The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 141

Two Days Before the Festival

Even as Academia grew more hectic, classes proceeded as usual.

During the combined artifact training session, it came time for Class 1 and Class 2 to work together once more.

Oddly enough, Alicia and Arterion were paired together again.

“… why is it you again?”

“Don’t sound so displeased. It’s purely the result of low odds playing out.”

Meanwhile, I found myself teamed up with Lauga, Arterion’s shield-wielding knight, who was currently glaring daggers at me.

“Master, Master! How do I look? Am I pretty? Am I?!”

To clarify, my group consisted of two people and an old spirit.

Naias, swirling its black dress with excitement, bombarded me with questions. It seemed overly thrilled about its new outfit.

I gave it a once-over and commented.

“It looks decently well-made.”

“Oh, really? Really?! I didn’t think you’d actually compliment me! What’s the occasion?”

Grabbing its flailing arm, I inspected the material of its dress.

It was plain fabric, nothing remarkable.

“Master… I know I’m beautiful, but isn’t this a bit much to do in public…?”

“Quiet. I need to confirm this properly.”

Focusing my mana, I conducted a thorough inspection.

At a glance, it appeared to be nothing more than Naias wearing a new dress, but in reality, the spirit and the dress were sharing mana.

In other words, they had become one entity, achieving dual fusion.

Once satisfied, I released its arm.

“Though there were some challenges, it seems to have worked. Next, I’ll try pairing you with a different familiar.”

Naias, though a spirit, was also my familiar.

Its structural similarity to my main familiar, Shadow, allowed me to successfully fuse them.

Few people had spirits as familiars, let alone attempted such fusions, so research on the subject was sparse.

My time spent scouring Academia’s library instead of assisting Francesca’s research had finally borne fruit.

As I mulled over my thoughts, Naias spoke, its tone apprehensive.

“Just promise me you’ll only pair me with cute, pretty ones. That giant… Taesan? And the chimera Cry? Absolutely not.”

“Cry is out of the question anyway… but I’ll consider it.”

“I said no! No means no!”

“Are you throwing a tantrum? How unbecoming.”

“Fusion also depends on compatibility, you know? If I hate it this much, it probably means our nature doesn’t align. Force it, and we’ll both end up broken!”

Annoyingly, Naias had a point.

Not all familiars could be fused freely.

For example, my rat familiar, Tikka, and the wolf familiar, Wolfie, who once restrained Lauga, were incompatible.

Errors occurred during the initial setup, and forcing the process would have endangered both familiars’ lives.

Thus, as much as I disliked it, Naias’s complaints warranted consideration.

When I nodded in agreement, acknowledging its opinion, its mood improved, and it began boasting.

“I feel incredibly strong right now — like I can take on anything! I’m already an <exceptional> spirit, and now I’ve obtained a Judgment Weapon and fused with a high-tier familiar!”

With a proud stance, it flexed its newfound strength.

The <sword>, serving as its medium, was currently in Alicia’s hands, but even as a spirit, Naias wielded formidable power.

Its current state was undeniably powerful — vastly improved compared to when we faced each other during the class battles.

It made me curious to test its capabilities. As for a suitable opponent…

“… there you are.”

I turned to Lauga, who stood armed with her large shield and sword.

Lauga ranked among the top ten strongest first-years.

Her skills made her the perfect gauge for evaluating Naias’s strength.

As she caught our conversation, Lauga raised her shield and scowled.

“I don’t like the way you’re looking at me… Vargan. Do I seem that easy to you?”

“Not at all. It’s your strength that makes you worth testing. I’ve always respected your sword-and-shield techniques.”

Though we were technically teammates, this time, the assignment allowed for freeform exercises, including sparring to explore artifact capabilities.

I walked toward her.

Openly raising my mana, I communicated my intention non-verbally.

“Lauga. You probably don’t want to cooperate with me in a pleasant manner either. Wouldn’t it be better to face off against me? If you want, we can make a bet.”

To be precise, it was not me, but Naias.

It was a bit difficult to categorize, but Naias straddled three categories: a spirit, a familiar, and an artifact.

Therefore, fighting with Naias wasn’t too different from the goal of the artifact practice class.

Receiving the signal, Lauga extended the tip of her longsword toward me.

“I don’t like moving according to your will… but fine. If I can get revenge for the humiliation I suffered in the class battle.”

“Hmm. Then what should the reward be… ah, right. How about the loser answering one question of the winner’s choice and taking a solid hit? Choose one of these.”

“I prefer the latter. I’ll gladly crush that face of yours.”

“It’s good to see such boldness.”

I knew that not only Arterion, but Lauga too has been undergoing quite intense training since the class battle.

This was also a chance to see her current state, which was referred to as the <Iron Shield> in the original work.

With a grin, Naias relaxed its body.

“It’s been ages since I had a proper fight! Master, can I kill her?”

“Actual killing is prohibited, but that spirit is appreciated.”

“Got it! Stop me if I go too far!”

Lauga, meanwhile, exuded a sharp aura.

She was a member of the prestigious Solus family.

As such, she wouldn’t tolerate being underestimated.

On Lauga’s artifact, a shield, the symbol of the Solus family engraved in its center shone particularly brightly.

After completing their preparations, Lauga and Naias entered the battle.

Clang!

And the result was quickly seen.

***

“Are you crying, Lauga?”

I stood over her sprawled form as she covered her face with her arms.

She didn’t respond, but her gritted teeth and trembling shoulders showed her frustration.

To console her, I offered kind words.

“For a first attempt, you held up well. The ending lacked polish, but your improvement is evident.”

“…”

“I particularly enjoyed the look of shock when faced with my familiar’s power. I wish your master Arterion could have seen it.”

“… shut up.”

“Your language is as harsh as ever. Are you that upset?”

Ignoring her glare, I sat beside her after using wind magic to sweep away some dust around me.

Though she despised my presence, she didn’t seem inclined to move.

I had sent Naias back into its sword form to stop its incessant teasing, leaving us in relative peace.

….

After some time.

Lauga finally spoke, her voice muffled.

“… leave.”

“What kind of teammate would I be if I abandoned you?”

“The duel is already over.”

“Foolish. Be patient until class ends.”

“…”

Seeing no response, I changed the subject to pique her interest.

“Arterion’s training regimen seems to be intensifying. Is he aiming to shine during the festival’s final day?”

As per the existing schedule, there would be a battle between the first- and second-year students of Academia. It would be the perfect chance to show off your military force and leadership.

It was no exaggeration to say that the election was particularly intense, considering that Clemens was in the second-year camp.

Lauga kept her mouth shut.

I had expected her to take the bait immediately when I brought up a topic related to Arterion, but it seemed her disappointment ran deeper than I thought.

I spoke with a tone laced with amusement.

“If you’re planning to make an impression… then on the last day of the festival, you’ll probably be sticking close to Arterion. Isn’t that a good thing, Lauga?”

“… shut up.”

“You don’t seem to like this topic of conversation. How about this one, then?”

“……”

I looked around, searching for a certain man.

A professor with constant dark circles under his eyes, giving him a perpetually tired appearance.

He was sipping coffee while observing the students.

“Have you noticed anything unusual about Professor Lucien’s recent behavior?”

“……”

At my abrupt and cryptic question, Lauga lifted her previously hidden eyes, which still gleamed with sharp intensity.

She asked me directly.

“… why are you asking about that?”

“As your assigned professor and a fellow noble of the Ocel Kingdom, I assumed you might know something I don’t.”

“Don’t twist the meaning, Vargan.”

At her pointed accusation, I shrugged nonchalantly as if it were no big deal.

“I was just curious because he seemed particularly tired lately. Isn’t it normal for a student to care about the professor’s health?”

“… your words are hardly convincing.”

“Just answer me. Surely… a proud noble like you wouldn’t ignore the terms of a bet, right?”

“Tch… I see now why you made such a trivial wager.”

Lauga cast a glance at Professor Lucien, who was standing at a distance. She clicked her tongue in displeasure before speaking.

In her mind, a memory surfaced of recently crossing paths with Professor Lucien while walking down the hallway with Arterion.

The words and actions exchanged at that time…

“Nothing particularly unusual comes to mind. Maybe he’s been drinking more coffee lately? … but I don’t know much about Professor Lucien to begin with.”

“I heard the Solus and Victoria family have had ties for quite some time.”

“Though the history of coexistence is long, Professor Lucien doesn’t engage in external activities often. The first time I saw him properly was here at Academia.”

“I see. So, no notable peculiarities.”

“That’s correct.”

No peculiarities.

This meant that it was likely nothing about Professor Lucien’s behavior had changed.

In that case…

“Why are you even curious about this?”

Amid her train of thought, Lauga returned to her initial question.

Why am I curious?

It’s related to future events, but there’s no way I’m going to tell you that.

Instead of answering, I brought my curled fingers to her forehead.

Lauga looked puzzled, and I kindly explained.

“You failed to give me a proper answer to my question, so I’m going to execute the second option.”

“What? That’s ridiculous…! I clearly —”

“I asked you if there were any peculiarities, and you replied that there were none, reaffirming your answer.”

“That’s —!”

“Would you expect full marks for leaving the answer sheet blank during a test?”

I began applying pressure with my fingers on her forehead.

“Cayman fainted when hit with this, but I’m sure you can handle it.”

… why was I curious about Professor Lucien?

That’s a question I’m not going to answer.

I won the bet.

You have no right to ask questions.

Also, that man, Lucien…

⎯Bang!

… is one of the central figures of the hidden <Goddess Church> faction within Academia.

***

“Oh, so that’s Academia? Not bad.”

“Sister Liel, don’t stick your head out the window — it’s dangerous. And it looks unrefined.”

An excessively large and luxurious carriage.

At this point, calling it a <carriage> was a stretch. The front bore the distinctive crest of the Schugenhart family with pride.

Inside were the offspring of noble families.

Specifically, siblings from the Schugenhart family, a source of pride for the grand Troa Empire.

The fourth daughter, Liel, ignored her twin sister Lina’s warning and continued standing.

Retorting in a flippant tone.

“Lina, don’t talk about refinement… I’ve had my fill of lessons ever since that guy swapped out our etiquette teacher.”

“Liel, calling him <that guy>… if Brother Vargan hears, he’ll scold you again.”

“Let that bastard say whatever he wants.”

Liel pouted, clearly irritated.

Another sibling, who had been quietly listening to their exchange, smiled warmly.

“Still, Vargan has been changing for the better lately, hasn’t he?”

“Brother Vello, don’t praise that guy. The only thing that’s changed is that he’s become even more eccentric.”

Vello Troa Schugenhart.

The second son of the Schugenhart family and elder brother to Vargan, the third son.

He patiently listened to Liel’s complaints.

Vello helped calm her down, and the conversation naturally shifted to Academia’s festival.

The fifth daughter, Lina, spoke with a hint of regret.

“I thought Brother Rheincarven would join us, but it’s a shame. If he had mentioned it, I wouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.”

“Third and fourth-year students are doing their internships elsewhere, aren’t they?”

“Yes, Sister… but it’s still nice to have you and Brother Vargan with us, Brother Vello.”

“Lina, why do you keep bringing up that guy? Lately, you’ve even been oddly defensive of him on top of mentioning him often.”

“I just love all my family members?”

At Lina’s response, Liel let out an incredulous laugh.

“Sure, you do. You used to find him even more pathetic than I did.”

“Oh my, Sister Liel, it seems we’ve arrived.”

Lina smoothly changed the subject, diverting Liel’s attention. Their carriage came to a halt.

Perhaps because Vargan had been a frequent topic of conversation, Liel found his image lingering in her mind.

She recalled how, a year ago, Vargan had traveled with only a small carriage and his few attendants — Alicia, Bram, and his tutor, Paula.

No other servants had accompanied them.

⎯Clunk.

As the carriage door opened, Liel muttered under her breath.

“I don’t get it. Traveling with so few people — how inconvenient. And…”

As she approached the door to disembark, the attendants waiting outside sprang into action.

Laying out carpets and lining up with bowed heads.

The spectacle naturally drew everyone’s attention.

The Schugenhart siblings’ disembarkation.

To those watching, it was as if everyone here existed solely as a backdrop for the Schugenhart family.

Liel stepped onto the carpet and finished her thought.

For her, this level of luxury was natural.

“For a carriage, it’s all about the grand exit.”

An essential element, in her view.