I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain

Chapter 77

"I don't know... not even that," Benji said, his voice lower than before.

"The only thing I was told by the leader was to infiltrate the Empire and retrieve information... I was also trained to control this monster as part of my mission."

Benji's gaze drifted toward the caged creature, which let out a mournful whimper. Despite following orders to command the monster, Benji seemed to have a soft spot for it, displaying a certain tenderness in his demeanor.

Luke studied Benji’s face closely, trying to read him.

"So, you have no idea who the leader took the job from or where they live?"

"That's right."

There was no sign of deception in Benji's response. He looked more troubled than anything else—perhaps worried that his lack of useful information might lead Theo to retract his promise to spare his life.@@@@

Theo seemed to come to the same conclusion, as he simply muttered, "I see," without pressing further.

"Benji, do you have any idea where your leader is now?" Theo asked.

"I don’t know. But they’re likely close to whoever commissioned this job," Benji replied after some thought.

"The leader prefers to stay near the client when taking on major jobs, just in case something goes wrong. When they accepted the job to lend military support to Memvern during the war, they went there personally."

This meant that if they could locate the leader, they might also identify the one behind the current situation. However, there were no clear leads to track the leader’s whereabouts.

"That’s the most critical piece of information," Calon murmured, his face clouded with worry. A heavy silence fell over the room. The revelation that someone had aimed a blade at the Empire’s heart was shocking enough. Not knowing who was behind it made even the first steps toward resolution feel impossible.

"Benji, could you pretend you haven’t been captured and try to contact the leader?" Luke suggested.

Benji shook his head firmly.

"The leader would already know I’ve been captured. The mana in my body belongs to him—he’d sense if I was rendered unable to fight or captured."

"You could lie and say you escaped," Luke pressed, leaning forward without realizing it. Seeing Theo lost in deep thought was starting to get on his nerves. Benji, however, seemed even more intimidated, pressing himself into the back of his chair.

"Actually... before being brought here, I tried using my communication crystal to contact him, but I couldn’t get through. He must have realized what happened and cut ties. Even if everything is exposed, he can frame this as something I did on my own and wash his hands of it."

"What a despicable bastard," Luke muttered, slamming his fist lightly on the table. Benji flinched again, even though he wasn’t at fault for Luke’s frustration.

"The leader is thorough. Even if it’s not his mana inside me, he might still have tracked the mana location of my crystal," Benji explained hesitantly.

If that was true, it was possible the leader already knew Benji had been taken to this branch. What they thought was a captured tail might have already been severed long ago.

"That’s it," Theo suddenly spoke up.

"Benji, you said the leader could trace the mana in your communication crystal?"

"Y-yes."

"Yes, Commander. And what will you be doing?" Calon asked.

Theo paused, glancing briefly toward the interrogation room where Luke remained.

"I need to be present when Benji’s mana recovers and we attempt the reverse-tracing. Once we gather leads, I’ll return to headquarters."

This meant Theo would need to stay in the western region for at least two more days.

"In that case, we can arrange accommodations—"

"No need. I have my own place to stay," Theo cut him off firmly.

Calon’s brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn’t help but notice that Theo had avoided using the branch’s facilities since arriving. The mystery of where Theo was staying piqued his curiosity.

It felt like a personal question, and Calon hesitated to ask. But just as he resolved to speak, the interrogation room door swung open, and Luke emerged.

Theo gave Luke a quick once-over, noting the oddly relieved yet complicated expression on his face. Then his eyes flicked toward the room behind Luke.

"What? Did you think I beat him up or something?" Luke asked, exasperated.

"No harm in checking," Theo replied evenly.

"I just had an honest conversation, alright? Even I wouldn’t beat up a kid who’s not even an adult yet."

"Luke, feeling defensive? I was just verifying," Theo teased.

"Ugh, forget it... I’m too tired for this," Luke muttered, letting out a deep sigh as his shoulders slumped.

Calon observed this exchange closely and noticed something. Theo, who had been tense and sharp throughout the day, seemed to relax slightly during this brief interaction with Luke.

"I’m heading home," Luke announced, turning to leave.

"Luke, what did you talk about with Benji?" Theo asked.

"That’s a secret. If I wanted to share, I wouldn’t have asked you to leave," Luke replied, brushing past Calon and heading down the corridor.

Theo caught up to Luke, pestering him with questions about their conversation and even inquiring if Luke’s arm was still in pain. Luke answered curtly, clearly irritated, as Calon trailed behind them, blinking slowly.

Even in a branch far removed from headquarters, there were stories shared as if they were established facts across the Empire’s military. One of them was about the relationship between Theo and Luke.

The two had once been rivals.

Though things had changed, it was well-known that Theo and Luke had clashed over the position of military commander.

"How odd. Commander Theo and Luke... seem awfully close," Calon murmured under his breath.

"Maybe I’m just exhausted," he muttered, rubbing his eyes as if to dispel the thought. Then it struck him—he hadn’t asked Theo about where he was staying.