Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight!-Chapter 225: ’To Make A Statement’

"Quite clever, aren’t you?"

Heinz’s gaze flickered to Augustus, but his focus remained locked onto Florian.

Blood had matted his hair, turning soft lilac strands into something sticky and dark. His lashes fluttered ever so slightly, his chest rising in the barest of movements. Unconscious. Weak. But alive. Barely.

Heinz needed to keep it that way.

The moment Augustus had spoken, the villagers shifted, a wave of unease rippling through the crowd. Some exchanged glances, their expressions flickering between doubt and anger. Even Kane, so smug and sure of himself, faltered for just a second before regaining his sneer.

Only Augustus remained steady. Unbothered.

’He knew.’

’He knew from the very beginning.’

Kane’s grip on Florian’s hair tightened, fingers curling into the bloodstained strands as he yanked the boy’s head back. Florian’s throat stretched, vulnerable beneath the blade still pressed to his skin.

"So this is the fucking prince that got Levi killed?"

Something cold and sharp twisted in Heinz’s chest.

His foot nearly shifted forward. ’Nearly.’

But he stopped himself.

’Restraint is key.’

’Emotion is a weakness. A liability.’

And yet—

’If he so much as pulls another strand of his hair—’

He forced the thought away, exhaling through his nose. Instead of reacting, he played their game. "If I am to guess, you are also part of the rogues... or perhaps, you forced that Levi person to join under the guise of protecting his sister?"

Augustus’s lips curled in amusement. "And if we did?"

"Oh? Admitting it now?"

"No point lying to a soon-to-be corpse."

Kane answered this time, jostling Florian’s limp head like a ragdoll, as if the boy was nothing more than an inconvenience dangling from his grip.

’I want to cut off his arm.’

The thought came fast and vicious, curling around Heinz’s mind like a vice. His fingers twitched at his side, aching for his blade. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

He swallowed it down.

His voice remained level. "Quite confident, aren’t you?"

Kane let out a low, condescending chuckle. "Arcaniors are nothing without their mana stones. There are a lot of us, only one of you. Even if this flimsy prince wakes up, he’d be useless. Especially since he isn’t even from Concordia."

That smirk. That fucking smirk.

’If only you knew.’

Heinz said nothing, but something cold and calculating slithered beneath his skin. Kane had no idea. He had no idea what kind of he could become.

Still, something was off.

They had stalled too long. If their plan was to kill him and Florian, why hadn’t they done it already?

Why hesitate?

A lesser man would have acted already. Heinz, however, was a king.

And kings did not act without a purpose.

’Attack me. Do it. Give me a reason.’

He almost wanted them to try.

Attacking the king was treason. And treason was punishable by death.

Not that Heinz ever needed an excuse.

But something about this was wrong.

If this village was starving, cursed, rotting from the inside out—how did they have mana stones?

Magic couldn’t conjure food. It couldn’t produce water. It couldn’t lift the sickness that had plagued this place.

But illusion magic had worked.

He had seen it.

’They tricked us twice.’

Leila. The girl had been dead. Already cold in the dirt. And yet, they had spoken to her, touched her.

A corpse shouldn’t move. Shouldn’t breathe.

Shouldn’t smile.

Mana stones were expensive. Even the weakest ones cost a fortune. A single household couldn’t afford them, let alone an entire village on the brink of collapse.

And yet—

They had used magic.

Illusion magic.

’Not just any illusion magic, either.’

Illusions weren’t a simple trick. They required talent, precision, study.

They required a teacher.

Someone had supplied them with stolen mana stones. Someone had taught them.

And if someone was backing them, then this village was nothing more than a puppet.

A distraction.

’I need to know who. I need answers.’

Then—

Then, he would burn this rotting village to the ground.

And he would take Florian with him.

Heinz exhaled slowly, forcing himself to maintain that cold, impassive exterior. The villagers’ stares burned into his skin, but he did not acknowledge them. Instead, his focus remained fixed on Augustus.

"What do you want?" His voice was calm, deliberate.

Augustus tilted his head slightly, amused. "Ah, now we’re getting somewhere." His gaze flickered over to Florian before settling back onto Heinz. "I want to know who you are. Not the boy. He’s obviously in disguise, and a pathetic one at that. But you... you’re an enigma."

Heinz met his gaze without flinching. ’So that’s what this is about. Curiosity. Suspicion.’ He let a beat of silence pass before replying,

"Is it really that important? You already know Florian is a prince. Who else would accompany a prince?"

Augustus regarded him for a moment, then let out a low chuckle. "A valid point."

Heinz took a moment to glance around. The villagers had not moved. They continued to stare, their eyes full of something unreadable—anticipation, maybe. Or fear. He couldn’t quite tell.

’Why are they just standing there? Waiting?’ The weight of their collective gaze made his skin prickle.

Augustus was still watching him, amusement lingering on his face. "But what about you? What do you really want with this village?"

Heinz didn’t hesitate. "As the prince said, he simply wanted to repay a favor."

A sharp laugh escaped Augustus. "Oh, now that’s rich." He shook his head, clearly entertained. "A prince—one of the Concordian king’s pampered harem—wants to repay a favor? To a village like this? Tell me, do you take me for a fool?"

Heinz’s expression didn’t waver. "And what exactly do you think he would do with this village? What possible use could he have for it?"

Augustus smirked, his eyes gleaming with something sharp, something knowing. "Perhaps the prince wanted information. Information from the kidnappers. From the rogues. After all... we’ve heard whispers." He took a step forward, his voice lowering. "This is the prince that wanted the favor of the king, and...the royal knights are already sniffing out rogue activity in different villages, aren’t they?"

Heinz’s jaw remained locked, but his mind worked quickly. ’He knows more than he lets on.’

But his information on Florian was outdated.

Augustus leaned in slightly, his smirk widening. "Perhaps you and the young prince hoped to find out who is gathering these rogues. And I’d wager... you already know this village is using magic. That we have mana stones. Don’t you?"

Heinz said nothing, but the glint of amusement in Augustus’s eyes told him he had hit a nerve.

"Ah," Augustus hummed. "So you do know."

Heinz’s fingers twitched at his side.

’This man is quite interesting. Not because of his strength—but because he thinks.’

The pieces were falling into place. The village, the magic, the hesitation to kill them outright.

But they didn’t know who he was.

’If they knew I was the king, this conversation would be very different.’

Augustus had information.

Information the king wanted.

And yet, they stood there, oblivious—discussing terms as if they were equals.

’He’s smart, but I can tell he’s an emotionally driven person. It seems he loves this godforsaken village. I should use that to my advantage.’

Heinz shifted his weight slightly, his eyes flickering toward the burning village. The flames licked hungrily at the wooden structures, crackling as they devoured everything in their path. Smoke curled into the night sky, thick and suffocating.

"Your village is still burning. You know that, right?" Heinz’s voice was calm, almost idle, as if discussing the weather. He gestured toward the growing inferno. "It won’t take long for the flames to engulf everything. I wonder... why are you just letting it happen?"

He paused, watching Kane’s jaw tighten. Then, with a slight tilt of his head, he added, "Or are you keeping the prince so you can force me to extinguish it completely?" A flicker of amusement crossed his face. "I assume you’ve figured it out by now. I caused the fire... and I’m still causing it."

Kane’s glare sharpened. "You have the nerve to act cocky when I have your precious prince’s life in my hands?"

Heinz exhaled, almost disappointed. "Well, I have to make conversation, don’t I? We’ve been going around in circles." He lifted his chin slightly, his expression unreadable. "I just want to know where this ends."

A tense silence settled between them, broken only by the distant roar of the fire. The heat pressed against their skin, an unspoken warning of time slipping away.

Augustus, who had been studying Heinz with quiet intensity, finally moved. Slowly, deliberately, he clasped his hands in front of him, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"It’s fairly simple," he murmured, his voice smooth yet carrying an edge of finality.

A pause.

"What we want..."

His smile widened.

"...is to make a statement."