How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 167

The old man who stood before us, having eliminated the first group with a mere flick of his hand, was terrifyingly calm.

“Ahhhh!”

“Stop him! Somehow, stop him!”

The remaining Griffin Knights and royal guards raised their weapons and charged at him, but—

*Fwoosh!*

With another casual flick of his hand, he wiped them all out again.

‘What… is this?’

The scene unfolding before my eyes felt utterly unreal, almost dreamlike.

I could only feel one emotion in response to the chaos—pure shock and numbness.

[Kamon! Run, now!]

If it hadn’t been for Airsya screaming at me like a madwoman, I would have stood there frozen, just like the others, watching the massacre unfold.

[That’s a monster. A real monster has appeared!]

It was an overwhelming show of force.

This old man, with a single gesture, had slaughtered the elite Griffin Knights—proud soldiers of the Vade family—and even the skilled royal guards. They were all annihilated in an instant.

‘Damn it. What the hell is going on now?’

Thanks to Airsya’s frantic yelling, I snapped back to reality and tried to get to my feet.

But—

“Ugh!”

The sharp pain in my shoulder made me wince just as I heard the last knight’s scream as he fell.

“You’re the one.”

Suddenly, the old man’s gaze, having finished slaughtering those who stood in his way, turned toward me.

I felt as though I was standing naked before him, unable to breathe, his suffocating aura pressing down on me, leaving me paralyzed.

“Who… are you?”

“Me? Hm, before I answer that—”

The old man tilted his head, as if puzzled, mumbling to himself.

“How odd. Gus and Parkon were taken down by a kid like you?”

‘Gus? Parkon?’

I quickly racked my brain, trying to remember where I’d heard those names before. And then it clicked.

“The Shadows?”

“Yes. I don’t particularly like that name, but yes, I’m part of the Shadows.”

He nodded, easily revealing his identity.

“Though it’s unfortunate for you, I hold the position of elder in the Shadows. The people you killed were part of my group.”

The old man smiled, but it was a cold, wicked smile that sent a shiver down my spine.

“Though they were pitiful enough to be taken out, they were still my subordinates, and I owe them some form of vengeance.”

He extended his hand toward me and asked once again.

“Kamon Vade, right?”

“……”

“The only remaining heir of the Vade family. I suppose that makes you somewhat special.”

He muttered, as if amused by the idea of a noble family’s heir, like me, being caught up in this.

Then, without warning, he turned and began walking away.

“However, now is not the time for that vengeance. First, I must complete the mission we’ve repeatedly failed at.”

Ignoring me as if I was insignificant, the old man headed toward his new target.

‘What the…?’

[Amazing! Now’s your chance, Kamon. Run! If you stay here, you’ll die a pointless death!]

Airsya was screaming at me to flee, but I was fixated on the direction the old man was heading.

His target was—

*Shivering.*

‘Princess Francia.’

She was still trembling in fear, trapped in a deep trauma. Chelsea, Fabian, and Kyle stood nearby, trying to protect her.

“Kyle, cut the ropes!”

At Kyle’s urgent command, Fabian sliced through his bonds with his spear.

*Shing!*

Kyle quickly drew his sword, *Python*, and, with his face pale as a sheet, charged toward the old man.

But—

“Move.”

With another casual wave of the old man’s hand, an overwhelming force was unleashed toward Kyle.

The same deadly energy that had obliterated everyone else was now heading straight for Kyle.

“Damn it, no!”

I shouted instinctively, fearing the worst.

*Shing, Thud!*

“Huh?”

For the first time, instead of the gruesome sound of flesh being torn apart, I heard something deflecting the blow.

“Hmm? You blocked that?”

The old man, clearly surprised, tilted his head and stared at Kyle.

Kyle, though panting heavily, was still standing. His face was ghostly pale, and he looked like he was on the verge of collapsing, but somehow, he had survived.

“Interesting. You blocked my attack. Let’s see if you can handle this too—”

The old man, his curiosity piqued, raised his hand again, ready to unleash another attack.

*Whoosh!*

*Slash!*

Before he could strike, a barrage of attacks rained down on his position.

“Run! Get the Princess to safety!”

“Protect the Princess!”

The Griffin Knights and royal guards, despite their injuries, threw themselves at the old man in a desperate attempt to buy us time.

*Thud thud thud!*

Seeing this, Chelsea and Fabian quickly lifted Princess Francia onto their backs and bolted from the scene at top speed.

The old man scowled, clearly annoyed, and muttered angrily.

“These damn pests!”

*Snap!*

*Fwoosh!*

“Urgh!”

“Arghhh!”

Their final resistance was quickly snuffed out.

The old man, looking irritated, dusted off his hands and resumed his pursuit of Princess Francia.

At that moment, when everyone was consumed by despair, imagining the worst-case scenario unfolding—

‘Damn it, this is all messed up!’

“Fireball!”

[Hey, what the hell are you doing? Stop it! That’s suicide! You’re going to die!]

I couldn’t just stand by any longer. Whether Kyle got killed or the princess was harmed—

‘The one really screwed here is me.’

To prevent the original story from spiraling into complete chaos, I had to act, no matter the cost.

So I summoned a barrage of fireballs.

“Go!”

*Whoosh!*

I conjured dozens of blazing orbs and hurled them at the old man with everything I had.

*Whoosh, BOOM!*

The fireballs flew swiftly toward him, but—

“……”

With a casual wave of his hand, the fireballs fizzled out and evaporated before even reaching him.

Then, the old man, who had been chasing after the princess, turned his gaze toward me.

“Hah, I thought I’d deal with you later.”

Hearing his ominous tone, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

“Later? Who cares about revenge—how ridiculous.”

Then, I shouted out a name—one that carried weight in this world.

“Jamie, the Yellow Mage.”

“Hm?”

The old man frowned, looking at me as if I were spouting nonsense, but I boldly declared:

“I am the student of Jamie, the Yellow Mage. The rightful heir of the Vade family. I’ve been taught by the Grand Spirit Mage Elmon, and I am a student at the Academy under the supervision of Beatrice, the Red Mage. I will stop your evil deeds here.”

[What are you doing, you idiot?!]

It was a flimsy, childish threat, listing all my mentors and connections. I was bluffing, hoping it would at least slow him down. I had no real way to defeat someone like him.

But if I could buy even a second of time, just enough for Fabian or Chelsea to escape with the princess, it would be worth it.

“Hmm, what’s this?” the old man muttered, clearly unimpressed.

“What?”

“Did you think I’d be scared by a list of names?”

“No, not really.”

“Ha, so why bring them up? Are you trying to stall for time?” He saw through my ploy and reached into his robe.

*Snap!*

In a swift motion, he broke something in his hand.

*Fwoosh!*

A dark arrow shot out at incredible speed, heading straight for its target.

Then—

“Aaahhhhh!”

“Chelsea?!”

I heard a familiar scream and couldn’t help but shout out in panic.

“Did you think stalling would buy them enough time to escape?”

“You bastard…!”

Even though I knew I stood no chance against him, the moment I heard Chelsea’s scream, a wave of rage washed over me.

“Good, I can see the fire in your eyes. Now I understand why Gus and Parkon failed.”

The old man nodded, then fixed his gaze on me and spoke.

“My name is Shador. I am an elder and leader of the Shadows. Kamon Vade, heir of the Vade family, student of the Yellow Mage, disciple of Elmon and Beatrice.”

He repeated my words, almost mocking me, and then smiled coldly as he muttered.

“Today, I will take your life.”

*Snap!*

He raised his hand, and I could see it—a storm of invisible blades converging on me, carrying the same deadly intent that had claimed the lives of so many.

‘Is this the end?’

I watched as the deadly energy barreled toward me.

[Damn it! I told you to run!]

As the blades closed in, I braced for the inevitable. But then—

*Buzz.*

For the first time, the ‘Orb’ reacted on its own. A deep green energy surged out from it, spreading across my body.

At the same time, the bracelet I was wearing began to vibrate intensely, absorbing the green energy and amplifying it throughout my entire body.

“What… what is this?”

Then, as the invisible blades reached me—

*Clang, Thud!*

Instead of piercing through me, the blades bounced off, repelled by a thick barrier of green energy that encased my body like armor.

*Crack!*

With a sound like shattering glass, the green energy dissipated as the blades were deflected.

“……?”

[W-What? A defensive spell?]

Both Airsya and I were in utter shock, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

Even Shador, the old man who had launched the attack, looked startled, his eyes widening in disbelief.

But then—

*Thud!*

[Hey, what’s wrong with you?]

‘I don’t know… I feel so weak… no, I’m so… sleepy…’

An overwhelming wave of drowsiness hit me, and my body went limp. Before I knew it, I collapsed onto the ground.

‘What… what just happened?’

The green energy from the ‘Orb,’ the barrier created by the bracelet… I had no idea what any of it meant.

But I couldn’t fight it. The exhaustion was too much. I was powerless to resist the sleep that overtook me.

‘I’m sorry… I’m going to sleep.’

[Kamon! Hey! Kamon!]

Airsya’s frantic voice echoed in my ears, but I closed my eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.

The last thing I heard was a voice filled with fury.

“How dare you cause such chaos in *my* territory?”

***

*Thud!*

Kamon Vade collapsed, his head hitting the ground.

Airsya, watching over him, gnawed on her nails nervously.

[Damn it, if this keeps up, I’m going to disappear too!]

Having become bound to the ‘Orb,’ her fate was tied to Kamon’s. If the artifact broke or was destroyed, she would vanish as well.

In fact, she wasn’t sure if Kamon’s death alone would be enough to wipe her out. The uncertainty of her situation only added to her frustration.

And then—

*Fwoosh!*

[Huh? What now?]

The sky suddenly turned crimson, and massive flames erupted, filling the air.

[Fire? Out of nowhere?]

The towering inferno split into hundreds of pieces, spreading across the land.

The once-dominant Shador, the elder of the Shadows, stood frozen in place, his face hardening as he muttered.

“…Baran Vade?”

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