Surviving as a Villain at the Academy

4 – Astaroth. (2)

What on earth happened?

Astaroth couldn’t hide her confusion.

Because a demon’s true name cannot be known unless the demon reveals it. But how did that human know my true name which I have never told anyone?

When the unidentified human in front of her accepted the contract, she thought there wouldn’t be any major problems. Even though I seemed to be questioning something and moving my hand, she assumed it was okay.

Because her true name was not written in the contract anyways, so she couldn’t compel my actions.

But what on earth is this? Why is my true name written in this contract?

It was something I couldn’t understand.

Even among the devils, there was only one who knew Holmes’s true name.

The creator who created this world, the high heavenly deity. Deus.

But how in the world could a mere human know her true name?

Especially when she was active in the human realm, she always used only an alias so there should have been no one in human history who knew her true name.

No priest could figure out her true name, and even the great lords who ruled hell could not know her true name.

But how, how could this be…?

Astaroth’s eyes were clouded with doubt. Perhaps the being in front of her was not a simple human. Look how his eyes pierced through her.

She’d never seen a human maintaining such composure in front of a demon.

It was strange to think about. Despite her revealing herself as a demon, he showed no signs of fear or excitement. Even when told she would hand over the object of his affection, he remained calm.

Astaroth realized she had been foolish.

She only thought of him as decent prey as she felt a fairly intense whirlwind of emotions and hoped to manipulate him through affection for Arius. But no matter how much she thought about it, she felt like he’d been targeting her all along.

She should have been cautious at least until the contract was handed to the boy.

Even if she didn’t reveal her true name, she should have at least been wary… she gritted her teeth. It was already too late.

She has been bound motionlessly by the demon’s contract.

Someone might say, just ignore a mere contract.

But it was impossible. Astaroth couldn’t escape the shackles of the contract, no, any demon, including the Great Lord of Hell, Baal, couldn’t defy the contract once their true name was written on it.

It was a ‘concept’ created when the world was created at the beginning, and when God sent the damned to hell.

It was a total loss.

Astarot couldn’t even try to hide her defeated expression. She now had to abide by the terms of the contract.

The biggest problem was, of course, the fact the contract hadn’t clearly stated when it would end. She had toyed around with demonic contracts to the point that she had finally met her match.

She became her own undoing through her familiarity. She had thought she could once again lure her adversary into a contract that appeared to favor humans, but unexpectedly, the one who had been led astray was Astarot herself.

So, the question loops back to the beginning. What exactly is the entity of this boy before her eyes?

How could this boy, known as Frahz Ransel, know her real name which she had never spoken anywhere?

She felt her vision go black.

* * *

Astarot looked dazed to me, but this was all born out of her negligence. Even though I had taken the reins through our contract, I couldn’t just sit back and relax.

After all, I had just finished the first task in a long line of upcoming scenarios.

There was much I had to do next.

This was the only way I could find a place to survive within the story without distorting the flow too much.

There could be a method to hog all the karmic connections of the protagonist, like other stories of awakening in other worlds. But doing so would surely distort the flow of the story, and I would be unable to handle any unexpected situation.

Moreover, the biggest problem was that the person I was incarnated as, ‘Frahz Ransel,’ was hopelessly lacking in talent compared to Ruslan Ares, the protagonist.

Even if I could take the lead, my mediocre talent and five elements would obstruct my path. Just because I am in Frahz Ransel’s body, it doesn’t mean I would discover any hidden talents that would make my life easier, having lived in the modern world until now.

I might be able to borrow some of Astarot’s power due to the contract, but with my poor abilities, I wouldn’t make full use of it. Therefore, the only thing I could do… was to follow the original narrative as closely as possible.

I reviewed the actions of Frahz Ransel. After being completely snagged by the fraudulent contract with Astarot, he started to sacrifice everything to her.

Unlike me, he became her slave… he was Astarot’s puppet.

Astarot, being greedy, targeted Aris, who was devastated by Frahz Ransel’s betrayal. Astarot considered the strong emotions to be her finest feast.

So, my actions should be… those which Astarot would have taken the lead in, according to the original storyline.

To plunge Aris Winslet into hardship, and thus bring Ruslan, who arrived to save her and her hidden piece within the academy.

That wasn’t Astaroth’s intention, but still.

Of course, the process is important in the flow of narrative, but what matters more is the result of it.

Ruslan had to obtain the hidden pieces within the academy. Precisely, he had to overcome hardship, gain enlightenment, and seize the hidden pieces.

So, what I have to do now is this.

“Astaroth.”

“……Why, why?”

“Don’t be so defensive. I have no intention of attacking you.”

She looked at me with a face full of caution. No matter how I looked, I couldn’t find the relaxed attitude she just had.

On the contrary, Astaroth was rolling her eyes. She seemed to be thinking about something. Even in the original story, she was a character who didn’t match well with schemes as she was honest with her emotions…… Now that I see, her face clearly shows what she’s thinking.

She seemed eager to resolve the situation in any way, but there was no way for her to escape from me now that the contract was completed.

I told her that fact bluntly.

“It is no use rolling your eyes.”

“What?”

“The contract is completed, and sadly there is no expiration date in the contract you wrote. In other words…… it means you can’t get away from me. Just like how you have been exploiting others.”

“…….”

Astaroth’s eyeballs stopped. Her expression starts to distort.

“What are you planning to do to me?”

“I don’t really plan on doing anything to you. I just need your help. And you need to cooperate with what I’m about to do.”

“Hm. Fine. Then, audacious human Praha Rancell who trapped the devil. What should I help you with?”

Contrary to her collaborative tone, Astarot’s face was warped in contortion.

“First, let some of your power transfer to me. We will talk about the details later.”

“Ch. Fine.”

Although Astarot made a reluctant face, she dared not defy me. She had to obey me.

The magic dyed in her body gradually seeped into me.

For a moment, my body fluttered at the surge of fierce magic. It couldn’t be helped. Astarot, albeit sloppy, is still a high-level demon.

However, due to the gradually stabilizing magic, strange things began appearing in my view. Blue auras. Unembodied magic began to be visible.

The devils’ privilege, Demon Eyes. There are many advantages in being able to see the flow of magic, which would significantly supplement my mediocre abilities.

Moreover, I feel that my physical abilities have improved considerably. A surge of power, perhaps? Maybe at this level, I can easily maintain the upper hand against others once my training is over and I return to the academy.

After all, this is just the early part of the novel.

“Is this enough? If I transferred more, it seemed like your body wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“It’s enough.”

“Anyway, apart from this, what else do I need to help you with?”

“Tormenting Aris Winslet.”

“What?”

At my sudden proposition, Astarot’s face turned bizarre. True. It is understandable why she would react this way knowing that she had to put Aris Winslet, whom she tried to get her hands on, even at the risk of becoming a potential assaulter, into a crisis.

“Isn’t the reason you made a contract with me was because you wanted to have Aris Winslet?”

“No. I have my own task to do. I can’t talk about it right now.”

“A task…? Well, whatever. I get it. I won’t question whatever rascality you’re up to. Oh, and it’s obvious you’re going to give me a room to stay, right? That’s clearly part of the contract.”

“Sure. I’ll arrange it quite lavishly. And after training, I’ll probably get expelled from the dormitory. From then on, you can accompany me.”

She nodded quickly, as if resignation came easily to her. It seemed she realized that since she was already tied by the contract, struggling wouldn’t change anything.

“Anyway, your reputation will be destroyed. If people heard that you messed with Aris Winslet and then flirted with another woman.”

“I don’t care. I don’t need to care about the eyes of others. In the first place, Aris and I were not even engaged. It would be a good thing if my reputation gets worse.”

Because my plan could progress a bit more smoothly.

“……I wonder what you’re thinking. Ah, and call me Asti in front of other people, unless you plan to blab my real name everywhere.”

“I know, Asti. Anyway, take care in the future.”

“…Sure.”

Asti sighed heavily.