Surviving as a Villain at the Academy - Surviving as a Villain at the Academy chapter 175

175 – The Devil Lives in the Magic Tower (2)

“They’re targeting Adrian?”

“Yes. I’ve been watching them closely, and although they pretend not to, their gaze continues to linger on the saintess.”

“That’s strange. Why target Adrian? As you said, high-ranking demons wouldn’t be in such a rush to accumulate evil deeds, right?”

The murder of a saintess, while a massive pile of evil deeds and a devil’s leveling event, carried an enormous risk. To harm the saintess meant mobilizing not just the Holy Kingdom but the celestial angels as well.

Such was the existence of a saintess.

Of course, this was a problem only when the malice of a demon beyond human intervention touched the saintess.

Deus fundamentally does not control the scheming between humans. That too is seen as a trial the saintess must endure.

As a saintess moves according to the destiny bestowed by God, acquiring the strength to comply with that destiny is also a virtue of the saintess.

Anyway, now that I know the demons are boldly targeting the saintess, there’s only one thing I must do.

“I guess I’ll have to stick close to Adrian for a while?”

“…Indeed.”

Asti wore a slightly displeased expression. Understandably so. Even I would be irked if Asti clung to another man under the guise of protection.

With a sulky face, Asti clung to my body.

I silently accepted her closeness. Perhaps her current behavior was an expression of her possessiveness towards me. But knowing the situation didn’t allow for exclusive possession, she refrained from voicing any complaints.

Even if Asti had allowed another woman to come near me, she was still a being with feelings. She had accepted the situation as inevitable, but emotionally, it was unavoidable for her to dislike it.

“It can’t be helped.”

She clung to me for a while, then separated with those words, her face full of regret.

“It was bound to happen eventually, and the timing has just been moved up a bit, and since I allowed it… I can’t throw a tantrum like a child.”

“Well, when you say ‘sticking close,’ it means I’ll be there too…”

“I know. But still, it’s different from when it’s just the two of us. That’s what I miss, you know.”

“I’ll be as considerate as I can. But, after all, it’s not like I’m doing this to get up to anything with Adrian… So I don’t think there’s a reason for you to feel so regretful.”

“Really? If Adrian gets the legal right to be close to you, I bet he’ll be more proactive. That kid is quite cheeky, you know?”

—

“…Really?”

“Like girls of that age, brimming with curiosity. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they might pounce on you if given the chance, right?”

“No way.”

“That’s exactly what ‘no way’ does, it catches people off guard, Praha.”

“…”

I couldn’t argue with that. Excluding Asti, she was the most assertive among the girls around me.

“Well, it won’t be a light atmosphere for sure. You’ll need to be on your toes.”

He was right. Something far more critical than Adrian’s affection for me had come crashing down. A combined attack by higher demons. I wonder if Adrian could withstand it.

And whether I could defeat them was also uncertain. Even with Asti’s help, a combined attack by six higher demons would be… horrific.

For now, since I don’t know what will happen, maybe I should involve Ruslan as well. He became a reliable force right after his own realization. Perhaps he could withstand the higher demons.

The problem was, as always, how to tell Adrian. I couldn’t be the first to tell her that demons were roaming the academy. No matter how much she liked me, she was a saint after all.

If she interrogates how I came to know of the demon’s existence, I’d be hard-pressed for an excuse. That means I must keep the demon-related stories hidden and stay by Adrian’s side.

In the end, there was only one action I could take. To stay by her side under the pretense of the favor she held for me.

Some might say it’s a despicable act to exploit her kindness… but what can I do? It’s all to save Adrian.

Now’s not the time to be choosy about methods.

Besides, I had no intention of toying with Adrian’s feelings. If she comes at me seriously, I too would consider it seriously.

If I’ve already turned my fate towards polygamy, then I must act accordingly.

What was the attitude of protagonists who practiced polygamy? They didn’t turn away those who came, nor did they stop those who left.

I too needed to follow their example. That means, even if I’m with Adrian, I won’t neglect Asti.

“Adrian must be happy~”

“Even if I’m by Adrian’s side, I won’t neglect you. No need to feel too disappointed. Even if Adrian has a crush on me, a dramatic progression in our relationship is impossible, given the situation…”

“Rather, because of the situation, Adrian might rely on you even more. Well… I was the one who gave permission and encouraged you, so it’s funny to say this now.”

“It’s not funny at all? Everyone wants to monopolize their lover, regardless of gender. You just allowed it because the situation couldn’t be helped, and I understand that very well, so don’t worry.”

Saying that, I glanced at Asti, who, while pretending not to care, slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.

“So, before we embark on the serious task… how about one last time? To protect the saint, you need to clear your mind of distractions, right? I happen to be quite skilled at taking care of distractions.”

“Anytime.”

As soon as I gave permission, Asti immediately flung herself into my arms. No, it wasn’t just a hug, it felt like she was trying to devour me.

…Looks like my energy will be drained today.

* * *

Recently, searchers have noticed a surge of disappearances across the empire. And there was a commonality among those missing.

The first point is that they were people from a secluded village rarely visited by outsiders.

The second is that they were people without ties, whose disappearance would not significantly affect anyone’s life.

Searchers active across the empire soon gathered in one place to discuss strategies. It was impossible to determine where those who disappeared from the repeatedly targeted villages had gone.

Of course, discovering that these disappearances were not mere incidents but planned abductions was a significant achievement for the empire… But to reveal the mastermind behind it all, more decisive action was necessary.

“What should we do?”

“Perhaps raid the abduction sites directly?”

“…That would be quite difficult.”

“But there’s no other answer. Their operations are too closely knit, and people vanish in the blink of an eye.”

“Then let’s find villages on the outskirts of the empire where no disappearances have occurred. And closely monitor those without ties there.”

It would require considerable effort and patience, but they were undeterred. What mattered to them was finding evidence of the holy war.

They were the Pope’s direct troops. The support they received was almost limitless. From the moment the vast nation of the Holy Kingdom resolved to seek out traces of evil, any concealed wickedness could not exist.

And after a long and tedious period of endurance, they finally witnessed the disappearances firsthand.

It was a peripheral village on the outskirts of the system, and again, it was the people without ties.

Those who abducted such individuals, who would not be missed even if they vanished immediately, quickly moved on, and the searchers followed suit.

The searchers, considered the most capable of concealment and pursuit across the entire continent, naturally found it easy to locate their base.

It was the empire’s Tower of Magic.

* * *

Upon waking, Delagio immediately smiled. Indeed, the wall that had been blocking him was thinning, infusing him with boundless vitality.

“I look forward to seeing what results the test subjects will produce today.”

– Well, the underlings must have done well, right?

Aim had recently been living in the Tower of Magic with a rather lazy attitude.

From noble mtl dot nete

He had promised to watch Delagio’s back… But lately, he had been brainwashing Delagio’s underlings and entrusting all tasks to them without moving himself.

There was no need for the devil himself to step in, especially since no knightly order or power within the empire had shown any movement even after he began abducting people in earnest.

In other words, since there was no group or individual digging into their affairs, he was at ease manipulating the mages under Delagio’s command.

Had he continued to handle everything himself, he would have noticed the searchers who arrived in the empire later than when he started his operations and dealt with them first.

But Aim was a lazier devil than expected, and his laziness ultimately allowed the searchers to freely investigate his trail.

The period when Aim stopped moving directly coincided precisely with when the searchers began their active operations within the empire.

And ultimately, Aim’s laziness gave the searchers the clear answer that the place where the missing were sent was the empire’s Tower of Magic.

Unaware of this fact, Delagio and Aim were looking forward to what the day would bring.