I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 57

Chapter 57: The Second Prince

Exercising my extraordinary power in the morning, dancing with Alice in the afternoon, and casually flipping through family tomes that hadn’t been opened in years at night – Roy’s days were quite pleasant overall.

However, he vaguely felt that this calm life wouldn’t last forever.

Setting aside the potential dangers of fate nodes, as a member of the Ainbrad family, a border noble, Roy was increasingly aware of the threats to the kingdom’s current state.

Even someone in a prestigious position like Marquis Carl had to occasionally head out to deal with crises such as magical beast invasions and border unrest, which clearly made Roy realize that Veszyra was not as peaceful as it seemed in “Angels’ Dance” – that was just the tip of the iceberg.

The “licentious young master Roy” was indifferent to these issues, but Roy didn’t want to be a foolish good-for-nothing heir, so he would proactively inquire about the recent status at the dinner table.

Carl had no qualms answering him, clearly intending to cultivate Roy’s awareness of the kingdom’s current situation.

Tonight was no different.

“Father, are we going to hunt magical beasts today?”

“No, today is a bit different.” As Carl sliced his steak, he glanced at Roy and asked in a testing tone, “Do you remember what I told you are the three greatest threats to humanity on the continent?”

Roy blurted, “Magical beasts, the Demon Race, and Cultists.”

These three were also mentioned in “Angels’ Dance.”

Among them, magical beasts were the most common.

Magical beasts refer to those animals infused with extraordinary power, mostly lurking in wild and perilous areas. Nowadays, humanity’s extraordinary bloodline also originated from marriages with benevolent magical beasts in ancient times.

Though that raises some horrifying questions.

The greatest threat came from the Demon Race.

The Demon Race in Veszyra wasn’t made up of beast-eared girls and vampire ladies; they were bloodthirsty monsters.

These monsters were man-eaters.

Magical beasts lacked intelligence and armies, with conflicts with humanity largely confined to territorial disputes.

But the Demon Race was a bigger problem.

They were specifically targeting humans.

Throughout history, humans had fought many wars against the Demon Race, the most recent being the Third Demon Tide of the current Iron Age.

At that time, the entire Western Continent united, gathering troops along the Western Defense Line to engage in a lengthy decade-long war with the Demon Race.

It was said to be humanity’s most fruitful campaign, yet the Western Continent still suffered over a million casualties and countless extraordinary bloodlines lost their legacy as a result.

Roy couldn’t imagine just how brutal the First Demon Tide was, where humanity faced a crushing defeat during the Third Era. In fact, much of the history from that period had been lost, indicating that humanity had been on the brink of extinction, unable to preserve their legacy.

It was precisely because of the threat of the Demon Race that the various nations of the Western Continent maintained peace over two eras with few large-scale conflicts.

But Roy wasn’t too worried about the Demon Race, as there was the Desperate Defense Line built by nations to block the demon army.

More importantly, few demons appeared until the end of “Angels’ Dance.”

True, the Demon Race was strong, but once they crossed into the human world, they became top-tier wanted criminals, usually beaten to death as soon as they showed their faces, posing no real concern for Roy.

So the only thing that truly lingered in Roy’s mind was the last one.

“Magical beasts are common, the Demon Race is the greatest threat, but Cultists are the most dangerous.”

At this juncture, Carl lost his appetite, putting down his cutlery, nodding slightly, and looking at Roy with a solemn gaze: “Indeed, Cultists are the most dangerous. You must remember, Cultists are humanity’s enemy.”

“Conflicts between people are merely for interests.”

“Food, money, land, hatred… these things will eventually pass with one side’s defeat and compromise, fading away with time. After the chaos, peace will ultimately return.”

“But Cultists are different.” Carl’s voice chilled, a dark hue flashing in his eyes.

That was an unmasked hatred and murderous intent, so intense it left Roy momentarily stunned.

“Are they all born villains?” Roy instinctively retorted.

But Carl shook his head.

“Villains commit evil due to greed or circumstance.”

“But Cultists just want to see the world burn.”

Roy wanted to say, ‘I understand,’ but saw Carl give him a bittersweet smile: “I really hope you never understand.”

“Cultists are like weeds; they can never be burned out. One day, you’ll have to deal with them.”

Carl seemed genuinely worried that Roy might develop a savior complex, so he warned: “Just remember, laws and mercy are for people, for them, only fire and sword matter.”

“I’ll remember.” Roy nodded vigorously.

Carl was a battle-hardened veteran, having seen horrors on the battlefield beyond Roy’s imagination. Roy couldn’t claim he understood Cultists as well as he did.

But the Cultists that appeared in “Angels’ Dance” were undeniably stomach-turning madmen, employing brutal methods that elevated some of the game’s scenes to an ‘r18g’ level.

Calling them humanity’s public enemy was not an exaggeration.

Roy wasn’t depressed, didn’t have issues, wasn’t a hipster; he didn’t want to get entangled with those weirdo Cultists.

Most importantly, Roy hadn’t forgotten that ‘licentious young master Roy’ met his doom not only for opposing Alice but also due to his connection with the Cultists.

So, for his own life, he intended to hide as far away from Cultists as possible.

If it came to blows, just do as Carl said: chop them down!

Ugh, thinking about that, it felt a bit dangerous.

The opening of the game wasn’t far off.

Considering the timeline, if ‘licentious young master Roy’ were to collude with the Cultists, it would be recently.

With that thought, Roy’s expression suddenly turned from a smile to a grimace, sweet and bitter, immensely complex.

So he was going to deal with these dangerous lunatics soon?!

Noticing Roy’s intricate expression, Carl smiled in a consoling manner: “I’m just mentioning it; don’t be too nervous.”

“Though Cultists have been rampant recently, they’re just small fries and can’t stir up much trouble.”

After hearing this, Roy’s expression turned even more complex.

Did that sound like a flag to anyone else?

“And, recently, the hunting team led by the Second Prince Reinhardt has been patrolling various areas year-round, achieving notable results and delivering considerable blows to the Cultists.” At this, Carl muttered, “He’s so young yet has accomplished so much; the younger generation is indeed formidable.”

Leo?

The Second Prince?

Charlotte’s royal brother?

Hearing this familiar yet strange name, Roy suddenly froze.

Familiar, because this person was indeed the Second Prince of the Lionheart Kingdom, known for patrolling and hunting Cultists—Leo Reinhardt.

Yet he was shocked, as “Angels’ Dance” had mentioned Charlotte’s elder brother stationed at the Desperate Defense Line but never even hinted at this Leo name.

This was intriguing.