The Third-Rate Academy Villain Who Refuses to Become a Beggar

Andromalius turning to dust and scattering.

The barrier disappearing.

There was a minor incident about an elf selling out a spirit, but in any case, the situation was over.

'We really stopped Andromalius.'

He knew that Aint could have stopped him in the future even if he had done nothing.

Originally, that's what he wanted to do. He had no desire to leave traces by spending precious money unnecessarily. He was far from having a hero complex.

But he couldn't do that.

Because he couldn't just sit and wait for a predestined destruction, he took action.

And that butterfly effect made things more difficult for Aint.

Though he had no choice but to act.

The feeling of watching things get more chaotic in real-time with each action he took was too complex to express in words.

Anyway, they had overcome the most dangerous crisis. Despite the twists and turns, Andromalius was eventually summoned, and Aint killed him.

And Gerhard had become a perfect ally to Aint, not an enemy.

That was enough.

"Haha..."

Of course, this was just the beginning, but for Gerhard, it was a mountain blocking his path.

"So the situation afterward..."

At that moment, Luina Berchef's body swayed. Gerhard quickly caught her.

"Do you still have injuries? I have plenty of potions."

"...It's not that. When I realized we really won, suddenly all the strength in my body..."

Was it fatigue rushing in at once as the tension was released? That would make sense.

After all, facing Andromalius as an opponent would drain mental strength just by looking at him, let alone engaging in combat while burning one's body.

In fact, though emergency treatment had been done with potions, her injuries weren't light.

"Get some rest."

"...Is that okay?"

"I'll take care of the aftermath. When you wake up, just don't forget what we agreed on."

"Yes. I'll keep that in mind..."

Luina's eyes closed. Aint had collapsed shortly after her and was sleeping.

"Aint is the same. The fatigue must be hitting him."

"That makes sense."

"It's strange. I fought alongside you all, but why am I fine?"

"Because you didn't do much."

"Can't you see these glorious wounds I obtained from facing a demon?"

"Look, the professors are coming. Don't forget what we discussed earlier."

"Who am I talking to? Senior? Hello?"

Ariadne's hollow voice echoed quietly.

==

Darkness roars.

Darkness rushes in. Unavoidable terror and fear constricted her.

She couldn't win.

Her hands, her sword trembled uncontrollably.

She wanted to run away. She half-turned her body.

But in the end, she couldn't take a step.

Anguish tore through her mind.

If I run away.

If I can't stop the demon here.

What would happen to the Academy? If she didn't buy even a little time, the damage might be greater.

She was a knight.

Not just like the Academy's Knight Faculty students who were knight candidates, but someone who had earned achievements in the harsh north and received a knighthood.

Lady Luina Berchef.

She had wanted to become a knight.

And she had become one.

What is a knight?

What kind of existence is a knight?

She recalled some of the vows she had made when receiving her knightly oath. Vows she had made with her own mouth.

'I will uphold honor, fight against evil, and establish justice.'

Before her eyes was an evil more evident than any other.

'I will not live a false life and will always pursue truth.'

Is breaking a vow and running away really the path of pursuing only truth?

'I will be loyal to my lord and the Empire.'

Was abandoning the country she was loyal to the chivalry she had been proclaiming?

'I will respect and protect the weak.'

If she couldn't kill the demon here, if she couldn't delay even a little time, more weak people would suffer.

If she broke even her own resolutions and vows, if she couldn't protect her homeland. How could she call herself a knight?

Some might call it foolish. But for her, being a knight was her life and pride.

Becoming a Royal Knight was her lifelong goal.

Those who run away cannot become knights.

Before she knew it, she found herself running ahead of everyone else.

And at that moment, she opened her eyes.

"..."

It was an infirmary set up within the Academy. Her clothes were soaked with sweat.

She instinctively reached out due to a burning thirst.

"Take it."

She gulped down the cold water with ice. Only after emptying the glass did she check who had handed it to her.

"...Gerhard?"

"You were unconscious for two days. The healer said your recovery rate was at an astonishing level."

"The demon...?"

"Don't you remember? It's dead. You pierced its heart."

"Ah."

She remembered. The sensation from that time was still vivid. The most frightening moment of her life, but moments she had overcome.

"We really, really won."

"Yes, we won. We caught the 72nd-ranked demon, Andromalius."

"Andromalius..."

It felt somewhat unreal, but it was reality.

"What happened afterward?"

"As the barrier was lifted, professors and assistants arrived belatedly. We handled the situation with them."

Afterward, Gerhard also holed up in the infirmary using his injuries as an excuse. He had to undergo an investigation, but he wanted to align their stories once more and make things certain.

"Aint woke up about half a day earlier. Ariadne and Veriana didn't really have serious injuries anyway. You were the last."

"We agreed to talk about it as a demon, right?"

"That's right."

And that thought had become even more firm over the past two days.

"You can tell everything you experienced as it is. Except for one thing."

"One thing being?"

"The guy on my shoulder."

Wooden, who recognized he was being referred to, tilted his head.

"My and Wooden's contributions never happened."

"Do we really need to do that? No, your role was extremely significant. So why...?"

"A merchant doesn't need to step forward unnecessarily."

The hero, the hope had to be Aint.

Though many things had gone awry, he thought that preserving the most important aspect would minimize problems.

"Do you understand?"

"...Honestly, I can't fully accept it."

From a knight's perspective, there was no reason to hide achievements that would elevate honor.

"But if that's your wish, I'll follow it."

"Thank you."

"That's what I should be saying. Thanks to you, my life was saved. Thank you."

Luina bowed her head deeply.

==

"The Chancellor's summons."

The Chancellor, who had been away on an external schedule, had returned.

It was the moment he had been waiting for.

Though he had already discussed the matter with some officials, given the nature of the incident, the case eventually reached the top of the Academy.

And the moment the Chancellor returned from his external trip, a major interview was the expected next step.

"Interviews with other students are currently in progress. Please wait a moment."

"Yes."

Upon arriving at the waiting room, the secretary served tea.

The "other students" likely referred to those who had fought Andromalius with Gerhard.

Luina Berchef, Aint Armian, Ariadne Florian, and Veriana Kal...

Ah, did this one actually fight properly? Anyway, he was there.

'What should I say and how?'

What they would ask was honestly predictable, and what remained was how he would answer.

The Chancellor of the Academy is a cunning raccoon. A half-hearted lie would instead invite anger.

Honestly, until recently, he hadn't been able to conclude how to talk about it.

Because he couldn't hastily judge which direction would be more beneficial.

But not now.

Two days ago, when Luina was still unconscious, what he had hoped for unfolded before his eyes.

["It was a demon."

Aint's first words upon entering the Chancellor's office.

The Chancellor's hand, which was mixing milk into tea, stopped abruptly.

"Andromalius. The 72nd-ranked demon."

"...So."

He stirred the teaspoon again. The hazy milk and tea mixed.

"So you're saying you vanquished a demon."

"Yes."

Silence lingered for a moment.

"That could be."

After a while, the Chancellor, savoring his tea, stroked his beard.

"When one first encounters demonic energy, anyone would be confused. The denser the demonic energy, the more so."

<What is this crazy old man babbling about?>

"Are you saying I'm lying?"

"I'm saying you could be misunderstanding. A demonic species so powerful it seemed like a demon."]

The page of the prophecy book turned to the next.

["What an absurd lie. To say a few students caught a demon."

The secretary snickered.

"Did he think it was an opportunity to raise the Armian name again?"

What kind of being is a demon?

Humanity's archnemesis, a calamity in itself. It didn't make sense for students to vanquish such a being.

"His eyes didn't particularly look like they were lying."

"Are you saying it's real?"

"It's one of two things."

Either it was a real demon.

Or he truly believed a demonic species was a demon.]

Another page turn.

["It seems they were planning to ruin our festival."

That was absolutely unacceptable. The opposite might be understandable.

"We need to catch the bugs that have snuck into the Academy. Wouldn't it be fun to make them neither dead nor alive and announce it during the founding day festival?"

When the festival reaches its peak, if they pour the best oil by slaughtering the Empire's long-standing enemies once more.

Hohoho, the Chancellor burst into laughter.]

That was the end of the story about the summoned demon.

The story moved on.

[The armored horse gallo...]

[- Well done. With this momentum...]

There were also contents about the future events at the Academy and hidden arrangements.

[- This is black adamantite.

"Black adamantite, the one with excellent magic resistance?"

<You're lucky. It may not compare to mithril, but it's quite a useful ore.>]

There was also minor information that wouldn't significantly impact the general trend, but could be very profitable.

"..."

Gerhard focused on the first prophecy.

Right after crossing the massive mountain called Andromalius, he had one remaining concern.

Whether to keep the secret about the demon or not.

The reason Gerhard had maintained secrecy until now was because it was the beneficial direction.

It was the original flow.

The best path for Aint to grow through practical experiences.

'If I unnecessarily spread rumors about demons and made a fuss, if Aint doesn't excel, everything would be ruined.'

But this time, the situation was different.

With Andromalius's descent, an unprecedented battle had taken place, and even if they didn't know a demon had appeared, everyone felt the traces of the abundant demonic energy.

The demonic species couldn't be hidden.

But how far would the story unfold?

What would happen regarding the demon?

Until recently, he couldn't find a clear answer on what to do.

But not now.

"Student Gerhard."

Creak, the secretary opened the door and entered.

"The Chancellor is waiting for you."

"Yes."

The direction was set.

There was no longer a need to hide.