The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 24
“No.”
I communicated my intention clearly and concisely. I spoke plainly, so there shouldn’t be any misunderstanding or distortion of my meaning.
“It’ll only take a moment… actually, you also feel the need to talk to me, don’t you?”
“I’ve spoken so plainly, and you still ignore me. Should I call that brave or foolish?”
“It’s important.”
Though he tried to appear strong, there was an underlying anxiety in Liam’s tone that made him sound almost desperate.
This guy.
It seemed he still hadn’t come to his senses.
I turned my outward-facing foot to look directly at the commoner trying to climb up.
“No matter how generous I may be, this level of rudeness is hard to tolerate. I’ll consider it the audacity of a commoner stepping into a new world but let go of my shoulder with that filthy hand.”
I really was something. I could have just cut off his wrist, but here I was persuading him with words.
Well, to be honest, I just didn’t want to touch Liam’s unclean body with my hands.
Seeing that my intention remained unchanged, his eyebrows twitched slightly.
But he quietly exhaled the air in his lungs and gathered his resolve once again.
“I don’t want to cause a scene. We can go wherever you choose. Just… please?”
[Let go of my hand.]
“…!”
Oh, look at this guy.
When I spoke a sentence imbued with magic, Liam momentarily let go of my hand but quickly regained his composure.
I could sense the vibrations of mana writhing inside him. He planned to resist using magic. I must have set the intensity too low if this vermin thought he could endure it.
Liam reached out his hand again.
The moment his hand, now filled with power, came towards me—
⎯⎯!
A gust of wind arose.
Someone, unable to overlook this, created a fierce wind barrier to block him.
Most people couldn’t see properly because of the wind bothering their eyes, but I saw it clearly. And so did Liam, who was channeling mana throughout his body.
“Why, you…!”
Liam looked utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend what was happening to him. It was the most genuine expression he’d shown so far.
‘It was <priceless>.’
“What the hell are you doing, Vargan!”
As Liam’s hostility became evident, Alicia emanated an even stronger killing intent than when she had defeated the golem.
She pointed her sword at him, ready to sever his neck at any moment, and immobilized him.
She silently pressured Liam.
⎯If you move with mana again, I will cut off your head.
Her intense resolve was palpable even to me, standing behind her. It must have felt even more overwhelming for Liam.
“That’s enough, Alicia. That’s sufficient.”
The moment I spoke, she slowly withdrew her sword, though her gaze remained sharp, ready to catch any minor movement from him.
At this point, Liam had no choice but to give in.
He released his mana and stepped back, looking like a person who had lost all will, but underneath, his face still held questions and anger.
“Liam! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?”
Emily rushed over to check on the now weakened Liam. She quickly examined the visible parts of his body, focusing especially on his neck, where Alicia had targeted.
After confirming there were no visible injuries, she exhaled a sigh of relief.
The wave of relief soon gave way to other emotions.
Her childhood friend wasn’t hurt. That was a huge relief… she didn’t know what had happened while they were away.
However, seeing someone threatening her precious friend and exuding such arrogance filled her with anger.
‘She must be having those thoughts.’
Emily, now protecting Liam, glared fiercely at Alicia, not wanting to be outdone by her intense presence.
There was nothing to criticize Emily for. Even if her relationship with Alicia was superficial, it hadn’t been long since they were in the same group. But of course, she would treat the person who had affection for her with greater respect.
“You done with your pecking order fight?”
Professor Louisa, who had been observing the whole situation, stretched and yawned lazily.
“Hwaam- I thought there would be a physical fight due to the appearance of the lover, but I guess that wasn’t the case.”
Louisa got up from her sitting position.
When she, who was larger than average man, stood up, everyone turned their attention to her.
“If you want to fight, say so anytime. You’re at an age where I understand. And there’s also the official rank matches at the Academia. But…”
This time it was different.
“Ahhh!”
Emily was the first to scream. She fell to the ground, writhing in sudden pain.
“Ugh. Professor, this is….”
Liam, on one knee, tried to resist the immense force pressing down on him. It felt like gravity had increased many times over. His body, the air, everything felt unbearably heavy.
“Are… you all right, Master?”
Alicia, using her sword to prop herself up, asked in a worried tone.
Though she could barely support herself, she was thinking of her master first. I would praise her for that later.
“As expected of the top student. This level of gravity field doesn’t seem to bother you.”
Louisa, with a raised eyebrow, looked at me with interest.
I shrugged my shoulders, spreading my hands wide.
“You flatter me. I’m barely managing to stay standing.”
“You cheeky brat.”
Despite her aggressive words, Louisa maintained her smile, showing no intention of applying more pressure on the students.
Boom.
She stamped her foot, and the immense gravity pressing down on us returned to normal. A gladiator who wielded gravity magic as naturally as breathing. Louisa’s control was impressive.
“You can fight to your heart’s content anytime. Beat each other until you’re bloody and broken. But only within the rules approved by the Academia.”
Louisa’s commanding voice echoed as she informed everyone in her charge. It was both a warning and a kindness.
“Listen up, all of you. If you try to fight without permission, your opponent won’t be the one you’re trading insults with. It will be me.”
Her powerful and resounding voice was reminiscent of a warrior queen. That confidence wasn’t just for show.
“If there’s anyone who wants to have a bloodbath with me, fight at will. I’ll give you a preview of what it feels like to die.”
This was something only Louisa, who had consistently trained and honed her strength in real battles, could say. Back when she was active in the church, she had risen to the 12th rank among the warriors.
“……”
As Louisa finished speaking, Liam, in a miserable state, tried to get up and leave the waiting room. Emily followed him.
Of course, they hadn’t been given permission to leave.
“Where do you think you’re going? You still have work to do.”
At Louisa’s question, Liam and Emily exchanged glances. Their expressions conveyed the question, ‘Isn’t it okay to leave once our group is done?’
They weren’t entirely wrong. Most of the people here stayed to assess their classmates’ abilities despite knowing they could leave.
But Liam and Emily had forgotten one variable.
Louisa grinned widely, showing her gums.
“You have to write a reflection. Where do you think you’re running off to?”
***
A reflection paper, seriously.
I had never written one in the real world. Even after transmigrating…
Even though I had become the notorious Vargan, I couldn’t avoid this. But it was clear that writing it was much better than not, after comparing the outcomes.
“I’m so sorry, Master…. it’s all my fault that you’re being treated so harshly….”
Alicia, who looked like she was about to cry—no, it was accurate to say she was already crying—walked with her head hung low.
We had just submitted our reflection papers and were on our way back to the dormitory, but this overly soft-hearted girl kept being a nuisance.
“You know I don’t enjoy repeating myself, yet you keep crying so noisily.”
She started tearing up as soon as we began writing the reflection papers.
Despite ordering her to stop crying because she was so distracted, this was the result… maybe it was better than it could have been, considering I said something.
“I’m sorry. But… every time I think about how I tarnished your reputation… I tried not to be a burden….”
Ha⎯
What should I do about this frustrating girl?
What was the big deal about getting scolded a bit and writing a reflection paper?
Whenever I thought she had grown, she showed this weak side, and whenever I thought she had gotten stronger, she collapsed right away. It was like dealing with a child, so high maintenance. And I had to protect this so-called heroine?
I stopped walking and flicked Alicia’s forehead sharply. It was probably the hardest flick I’d ever given her. Maybe the most painful one too.
But Alicia, ignoring her now red forehead, kept repeating the same thing.
“… I’m sorry.”
“Are you done pretending to be hurt?”
“…….”
I spoke to her as she couldn’t lift her head. Sometimes, she needed a carrot instead of a stick.
“Well done. You.”
“…….”
Seeing no response, it seemed Alicia didn’t understand what she had heard. Or maybe she understood it in the opposite way.
This was troublesome.
I didn’t intend to give such carrots too much.
“I’m complimenting your actions. Alicia.”
She finally lifted her head.
Just by looking into her eyes, I could tell what she was thinking, like reading a monitor.
“There’s no need to look so perplexed. You heard me right.”
I had no reason to scold Alicia for this.
If anything, I wanted to scold her for her overly soft side.
“You did your duty. You could have been swayed by your status as a student, but you didn’t forget your essence. Why would I blame you for that?”
When Liam gathered mana to threaten me, she rushed in without a moment’s hesitation.
That Alicia.
The heroine who was soft-hearted, liked to be considerate, and hated causing trouble for others.
“… are you serious?”
For the villain, Vargan.
“Why would I lie?”
Alicia, who had unleashed such intense killing intent back then, threatening others… it was…
“Exactly what I wanted to see. Keep it up.”
“…!”
Alicia’s pupils dilated. Her breath quickened, and I could see the emotional buildup.
To reassure me that she wouldn’t falter, Alicia wiped away her tears with her hand.
As she strengthened her resolve, her eyebrows furrowed. Her expression was ambiguous, looking like she might be crying or smiling. Was she holding back her tears?
“If you shed a single tear here, I’ll double your training today.”
“I’ll hold out…!”
Now Alicia was even more desperate.
Having endured a wave of emotions, she finally seemed a bit more stable. It looked like we could continue on our way.
“If you’ve calmed down, let’s go. There’s a welcome party tonight, so we won’t be able to train during that time.”
“A welcome party…! That’s right. We shouldn’t be wasting time like this. I need to practice my magic!”
Alicia’s complexion brightened at the mention of the welcome party. She was simple-minded at times.
“I’ll master the secret technique you taught me tonight, Master.”
“You’re quite the exaggerator.”
The path to the dormitory was a bit noisy.