The Villain’s POV in the Academy

Chapter 54

The second day of the G20 Corporate Summit.

"……Yeah. Got it."

After receiving a briefing on the operation centered around Iri, I walked away with an unpleasant feeling.

'Damn it.'

The reason I couldn’t help but feel this way was because a sudden problem had cropped up in the plan.

Up until just a moment ago, everything had been going smoothly according to my orders.

Right now, Iri and Miyu were successfully luring Silence, playing their role as bait perfectly. Soon, we’d even be able to pinpoint the exact location of the ‘enemy.’

‘To gain points through the character, I have to meet them in person.’

The impatient Transmigrator would surely try to strike up a conversation with either Iri or Miyu no matter what. And the moment the two of them encountered the Transmigrator—that would be the chance.

The Stingray Corporation’s private soldiers, already lying in wait, would storm in and subdue that damn Transmigrator in an instant.

The rest of the forces would then sweep through Sector E, wiping out every last Ashita-kyo believer stationed there.

Yes, that was the plan.

But suddenly, things had gone wrong.

‘Right before the operation, they went and cut more than half of the personnel I requested…!’

What I had asked for was a combined force of 100 high-level Adaptees and Augmented soldiers with a minimum total module output of Lv.70, plus at least three Elder-class Wizards.

But what I actually got was only eight mid-level Adaptees, thirty-two high-level Augmented soldiers, and two Mage-class Wizards. To make matters worse, the anti-Witch equipment I was promised had been canceled.

‘What the hell am I supposed to do with this?’

Better than nothing, sure—but compared to the original plan, this force was downright pathetic, to the point I could feel my breath catch in frustration.

Augmented soldiers, whose bodies were enhanced through ‘cyberware implantation surgery’ instead of ‘nanomachines,’ were generally regarded as inferior to Adaptees of the same level.

It was obvious why.

Unlike Adaptees—who could swap out modules on the fly to adapt flexibly to different environments and situations—Augmented soldiers had far less adaptability.

In short, even a ‘high-level’ Augmented soldier was, in most cases, roughly on par with an Adaptee twenty or thirty levels lower.

So how did things end up like this?

‘Damn it, that old bastard.’

The culprit was obvious.

Only one person could ignore a request from the Crown Prince like this.

‘Drake Stingray…!’

The Emperor of New Valhalla City.

My father.

A man you must never oppose if you want to live comfortably in this city, and the final boss of the original story.

‘The Security Division Chief himself said there’d be no problem—so why suddenly sabotage things like this?’

I had explained in detail how serious this situation was, even saying that if things got bad, I’d step into the field myself.

And instead of helping, he changes the schedule out of nowhere and demands to see me immediately? That meant I’d have to carry out the subjugation with this miserable force.

‘What’s his game?’

I tried reading the Emperor’s thoughts, but prying into that sly, snake-like mind was never easy.

It might be faster to meet him in person and persuade him.

With that thought, I followed the attendants toward the room where the Stingray Chairman was staying.

‘Damn it. This is making me crazy nervous.’

Not just my mind—the body’s ego itself was tense.

Drake Stingray might have been wary of the monster he created, but likewise, Aaron feared his father’s dominance.

‘This is really not the time for this…’

I was getting restless.

But what could I do?

The Emperor himself had summoned me.

“This way, Young Master.”

“Alright.”

Straightening my clothes once again, I followed my father’s attendants. That was when I sensed something unusual.

‘All the attendants are Adaptees.’

And not just any Adaptees—these were high-level, high-integration ones. The type who could put a blade to my throat at the first sign of trouble.

Before I could enter the Chairman’s room, I had to undergo various security checks at the hands of his attendants.

It didn’t feel much like a father greeting his son, but there was no avoiding it.

‘At least they didn’t mess with my combat modules. I guess that’s supposed to be a sign of trust?’

They could have stripped all my combat modules or even checked my equipped state to shackle me completely.

For someone whose original module setup still wasn’t fully restored, that was a relief. Though it also meant the elaborate excuses I had prepared were now useless.

Once the inspection was over, the door blocking my way opened smoothly.

Beyond the luxuriously furnished space—decorated in an oriental style with celadon, white porcelain, ink paintings, and bonsai pines—the wide-open cityscape came into view.

Brilliant neon signs, massive holographic billboards in constant motion, a sky tinted like the static of an old TV, and airships and flying cars buzzing between endless high-rises like swarms of bees.

An old man was gazing down at this soul-stealing view from right up against the window.

Sensing my presence, he slowly turned toward me—or rather, he turned his wheelchair.

“You’ve come.”

Drake Stingray was a white-haired old man.

The nickname “the old fox of the business world” might evoke an image of vigorous old age, but in truth, he was closer to a barely-breathing corpse.

And that was only natural.

From what I knew, Drake Stingray had already been an old man when this city was founded.

A rough estimate would put his age at no less than two hundred. He was maintaining a body that should have died long ago through cutting-edge anti-aging treatments.

“……Father.”

How strange the word ‘father’ could feel. The vibration of that sound as it rose from my throat and touched the inside of my cheek was utterly unpleasant.

‘What a damn dysfunctional family.’

I knew this disgust came from Aaron himself, and that was why I judged it as such.

The original story never went into detail about Aaron’s relationship with Drake, so this was new to me.

Frankly, I wouldn’t want to call anyone “father” if they looked more like an undead than a living man.

More importantly, Drake Stingray hadn’t even fathered me naturally.

He had wanted a “man of steel” to succeed him as head of the Stingray Group, and so, using his own genetic material, he had created two sons and one daughter in a laboratory.

In that sense, it might not be accurate for members of the Stingray Family like me to address each other as ‘father,’ ‘brother,’ or ‘elder brother.’

“I heard you’ve regained your health. I was truly worried—it’s a relief.”

“All thanks to your grace, Father.”

We exchanged formalities devoid of even a milligram of sincerity.

Digging through Aaron’s memories, I realized this father of his… had never once come to see his dying son in person.

“……I see. I’m glad you say so.”

It was a seemingly kind response.

But there was not a speck of genuine feeling behind it. An awkward atmosphere settled in as Drake Stingray turned his wheelchair back toward the window.

"Come closer."

"……"

I obeyed the Stingray Chairman’s command.

As I approached his side, he suddenly asked,

"I hear you’re doing something strange over in Sector E. With ‘my’ soldiers in tow, no less."

"So it really was you who ordered the troop reduction, Father?"

"That’s right. What’s the problem?"

"Please cancel that decision. If I may speak frankly, this operation isn’t merely a personal matter for me…"

"Enough. Keep it within reason."

"What do you mean by that?"

He ignored me as if he had no intention of hearing me out. Then, gazing out the window, he asked,

"What do you think?"

"Of what?"

"This view."

"……?"

Was this some kind of test?

If I were honest, I thought it was impressive.

In my original world, this was the sort of sight I could only glimpse through media. Now, in this place that had become my reality, there must still be countless things I had yet to experience.

As I stared at it, memories from the past welled up again—painful moments when I hadn’t even been allowed the dignity of screaming at my own misery.

It was a blessing I had come here.

Truly.

‘So I won’t hand it over to anyone.’

From here on, this was my world.

In this place, I could finally become someone special, someone entitled to take whatever I wanted.

I wouldn’t let it be taken away.

I would give it to no one.

Suppressing the surge of emotion, I answered calmly,

"It’s just a view."

This had to be the right answer.

I didn’t understand the Stingray Chairman well enough. I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks and give this sly old man strange ideas.

I chose the line that felt most like Aaron and looked back at the Chairman, as if to confirm I’d answered correctly.

And our eyes met.

The golden eyes that had once shone like mine were now a dull yellow, as if losing their vitality in old age, stained by greed and sin.

But—

For an instant, I saw it.

Like gold found amid ashes, a strange light flashed through his eyes.

……I had a bad feeling.

"What is it?"

I asked, but the Stingray Chairman didn’t answer—only stared at me in fascination for a long time.

After a long wait, his cracked lips finally moved.

"Hmm… Let me ask you just one thing…"

His gaze turned piercing.

As if seeing straight through me, his eyes forced a sigh of regret from deep inside me.

"Boy, who are you?"

The old fox of the business world.

I knew it was too soon to meet this man.

***

The Great Hall of Ashita-kyo.

There, a man greeted Iri and Miyu with his palms pressed together.

“It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Benefactor Iri, Benefactor Miyu. Welcome warmly into the embrace of Ashita.”

"……"

It reeked of suspicion.

He wore an orange monk’s robe and had a shaved head, but he looked more like a conman than a monk.

Iri, not letting her guard down, asked,

"This is a religious facility, right? We’re not here to join your religion or anything."

"I understand. You’ve come only to hear our words. More precisely, to learn the ‘truth.’"

Truth.

A rather weighty choice of words.

"Then you’re the one who asked to meet us, right? And… what was your name again?"

"I am called ‘Araya.’"

"Hm. That’s a unique name."

Iri tilted her head slightly, then narrowed her eyes.

"I’ll be blunt. Honestly, even if a shady monk says he’s got something important to tell me, my first reaction is suspicion. How do you people know anything about my brother?"

"It’s not wise to judge someone solely by appearances, Benefactor Iri. We merely wish to help the suffering beings of the secular world…"

"Shut up."

Iri cut him off.

"To be ho~nest, I came here with a little hope. ‘That person’ clearly has no intention of telling me anything about my brother, so I thought maybe I could get a hint from you."

"Your breathing is unsteady. Please calm yourself."

"I’m already calm. Seeing the way you lot operate calmed me down real quick. You’re nothing more or less than a straight-up cult, and I was an idiot for expecting otherwise."

Clack, clack!

Iri pulled out a folding shield she had concealed and deployed it. Her now-practiced movements were faster than anyone’s reaction time.

She shoved the deployed shield forward, pinning Silence—who was right beside her—to the ground.

Then she inserted, in quick succession, the ‘remote communication jamming chip’ and the ‘criminal restraint chip’ she had prepared, slotting them into the port at the back of his neck.

"Phew. That’s one side taken care of."

With Silence subdued, Iri immediately drew her pistol and aimed it at Araya.

"I came here knowing you people make weird junk chips to control others. If you stay still, I won’t kill you. Surrender quietly—this place is already surrounded."

Moments ago, Iri had received the go-ahead to engage from the Stingray side. Now there was nothing holding her back.

"Come on. What are you waiting for? Get on your knees and put your hands on your head."

"This is a surprise. I didn’t think you, Benefactor Iri, would side with the evil Stingray Corporation."

"I had a change of perspective."

"It seems Aaron Stingray is far more brilliant than I imagined. I never thought he’d manage to tame you so well."

"Shut it."

Bang!

Iri pulled the trigger.

"Don’t talk like that. Who’s taming who? He’s someone I judged with my own eyes."

"Are you not even aware you’ve been tamed? Sadly, Aaron Stingray is deceiving you. He’s only acting to make you into a loyal servant—his true self is…"

"Is that something a shady monk who makes dangerous mind-control chips should be saying?"

Iri growled, cutting off Araya’s words. In response, he pressed his palms together and muttered with feigned difficulty,

"It seems the demons have already blinded your eyes and deafened your ears. Does Benefactor Miyu feel the same? That Aaron Stingray is a trustworthy person?"

"Ah, that’s not Miyu."

"……What?"

Surprise flashed across Araya’s face.

Iri answered with a mocking tone,

"Whatever you say, Aaron Stingray is someone who cares deeply for his students. There’s no way he’d allow a non-combatant to come to a dangerous place like this. Isn’t that right, Miss Maria?"

As if on cue from Iri’s words, Miyu’s appearance began to change.

The small stature and timid-looking face dissolved like mist, and before long, an East Asian beauty stood there instead.

Maria swiftly drew the built-in weapons from her body and aimed them at Araya. At the sight, Araya quickly calmed his surprise and sighed.

"Huh. No wonder something felt off. I wasn’t gaining any points…"

"Points?"

"Well, you don’t need to know about that. In any case, I must admit—this one really caught me off guard. I didn’t expect my opponent to have such resolve, Aaron Stingray."

Araya spoke with a benevolent smile.

His expression was so bright, it was hard to believe he was staring down the barrel of a gun.

"But it’s not as if I didn’t prepare for such a situation. Since the start was bad, I had to prepare even more desperately and think even harder."

"Hey. Don’t do anything stupid."

Bang!

Iri’s gun spat fire.

The bullet struck the floor beside Araya.

"My shooting isn’t that great. Next time, it might hit your head."

To that, Araya replied,

"I don’t mind."

"What?"

"I’ve made my own preparations for times like this."

And in that instant—

An anomaly began to unfold.