Surviving as a Villain at the Academy - Surviving as a Villain at the Academy chapter 176

176 – The Tower of Magic Houses a Devil. (3)

“It’s certain. That carriage… upon closer inspection, it seems to be transporting the missing persons.”

“…Is it the empire’s will, or a deviation by a handful of mages?”

“Well, that much is unclear, but we need to keep watch for now. However, we shouldn’t stay here too long.”

The searchers conversed among themselves.

Being on surveillance always required caution. They didn’t linger any longer and left their post. It was better than staying too long and getting caught.

They needed to make a judgment. Whether the kidnapping of people to offer to the mage tower was the empire’s intention or an independent act by the tower.

They hoped it was the latter. If the empire was directly offering people to the mage tower, that would be quite a horrific act.

No, it must be the latter. The empire’s mage tower was more closed off than they thought, and the current emperor cherished his people more than expected.

If the emperor had been a man of duplicity, similar incidents would have already occurred multiple times in the empire. The searchers had no choice but to think that way. The moment they assumed the worst, the holy nation would have to turn against the empire.

After completing their surveillance, the searchers exchanged information at a secret hideout they had made.

“It seems certain that the missing persons are being offered to the mage tower.”

“Is this really the empire’s will, or the tower’s own decision?”

“Well, there’s no clear way to confirm that.”

“What if we ask the saintess? She surely has connections with the empire’s high-ranking officials, so inquiring subtly…”

“The high-ranking officials of the empire, you mean Lancel?”

“Yes. Everyone knows about the special relationship between the Duke of Lancel and the saintess.”

“That, ‘special’ might just be the saintess’s one-sided courtship…”

“Ah, you don’t know what you’re talking about. If their relationship wasn’t special, they wouldn’t still be together at the academy, would they?

“That’s also true.”

“Anyway, if it’s the Duke of Lancel, he can surely convey the true intentions of the empire to us. Let’s leave this matter to the saintess.”

“Agreed.”

The searchers made their decision and immediately headed to the academy. There was no time to delay.

* * *

Adrian had been troubled lately. He couldn’t figure out how to get closer to Frah. The biggest problem was, of course, the difference in their school years.

Adrian was a first-year, and Frah was a second-year. Just that fact alone meant that their paths rarely crossed.

Naturally, the less Adrian encountered Frah, the more anxious she became.

Even if Astiya was already Frah’s official lover, she wanted to be chosen by Frah before Aris, at the very least. If not the first, then at least the second.

She wasn’t one to burn with competitive spirit over trivial matters, but strangely enough, she felt it burning within her for this. No, it wasn’t just competitive spirit; it was personal desire.

When someone falls in love, their heart is filled with thoughts of that person alone. Especially if it’s their first love. She wanted to see his face a little more, to hold his hand… that’s what normal people do.

Even if Adrian was a saintess, in the end, she was just a seventeen-year-old girl experiencing her first love. Naturally, all she wanted was to get closer to Frah as soon as possible.

However.

For people to become closer, one must first narrow the physical distance. There’s a saying that if you’re far from the body, you’re far from the heart, and it’s not without reason.

Thus, Adrian couldn’t help but feel even more perplexed. The chances for him and Frah to meet were not plentiful. Adrian was, after all, a student of the Academy, and as a student, he had assignments to complete.

He couldn’t simply neglect these tasks. Why else would the Saintess come all the way to the Empire’s Academy? Was it not to learn a wealth of knowledge and deepen her thoughts?

She was there to grow, not to conquer love.

In essence, the Saintess’s attendance at the Academy was also her duty. The moment she neglected her duty, that is, the moment she became negligent in her studies, there would surely be talk behind her back.

That the Saintess was so infatuated with a man that she couldn’t even fulfill her own duties. She refused to hear such talk.

It had not been long since the excommunication trial had concluded. Now, she needed to be cautious with every action, and Adrian was not so foolish as to forget that.

In many ways, it was a dilemma for her. To seize love meant drifting away from her duties, but she didn’t want to give up on love either.

Reason and emotion continued to clash. The excommunication trial was over, and the Saintess’s status was now very secure.

She thought, why not just attend the Academy classes moderately and seize love first? But her emotions conflicted with her reason, which did not want to disappoint the people of the Holy Kingdom.

The moment Adrian returned to the Academy, he felt an even greater sense of crisis. It wasn’t just about Aris’s story.

Rina, who had been with Frah along with Aris, and the other female students were also curious about what made Frah so charming that even the Saintess was smitten.

In short, the number of rivals was continuously increasing. Ironically, Adrian’s public confession had inadvertently increased the number of competitors, but it was what it was.

As she was indecisively pondering what to do, she heard a knocking at the window of her dormitory.

Looking out the window, wondering who it could be, she saw a well-known Inquisitor of the Holy Kingdom.

“Inquisitor? What brings you here?”

Could something have happened in the Holy Kingdom? Otherwise, what business would an Inquisitor have here?

“I’m here to request your cooperation, Saintess.”

“Cooperation? I need a detailed explanation.”

From there, the Inquisitor explained everything that had happened, meticulously and without omission. Starting from the Pope gathering the Inquisitors to form the Seekers, to the missing persons case in the Empire that was allegedly linked to the Tower of Magic.

Adrian’s expression hardened upon hearing the story. It was quite a serious matter.

“So… you’re asking me to check if the Empire is involved in the disappearance case led by the Tower of Magic?”

“That’s correct.”

“Understood. Don’t worry.”

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands, Saintess.”

* * *

Adrian came to me with a grave expression.

“Senior.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have a moment?”

“Sure, I have time. What’s up?”

“Well, it’s just that…”

And so, Adrian began to pour out various stories to me. There had been disappearances on the outskirts of the empire recently, and they were said to be connected to the Mage Tower.

As soon as I heard ‘Mage Tower,’ I immediately thought of a demon. Aym. He must be up to some mischief.

“So, this disappearance case is that…”

“You’re asking if it’s related to the empire?”

“…Yes.”

“Got it. I’ll speak to my father about it.”

I already knew who was behind the incidents, but I couldn’t just reveal that. So, it was better to follow the proper procedures this time.

If my father tells the emperor, there will surely be some action taken. After all, this wasn’t just the empire’s doing, but the Mage Tower’s.

Specifically, it was Aym and his contractor’s doing, so it had nothing to do with the empire.

So, all I had to do was inform them that the Mage Tower was acting alone.

From noble mtl dot nete

“Thank you!”

“If I find out anything, I’ll be sure to tell you. Oh, and Adrian.”

“Yes?”

“The case you just mentioned, it seems like it might be quite significant. So, for the time being, stay by my side.”

Adrian looked puzzled at the suggestion to stay close.

“Yes?”

“You might be in danger.”

“What do you mean?”

“Whatever you’ve told me will likely be passed on to His Majesty. And as far as I know, His Majesty would never do such a thing. As such, there’s a good chance the Mage Tower will be turned upside down. And the Mage Tower is…”

“Quite close to the Academy, right.”

“Exactly. There’s bound to be some conflict, no matter what. Experiments involving kidnapping people are usually evil, like the dungeon we explored recently.”

“…Ah.”

“If such a situation arises near the Academy, you could be in danger. Especially since you’re a saintess, there might be forces targeting you without your knowledge. It’s all speculation, of course, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious, right? So, for now, stay by my side. It wouldn’t be bad to stay at the mansion after classes either.”

After hearing my words, Adrian pondered for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes. I’ll do as you say, senior.”

“Good. Then I’ll speak to the Academy separately.”

“Thank you, senior.”