[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-am-i-the-villain-or-not":3,"chapter-am-i-the-villain-or-not-am-i-the-villain-or-not-chapter-65":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Am I the Villain or Not?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},571524,820,"Chapter 65: Viktor, You Were Really Born for This","am-i-the-villain-or-not-chapter-65",65,"\u003Cp>The sky was turning pale, and the sun rose as usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya yawned as she returned home, and the family knight at the door opened it for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dealing with matters all night, she was exhausted, but she still couldn't sleep yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragging her tired body, she walked to Viktor's room and pushed the door open without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Viktor, I have something to tell you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the room was empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even Viktor's shadow could be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya frowned in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'What's going on?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Did Viktor leave me behind and go back by himself?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closing the door, still puzzled, Liya suddenly thought of a possibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>———\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hurried to the training grounds, only to see Viktor standing there, endlessly swinging his sword in the same motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She remembered, just a while ago, he had been the type who preferred reading books.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When did you even start practicing swordsmanship? Who are you learning from?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya looked at Viktor suspiciously, then, half in disbelief, added, \"It can't be Gwen, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor didn't even glance at her. He didn't respond, just sheathed the sword and hung it back on the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Viga flew down and perched neatly on his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya mistook his silence for confirmation and looked dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Since when were those two close enough to train together?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'And isn't Viktor a mage? Is he actually planning to change classes?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did it go?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor's voice broke the silence, and Liya snapped back to the topic, spreading her hands helplessly and shaking her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sigh... he confessed everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How should she put it, kind of boring, actually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe Viktor had traumatized him too deeply; the interrogation methods Liya had prepared never even got used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chur had taken one look at the red potion used for recovery and spilled everything he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In short, the kingdom got scared.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya began recounting Chur's testimony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth was, the kingdom had been watching Viktor for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back when Viktor became a third-tier mage at twenty, the kingdom had already debated whether to secretly eliminate this potential future threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Viktor was… strange. He was so strange that he never communicated with nobles, always did whatever he pleased, and looked down on every noble equally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this, his reputation was terrible, so bad that everyone despised him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the kingdom decided he wasn't a threat. If anything, maybe they could even recruit him someday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, earlier this year, the kingdom found an opportunity. They sent Chur to secretly infiltrate the Clavenna household under the guise of a grain merchant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their goal was to create an opening, ideally, to make Viktor and the Empire's upper echelons fall out with each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As a result, you suddenly fell ill and confessed to the duke's daughter during her banquet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Liya shot Viktor a disdainful look and mocked, \"You didn't even know you had a fiancée.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor stayed silent. He knew that if he said a word, Liya would drown him in a sea of more words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Liya went on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That incident had given the kingdom their opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They decided to exploit it, to sow enmity between the duke and Viktor, forcing the Clavenna family to break away from the Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately for them, they didn't account for the fact that the duke was a complete daughter-con.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since that volcano trip, Erica's admiration for Viktor had skyrocketed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the duke wanted to, for his daughter's sake, he couldn't bring himself to turn against Viktor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just when the kingdom was still waiting for a chance to approach Viktor, the demon appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor displayed his strength as a fourth-tier mage and thrashed the demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The royal family found out, and the Empire began courting Viktor's favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youngest fourth-tier mage had officially become the kingdom's enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The kingdom never expected you to have been hiding your strength for nine years, only to suddenly reveal yourself as a fourth-tier mage. It completely threw off their plans.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya shook her head and sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even she hadn't expected Viktor to be hiding his power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The radicals in the kingdom believe your very existence is a threat. You're too young, if they don't eliminate you now, you'll become the Empire's greatest weapon against them someday.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So they gave Chur an anti-magic stone and created financial loopholes in our territory to lure you and me in, so they could wipe us out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even if the mission failed, Chur was to commit suicide by poison, allowing the kingdom to wash its hands clean.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Liya let out a small laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could've expected Viktor to have that miraculous little potion bottle?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poison? Even poison couldn't kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I bet Chur thought he had it all figured out. Who could've imagined...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya looked at Viktor, covering her mouth as she giggled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...that you're actually a mage who fights in close combat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even magi who strengthen their bodies with magic tools wouldn't dare fight hand-to-hand with warriors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Viktor, a traditional mage, did it. And he won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was honestly surreal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor didn't respond, because he could tell Liya wasn't done yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After laughing, she raised her charming eyes to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In fact, Chur being able to infiltrate our lands has something to do with you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor frowned slightly, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had something to do with him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you remember that grain merchant before? His name was Parson.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya glanced at Viktor's face, it was just as she expected, completely indifferent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like he had no recollection whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I knew it. Our great mage would never bother remembering such small fry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She clicked her tongue twice and spread her hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Parson had a wife. They lived in Lambado, but he was away from home for about half the year.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lambado, one of the villages under the Clavenna domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One day, our dear mage suddenly felt like inspecting the territory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And he got offended by Parson's wife.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All because when you were getting off your carriage, she accidentally bumped into you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya's voice turned cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest was easy to guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The terrified woman apologized again and again, but Viktor didn't care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With one casual order, he sent that pregnant woman to work in the mines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intense labor was too much for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She miscarried on the job and nearly died.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Though she was eventually found and rescued, she was left with lasting injuries and could never bear children again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Liya recounted the past, Viktor listened quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it had been something the old Viktor did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the grain merchant returned home and saw that his once-lovely wife no longer smiled, he quit the job that could've supported him for life, consumed by hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That hatred led him to the kingdom's soldiers, and to Chur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Parson used his connections in the territory to forge Chur's identity and introduce him here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What happened next didn't need to be said again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor listened in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, it was all Viktor's own doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it bluntly, the old Viktor was genuinely detestable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He disregarded the lives of both commoners and nobles. To him, only he mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could enter his heart; he looked down on everyone equally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To him, all others were but dust and ants in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among nobles, his reputation was terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When others became third-tier mages, people envied them, but still offered genuine congratulations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Viktor? You'd be lucky if nobles didn't spit when they saw him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even among players, his reputation, beyond his good looks and power, was utterly rotten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no friends. Even his only family eventually turned against him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, in the game's storyline, there was once such an event, recorded and shared among players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fallen noble, wandering the streets with no one to help him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor approached him and said, \"If you trade me your most precious possession, I'll restore everything you once had.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noble believed him and handed over his family heirloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor accepted it, then said, \"You've broken our deal. Your most precious possession was never an object.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took the noble's wife and children, forced them into servitude in his manor, and told them their husband and father had sold them, had left the Empire to live a rich and happy life elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That poor noble was exiled by Viktor. After that, players never saw him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To this day, they still remembered Viktor's infamous line, \"Why wasn't your most precious possession your family?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many players tried to find deep meaning in those words, but the developers never wrote any backstory for those NPCs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Viktor's vile deeds left a lasting impression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's something I never told you. On the day our item shop opened, someone smashed it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And I just remembered, you gave me this right before that happened.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya lifted her hand; the gem on her glove sparkled in the sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor silently listened as she went on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was puzzled back then. The only person you'd offended around that time was the duke.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But when I captured and interrogated the vandals, I realized it wasn't that simple.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now that I think about it, that grain merchant had already made his move.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone turned cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor had given her the Hand of the Mage, and she'd only used it once, when their trade caravan was attacked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only those in the caravan had seen her use magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, when they captured Chur today, he used an anti-magic stone against her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even thought she was a second-tier mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant that from the very beginning, when the caravan was attacked, the kingdom had already targeted Viktor, using Parson to keep watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything connected now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She'd always known her brother had a bad reputation, but she hadn't expected even the kingdom to have its eyes on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His talent alone made them feel threatened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Viktor suddenly said, \"Send some compensation money to the grain merchant's wife.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya froze, looking up at him, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compensation money could mean two things, either for injury… or for death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And then,\" Viktor continued flatly, \"find the grain merchant, and bury him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone didn't change, but beneath that calmness was a chilling cruelty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya paused. For a moment, she felt as though the old, hateful Viktor had returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then she realized, he wasn't entirely the same. He hadn't gone all the way to destroy them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That small difference told her this was still the current Viktor, the one she didn't entirely dislike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, she asked, \"Why do this? You were the one in the wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor squinted, the rising sun making his eyes narrow slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his voice, cold and detached, came out as calm as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When he decided to kill you, his only sentence could be death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liya flinched, taking two small steps back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lowered her head, not wanting him to see her expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice, though steady, sounded strangely soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You think I don't hold grudges?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't worry. I already sent people to take care of it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor nodded. He didn't notice her expression, only spoke indifferently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then, are you heading back?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…You go first. I still have some matters to handle, and I need to find a new grain merchant. Ugh, so much is piling up on me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll head back to the capital in a few days. Make sure the servants keep my room clean.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor nodded again, left a quiet \"Good work,\" and then, the teleportation array beneath him activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the air currents surged, his body turned into a streak of blue light and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the last trace of azure glow faded, Liya still stood there motionless, head bowed, as if struggling to hold something in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor was gone. No one could see her expression now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She no longer had to restrain herself. The floodgates of her emotions opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single tear slid down her cheek, cutting through the dry air, landing on the ground, and scattering into dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, only one voice echoed softly, like a whisper to herself, \"Liya.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You really are useless.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[email protected]\u002FXenosX\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰\u003C\u002Fp>",2035,"2026-05-30T15:48:18.711Z","2026-06-01T04:31:37.164Z",1,"novelbin.me","cf5b4b63116ce690cd760f83cfd60414d3c2327dcf49845f5d20d665d8c6d066","am-i-the-villain-or-not-chapter-66","am-i-the-villain-or-not-chapter-64",393,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fam-i-the-villain-or-not-cover.jpg"]