The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 124
A stadium used exclusively for ranking matches.
The tiered seating was packed with a sea of people, creating a bustling scene. Most of them weren’t even members of the research group, having come after hearing rumors from somewhere.
In the midst of it all.
Two figures stood in a spacious circular arena, completely open and designed purely for combat.
The ranking gap between Vargan and Cayman was too vast to qualify for an official rank match, so they had rented the space under the pretext of a mock battle.
Despite the crowd, neither seemed to care in the slightest.
Especially Cayman, who relished the thrill of fighting strong opponents—everything about this situation delighted him.
He glared at Vargan with intense eyes.
With glistening pupils, he analyzed every aspect of Vargan.
A tall stature, and a physique that was exceptionally well-trained, even for a mage.
Mana so thick it made facing him directly feel electrified, combined with an imposing presence.
He seemed like someone who had never lost a fight — a presence that felt otherworldly!
The thought of battling this monstrous opponent sent chills through Cayman’s body, mixed with a rush of exhilaration.
Cayman had seen Vargan’s feats firsthand.
He knew all too well how Vargan had crushed his enemies with overwhelming magic and abilities.
How utterly dominant he had been.
Cayman had engraved in his mind just how brutally he had destroyed them.
Vargan was the greatest hero of their generation—an undisputed leader, the first such figure Cayman had ever encountered.
Despite having fought countless death matches against thugs in back alleys throughout his short life.
Cayman felt a deeper sense of crisis now than when he once had a butcher knife buried in his gut.
… but that was exactly why he was worth fighting.
It was to challenge beings of such caliber that Cayman had come to the Academia!
He spoke in a rough tone.
“Don’t blame me if I accidentally slice off one of your arms. I’m just fighting the way you wanted.”
Even though this was a battle for reassessment, they fought with real swords.
It wasn’t uncommon to sustain serious injuries even in sparring matches with wooden swords; in a fight using a sharp blade, losing a limb was a real possibility.
Vargan nodded slightly at Cayman’s remark.
Cayman, with a satisfied smile, drew his sword.
“I’ll make you regret imposing such absurd rules.”
For this reassessment, Vargan had added an extra condition: if Cayman could land even a small wound on him, he would pass.
He also declared that he would use only ‘curse magic’.
Where he learned such a strange rule was unclear, but upon hearing it, Cayman couldn’t help but momentarily doubt if even Vargan was overconfident.
He had claimed he wouldn’t use any of the countless monsters that he’d summoned in their class battle.
Yet, when Cayman met Vargan’s eyes, he instinctively knew that this wasn’t empty boasting.
Despite starting the fight from a seemingly advantageous position, the tension was palpable.
With all preparations complete.
As a blue glow began to radiate from Cayman’s sword…
Beep!
The battle commenced.
A shrill noise pierced the air.
Cayman charged forward, aiming to strike from his initial stance.
His swordsmanship was raw, lacking a clear foundation—yet effective in real combat.
It was a style built purely for real fights, designed for facing human opponents.
As his sword exuded a menacing aura, Cayman took a step forward.
‘Huh…?’
And then he collapsed onto the ground.
Clatter, clatter…
He fell awkwardly, almost like slipping on a banana peel.
Cayman’s body sprawled across the arena floor, flailing. The sword in his grip clanged against the ground.
He tried to lift himself up.
But the sensation was bizarre.
It could only be described as bizarre.
What is this… what the hell is this?!
It wasn’t that his body wouldn’t move at all.
It did move — his toes wiggled, and he hadn’t let go of his sword.
But the results were strange.
With his keen senses and physical prowess, Cayman quickly assessed his condition.
When he tried to move his left arm, his right leg twitched.
When he tried to move his left leg, his right arm responded instead.
As soon as the match began, Vargan had cast some sort of curse magic on him, leading to this state.
“Damn it… what the hell is this…!”
Stuck to the ground, Cayman mumbled and writhed.
He knew that curse magic could be troublesome and versatile, but he never imagined it could do this?!
What was more, Vargan hadn’t even made direct contact with his body!
Or perhaps, the difference between himself and that man was so great that physical contact wasn’t even necessary.
Indeed, Vargan was on a different level from any opponent Cayman had ever faced!
Despite having his sense of control hijacked, Cayman refused to give up and adapted to the situation with astonishing speed.
He began to bend each finger, checking the sensation in the muscles of his toes.
It wasn’t long before he managed to stand back up and steady his blade.
He showed his will to fight, more resolute than before.
Cayman’s eyes, filled with both joy and madness, looked like those of a war dog born for combat.
Seeing this, Vargan quietly admired him.
“Oh, there’s a reason for that snout of yours. Adapting so quickly to such an unfamiliar experience.”
Cayman wasn’t enduring Vargan’s curse through dispelling techniques or countering spells.
It was purely the sense of his body and determination.
With a rough grin, Cayman spoke.
“I didn’t grow up pampered like those noble kids. I’ve experienced all sorts of strange things… though I’ll admit this twisted sensation is a first.”
“Are you sure you want to keep going like this? The outcome of this match is obvious.”
“Do you think I’m the type to swallow my words? Don’t worry about me, just come at me properly.”
Hearing Cayman’s direct and candid words, Vargan let out a slight chuckle.
“That fire in you will only amount to a mere flicker.”
At this, Cayman’s expression grew more serious, and the wild excitement in the air seemed to settle slightly.
Cayman opened his mouth to speak.
“While we’re at it, let me ask you something. Why do you keep defending that fool? You even recommended him as a mentee for Helion. I can’t understand why someone as clear-headed as you would go to such lengths.”
From the moment he first joined the research group, Cayman had taken a dislike to Finn.
He found Finn’s determination to grow stronger utterly pathetic, especially since the guy had no talent.
To him, those who could become strong and those who couldn’t were determined from birth. He believed he was one of the former, and Finn one of the latter.
“He says he’s taking a leave to train or something, but it’s all a waste of time. He’d be much better off finding a different path.”
In response to Cayman’s dismissive tone, Vargan replied lightly.
“Well, time will tell. I don’t know what result he’ll bring about. He could become great or end in ruin.”
“Then why…”
“⎯ enough chatter. Attack again. I’ve given you enough time to raise your adaptation level.”
Cayman, sensing the truth in Vargan’s words, let out a laugh and tightened his grip on his sword’s hilt.
Even while conversing, Cayman had been steadily regaining control over his body, feeling more natural with each movement.
Cayman, though he thrived in battle, wasn’t one to charge in mindlessly.
Sometimes, when his temper flared, he’d lose control, but when facing a stronger opponent, he knew how to use his surroundings and circumstances to his advantage.
“You may have a sharp eye, but it’s already too late!”
Cayman leapt forward like a horse, kicking off from the ground.
A sword thrust forward, as if ready to cut through a neck.
The unrefined, uneven aura solidified.
Just a few more steps, and he would reach Vargan!
“Damn it! I’m going to lose my mind!”
Cayman’s body, which had been advancing smoothly, suddenly twisted and fell back to the ground.
This time, the connection point shifted, using the same technique that had twisted his senses earlier.
Any sense of adaptation vanished.
A truly ridiculous sight.
Cayman fell again, failing to get close twice in a row.
From one corner of the audience watching.
Pfft⎯
A sound of suppressed laughter reached him.
That small noise struck directly into Cayman’s ears, fueling his already burning competitive spirit.
Cayman gritted his teeth.
Thud!
As he lay sprawled on the ground, he swung his sword and stabbed it onto the ground.
Into his own leg, in fact.
“Gah…!”
He forcibly twisted the deeply embedded blade further, regaining control over his body.
If he couldn’t win with skill, he’d use sheer determination.
He forced a smile onto his face, baring his teeth.
He hadn’t proven anything yet, and he couldn’t let it end like this. He couldn’t afford to stay stuck here if he wanted to become stronger.
Not a match for Vargan?
He’d welcome that challenge with open arms!
Having such a strong opponent nearby was a chance to learn and grow!
But first, he had to prove himself here.
He needed recognition if he wanted to stand beside Vargan or do anything else.
He wasn’t like the other trash.
He was born with the talent and intuition to become stronger, and his willpower was second to none.
He was ahead of that weakling called Finn or whatever, and he would continue to be!
Opportunities shone only when they went to those who were truly qualified!
Cayman pulled out the sword from his thigh, shaking off the blood.
Though blood seeped through his clothes, he paid no mind. This sort of wound would heal quickly with treatment at the Academia.
And so, once more.
He raised his sword and moved his legs.
Cayman’s determination and pain freed him from the curse Vargan had placed.
⎯Before more blood could spill, strike!
With this resolve, Cayman swung his sword.
This time, he moved swiftly, without being controlled by the curse.
The sword closed in on Vargan.
It swung as if ready to sever his neck.
Swoosh⎯
But far too lightly.
The sword was caught in Vargan’s hand and blackened as if it had been burnt to ash.
The aura covering the blade crumbled into the air like it had turned to ash.
For a moment, he couldn’t help but be shocked.
It was absurd that someone who wasn’t even a swordsman could precisely track the sword’s trajectory, and even more unbelievable that he had extinguished it so effortlessly, like snuffing out a candle.
With no point of impact, Cayman’s body simply fell sideways.
His legs shot out to catch himself.
However, what prevented him from collapsing wasn’t his legs.
“I’ve wasted enough time, so let’s end this. I trust that you’ve realized what you needed to by now.”
Vargan grabbed Cayman’s hair, suspending him with one hand as he was about to fall.
A position that was humiliating beyond words.
Before Cayman could even process the shame.
Vargan’s free hand reached out in front of him.
His fingers curled tightly, as if preparing to deliver a blow.
“Take a nap.”
Bang⎯⎯!!
A sound like a gunshot echoed through the arena. Blood burst from Cayman’s forehead, staining it red.
Cayman collapsed, unconscious.
Afterward, it seemed that Vargan was explaining to everyone that this was what would happen if they faced a reassessment, but Cayman was unable to witness it.
—
After the brief incident was resolved safely.
Alicia and I headed to the place we had put off for a while.
Cayman remained unconscious as he was taken to the infirmary, and I instructed everyone to focus on their training.
“……”
For some reason, Alicia, who was walking beside me, looked pale and tense.
She kept touching her forehead and tightly closing her eyes, as if troubled by some thoughts.
Thinking she might be dwelling on something trivial again, I spoke up to clear the air.
“What did you learn from this reassessment?”
“Huh?!”
“… why are you so startled?”
“Oh, it’s nothing! Um… what I learned… what I learned….”
Muttering like that, Alicia cautiously looked up. She hesitated as if unsure whether to speak, then finally opened her mouth.
“I realized why you said you hadn’t hit me hard until now… ah!”
“Fool! I was talking about the curse magic that messed with Cayman’s senses. I deliberately chose curse magic, but you were focused on the wrong thing!”
“Ahh!”
Like catching up on overdue summer homework.
Alicia, who had been getting a series of forehead flicks recently, touched her forehead and held back her tears.
Still, having witnessed how much force was used against Cayman, she didn’t complain about the pain.
… though I didn’t know how long this would last, for now, it seemed she would accept it quietly.
After a few exchanges like this, we finally reached our promised destination.
“You’re late, Schugenhartz.”
“It’s okay, Erica. This is our last task for today anyway.”
In the vast, open park, Erica and Diphelia came into view.
The student council election. The theme of the first selection was ‘Sky’.
Though the specifics didn’t directly apply to us, knowing the original progression, there was no reason not to prepare accordingly.
We would train thoroughly, considering even the possibility of unexpected changes.