I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

<43 - Today is the day of the blackout accident!>

[Training Facility]

[Dueling Grounds No. 3]

In the dueling grounds, the A Group apprentice knights in dolphin pants and the B Group apprentice knights in pantyhose covered their skin were gathered in large numbers.

The first showdown between the two groups, which had implicitly been on guard without crossing the line with each other.

“Did Oknodie tell you not to call us?”

“Yeah. She definitely said that.”

“That little rat…”

Son Ohchun glared fiercely at the dueling ground.

“Was she trying to hide the sight of beating up an Empire Noble from us?”

“…Isn’t it the opposite? The opponent is an Empire Noble who has mastered the Mana Flow Technique and Mana Refinement Technique. Not to mention Lotto, who has received combat tutoring from a martial arts master and is renowned as a martial arts prodigy.”

Unlike the dumbfounded Isabel, Jezel supported Son Ohchun’s opinion.

“I don’t think Isabel knows. Oknodie is stronger than we think. She won a sword fight against a Senior Examiner and got the Platinum Ticket.”

“Platinum Ticket?”

“A ticket that allows the holder to automatically advance to the next stage even if they fail the Upper Class entrance exam once. And it’s a double number ticket, too.”

“Admissions are already done, so what does that matter? The number was never mentioned in the entrance exam.”

Jezel received the triple number Platinum Ticket from Senior Examiner Michael.

Because of that, he was interested in the number and obtained answers after digging consistently for information from the instructors.

“There are a total of 9999 Platinum Tickets, numbered from 1 to 9999.”

“Out of two thousand incoming students, 9999 tickets? That’s not rare at all!”

“And once a ticket is issued, it won’t be reissued until the holder dies. This ticket is almost a guarantee of talent.”

“!!”

“Do you understand? The meaning of the double number Platinum Ticket. Oknodie has been recognized for her talent, ranking among the top two-digit students in history.”

Even Michael’s ticket had the numbers 15 and 143.

She was recognized for her talent, close to the single digits among the top 15 students in history.

Lotto’s reputation as a martial arts prodigy is nothing compared to the shining guarantee of the Platinum Ticket.

“Think again about the meaning of Son Ohchun saying she didn’t want to show us the sight of beating the Empire Noble. Then you will understand.”

Only after hearing Jezel’s story did Isabel grasp the hidden meaning like someone who gained enlightenment.

“She was afraid. Afraid that we would no longer want to stay by her side after seeing her strength that wasn’t childlike.”

“For a child raised as an assassination weapon in a noble family, seeing an adult fear the child might not be such a strange experience. Perhaps she has ‘real combat experience’ as well.”

She fears being hated for her strength that isn’t childlike.
She doesn’t want her comrades to see her duel.
Both outcomes are painful.
Oknodie’s terrible past.
Her mindset may stem from experiences of not being able to trust adults.

“…Hey, Jezel. Is there a reason why the nobles are allowing us to stay near Oknodie?”

“Let’s just keep it as a thought. It’s not something that should be said carelessly. We don’t know who might be listening within the Academy.”

The darkness surrounding Oknodie was deeper than imagined.
Isabel felt anger before fear.

“Trust no one but ourselves.
Weak people die quickly.
The minute they show a little strength, they’re afraid of her.
Her unchildlike appearance creates a sense of alienation.
And it betrays the heart.

Through experiences, expectations about relationships are shattered.
She dominates both the body and mind of Oknodie.
She was afraid of the darkness of the noble family.
She felt goosebumps about the hidden forces behind it.
That’s why, on one side, a stubbornness arose.

‘They underestimated us.’

Would they really treat this unchildlike child as a comrade?
How long can we stay by this child’s side without hurting her?
Anger boiled toward the unseen forces, whose names, faces, and appearances were unknown.

‘To repay a kindness, yet turn our backs on each other, there’s no way we’d do something like that.’

Isabel thought.
Don’t look down on people.
Adventurers of the Esornia Expedition Team are the kind of people who always accomplish what they set their minds to.
And right now, she had made up her mind.
To follow up the kindness she owed to Oknodie with another goal.

‘One day, if the day comes that I confront you who control Oknodie, I will throw a punch at that face.’

With her determination, the uproar in the audience calmed down.

Oknodie and Lotto.
The duel between the two upper class students was about to begin.

The instructor acting as the judge manipulated the mana board and spoke.

“If the safety guard activates, the duel will be immediately stopped. The winner will be determined by decision.”

“Roger that.”

“Lucky you. You won’t break any bones. But I’ll definitely make it hurt enough.”

Lotto stood opposite, glaring at me with sadistic delight.
The signal for the match rang out.
Instead of rushing at me, Lotto waggled his finger as if he was considering holding back.

‘So clumsy.’

I can tell just by looking into his eyes.
It wasn’t an act of being relaxed.
He was conscious of the spectators’ gazes.
Having entered an embarrassing duel with a child, this concession seemed necessary to maintain some face.
It’s humiliating to lose, and it doesn’t feel great to win either, so he thinks he should save any bit of dignity.

“Hey, Lotto. Did you know?”

“What? Are you scared now that we’re about to fight? Trying to plead for mercy?”

“On the sixth day of dormitory life, there will be a blackout accident in the training building. When that happens, the safety guard will stop working.”

Lotto frowned.

“You’re trying to trick me. Did A Group give up their top rank to a kid because they got intimidated by silly tricks?”

It might be hard to believe.
Predicting an accident that hasn’t even happened yet.
If I didn’t know that, I wouldn’t believe it either.
But it still feels sketchy, doesn’t it?

No matter what happens, thanks to the safety guard, it ends with only minor injuries.
With the assurance of safety disappearing, there’s no time to worry about honor or dignity.
Lotto lunged at me with heavy steps.

Thud!

His body was light and nimble.
His kicks were heavy and powerful.
It seems the private coaching paid off as Lotto’s skill was outstanding.

However, my weapon is a ‘sword.’
The distance created by the sword is longer than that of bare hands.
I have the initiative and advantage in attacking.

Clang!

A sharp sound erupted, unbelievable that it came from the clash of legs and swords.
The audience was stunned by Lotto’s strength, yet Lotto’s expression wasn’t good.

“Does it hurt more than you thought?”

“Y-You… could it be that strength…”

Yeah. Did you notice now?

“Half ogre…?”

“I’ve mastered the Mana Refinement Technique!!”

Oops. In the heat of the moment, Lotto’s leg viciously brushed by my face.
He might not have good kicking skills, but his taunting skills are top-notch.

“I had a feeling. Considering you’re strong, you didn’t look as muscular as Hestia, that mercenary.”

Lotto asked, probing for more information.

“Have you mastered the Mana Flow Technique as well?”

“Hmm, what do you think?”

Using the power of Mana to compress muscle allows one to maintain an elegant physique while exhibiting great strength through the Mana Refinement Technique, while the Mana Flow Technique greatly improves the speed of Mana collection.

These techniques aren’t exclusive to nobles.

Nobles with real combat experience and some high-ranking mercenaries.
Descendants of martial arts families that pass down visions of technique.
Hidden competent individuals inheriting exclusive visions of their own.
There are various Mana Refinement Techniques and Mana Flow Techniques in the world.
And the Academy gathers them to teach the students.
As a player, I’ve attended the Academy thousands of times.

Naturally, I know both the Refinement and Flow Techniques.
Some skills were so frequently used that I could research and master them myself just with mere ingenuity.

There are techniques that are too advanced for a new student to learn.
That’s why landing a noble rank can be great.
If the Academy asks where I learned this, I can push it off to Papa about the Mana Flow Technique.
What would Papa say if he asked?
Just blame it on the Academy then.
It’s best not to get caught either way.

Up to now, I had refrained from using my abilities, wary of my Butler’s watchful eyes.
I’ve only been sneaking in little bits of practice alone.
Lotto might’ve caught on by directly facing me, but if the audience knows nothing, that’s a home run, isn’t it?

“Is your leg starting to get stiff?”

“Still got plenty of time!”

“Well, what if unexpectedly, at just the right moment, your leg were to give out, and the blackout coincided with the safety guard being deactivated… Bam! You’d be done for!”

Did he imagine it with the specific description?
Lotto’s face turned pale.

“Y-You’re not serious, are you? You think the Academy would let you off for doing that?”

“Yeah, I’d probably get punished. But how bad could it be? I’m a prospective new student who doesn’t even fully understand the Academy’s official regulations. Especially since it would happen during a duel and be considered an ‘accident’ because of the blackout.”

Lotto’s leg was overstrained.
With stiffened movement, I didn’t miss the opportunity to charge him, quickly putting him on the defensive.

“Don’t worry too much. Even if you did lose a leg, they can reattach it, right? The Academy has excellent treatment facilities, and the attending healers are top-notch.”

Sure, you’d be left with trauma.
The hesitation to extend your leg at a crucial moment is almost as good as ending a martial artist’s life.
But that would be his own tribute.
Had he been kinder in the first place, he wouldn’t have needed to pick a fight with me to protect Hestia.

WHOOSH!

Right at that moment, the anticipated blackout struck.
In the darkness, I could hear Lotto go “Hik!” with a startled whimper.
It’s cute to hear a voice of surprise from someone who usually hangs around with a cocky crowd.
But I have no intention of letting him off the hook.
He mentioned causing pain, after all, didn’t he?

Flick

I swung my sword intending to chop off one of his legs.
The blade slicing through the darkness hit an unexpected barrier and bounced back.

Clang!

Wait, how did he block that?
Did he hide his skills?
In a moment of shock, I changed my sword path and swung three more times only to be blocked again.
As my persistent attacks were deflected by heavy feet,

Thump!

I performed a 720-degree body rotation in the air but landed on the ground slightly unsteady due to the unresolved shock.
A numbing sensation lingered in my arms.
Suddenly, I felt pressure.
If I remain in this position, and a next blow comes through the opening…

Can I withstand it?

As I imagined the figure charging through the dark, the lights in the arena turned back on.

‘Huh?’

I was startled when I saw my opponent.
The strong presence I had been pressuring in the dark,
wasn’t Lotto.
It was Hestia, who had busted into the dueling ground.

“Enough. I can’t allow a child who was trying to help to make a big mistake.”

“Ugh. Losing my strength here. If I were you, I’d just keep quiet.”

Realizing he nearly lost a leg, Lotto sank down with a defeated demeanor.

“Match halted! Due to the safety guard malfunction from the blackout, the duel is hereby paused!”

With the instructor’s shout, the duel fizzled out.

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