How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 137

The world seemed to plunge into darkness as my vision blacked out.

“……”

In the fading consciousness, I tried to move my body, but it felt heavy as if submerged in deep water.

After what felt like an eternity, a long tunnel seemed to end, and I was expelled from the magic circle.

Shhhhh, thud!

“Ugh.”

As soon as I regained control of my body, I fell straight to the ground.

“Ugh, damn it. What just happened?”

The unexpected impact was painful, but it was manageable…

Wait a minute.

“Where did she go?”

The girl who had been in my arms was nowhere to be seen.

“Where am I?”

Looking around, I saw broken desks, shattered mirrors, and old paintings. The floor was dirty, and the carpets were covered in dust. It seemed like a room in an abandoned mansion, left untouched for a very long time.

‘Who summoned me here?’

Rustle!

Startled by a noise outside, I quickly cast a spell.

“Fireball!”

Woosh!

Several fireballs were quickly summoned into the air, hovering around me protectively as I called out cautiously.

“Who’s there?”

But there was no response.

“……”

With the fireballs illuminating the room, I could see more clearly. As I looked around, I noticed…

“What is this?”

There were blackened stains on the walls, carpets, and scattered throughout the room.

“This looks like dried blood.”

Seeing the stains that resembled dried blood, a chill ran down my spine.

And then,

Crash, thud!

“What the hell!”

I heard something fall from above.

‘Calm down, Hyunsoo.’

Although I had been dragged to a strange place, I had magic as my weapon and shield.

Still on high alert, I heard footsteps approaching.

Thud, thud.

“……!”

I approached the closed door cautiously, straining to hear the footsteps outside. Were they getting closer or farther away? Was it related to the noise from above?

“Ice Spear, Magic Missile.”

I cast multiple basic spells, surrounding myself with protective magic similar to what I used against Kyle before. I had no idea what was going on, but it was better to be safe.

“……”

Seeing the spells floating around me, I felt slightly reassured and listened carefully at the door.

Thud, thud.

The footsteps were getting closer, heading towards the room I was in.

“Damn it.”

I quickly stepped away from the door, ready to unleash my spells.

Thud, thud, stop!

The footsteps halted right outside the door.

Creak, squeak!

As the door opened, I raised my hand with the orb and shouted.

“Who are you? Don’t move… A wolf?”

Standing in front of me was a large wolf with beautiful silver claws, bigger than a human.

And then,

“Kamon?”

A familiar voice came from the wolf.

“Princess Francia?”

Why was I hearing the princess’s voice from the wolf?

The familiar voice spoke again from the wolf’s mouth.

“This is my spirit. But why are you here…? No, wait. Stay there.”

The voice of Princess Francia through the spirit was accompanied by the sound of busy footsteps upstairs.

‘Was that noise from earlier caused by Princess Francia? But why is she here?’

Unanswered questions swirled in my mind, but I couldn’t figure anything out.

Grrrr.

The wolf, making a pleasant sound, approached me.

“Is this perhaps the ancient spirit ‘Gatraon’?”

Gatraon, the ancient spirit who inherited the power of the legendary wolf spirit ‘Fenrir Venigand,’ who once damaged the World Tree, often helped Princess Francia in the original story.

The spirit approached me and began to nuzzle against me.

Feeling the wolf’s fur, I reached out to pet it.

Grrrr.

It seemed to enjoy my touch, snuggling closer and making a soft sound.

Tickle.

“……?”

I felt a tickling sensation around and inside my body.

‘What’s this?’

It was a sensation similar to what I felt during my first magic practice with Bren, and I tilted my head in confusion.

Click-clack, thud!

“Kamon!”

At that moment, Princess Francia finally appeared in front of the door. I stopped petting Gatraon and asked lightly,

“What are you doing here, Your Highness?”

“What? I should be asking you that. What are you doing here?”

She glanced at the floating magic around me and asked. I shrugged and answered,

“Well, I’m not really sure myself.”

“What?”

“Suddenly, a magic circle appeared in the air, and I was summoned here. It wasn’t you, was it?”

“Why would I summon you? Wait a minute. You were forcibly summoned here by a magic circle? Alone?”

“No, not alone. I was with a child…”

“What? A child?!”

Princess Francia jumped up with a shriek, startling me.

“Why are you suddenly yelling?”

“Kamon, do you know where you are? No, wait. Maybe the magic circle is the cause.”

She muttered to herself, nodding in thought, and then called her ancient spirit.

“Gatraon!”

The wolf that had been with me quickly got up and moved toward her. She started to leave the room, but then turned back to look at me.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“Come on, we need to move together.”

“Oh, right.”

I nodded and quickly joined her side. We walked through the messy hallway and started climbing the stairs.

‘What’s going on?’

Still unable to grasp the situation, I asked Princess Francia,

“I have no idea what’s happening. Where are we?”

She sighed lightly and answered,

“This is the ‘Cursed Mansion.’”

“What? The Cursed Mansion?”

I frowned at the mention of something straight out of a horror movie.

“Yes, the Cursed Mansion. No one has lived here for decades. The noble family that used to live here was slaughtered overnight. But that’s not the important part.”

Shaking her head, she continued,

“I was investigating a recent missing persons case when I received a complaint. While tracking the traces, I concluded that this place was connected to the disappearances.”

“……”

“So I was searching here before you suddenly appeared.”

“Did you find anything?”

“No, not yet… But you said a magic circle suddenly appeared? Do you have any idea what it looked like or who made it?”

“No, I was too out of it at the time to trace the mana.”

“Out of it?”

“Yes, you see…”

Since there was nothing to hide, I explained how the Hawkbore had appeared in the middle of the city. Hearing this, Princess Francia’s mouth twitched before she cleared her throat.

“Ahem, so you were suddenly summoned here?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That magic circle might be related to the missing persons case.”

With a serious expression, Princess Francia shared her suspicion.

“I’ve already requested support from the city hall. People should be arriving soon.”

“Support? Isn’t this supposed to be a complaint we need to solve to get the certificate?”

Surprised by her unexpected statement, I asked, and Princess Francia suddenly pulled something from her pocket and handed it to me.

It was…

“A student ID? Friar Tarius?”

A student ID from Flance Imperial Academy.

“I found this while tracking the traces of the missing persons case. It seems that some students who were investigating this case also went missing.”

‘What? Academy students went missing too?’

Someone participating in the ‘Novice Challenge’ had encountered trouble while handling the complaints. The academy guarantees student safety, but only within the academy. Outside, it’s up to the individual.

However, the academy doesn’t ignore incidents related to students’ lives, so imperial authorities might get involved.

“Wouldn’t it be safer to wait for external help, like support from Mayor Everdon?”

Princess Francia responded sharply to my question.

“What if someone is in immediate danger?”

“Huh?”

“Academy students and all missing persons are citizens of the Empire. As a member of the royal family, it’s my duty to ensure their safety. If it’s too late, there’s nothing we can do, but if we can save even one person by acting quickly, we must take that risk.”

Suddenly invoking her royal duty?

Considering the Princess Francia from the original story, her words and actions weren’t surprising. If anything, she was aligning more with her character from the story.

However,

‘After all the trouble you’ve caused me, now you’re talking about noble duties and responsibilities?’

Moreover,

‘Do we really have to handle this right now?’

Who knows what dangers lurk here?

And I already have a signed certificate…

With conflicting thoughts swirling in my mind,

“Keep your guard up. Something’s definitely off here.”

“Understood.”

I had no choice but to comply with Princess Francia’s firm command.

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