I play a Evil God in Otome Game

His eyes held a storm of complex emotions: sorrow, pain, hatred. He was so troubled by these feelings that he had bitten his lip until it bled.

Spitting on the ground, William spewed out his hatred and looked into Alfred\'s eyes with defiance. "What would it matter to you to destroy Ardun? Why all this slaughter, hatred, enmity?"

William spoke wearily. Duke Alfred\'s gaze was cold, and he frowned, visibly irritated by William\'s tone. "It\'s not your place to question me."

"These soldiers—every single one of them joined the army just to support their families," William said, looking at the ground. Two Sun Knights held him firmly by the arms as he continued angrily, "They had done nothing wrong."

Lifting his head, William stared directly into Duke Alfred\'s eyes and said sternly, "Do you realize how many families and friends you\'ve destroyed?"

"This is nothing but one of the many consequences of war," Duke Alfred replied sharply. William chuckled with derision. "You know it, don\'t you? That the families of the people you killed are left in ruins, their lives shattered."

"None of this would have happened if you hadn\'t taken up arms against me," the Duke said, anger rising. William looked seriously at the Duke. "Delude yourself all you want… but remember, if you hadn\'t invaded today, I wouldn\'t have had to choose between fighting and surrendering."

"You are as stubborn as ever, William. I don\'t care what you think." The Duke remarked calmly. William\'s eyes narrowed. "And what about your daughter? Your dear Morrigan? Does she support you in this?"

"Leave Morrigan out of this, William." The Duke\'s tone contained a subtle death threat, but William only laughed, mocking him.

"Morrigan… Her reputation has already spread to these lands," William said calmly. "The Instigator of War, the Devil\'s Daughter, the Bastard of Thornvile, the Black-Haired Thornvile—"

Alfred\'s calm facade cracked, and with the back of his hand, he struck William. He grasped William\'s throat with his right hand, and as William struggled for air, Duke Alfred looked down at him coldly.

"I said, leave Morrigan out of this," the Duke growled, pushing William to the ground. Even as his clean clothes got muddied, William didn\'t care. He sighed lightly and looked at Alfred with a knowing expression. "Going to war for one\'s daughter is something unheard of in Aure…"

"I never expected you\'d go to such lengths for a mere girl, especially one so notorious, one who carries the name of Morgana," William murmured, then continued. "Do you realize? Throughout history, while 70% of wars have been fought over religion, you might be the first Duke to revolt for his daughter."

"Stop babbling and talk already." The Duke ordered firmly, growing impatient with William\'s mocking grin. Witnessing the Duke\'s harsh demeanor, William said nothing further, casting his gaze around in disappointment.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"I know you\'re hiding something in that old brain of yours, William," the Duke warned, gripping the hilt of Galentine to deliver a veiled threat.

William sighed and replied, "What I know are just simple things: history, tales, kings..."

Seeing that William was still lying, the Duke grew even more furious and clenched his fists. He wondered if this man was truly afraid of nothing.

"Listen, old man," the Duke said harshly, gripping William\'s chin tightly, showing no mercy as he squeezed.

"My rules are what matters here, not yours. I give the orders here, not you." The Duke seized William\'s right hand, lifted it, and with a swift and ruthless movement, snapped his index finger with a harsh crack.

"Ahhh!" William groaned in pain, struggling to free his hand, but the Duke was far too strong. Even a single movement from Duke Alfred was enough to send William writhing in agony.

"Now, tell me, what is the secret of this Anti-Magic?" the Duke demanded, his voice dripping with cruelty. As William was overwhelmed by a sudden burst of mana pressure, he lost his balance. Duke Alfred was like a mountain, and he was but an ant…

The Duke\'s mana pressure intensified to the point where even the Sun Knights began to sweat. Paralyzed by pain, William fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

"Speak up! Don\'t waste my patience any longer!" the Duke shouted angrily. Even the Duke himself could no longer maintain his incredible calm. Was this man named William\'s resolve truly made of iron?

A smile spread across William\'s face, and despite being under immense pressure, he somehow maintained his defiance.

"I commend your will," Duke Alfred said, regaining his composure, the clinking of his armor echoing around them. The Duke stopped his mana pressure, allowing William a moment to breathe.

"Now, stand up." The Duke grabbed William by the arm and dragged him forcibly to the prisoners\' holding area. After some time, the Duke and the Castle Commander arrived where ten Ardun soldiers were held captive.

The soldiers ranged in age from 20 to 40, all thrown to the ground, bound and kneeling in exhaustion.

Their hands were tied behind their backs, and their faces bore the expressions of exhaustion and fear. William cautiously looked over the Ardun soldiers, his eyes widening with dread as he looked at the Duke for the first time with fear.

"What are you planning?"

"For every moment you refuse to speak, I\'ll take the head of one of your soldiers," Duke Alfred announced, causing the Ardun soldiers and William to flinch. They were left in terror, uncertain of what to do.

"You won\'t get a single word out of me, even if it means sacrificing my own men," William replied calmly, ready to risk his own soldiers. Duke Alfred\'s eyes narrowed. "Your bravery is admirable, but if you don\'t speak, with every second, your men inch closer to death."

Duke Alfred paused, then smiled coldly, casting a disdainful look at William. "You blamed me for your soldiers\' deaths. Yes, you\'re right. I am responsible for their deaths…"

William\'s eyes trembled as he looked at the Duke with suspicion. The Duke\'s gaze turned to the Ardun soldiers as he walked toward the nearest one, pulling him up by his bound hands. The soldier\'s mouth was gagged, rendering him unable to speak.

"Do you see this? This soldier, too, has a family, a life. But now, because of a choice you made, his family will be left destitute and orphaned," Duke Alfred said with cold cruelty. William\'s eyes widened, his teeth grinding in rage. "You bastard! What are you going to do?"

Duke Alfred looked at William coldly, then grabbed the Ardun soldier by the hair and yanked his head back, causing him to cry out in pain.

Drawing Galentine, Duke Alfred traced a cruel red line across the soldier\'s neck, leaving a mark that sent a shiver down the soldier\'s spine. He looked at the Duke with fear-filled, red-rimmed eyes.

With a swift motion, Duke Alfred tossed the soldier to the ground in front of William. William\'s eyes widened in panic. "Stop! Stop!"

"Tell me the secret of Anti-Magic, or I will kill this soldier." Duke Alfred pressed his right foot sharply on the soldier\'s back, causing him to writhe in agony, while Galentine glinted menacingly.

"I…" William hesitated, struggling to speak as he looked at the soldier\'s pleading eyes. His old heart ached, cursing Alfred\'s ruthlessness.

"I… I won\'t talk." Hardening his resolve, William closed his eyes, refusing to look at the soldier any longer. A sudden sound of a sword being sheathed made him flinch.

"You may stand up," Duke Alfred said calmly. William opened his eyes in shock to see the Ardun soldier with his bindings loosened. Just as William was trying to make sense of what happened, he saw the Duke watching him with an unreadable calm.

"William, remember this," Duke Alfred continued with quiet resolve. William\'s aged face showed a mixture of disbelief and wonder as the Duke continued, "In chess, neither the bravest nor those with endless resolve win; only the cleverest emerge victorious."

With a cold smirk, Duke Alfred looked at William. "The House of Thornvile is proud, but not foolish. You should never have tested me."

William, who still didn\'t understand what was happening, was suddenly shocked when an Ardun soldier knelt before Duke Alfred. Then, other Ardun soldiers also knelt as Duke Alfred accepted their loyalty.

"You really misunderstood us, William. We should actually be thanking you. Thanks to you, we will finally learn what the Anti-Magic defense is..."

"Your Grace, the Ardun treasure is hidden underground," one Ardun soldier said as he stood up. The Duke and William turned to the man. While the Duke looked calmly, William appeared even more nervous.

"Do you see, William?" the Duke said quietly. William\'s eyes widened. "What are you saying?"

The Duke smiled. "From the beginning, we had already discovered someone who knew the secret of Anti-Magic. But they didn\'t tell me..."

The Duke explained calmly. "I offered them a deal. According to the agreement, if William still insisted, even if their lives were at risk, Soldier Ragnold agreed to tell us what the treasure is."

"All that was needed was to show them your true face." The Duke said proudly, as if he had won a great battle. "Do you really believe that only you know this secret? Ragnold, step forward and explain."

Then, the Duke looked at the Ardun soldier who stood by his side with loyalty and obedience, nodding to him. The Ardun soldier stared at William with disgust and anger for a moment, then began to speak calmly.

"Your Grace, sometimes I clean Commander William\'s room. Old William sometimes forgets what he\'s doing when he forgets to take his medicine." Upon hearing William\'s secret, the Duke grinned. William felt furious. Hearing that his closest soldiers had betrayed him filled his heart with hatred.

"How dare you—"

Just as William was about to shout, the Sun Knights immediately stuffed a cloth in his mouth, and William could only thrash angrily. The Duke gave William a dissatisfied look, then ordered the Ardun soldier to continue.

"One day when I entered his room, there was an anathar and a map on the table," the Ardun soldier quickly said. "On the map, there was a place that led deep underground, like a dungeon. According to rumors, there is an artifact there known as the greatest King Arthur\'s Sarrow."

The Duke\'s eyes lit up when the name King Arthur was mentioned. It was like a great prize, for almost all of King Arthur\'s belongings were legendary artifacts.

"The map shows Ardun Castle, and beneath the castle, there is a legendary artifact that has strongly supported the Anti-Magic defense of Ardun Castle for centuries." Ragnold said in one breath. "With the legendary artifact and the castle, the Anti-Magic defense stood almost as strong as the fortresses of the Golden Ages."

"Virgo, what do you think?" The Duke took his eyes off Ragnold and looked calmly at Virgo, who had turned toward him. Virgo put his hand to his beard and squinted thoughtfully.

"If Ragnold\'s words are true, it shows why the Anti-Magic defense has stood for centuries." Virgo turned his eyes to the startled Ragnold. "If, as he said, there is a dungeon beneath the castle, there must be something important there."

The Duke nodded in approval and turned to Ragnold. "Then take us there."

Ragnold nodded seriously. The Duke, Virgo, and at least five Sun Knights set off.