging endlessly, elevating some scenes of the game to an ‘R18G’ level.

To call them the enemy of humanity was no exaggeration.

Roy was neither depressed, sick, nor a romantic; he had no desire to undergo some bizarre dark transformation, to mingle with the cultists’ inhuman monstrosities.

Most importantly, Roy hadn’t forgotten that ‘Bad Boy Roy’ met his demise not just because he was an enemy of Alice, but also because he got entangled with the cult.

Even if it was just to save his own life, he would stay as far away from the cult as possible.

If it came to a confrontation, just as Karl said, he would fight to the death.

Hiss, thinking about it seemed a bit dangerous.

The game’s opening wasn’t far off.

By the timeline, ‘Bad Boy Roy’s’ collusion with the cult would be happening soon.

At this thought, Roy’s expression suddenly became a mix of a smile and not a smile, bitter yet sweet, hard yet difficult, incredibly complex.

So he was about to deal with these dangerous lunatics?!

Noticing Roy’s subtle expression, Karl offered a wry smile and some consolation, “I’m just mentioning it, don’t be too nervous.”

“The cult has been rampant recently, but they’re just small fry, incapable of causing a real stir.”

Upon hearing this, Roy’s expression grew even more complex.

Why did that sound like a flag?

“Moreover, the hunting squad led by the Second Prince, Reinhardt, has been patrolling and hunting all year round, with remarkable results, dealing significant blows to the cult,” Karl muttered, adding, “Such achievements at a young age, truly formidable.”

Leo?

The Second Prince?

Charlotte’s royal brother?

Hearing this familiar yet strange name, Roy was suddenly taken aback.

Familiarity arises because this person is indeed the second prince of the current Lionheart Kingdom, Leo Reinhardt, responsible for hunting down the heretical cult known as the “Flame Hunters.”

Yet what astonishes him is that the “Angel’s Waltz” often mentioned Charlotte’s elder brother, who guards the “Desolate Frontier,” but never once mentioned the name Leo.

This is quite intriguing.