How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 142

“Alright, let’s open the city’s treasure vault.”

With a slight bow, Mayor Everdon placed his hand on the magical device next to the massive door. A blue light enveloped his hand, and soon after:

Creeeeak, boom!

Finally, the giant door began to open.

“Please go inside and choose one item you desire. Take your time, there’s no rush.”

“Thank you, Mayor.”

In response to Princess Francia’s gratitude, Mayor Everdon shook his head while patting his plump belly.

“Haha, no need to thank me. Rather, I should be thanking you all for saving our city.”

We then stepped into the treasure vault of the Port City ‘Califa’…

“Wow, is this really a city’s storage?”

“I told you, it’s not just any storage, it’s a treasure vault. Every single item here must be valuable.”

I heard Kyle’s exclamations of awe at the piles of golden items and Fabian’s relatively calm explanation directed at Kyle.

And then.

[Hmph, it’s all useless junk.]

The voice of Airsya, the spirit of jealousy, floated beside me.

‘Shut up.’

Thanks to my sudden encounter with Airsya last night, I tried various things throughout the night and learned a few new facts.

First, I could communicate with Airsya just by thinking, without needing to speak aloud.

And the most intriguing fact was…

‘Even Princess Francia, a spirit mage, can’t see Airsya.’

It’s understandable that ordinary people, who have no connection to spirits, wouldn’t notice her. But I expected at least Princess Francia, a spirit mage, to sense her presence.

Surprisingly, Princess Francia could neither see nor sense Airsya, the spirit of jealousy.

‘What could this mean?’

Does it mean she’s not a spirit?

‘No, that can’t be right. She possesses spirit power and can even be used in spirit magic circles.’

Given this, she was undoubtedly a spirit.

So why couldn’t Princess Francia see her?

“…”

I continued to ponder as I looked at the ‘Orb’ on my right ring finger.

‘So, the Orb absorbed not just the residual spirit power, but Airsya herself?’

This raised several questions and curiosities about the Orb’s ability to absorb not only new types of power but entire entities.

‘How is this possible? And why can’t others sense her presence even though she’s connected to me?’

[Hey, stop mumbling nonsense and pick a treasure already. Are you just going to stand there staring?]

Moreover, Airsya quickly adapted to this situation.

[Isn’t it better if no one else can see or feel me? It’s less bothersome if only you know about me.]

‘Hey, Airsya.’

[What?]

‘You mentioned a spirit of greed before, right?’

[That idiot? And didn’t you compare me to that trash? Unforgivable!]

Suddenly, Airsya’s anger surged as she drew on her power.

Whooosh!

As her dark blue spirit energy began to swirl, I lightly rubbed the ‘Orb.’

[Aaah, stop… Don’t touch my host!]

Airsya’s strength drained away with a strange sound as I rubbed the Orb.

Since Airsya was connected to the Orb, she could feel any shock or change to the Orb directly.

‘So, answer my questions properly.’

[Ugh, fine.]

Thanks to figuring out how to handle her after wrestling with her all night, I could easily suppress her resistance this time as well.

‘If there are spirits of jealousy and greed, then… do the other five spirits exist too?’

[Yeah. There’s pride, gluttony, wrath, sloth, and lust.]

Airsya nodded as she answered.

The seven deadly sins, embodied as spirits. Since this was something not mentioned in the original work, I felt both a sense of incongruity and curiosity.

‘I wonder if I can absorb the others too?’

[What? Absorb? You must be insane! Just because you managed to subdue me, you think you can conquer the rest?]

‘Well, it’s not impossible.’

After all, the spirit of greed was easily vanquished, and the spirit of jealousy, Airsya, was defeated and absorbed by me.

The remaining five shouldn’t be too different.

[Sorry to say, but among the seven spirits, I and greed are the weakest…]

Smack!

‘Stop making excuses like some villain in a cheap novel.’

[Ugh, stop hitting me!]

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I lightly tapped the ring, seeing Airsya’s immediate reaction.

‘I’ll think about that later. For now, let’s pick a treasure.’

At the moment, examining the treasures offered by Califa was more important.

‘Airsya, see if there’s any footwear around here that enhances speed.’

Not intending to let the new spirit idle, I gave her a task.

[What? Footwear?]

‘Yes, something that increases movement speed or has magical enchantments.’

[You dare use me for such… Ugh, fine. Just stop rubbing!]

Using the spirit of jealousy, Airsya, I managed to find a pair of swift boots in the treasure vault of the Port City ‘Califa.’

“Oh, these are nice.”

Not only were they comfortable as if they were never worn, but they also increased movement speed and could cast a blink spell for emergency escapes once a day.

‘Indeed, a big city has great stuff stored.’

As I was feeling satisfied with the treasure I chose, Kyle approached me with his usual bright smile, holding out a sword.

“Kamon.”

“Hmm?”

“How does this look?”

“This seems to be the best sword here.”

Ah, typical of a sword-obsessed maniac. Even though he already has the Sword of the Hero from the dean, he’s still looking for another one.

“Uh, yeah. It looks good.”

“Really?”

Kyle, satisfied with my reaction, slowly extended the sword’s hilt towards me.

“Take it.”

“What?”

I couldn’t help but be taken aback by his sudden offer to give me the sword he was holding. Kyle’s voice continued.

“I’ve been looking around, and while the items here aren’t bad, there aren’t many that are exceptionally good.”

“So?”

“So, this sword seems to be the best. You went through the most trouble this time and helped me before, so I think it’s only right that you take it.”

“…”

Is this guy really insane? Seriously, who gives a sword to a wizard?

“Look, Kyle. I’m not a swordsman like you; I’m a mage…”

“Yeah, I know. This is a magic sword.”

“A magic sword?”

I widened my eyes in surprise at Kyle’s unexpected words.

“It definitely has some stored magic, but I can’t tell exactly what types.”

Scratching his head, he continued.

“And even if you’re a mage, it’s good to carry a sword for self-defense. Plus, you’re taking swordsmanship classes with me.”

“…”

At that moment, Fabian approached, sounding a bit irritated.

“Kyle, what are you doing? Have you picked your treasure?”

“Huh? Oh, not yet. I was helping Kamon choose first.”

“What? Why are you choosing his for him?”

Annoyed by Fabian’s irritated tone, I shook my head.

“Kyle, thanks, but I’ll pass. I’ll pick my own.”

I quickly walked away to distance myself from him.

“Wait, Kamon!”

I ignored Kyle’s voice calling after me.

Just as I got out of Kyle and Fabian’s sight, another familiar voice called out.

“Kamon?”

Looking ahead, I saw Chelsea standing there.

“Oh, Chelsea. Have you picked your treasure?”

“…”

After staring at me silently for a moment, she showed me what she was holding.

“This.”

It was a luxurious red and gold-trimmed cloak.

“Oh, a cloak?”

“Yeah, it’s highly resistant to heat and durable. It also increases resistance to some elements and has a Fly spell memorized.”

Chelsea continued to explain the cloak’s features without being asked, which left me momentarily flustered.

“Oh, uh. It looks great.”

Was Chelsea always this obsessed with items?

“It also has a perception reduction function, useful for stealth…”

After babbling on about the cloak for a while, Chelsea suddenly stopped and looked at me.

“…”

‘What’s up with her? Why’d she suddenly stop talking?’

“Sorry, I was rambling, wasn’t I?”

“No, it’s fine. You chose well. It suits you.”

I gave her an awkward smile.

Then, Chelsea tilted her head slightly and handed me the cloak.

“Here, you take it, Kamon.”

“What?”

“I picked it thinking of you.”

“…”

Seriously, what’s up with everyone today?

“I’m not some beggar. We’re supposed to pick one treasure each. They should focus on picking theirs properly.”

Unable to understand their actions, I shook my head firmly.

“No, you keep it, Chelsea. It suits you better.”

“But…”

“I’ll go look at some other treasures. See you later.”

Tat-tat-tat!

“Kamon!”

Ignoring Chelsea’s voice, I quickly moved away again.

When I reached the edge of the treasure vault, another voice called out.

“Take this, Kamon.”

Oh great, now Princess Francia too?!

She held out a pair of gloves to me, making me sigh deeply.

“Why is everyone doing this to me?!”

Later…

“Has everyone chosen…? Hm?”

Mayor Everdon paused and asked, seeing me wearing a magic sword, gloves, a cloak, and swift boots.

“Didn’t I say one item per person?”

“Ah, well…”

Princess Francia stepped forward to explain the situation, and soon the mayor nodded with a hearty laugh.

“Haha, I understand. As expected of students from the Flance Imperial Academy.”

Watching Mayor Everdon laugh, I internally screamed.

‘Students, my ass. I look like a noob decked out in overpowered gear. They’re doing this on purpose to mess with me!’

[Well, it seems they just want to take care of you. What’s wrong with getting more treasures? It’s a good deal for you.]

‘Why is a spirit of jealousy sounding more like a spirit of greed?’

[What?! How dare you…! Ugh, I can’t stand this… Aaaaah, stop it!]

Suppressing another rebellion from the spirit of jealousy, Airsya, I returned to my lodging, looking like a beginner warrior overloaded with in-game purchases.