I Became the Savior of the Academy’s Villains

Martin Curves, the possessor of the demonic eye.

Luca did not want to confront him directly.

First of all, he simply lacked information about the man.

'Martin Curves has almost no direct involvement with the protagonist. Because of that, I don't know exactly what he can do or what he's done.'

His identity had been revealed, but even after the regression, there was hardly any contact with him in the academy.

Probably because Martin Curves wasn't assigned to the protagonist.

'What should I do?'

Luca did his best to rack his brain.

He didn't consider himself particularly clever, but he'd read so many novels that he tried to think of a solution from those situations.

'... Huh?'

But strangely, his memory was hazy.

Aside from the plot of 'I Became the Savior of the Academy', he couldn't recall the details of any other novels.

'Is it because my memories got mixed with Luca Traverse'?'

In that confused state, only one thought came sharply and instinctively to his mind.

'If he acts up, I have to kill him.'

Luca didn't know if it was something said by the Luca Traverse inside him, or if it was his own idea, but that much was clear.

If Martin tried to use this situation as leverage to do something, they'd go straight to the worst outcome.

'Good thing I took the Skybird's power first.'

Fortunately, Luca had already obtained the power of the skybird.

When choosing his first opportunity, Luca had prioritized three things.

It should be easy to acquire, not overlap with the protagonist, and while being useful right now, it should also retain some value in the future.

The power of the skybird satisfied all three conditions.

'There was one reason the Demons desperately tried to obtain the Skybird's power. If the enemy got a hold of it, things would become extremely difficult.'

The Skybird's power—in other words, the power of "the Sky"—could resist demonic power.

And the demonic eye Martin possessed was a power created by demons.

'It's not fully awakened yet but, just once...'

Luca's eyes grew sharp as he quickly calculated in his head.

'If he reveals his demonic power, I'll have a shot.'

Grip.

Luca reached for the hilt of the sword he always carried.

Watching this, Martin was inwardly impressed.

'He's surprisingly tough for his appearance. Thinking of eliminating the witness first in a situation like this... should I say he's meticulous?'

Martin interpreted it a bit differently and smiled softly.

'Hehe, good. It's much more fun to hunt someone who bares their teeth, instead of those who simply play dumb.'

The 'Academy Takeover' by the Demons, which rotted the continent's most promising young shoots aspiring to climb higher.

Martin had been sent as the first agent for exactly this kind of merciless nature.

'First, I need to calm him down a bit.'

Maintaining his distance so as not to alarm Luca, who regarded him like a wild animal, Martin knelt down by the corpses with shattered heads and said,

"This is ancient dark magic. I've read about it in texts."

"?"

"You're Luca Traverse, aren't you? You're famous from what happened at the entrance ceremony, so I know you. It seems someone who was jealous of your looks tried something bad."

His first priority in this situation was to defend Luca.

Speaking glibly, he sounded for all the world like a concerned teacher joking to help a traumatized student calm down after a gruesome incident.

But for Luca, who knew everything, it was an exasperating situation.

'What's his game?'

Out of nowhere, some kids picked a fight, got beaten, then their heads exploded when asked about it.

Then, Martin—who clearly cast the spell that exploded those heads—showed up and started expressing concern.

'Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?'

Thinking that, he nevertheless managed to assess the situation to some extent.

'Surely, he isn't actually worried about me.'

After all, when the ones picking a fight with Luca tried to utter a name starting with "Ma—", their heads exploded, and then someone named "Martin" appeared to clean things up. That couldn't be a coincidence.

'I might have changed the order or method by being here, but the big flow hasn't changed yet. Whatever Martin's doing now, it's certainly something meant to negatively affect Luca Traverse. If so...'

As Luca sorted things out in his head, Martin spoke in a gentle tone.

"For now, let's keep this quiet. If this gets out, you might suffer harm, Luca."

"..."

"I'll handle things here. Later, come to my office and we can talk calmly about this incident."

Martin had intended all along to keep things quiet.

If a big fuss was made, it would only restrict his own movements.

'And this will become an excellent tool to threaten Luca Traverse later.'

Pretending to help while subtly stoking Luca's anxiety was his true aim.

And Luca, knowing this, desperately suppressed the urge to bite his lip.

'Three students are dead, and you want to let it go quietly? Unbelievable.'

If he hadn't known the full story, he would've simply gone along with Martin's suggestion.

Even as the second son of a count's house, he was only thirteen.

Anyone would be rattled seeing three peers die right in front of them.

But the person inside this body was no thirteen-year-old kid.

He wouldn't take it lying down.

"I don't think letting this go is the right decision."

"... Pardon?"

Martin, seeming somewhat displeased at the unexpected answer, questioned him again.

Luca continued in the dignified manner of a noble.

"You seem to be a professor... May I ask your name?"

"Oh, pardon my late introduction. I'm Martin Curves, instructor of magical history."

"Professor Martin, if—according to you—this is an incident involving ancient dark magic, it's not something to be overlooked. That would mean a dark mage has infiltrated the continent's number one, Hernan Academy."

Speaking with a resolute tone, Luca made Martin's smile falter ever so slightly.

'Why is he acting like this? Shouldn't I have brought up dark magic?'

Noticing Martin's subtle change of expression, Luca drove in the wedge.

"We must thoroughly identify the culprit and root out the foul dark mages hiding in the academy. Even if that brings disadvantages to me in the process."

"......"

At Luca's firm words, Martin swallowed hard.

'If it continues like this, things won't end well. I can't leave the crime scene like this, but...'

Trying to reverse the now-awkward situation, he tried to stir Luca's fears.

"But Luca, you've already been the subject of several rumors. If news gets out that you're embroiled in this, your reputation will take an even bigger hit. The true mastermind was probably aiming for that too. Are you sure about this?"

"In that case, they'll have to pay for messing with House Traverse."

Martin fell silent at Luca's calm reply. Soon, he came to a conclusion.

'For now, I have no choice but to stand down. I'll take him apart slowly, later.'

There was nothing to be gained by pushing things here and now.

He decided to get past this moment, then proceed with his plan at a later time.

"If that's how you feel, I suppose there's no helping it."

With those words, Martin slowly opened his eyes wide, his gaze beginning to turn red.

The instant Luca saw those eyes, he knew it had come.

'So it's come to this.'

The demonic eye.

With those demon-infused eyes, Martin had certainly put a curse on the three dead students here.

Luca expected that he himself would be next.

'He still doesn't know I have the Skybird's power. Which means, for just one moment, he'll let his guard down.'

For this, Luca had deliberately acted in a way that must have seemed frustrating from Martin's perspective.

All to create this very moment.

'In the original story, Martin never showed anything other than his demonic eye, so I don't know what other powers he might have. But as long as he's caught off guard, I can surprise him. And if I kill him, I'll be free of all suspicion.'

If they simply examined Martin's corpse, they'd find traces of demonic power, proving Luca hadn't killed the students.

'It's a shame to reveal my lightning energy so soon, but there's no other way.'

With things as they were, there was no time for hesitation.

Just as Luca was about to bring forth his lightning energy—

Suddenly, someone's presence was felt.

"Phew! What on earth happened here?"

"!"

Martin immediately closed his eyes.

Luca could feel his agitation too.

'I set up a talisman so no one could come near this area...?'

"Who are you...?"

Lustrous, almost enviably golden blonde hair.

A poised bearing radiating the dignity of a true noble.

A handsome young man with a bright smile was approaching them.

"My name is Mika Welch, eldest son of the noble Welch household."

"The Welch family...!"

The Marquis of Welch—mentioned several times in the original work.

With the family's special bloodline ability, its members were given the title 'Watchers'.

'That must mean... he's Wylde's supporter.'

There had been no description of Mika Welch's name or appearance, but he recalled a passage about a Watcher who'd helped during the fugitive days.

So it wasn't surprising to learn he was Wylde's—meaning Willow's—friend.

What he couldn't understand was why this young man had shown up at this precise moment.

"That something like this happened at Hernan Academy... It's hard to believe, but you can't deny what you see. I've already contacted the student council, so I'd like all witnesses to please remain where they are, okay?"

Martin offered a faint smile as he listened to the softly spoken words.

"Of course. But since Luca, who experienced all this, must be under a lot of stress, could you be considerate? I'll stay here and look after things."

"Hmm... That's true. He's only a first-year after all, and this must have been quite a shock."

Mika nodded and looked at Luca.

"Then, Luca Traverse. Come with me."

"Yes."

Luca followed Mika without resistance.

Once they were some distance from the faucet area, Mika suddenly let out a big sigh.

"Whew, thought I was going to die. Hey, Wylde's little brother, are you hurt anywhere?"

"... No, I'm fine."

Luca was a little taken aback by his odd reaction.

Mika glanced back toward the faucet, then sighed again.

"What was that, anyway? We could both have died if it had gone the wrong way."

"What do you...?"

"The eyes of the Welch family are special. They can see things that ordinary people can't. I saw something utterly horrifying in that teacher."

Luca was impressed at his words.

'As expected of a Watcher's bloodline. Even though he hasn't fully awakened, he can already see demonic power.'

He'd heard that demonic power was even harder to perceive than dark magic, being a superior force.

Even Luca—had he not already suspected Martin of having the demonic eye—would not have noticed the use of its power.

'Mika Welch. And the Watcher household. I'd like to gather more information.'

Just as Luca was thinking this, Mika, who had been walking while holding Luca by the wrist, stopped.

Before they knew it, they had reached a spot visible to both students and faculty.

Mika let out a deep breath of relief.

"Phew, we should be safe now. I don't know what you've gotten yourself tangled up in, but looks like you're fated for a wild life, just like your brother."

"Are you close with my brother?"

"Of course. Otherwise, would I have been watching over you?"

Mika's golden eyes shone beautifully as he spoke.

"You've done pretty well, all things considered. I was planning to stop keeping an eye on you by the end of this week, but now look. Hm, but I can't keep watching you forever."

Looking a little troubled, Mika scratched his head, took a note out of his pocket, and handed it to Luca.

"This is...?"

"My contact code. With all this going on, they'll tighten security inside the academy, but just in case, contact me if anything happens. I'll keep an eye on you."

"..."

With a wink, Mika said this.

Luca, after a moment's consideration, took the note and bowed slightly.

"Thank you."

"Huh? Er, yeah."

"I'll go now; my friends are waiting."

As Luca left, Mika scratched his cheek.

"Wylde said he's a shy one, but he's much more straightforward than I imagined."

He was quite different from Mikа's expectation.

When Luca joined up with his friends—

"What's with your face?"

"What?"

"Isn't that blood?"

"It is blood, miss!"

"Who'd you beat up on the way here?"

"... Ah."

He was a little exhausted trying to explain.

* * *

Of course, with everything that happened, Luca underwent investigation for a while.

It was quickly revealed he hadn't killed the students, but they still had to look into why this had happened to him.

But nothing came up.

If anyone had a grudge, it would be the three he had suspended from school, but it was quickly established that they had no ties to anyone with demonic powers.

And as expected—but inconveniently—a troublesome situation arose.

"Professor Martin Curves... No, suspect Martin Curves has escaped."

Martin Curves had gone missing.

'I thought he might run if an investigation began, but... seeing him actually on the run, I'm a bit worried.'

He must have had his plans disrupted and couldn't do anything now.

And there was always a possibility there were other Demons agents aside from Martin Curves.

"Luca, unfortunately, you'll need to remain on campus this weekend."

"I understand."

Hernan Academy was built near the metropolis of Havok, and on weekends, students usually went to have fun in the city.

First-years couldn't go out during the first week due to orientation and joint dormitory education.

They were forced to stay inside the academy for the first two weeks.

That's why many students looked forward to their first outing.

Unless a student caused serious trouble, it was rare to be barred from going out.

But this time, there was a genuine personal safety risk, so only Luca was being restricted.

"Luca! You're coming to Havok this weekend, right?"

"Ooh, we're going to have fun again? I'm excited!"

"If you're happy, miss, then I'm happy too!"

The problem was, his friends were all eager to have fun with Luca.

He didn't know how to break the news, so he decided to tell them bluntly, since it would be shocking no matter how he phrased it.

"I've been grounded this weekend, so I can't go."

"What?!"

"You three go have fun without me."

Ottbo seemed quite shocked, but Milia didn't seem bothered at all.

"Oh well, can't be helped."

"Yeah. Let's have fun, you three..."

"Then let's explore the academy!"

"... What?"

"Milady?"

As if she had been waiting, she pulled a map out from somewhere, beaming with excitement.

"So what if we can't go out—we'll explore the academy!"

Thus began the reckless princess's latest escapade.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Damn, that was heartpounding...

I thought they would fight...

That gave me a scare... I thought Kryphi Mosto will save him, but it was Mika all along...

This was setup 8 chapters ago when Mika was introduced and volunteered to look after Luca, so it wasn't a coincidence...

But it could have gone sideways real quick...

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】