I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain

Had he ever been this flustered in his life?

Not when he had misjudged a low-tier monster only for it to suddenly unleash near-advanced-level strength.
Not when Theo constantly pulled inexplicable stunts that left him baffled.
Not even when he discovered that Welharun had been preparing to stab the empire in the back.

Compared to all that, this moment was beyond comparison. Luke was utterly overwhelmed.

His mind went completely blank. He knew he should say something, but his lips wouldn't move. His thoughts just… stopped.

"You’re shocked, huh? I get it. Of course, you’d want to keep it a secret."

Leo nodded knowingly, as if he understood everything. But how the hell did he come to that conclusion? What secret was he even talking about? Luke wasn’t flustered for the reason Leo thought.

"Ah, but don’t worry. I’m not the type to run around blabbing about these things."

Leo thumped Luke’s shoulder reassuringly, proudly declaring that, if nothing else, he had a soldier’s discipline when it came to keeping his mouth shut.

If Luke hadn't cared about maintaining his dignity, his legs would have given out right then and there.

"W-Wait a second."

"Hm?"

"W-What did you just say…?"

Luke, for once, stammered. His voice sounded drained. Leo simply tilted his head innocently.

"Just now? I said I’d keep it a secret, so don’t worry."

"Not that part."

Leo thought for a moment, then smiled brightly.

"Oh. That you and the commander are dating."

"…."

At that moment, Luke realized just how powerful words could be.

For a second, he wasn’t sure what he should say. But then, a single thought slammed into his mind, so obvious it was almost insulting.