The Villain Bought the Heroine

Chapter 60

That day, 4 p.m.

The church’s heroes visited the Academia once again.

The auditorium was filled with first-year students.

The current students, filled with anticipation of the unknown, were buzzing with excitement. Originally, this gathering was meant to be a simple presentation, where the already established mentor-mentee relationships were to be officially announced, causing no commotion.

However, this time, the situation was a bit different.

It was because Crane, the mentor of Bargan in the previous development, who I used to call a gloomy hero, gave up mentoring.

Since Hailion’s proposal, he persistently sent me letters or came to see me directly, asking to be his mentee, but when I refused, he inherited the authority.

How petty a hero can be.

…Anyway, the two spots for his prospective mentees were passed on to other heroes. It is still unknown which two people got them, but Hailion said he didn’t.

Yet, this time was a chance for the students to regain trust.

“You might have a chance.”

When I jokingly said this to Emily nearby, she shook her head. Then she replied that she knows her level and it wouldn’t happen.

“I’m not a fool either.”

I was slightly surprised.

“…Why are you making that face?”

“Emily, you finally seem to grasp the subject. Considering your growth, I can say my influence played a significant role.”

“Ugh! Seriously!”

Emily frowned in anger, but there was something awkward about her. She might not know, but from my perspective, who is skilled at reading people’s expressions, it was definitely so.

“When you heard that Pin became Hailion’s prospective mentee, you had these two conflicting emotions just like now.”

“…What?”

“While outwardly showing surprise and congratulations, did you not harbor dark emotions inside?”

“That, that’s…”

Emily avoided eye contact and fell silent.

She seemed to be blaming herself for the vile emotions she felt back then.

There’s no need for that.

“People experience multiple emotions in a single event, and even a single word uttered by a person carries various meanings. Even if you were envious at the time, it’s not strange at all.”

“…It doesn’t suit you. You don’t have to sugarcoat it… Oh, okay, okay. I get it. You were just stating facts, not saying it for my sake, right? Fine, stop looking at me like I’m trash.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

As we were having a casual conversation, the hall became even noisier. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the nine figures advancing.

The heroes walked confidently, exchanging greetings. Some waved their hands or smiled.

*Squeeeak!*

Like when the microphone was first turned on. A high-pitched noise pierced through the ears. The person who turned on the magic circle seemed to find the noise too loud, covering one ear and squinting their eyes.

“Ah, can you hear me well?”

The leading hero was a woman with a sharp tongue. I know her. She played a significant role even in the novel.

Her name is…

“I think you all know, but due to certain circumstances, we had to select additional prospective mentees. There will be three mentees announced this time. Don’t misunderstand, it wasn’t a mistake. Understand?”

The sharp-tongued hero chuckled.

Then she added, “The students selected additionally can refuse. If you don’t want it, just let the Academy know later.”

Knowing that such a thing would be rare, it was still necessary to mention it for procedural reasons.

“Oh, by the way. One of the two heroes selected as additional prospective mentees is me. I’ll teach kindly and patiently. If you’re thinking of refusing, think deeply again. Okay?”

The hero shortened the introduction and began speed-reading.

With visual magic, large numbers appeared in the air.

If someone saw it, they might mistake the event venue, where a lot of money was invested, for a recreational activity led by the host.

Well, looking around, there were definitely many current students who seemed nervous, so at least the effect was certain.

And when all the remaining numbers disappeared,

A list-style image comes to mind.

– Hailion

Class 1 Shugenhardt Troa Bargan · Class 1 Toyren Troa Fin- Charlotte

Class 1 Alicia · Class 1 Liam · Class 1 Emily

– Fortlaine

Class 4 Beliar Troa Bantlo · Class 1 Serena

– Prehaind

Class 2 Osel Bui Artellion · Class 2 Osel Solus Lauga

……

Emily, trying to lower her expectations as much as possible, skimmed through the list.

Of course, it shouldn’t be there, but just in case, out of uncertainty…

“Oh, oh…?!”

With wide eyes, Emily blinked several times, wiping her eyes to double-check. It seemed like she found it hard to believe what was in front of her. Upon looking again and again, it clearly stated ‘Class 1 Emily.’

There is only one person named Emily in Class 1.

Emily couldn’t hide her surprise, her mouth slightly agape.

I was a bit surprised too. I couldn’t say Emily didn’t contribute at all during the class, but it wasn’t so noticeable.

Could it be that Hailion intervened.

Even such a suspicion arises.

“Miss Emily! Congratulations! …Really, truly congratulations!”

“Ah, Alicia… Ah, ahhh!”

Emily began to cry loudly, embracing Alicia who was standing beside her.

Alicia gently stroked her hair and whispered words of congratulations. Tears welled up in Alicia’s eyes as well.

One must acknowledge their exceptional empathy.

Despite the intense focus on the two, Emily’s crying did not stop. Alicia embraced her until she was satisfied.

Meanwhile, Alicia, between tearful eyes, occasionally glanced at the hero who took charge of the situation.

It’s understandable why Alicia is showing interest in her. This aspect remains consistent with the original work.

“Thank you so much for being so happy. Take care in the future!”

The heroine of this conversation is Charlotte.

She shares a name with Alicia’s late older sister.

***

After the presentation, Pin and I had a meeting with Hailion. It wasn’t a grand occasion, just a brief conversation to inform us about the mentoring schedule ahead.

“N-N-Nice to meet you! I-I-I am Toyren Troa Pin!!”

Pin bent his waist perfectly at a 90-degree angle, extending his hand. Even if a being called a god descended from the heavens to the earth, they might not be as polite.

“Nice to meet you, Student Pin.”

Hailion shook his hand, gesturing for him to take a seat.

Pin repeatedly shivered his teeth, looking at Hailion’s hand as if it were made of gold.

I, being helpless, pressed Pin’s shoulder to make him sit down.

Excessive flattery is unnecessary.

“Mentoring will officially begin during the summer vacation. Until then, it is a process of preparing for the holidays.”

The prospective mentee will be together until summer vacation, and the selection of one mentee right before the start of the second semester.

In other words, at least until summer vacation, it means that all prospective mentees can have the opportunity for teaching and practical training.

“When the vacation comes, you will be with my team for two months. Since we haven’t received the mission from the central church yet, I can’t promise what we will do, but we will probably be tasked with dismantling the Altif of the bishop level and destroying their ‘nest.'”

Halion glanced at me as he spoke.

It was a look that seemed to want to see my reaction.

“That sounds exciting.”

I naturally leaked that excitement.

He still harbored suspicions that I had a power similar to prophecy. He wanted to see how I would react and consider it for reference in any direction.

Sorry, Halion.

I won’t give you any hints.

The events you will face this vacation will have such a tremendous impact that it will greatly contribute to raising your prestige.

Even if the course of history changes and the future takes a slightly different path, you will inevitably find yourself at the scene.

What would you do by throwing a rock into a well-flowing stream if you just sit quietly? It’s best to just watch.

“Since the nest is so dangerous, you will come to the team as an observer or assistant, but you must be able to catch the priests without any difficulty. With skills that cannot even catch a mindless body, you will be useless.”

Fin swallowed his saliva.

He realized his helplessness. Even though he had been training rigorously since before the class battle, he was still tense.

“So this is training to prevent that, right?”

“Yes. I heard that Bargan student captured the bishop level. It’s quite an achievement for a first-year.”

“Yet, bringing up such a thing… the nest is different, isn’t it?”

“The story progresses quickly because of Bargan student’s strengths.”

Halion seemed to smile as if it was the correct answer.

“Altiph killed by Bargan student, Caliculea was not an individual who created a nest. If there had been a nest, even Bargan student would have had a hard time, I think.”

The nest created by the sentient Altiph.

They call their defense base a shrine and reside there. They sacrifice humans in prayer to the goddess, equip a hatching chamber, etc., it’s the concept of the habitat where they live.

However, as it is the residence of monsters, its appearance is never ordinary.

“The nest is a living organism. Entering a nest is similar to entering a predator’s mouth, or a dangerous dungeon, conceptually.”

Inside the nest, mindless bodies following the sentient body of that nest wander. Also, the nest itself detects intruders and transforms like pre-installed traps to eliminate them.

While having to deal with the sentient body, one can easily imagine how troublesome the existence of the nest is.

Caliculea did not create a nest while living among humans, but as Halion said, even I would have suffered if there had been a nest.

Halion handed me two books.

They were preparatory materials for each of us.

“It’s a book that contains not only learning about the nest itself but also countermeasures, rules to follow, etc. Originally, it’s content that you would delve into in the advanced course in the second year, but you can consider it as preparatory study.”

“Yes, I will! Thank you!”

“Please make use of it.”

“It’s interesting how the reactions vary.”

For someone who says it’s interesting, he is not smiling at all. If he had pretended to smile just now, it might have been more convincing.

“And this is an artifact for training.”

“An artifact! I can’t accept something so valuable!”

“Even though it’s an artifact, it’s an artifact imbued with a curse.”

“Oh…?”

Using the sound of Pin’s crisp voice as background music, I examined the information about the bracelet-shaped relic. It was to determine what curse it held.

“It’s a relic that limits magic.”

I continued.

“And it’s quite powerful.”

Hearing my words, Helion smiled faintly. The smile was also an act, but it seemed more natural than not doing it.

Although it didn’t display detailed explanations like Liam did, one could roughly estimate its power.

This relic was a contractual artifact that activated its effects based on mutual agreement.

The wearer of the relic, the ‘B,’ determined the duration and intensity of the effect through an agreement with the relic’s owner, the ‘A.’ As the intensity increased, the maximum output of the wearer decreased, and using regular magic became much more burdensome than before.

Of course, even though it was a relic, it wasn’t all-powerful. Depending on its performance and condition, the maximum limit that could be imposed varied after making a contract.

This one was top-notch, even among the elite. I could control up to 80% of my maximum magical output.

“No need for explanations, I suppose.”

“…..”

“Yes? Yes? Why do you think there’s no need for an explanation… Lord Vargan?”

I chuckled.

It just so happened that I needed materials to restrict magic for my unique spell research. Helion casually handed it over, but the grade of this relic was top-tier, like Nias, a first-class item.

It held a grade equivalent to Nias, one of Liam’s swords, which controlled magic under a contract.

Primarily, the scarcity was extreme, and aspiring young warriors desired it so much that they would lose their minds. The demand was a hundred, yet the supply was close to zero.

Moreover, it would automatically self-destruct after one month of use.

A treasure that even ordinary nobles couldn’t obtain, no matter how much they desired it.

Even for a Sage like myself, it was the highest grade I had only used once in my childhood. Was there a need to be surprised at receiving such a gift for free?

“Very well. Let’s proceed with the training.”

“Your response is as expected. So, Vargan, the control over magic will be…”

“At its maximum.”

“Lord Vargan?! If you restrict magic to the maximum, what will you do?”

Ignoring Pin’s chatter, I clearly conveyed,

“I will limit the magic to its maximum.”