How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 146

Following the traces left by Kyle and Fabian, I came upon a scene where children from a nearby village, who seemed to be out on an innocent stroll, were surrounded by a horde of monsters.

There were six children, likely around their early teens, trembling in fear as they huddled together.

Kieeek!

The creatures encircling them appeared to be a band of goblins, common in these parts…

Growl!

‘Gnolls?’

On the other side, a group of gnolls had also gathered, staking out their territory.

While neither monster was particularly threatening on its own, the combination was unusual.

“Goblins and gnolls together?”

Chelsea, who was beside me, tilted her head in confusion as she mumbled.

Indeed, as she noted, goblins and gnolls were entirely different species. Rather than cooperating, they typically clashed whenever they encountered one another.

So…

“Someone must be commanding them,” I speculated.

“That seems likely. That’s probably why Kyle and Fabian haven’t made a move yet,” Princess Francia added as she arrived, nodding in agreement.

The two who arrived first were not foolish; they were carefully watching their surroundings, prepared for any attacks from the monsters.

“Anything from the spirits?” I asked.

“Not yet. There aren’t any other life forms around that I can sense.”

[Heh, how naive.]

Irritated by the Jealous Spirit Airsya’s mocking tone, I pressed her.

‘Airsya, do you know something?’

[Hmm, who knows?]

It was clear she knew something, but her reluctance to cooperate made me quickly consider rubbing the ‘Orb’ ring again.

[Whoa, whoa, hold up!]

In a panic, she hurriedly suggested a deal.

[If I tell you what I know, promise me you’ll stop rubbing or pressing the ring so much. It’s humiliating, you know. Deal?]

It seemed she was fed up with being at my mercy, but I shook my head as I replied.

‘I think you’re mistaken about something, Airsya.’

[What?]

‘A deal is something made between equals. Let’s change the terms. If you don’t tell me what you know right now, I’ll spend the next hour polishing the Orb.’

[W-what?! Damn it, you bastard! You’re like a devil!]

‘You have ten seconds to decide. Ten, nine…’

[Wait, wait! Give me more time! Ten seconds is too short!]

Airsya whirled around me in desperation, but I had no intention of stopping.

‘Eight, seven, six…’

[Alright! Alright! I’ll tell you! Just stop!]

Finally, as she yielded, I smiled slyly and asked in a more relaxed tone.

‘So, what is it?’

[That dumb woman can’t figure it out, but if you’re dealing with a being with similar spirit power, it can easily deceive her. So instead of relying on spirit power, try using something else to find it.]

‘Are you suggesting I use mana instead of spirit power?’

[There are many ways to go about it.]

‘I see…’

I immediately closed my eyes and began to concentrate, spreading my mana outwards.

Through the waves of mana I spread, I could sense everything around me—Princess Francia, Chelsea, Kyle and Fabian, the village children, and even the monsters.

Then suddenly—

‘…!’

[Did you find it?]

I detected a faint, alien presence far off in the distance.

‘What’s this?’

I had sensed something, but it was so brief that I wasn’t sure if I had imagined it. As I hesitated, Airsya spoke again.

[Sometimes creatures hide deep in the ground or inside trees to avoid detection.]

‘What? Underground?’

I immediately spread my mana deeper into the ground.

“…!”

[Creatures known as dryads often hide deep underground, where they can avoid detection. And one of their most dangerous weapons is their mind magic.]

Airsya began to lecture me like a professor teaching about monsters, clearly proud of her knowledge.

As she described, I sensed the presence of a dryad—a tree spirit monster—hidden deep underground.

“I’ve found it.”

“What?”

“The creature commanding those monsters is hiding underground to the northwest. I believe it’s a dryad.”

“A dryad?”

Both Chelsea and Princess Francia focused intently on my words.

“It seems like it’s using the gnolls and goblins to attack the children. This could be a trap.”

“A trap?”

“A trap to lure in bigger prey.”

At the same time, I amplified the power I was exerting on the Orb.

Soon, I detected another group in the distance.

‘Orcs?’

[Oh, you sensed that too?]

‘If you knew, you could’ve mentioned it earlier.’

[Why would I? It’s not like it benefits me.]

‘Oh, really? If you insist on being punished, I can oblige.’

[W-wait! I didn’t mean it that way… Urk, ugh!]

At that moment, Princess Francia, who had been concentrating, spoke up.

“You’re right, Kamon. I can sense other life forms to the northeast. It seems like…”

“Yes, there’s a group of orcs there.”

Having fully assessed the situation, I quickly issued my next orders.

“Princess, Chelsea, head toward the orc group immediately and take care of them. Then signal Kyle and Fabian to deal with the gnolls and goblins here.”

“And you?”

“Dryads are immune to physical attacks. I’ll use my magic to destroy it.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with my clear instructions.

“Alright, I’ll use ‘Gatraon’ to communicate the situation to Kyle and Fabian. And Chelsea.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Do you think we can handle the orcs?”

“…Of course.”

Given the capabilities they had shown so far, dealing with these monsters shouldn’t be difficult. However, the presence of a commanding dryad was a variable, and facing a coalition of monsters that wouldn’t normally cooperate could lead to unexpected complications.

“Let’s handle this as quickly as possible.”

“Understood.”

“Yes, Kamon.”

With our plan set, we moved swiftly into action.

Thud, thud, thud!

My task was to eliminate the dryad hiding to the northwest.

‘The dryad is rooted in one place, much like its nickname as a tree spirit. As long as I avoid direct eye contact, it shouldn’t be difficult.’

I recalled the details and strategies I had read about dryads in the library.

Once you lock eyes with a dryad, it uses powerful mind magic.

As long as I avoided that, it was just a simple monster.

I approached the spot where I expected the dryad to be hiding and began to cast a spell.

“Flip!”

As I cast a spell to dig into the ground—

Rumble!

I felt a massive vibration underground, followed by—

Swoosh!

A root-like appendage shot out of the ground.

“Barrier.”

Bang!

A light barrier spell blocked the attack, and I cast the spell again.

“Flip, flip, flip!”

A series of earth-flipping spells tore up the ground, as if a backhoe had been at work, scattering soil everywhere.

And then—

Roar!

Emerging from the disrupted earth was a creature with bark-like blue skin and glowing red eyes—a hideous dryad.

“That must be the dryad.”

I glanced at the creature, careful not to meet its gaze, noting its fluid, seemingly immaterial form that would render physical attacks ineffective.

[It’s always disgusting to look at. What are you waiting for? Get rid of it already.]

Ignoring Airsya’s muttering, I continued.

“Fireball.”

I summoned a familiar ball of flame.

[Hmm. Its affinity is with wood, but a single fireball won’t be enough to take it down.]

“Who said I was using just one? Fireball, fireball… Fireball!”

As usual, I summoned over a dozen fireballs, surrounding the dryad.

“I’ll finish it in one go.”

With a casual flick of my hand—

Swoosh!

The swarm of fireballs flew through the air, crashing into the dryad.

Boom!

Roar!

Unable to withstand the barrage of flames, the dryad, rooted in place, was obliterated.

Clenching my fists, I let out a short exclamation.

“It’s done.”

But at that moment—

[Are you sure about that?]

“Hm?”

Airsya’s sudden words made me snap my head toward her, just as—

Boom!

A massive explosion echoed from the direction where Kyle and Fabian were.

“What the…?”

[You might want to check it out quickly.]

“What?”

[I don’t recall ever saying there was only one dryad.]

“…!”

Airsya’s mocking tone and sinister grin made me scowl.

Though she was currently bound to the ‘Orb,’ she was still fundamentally a corrupted spirit, one that delighted in causing harm.

Thud, thud, thud!

‘Damn it, I was careless. I should have been more suspicious of her words.’

[Heh, finally figured it out?]

Laughing snidely, Airsya’s voice echoed in my ears as I sprinted toward the source of the explosion, furiously rubbing the ring.

[Ack, ugh! S-stop!]

“You provoked me, so now you pay the price.”

[Uuuurgh!]

As I ran, vigorously rubbing the ring, I finally reached the scene—

“Damn, mind magic!”

There I found Kyle and Fabian locked in a deadly struggle, their weapons—spear and sword—crossed in a fierce battle under the control of two more dryads.

* * *

Sherry Anton.

She was a village girl with a father who was an ordinary herb gatherer and a mother who managed the household. The third of four siblings, with an older sister, an older brother, and a younger brother, Sherry was lively and spirited, beloved by both the village folk and children her age.

Like many other young girls…

‘I’ll marry a handsome prince someday.’

She harbored dreams that seemed straight out of a fairy tale, believing that such fantasies could become reality as she nurtured her adventurous spirit and ambitions.

Then one day, her close friend Atsha made an intriguing suggestion.

“Sherry, I heard someone spotted a red evening primrose in the eastern forest the other day. Want to go see it?”

“Red evening primrose?”

“Yeah, they say it’s really pretty. It smells even better than the usual ones.”

Evening primroses usually bloomed in violet hues, so the idea of a red one piqued Sherry’s curiosity.

“We’re planning to go with Taylor, Port, and Antony later. You should come too, Sherry.”

“Hmm, I think I should ask my mom.”

“Aw, come on. You know the adults will just say it’s too dangerous. But we’ve been there so many times before without any trouble.”

Atsha’s reasoning won her over. They had explored the forest many times before without incident. And besides, Sherry was drawn by the idea of seeing a red evening primrose.

So in the end—

“…Alright, I’ll go.”

“Great! See you later!”

They parted with smiles, and when the time came, they met outside the forest and headed in without hesitation.

But soon after—

Kieeek!

Growl!

They were suddenly confronted by a group of monsters, throwing them into a dire situation.

Trembling uncontrollably, Sherry deeply regretted her decision.

‘I shouldn’t have come. I should have told my mom.’

As she cursed her past self and wished desperately to turn back time—

Thud, clang!

Two dashing figures appeared before them.

“Are you kids okay?”

Armed with spear and sword, they stood boldly before the monsters, smiling reassuringly.

“Who… who are you…?”

“There’ll be time for that later. Let’s deal with this first.”

And as she gazed at them—

‘Wow, it’s like a prince.’

Sherry felt her legs go weak as she beheld the scene—just like the brave prince or knight she had always dreamed of, rescuing them in the nick of time.

Watching them skillfully take down the monsters, just as she had imagined, Sherry felt a glimmer of hope.

“We’re saved…”

Someone among her group whispered as if the ordeal had finally ended.

But then—

Roar!

With a monstrous roar, the ground split open, revealing more creatures with blue bark and glowing red eyes.

And then—

“Fabian!”

The spear-wielding prince’s eyes turned red as he suddenly began attacking the sword-wielding prince.

“Damn it! Fabian, snap out of it!”

“…”

Unable to strike down his comrade, the sword-wielding prince was soon covered in wounds, barely holding off the attacks.

But that wasn’t the worst of it.

Kieek!

The remaining monsters slowly advanced on Sherry and her friends.

“D-don’t come near!”

“Aah!”

They threw whatever they could—stones, sticks—in a futile attempt to defend themselves, but the goblins, their tongues flicking as if savoring their next meal, continued their approach. Sherry felt a chill run down her spine as one of the goblins drew closer, its eyes gleaming with hunger.

“P-please, don’t come any closer… Someone… help us… please…”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she muttered helplessly, realizing that even the valiant princes from her dreams couldn’t save her now.

The stench of rotting flesh filled her nostrils, and Sherry’s mind was overwhelmed by the thought of death.

‘It’s over.’

As she resigned herself to her fate, ready to embrace the end—

Whoosh, boom!

Kieeek!

A wave of heat surged through her as the goblin approaching her burst into flames.

And then—

Thud.

A shadow loomed over her, appearing out of nowhere.

“Get out of the way and move over there! Now!”

The commanding voice snapped Sherry and her friends out of their daze, and without thinking, they followed his orders.

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