How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 165

Chelsea barely managed to escape from the Griffin Knights’ encirclement, and we, having rescued her, immediately made our way toward the designated spot outside the territory.

However…

“……”

I couldn’t help but keep noticing Chelsea’s now-short hair. It used to flow behind her in the wind like a cascade of water, but now it was just a tangled mess.

[Why do you keep staring? I think it looks better short.]

‘Shut up.’

I snapped at Airsya, who had intruded without reading the mood.

“…You don’t need to keep looking, Kamon. I’m fine.”

“Huh?”

Chelsea’s voice caught me off guard.

“I said, I’m fine. No need to stare like that.”

She met my eyes and spoke firmly, which made me avert my gaze.

“Sorry.”

“No, really. There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

Her words, paired with a shake of her head, stirred both guilt and gratitude within me.

[See? What did I say? I told you it looks better short.]

As Airsya continued her annoying commentary, I briefly considered crushing the ring but calmed myself down.

We continued moving farther away from the Vade family’s territory, having broken through their lines.

“We’re almost at the village,” Chelsea said coldly.

Princess Francia, looking slightly concerned, asked, “Still no sign of Kyle? Do you think he’s in any trouble?”

Fabian quickly shook his head, showing his confidence in Kyle. “He’s probably already at the village, waiting for us.”

Finally, as we approached the village outskirts—

“Wait a moment,” Princess Francia abruptly stopped us.

“…?”

“What’s wrong?” Chelsea and Fabian both looked puzzled by her sudden halt.

With a somewhat anxious tone, Princess Francia explained, “There are Griffin Knights in the village. And Kyle is with them.”

“What?” Fabian asked, bewildered.

Keeping her composure, Princess Francia continued, “The captain of the Griffin Knights is there with Kyle. And there are quite a few knights with him. I think our meeting spot has been compromised.”

“That’s impossible! Kyle would never give us away!” Fabian shook his head in denial.

Chelsea frowned. “That’s not the point, Fabian.”

“Haa…”

With Chelsea’s reprimand, Fabian clenched his fists and let out a deep sigh. At that moment, Princess Francia muttered, her expression growing darker.

“But Kyle… doesn’t seem to be in good shape…”

Just then—

“Ah, so you’ve arrived, Princess.”

An all-too-familiar voice echoed from all directions.

“It’s the captain of the Griffin Knights. He knows we’re here,” Francia said.

“How did he—?”

It wasn’t clear how, but Rowan Vade had figured out that we were near the village and had amplified his voice to address us.

“You don’t need to be so surprised. At least within the Vade territory, it’s not difficult to locate you no matter where you try to hide.”

His voice, laced with amusement, continued.

“Oh, and to clarify, your friend hasn’t said a word. We managed to track you down purely through deduction. I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea and start doubting your comrade—it wouldn’t be good for student morale, after all.”

Rowan’s tone was mocking, as if he found the whole situation amusing, which only made Fabian bite his lip in frustration.

“Now, you’ve all worked hard to get this far, but let’s end this here, Princess.”

With an air of finality, Rowan got to the point.

“Hand over the banner you stole and Kamon Vade. If you do that, I’ll make sure no further harm comes to your friend, and we’ll even treat his injuries.”

The rest of us tensed at his words, and then he added:

“Oh, by the way, your friend’s injuries are quite serious. If left untreated, it might leave him with permanent damage—something to keep in mind.”

As soon as he finished, Fabian, unable to contain his anger, shouted, “Damn it, Princess! We have to go save Kyle!”

“What? You want to abandon the ‘Novice Challenge’ just like that?” Chelsea retorted, glaring at Fabian.

“He said Kyle’s injuries could leave him permanently disabled. You heard that, right?”

“That’s coming from the enemy. How can you trust it? Besides, he’s asking us to trade Kamon for Kyle. That’s—”

“What?” Fabian, looking at Chelsea as if her words were absurd, turned to Princess Francia.

“Princess, we have to hand over the banner and Kamon! There’s no way they’ll kill Kamon—he’s family!”

“……”

But Princess Francia remained silent, her lips tightly sealed.

“Princess?”

“Just give me a moment, Fabian. I need some time to think.”

“……”

Seeing the conflicted look in her eyes, Fabian could only stay quiet, though frustration was etched on his face.

At that moment, Kyle’s familiar voice echoed through the area.

“Guys, I’ll be fine… Just go ahead to the Academy without me! I’ll catch up… somehow!”

However, his voice lacked its usual strength, and it was clear from the sound alone that his condition was far from good.

“Damn it, Kyle!” Fabian growled, looking as though he was about to rush in any second, but Princess Francia raised her hand again.

“Wait! Just give me five minutes. Please.”

“Ugh, fine…” Fabian grumbled, barely managing to restrain himself.

It was then that Chelsea spoke in a hushed tone.

“He doesn’t seem to know exactly where we are yet.”

Indeed, if Rowan Vade knew our precise location, he would have attacked by now rather than wasting time talking.

The fact that he hadn’t made a move suggested…

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Should we try a surprise attack to rescue Kyle now?” Chelsea, clearly troubled by the situation, voiced her idea.

However, I firmly shook my head, speaking in a resolute tone.

“No, that’s impossible.”

Rowan Vade was an exceptional powerhouse. Even if we attempted a surprise attack with our academy-level skills, it would be futile. We wouldn’t even be able to scratch him, and we’d be stopped in our tracks.

‘Entering there now would be a suicide mission. It’s pure madness.’

[Cackling. That’s right, to achieve your goals, you must be prepared to sacrifice even your friends. Just leave him behind, as the man suggested.]

“Then what should we do? Are you really telling me to give up?” Chelsea questioned in frustration.

I remained silent.

Passing the ‘Novice Challenge’ was incredibly important to me. It wasn’t just about completing the mission — it was the only way to get closer to uncovering the wretched source of my problems. It would also solve future financial issues.

And then there was Rowan Vade. He had been persistently targeting me. Although I didn’t know why yet, I was certain it wasn’t for any benevolent reason. His fixation on me seemed even more intense than his interest in the ‘Novice Challenge.’

*Sigh.*

I took a deep breath, organizing my thoughts.

‘Kyle Perion, the protagonist.’

Was there anything more important than the boy struggling over there right now?

This world was a novel, after all. A place with a set beginning, middle, and end. And the only one who could lead us to that ending was the chosen protagonist, Kyle Perion.

If something terrible happened to him here — if he were to be permanently injured…

The butterfly effect would be monumental, far beyond the minor changes I’d already caused to the original story.

‘He might not even become the Hero.’

And if that happened, this world would face the worst-case scenario: destruction at the hands of the Demon King.

‘Right. The answer is clear then, isn’t it?’

Finally, I made up my mind.

“Princess Francia.”

“Kamon?”

“Propose this: hand me over instead of the banner.”

“What?!”

“Kamon!”

“What the hell are you talking about…?”

Both Princess Francia, Chelsea, and even Fabian looked at me with shock in their eyes.

“If we stubbornly try to run, we’ll just get captured by Rowan Vade anyway. It’s better for us to succeed in the ‘Novice Challenge’ like this.”

At this point, there was no use worrying about the future. I had to gamble on what I could achieve right now.

“……”

Upon hearing my suggestion to sacrifice myself, Princess Francia, looking determined, nodded.

“Alright, let’s do it.”

Standing up abruptly, she closed her eyes and began to commune with the ancient spirit, Gatraon.

And then.

“Well, what is this massive wolf? I saw it before, but could it be a product of your excellent spirit magic, Princess?” Rowan Vade’s mocking voice echoed through the air.

Princess Francia spoke up.

“Captain of the Griffin Knights, I have a proposal.”

“Oh? Our esteemed princess wishes to make a proposal? Very well, I’m all ears.”

Though his tone made it clear he had no intention of accepting, he still listened.

Princess Francia’s eyelids trembled slightly but, taking a deep breath, she calmly continued.

“I will hand over the golden banner of the Vade family.”

She was declaring the abandonment of our ‘Novice Challenge’ mission. Immediately, Rowan Vade responded.

“Oh, a wise decision indeed, Your Highness.”

“But!” she interjected.

“Hmm?”

“I will not hand over Kamon Vade. We will trade the golden banner for Kyle only. There will be no further negotiations.”

Her voice was resolute, more unyielding than ever, and we could do nothing but stare at her in stunned silence.

***

*Growl!*

Wearing heavy armor, Rowan Vade stood, gazing at the tied-up Kyle in front of him.

“Only the golden banner, huh? Ridiculous.”

Though he chuckled at the absurdity, he didn’t relay his thoughts back through magic.

“……”

“Captain, what should we do?” one of the knights asked, urging him to make a decision. Rowan waved a hand dismissively.

“Let me think for a moment.”

The fact that the golden banner had been stolen in the first place was a result of his own carelessness.

‘Did I underestimate them?’

He should have realized earlier that these students were no ordinary academy brats when they managed to escape from his grasp the first time. At the time, he had brushed it off as a stroke of bad luck.

‘It seems I’ve gotten rusty.’

Nevertheless, these students had far exceeded his expectations, stealing the golden banner of the Vade family, the “Griffin with Black Tears.”

From that moment, Rowan had stopped viewing them as mere academy students. He now saw them as actual enemies.

As a result, he quickly captured Kyle and, through simple yet intense questioning, managed to piece together their situation from the scant fragments of information the boy didn’t reveal.

His plan was to secure their location before the students, offering Princess Francia a proposal she couldn’t refuse.

“Perhaps I should avoid getting too greedy?”

Having already accepted them as equals, Rowan Vade now respected his opponents, including the princess. While he still intended to discipline his nephew for the disgrace he brought upon the family, he also recognized the need to respect his adversaries.

“You must also learn to respect your enemy,” he muttered.

With a nod of agreement to himself, Rowan placed a hand to his neck and raised his voice toward the massive wolf before him.

“Very well, Princess. I accept your proposal.”

Just as the deal seemed to be on the verge of conclusion—

“Alright, then this…! Ah, Kamon… Wait… No!”

Suddenly, Princess Francia’s shocked voice rang out, followed by a loud explosion from the western side of the village.

*BOOM!*

A massive explosion erupted from the western side of the village.

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