How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 186

“Fireball.”

Whoosh!

At Airsya’s command, I immediately summoned dozens of fireballs without hesitation.

Then, with a deeply furrowed brow, Airsya glared at the grayish aura that was gradually forming into a shape.

[Damn it, was that bastard hiding here all along?]

From Airsya’s reaction, I instinctively sensed something.

“What is it? Don’t tell me… is that another corrupted spirit?”

[Yes, that’s right. It’s another one of the Seven Deadly Sins.]

As the gray aura steadily transformed into the shape of a dragon, the Spirit of Jealousy, Airsya, spat out a name.

[The Spirit of Sloth, Frilla.]

“What? The Spirit of Sloth?”

[It’s a stubborn idiot you can’t reason with. Attack it immediately. Don’t give it any chance.]

As Airsya hurriedly explained, I gave a light nod and was about to move my fingers.

But right at that moment—

[W-wait a minute!]

A different voice cut in, stopping my actions.

[Please stop! I have no intention of fighting. So, please, stop!]

“……?”

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, I hastily redirected my fingers.

Whoosh, bang!

The dozens of fireballs veered off their course and exploded, missing the gray dragon they were heading toward.

[Damn it! Why did you do that, Kamon?! You should’ve just destroyed it!]

Airsya yelled irritably beside me.

[Airsya, it’s been a while since we last met, and you’re trying to obliterate me as soon as you see me?]

[Shut up, Frilla! A scum like you deserves nothing but destruction!]

Airsya stomped around, shouting, while Frilla, now fully transformed into the shape of a dragon, shook its head.

[You haven’t changed a bit. Still the same as ever.]

Muttering that, Frilla then shifted its gaze toward me.

[Are you perhaps the master of Airsya?]

At Frilla’s polite inquiry, I tilted my head slightly before answering.

“Yeah, that’s right. But who the hell are you?”

[I am Frilla, the Spirit of Sloth. Like Airsya, I belong to the Seven Deadly Sins.]

[Don’t listen to it, Kamon! There’s no need to hear that bastard out.]

“Ah, shut up for a second.”

I quickly silenced the rampaging Airsya and turned back to Frilla with another question.

“Were you sealed here?”

[Yes, that’s correct. I was captured and sealed here about thirty years ago by the Red Mage.]

“What? The Red Mage? Wait, are you talking about someone named ‘Anne’?”

[Hmm? Has the Red Mage changed? If my memory serves me right, the one using the name ‘Anne’ was indeed a witch at that time.]

‘Found it.’

It was just as I had suspected—there were traces of the previous Red Mage in this place.

With that in mind, I quickly continued my line of questioning.

“Do you know where the Red Mage went?”

[I’m not sure. I don’t remember anything after being sealed here. All my powers were drained, and I was forcibly converted into healing energy.]

Frilla slowly shook its head as it answered. From this, I understood why the orb that was said to be the source of the hot spring’s power had such an overwhelming aura.

‘So that was all the power of sloth?’

Thinking back to my encounter with Airsya, the Spirit of Jealousy, it was clear that the power Frilla once held was on a completely different level.

Unintentionally, I glanced at Airsya.

[What? Why are you looking at me like that?! It’s making me uncomfortable!]

Airsya snapped at me with an irritated expression.

‘Tsk, you were pretty weak, huh.’

“So, you really don’t know anything about the Red Mage Anne’s whereabouts?”

[No, aside from what I remember from back then, I have no idea.]

“Tsk.”

Just when I thought I had finally found a clue, it ended abruptly, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

At that moment—

[However, upon reflecting on my memories, I recall something the Red Mage said.]

“Something Anne said?”

[She mentioned that her plan was to seal all the spirits of the Seven Deadly Sins.]

“…….”

Considering that she had personally sealed the Spirit of Sloth here, it seemed her goal indeed involved the spirits of the Seven Deadly Sins.

But then why had Airsya been left where she was? What happened before I found her?

[Oh, and I also recall her saying that she needed a shadow to accomplish that task.]

“A shadow?”

[Yes, that’s the extent of my memories.]

Frilla’s polite response sent me deep into thought.

‘Why would the term “shadow” come up now?’

I had previously speculated that the previous Red Mage might be connected to the Shadow Organization.

After all, Kamon Vade being affected by her curse couldn’t be explained without the involvement of the Shadow Organization.

But for her to say she needed a shadow… could it be that she was also part of the Shadow Organization?

As my mind swirled with various thoughts—

[Master of Airsya, may I ask a favor?]

Frilla’s sudden request made me turn my gaze toward it.

“A favor?”

[Yes, I humbly ask for your assistance.]

Immediately, Airsya started to throw a fit again.

[Hey, Kamon! Don’t listen to that bastard! It’s not trustworthy!]

[Airsya, you’re still badmouthing others and being jealous. Just as one would expect from the Spirit of Jealousy.]

[Frilla, for a spirit of sloth, you sure are diligent. Why don’t you act more like the lazy creature you are and just stay out of things?!]

[Hah. My slothfulness doesn’t mean I’m sluggish or stupid. It’s because I’m simply optimistic about everything…]

[Nonsense!]

As the two bickered noisily, I raised my hand and shouted.

“Enough, both of you!”

[I-I wasn’t…]

[My apologies.]

The two spirits reacted differently, and I immediately turned to Frilla.

“So, what’s this favor you want?”

[Please absorb me.]

“What?”

[No! Absolutely not! Kamon, don’t listen to it. Ignore everything it says!]

[All my power has already been drained, and you’ve absorbed it all. What remains now is just an empty shell of my former self. However…]

“However?”

[In order to fully utilize the healing power you’ve absorbed, my assistance would be highly beneficial.]

Frilla provided a logical reason for why I should absorb it and then scratched the back of its head awkwardly.

[And… I don’t want to disappear just yet.]

As the spirit spoke so candidly, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Then—

[You’re laughing? Why are you laughing? I told you not to listen to that scumbag!]

“Airsya, knock it off.”

[Argh! Kamon, I was the first one to form a contract with you! And you’re just going to ignore my opinion like this?]

“Sorry, but it wasn’t really a contract, was it? It was more like subjugation.”

[Ugh, it’s the same thing!]

Airsya’s face contorted as if she’d been hit with a low blow, shouting angrily. I gave a faint smile and replied firmly.

“No, it’s not.”

[Damn it, Kamon Vade!]

I turned my gaze back to Frilla and spoke.

“Alright, Frilla. I’ll subjugate you as my new spirit.”

[Thank you for accepting my request, Master.]

With that, the gray dragon bowed its head respectfully.

***

While Kamon Vade was in the midst of subjugating the Spirit of Sloth, Frilla, outside, a massive commotion was brewing.

“B-big trouble!”

“…What’s going on?”

“There’s a problem with the hot spring!”

“What?”

The staff managing the **Vishran** Hot Springs quickly realized something was wrong.

And soon after—

“What… What’s this?!”

“The mana concentration is rapidly evaporating. And the healing energy is gone too!”

“What the hell happened all of a sudden…?”

The panicked supervisor immediately reported the situation to higher-ups, and the news soon reached the ears of Duke Romanoff.

Thud!

“What did you say?”

“The hot spring has lost its power. Something seems to have gone wrong.”

Upon hearing of the sudden issue with the Vishran Hot Springs, Vitell Romanoff hastily gave orders.

“Close off the area around the hot spring. I’ll go check it myself.”

After issuing the command, he entered the hot spring alone, without any escort.

With precise movements, he made his way to the secret location Airsya had previously discovered.

Eventually—

“…Hah.”

In the empty space devoid of any presence, he found a shattered orb lying in fragments.

“What kind of bastard…!”

Bang!

Rumble!

Unable to contain his fury, Vitell Romanoff slammed his fist into the wall, and part of it collapsed under the immense force.

After surveying the surroundings for a while, Romanoff’s eyes darkened as he pulled something from his coat.

Then—

*Press.*

As he pressed something firmly, he spoke in a quiet but deliberate tone.

“Anne, are you there?”

***

Before Duke Romanoff arrived at the secret location, I had already slipped outside, and through Frilla, I was able to hear what was happening inside.

“What? Duke Romanoff called out the name ‘Anne’?”

[Yes, that’s correct.]

“So that bastard was connected to the previous generation after all?”

Contrary to what one might expect from the Spirit of Sloth, Frilla was surprisingly competent and diligent.

It was a demeanor that didn’t fit the title of Sloth in the slightest.

Thanks to this, I gained unexpected information and immediately disabled the mana-blocking function of the Ruby Silver Necklace.

“Sis?”

[…You goddamn scumbag…]

I heard a heavy curse echo in my ears.

But before she could go any further, I dropped a bombshell that stopped her in her tracks.

“Sis, I found it. The previous Red Mage.”

[…I’ll roast you alive if you’re joking… What? You found her?]

“Yes, though I haven’t met her in person. But I’ve found someone who probably knows where she is.”

[Who is it?]

“Who else? The master of this place, Duke Romanoff.”

I relayed the information I had obtained through Frilla to **Beatrice**, the current Red Mage.

[…]

She remained silent for a while.

I didn’t press her, waiting patiently until she was ready to speak.

And then, after a moment—

[Alright. I’ll look into the details myself. You’ve done well, Kamon.]

Her voice carried a tone of praise, recognizing my efforts to fulfill my promise and mission with her.

I responded.

“There’s just one problem though, Sis.”

[What now?]

She sounded openly annoyed as she snapped back.

I was about to explain the current situation I was in.

“Well, you see, Duke Romanoff—”

Suddenly—

*Zzzzzzzzing!*

“…Huh, what’s this?”

Before I could finish my sentence, I felt something strange, as if all my senses were being cut off.

And then—

[It’s a grand magic sealing barrier.]

“What?”

[It appears to be a magic formation left by the previous Red Mage. It’s cutting off all external connections.]

“…”

Just like that, my contact with Beatrice was severed once again. I frowned and muttered under my breath.

“Tch, he’s already moving that fast?”

Realizing that Duke Romanoff was responding faster than I had anticipated, I knew it was time to act quickly.

If I left the Romanoff estate immediately, I could safely return to the academy without much trouble.

Of course, the situation at the Vishran Hot Springs would likely tighten security, but—

‘Well, I can just sneak past them.’

With both Airsya and Frilla under my command, avoiding attention and moving stealthily wouldn’t be much of a challenge.

As I was preparing to slip out from the bushes I’d been hiding in—

“Well, well. I wondered where the little rat was hiding, and here you are.”

An all-too-familiar voice rang out, accompanied by a thick aura of murderous intent.

And the person who came into view was…

“Diana Fren.”

The woman I’d been entangled with in endless bad blood stood before me.

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