A Third-Rate Villain’s Sweet Life Exploiting Academy Bugs – Chapter 118

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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A few days had passed since the start of Clarice’s new semester curriculum.

The academy was accelerating its final theoretical lectures in preparation for the upcoming Hero Candidate Selection Test, also known as the “Adventure Practicum.”

The students’ daily schedules were demanding as they had to attend lectures for their respective roles and also study the theory required for practical training.

But me? It was actually easier than the first semester.

Starting from the second semester, I was able to remove all the magic department courses that the original Lev Denec had enrolled in and reorganize my schedule to focus on archery practicums.

Anyway, the current lecture was a combined class for first and second-year students… an orientation explaining the Adventure Practicum.

“Now… this is important. The recruitment, originally for second-year students, has been expanded to include first years… The practicum will be conducted in parties of five or six, six… members… So, how should you form your teams? Can you just fill up the headcount? No…! Distribute the members according to the roles you assigned at the beginning of the semester and the theory you learned during the first semester…”

The professor’s speech was slow and deliberate. Unlike McClone, he was a theoretical instructor, and despite his full head of white hair, he hadn’t retired yet.

Just then, Selena, who had deliberately sat next to me, suddenly held out a note.

-I’m looking forward to it.

‘…’

When I turned my head slightly to look at her, she gave me an alluring smile, as if to say, “Do your best.”

Platinum blonde hair, porcelain skin, emerald eyes.

The precious smile of a very, very noble elf.

I picked up my pen and scribbled:

-To what?

-To what you’ll show us in the practicum.

-…

‘Show them, huh…’

The Adventure Practicum was held on an island. Not here where the academy was, but a little further away. Mystic Island.

This place, called the Remnants of Great Magic, was an island of unknown origin, but according to the lore, the concentration of atmospheric mana was dense, allowing it to reproduce an environment similar to the demon territory.

The test began at the edge of the island, a temporary location called Twilight. In terms of fantasy games, this was equivalent to the ‘starting village.’

From there, the core of the practicum was to experience the journey of going to defeat a Demon Lord, passing through forests, rivers, and finally reaching the Valley of Death.

“As each party progresses… you will engage in battles with various monsters… The student council members will be accompanying you and evaluating you in detail… So, don’t lose your focus…”

This was roughly the method they used to select prospective Hero candidates.

According to the fan fiction, in the final location, the Valley of Death, the remnants of a magic tower were hidden underground. Kaelan discovering and awakening this magic stone was the main content of Chapter 4.

‘Where Violet sacrifices herself.’

Violet would step forward to handle the mess Kaelan had created, but he would betray her, saying she was getting in his way.

And he would copy and absorb all of Violet’s unique traits to grow stronger. This served as the trigger for Edwin to later question Kaelan’s actions.

But it was just a MacGuffin. In the end, up to the part I read, there was no satisfying resolution for Edwin.

My faith in my original character, my optimistic delusion of “we don’t know yet,” shattered into pieces.

So, the tasks I had to accomplish here narrowed down simply.

First, the survival of Violet, the leader who would guide Edwin, Yeriel, and Aria. Changing the original story.

And second…

‘Completely… eliminating him.’

Completely removing ‘Kaelan Heath’ from the narrative.

I was certain. This time, I could definitely finish him off. The Kaelan from the first semester was overflowing with cheat-like traits that surpassed human limits.

The difference in our abilities was overwhelming, making it difficult to assassinate him. Moreover, with the academy as the backdrop, and since he couldn’t be labeled as purely evil, I had to be cautious in many ways.

But now, things were different. Kaelan had willingly accepted the power of demons, and if he happened to draw out the power of a demon… in this world, he would be classified as ‘black.’

‘Therefore, I must… kill him.’

Well, even if I didn’t step forward, Edwin wouldn’t leave him alone.

And there was one more advantage to using Kaelan as bait. His potential was something that even demons like Yellody Latasia and the fallen Regillus of CrowFey coveted.

I was certain that if I used Kaelan as bait, I could lure out the opportunities he would gain and even other great demons.

‘What if I eradicate them all at once…?’

As I relished the thought, Selena tapped her notebook with her finger.

-It’s a shame this time.

When I met her gaze instead of replying, Selena spoke aloud, “I wanted to be in a party with you.”

Cold and curt, but with a subtle hint of regret. It was a first for me. Well, Selena was already selected by Violet, so she would probably be part of the evaluation team.

“Then… please form your parties freely and submit them within three days.”

With that, the orientation ended.

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‘…In the end, I couldn’t ask.’

Neither during the lecture nor after it ended.

The young elf, Selena’s gaze, was directed at the boy next to her. The ash-gray-haired boy, whose appearance she never tired of.

His subtly strong profile and sharp nose always made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

-……

The words, “Since there’s the selection test, I’ll help you with your archery training if there’s anything I can do before then,” didn’t come out of Selena’s mouth.

‘…Lev Denec…’

She had become conscious of Lev during Neldaran’s LeConte Festival.

-I like you, Lev Denec.

She knew that Aria and Yeriel liked him. But when she actually heard those words, she felt an unexpected surge of emotion.

It was ‘jealousy’ and ‘anxiety,’ emotions humans were said to experience.

Envy and jealousy towards the human girl who openly expressed feelings she herself had been trying to deny. And anxiety that gnawed at her for realizing her true feelings so late…

‘Sigh…’

Putting aside her personal feelings for now, let’s think. Currently, Lev Denec was at the center of these relationships.

Edwin Gwynne, Aria Bluebell, Yeriel Artina, Lily Forget, and even herself, Selena Windforce… they all had memories of receiving his help.

So, it was entirely predictable that this near-chaotic situation would arise around ‘Lev Denec.’

‘Since when…’

The problem was… ironically, Selena herself was being sucked into this vortex.

Was it okay for an elf to… like a human? The answer was simple.

‘Mother did too…’

But the price for choosing a human man was severe. That’s why she had sworn to never… even show interest in a human…

‘Sorry, I guess I need you… Lev Denek.’

Selena desperately needed him to achieve her goal. Because he was… different from other humans.

‘Just training…. It doesn’t mean anything else…’

Selena, sighing secretly, made up her mind and lightly tapped his shoulder.

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.

.

.

-I’ll help you train.

Selena was the first to offer, with a seemingly aloof demeanor. I had no reason to refuse.

Training was a given with the upcoming great demon battle, and since the dark elf, Darian, hadn’t shown herself yet, I needed to keep an eye on Selena.

“…”

Leaving Selena, who seemed to be in a good mood for some reason, behind, I began to hear the conversations of other students.

-How… am I supposed to find a party again?!

-Well, at least you’re better off than them.

-Who?

-Those two who got an A rank this time.

-Ah… right…

-They’re lucky. They crawled their way here, desperate to become Hero candidates.

“Haha…”

Edwin’s awkward laughter as he tried to ignore their whispers.

Perhaps it was because there were second-year students present, but Edwin and I were still being underestimated, just like in the fan fiction.

-You’re going, right?

-You said you would go.

-Ah, alright.

They whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, then passed by Edwin and me and stopped in front of Selena.

“Um… Rank S, Selena Windforce, right?”

“…”

Selena didn’t even glance at them, making me feel more awkward than they did.

“We’re second years, and if you haven’t formed a party yet…”

“No.”

“Ah.”

“…”

“Yeah, okay. Well. Sorry.”

The male student scratched the back of his head and then awkwardly disappeared.

‘Tsk tsk.’

-Murmur murmur…

Selena didn’t open up to humans easily. As I clicked my tongue at this sight, a commotion started from my right side.

-What, isn’t that Yeriel Artina…? Is she trying to form a party?

-I doubt it. She’s famous for not being interested in Hero candidates.

-Then at least Aria Bluebell… She’s pretty, and I want to receive high-grade healing just once…

-Wake up from your dream…

And the murmuring gradually shifted towards Edwin and me. The two of them were coming our way.

“Lev, Edwin! Haven’t you decided yet…? Selena is also here…!?”

“Hi.”

“…Hello.”

They were clearly smiling, but… there seemed to be sparks flying between the three.

“So we’re together again this time, right?! Lev, you too?!”

As Edwin greeted them warmly, I suddenly became conscious of the surrounding gazes.

-What’s… that situation…?

-…I heard Yeriel was an Elder.

-Wow… damn. They’re so lucky.

‘…Are they middle schoolers…’

In this ridiculously dramatic situation, I cleared my head of the automatically playing youthful romance and thought about the party members.

Edwin in the vanguard.

Me in the rear.

Aria and Yeriel in the middle.

We needed one more for a five-member party, either a vanguard or rearguard.

‘Should I ask Lily?’

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Baraki Annex, the Rank S exclusive lounge.

Countless desserts, sweet even in appearance, filled the table. Lily Forget, already small in stature, had long been buried in this mountain of desserts.

And the one who prepared this was the red-haired man, Kaelan Heath. He handed Lily a tissue, noticing the cream on the corner of her mouth.

“How did you like what I gave you?”

“Hmm?”

“The dragon orb I gave you. It was really hard to find.”

“Huh? What was that again…?”

‘Sigh.’

Did this feel like dealing with a child? Or like dealing with Yellody Latasia?

Kaelan suppressed his annoyance and continued speaking softly,

“…During the Royal Class circle, don’t you remember? I escorted you to your lab.”

“Ah! Lily didn’t need that…”

“…”

Lily diligently stuffed desserts into her small mouth. At her casual reply, Kaelan’s eyes twitched sharply.

“Lily. The dragon contract… I told you it takes a long time, right? If you don’t prepare the circuit in advance, you won’t be able to handle the dragon…”

“It’s okay~. Lily doesn’t need that anymore. I threw it away. Munch.”

“…What?”

“…No…”

As Kaelan’s smile gradually disappeared, Lily seemed to shrink back.

But there was something Lev had taught her.

“Lily doesn’t lose her summons anymore… I’ve become stronger!”

“…”

That treating summons like objects… wouldn’t make her stronger.

“Sigh…”

Kaelan, on the other hand, felt a headache coming on. He needed an ancient dragon to obtain the hidden legacy of Krune.

Even starting preparations now would be cutting it close, but an unexpected variable had appeared.

‘Damn it, what happened…’

What had happened while he was gone? The Lily he first met was just a kid who craved and dealt with only strong summons. That’s why he thought she would be easy to manipulate, easy to use.

‘Edwin, is it you again?’

No, that green-haired bastard wouldn’t have noticed anything and approached Lily. He was too soft-hearted and lived without any real ambition.

Brushing back his messy bangs, Kaelan took out a piece of paper and showed it to Lily.

“Alright, I understand. Can you look at this first?”

“Okay…”

It was the Adventure Practicum party application form. He wasn’t sure what would happen with Melissa and Abelline’s suspension, and he was short on members.

He needed to bring Lily back, even if it meant brainwashing her.

Kaelan spoke as if offering a favor,

“I’ll take you this time. I couldn’t include you in the Dungeon Investigation Practicum.”

She had cried and made a fuss when he had included Melissa and Abelline but not her.

“…Mmm.”

“?”

Despite Kaelan’s urging gaze, Lily’s expression remained unchanged.

“Lily, this is good too.”

“…?”

“I have people to be with… I’ll give it up~. Munch munch…”

“Are you… playing with me?”

Suddenly, Kaelan’s teeth started to grind.

“Ha.”

And a hollow laugh escaped his lips. The orb, these desserts… they were all so expensive.

“Lily, I’m done eating. It was good.”

Lily stopped eating and just stared at him with a puzzled look.

He spoke heavily, “Lily. Before I get angry, pick up the pen, now.”

“…No… Kaelan is acting really strange today…”

At Lily’s reluctant expression,

-Crackle…

Black magic power began to vibrate around Kaelan, and impulsive emotions surged within him.

-!

And just as he reached out his hand,

“…Why don’t you stop there?”

Appearing between the two of them was a figure with a cold demeanor and a look of disdain. The violet-haired woman, the head of the archery department, Violet.

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