How to Survive as a Trash Extra Villain

Chapter 121

‘I, Master. I cannot protect them.’

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t muster the courage to protect those here.

These people who treated me like family, I wanted to protect them.

“You should find what you want to do, what you wish for, what you desperately desire, what you earnestly seek… I hope you find what you want to do.”

The day after he rescued me from the black market, Master Martin said those words to me.

At the time, I said I didn’t know.

“Well, vague words like that won’t do, will they? To soar, you must first learn to walk.”

Even someone like me was embraced by him.

He stripped off the ornate but confining slave attire and dressed me in a barista uniform.

“Savo, brew coffee and paint your dreams.”

‘Master, I.’

I diligently brewed coffee as you instructed.

I learned compassion from Lilac.

I learned joy from Bianca.

Wisdom from Nerjin.

Composure from Sebastian.

‘I want to protect these people.’

It was necessary.

‘Even if I die.’

Power.

‘I need the power to protect them.’

At that moment, another man came to mind.

He, Gilbert, was an extraordinary swordsman.

“Protection and devotion.”

“The sword in hand exists to protect.”

“Honor. To make that name shine brilliantly.”

“Order. To eradicate chaos.”

“Justice. The power to vanquish evil.”

“And to protect myself.”

“To protect my precious family, friends, and loved ones.”

“That is why we wield the sword.”

“Because I believe I can live my life through the sword.”

At that moment, Savo’s awakening began.

‘Permitted by Master.’

The secret swordsmanship manual of Sword Saint Dominic.

‘What Brother Gilbert taught me.’

The spirit of the sword.

‘And my wish.’

The desire to protect.

Those three elements intertwined, and Savo awakened to a new swordsmanship.

A boy who had never been taught the sword by anyone, relying solely on his talent to inherit the ancestral swordsmanship passed down through his bloodline.

Now, equipped with an excellent teacher, a fine manual, great conviction, and a desperate wish.

“I can do it.”

Savo stepped into a new realm.

His core was filled with burning heat.

A red aura materialized around his entire body.

He had reached the level of a mana user.

[Screech?]

[Kiriririri.]

The demons charging like starved ghouls flinched and halted.

Savo’s sword slashed sideways.

In an instant, dozens of lesser demons were cut down.

‘I can feel it.’

A new power.

It felt so natural, as if the world had granted it to me.

The ‘mana’ I had just mastered… felt as familiar as if I had lived with it my entire life.

‘This is what I want to do.’

Mana embodied my knowledge, wishes, convictions, and the formidable form of the Sword Saint inherited through my bloodline.

Dominant Swordsmanship.

Whoever stood in my way, I would strike them down.

A terrifying sword that trod over their corpses to reign supreme.

But it was not the sword of a demon that Martin feared.

‘I want to protect. I’m protecting them. No one will pass through here.’

It was the sword of protection.

‘I want to proclaim my existence!’

Savo’s aura engulfed the entire area.

His body shot forward lightly, like a swallow.

The lesser demons covering Nerjin and Sebastian shattered into pieces.

The battlefield fell silent in shock.

Savo’s presence dominated the battlefield.

The small boy Martin had saved.

Had saved his most precious people.

“Now…”

Returning to his original position, Savo drew his sword across the ground.

A sword aura shot out, carving a straight line.

“No one…”

The moment Savo’s sword tip pointed at the demons.

“Will cross.”

The boy became a terror to his enemies.

***

“Damn it, what the hell is this?!”

The Imperium Imperial Family was in chaos.

It was due to the sudden appearance of a red barrier around Imperium Academy.

At first, it went unnoticed.

Not only was it invisible to the eye… but those who had business at the Academy inexplicably changed their minds or postponed their schedules.

“…Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t there something over there?”

“…?”

The first to notice was Platinum Knight Celina.

Her aide Derzo looked at her with a questioning gaze.

“What are you talking about? It’s Imperium Academy.”

“They’re probably in the middle of preparing for the closing ceremony.”

“The Archmage won’t be there, so the Vice Principal will likely deliver the closing speech again.”

“They say the speech was written by the Principal, the Archmage himself, and it’s always different, with such literary prowess that it’s popular among scholars. Did you know that?”

“….”

“No, wait. Please sign these documents already.”

“If we don’t process the paperwork from the homeland, I’ll get in trouble.”

“Be grateful the Imperium Empire lent us an office.”

“….”

Celina stood from her seat.

Her gaze remained fixed on Imperium Academy.

Derzo let out a deep sigh.

‘Really.’

She was an oddity even among the Platinum Knights.

But he knew.

She was earnest in all things.

A kind person who tried to see things from a different perspective.

That’s why some called her eccentric.

…And that’s why I can’t bring myself to leave her side.

“Ugh, what curiosity has struck our commander this time… Let’s go take a look.”

With a resigned smile, Derzo stood and saw Celina’s expression.

“…Commander?”

Derzo’s face immediately grew serious.

Celina’s eyes were filled with murderous intent.

“Commander.”

“Don’t you see it, Derzo?”

At Celina’s words, he looked at Imperium Academy again.

He scrutinized it for ten seconds but saw nothing unusual.

“…Nothing. Just an ordinary academy, isn’t it?”

“The night sky is spread out, and the full moon’s light mingles with the festival lights, with the Grand Festival in full swing.”

“Really?”

Celina drew the sword from her waist.

The kingdom’s treasure, ‘Moonlight.’

She looked like someone facing an enemy commander in a tense, blood-soaked standoff.

“No, Commander Celina! What are you doing?!”

“…Confirming.”

Confirming?

The view outside remained unchanged.

Just an ordinary Imperium Academy in the midst of its closing ceremony!

But it was too late.

Her sword was already brimming with mana.

The shimmering silver light radiated with grandeur.

Platinum Numbering No.7.

Known as the ‘Knight of Moonlight.’

Derzo shouted urgently.

“Hey, you crazy commander! This is the imperial capital!”

“What if you’re wrong?! That’s terrorism!”

“There could be other ways!”

“If that’s the case!”

Celina raised her sword high in an overhead stance, then smiled brightly at Derzo.

“Take care of it, Derzo!”

“Hey!”

A Moonlight sword aura shot forth.

People gasped and screamed, startled by the immense force originating from the imperial spire.

The shimmering Moonlight was about to collide with Imperium Academy’s grand plaza when.

“…!”

It was blocked.

The silver Moonlight sword aura was stopped midair by an invisible barrier and dissipated.

Then it began to reveal itself.

A massive… red dome-shaped barrier.

“What, what is that?!”

“Ugh!”

Upon seeing it with their own eyes, ordinary people screamed.

Some vomited, others collapsed in fear.

That’s what it was.

A force that gnawed at the minds of those who beheld it.

“What was that just now?! Wasn’t that the sword aura of Celina, the Knight of Moonlight?!”

“You’re right! The Moonlight sword aura that dispels concealment and stealth!”

“Something’s happened at Imperium Academy!”

“Move! It’s an emergency!”

In an instant, the capital was abuzz.

“Ta-da! See that?!”

As Celina gave a thumbs-up, Derzo spread his hand and began smacking her on the back.

“Ugh, you lunatic! I can’t live like this, seriously!”

“Ow! Ouch! Why! I did well!”

“You did well, sure! You shaved years off my life, you idiot!”

But Celina’s achievement was remarkable.

It may have hastened, even slightly, the arrival of a ‘hero’ who could save countless lives that might otherwise have been lost.

“Hey, over here!”

“I know. How could I not?”

“It’s visible from anywhere in the capital.”

Nearly all the forces remaining in the imperial capital gathered in front of Imperium Academy.

And why wouldn’t they?

Not only were there talented individuals from various nations, but also the heirs of the Four Great Ducal Families, as well as princes and princesses!

Naturally, the seventeen Platinum Knights who had stayed to recruit Gilbert and Martin were all present.

Among them, Celina was exceptional.

“Celina discovered this? Impressive.”

“Truly No.7.”

“Yeah. She fired a Moonlight sword aura from the imperial capital.”

“…Isn’t that insane?”

But everyone acknowledged the result of her insane act.

One Platinum Knight muttered.

“But what is this thing? It’s utterly ominous.”

“I’ve seen shamans of the Great Forest and sorcerers of the deep sea, but I’ve never felt such a dreadful power.”

“Even black magic isn’t like this.”

One thing was certain.

Destruction.

This was something that absolutely needed to be destroyed.

Their primal instincts screamed that this was fundamentally an enemy of humanity.

At that moment.

“Hmm, extraordinary. Wilhelm, can you handle it?”

“Watch, Frohadin. This old man will show some strength.”

A red arrow was fired.

The Platinum Knights, startled by the fierce and resolute force, turned their heads.

It was the red arrow of Harmadun, advancing straight without yielding to anyone.

Its momentum was so ferocious it seemed like a meteor falling from the sky.

Though far stronger than Elisha’s, it failed to pierce the barrier just the same.

“Huh, it didn’t break through.”

“Ugh, embarrassing for an old man.”

Two elderly men approached.

One, wearing a fedora, was the old man of the red arrow; the other, in an ornate gray uniform, wore a monocle.

Two of the five Platinum Knights owned by the Imperium Empire.

The crowd, not just the Platinum Knights, stirred.

“Wilhelm, Patriarch of the Harmadun Ducal Family!”

“Is that Frohadin, Patriarch of the Deminiyan Ducal Family?”

“Two of the Four Great Dukes have appeared!”

Two of the Four Great Dukes, known for rarely showing themselves, had made an appearance.

Duke Wilhelm of Harmadun asked Frohadin of Deminiyan.

Above his monocle, numerous magical holograms appeared and vanished repeatedly.

“What’s the analysis?”

“It’s ancient demon magic.”

“And… it’s magic of an extremely high level, so even I would need five days to dispel it.”

“Where did something this extraordinary come from?”

Frohadin frowned at Wilhelm’s question, his face showing irritation.

But Wilhelm’s expression darkened at the bad news as well.

“Then we’re too late.”

“What about my granddaughter Elisha?”

“And your two granddaughters, Mary and Shuga?”

At the urgent urging, Frohadin furrowed his brow.

“Two? Call it one, please.”

“…Anyway, there’s a simpler way.”

As Frohadin, Patriarch of Deminiyan, extended his hand, a gray magic wand materialized.

With a flourish, the essence of Deminiyan’s secret storm cloud magic stretched into the air.

The surging mana reached the sky’s ceiling, painting a magic circle on the night sky as a canvas.

“Ohh.”

“This is the power of a Platinum Knight-level mage.”

That’s how mages were.

Incredibly powerful and versatile, but magical talent wasn’t something just anyone was born with.

【Come, clouds. Unite as one, compress.】

Of the thirty-five Platinum Knights, only four had risen to that rank as mages.

Two were tower masters of certain magic towers, one was the Principal of Imperium Academy, and the other was Frohadin, Patriarch of the Deminiyan Ducal Family, one of the Four Great Ducal Families of the Imperium Empire.

【Aqua Dragon Breath.】

From above the clouds, a dragon’s breath was unleashed.

Or so it seemed, with water pressure so powerful it resembled a dragon’s calamity crashing onto the red dome.

But.

“How dare.”

More force gripped Frohadin’s fist holding the magic wand.

It had failed.

The greatest offensive magic of the Deminiyan family, yet it was blocked.

“I’m starting to wonder who this demon is that cast this barrier magic.”

“To think such a high-ranking demon went undetected until now.”

“Frohadin, think later.”

“Let’s save our granddaughters first.”

“…Let’s combine our strength.”

Frohadin began preparing another spell.

Wilhelm took an aiming stance, gathering energy for a while.

“Let’s join forces too.”

The waiting Platinum Knights stepped toward the barrier.

“Ha, Platinum Knights working together, huh.”

In the face of absolute evil threatening humanity.

“Come on, let’s have some fun!”

Humanity could unite.

And that would be the foundation for salvation.

But they had to hurry.

If not, everything would end.

Right now, inside that red dome…