Why Am I The Villain?! Reincarnated in My Favorite Novel-Chapter 49: Never Run Away From Your Past

Pilar stared at the photograph, motionless, her gaze unreadable, but when she lifted her eyes to Darius, a glint of steel flashed in them. Her voice, until then laced with measured politeness, sharpened. "What do you want? And spare me the theatrics."

Darius leaned back in the armchair, his smile widening, though a calculating gleam flickered in his eyes. "Oh? Tell me, has Zion grown so greedy for profit that it’s hiring outlaws now?"

He paused, relishing the weight of his words. "This man in the photo... he claims to be Zeref Grimwald. And don’t tell me Zion doesn’t know who he is."

Pilar’s eyes narrowed slightly, her composure barely wavering. "You dare come here and threaten us?" she asked, her tone icy.

Darius let out a short laugh, raising his hands in a theatrical gesture of appeasement. "Threaten? Do you take me for a savage? No, I don’t threaten. I know your Zion organization is unofficially as powerful as the five superpowers. It’d be bold, even for me, to make enemies of you." He leaned forward slightly. "Let’s just say I’m proposing a deal."

Pilar, still as stone, clasped her hands on the desk, her steely gaze locked on Darius. "A deal? You really think Zion will bend to your insinuations?"

Darius shrugged, his smile broadening. "Oh, Guildmaster, don’t be so dramatic. I’m not asking for the moon. Just a little... cooperation. This man, Zeref Grimwald," he tapped the photo with a fingertip, "he’s causing trouble. For me, and, let’s be honest, for Zion too, right? So here’s my offer: you hand him over, and we stay friends. Or else..." He let the sentence hang, his eyes sparkling with a thinly veiled threat.

Pilar tilted her head slightly, her expression unflinching. "Or else?"

Darius leaned closer, his tone growing darker. "Or else you make an enemy of me. And trust me, I can be nasty when I need to."

A heavy silence settled. Pilar didn’t blink.

Then, a faint crackle broke the tension. A clear, warm voice rose from a receiver on the desk, barely visible under a stack of papers. [Darius Volkran! What a surprise to hear you here! Still as theatrical as ever, I see!]

Darius blinked, momentarily thrown off. He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Oh? You’ve got me on a wiretap? That’s a bit low, even for Zion, isn’t it?"

Pilar’s lips curved into a faint smile, but it wasn’t directed at Darius. "It’s not a wiretap, Volkran. Let’s just say I thought it was... fair to include the person in question in this conversation."

Darius’s brows furrowed, his smile fading slightly. "That you, then? Zeref?"

Silence.

A long, heavy silence, thick as a lead curtain. Pilar didn’t move, her eyes fixed on Darius.

Then the voice spoke again, deeper this time: [Why not discuss this face-to-face, Darius? You want to talk? Fine. Come see me. You can tell me whatever you want.]

Darius’s lips tightened. "Where?"

[Caldrith Street, Feurs Hotel. Fourth floor. Suite 3. I’ll be waiting.]

Darius burst into laughter, standing with a fluid motion. He adjusted his black coat, his gaze sliding to Pilar. "Well, Guildmaster, looks like our little meeting’s over."

Pilar didn’t respond. Her eyes followed Darius as he headed for the door. Just before stepping out, he turned, pointing a finger at her. "You know, I hope he’s as good a host as you, Guildmaster. It’d be a shame if bad whiskey ruined such a fine moment."

Without waiting for a reply, he left, shutting the door with a sharp click.

Silence fell over the office. Pilar leaned slowly toward the receiver, her expression cold once more. "Mr. Grimwald," she said, her voice cutting like a blade. "Because of you, Zion is in a delicate position. Do you realize what you’ve caused?"

The voice on the line answered with a hint of humor. [Come on, Pilar, don’t be so harsh. You know me—I always clean up my messes. It’ll be fine, I promise.]

Pilar’s lips pressed into a thin line, her fingers gripping the edge of the desk. "You’d better. Now—"

[Pilar,] the voice interrupted. [Listen, I know you’re mad, but—]

Beep, beep, beep.

With a sharp motion, Pilar pressed the receiver’s button, cutting the call.

Silence filled the room again. Pilar picked up the photograph Darius had left, her fingers tracing its blurred edges. A sigh escaped her. "Zeref Grimwald," she murmured, her tone a mix of frustration and faint worry. "What are you planning this time?"

She set the photo down and closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, then straightened, her calm composure restored. "I want no part of this," she said softly, opening a document.

She had work to finish.

---

Steam hung thick and warm in the air.

Nero stood naked in the center of the tiled room. A servant handed him a soft towel while another, kneeling, adjusted the folds of a silk bathrobe she’d just slipped onto him.

Nero wore a confident, almost cocky smile, but deep inside, his heart pounded like a war drum. He passed the cordless phone to the nearest servant. "Thanks," he murmured, his voice light but carrying natural authority. She nodded and slipped into the shadows, taking the device with her.

Nero adjusted the collar of his robe. ’Darius Volkran.’

The name echoed in his mind like a cracked bell.

What reader of Legends of Heroes didn’t know that name? The novel’s most charismatic character. Not Nero’s favorite, but easily in his top three. A legend of the Great Western Land War, named and recognized by the world’s powers as "the strongest." In the novel, the main antagonist had to seal him away, unable to defeat him outright. An overpowered figure who created epic moments whenever he appeared.

Even though the protagonist was the true number one, it didn’t diminish Darius’s might. Nero recalled a scene where Darius knocked out a supposedly stronger copy of himself, his power so immense it was impossible to measure.

And now, this monster of strength was interested in him—or rather, in Zeref, the character Nero was embodying.

It made sense. Zeref Grimwald was no ordinary figure. Another legend of the Great Western Land War, he’d earned the moniker "the Plague." But his dark ambitions had turned him into a notorious criminal. If not for Darius’s intervention back then, the Western Land would be a ruined continent.

’There’s also the bond between them...’

Nero knew using the real name of this body would have massive consequences. Still, he hadn’t found a better way to execute his plan to get close to Zion. He hadn’t expected the news of his name to spread so quickly, though.

"How did he find out?"

He’d always known Darius would eventually hear of him. But this soon? No, he hadn’t anticipated that.

’The leaders? No, they have no reason to involve someone like him just for me, especially with the contract binding us. So who...’

To Nero, it was unthinkable that his name had leaked. Zion wasn’t the type to reveal its agents’ identities. And as for his appearance, Zeref had already altered his face before Nero took over his body.

’Oh, of course, I forgot about that...’

Nero’s eyes widened, struck by a sudden realization.

Though he was a devoted *Legends of Heroes* fan, even he had overlooked some plot details. He’d meticulously noted every scene in the novel but focused only on the main storyline, ignoring side arcs and filler. But if this world was no longer just a novel but a fully realized reality, it made sense to consider the entire narrative—from the main plot to the author’s databooks. Thinking this way, Nero realized he’d neglected several elements in his plan, and one of them had just come into play.

"The Owl."

At that moment, the servants escorted him out of the bathroom. They led him to his room, where plush carpets covered the floor and a canopied bed stood at the center, framed by ornate furniture.

Nero paused to study his reflection in a mirror. His eyes, a deep red. He smiled again.

The Owl didn’t appear in the main plot but in the filler arcs the author enjoyed writing. There, it was revealed that the Republic of Ayeros, one of the five superpowers, had a secret intelligence organization tasked with spying on the other four superpowers and any major events. One of its key figures was called the Owl.

A ghost, a master of espionage, and, ironically, an old acquaintance of both Darius and... Zeref.

If it was the Owl, it wouldn’t have been hard for them to take interest in Nero’s appearance in Damos and dig up his information.

’How far did they dig?’

Now that the Owl was in the equation, things were more than delicate. If they’d investigated beyond Zion, they might have uncovered Nero’s other identity, his organization, and perhaps even his plan against Joranis.

Nero frowned. Had he been too bold?

The servants began dressing him. They unfurled a deep blue tunic adorned with intricate patterns. Nero watched them silently, lost in thought.

’This is really bad timing...’

His plan to defeat the Unholy King was in its critical phase. If Ayeros uncovered his schemes...

A sigh escaped him, and he caught himself smiling, this time genuinely. "That’s what makes life exciting, right?"