The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

chapter 6



6. Arsene (1)

That night, after deciding to enter Arsene.

I finished dinner and returned to my room.

Knock, knock.

“…It’s Salia Dipon. I’ve brought the item you requested.”

“You can come in.”

Salia Dipon is a maid who manages my room, just like Armin Dias.

She must have been waiting for me to come in, since I prohibited her from entering my empty room.

Salia’s hands were full of luggage. It looked heavy, so I quickly went over and took the bags from her.

“……”

During that process, Salia’s face turned red, but I ignored it and didn’t respond.

“Bring it to me, and thank Sebastian for me too.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure to deliver it to the butler.”

When I received it, I saw that one person’s luggage was the size of a large carrier. And there were two of them.

I carefully opened the carrier, thinking that maybe there was something unnecessary inside. But when I looked inside, I was surprised.

“Wow.”

It was filled with all sorts of unnecessary items.

Did Sebastian put them in, or did my mother, Diana, request them?

A shiny bullet casing reflected the fluorescent light. It was a ‘Matan’ refined at Esperance.

A letter was attached, stating that it was customized to fit my handgun caliber. I wanted to test its performance, but since it was a consumable item, I decided to save it.

I pushed the ammunition to one side of the carrier. Then, I picked up a small ring.

“Is this…?”

Although it was a small, insignificant-looking ring, it was a magical artifact with a magic-boosting function.

No matter how much I trained, my magic power was still lacking. According to the machine’s measurements, it was only around 2,000, which was almost half of the average 4,000-5,000 magic power of the students entering the academy.

If I were to use my talent to the fullest, I could only use it about twice with my weak magic power.

I put the ring on my left ring finger. Unlike the elixir I took before training, the effect was immediate.

Whoa-

A clear, refreshing energy spread throughout my body, like I had eaten a concentrated extract of ginseng. My stagnant magic power began to circulate, and impurities were washed away.

This should make up for my lack of magic power.

It didn’t actually increase my magic power, but it helped with ‘agic regeneration,’ so I didn’t have to worry about running out of magic. I didn’t want to feel that suffocating, uncomfortable feeling again.

“And…”

There were two sets of high-grade bulletproof vests. According to Sebastian, they were the equipment used by Esperance’s assassins on the field.

However…

“This isn’t necessary.”

Since I had a recommendation letter to enter Arsene, admission was already guaranteed. There was no need to worry about being expelled midway.

If I took it, it might be useful someday, but it wasn’t as good as the uniform provided by Arsene.

And besides, the bulletproof vest was too conspicuous. I needed to reduce my luggage, so there was no need to bring it.

“…If you really need it, you can receive it by mail.”

There were also various poisonous chemicals and small ampoules.

It wasn’t something to drink in the car, but something to use for its original purpose.

“What’s with all this…?”

I roughly organized my luggage, reducing the amount of items from two carriers to one.

At that moment, my shoulder stung.

“…!”

I touched my left shoulder with my right hand, and there was still a lingering heat. I could still feel some pain.

I stood in front of the mirror and took off my top.

A pattern ran from my shoulder to my left arm.

“…The rune of the astral plane.”

Literally, the runes of the Airspace Magic were implemented within the body.

Most students had the Airspace runes carved into their bodies. Hunters who were active on the scene were no exception.

The process of carving was excruciatingly painful, but if I wanted to get to Arsene, I had to prepare to this extent.

It was rare to carry weapons outside. Most hunters stored their weapons in the Airspace. It was a unnecessarily detailed aspect.

Although it was called the ‘Airspace’, its capacity was limited, so I only stored the essentials. The capacity varied depending on the size of the carved rune, but usually, it could hold two or three weapons.

In the game, it was simply a matter of carving and it was done, but in reality, the process of getting a tattoo was necessary.

…As I said, it was extremely painful.

Now, the preparation was complete.

I put on my upper garment again and looked around my room. It was neatly organized, but I wouldn’t be coming back here once I left for Arsene.

“…….”

And I suddenly realized.

Although it was a short time, my body had grown accustomed to life here. It was both thrilling and eerie.

I had simply become a member of an organization that was just trying to break through. It was a moment when the sense of reality hit me hard.

Pa-aang-!

At that moment, I heard the sound of a horn from outside.

I slightly opened the curtain. A black sedan was entering the mansion.

“At this hour……?”

About ten security guards, who seemed to be bodyguards, appeared and surrounded the sedan. I watched the scene with my clairvoyance.

A man in a suit got out of the sedan.

The moment I saw his majestic appearance, my whole body trembled. I couldn’t move a single finger.

‘…Duke Esperand.’

One of the bosses from the original work.

At the same time, the person who was supposed to be my father.

I didn’t know whether to treat Duke Esperand as an enemy or as my father yet.

It was my first time meeting him in person, so I was even more confused.

At that moment.

“……!”

Duke Esperand turned his head and looked at me.

He seemed to have noticed my gaze, and I felt a chill run down my spine as if I had been caught.

In this world, most hunters were superhumans. And my father, Duke Esperand, was one of the top-tier superhumans.

Even when I saw him through the monitor, I felt overwhelmed, and now I was about to be crushed by his presence.

‘I didn’t know he could see through my clairvoyance.’

I bowed my head in greeting. Duke Esperand just glanced at me without taking any action.

After his gaze was withdrawn, I closed the curtain. Today was the first time I had seen one of the main characters from the original work in person.

Duke Esperand, who had been absent from home, had come to the mansion.

The introduction to the original work. The main quest was about to begin, and this was one of the scenes from the trailer video.

The scene from the game that I had seen countless times was unfolding before my eyes. Now, the curtains of the real game were finally rising.

“…It begins.”

I looked at the clock on the wall. The current time was 11:59.

The second hand was ticking away, moving slowly. When it reached the endpoint of 0, the subtle vibration from the clock entered my field of vision.

12 o’clock.

As all the needles pointed to 12, I heard a voice whispering in my ear.

Time remaining until the event – 00:00:00

The tutorial has ended.

The event is about to begin.

[Main Quest: Enrollment]

The curtain is about to rise for the real game.

Piiiii-!

The ringing in my ear made me subconsciously cover my ear.

This was the moment the main story began.

***

That morning.

As the sun rose, a message appeared before my eyes.

[Main Quest: Enrollment]

Arsene Academy, the most prestigious institution on the continent, is the cradle of heroes. If you want to be a hero, you must enroll in Arsene.

Prove your skills by enrolling in Arsene. You have the qualifications to become a great hero.

Hero… It’s a term that doesn’t suit me, a member of Esperanza, the worst villain group on the continent.

“I understand…”

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, the message was gone. It only disappeared after I acknowledged it.

To put it bluntly, I didn’t get a wink of sleep.

It was because of my father’s sudden visit. I had to prepare a welcome ceremony for the return of Esperanza’s duke, and I didn’t have a moment to rest.

Thinking about it, it’s quite a ridiculous fate that I’m heading to Arsene today.

A villain of the century has appeared, and I’m going to Arsene, where the main characters are.

It felt like a ridiculous fate, and I almost burst out laughing.

“…Let’s go.”

But I didn’t show it on the outside. After all, this is the path I’ve chosen, and I have to follow it. Once I decided to enroll, there was no turning back.

I had 30 minutes to get ready.

Today, I had less time to prepare than usual. Outside, Camille Esperanza was waiting for me.

“Are you leaving now, Sion?”

“I’ll go soon.”

Suddenly, Camille’s hand reached into my pocket.

“What’s this?”

“Take it.”

After Camille withdrew his hand, I carefully felt around my pocket.

I touched a solid wooden handle. When I slowly pulled it out, I saw a small dagger.

“That’s… It may look like that, but it’s a dagger that can cut off mana. It’s an artifact, so keep it with you; you never know when you might need it.”

Yes, I definitely remember this.

It was the dagger that emitted a dark aura when I chose my weapon. I didn’t know back then, but now I understand. This is the artifact used by the original villain.

“I secretly retrieved it from the forest. Since everyone thinks it’s lost, there won’t be a problem as long as it doesn’t get discovered.”

“No, this…”

These were the remnants of the villain who had disappeared.

The master was Kamil’s loyal subordinate, who had withdrawn from training. I suddenly felt a strange sense of responsibility, as if his role had been bestowed upon me.

“If this gets out, it’s expulsion.”

“So, I’ll secretly bring it to you. You’re the only one who can use it.”

It was impossible to smuggle an unauthorized weapon into Arsen. It was a serious offense that could lead to severe punishment.

But Kamil just said so. So, it seemed like he was secretly bringing it to me.

“Well, when are you coming back?”

“It’ll take at least a few months.”

“That long?”

“That’s Arsen’s rule. New students aren’t allowed to leave until much later.”

Thud. Thud.

I went down the stairs to the first floor. There was an elevator, but I didn’t use it.

Perhaps I had grown attached to this mansion without realizing it.

The servants passing by in the corridor, the paintings and sculptures on the walls, all seemed new to me. When I recalled the ending of the game Esperand, I felt a pang of sadness.

This place would eventually become a battleground. The Esperand mansion would be consumed by the flames of war.

The children of Esperand, whom I had trained with, would be thrown into the fray and fight against the Hunter Association until they were destroyed.

…All because of Esperand’s ambition.

It was still a distant story, but as someone who knew the ending, I couldn’t help but feel complicated emotions.

Perhaps I could change that ending.

Just as Kamil Esperand had changed, perhaps I could crush Esperand’s ambition.

These thoughts swirled in my head until I arrived at the first-floor lobby.

“We’re here.”

“…….”

Outside the main hall, in front of the garden, several people were standing.

“Hello.”

“Be careful.”

The first people I saw were the children of Esperand.

The Sirena and Ciella sisters, Johan, and other children were standing there. Next to them was Sato, my instructor.

Were the people who had sent me a letter with insults a month ago among them? I didn’t expect such a warm welcome.

They greeted me with a straight face, so I returned the courtesy. And then I got on the autocab.

“……?”

Suddenly, I felt someone’s gaze and looked up at the mansion.

On the third floor, in the office. Through the curtains, I saw Diana Esperand’s face.

For some reason, her eyes seemed sad. There was nothing in particular to say, so I just exchanged a silent greeting.

In an instant, I saw tears welling up in her eyes.

Diana must have wiped them away quickly, but they were clearly visible to my clairvoyant eyes.

Esperand wasn’t as evil as I had thought.


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