From Villainess to Virtue: The Academy’s Redemption Story

-Thud, thud, thud!

"…"

-Thud, thud, thud!

"…Ah, what now…"

The sound of something tapping on the window filled the room. At first, I mistook it for the sound of rain, but rain wouldn't tap in such a regular rhythm.

As that thought crossed my mind, I finally got up and approached the window.

-Flung open!

Unlocking it, I opened the window. The damp and cold air rushed in, awakening my sluggish mind.

-Caw!

"…What, it was you."

Soon, I spotted a crow perched on the window frame. As if it had been waiting just for the window to open, it immediately hopped into the room.

This crow, with white feathers on its head, was a familiar entity to me. It belonged to Mok Jinwoo, my cradle mate and former comrade, who currently served as the director of the Information Bureau in Masada.

For him to send a message through a secure line meant he had a favor to ask of me.

If he merely wanted to check in, he would have used the hotel's phone lines.

"You, water… no, never mind. Just give me that."

The crow was happily shaking off water on the carpeted floor. Watching it, I frowned for a moment but soon resigned myself and reached out my hand.

-Caw!

Seeing my gesture, the crow handed over a bundle of papers tied to its leg with its beak.

Holding the papers, I went to sit in the rocking chair by the window. The sound of rain tapping on the window echoed in my ears.

Untying the bundle, I placed my palm over it. Heavy black particles flowed from my hand into the paper, and letters began to appear on the previously blank sheet.

"…Let's see what bothersome task he's concocting this time."

The letter detailed the recent happenings in the capital and discussed an incident that had occurred in a small settlement in the northeastern region of the Masada area. The settlement had been attacked by demons, and all residents, except for one boy, had died.

It was presumed that this act was carried out by demon remnants that escaped the last extermination, but there were suspicious aspects that warranted further investigation.

However, the Information Bureau was currently allocating all its resources to matters in the capital, leaving no room to spare anyone. Thus, Jinwoo requested that I secure the boy's safety until their affairs were concluded.

"…I knew it would be something like this…ugh."

As expected, it was a bothersome request. Just as I was about to scowl, I suddenly clutched at my left chest.

A throbbing pain, like veins burning with fire, spread from my heart.

This old wound had tormented me for 13 years. On rainy days like today, the pain was particularly severe.

Familiar with the routine, I searched my pocket for a medicated cigarette, lit it, and inhaled. The smoke brought relief to the pain and calmed my mind. I settled back into the rocking chair, lost in thought.

Lately, my mood hadn't been the best. Not because my unit was deployed southward for the demon extermination.

My unit and I had already slaughtered hundreds of demons, including dozens of high-ranking ones with multiple horns.

It was natural for a unit with such records to be deployed for extermination. Even without a request, we would have volunteered.

What disturbed me was something else.

It was a significant affair that forced me to return for a report.

I didn't particularly enjoy visiting the capital.

Every time I stepped through the grand gates, old memories clouded my head.

Moreover, enduring the stench of the corrupt power-holders was a torment.

Their power struggles had intensified since I had left ten years ago.

Although my family had long since withdrawn from the front lines, those vultures continued to fight over their prey.

Recently, there were even signs of armed conflict, which was why Jinwoo had mobilized the Information Bureau's resources.

Amidst their daily squabbles, the country couldn't possibly function properly.

The frontiers we had painstakingly developed over decades were turning into ruins. Demons and criminals roamed freely everywhere.

Even in this extermination, despite ensuring a tight encirclement, the factions' eagerness to claim credit led to a breach in coordination.

The boy now in the hospital was a victim of such pitiful chaos.

"…Maybe I'll take it. Doesn't seem too bad."

To me, this request seemed like an excuse Jinwoo made for my sake, knowing better than anyone my disillusionment with the capital and the high mage families.

Plus, this job didn't significantly deviate from the 66th Unit's authority, so there was no risk of later complications.

I had intended to return to the eastern frontline after a brief rest, so a quick detour wouldn't hurt.

I quickly made my decision, inscribed the character for "yes" on the paper, and sealed it before handing it back to the crow.

-Caw!

The crow grabbed the bundle and immediately flew out into the rainy night.

-Flung open!

"Really! Who expects rain all of a sudden!"

"Quiet… Anyone would think you're the only one getting wet…"

"At least we managed to buy everything we needed today… That's lucky…"

Nearly simultaneously with the crow's departure, the room's door opened. Three women burst into the room, their chatter clouding my mind again.

Unlike me, holed up in the hotel suite to avoid the stench, my squad members had been happily shopping and venting their frustrations.

"Why don't you get tired of it? How many clothes did you buy?"

I stood up, picking up a coat hung on the rack.

Yoon Chaewon, the woman with short hair who had just set down her shopping bags, spoke to me.

"Jaehyuk, are you going out? It's raining outside."

"I know. And call me Commander."

My terse reply made the three freeze. When I referred to myself as the Commander, it meant it was time to get back to work.

"…You're joking, right? We've only rested for three days…"

Long-haired Ryu Sehwa lamented.

"…I haven't finished shopping yet… I even planned tomorrow's schedule…"

Ponytailed Yejin murmured in despair, her usually expressionless eyes trembling as if they were experiencing an earthquake.

"…Sorry. Let's visit again next time."

"…No, it's fine. We've rested enough. But, the report?"

Chaewon softened her voice upon witnessing my rare humility.

"Jinwoo will handle that. We're heading to the northeast. Chaewon, fetch the PA repair kit; it should be fixed by now. Sehwa, pack the equipment. Yejin, prepare the vehicle."

"Got it."

"…Okay."

Following my instructions, Chaewon and Sehwa promptly exited the room. Only Yejin lingered, visible in the mirror behind me.

"What? Got something to say?"

Prompted by me, Yejin hesitantly spoke up.

"Brother… no, Commander. I ran into Aunt and Uncle earlier…"

Hearing Yejin's words, my hands stopped moving. After a brief silence, I spoke again.

"Father and Mother? That's unusual."

"…Yes. And… they asked about you, Commander. If this time, maybe…"

"Yejin. We'll be late. You should start preparing now."

"…Okay."

I cut off Yejin, making it clear I didn't want to hear more. Understanding my intention, Yejin reluctantly followed Chaewon and Sehwa out of the room.

-Sigh…

Left alone, I finally let out a heavy sigh. Avoiding my parents was another reason I didn't want to leave the hotel room.

I turned to adjust my appearance one last time. In the mirror stood a tall, rugged man with weary eyes.

The silver locket around my neck jingled softly.

***

"Caw! Ouch… it hurts!"

"Shut up. Sehwa, bind this guy and take him away. Chaewon, what about that one?"

I stomped on the captured warlock, grinding him under my boot. Chaewon, after inspecting the warlock sprawled on the ground, shook her head.

"…No life signs. It seems like the magical backlash from his severed arm. Warlocks suffer worse from backlash…"

"Tsk. Fine. Jin and I will finish up here; you go help Sehwa with the interrogation."

"Roger~"

Following my command, Chaewon disappeared into the darkness. Soon, the scent of burning flesh and the warlock's screams began to reach us from afar.

'I thought it was just a simple escort job.'

I internally lamented Jinwoo's request.

We had set out immediately upon receiving the job, arriving at our destination quite swiftly, only to find the boy had already vanished from the hospital.

Fortunately, we managed to track him down using the city gate's entry records, leaving the overly anxious doctor behind.

But by the time we caught up to the boy, he was already cornered.

So, we engaged in combat and successfully subdued the situation.

My gaze finally settled on the boy.

He appeared to be in his early teens. The long scar running below his left eye was particularly noticeable.

The boy sat motionless, unaffected by the chaos unfolding before him. His eyes were devoid of any light, utterly empty.

"Hey. Are you okay? Any injuries…?"

-Slap!

As Yejin attempted to check on the boy, he brushed her hand away and leaned back slightly. His whole body trembled visibly even in the darkness.

"Yejin. Let's light up the area first."

"Ah, right."

Hearing my suggestion, Yejin nodded in agreement. In such darkness, no one would appear friendly, especially after facing a threat to their life.

Yejin raised her hand to cast a spell, but despite the time passing, the surroundings remained dark.

Manipulating the particle aligner on her wrist, Yejin looked puzzled.

"…That's odd. I can't cast any magic. The PA seems fine, though… it was working fine until we left…"

"Forget it. I'll do it. Check yours again later."

I dismissed Yejin's concerns with an unconcerned tone and raised my hand, drawing the pattern for a light orb spell stored in the PA.

"…?"

However, my PA also failed to respond, just like Yejin's.

I tried directly constructing the spell, but again, there was no sign of magic being cast. Repeated attempts yielded no response.

No, it felt as if particles weren't gathering at all.

"…Wait."

As I pondered over potential aging of the device, a sudden intuition flashed through my mind. It was the instinct of a soldier who had survived battles for over a decade.

I looked back at the boy. He was still sitting there, his gaze empty.

But my intuition kept insisting there was something beyond him.

"…"

After a moment of contemplation, I pulled out a particle filter from my pocket. It was a pair of glasses equipped with polarized sensing stones that measured the concentration of particles in the air.

"This is…what…?"

My face showed rare surprise as I looked around with the filter.

Vessel particles, though sparsely distributed, existed everywhere in the air. Thus, the scenery shown by the filtered sensing stone should have been filled with tiny, twinkling light particles.

However, only a cold, heavy darkness settled around me. There were no signs of active particles anywhere.

I tried to cast a spell again, but still, no magic was invoked.

"…"

After pondering, I came up with a theory.

Perhaps in this area, not only the atmospheric particles but also the internalized particles were deactivated.

Whether using the PA or directly constructing the formula, magic couldn't be used.

My gaze returned to the boy.

Beyond the semi-circular boundary surrounding him, particles in the air still twinkled. The boundary moved following the boy's slight movements.

It wasn't difficult to deduce that this space centered around the boy.

"…Commander, what are you doing?"

Without answering Yejin, I stepped outside the boundary and again constructed the light orb spell.

As expected, the spell activated without issue this time. A floating orb of light appeared above my palm, illuminating the surroundings.

"Ah! It worked! Then what was the problem? A mechanical error…?"

Yejin muttered, seeing the light orb. I maintained the magic and stepped back inside the boundary.

As the orb touched the boundary, it instantly shattered and dispersed into the atmosphere.

Considering the circumstances, it was almost certain that the phenomenon deactivating nearby particles originated from the boy.

If he was controlling this effect intentionally, he might as well be a mage's natural predator.

A mage unable to use magic is merely a powerless human.

Not just mages, but demons and magical creatures sensitive to particles would all be rendered helpless before the boy.

"…"

I was at a loss for words. I had encountered beings with similar abilities before.

A realm beyond magic, holding true power, there was only one known entity to me.

Witches.

The nightmare from 13 years ago that had plunged my life into the mire was resurfacing.