How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 197

“…M-Master?”

The figure who suddenly tore through space to appear was a girl with bright green hair—Jamie Hasellion, the Yellow Mage and my mentor.

She had arrived here.

“How… how did you get here?” I stammered.

The entire Romanoff estate was sealed with a mana-blocking barrier, completely cutting off external contact. That was why I couldn’t even reach Beatrice, the Red Mage, for help.

“How did I get here? My Disciples are in danger. Of course, I had to come.”

“But earlier… didn’t you just call me your test subject…?”

“When did I ever say that?!”

Jamie squawked indignantly, her voice rising as Chelsea, beside me, chuckled and spoke up.

“I contacted her before the barrier went up. You’re late, Master.”

“Hey, I didn’t come late on purpose… that damned barrier around this area completely blocked my magic!” Jamie shouted, sounding exasperated.

I nodded. “Ah… I thought maybe you’d abandoned me as a ‘test subject,’ but I’m relieved.”

“You must have misheard me in the chaos; I never said that,” Jamie muttered, her eyes shifting as she tried to brush it off. Then she quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, what’s that?”

She pointed at the massive sword hovering in the sky, then looked at me in shock.

“Wait, Kamon… did you cast that?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Ha! My, my…”

Jamie shook her head, a faint smirk curling on her lips as she continued.

“You’ve grown up, Kamon. I never thought I’d live to see you mastering that spell to this extent.”

“Uh, excuse me?”

As I stared at her, utterly confused, Jamie changed the subject again.

“Enough of that. So, that bastard over there… that’s Duke Romanoff?”

“Yes, that’s right, Master.” Chelsea answered before I could, nodding.

Jamie rolled her neck side to side, loosening up.

Crack.

“Alright, time to get a proper workout in.”

“Be careful, Master. Duke Romanoff seems especially dangerous,” Chelsea warned, reporting what she had seen of Vitell Romanoff’s strength.

But Jamie just chuckled and replied with a grin, “Did you forget who I am? I’m the Yellow Mage.”

With that, she snapped her fingers, launching herself into the air and shouting down to me.

“Watch closely, Kamon. This is what it looks like when you push that spell to its ultimate level.”

And then—

“Gladys Sector Meltro Carbon Caelumz.”

She chanted an incantation slightly different from the spell she had taught me. Instantly, the world seemed to darken.

Or rather, it didn’t actually darken—it just felt that way.

“K-Kamon… look,” Chelsea whispered.

I glanced up at the sky and immediately felt my jaw drop.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

A curse slipped out unconsciously.

Because—

“How many swords are there?”

More than a dozen massive swords had appeared, each radiating a brilliant, almost blinding light.

Then—

“Hey, Kamon, are you watching?” my mentor’s voice called down from the sky.

I closed my eyes, deciding to ignore her.

‘Goddamn it, this world is unfair.’

Here I was, having amassed every advantage, every ounce of power, pouring my life into barely summoning one sword… and with a mere snap of her fingers, she’d summoned over a dozen.

Just how strong are you?!

***

‘…The barrier has been broken?’

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Vitell Romanoff’s face remained impassive as he looked across the battlefield with deep, unreadable eyes.

Moments earlier, he had sensed the massive ripple of mana.

‘Who is it?’

As he gazed at the green-haired girl who had torn through space to appear, he recalled a fragment of memory within his mind’s palace.

“Jamie Hasellion?”

Her name slipped out of his mouth as he murmured again.

“The Yellow Mage, one of the Three Primary Colors… appearing here? For mere academy students? …Hah.”

A slight laugh escaped him as he shook his head.

“I can’t tell if this is absurd or if I’ve been truly blindsided.”

For Vitell Romanoff, today was turning out to be one of the worst days of his life.

Never in his life had he been so thwarted or failed to achieve what he wanted. And now, this Kamon Vade, who continually appeared, defied his predictions, and made his presence known, was proving to be an annoying thorn.

“Perhaps my daughter isn’t drawn to him without reason,” he mused.

A part of him even grudgingly acknowledged the boy.

After all, how many academy students in the entire world would dare to stand against House Romanoff, resisting fiercely, causing repeated setbacks?

And originally, Kamon had belonged to House Vade—a peer of House Romanoff among the Elector Lords. If this Yellow Mage were Kamon’s benefactor or even just a powerful ally…

“I might regret this,” he thought. Perhaps he should have pressed harder earlier or extended Kamon a few more chances.

But he quickly shook his head, muttering in a steely tone.

“No, he crossed the line long ago.”

Kamon Vade had destroyed the Romanoff family’s sacred Vishran Hot Springs and repeatedly brought disgrace upon him. Now, capturing and punishing him was the only appropriate response.

Even if it meant facing a mage from the Three Primary Colors.

“Even so, I can handle at least one.”

At that moment—

Brrrrrmmm!

The sky filled with multiple colossal swords of light.

While Markon and the Bellington Knights were still struggling to stop the first sword, now more than a dozen were descending upon them.

“Damn it. What now?!”

The knights’ faces darkened, their morale plummeting as they watched this overwhelming display.

Tack!

But just then, Vitell Romanoff, who had yet to make a move, finally took action.

Boom!

With a powerful leap, he launched himself into the air, hurtling toward the multitude of swords above.

“D-Duke!”

“The Duke is moving personally.”

“What is he planning to do?”

Markon and the Bellington Knights, all witnessing his movement, muttered in awe.

As Vitell Romanoff drew closer to one of the gigantic swords of light—

Slash!

With the sound of something slicing through the air—

Shrrack!

The massive sword of light, supposedly indestructible, split cleanly in two.

“……!”

“H-He cut it down?”

“Indeed, our Duke!”

The morale of the knights, which had been plummeting, immediately soared back up, inspired by Duke Romanoff’s display of strength.

Observing the scene, Jamie raised an eyebrow, a smirk twitching at the corner of her mouth.

“Well, this is getting interesting.”

To see none other than Vitell Romanoff, one of the continent’s most powerful leaders, slice through her magic, the magic of the Yellow Mage, was amusing to her.

“Truly interesting.”

At that moment, an all-too-familiar voice sounded from below.

“Master, are you alright?”

Jamie frowned in irritation.

“What do you mean, ‘alright’?!”

“Well, the sword got split in half….”

“Look again. The rest of them are intact, aren’t they? Do I look like someone who needs your concern already?”

“I’m sorry. How foolish of me as your unworthy test subject to assume—”

“Aaaagh! I told you, I never said that!”

‘Damn it! Just one slip of the tongue, and he clings to it like a leech!’

For some reason, this troublesome Disciple, Kamon Vade, didn’t fear her. He constantly tried to match her, even teasing her every chance he got.

‘If I get the chance, he’ll get a lesson on respecting his teacher…’

As Jamie entertained these thoughts—

Slash! Schwing!

Vitell Romanoff, after slicing through one massive sword, continued to perform impossible feats as he hacked through more.

And with each strike—

Shatter!

Six of the remaining twelve swords shattered and dissipated in an instant.

“…!”

Even Jamie, the Yellow Mage, hadn’t anticipated this.

While she looked on in slight surprise, the knights below were ecstatic.

“Whoa! He destroyed half of them!”

“His Grace cut down six of them!”

The knights cheered with renewed vigor, rallying behind the strength of their Duke.

“Um, Master?” Kamon and Chelsea’s worried voices rose from below again.

Jamie, however, ignored them this time, a sardonic laugh escaping her lips.

“Impressive.”

Her gaze remained locked onto Vitell Romanoff, the man who had dared slice her spells.

At that moment—

Crackle!

Vitell Romanoff also met her gaze, unflinching as their eyes locked in an intense standoff.

“So, I take it you’re another head of a great family?” she remarked.

In that tense moment, with two of the continent’s renowned powerhouses staring each other down, Jamie’s mocking smile shifted into something colder and more serious. Her expression sharpened as she muttered,

“Fine. I’ll fight you seriously, then.”

Snap!

She snapped her fingers once more.

“Gasp!”

“What… what’s happening?!”

“No… this can’t be….”

Instantly, everyone’s faces drained of color. Even Vitell Romanoff, who had been calmly facing off against her, showed a hint of dismay.

The reason?

“Let’s see how many of these you can handle.”

Where there had been only six enormous swords left, now dozens more appeared in the sky, far beyond what anyone could count. The sky was filled, packed with a vast array of swords radiating blinding light.

Vitell Romanoff, his expression hardening, called out loudly,

“I, Vitell of House Romanoff, request a dialogue with Lady Jamie Hasellion, the Yellow Mage.”

Jamie smirked, replying with a dismissive chuckle.

“And why should I talk to you?”

Despite her response, Vitell Romanoff stood his ground, unyielding.

“Because this is my land, and you are an outsider who has intruded upon it uninvited.”

“Your people messed with my Disciples first, didn’t they?”

“…….”

Vitell Romanoff, now understanding the connection between Kamon Vade and Jamie Hasellion, spoke again with a stern tone.

“Your Disciple trespassed upon our sacred grounds and destroyed them first.”

His reasoning was well-argued, but Jamie only shrugged.

“So what? Why don’t we just settle this in a fight?”

“…….”

Her sarcastic, defiant response left him momentarily speechless.

He realized that if things continued this way, he might indeed end up in a life-or-death duel with Jamie Hasellion.

Not that he feared such a confrontation, but…

‘If this escalates, it could determine the fate of my entire family.’

The House of Romanoff, with its long history of rising and falling through countless power struggles, now basked in its present glory. Vitell Romanoff was unwilling to see his family’s fortunes decline under his rule.

“Very well, Lady Hasellion. I shall yield this time. Let us resolve this through a conversation, shall we?”

“…!”

“Your Grace!”

His offer to back down left the Bellington knights looking as if they’d lost their world. But as they glanced back at the sky full of gleaming swords, fear seeped into their eyes.

“Damn it… this is all my fault for being too weak,” muttered Markon, finally falling to his knees, his face shadowed by despair.

“…….”

Jamie watched them quietly before finally turning her gaze downward.

“They’re giving you a way out. So, what’ll it be?”

Her gaze landed on Kamon Vade—the very person responsible for instigating this whole situation.

As everyone’s attention focused on him, Kamon finally opened his mouth to speak.

“I….”

But at that moment—

Swish!

“Kamon, watch out!”

Chelsea, standing beside him, urgently thrust her sword forward, her voice ringing out in alarm.

In the next instant, everyone could see it—a dark, shadowy figure lunging toward Kamon Vade with lethal intent.