“I’ll just live as a villain.

Chapter 16

“…The wyverns were slaughtered?”

Ridon frowned as he listened to El’s report.

Although the actual command of the expedition rested with Royal Knight Commander El, nominally Ridon was the leader of the hunt as the king’s representative. The reason Ridon was made head of this expedition had a lot to do with the queen’s influence. Whenever external incidents arose, the queen emphasized Ridon’s responsibility and duty as the royal firstborn, pushing him to take action outside the palace.

The queen’s intentions were obvious. She wanted to find a way to tarnish Ridon’s name. If Ridon made even a small mistake during the mission, she would seize the chance to criticize, belittle, and mock him.

‘When she gives me dangerous missions, she probably hopes I get struck by a stray sword and die.’

This scrutiny had started when he began to look more like a young man. As a child, he wandered around unaware of the reasons, but as he grew older, he developed the ability to read the currents of politics. Looking at the bigger picture, he understood why the queen was so desperate to keep him in check.

His position as the firstborn was the problem. The right of succession belonged to the eldest. Though the queen, with her powerful family background, had installed Cassian as crown prince, there were still factions supporting Ridon’s legitimacy.

‘Why should I care? I never wanted any of this.’

Since childhood, he had never wished to become king. Why was everyone so desperate to control a throne? Still, he couldn’t just do nothing—he didn’t want to die.

‘Being targeted for a position I never wanted is ridiculous.’

It was stubbornness, maybe. He wanted to survive, to take what they coveted, and to laugh at them. To do that, he had to keep a low profile and survive each day.

This expedition was no different. The annual wyvern hunt in the Black Forest was a royal headache. Success was hard to show, and many knights could get injured or killed, so at best you broke even; at worst, you were blamed. And the blame always fell on the leader.

The queen had actively recommended Ridon as the expedition head knowing this perfectly. Success was unlikely, but blame was easy.

‘The Cassian faction has lost a major ally after talks with Oberon fell through. They’ll do anything to undermine me. This is the critical moment.’

Ridon’s goal was simple: return to the capital with every knight alive. That might not earn praise, but it would avoid criticism. A safe, cautious outcome—perfect for him.

Yet, something unexpected happened. The wyverns, which had been hard to kill even one at a time, had somehow been found slaughtered in large numbers.

“Have you determined the cause of the massacre? You said you wanted to scout the Black Forest because something was troubling you.”

El had reported discovering the wyvern bodies while moving with the expedition. Since there were clear signs of trauma, it was neither natural death nor disease. Concerned, El had requested permission to discreetly investigate the forest.

Ridon had no reason to refuse and granted it without hesitation. El Loitz was the kingdom’s top knight, a member of the Loitz family who acted purely for justice, without political motives. Ridon trusted that El had no hidden agenda.

“They’ve assembled a scouting party to investigate the Black Forest. No results yet,” El reported.

“What exactly concerned you? If a creature stronger than the wyverns appeared, wouldn’t it be better to pull the knights back first and request reinforcements from the capital?”

Since the request came from Ridon, the queen might try to block it. Reinforcements might not arrive at all.

‘But it’s better than not trying at all.’

Watching Ridon ponder, El lowered his head.

“Probably, it’s not a monster.”

“Not a monster?”

“We found traces of fire on the wyvern corpses.”

“Monsters don’t use fire.”

“Exactly. So it’s likely an intelligent being. One we can communicate with.”

“Could it be human?”

El nodded.

‘An intelligent being that uses fire…’

Ridon’s gaze fell on the blazing fireplace. Something about the ordinary flames caught his attention.

“Your Highness! Commander!”

At that moment, a knight burst inside, shouting loudly.

“Sir, this is urgent! You need to go outside immediately!”

“What’s the matter, why such a fuss?”

Ridon frowned, momentarily distracted, as the knight hesitated, unsure how to explain.

“Well… a wyvern has flown into the mansion.”

“What?”

Ridon sprang to his feet in shock. There were many unarmed civilians inside, so casualties would be significant if a wyvern had appeared. But the knight’s response seemed oddly restrained. He scratched his head and gave a sheepish smile.

“The wyvern brought injured knights and Lady Oberon with it. It’s currently sitting quietly in the garden… It’s calm, but it’s still a wyvern. I don’t know what to do…”

‘The wyvern carried people?’

Wyverns were fierce and aggressive. A wyvern carrying people was unthinkable. Ridon and El exchanged incredulous looks.