Became the Villainess’s Guardian

The procedure for joining the Royal Academy itself is simple.

Candidates are nominated by existing members, then screened and selected as official members.
Finally, after receiving the Queen’s formal approval, a largely ceremonial step, all difficulties are overcome. Attending the induction ceremony immediately grants membership status.

Unless a major incident like a Demonic Tribe invasion occurs, the admission of new members is a time-honored event spanning hundreds of years.

This process, conducted biennially, may initially nominate hundreds of candidates, but ultimately only a handful remain in the end.

“You remember the ceremony procedure well, don’t you?”

“It’s just standing still and shaking hands, what’s there to it?”

“Precisely. If you can’t even manage that, you’re not human.”

In other words,
I was among those handful of great mages on the list.

In essence, I had received someone’s nomination.
While there were likely many who would nominate me after all I had accomplished, I had a good idea who had initially registered me as a candidate.

“Professor.”

“What is it?”

“It was you who registered me as a candidate, wasn’t it?”

“…Yes. Who else would bother with an oddball like you if not me?”

“Oh my.”

“What’s that exclamation for?”

Frankly, I was touched.
While the professor may be cold towards Londinium University’s students, he had consistently and subtly looked after this slave of his.

“Enough. I don’t enjoy a grown man clinging disgustingly, so save it for your daughter.”

“I already do, quite a lot. How many fathers care for their daughters as much as I do?”

“Your words do flow as smoothly as a clear stream.”

And it was the truth. How well must I have raised her for her to readily utter such embarrassing words of affection?

After I, his nominated candidate, had been dropped off at the Royal Academy headquarters, Professor Magni, who could have opted not to attend, claimed he could hardly be absent and made his way to the seating area reserved for existing members.

After completing the identity verification process in the waiting room and lingering for a while, the current President of the Royal Academy took to the podium.

As the war with the Demonic Tribe was still years away, he would not be the traitorous president who betrayed humanity in the game. He was likely the next president, or perhaps the one after that.
However, having already painstakingly raised Freugne, there was no need to hold him accountable for crimes he had not yet committed. Merely keeping an eye on him would suffice for now.

After gathering everyone’s attention with a few clearing coughs, the President began speaking:

“You who are present here today have been invited for your great contributions to the magic community of this kingdom and the world.”

“Do you swear to utilize knowledge not through unjust means, but for the pursuit of coexistence, prosperity, and a better future?”

After reciting the basic mindset a scholar should possess, a line praising the Royal Academy’s history and the Queen, he finally addressed the main matter:

“Then I shall call out the new members in order.”

“First, Edan, who recently established the theoretical foundation for the magic enabling air conditioning devices!”

Stepping towards the opposite side of the podium, I received from him a certificate proving my membership, bearing the Royal Academy’s official seal.
After a slightly embarrassing citation of my qualification, and applause as I descended from the stage, I was ushered to a dining area along with the other new members who underwent the same process.

The Royal Academy membership status itself had already been granted upon receiving the induction invitation.

For the truly important part would follow after the induction ceremony –
the exchange of business cards among members, innumerable handshake requests, camaraderie-building activities that would broaden one’s horizons of connections far and wide.

Unsurprisingly,

“So, you’re Magni’s disciple?”

“I’m Edan. Pleased to meet you.”

“I’ve heard your name a few times. I’ve wanted to meet you in person, and now I have.”

“Ah, do you recall me? I stopped by the university once when Magni and I were conducting an experiment.”

People I had seen only in newspapers or from afar swarmed the newcomer like sightseers.
And like a game character warning that engaging them would lead to failure, they casually offered advice to ensure a smooth life as a mage, suggesting I reach out if I ever had an interesting research topic.

I made a note of those I would definitely need to contact later, as they would undoubtedly prove helpful.
After the business card farming concluded and the microphone returned to me, I could finally open my mouth for the presentation I had diligently prepared until the previous night.

“I’ve read your thesis. So, what research do you intend to pursue next?”

“It may sound a bit strange, but… I wish to try my hand at weapon development.”

“Weapon development? It’s not a very popular subject – why that?”

“Ah, well, if you’ll bear with me for a moment.”

I retrieved the 11-point font business plan I had prepared in advance and distributed copies to the audience before pitching my case to the intellects of this era.

Despite extending her influence into finance, politics, and commerce, she had found the academic realm elusive.

While she could entice glory-hungry mages by revealing glimpses of future groundbreaking technologies or theories, Freugne herself could not comprehend the knowledge she would need to impart.

The very reason she attended Cardiff School was to understand such matters, but the more magic she learned, the clearer it became how little she truly knew.
For the time being, unless she started from the very basics like Sithe, it was difficult to directly recruit mages into the organization. Outright bribery with money tended to be more effective.

Even so, this held little appeal for first-rate mages, especially those belonging to the prestigious and affluent Royal Academy.

“But our household does have a Royal Academy mage now.”

“Not yet. He still has to attend the induction ceremony, remember?”

“Oh yes, have a safe trip!”

But come to think of it, since Edan had gained entry into that Royal Academy,
didn’t that mean she had halfway recruited him?

Thus, after bidding farewell to Edan as he departed for the induction ceremony,
the solitary Freugne made her way to the residential area managed by Edan’s charitable foundation.

In name it was the residents of the foundation members, but in reality, it served as a gathering place for her own organization members.

Arriving at her destination, Freugne sat on a chair in the open area outside the building and became lost in thought.
Her ruminations centered on the subject that had incessantly tormented her since the previous day.

There was a saying that children were the mirrors of their parents.
While human nature could certainly be shaped by one’s upbringing, friends, experiences, and so on, the greatest influence came from one’s parents.

How many were born innately possessing the disposition of a criminal?

An orphan with no one to care for them, an environment where survival necessitated stealing from the haves.
If placed in such circumstances where one could not help but think the world itself was in the wrong rather than oneself, who would not become warped?

Freugne contemplated that without Edan, she too might have walked that path.
Had no one come to her rescue, she would have grasped the hand of the man in the white suit to survive, undoubtedly working for someone who was either a member of the Demonic Tribe or their collaborator.

While the specifics of that unexperienced future were uncertain, given the subject matter, its conclusion was bound to have been undesirable.

‘Come, let’s go.’

‘…Is that really you, Edan?’

‘Well, are there fake Edans too?’

But from the moment she took Edan’s outstretched hand and left that factory, it had become a future she would never experience, no longer warranting further contemplation.

The reason for her greed stemmed from the profound impact of a life devoid of possessions from the moment of her birth.
On this matter, Edan could hardly be faulted, leaving Freugne with nothing to say.

However, if he had thought that after taking in such a troubled child and arbitrarily caring for her, no consequences would arise,

‘…Wasn’t that his own mistake?’

In truth, Freugne’s current restlessness was partly Edan’s doing.

Having devoted half her life to the study of “Edan Behavioral Psychology,” Freugne was aware that he belonged to a type of person easily capable of endearing himself to others.

While anyone dedicated to charity would possess such qualities to some extent, even setting aside the moral aspect, was Edan not an idol among the mages of this era?
It was an undeniable fact, evident from the crowds that flocked whenever he held demonstrations at Martops or personal lectures.

In fact, had she not initially been captivated by the magic he wielded back in the orphanage days, prompting her to approach him?
He clearly possessed a talent for captivating people’s attention, and from the way he continuously refined his performances, he was undoubtedly self-aware of this fact.

This realization plagued Freugne with unease.
How could she not worry when he was roaming about, indiscriminately charming (?) people of all ages and genders?

So why was it that she, a mere adopted daughter, was the one fretting over this matter?

‘Isn’t it obvious? Who knows if Father might encounter some strange person and have his life ruined.’

What if someone exploited his charisma to ingratiate themselves, only to then fleece him of his money and abruptly discard him?
What she was doing was clearly an act of filial piety. At least, Freugne believed so without a shred of doubt.

As Freugne sat on the chair, idly swinging her legs, a presence approached beside her.
Raising her head, she addressed the empty space:

“Ah, you’re here?”

“Yes.”

With a blink, Ulr manifested himself, or rather, deactivated his transparent state – but it seemed as if he had appeared from thin air, a sight Freugne was well accustomed to.

“It’s about those Demonic Tribe traces you mentioned before.”

“Yes.”

“It seems we may have found them.”

In that case,
all potential sources of unease must be eliminated in advance, must they not?

The bashful maiden indulging in pleasant fantasies was nowhere to be found, replaced by the leader of the organization devouring the kingdom’s shadows.