Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight!-Chapter 241: ’Lies and Truths’

’Here we go.’

Florian exhaled, rolling his shoulders slightly before speaking. "The villagers called the traitor their ’savior.’"

Lucius frowned, his sharp yellow eyes narrowing. "Savior?"

Florian nodded. "It’s what they called him. And from what we’ve seen so far, His Majesty and I believe that this so-called savior is recruiting villages."

Lancelot leaned back slightly, arms crossed over his chest, the usual playfulness absent from his face. "Recruiting? How?"

’This is just a theory Heinz had but...’

Florian glanced at Heinz before continuing, carefully choosing his words. "The rogues—" He paused, searching for the right phrasing. "—they’re stealing from the nobles. And they’re distributing mana stones to the villages. Villages that normally wouldn’t have access to magic. Poorer ones, places where mana stones are too expensive, where magic is a luxury only the wealthy can afford."

Lucius’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening. Florian continues. "And in return, the villages offer their people."

’Or it’s safe to say, people volunteer.’

"How many people do you think they have about now, Your Highness?" Lancelot asked, visibly disturbed though keeping himself calm.

"The villagers mentioned they had Levi join. So, one or two per village, perhaps more." Florian confirmed grimly. "They join the rogues, increasing their numbers. The cycle repeats. The more the rogues steal, the more magic they give, the more people they gain."

A slow, uneasy silence followed.

Lucius’s fingers tapped lightly against his arm, his brows furrowed deep in thought. "Then what’s their main goal?" His piercing gaze locked onto Florian’s. "And why you, Your Highness? These villages—if they hate anyone, it should be...the king."

The butler glances at Heinz then back to Florian.

"Yet the attacks keep targeting you."

Florian opened his mouth, but no answer came.

’That’s exactly what I want to know.’

Lancelot hummed in agreement, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Yeah. If the villagers are driven by dissatisfaction, I thought the one they’d be trying to kill would be His Majesty." His gaze flickered toward Heinz, searching for an explanation.

’I didn’t prepare an answer for this...’

Florian hesitated before looking at Heinz, uncertain how to respond.

Heinz sighed, rolling his shoulders back before answering for him. "I don’t know," he admitted, his voice low and firm. "I don’t know why. But what I do know is this—this ’savior’ thinks Florian is important."

Florian’s fingers curled slightly, an uneasy weight settling in his chest.

"Maybe it’s his unique biology," Heinz continued, his expression unreadable. "Or maybe this savior assumes I care about him." His words were flat, emotionless, but Florian still felt the weight of them pressing down on him. "Or worse, maybe this savior knows something about Florian that even Florian himself doesn’t know."

Florian stiffened.

’That possibility is the worst one.’

Either way, Heinz didn’t stop there. "But one thing is certain—the end goal is either to dethrone me, to kill me, or both."

Lucius and Lancelot exchanged looks, confusion and unease flickering across their faces.

Florian, however, was more focused on Heinz.

’Lied and told the truth, huh...’

It was impressive, really. The way Heinz answered with complete certainty, even though some of it was speculation. Some of it wasn’t. Florian just wasn’t sure which parts.

Cashew, who had been still for a while now, had his head lowered slightly, his purple eyes unreadable.

Florian glanced at him. ’What’s wrong with him?’

Before he could ask, Lucius spoke again. "What are the next steps, then?"

Florian straightened, pushing aside his thoughts. "The first stage of planning is to help the villagers in need."

Lancelot blinked. "Help?"

Florian nodded. "The savior is confident. And why wouldn’t he be? He’s making sure he has people willing to fight when the time comes." He paused before adding, "Most of the villagers from the Forgotten Waters knew how to use magic. Even if they weren’t on the level of the Obsidian Knights, we don’t know how many villages have been recruited. We don’t know the numbers. That alone makes this dangerous."

Lucius exhaled sharply, his gaze unreadable. "So your solution is... to save the villages? Why?"

"The villages... were neglected." Florian chose his words carefully, watching their reactions. "A lot of them are angry, and the savior is using that anger to his advantage. Right now, we still can’t track him down easily, but we can weaken his influence. We need to make sure people stop working with him." His gaze flickered between them. "Do you really think that man is acting alone at this point?"

Lucius and Lancelot exchanged glances. They were beginning to understand, but hesitation still lingered in their expressions.

Lucius frowned, arms crossed, his voice edged with skepticism. "And how do you plan to do that without him noticing?"

Florian tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

Lucius hesitated only briefly before turning to Heinz. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, for what I’m about to say," he prefaced, and Heinz gave him a curt nod to continue. "But the villages have been abandoned for too long. If what you’re saying is true, and they’ve aligned with this so-called savior out of hatred, then there’s no guarantee they’ll turn back just because we offer them help now."

"We can still try." Florian’s voice was firm, though he knew it might sound naive. "At the end of the day, the savior’s plan won’t work without bloodshed. And if it escalates, worse comes to worst, this could turn into a full-scale war. Do you think they would choose that over a peaceful approach?"

Lucius stayed silent, his frown deepening.

Florian clenched his fists slightly, glancing down. ’People just want to survive.’

’Like Augustus and his villagers... like Levi and Leila...’

But Lucius wasn’t done. "Even if we go that route, how can we be sure the savior won’t sabotage everything? We still don’t even know who he is." He exhaled sharply. "He’s already infiltrated the palace once. This project won’t be private. No matter what we do, he’ll know. And don’t forget—the traitor was one of our own. He had access to everything."

Lancelot hummed in agreement. "And you do realize, anything involving the villages... will require the dukes’ involvement."

Florian frowned slightly, his mind racing. "Why?"

This time, it was Heinz who answered. "I’ve been meaning to reconnect with the dukes at some point. I think their little display at the ball is motivation enough to do so."

Lucius blinked in surprise. "Your Majesty, are you... certain?"

Florian narrowed his eyes slightly. ’He still didn’t answer my question... why do the dukes need to be involved?’

Heinz let out a slow breath, his crimson eyes sharp with determination. "There’s no point in keeping the kingdom divided anymore. I made my decision the moment I held the ball and announced I was taking a wife."

Florian stiffened. ’Right...’

In the novel—no, in his first life—Heinz had believed he didn’t need the support of the nobles. Many of them had preferred his brother, Hendrix, as king. Heinz had ruled alone, prioritizing strength above all else.

Power was all he cared about. Not alliances. Not politics. Not the people.

But now...

"That means... there will be a sovereign summit," Lucius said slowly, his tone careful.

Florian furrowed his brows. ’Sovereign summit?’