How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 164

Ziiiiing!

“It’s all been deactivated.”

We snuck back into the head’s office, meticulously dispelling every magic barrier, this time ensuring we didn’t fall into any traps.

Soon enough.

“There it is.”

“Is that the griffin with the black tears?”

“Yes, it is.”

Princess Francia, holding the golden banner in her hands, nodded with a satisfied smile.

Fabian, standing nearby, added a comment.

“Now, we can consider the ‘Novice Challenge’ as good as completed.”

“No, not yet. The goal of the ‘Novice Challenge’ is to bring this into the Academy. The Vade family’s knights are still swarming outside. We can’t let our guard down.”

Fabian, gripping his spear tightly, nodded in response to Princess Francia’s firm tone.

“Understood, Your Highness.”

As I watched the two converse, I asked Airsya about the instructions I’d given her beforehand.

‘So, did you find anything?’

[Nothing much worth mentioning, except for a bracelet tucked away under the desk that seemed decent.]

‘A bracelet?’

I had asked Airsya to search the Baron’s office for any items worth taking. Approaching the desk, I quickly found the drawer and opened it.

*Click.*

The drawer, which hadn’t been used for quite some time, creaked open, releasing a musty smell. Inside, there was a small, dark bracelet.

‘What kind of bracelet is this?’

[Not sure, but the energy contained in it felt pretty heavy.]

‘Heavy?’

[It’s hard to describe in words, but yeah, something like that.]

Airsya sounded a bit dismissive, as if annoyed by the difficulty of explaining it. I carefully picked up the bracelet from the box.

‘It’s surprisingly heavy.’

The weight caught me off guard, considering its average size.

“Hmm?”

*Ziiiiing.*

At that moment, the ring with the ‘Orb’ on it started to react, and the dark bracelet vibrated slightly as well.

‘What’s going on?’

[Ah, I see now.]

Noticing Airsya’s sudden realization, I quickly turned to look at her.

[The bracelet holds a power similar to that of the ring which absorbed me.]

‘Absorb?’

The ring was an artifact crafted using the ‘Orb’, which had a mana-draining property. And now this bracelet had a similar ability?

[The word ‘absorb’ may not be entirely accurate, but it’s close. Try putting it on.]

After a moment of hesitation, I shrugged.

‘What’s the worst that could happen?’

After all, it was a bracelet found in Marquis Baran’s office. If it were dangerous or problematic, it would have been dealt with long ago. They wouldn’t have just left it sitting here.

With that thought in mind, I didn’t hesitate and put the bracelet on.

*Clasp!*

The bracelet instantly adjusted to fit my wrist perfectly, as if it had been made just for me.

*Ziiiiing!*

The bracelet, still vibrating, began resonating with the ‘Orb’ on the ring.

Then, it happened.

‘W-What’s this?’

I could feel the heavy and sticky energy contained in the bracelet slowly flowing towards the ring.

*Swoooosh!*

Like a ravenous beast, the ‘Orb’ started devouring the energy within the bracelet, while the bracelet, as if it had been waiting for this moment, poured its energy into the ‘Orb’ without holding back.

The two artifacts exchanged energy through me as their conduit, and the overwhelming flow made me feel dizzy.

Just then.

“Kamon?”

Princess Francia, who had finished her task, looked at me with concern.

“Why does your face look like that? Are you alright?”

“…I-I’m fine.”

Barely managing to speak, I responded while struggling to endure the immense pull between the two powerful artifacts, like two gigantic magnets trying to merge.

“Why are you sweating so much…?”

As she pointed out, cold sweat was trickling down my face. But I wiped it away with my other hand and shook my head, trying to act like nothing was wrong.

“Hah, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”

At that moment, Fabian called out to the princess.

“So, are we leaving now?”

“Yes, we should. The goal now is to escape without being caught.”

With a nod, Princess Francia responded, and at the same time, the dramatic exchange between the bracelet and the ‘Orb’ came to an end.

*Snap!*

With a sound akin to chains breaking, the once heavy and dense energy that filled the bracelet dissipated in an instant.

*Whirr!*

At the same time, I felt a sudden rush of cool and powerful energy around me, as if something that had been sealed was now released.

‘What… is this?’

I quickly realized what it was—it was mana.

[Your mana sensitivity has increased significantly. I don’t know exactly what power the ring absorbed, but it has enhanced your abilities.]

‘The Orb… grew stronger?’

[Yes. After absorbing me, now it’s absorbed the bracelet’s power too. What is that thing?]

‘No idea.’

The ‘Orb’ seemed to hold secrets far beyond what I initially thought. It felt like there was some grand mystery behind it, something the author had set up but perhaps forgotten to fully explore.

‘I’ll have to figure it out later.’

As I organized my thoughts, Airsya spoke up again.

[Oh, and that bracelet—it’s similar too.]

‘What?’

[That thing is also sucking in mana like crazy.]

After hearing her, I focused on the mana flow around the bracelet. Sure enough, it was emitting a cool and refreshing energy, absorbing the surrounding mana.

I had no idea what was going on anymore.

When we get back to the Academy, I’ll have to ask Master Jamie about this.

Finally clearing my thoughts, I turned to Princess Francia and Fabian.

“Let’s head out.”

***

After leaving the head’s office, I used Airsya’s powers to help us avoid detection, just as I had done when we first entered the mansion.

“Let’s go.”

*Thud thud thud!*

As a result, we moved even faster than before, successfully making our way past the garden and out of the mansion.

However, the problem was that the security outside the mansion was even tighter than inside.

“It’s the Griffin Knights.”

Several knights with large griffin crests on their chests were patrolling the surrounding paths, their vigilance heightened as they conducted their search.

And on top of that…

“There are numerous magical traps scattered around. If we’re not careful, we could be surrounded in an instant.”

As I scanned the area and gave my report, Princess Francia nodded in agreement.

“I see knights on the opposite side and other paths as well. It seems like escaping from here will be quite difficult…”

As she continued speaking, borrowing the sight of ‘Gatraon’ to assess the situation, a loud explosion rang out from somewhere.

*BOOM! BANG!*

Then.

“Over there.”

“Move quickly!”

In an instant, the knights in front of us started rushing towards the source of the explosion.

“…What was that?”

“I don’t know, but isn’t it good for us? It’s created a distraction, after all,” Fabian answered, responding to Princess Francia.

But just then.

*Thud thud thud.*

“A girl with water-colored hair is resisting fiercely. Requesting backup!”

From the small crystal orb carried by one of the knights running by, we overheard the transmission. Princess Francia and I exchanged glances.

“A girl with water-colored hair?”

“Chelsea?”

There was only one person who came to mind when hearing ‘a girl with water-colored hair.’

“So, it’s not good news after all.”

Princess Francia’s voice was sharp as she spoke, then turned to Fabian and me.

“We have to save Chelsea. It seems she’s in danger.”

“……”

But I found myself hesitating.

Rowan Vade, who leads the Griffin Knights, was targeting me, not ordinary students. He wasn’t the type to harm someone unrelated, like Chelsea.

Moreover, the goal of the ‘Novice Challenge’ wasn’t to bring everyone back safely but to complete the assigned mission.

Was there really a need to go out of our way to rescue her?

Even Fabian, who briefly met my eyes, seemed to be thinking the same thing, shaking his head slightly.

But at that moment.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Princess Francia suddenly said.

“…?”

Fabian and I both turned to her in response to her unexpected words.

“I told you before, didn’t I? I want this ‘Novice Challenge’ to be a perfect success. And you both promised to follow my wishes before we set out.”

“That’s… true.”

“I didn’t say anything when you acted as you pleased in the village. But now…” She paused for a moment to take a deep breath before continuing in a firm tone.

“Now, follow my orders.”

“…Understood.”

“Let’s go rescue her.”

In the end, we decided to help Chelsea and rescue her.

It wasn’t long before we spotted her in the distance, fighting while surrounded by several knights on an open plain.

*Clang! Crash! Thud!*

Magic and dazzling swordsmanship clashed as Chelsea fought against the Griffin Knights.

However, the knights moved with a calm and confident demeanor, while Chelsea’s face showed signs of exhaustion, nearing her limit.

“Huff, huff.”

Gasping for breath, Chelsea continued to swing her sword. Upon seeing her, Princess Francia immediately shouted to us.

“Let’s move, quickly!”

At her command, the ancient spirit ‘Gatraon’ that had been summoned charged swiftly toward the encirclement.

*Thud thud thud!*

“Watch out behind you!”

“It’s a wolf!”

“What the hell?!”

“Where did that come from?!”

Startled shouts erupted from the Griffin Knights as the enormous wolf spirit suddenly appeared.

*Swish, thud thud thud!*

“Hyaah!”

Fabian, gripping his spear tightly, sprinted in after the spirit at full speed.

“It’s an ambush!”

“They look like students.”

“Don’t panic, handle them as usual!”

Despite being caught off guard for a moment, the well-trained elite Griffin Knights quickly regained their composure. They began to form up and reinforce their encirclement.

But before they could solidify their ranks…

“Fireball.”

I summoned dozens of fireballs into the air.

*Whoosh!*

The fiery orbs flew straight toward them.

As if it were my signature move, a barrage of magical fire rained down on the Griffin Knights.

*Boom! BOOM!*

“W-What the—?”

“Why are the fireballs so powerful?!”

Unlike before, the fireballs exploded with overwhelming force.

*Boom! Boom boom boom!*

“Damn it!”

The fireball magic was at least double, maybe even triple, the strength I normally used.

“What the hell is going on…?”

Even I was caught off guard by the unexpected power boost, staring blankly until…

[What’s got you so surprised? You absorbed that tremendous power earlier, remember?]

‘What?’

[Where do you think all that energy from the bracelet went? It’s been absorbed into the ring and is now enhancing your magic.]

Airsya’s explanation made everything click.

‘So the bracelet’s power increased the potency of my magic?’

“Ugh, block it!”

“We can’t! The flames are too intense, and the explosions are too strong!”

“That’s Kamon! It has to be Kamon’s magic!”

Hearing the Griffin Knights shouting about me, I extended my hand once more.

“Fireball.”

I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away now that we had the upper hand and the enemy was in disarray.

*Whoosh!*

I launched another wave of fireballs and shouted loudly.

“Everyone, run! Chelsea, you too! Get out of there!”

My voice echoed through the battlefield just as one of the fireballs flew faster than expected, exploding near Chelsea as she swung her sword.

*Whoosh, BOOM!*

And in the midst of the flames.

*Chiiiik!*

The ends of Chelsea’s water-colored hair caught fire and began burning rapidly.

“Ch-Chelsea?!”

But Chelsea didn’t panic at all, despite her hair catching fire. Without hesitation, she swung her sword once more.

*Slash!*

With a swift cut, Chelsea, who had once boasted long, flowing hair, severed the blackened, burnt ends, leaving her with a short, bobbed hairstyle.

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