A Third-Rate Villain’s Sweet Life Exploiting Academy Bugs – Chapter 86

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The commercial district of Claris Academy.

Yellody Latasia, who had been kicked out of the cafeteria after loitering until closing time, was caught by the committee secretary, Laura, and had to endure a scolding.

“Do you have any first-year students in mind?”

“Too much trouuuble…”

Yellody walked with a sluggish gait, as her words implied.

‘Sigh.’

Laura sighed quietly, so Yellody couldn’t hear, and continued.

“I heard that the Knight Department has already gathered their opinions.”

“Don’t knoow…”

The reason for the Claris Student Committee’s organization was simple.

To select potential hero candidates from among the first-year cadets.

And by taking on the responsibility of committee chair,

They aimed to cultivate various practical skills, not just combat abilities.

Department heads were usually third-years.

This was because, by the time a student advanced to the third year at Claris, they were usually past the age of majority, and most were performing actual duties outside the school.

Therefore, the student council president, who needed to be stationed at the academy, was given to a second-year,

While the committee, which only gathered for special events like this festival, was generally assigned to third-years.

Naturally, only Claris cadets could join the committee, and only those who had served as department heads or had equivalent skills could undergo the entrance examination.

“Can’t we just pick that one? You know, the one called Li-li-li something…”

“If you’re referring to Liris Larochelle, then no.”

The vice-chair supporting Yellody had various concerns.

Most students joined guilds after finishing their second year,

So each department head needed to identify promising freshmen before outside guilds could get their hands on them.

The problem was that there weren’t any outstanding talents.

Originally, the second-year student council president of the Magic Department, Liris Larochelle, whom Laura had served as secretary, had completely lost her way.

Her talent wasn’t particularly high, and she had many flaws…

‘She totally backed the wrong horse…’

And decisively, at some point, she suddenly started holing up in her dormitory.

“Isn’t there anyone elseee?”

“Currently, the only talent we see is the second-year, Yeriel Artina. Although she’s an illegitimate child, she has a good background. The problem is… she’s not interested in taking on the president position…”

“Just ask her to do it…”

“…It’s not that easy.”

Laura’s patience was reaching its limit, feeling like she was talking to a child.

However, Yellody Ratashia was an overwhelmingly powerful individual.

Above all, she was a second-year, and she had hired Laura, who was considered to be in Liris’s shadow.

-You look like you’re good at your job…

-Yes?

-You’re hired.

‘She recognized my abilities…!’

…or so she thought, but that was a mistake.

Yelody, she only did what she wanted to do.

She refused professorial apprenticeships and maintained her field training just enough to avoid expulsion.

However, when she did put her hand to something, she handled it thoroughly.

‘She definitely has the ability.’

Yesterday, she was searching through the magic department’s freshman records,

So Laura thought she was finally taking an interest in committee work, but she ended up finding her lounging in the cafe.

‘Why did she even take on the committee chair position if she’s like this…’

The answer to Laura’s concern was simple.

The reason Yellody took on this role was

Because of Kaelan Hiss.

“Yaaawn…”

First, although Yellody had the innate talent to overturn the demonic hierarchy, she couldn’t become a Great Demon herself because she couldn’t eradicate evil,

So she needed someone to kill the Demon King for her.

And she had judged Kaelan Hiss to be the right person to defeat the Demon King.

Considering his ambition and selfishness, there seemed to be no problem using him as a pawn.

She had already laid the groundwork for a demonic contract by granting his ambitions a few times in the past.

All that was left was for him to willingly become a hero.

Just in case his wayward personality prevented him from being chosen by the Sword Department, she, as part of the Magic Department, was planning to select him as a hero candidate.

‘But then…’

A variable occurred.

A curse that not even Yellody, who was proficient in 13 types of magic, including dark magic, could clearly define, was gnawing at Kaelan.

There was only one clue.

Kaelan weakened after his first ranking match….

And his opponent was,

‘Le…v… Denec…?’

She had clearly searched the student records, but he was just an insignificant nobody.

Just then.

“Oh my…?”

Her steps came to a halt, and Laura’s face brightened.

“Have you finally decided…?”

The guy Yellody had been thinking about was right there in the alley ahead.

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.

.

“…What are you doing heeere…?”

“……”

Yellody’s light blue hair shimmered like the surface of water.

‘Is this Liris 2.0…’

To meet the latter-half villain, Yellody Latasia, here…

The good news was that there was another female cadet next to her, who seemed to be her aide.

Yelody was also a demon, and if anything, she had more reason to hide her identity than I did, so there was no need to be scared.

I quickly replied.

“Who are you?”

“……”

“Do you know me?”

-……

It was a very opportune response.

Because it was right for me to not know her.

And she clearly said,

-…What are you doing heeere…?

It wasn’t even dormitory curfew time yet, and there were people passing by.

But for her to ask that question here,

Meant that the mastermind of Chapter 5, Yellody, had started to take notice of me.

-Step.

At my question, Laura, who was next to Yellody, adjusted her glasses and approached me.

“This is the Magic Department’s student committee chair, Yellody Latasia. Have you perhaps met before…?”

“…I don’t know this person.”

I turned away with a ‘What the heck’ expression.

I had never seen Yellody and Edwin interact in the fanfic during this period.

And her specialty was to make demonic contracts as smoothly as flowing water.

She would suddenly appear and solve your problems,

Then, when you were at your weakest psychologically, she would subtly tempt you with a demon’s whisper.

‘The moment you become that woman’s minion, it’s game over…’

So the best course of action was to ignore her until the Saintess Psyche appeared.

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The long eve of the festival ended, and today was finally the first day of Claris’s festival.

-Next, we will have a congratulatory speech.

An official retirement ceremony was held, showcasing Professor McClone’s achievements, and Claris announced the start of the Holy Fire Festival.

I only participated in the necessary events and skipped the celebratory performances by sleeping in my dorm room.

I hadn’t been able to rest properly after meeting Yelody last night because I had a lot on my mind.

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When I woke up again, it was already early evening, and the sun was setting.

As the long celebratory performances ended, first and second-year cadets began to gather in the central square.

-Everyone, wear one each!

At a booth prepared by the academy, bracelet-shaped magic tools were being distributed to the cadets.

The main event of Chapter 3, the treasure hunt, had begun.

-I’ve been waiting for this day!

-Do you think there will be rewards that increase our ranks…?

-Keep dreaming.

-No, it’s possible, isn’t it?

-Money is the best, money.

Who in the world dislikes treasure…?

It was an event everyone was looking forward to.

Although it was an annual event,

According to the fanfic, this year was even more special.

To commemorate Professor McClone’s retirement,

It had become an event where they would defeat monsters created by his illusion magic and obtain treasures.

Of course, for me, it was even more special.

Because this treasure hunt was also [The Descent of the Demonic Beasts: The Gate of the Underworld].

“Ahem. Ahem.”

In the center of the square where the cadets had gathered,

A familiar voice came from a large sound amplification magic tool.

“Since everyone seems to be here, shall I give a brief explanation?”

It was Sylvester, the likable guy with perpetually squinted eyes, making a rare appearance.

“From now on, as you explore the academy grounds, you will come across magic circles that react to the bracelet-type magic tools given to the cadets. They will be hidden from view, but the moment you come into contact with them, monsters will appear and attack the cadets.”

-Jingle.

Above the cadets’ heads, holographic images of the monsters were projected into the air.

They looked quite realistic, like wolf beasts, and everyone was in awe.

“Of course, these monsters are illusions, so they won’t actually harm the cadets. However, if the bracelet determines that you have taken a certain level of damage, its ability to recognize magic circles will gradually decrease. In other words, you will be at a disadvantage in the search.”

-So it’s better to form a party, after all?

-Seems like it…

“However, the bracelet can be restored to its full functionality with holy power or healing magic, so it would be wise to stay close to cadets who can use healing-type magic.”

At Sylvester’s words, everyone started looking around.

-Do we have any healers here?

They were now looking for healing-type cadets.

“Lastly, upon successfully defeating a monster, you will receive rewards based on the card it drops. Of course, taking another cadet’s card is considered cheating… and this will also be reflected in your evaluation…”

Anyway, the fanfic’s plot was obvious.

Just like how Liris tampered with the selection exam, the Great Demon, Buné, would summon real monsters among the illusion monsters and carry out a horrific massacre, which was the gist of this chapter.

‘I didn’t find anything yesterday, though.’

The Gate of the Underworld probably wouldn’t appear until today.

What I could do was

Quickly locate the large demonic beasts, take them down if possible,

And if it seemed difficult, stall until the academy’s guardians, professors, or other strong individuals arrived.

Originally, in this chapter, Claris Academy suffered significant casualties, and the remaining festival schedule was completely canceled.

Even though death in the face of monsters was considered a step towards the empire’s future here,

Death was still death, so the atmosphere became heavier, and the curriculum became considerably more rigorous from the second semester onwards.

This might be a novel to me, but to these people, this was their reality.

‘They have families, too…’

Even if I couldn’t save everyone, reducing the damage as much as possible was the right course of action.

First of all, to utilize the Hermit attribute, it was not good to have party members.

They would only become primary targets if they were with me.

Just then.

-Senior Yeriel! How about we team up?

-Yeriel!

Amidst the crowd…

-Squeeze.

“?”

Next to me, a pure white girl suddenly appeared and tightly grasped my sleeve.

“…Yeriel?”

Judging by how she was trying to catch her breath, was she perhaps looking for me?

“Lev…! Can I be with you…?”

Her tone was as encouraging as always, but for some reason, it sounded forlorn.

It seemed like she hadn’t slept well after the social gathering practice yesterday…

In the original story, as Edwin recovered his relationship with Melissa and Abelin,

There was a depiction of Yeriel worrying that he might get hurt again because of it.

And Yeriel, in order to test Melissa’s sincerity, was monitoring her…

-Stay away from my juniors!

Eventually, when Melissa and Edwin were cornered by a demonic beast, Yeriel awakened for the first time and succeeded in stopping the monster.

In a fanfic where the original characters weren’t treated well, this was one of the few scenes that proved Yeriel’s worthiness as the main heroine.

And here, Edwin gained an increase in his holy level, as well as the [Acceleration], [Elasticity], and hidden attributes.

But the reason Yeriel came to me was… Could it be…

I used my Mind’s Eye on her, which I hadn’t done in a while.

-Ding.

“……”

Where was… Yeriel’s true heart directed…?

-Snap.

“Shall we begin now?”

Putting my confusion aside,

With the sound of Sylvester snapping his fingers, the treasure hunt… where the demonic beasts would descend, began.

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