How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain

✦ Chapter 124 ✦

「Translator – Creator」

𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝

—Creak

A lone, modest carriage pulled up to the square, its single horse looking weary, the carriage itself small and worn.

The door of the carriage creaked open, and out stepped a young girl dressed in a faded school uniform. Her brown hair danced in the breeze, and her eyes sparkled like emeralds.

Once again, the girl went by the name Ellie.

“You made it?”

“Ed… Hehe…”

She beamed at me, her smile bright and cheerful. She hopped out of the carriage and turned to the coachman.

“Ada, thank you. I’ll see you later?”

“…I shall take my leave. Young master, please take good care of my lady.”

The coachman bowed to both of us, then snapped the reins, urging the horse forward. The carriage quickly disappeared from view, blending into the bustling square.

“…But I thought the driver was a man… He even had a beard…”

“Just a simple disguise. You should’ve noticed if you looked closer. It’s just… it’s easier to avoid unwanted attention if a woman isn’t driving the carriage alone…”

Ellie and I walked towards the academy, her shoulder pressed against mine, her warmth radiating through the thin fabric of her uniform. She stayed close, barely leaving any space between us.

Seeing her now, it was clear how she would act moving forward.

“…Maybe I just realized how thoughtful he is… And now I’m… I’m completely smitten…! And if I tell people that story, maybe they won’t think you’re such a bad guy… What do you think? Isn’t that a good idea…?”

She was reading my mind—almost. There was an element of self-justification in her words, but Ellie’s reasoning was sound.

But, to be honest, I didn’t really care about that anymore. The situation had shifted dramatically since we first devised our plan. The real issue weighing on my mind was something else entirely.

* * * * *

As the first-year students were assigned to different departments, it became impossible for all the students from the same class to attend lectures together.

Each student received a personalized timetable, necessitating movements from one classroom to another. Consequently, the times we could attend classes together were naturally limited to when our schedules overlapped.

Today was the final biology class before the first practical session. In the forest clearing where the biology lecture was held, dozens of thickly covered crates were piled high.

From within the crates, the sounds of beasts growling, the scraping of claws against metal—all sorts of unsettling noises—constantly leaked out.

Before the lecture began, students gathered in groups, discussing the upcoming practical session. It was also here that our first meeting as a trio took place.

“…Ellie, this is Sel… I mean, Eu…”

“…It’s fine. Just call me Selene. I’m more comfortable with that… I’ll be using that name from now on anyway…”

As I hesitated, Selen stepped in to introduce herself. She seemed to emphasize the word ‘on’ oddly strongly…

“…Okay. Ellie, this is Selene. You two haven’t officially met, have you?”

“…Hello.”

“Hi.”

After my introduction, they greeted each other. Despite a bit of awkwardness, their eyes kept darting to study one another.

The atmosphere wasn’t as bad as I had feared. In fact, it seemed they were more indifferent to each other than anything.

Regardless, I knew I’d have to stick with both of them moving forward. Neither wanted to distance themselves from me, not just for this practical session, but beyond.

And that’s why, getting off to a good start was crucial. Knowing their personalities, things could’ve easily gone south, but this… this wasn’t bad at all.

Not bad at all…

“Is everyone here? Let’s begin, shall we?”

Professor Priscilla, our biology professor, appeared as the clock struck the hour. She clapped her hands, and the thick cloths covering the cartes slid off, revealing their contents.

“Whoa…”

“That’s disgusting…”

The crates turned out to be metal cages, each containing a different kind of monstrous creature. They glared at us, eyes filled with hatred. Professor Priscilla, unfazed, continued her lecture, surveying the students.

“These are monsters captured from the northern forests. You’ll be facing similar creatures during your field training in a few days.”

“Professor, the monsters seem a bit… off. Their eyes are bloodshot, and they’re drooling… Are they sick or something?”

“They’ve been given a dose of Rabid Hound Potion. It’s to simulate a high-stress combat situation. Speaking of which, Lutar, you’re up first. Step forward.”

“Ugh…”

The student who had addressed the question, with a look of distress, stood up. The lethal training that started with small animals in the first semester had now escalated to lower-tier monsters. Students had to confront a monster one by one when called by Professor Priscilla.

“Eek…!”

“Tsk. Valera, with those skills, you won’t last a day in the northern forests. Those caves are teeming with monsters much stronger than this. Next!”

A student named Valera had tripped and fallen, while a dog-headed monster, its head severed but still twitching, lay before him. Professor Priscilla clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

Startled by the monster’s sudden charge, Valera had fumbled his spellcasting. If Professor Priscilla hadn’t used her Severing Magic, he would’ve been seriously injured.

“Edwin Reed, you’re next.”

My turn had finally come.

The monster I had to face was a fully grown Swamp Latrice.

Its body was covered in hard, black scales, and every time it exhaled, flames flickered. As Professor Priscilla broke the cage’s lock, the six-legged giant lizard lunged at me instantly.

I remembered from class that the Latrice’s weak point was its underbelly, where its scales were thinner. It was highly resistant to physical attacks but extremely vulnerable to ice magic. 

“Rigidus. Cracias. Frolyte.”

—Crack! Boom!

I froze its legs to immobilize it and took advantage of the opening to pierce its jaw. The monster collapsed to the ground, lifeless and motionless.

“Excellent. You mentioned you had some combat experience, didn’t you? Clearly, this is nothing new for you. Next!”

Professor Priscilla nodded approvingly. The training continued.

Both Ellie and Selene successfully dispatched their respective monsters as well.

Ellie, trained by the Archmage Kisha, had always been exceptionally skilled. Meanwhile, Selene seemed to have benefited greatly from her experience fighting corrupted spirits during the break.

This training was a preparation for an upcoming off-campus assignment in the northern forests. Reports of monster activity were increasing, and students needed to learn how to protect themselves and others.

The academy was the perfect place for such preparation. It governed a vast tract of land comparable to the Northern Dukedom. Ancient forests with pristine, untouched nature sprawled endlessly in every direction.

The Northern Forest, designated as our training ground, was home to lower-tier monsters and under the academy’s management. Originally, access was restricted to second-year students and above, but recent curriculum changes allowed first-years to enter the forest for this training exercise.

* * * * *

The secluded stone tower, surprisingly, provided a sense of comfort and peace. What began as a mere intention to register my name here had turned into regular visits a couple of times each week.

Pamela, who seemed to have little interest in constellations, might have the same reasons for being here as I did. For someone not particularly focused on networking or knowledge enhancement, it was indeed a pleasant place.

Including the club leader Carne, two or three people genuinely seemed about observing the stars…

“Edwin, here.”

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy this.”

“…Yeah… I mean, yes…”

At the rooftop of the Constellation Observation Club’s stone tower, Hertie approached and handed me a small cup. It contained warm tea radiating a sweet fragrance.

“…It’s Arlem Flower Tea. I really like this tea.”

“…R-Really…? It’s my favorite too… I’m glad…”

Seeing my expression, he sighed with relief. He had a way of putting people at ease. Talking with him often made the emotional burdens I carried a bit lighter.

And we even shared a love for the same tea.

Over the past few days, Hertie and I had become close. Pamela, who’d initially objected to our friendship, had given up trying to keep us apart.

He had become a much-needed friend for someone like me, who didn’t have many close male friends, alongside senior Luno here.

“It’s strange, though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around the academy before. Maybe it’s because there are so many students…?”

“…Perhaps. We might’ve been placed in different classes after the promotion…”

“Yeah, that’s possible. I haven’t exactly been the most… present student myself.”

“…Haha…”

Hearing my self-deprecating words, he chuckled awkwardly.

“Hey, Hertie. Where’s your family from? Nox… right? Is it okay to ask?”

“Um… W-Well… It’s… in Digris…”

“Digris…?”

“It’s… right below Milton…”

My question clearly flustered Hertie, bringing back that timid girl from our first meeting.

Milton was the territory of the Robinette family, Iris’s family. If Hertie’s family lived nearby, it meant they were either a branch family of the Robinettes or closely allied with them.

Understanding this, his reaction towards me made more sense.

“…It’s okay. My relationship with the Robinettes is already over. I don’t really care, so you don’t need to worry so much…”

“…Okay…”

Despite his words, Hertie’s expression remained troubled, almost as if a shadow had fallen over him. I needed to change the subject, fast.

“…So, Hertie, who are you doing the field training with?”

“Huh? Oh… I haven’t… decided yet…”

“Really? I thought you were pairing up with Pamela. You two seem really close…”

“…Well… Pamela already has friends she’s working with… So…”

“Hertie, do you want to join our group?”

“…What…?”

Hertie’s eyes widened in surprise. Our group was one member short of the minimum requirement of four, and we’d been struggling to find someone.

Of course, if we didn’t finalize our team, the professors would assign someone to our group. But it would be better to have someone we at least knew, right?

And I had become quite friendly with Hertie over the past few days.

“We just happen to have one spot left. What do you say?”

“Um… Well…”

“Hey, it’s just a suggestion. If you don’t want to…”

“I-I’ll join!”

Hertie blurted out, his face flushing red. His eagerness surprised even me.

“…Alright. Thanks. So it’s settled, right? Then I’ll go tell Professor Priscilla…”

“Wait! Wait! No, hold on!!”

The deadline to submit our team roster was approaching, so I was about to head straight to Professor Priscilla. But Hertie suddenly blocked my way.

“…What’s wrong?”

“I… I’ll tell the professor… The group leader doesn’t have to go… Besides, I need to talk to her about something anyway…”

“…Really? Okay, then I’ll leave it to you.”

Only then did Hertie step aside, seemingly relieved. Then, as if he’d just remembered something, she turned back to me.

“Who are the other two members in your group, Edwin?”

“They’re… friends of mine…”

“…Ah…”

I had already told the other club members about my relationships with Ellie and Selene. However, I didn’t want to make things awkward with Hertie by explicitly mentioning the rumors about us. It seemed he’d understood what I meant.

“…Aren’t they both from the Department of Magic …? Same as us… The team might be a bit… unbalanced. I wonder if the professor will approve…”

“It’ll be fine. The professor said we could choose members based on their individual skills. Besides, I can handle the frontline, if needed. Monsters in the North Forest are nothing I can’t handle.”

“Right… Okay…”

Hertie finally nodded in agreement.

“I’ll go talk to the professor now. Take your time.”

“Sure. Thanks again, Hertie.”

Hertie waved as he descended the stairs, his figure gradually disappearing from view.

“…Obscene… Protect… Can do…”

I thought I heard a faint whisper as he left. I looked back, but Hertie was gone. Only the sound of the wind remained.

— End of Chapter —

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