How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain.

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"Let me ask you something. Is there a place called Amhol around here?"

"Well, this is my village, but… who might you be?"

I stopped a passing farmer and spoke to him. While answering, a hint of caution flashed across the farmer's face; his fingers gripping the plow seemed to tighten slightly with tension.

"It seems I've come to the right place. Then is there a cave nearby?"

"…While I don't know who you are, I can't just freely share that information with an outsider…huh?"

The farmer, who had been on full alert, instinctively caught something I tossed over. 

And the moment he realized what that glittering object was, his wariness instantly crumbled.

"It's a Hale standard silver coin. If you answer my questions, I'll give you 3 more, and if you guide me, 5 more. Don't worry too much. I've come searching for a special medicinal herb that only grows in caves."

"Ah, I see…looking at your fine attire…you're certainly no mere wanderer…"

The farmer pretended to ponder for a moment, finger on his chin, but even that didn't last long.

"In fact, it's not much of a secret…everyone living around here knows about it… Over there, if you go up that mountain midway, you'll find it right away. The path isn't too difficult, so you likely won't need a guide."

The farmer pointed into the air with his finger. I followed his gaze and saw a dark mountain in the not-so-distant distance.

"Thanks. Here's the reward I promised." 

"Haha, I clearly misjudged someone with such generosity. My apologies."

I tossed him the pouch of silver coins, leaving only a bright smile on the farmer's face. 

The farmer turned to leave after saying to find Paul of Amhol if I needed help, and I headed toward the mountain in the opposite direction.

As long as I could recall the names and approximate map locations, it wasn't too difficult to pinpoint the specific places in that area.

All the places where hidden items were hidden were caves, and caves themselves were not common terrain. The only regret was that I couldn't remember all the dozens of place names. But it was really fortunate that I could recall at least some of them. And even more so if the place where I had to find the item I needed was among them.

The farmer's words seemed true, as halfway up the mountain, I immediately spotted a protruding rock face with a cave opening beneath it. 

I lit a light and headed for the cave entrance. Then I repeated the search I had done in the Demon Realm last time.

I went in as deep as possible, then carefully searched the area where the path ended.

And soon after, I found a trace of the item near the ceiling of the cave — near the rock face where light hit, there seemed to be a star carving about the size of an acorn.

Since the cross pattern required holy power, then does the star need mana?

There were legends that mana originated from stars, and magic-related groups commonly use the pentagram as their symbol. The academy's magic department emblem was also a star.

Those who sought to defy the established order would instead invert the star, using its reversed form to symbolize their defiant will.

*Kuk-kukung!*

With a resolute hand, I placed my palm on the star carving and channeled a faint trickle of raw mana into it. A moment later, the stone wall cracked open, and a small box emerged from the crevice. It was considerably smaller than the two massive chests I had encountered in the demon world, but its contents held the promise of a powerful new tool.

Despite having experienced this revelation before, the anticipation of discovering the treasure within the box never failed to send a thrill down my spine. Carefully, I lifted the lid, and the object within finally revealed itself.

A jet-black bead, the size of a hazelnut in a pitch-black hue, resembling the night sky.

This was also the very item I had resolved to obtain after our last disastrous incursion. Fortunately, I remembered its use quite well.

The 'Flame of Purification' was an invaluable asset under any circumstances. True to its name, it empowered the user's fire abilities. But its greatest advantage lay in its capacity to incinerate targets imbued with magical energies.

With this item in my possession, I could confront demons, their empowered minions, the magical beings of the Eastern Continent, and even the mutated second-generation monsters with far greater ease.

And accompanying the orb was, as expected, a shard of the Divine Dragon; shattered into such an unrecognizable sliver, it could only appear as some mere byproduct…

While curiosity gnawed at me, I had no intention of repeating the ordeal of losing an eye as I had in the past. Furthermore, I no longer had Isana by my side to assist me.

The most prudent course of action was to suppress my curiosity for the moment, return to the mansion, and examine the fragment thoroughly.

Pocketing the shard of the divine dragon, I cupped the black bead in my palm and infused it with mana; the bead's form dissolved, its essence seeping into my hand. A dense, searing vigor pulsed through my veins for a few moments before dissipating as swiftly as it had arisen.

"…Did it work…?"

Outwardly, at least, I appeared no different than before.

I exited the cavern and sought a clearing in the woods. Taking my stance, I intoned the most basic of fire incantations:

"Ignis, parum…nergo."

*Fwhoosh!*

A torrent of flames erupted from my outstretched hand, illuminating the surrounding trees with a fiery glow.

*****

After repeated trials and observations, I had gained a clearer understanding of the Flame of Purification. 

First, while I had succeeded in mastering its use, I could not yet manifest abilities beyond my current magical aptitude. Of course, I was far from unable to wield it, but further cultivating my innate powers would likely increase its efficacy.

Additionally, my flame now burned with an ebony hue, making overt usage prone to undue scrutiny or unwarranted suspicions about its dark coloration. 

While my fire spells appeared as normal when channeled through spirits, resorting to such methods in front of others was also problematic. The existence of another spirit mage, besides Selene, would undoubtedly cause a stir. Moreover, revealing such information to potential adversaries was an unnecessary risk.

For now, I would have to exercise caution and observe the situation closely. My daily life would not be significantly hampered by the inability to openly use my flames.

I postponed meeting Russ during my Amhol stopover, as searching for more artifacts would have strained my time and route. This area held no other notable locations I could recollect, in any case.

But having attained the prime objective of obtaining the Flame of Purification, my main goal had been achieved for the moment.

"Young Lord!!"

A voice cut through the air as I emerged from the forest, leading me to a clearing where a group of armed men stood assembled.

Among them, I spotted a familiar figure waving at me – Russ, the young mage and leader of our family's Magus Corps. His auburn curls and platinum-rimmed glasses framed a face that reflected genuine joy at our reunion.

Seeing his familiar face after so long filled me with warm fondness. "Russ. It has been too long. You look…what happened there?"

As I approached to clasp hands, I noticed his disheveled, bloodied state that had escaped my eyes from afar. Flecks of red dotted his face, clothes torn in multiple places. The guardsmen who had escorted him appeared similarly battle-worn.

"This? Oh, it's nothing. We merely ran across a griffon's nest along the way. The aged beast proved simple work to dispatch. I did manage to salvage some rather precious components from the encounter." 

Russ nonchalantly brushed away the blood specks as he nonchalantly recounted the skirmish.

"More importantly, are you unharmed, my lord? I can scarce describe the uproar when news first reached us of the academy's incident." 

"I'm perfectly fine, as you can see. It was nothing I couldn't handle."

Though Russ looked me over with evident concern, my reassurance finally brought a relieved expression.

"The gods truly watched over you. You wouldn't know how chaotic things got in Madehaven."

"Chaotic?"

"Indeed. Lady Adele was in hysterics, Laurel insisted on immediately retrieving you by force if need be, while the Butler nearly fainted dead away…"

"Now now, you mustn't speak of such things to Adele. What could that child possibly understand…"

I lightly chided, earning a rueful chuckle from Russ.

"Actually, the young miss was the first to learn of it all. Ever since her reading lessons began, she always insists on being the first to open any correspondence from the academy."

"…What?"

This revelation struck me utterly speechless.

"According to the Butler, upon opening Lady Estelle's letter, Lady Adele burst into tears and came running straight to Master. It was only after her outburst that Master grasped the full situation…I have not witnessed his terrible wrath of that magnitude in ages."

Russ' words triggered recollections of the letter I had received from father at the academy — the unusually frantic scrawl deviating from his customary elegant penmanship, the subtle undercurrent of fury barely contained within.

Had Estelle not relayed the news, I would have been in for a real scolding — I thought to myself.

Russ, his expression serious, addressed me, "With such events transpiring, we had no choice but to increase the number of guards accompanying you. However, your sudden change of location and timing took us all by surprise. Moreover, the security in this vicinity is not exactly the best.

"Apologies," I replied sheepishly, "I had to attend to some other matters for a short while…" I attempted to gloss over the details, but Russ would not be so easily dissuaded.

"I understand, but still," Russ pressed, "I take my orders from you, and if the Master inquires, I must provide an accurate account of your actions."

Sighing, I conceded, "Alright, alright. I'll face the music when I get back. How are things at Madehaven? No major incidents, I hope?"

"Some discord did briefly erupt, yes. But let us proceed inside first, I shall explain further within," Russ ushered me into the command tent, offering me a seat before fetching two steaming cups of tea. "In conclusion," he began, "we managed to weather the storm relatively unscathed. Compared to the reports coming from other regions or the Academy, our situation has been remarkably peaceful."

"You don't say? That is truly a relief to hear."

"However, that doesn't mean everything is back to normal," Russ continued, his tone turning somber. "With the help of the Church, we've been able to identify and apprehend a significant number of…unsavory elements. Upon your return, you may notice a change in the atmosphere. We've significantly reinforced the boundaries of Madehaven, and the populace is understandably on edge…"

"Unsavory elements?" I asked with a furrowed brow.

"A diverse group," Russ explained, his voice devoid of emotion. "Some bore the inverted star symbol on their bodies, others drew forbidden sigils in secret. We even apprehended a few attempting to make sacrifices on makeshift alters – offal and hides of butchered beasts as tributes. A few faced summary execution, but most await rigorous interrogation in the holding cells."

He recounted these grisly deeds with an eerily level tone utterly at odds with the darkly disturbing subject matter.

If you want to read it for a cheap price until the last chapter, patreon.com/Makima02