I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain-Chapter 117

When Luke returned to the office, Paul tilted his head in curiosity.

"You didn’t meet the commander?"

"Huh?"

"He stopped by earlier and was looking for you."

Paul had apparently told Theo that Luke had stepped out for some fresh air. But Luke hadn’t seen a trace of Theo outside.

"Looks like you two missed each other."

Luke nodded. Then, a sudden thought crossed his mind—what if Theo had overheard his conversation with Myle?

But he quickly dismissed the idea. Even if Theo had gone outside looking for him, he wouldn’t have known to check the back garden. And if he had heard anything, he definitely wouldn’t have stayed silent—especially considering he had randomly brought up that incident again just yesterday.

Luke brushed off the concern and sat down to finish his remaining work. As always, he made sure to send Paul and the rest of the unit members back to the dormitory right on time. The 7th Unit members were currently assigned to the investigation team, but they still had to maintain their regular training routines. Like Theo, they were juggling two roles, so Luke at least wanted to ensure they got off work early.

Luke stayed behind, poring over documents. Then, the door suddenly burst open.

Expecting Theo, his face unconsciously lit up—only for his expression to instantly fall flat when he saw Leo instead.

"Wow. That hurt."

Leo dramatically clutched his chest, feigning offense. Embarrassed at being caught, Luke cleared his throat and ignored the remark.

"Did you find any other sources of information?"

Leo shook his head. "It’s not easy."

"You sent the others home?"

"Yeah. By the way, Paul’s got such a weird personality. He doesn’t seem like a soldier at all."

"Hah, he’s a little like me in that sense. All my guys are good kids. Bright personalities, too."

Leo added that this was exactly why he had placed Paul in an aide position. He spoke about his unit with the enthusiasm of a proud parent, making Luke smile softly.

"No wonder the 7th Unit follows you so well."

Even in the rigid hierarchy of the military, these were still people working together toward a profession. It was natural that some relationships wouldn’t develop deeply. And with the chain of command being as strict as it was, superiors and subordinates couldn’t exactly be close friends.

The 1st Unit had clearly respected and admired Theo, their former captain, but their loyalty never strayed beyond the realm of professional reverence.

But looking at Leo and his subordinates, it was different. They felt more like actual friends. At times, the 7th Unit members even looked like responsible younger siblings looking after their carefree older brother.

Watching them up close, Luke had initially thought, Leo really is an oddball. But at some point, another thought had crossed his mind.

If he had served in the military as himself from the beginning—without forcing himself to play the villain—could he have had relationships like that too?

"Luke."

"Hm?"

Lost in thought, Luke flinched at Leo’s voice.

"I’ve been meaning to say this for a while, but... you’ve changed."

"Yeah?"

Luke responded lightly, smiling.

He was a little surprised—Leo wasn’t the type to pay much attention to others unless something genuinely piqued his interest. If even Leo had noticed, then maybe the change was more significant than he thought.

Luke brushed it off with a joke. "Maybe I’m just getting older."

He didn’t feel the same pressure to maintain his villainous persona as he had before. Ever since returning to the army, he hadn’t found a reason to force himself into that role anymore. Bits of his real self were starting to slip through—and honestly, he didn’t mind.

After all, once this case was over, he planned to return to the Calum Branch anyway.

"Listen, I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but..."

Leo hesitated, glancing at Luke. "You’re really not thinking about coming back to the military for good?"

Leo was well aware of how cruel it was to ask that of a retired soldier. He was practically gauging Luke’s reaction before he even finished speaking.

Luke blinked.

That was the second time he had heard that question—first from Theo, now from Leo. When Theo had first brought it up back at the Calum Branch, Luke had been caught off guard, feeling surprised and thrown off.

But now... now it just felt unclear.

"Ugh, never mind. I’m sorry. That’s the worst thing to ask a retired soldier."

When Luke didn’t answer, Leo quickly waved his hands and laughed, as if trying to brush off his own words.

Right then, Leo’s personal communication crystal suddenly lit up.

Luke casually glanced over and saw the sender’s name—Roena.

A sharp, irritated voice came through the crystal, demanding why Leo hadn’t submitted the guard duty roster.

Luke averted his gaze.

"I’ll bring it right now! I swear!"

Ignoring Leo’s desperate plea, Roena abruptly ended the call.

"Your unit better not take after that side of you."

Luke’s remark hit the mark, making Leo laugh awkwardly before snatching up the documents and rushing out of the room.

Now that he thought about it, Leo had always been careless with paperwork. Even back when Theo was still captain, he had gotten plenty of scolding for it. The fact that Roena was now the one chewing him out made Luke chuckle.

Left alone in the office, Luke leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment. He was about to take a brief rest when—

Tap, tap.

A sound at the window made him jolt upright.

With everything happening lately, his body tensed instinctively. He turned sharply toward the window, his guard up.

Then, recognizing the figure outside, his eyes widened.

Quickly, he strode over and flung the window open.

"What the hell?"

"Did I wake you?"

Theo scanned the room as he spoke.

"Why are you knocking on the window instead of using the door?"

"I just stopped by for a moment. Wanted to see your face."

Luke faltered.

Hearing Theo say things like that always left him feeling strangely unsettled.

"I came by earlier, but I didn’t see you."

"Oh... yeah, earlier..."

Luke recalled stepping out for fresh air—only to run into Myle.

"I was in the back garden at the time."

He said it cautiously, watching Theo’s reaction.

Theo held his gaze for a moment before replying.

"Is that so? I didn’t think to check there."

Luke exhaled in relief.

So he hadn’t overheard anything.

Still, Theo’s eyes lingered on him, scrutinizing.

"If you’re tired, head back first."

"Huh? Oh, I’m not that tired. I just closed my eyes for a bit earlier."

"It’s already past working hours. Go back to the estate."

Luke almost said, I’ll wait for you, but hesitated.

Because the truth was—he really had been planning to.

"It’s fine. No need to wait tonight. I’ll be later than usual."

Theo said it knowingly.

"Yeah?"

Luke nodded, but for some reason, he felt oddly empty.

Even if Theo was going to be late, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t wait. Why did he have to say it like that?

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And more than that—why was he even thinking about it?

After some more idle conversation, Theo finally left for the commander’s office.

Luke closed the window after watching him disappear.

Since waiting wasn’t an option today, maybe he should head back. He could take a bath, have dinner, and spend some time with Monet.

But just as he turned, he felt an eerie stare coming from the door.

"..."

He slowly turned his head—only to meet eyes with Leo, peeking through the slightly open door.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Luke nearly jumped.

The way Leo was lurking like some petty thief was genuinely unsettling.

The door creaked open, and Leo stepped inside, his expression unreadable.

"...Hmph. Sorry, Luke."

"For what?"

"Normally, I’d pretend I didn’t see anything. But my curiosity won."

Leo patted {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Luke’s shoulder.

"What are you even talking about?"

Leo grinned.

"Since I’ve already witnessed it with my own eyes..."

"Witnessed what?"

Luke frowned, half wondering if Leo had been drinking.

"You don’t have to hide it from me."

"What the hell are you on about? Did Roena scold you so badly that you lost your mind?"

Leo chuckled. "I get why you’re trying to keep it under wraps. If I were you, I’d probably do the same. But wouldn’t it be easier to just admit it?"

"Admit what?"

Leo’s smile widened.

"You and the commander are dating."

"..."

Luke froze, his mind going completely blank.