The Villain Reborn as Game's Final Boss

"Living in fear of assumptions isn’t my way of doing things."

Crossing my right leg over the left one, I let my head rest on the knuckles of my right hand, which was currently placed on the armrest beside me.

"As for the suspicion of the authorities over your house... does it really matter?"

I stated the facts.

The Levaiths were not some random house that could be targeted simply based on some assumptions of their involvement with the cults.

"That’s a bold thing to say."

Damian’s eyes held amusement as he regarded me with renewed interest.

"Let’s hear it then... the deal you have in store for my humble house."

Placing his hand near his chest, Damian gestured me to speak my part.

"Syma has been expanding its operations across the world, but yet... we haven’t made an exclusive relation or sided with any major power in the world. We have continued to treat all races and noble houses with equality, and would continue to do so, but—"

I paused, letting my words sink in the silence of the room.

"We have something in common, that I suppose could lay the foundation for our cooperation going forward."

I didn’t elaborate further, letting Damian think for himself.

But maybe my thoughts weren’t conveyed to the duke in their entirety as a light frown marred his face, with him pressing his lips together in deep thought.

"Common, you say, but I don’t think there is anything which could be considered common between Syma and us—"

"It had never been about Syma."

"Hm?"

The frown on Damian’s face deepened further, though after a moment it dissolved into thin air, as the realization hit the duke.

The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped a bit, as Damian smirked while staring at me, his pale golden eyes reflecting my own self.

"Frosts."

The words were closer to a whisper, yet their implication was far from it.

I hadn’t said anything, but Damian seemed to have received my message or at least a part of it.

"The Levaiths may be considered rivals of the Frosts, but in no way are we enemies. I believe in peace, but your intentions... they don’t seem to align with it."

Feigning ignorance, huh.

Fair enough.

"Sir Duke, if I may say so, I had never mentioned anything about the Frosts."

"..."

"Your words... I feel like there’s more between the two of your houses, than what I knew about."

"..."

Damian’s face was a sight to see.

And who was he even fooling with?

Anyone with a basic understanding of the power dynamics in Jutan would be able to tell the rivalry and the bad blood between the Levaiths and the Frosts.

But if Damian wanted to play it the other way, then that was fine with me.

I had the thought of using his house, while letting them benefit in a mutually profitable agreement, but if Damian wanted to play it safe, then that was it.

I had no use for such people.

Opportunists were more thorough in their effort, and if someone was trying to be strategical and diplomatic in talks regarding one of their lifelong dreams... it was enough to let me know that Damian wasn’t worth a grain of salt as he had been depicted in the original game.

I needed people with ambitions... willing to take all risks for their dreams, not cowards full of self-preservation.

"If not about the Frosts, then what is it that’s common between us?"

Damian asked in a genuinely curious voice, though I wasn’t fooled by his acting.

The guy knew perfectly well what I had wanted to talk about.

Sigh.

"Nothing much. It was just that I had become a friend of your daughter, so just had the thought of helping her house a bit, but—"

Not taking my eyes off Damian, I stood up from the sofa before slightly adjusting my clothes.

"Maybe I had been hasty in my approach. We don’t have much common ground for cooperation, so I think... I should take my leave now."

Giving my usual innocently polite smile, I turned around—

"You should try considering the situation while being in my shoes."

Damian’s words echoed in the room, making me stop in my tracks.

"A former heir of House Frost... a house that had been the enemy of my people for a long time... makes some deal with my daughter, and decides to support her. He then also puts forth the proposal for a cooperation between my house and a business empire that had sprouted out of thin air, and was now a dominant economic powerhouse in the world."

I could sense Damian getting up from his seat as he walked in my direction with his hands clasped behind his back.

"The same guy then visits me, and gives some ambiguous details about some common ground between the two of us."

"..."

I didn’t respond to Damian, though this time, I turned around to meet his gaze, as the duke stood a foot away from me.

"Tell me... how fishy does all of it sound."

Tucking one of his hands in the pocket, Damian raised the other hand in a gesture of a defeated shrug.

As if... he was asking me to understand his sufferings.

Theatrics.

"You asked me to consider the situation while being in your shoes... but Sir Duke... the size of your shoe doesn’t match mine, so..."

I didn’t complete my sentence, letting the words hang in the air for Damian to interpret on his own.

His reasoning might have been right, but—

I wasn’t one to care about it.

It was me providing him and his duchy a lifeline, not the other way around.

Damian’s earlier confidence in his words had now faltered as he appeared a little cautious compared to his previous attitude towards me.

"Do you think only because my duchy is now under the suspicion and investigation of the authorities... you have an edge in the negotiations—"

"You are mistaken once again... Sir Duke."

"..."

"Even if your duchy had been free of the surveillance from the authorities... my perception would have stayed the same."

I could feel a subtle yet firm pressure of mana surrounding my vicinity, but that didn’t make a dent in my expression, as I stood with the same casual ease as before.

"It’s you who needs me, more than I need you."

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