A Third-Rate Villain’s Sweet Life Exploiting Academy Bugs – Chapter 102

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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D’Crescent.

A prestigious family with an unbroken lineage of archery prowess.

They were praised for surpassing the physical limitations of archers, with their arrows described as magic itself.

In this world, family background was an undeniable factor.

The same was true for Violet Decrescent.

As an only child, from infancy until now, she had been raised with treatment comparable to, perhaps even exceeding, that of the Empire’s princesses.

Even Regillus, the knight commander at the time, had only praise for her.

“Lady Violet should only experience the best.”

“I have no doubt that you will become the very best.”

“You’re going to the academy? Haha, top rank is a given.”

“You will stand out wherever you are, my lady.”

.

.

.

“The top freshman is… Violet D’Crescent.”

“That’s her. Violet D’Crescent.”

“Yeah, she was overwhelming in both written and practical exams… so everyone acknowledges her.”

No one doubted her talent.

Everyone fawned over her, smiled at her,

“Yes, as expected, amazing, Violet!”

Even the second-ranked student held no rivalry towards her.

A case where her very existence transcended competition, making envy itself undesirable.

“…”

She also wasn’t one to care about others, nor to show off or be pretentious.

Except for the occasional comment about her lack of humanity, she never heard anything negative.

Thus, her academy life seemed to be progressing smoothly without a hitch.

However…

Where did things start to go wrong?

“Violet, you’re applying for a raid primarily for freshmen…? Are you sure?”

Was it because she took an interest in the outsider, Lev Denec, and followed him to this raid of her own accord?

[Crimson Ash] before her eyes… was the strongest being among all the magical beasts she had encountered so far.

Strength beyond measure, something she hadn’t seen once until her third year.

Furthermore, by her side now weren’t experienced veterans, but mostly first-year students who came to learn through practical training.

Despite this, if she was the vessel destined to defeat the next Demon King, she believed she could overcome this much…

Her arbitrary decision had led to undesirable consequences.

.

.

.

[Crimson Ash]’s [Flame Afterimage] passed by.

The ash-haired man was holding Violet’s wrist.

“Just listen to me.”

“!”

As Violet regained her senses, the man’s tone softened slightly, but the forceful, coercive feeling remained.

Unlike the men who had approached her so far, driven solely by self-interest.

“Are you alright now?”

“…Let go.”

Perhaps, his kindness in trying to bring her back to her senses.

Violet stubbornly rejected it by shaking off his hand.

Lev, looking at parties 5 and 6, said,

“The moment it descends on parties 5 and 6, use the Sealing Arrow. As close as possible.”

“…?”

It wasn’t a request. It was an order.

Violet spoke as if dumbfounded.

“Are you crazy? Why would I listen to you…”

“Then die.”

“?!”

“The D’Crescent family ends here, too.”

“…”

“Good luck.”

“……”

The man turned his head and returned to his position.

For a moment, Violet, who had always thought she was devoid of emotional fluctuations, was speechless.

Her delicate lips parted, but no words came out.

It was the first time she had met someone who spoke to her so carelessly.

No matter how much the academy emphasized equality among students, family background couldn’t be ignored.

The fact that no one said anything even though Melissa de Prominence was flirting around was because everyone recognized that she was a princess of the Duchy and would become a key figure in [Eternal Flame].

Disregarding this might be fine among the students within the academy, but it would affect one’s family, their house, and those connected to them.

‘Lev Denec, as expected, you…’

It was a good thing she had researched him beforehand.

He was a delinquent.

Nothing more, nothing less…

“It’s coming!”

At that moment, [Crimson Ash], having struck parties 1 and 2, began to rise into the sky again.

If it followed the order, the next would be parties 3 and 4, Violet’s party.

“E, everyone, get r…ready.”

And the hand of the only remaining protector, Raymond, was trembling.

Each position had its role.

Even Violet, with her exceptional skills and practical experience, could do nothing for him in this situation.

To the hesitant Violet, Lev Denec spoke again.

“Aren’t you planning to defeat the Demon King? But you want to die here together?”

“…!”

Her dream, which her family, who needed an heir, would vehemently oppose.

A hero who went to defeat demons directly carried a much higher risk compared to someone who simply built a reputation as an imperial defender.

‘How does he know…?’

But how did he know this secret, known only to her?

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Actually, there wasn’t much of a plan this time.

I couldn’t use Demonization because there were too many eyes watching.

No matter how powerful a blow I landed, without holy power, I couldn’t kill it because of the 25% damage limit.

I also didn’t know what skills Violet possessed.

Since she was killed in Chapter 4… she disappeared without showcasing many of her techniques.

Therefore, what I asked Violet to do was…

simple.

When Crimson Ash approached parties 5 and 6, I asked her to minimize its movements with the Sealing Arrow.

To comfortably take the last hit, I needed to give Abelline and Melissa the confidence that they could defeat it.

Words directly contradicting my thoughts flew back.

“…Ranged attacks are prohibited when Crimson Ash is descending.”

She was right.

In the raid-style tactics against [Crimson Ash], when the shield knight was blocking its descent pattern, ranged attacks were temporarily halted.

Since the target was in close proximity to that party, indiscriminate attacks could lead to friendly fire.

In other words, a slow but safe method that didn’t result in casualties.

Since this wasn’t a game but reality, prioritizing survival was the right thing to do.

But what I had asked of her was akin to breaking that rule.

“Stop with the absurd talk and let’s block the next descent…”

“Then what about your impulsive actions?”

“…”

When I countered with a question, Violet became speechless again.

“Unfortunately, you’re not the only talented one here. See parties 5 and 6 over there? Princess Melissa and Paladin Abelline Valantes.”

“…”

She didn’t answer, but I could tell by her gaze.

“They’re planning to take down Crimson Ash, you see? So, all we can do is help them.”

“That’s impossible…!”

“I’m telling you this because I trust their skills. If they don’t defeat it when it moves to parties 1 and 2 or 5 and 6…”

I trailed off, but Violet seemed to know the ending of this unfolding story.

“Make a good decision.”

“Where are you going…!”

There’s always only one chance.

Leaving those words behind, I ran towards parties 5 and 6.

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Clarice Academy.

As the sun set and the day drew to a close.

-“Thanks! I’ll definitely repay you later!”

To check his condition, Edwin returned to the Restoration Hall.

Only Aria and Yeriel remained in the dining lounge.

The view of the academy from the small balcony… was quite beautiful.

A crimson-colored world. The gentle autumn breeze.

“It’s nice…”

Yeriel closed her eyes and felt the flow of the wind.

Communicating with spirits was easier on days like this.

Seeing that Lev had participated in the raid practice as soon as he recovered, Yeriel couldn’t just stay still.

She had to work even harder to protect him.

Having cleared her mind, Yeriel opened her mouth cheerfully.

“The second semester will start soon…”

“I guess so. Are you… going back home, Yeriel?”

“Yes…! I think I’ll have to go back within this week. What about you, Aria?”

“Me too. I have some things to take care of….”

“Right. We’re becoming adults soon… so it’s better to get things sorted out…!”

“…That’s right.”

Aria answered softly.

What Yeriel was referring to was… marriage proposals.

As Aria had been adopted into the Bluebell family, she couldn’t easily talk about any marriage proposals.

Also, her adoptive parents knew how she lost her biological parents, so they would strongly oppose her doing anything dangerous, like her goal of revenge against Andras.

As Aria’s expression became tinged with worry and thought,

“…!”

Yeriel, to change the mood, searched for any topic of conversation and said,

“Come to think of it…! Wasn’t the raid practice supposed to be a day trip…? They seem to be running late…”

“Huh?”

When Aria asked back, Yeriel finally grasped the situation.

‘…Ugh…’

Saying something like this would make it obvious to anyone that she was conscious of Lev.

And it was even more dangerous to say it in front of Aria.

Yeriel started to add to her words.

“Um, I’m kind of worried…! I mean, he hasn’t fully recovered yet…?”

Then, Aria immediately reacted.

“That’s right…! If he comes back injured again…! I won’t let it slide.”

Aria’s small fists clenched tightly.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice anything else.

“But… Selena went with him, so wouldn’t it be alright…?”

-…

Selena.

At that name, a silence fell.

Aria shifted her gaze back to the scenery outside and carefully asked,

“…About what Selena said…”

“Th, that…?”

“Yes. What did she mean?”

-“I’ll use it well.”

Somehow, as soon as she heard it, she felt a bit angry and her chest tightened.

Yeriel began to ponder.

“Use” was a word used when utilizing something.

Then, was Selena planning to use Lev to achieve something?

Or…

‘The two of them… have archery in common…’

There was a scene Yeriel often witnessed whenever she visited the training hall to help her juniors.

Edwin training alone, and Lev practicing archery with Selena at the range.

Originally, Lev Denec belonged to the magic department, and the reason he could win against Gailon Shafty despite switching to archery was entirely due to Selena’s help.

Perhaps, their relationship had progressed further than Yeriel thought.

‘I, I was careless…’

She had been too naive.

Of course, someone like Lev would be popular…

Yeriel glanced at Aria’s expression.

-…

She, too, looked like she was thinking about ‘someone.’

Aria always had a calm personality, but for some reason, her tone heightened whenever Lev was mentioned.

Yeriel smiled faintly.

‘…’

Perhaps she was thinking the same thing as herself?

Her heart pounded again.

She carefully and slowly asked Aria,

“Aria… is there anyone at the academy you’re interested in…?”

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