I Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble, Nothing More Than the Hero’s Foil: Since the Hero Can Only Bring Misery to My Favorite Heroine, I’ll Use My Game Knowledge and Over-the-Top Effort to Rewrite the Scenario and Make Her Happy. - Chapter 39

“Oh my, I see now. In that case, I will follow Cain’s example. ‘If my father is not trying to resurrect the Demon King, then I, Angela, shall forfeit my life as atonement.’ How about that?”

Angela flashed a mischievous smile as she made her declaration.

“Impossible… Even Princess Angela!?”

The Dark Ravens erupted into a murmur of shock and disbelief.

“H-Hey, Angela… are you serious?”

“If what you’re saying is true, then yes, I am. Besides, I do trust you.”

Angela met my gaze with unwavering conviction.

“If this is the truth, then I must stop my father at all costs. I need the Dark Ravens’ strength.”

“Wait! Then allow me to make a vow as well. ‘If Cain-niisama’s claim about the Demon King is false, I will take my own life.’”

“What!? Selvia, you don’t need to do that!”

I hurriedly tried to stop her.

“Then, Cain-niisama, you should not be wagering your life either. You are taking things too far.”

Selvia stood with her hands on her hips, clearly upset.

“If Cain-niisama is willing to stake his life on this, then so will I. As a vow of our eternal love, we will die together if it comes to that.”

“Ugh…”

I couldn’t argue with the determined look in her eyes. The baby’s breath flowers that had filled the room were a testament to our eternal bond.

“T-The Saint is pledging her life as well!?”

“Chief… could this really be the truth?”

A burly man, addressed as the Chief, let out a heavy sigh.

He turned his gaze toward me and spoke in a solemn tone.

“Very well. Then you must write the oath yourselves.”

“Understood. I’ll go first.”

The Chief retrieved an Oath Magic Scroll from his coat.

I took it and wrote my vow, stating that if my claim about the Demon King was false, I would die as atonement.

Everyone held their breath, watching intently.

If I had been lying, I would have died instantly upon writing it.

“…H-He wasn’t bluffing!? He really wasn’t lying!”

“He risked his life just to tell us the truth…!”

“Cain Schwarz… what a man!”

The Dark Ravens were visibly shaken, deeply moved by my resolve.

“Then… does that mean I’m the only one who needs to take the oath?”

“Niisama!”

“Cain, wait—!?”

Two voices of protest rang out, but I raised my hand to silence them.

I couldn’t let my heroines take such a dangerous risk. That was my belief.

“Of course, Cain-dono!”

The Chief suddenly knelt, pressing both hands to the floor.

“Princess Angela! Please forgive our rudeness! We see now that you are not acting out of treason but out of duty—to the Empire and to the world itself. We are in awe of your resolve!”

“We are deeply moved!”

The Dark Ravens, one by one, dropped to their knees in reverence.

“Eh? Ehh!? Then… that means you will fight alongside Cain and me to stop my father and prevent the Demon King’s resurrection?”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Cain, thank you! I see now… I had misjudged you. But it’s not too late, right!? We can still stop my father before he becomes the world’s enemy!”

Angela, overcome with emotion, suddenly embraced me.

“…Uh, wait. Hold on a second.”

Something about this situation had taken an unexpected turn.

The whole idea of stopping the Demon King’s resurrection had been a convenient excuse—just a means to subjugate the Dark Ravens.

What I had really wanted was a network of spies to gather intelligence and manipulate information for my own safety.

The Demon King problem? That was Hero Abel’s responsibility.

But Angela… Angela was serious.

She genuinely wanted to stop the Emperor.

I guess… deep down, she still loves her father.

Even in the game, Angela remained loyal to him until the end—until she died in his service.

The problem was… the Emperor only saw Angela as a tool.

“Cain-niisama, you truly are incredible. You’re doing all of this for the sake of the world… But please, don’t carry everything on your shoulders alone. It worries me.”

…Even Selvia was misunderstanding my intentions now.

I couldn’t exactly tell her, ‘No, actually, this was just a ploy to force them into a slave contract.’

Nope. That was off the table now.

I was not some noble hero.

All I wanted was a happy life with Selvia.

Saving the world? That was never my goal.

“Well then, Dark Ravens, you will form a slave contract with Cain, correct?”

Angela cut in, steering the conversation back on track.

“Regrettably, we cannot do that. Our lineage has served the Empire for generations. We bow only to the royal bloodline of the Atlas Empire. Therefore, from this moment forward, we shall serve Princess Angela—not the Emperor.

If you still doubt our loyalty, we are willing to enter a slave contract with Princess Angela instead. Would that be acceptable?”

“…Well, that works too.”

Angela was already my slave.

And if the Dark Ravens became Angela’s slaves, then that still put them under my control.

“Fine. That will do. Angela, make the contract.”

“Understood.”

Without hesitation, Angela formed a slave contract with every member of the Dark Ravens.

“Well then, Princess Angela, what are your orders? How shall we move to prevent the Demon King’s resurrection?”

“Uhh… I-I have no idea. Cain, what should we do?”

Angela turned to me with a helpless expression.

Hmm… if we were serious about stopping the Demon King…

I folded my arms and thought deeply.

In the game, Emperor Siegfried had taken great pains to keep his plans hidden.

If his secret were exposed too soon, many within the Empire would turn against him.

After all, villains in games always scheme in dark chambers, drinking wine and whispering sinister plots to their most trusted henchmen.

They only reveal their master plan at the very end—right before the final battle.

In the game, the Emperor’s downfall came when he proudly declared:

“Hahahaha! This is the great power of the Demon King! The seal is completely broken! Nothing can stop me now! It is far too late! Kneel before my supreme power, and despair!”

…But what if we exposed him before the game even started?

That would throw the Empire into chaos before it could make its move.

And more importantly, it would buy me time to train, level up, and crush Prince Leon.

If I played this right, the Empire would be too distracted to interfere with me for a while.

“Hmm… I got it. Spread this rumor across the Empire:

‘Emperor Siegfried is trying to resurrect the Demon King. The Demon King is sealed in a hidden underground chamber beneath the imperial fortress, Kaiserburg. Every night, the Emperor and his sorcerers hold secret rituals there.’

Oh, and by the way, the entrance to the hidden chamber is right here…”