I Became the Savior of the Academy’s Villains Chapter 69

"Luca. This place...?"

Ottbo wore a grimace.

He had been sowhat looking forward to seeing where they'd go, since Luca said it would be sowhere without people and sowhat safe.

But the place they arrived at was just an unused training ground of the Swordsmanship Departnt, not a festival site.

"Bella went to explain the situation to Master. If we stay here, no matter what happens, master will help us, so you can rest assured."

"Well, I suppose that's true..."

Ottbo looked around, a look of disbelief appearing on his face.

"What are we going to do here?"

"Don't worry about it. We won't be training."

"Phew... that's a relief."

Even Luca now knew just how bad his physical condition was, so he didn't ntion training at all.

"So what are we going to do?"

"I hadn't thought that far ahead."

"...?"

Ottbo gazed at Luca steadily.

Avoiding his gaze, Luca pouted a little.

"Do you think it's easy to plan everything in just one day? Just getting us here was doing my best."

"... Luca, you really are human after all."

A rare mont of humanity.

For so reason, Ottbo couldn't help but laugh.

"I want to train you, but who knows when sothing might happen, so that's difficult, too."

"That's a relief for ."

"We'll have to wait until my informant brings us news. Is there at least anything you want to do?"

Whether it was the Demons or the Bogoss, one of them would have to make a move before they could proceed from here.

A kind of forced relaxation.

Normally, he would have played with his phone, but with Ottbo around that didn't feel right.

"Then can I ask you sothing now?"

"What is it?"

"Why is the Third Prince trying to set off a bomb attack at the academy in the first place?"

Ottbo wore a genuinely curious expression.

Luca was about to retort, asking what he ant by that — but suddenly realized.

'This guy knows nothing about the Demons.'

Not just Ottbo.

Milia and Isella had also co to understand, through the Theodore incident, that the Third Prince was related to demonic power, but not the full details.

It was a tricky mont — where should he start explaining?

Luca looked at Ottbo.

'Ottbo is soone who'll stay with until the end, so I think I can tell him everything... but since I don't know if the Gress family is truly innocent, I should limit so information.'

It wasn't that he couldn't trust Ottbo.

It was just that he couldn't predict what the Demons might do, so he had to be cautious.

After a mont's hesitation, Luca spoke.

"To put it simply, there's a group trying to dominate the continent using demonic power. And that group wants to take control of the Academy to rule over the students first and further increase their influence throughout the Empire."

"Can... can sothing like that really happen?"

"Considering Martin Curves ca here as a teacher, it's already partly done."

At the na Martin Curves, Ottbo looked convinced.

"That person, the teacher, right?"

"Do you rember my rumor? The one about killing an upperclassman."

"Yeah!"

"That incident also happened because of him. Three students died right before my eyes."

"!"

Ottbo's eyes opened wide.

"S-Students actually died at the academy?"

"The Academy made excuses, but they really died. It was grueso."

"No way. If that's true..."

Ottbo didn't finish his sentence, but it was clear what he ant.

'If that's true, the academy should be shut down imdiately.'

The fact that a student died on campus was a huge problem.

However, perhaps the Demons didn't want to get the academy closed either, since the story hadn't spread.

That helped the incident get sowhat covered up.

"I heard the headmaster did everything possible not to get the academy shut down. That's not the important thing. The real issue is we still haven't caught that group."

"That's true..."

"The very reason I'm taking these risks is because of that."

Luca's gaze sharpened.

"I have things I must do here at the Academy, but because of their interference I'm nearly unable to. So rooting them out completely from the Academy — that's the imdiate goal."

He had decided this ever since discovering that the headmaster wasn't Herote, but Eltima Cross.

The influence of the Demons on the Academy was too great.

He could not gain the power he wanted while under their influence.

Therefore, he had to completely uproot the Demons currently at work in the Academy.

That was why Luca was willing to risk so much to chase down the traces of the Demons.

"Wow... You sound like a secret agent or sothing. That's so cool...!"

Ottbo's eyes sparkled.

To a boy that age, this kind of clandestine story was practically the stuff of dreams.

Luca, too, seed to understand this and gave a small smile.

"It's dangerous enough to risk your life, but it's well worth it."

"Honestly, I've been following along without knowing anything so far, but now this is starting to get fun!"

Looking at Ottbo's excited face, Luca had a strange thought.

'Has he really been following along all this ti without even knowing what's going on?'

He hadn't been sleeping properly, was exposed to danger, and yet tagged along without truly knowing the situation. That stabbed at Luca's heart a bit.

'Is this what it would feel like to have a younger brother?'

He had never had one, so it was a strange idea, but it was clear that Luca now felt a strong bond with Ottbo.

Bang!

Just then, soone entered the training ground.

"There's nothing to do in the ga zone."

"I know, right? Nothing's changed from last year."

"No one cos here during the festival, so let's get so girls and have fun. The teachers are busy — they'll never co."

Seeing the people coming in, Luca's face turned indifferent.

"Yeah, well. I figured as much."

"What? There's already a couple here?"

"Heh! What luck, running into you in a place like this!"

These were the sa guys who had picked a fight with him at the market before Kirius showed up, making them run away.

He'd half-expected them to co to the Swordsmanship Departnt when Bella ntioned it.

That they acted so predictably was almost laughable.

"What do you an, a couple? What are you talking about...?"

"Ottbo, they're just teasing, saying I look like a girl, but it doesn't matter."

"...?!"

Only then did Ottbo understand and his face turned bright red.

"W-What?!"

"If you react like that, it becos a weird genre. Just let it go, Ottbo."

Luca sighed, then stepped forward.

"Are you here now because you want to settle that unresolved quarrel, which you couldn't due to the student supervisor?"

"Ha, you must be so big shot, huh? That's so cocky way to talk!"

"You picked a fight with without even knowing who I am."

At their reactions, Luca smirked.

He casually moved his hand to the hilt of his sword.

'Is Kryphi not coming after all?'

Honestly, it wasn't the sort of situation Kryphi would show up for.

The opponent wasn't really a threat, and even if his condition wasn't good, if he couldn't handle this, he didn't deserve to be called a disciple.

'Tsk. I can't use lightning energy on students. I'll have to handle it with just magic power sohow.'

The one relief was that these were regular students, not a teacher like Kirius.

If he used magic power to protect his body, he could manage a fight.

'Not a bad situation to test my limits.'

Turning crisis into opportunity.

Overcoming situations like this was the only way to soday face the Demons.

Luca took a deep breath and waited for their attack.

Boom! Rumble-rumble-rumble!

Just then, a heavy explosion sounded from sowhere, and the ground shook.

"?"

Even the bullies, who'd looked ready to pounce on Luca, stopped at the reverberation.

Silence fell in the training hall as if soone pressed mute.

"T-That magic power wave just now...?"

Ottbo was the first to speak.

As a drive magic expert, calling it a magic power wave almost certainly ant it was a magic stone bomb.

"Hey... just now, was that..."

"... Let's go. Quickly."

"Yeah!"

Even the bullies, without picking another fight with Luca, left the training ground.

Even those idiots who knew nothing could sense that the explosion was not normal.

"Ottbo. Don't tell that was a magic stone bomb?"

"Uh... it sure seems like it. I've felt that wave a few tis during experints at my family ho."

Ottbo was sweating coldly.

It seed a real bomb had exploded.

"But it's not even the announced ti yet..."

The planned day was the last day of the festival.

There were still four days to go.

And yet, the bomb had just gone off.

"... We might have to jump straight to Plan C."

"W-What do you an?"

At Luca's grave tone, Ottbo looked flustered.

"First, let's figure out where exactly the explosion happened. Can you pinpoint the location, Ottbo?"

"Uh... yeah. The magic power wave ca from that direction, and the explosion sounded about two seconds later, so..."

While tracking the explosion's location, Ottbo tilted his head.

"Huh? That's..."

"What's wrong?"

At Luca's question, Ottbo responded with a conflicted look.

"That's not inside the Academy itself."

* * *

Hernan Academy covered a massive area.

And not just the 'inside,' but also the 'outside.'

The "inside" was, as usual, for student education and convenience facilities.

The "outside" referred to the wide extra campus including Pia Forest, outdoor training centers, and experintal grounds.

It was in this "outside the academy" that the explosion had occurred.

Specifically, at a simulated battlefield often used by the Swordsmanship and Martial Arts departnts.

"My god... What on earth..."

"What happened here?!"

"D-Did soone blow sothing up by mistake?"

Everyone who saw it let out a sigh.

The model battlefield — set up with various terrains for training — now had a massive crater at the center.

And perhaps due to aftershocks, even areas outside the imdiate blast zone had their ground cracked and unusable.

The model battlefield, a prized asset of the Swordsmanship and Martial Arts departnts, was literally destroyed.

"Everyone step back! This area is off limits until the Academy initiates an official investigation team!"

"Anyone approaching can be considered a suspect! Please follow the instructions!"

"Hey! No photos!"

Because it was such a huge explosion, crowds of students had gathered to watch.

Staff and a few teachers had rushed to control the scene, but it wasn't easy.

"Whoa... That must be at least a dium-sized bomb."

"That's dium?"

In the original work, the power of magic stone bombs was described several tis.

A single small magic stone bomb could obliterate a village; a dium one could destroy a city, and a large one could annihilate an entire district.

He'd thought it was an exaggeration, but seeing this, if a bomb like that went off in a city it'd be devastating.

"But still, it doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't?"

Even when the bombing was first discussed, Ottbo had comnted that it didn't make sense.

Even now, seeing Ottbo's puzzled expression, Luca frowned.

"No, how did a magic stone bomb get inside the Academy..."

"There you are, Luca."

"...?"

Soone called out to Luca just then.

Looking over with a puzzled expression, Luca's eyes went wide.

"Master...!"

Kryphi had appeared, covered in wounds.

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

What happened to Kryphi?

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