The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 63
After finishing all his classes for the day, Prince Arterion of the Ocell Kingdom headed to the training grounds to practice his swordsmanship.
In the opposite direction, two male students, excited and running down the hallway, caught Arterion’s attention with their conversation.
“Did you hear? Tigres from Class 2 is going to have a serious match with Alicia from Class 1!”
Arterion initially dismissed the chatter as mere noise, listening with one ear and letting it pass through the other.
But then, he stopped.
Arterion recalled what he heard.
Tigres from Class 2 is going to have a serious match with <Alicia> from Class 1!
Alicia was the name of a maid in the service of Vargan. During the class battle, she had stood up against him with her sword, showing her conviction despite her lack of strength.
“……”
Tigres from Class 2 was a swordsman in the same class as Arterion. He had entered Academia with a rank of 28. He was the second son of a marquis from the Laban Kingdom. He enjoyed bullying others by flaunting his status, making him a thoroughly malicious individual in Arterion’s eyes.
He treated commoner women as objects and approached those he found attractive with ill intentions.
Arterion had heard that Tigres had already received two warnings and would be expelled if he received another.
The only notable skill Tigres had was his ability to <deflect> attacks with his sword. Using his innate senses, he could predict his opponent’s movements and divert their kinetic energy.
While this skill wasn’t effective against mages, it made Tigres a formidable opponent for any swordsman. If both fighters were of equal skill, defeat was almost certain.
“… there’s still some time.”
Arterion checked the time and decided to stop by, making use of the spare moments he had.
Alicia possessed talent that could command the sky. He was curious to see how much she had grown and how she would overcome this new challenge.
If it were anyone else’s duel, he wouldn’t have these thoughts.
This was a testament to how highly he regarded her talent.
If that were truly the case.
“… how intriguing.”
***
The arena was crowded with people.
Members of Arbor Frutal were present, as well as others who had come upon hearing the rumors.
Tigres del Laban stood in the arena, visibly excited. He was already soaked in the euphoria of anticipated victory, unable to calm his heated body.
Before him stood a beautiful woman.
In his eyes, Alicia was of the highest quality. Compared to any woman in the Academia, or any he had ever seen, Alicia was exceptionally outstanding.
Alicia had added an extra condition to the duel: besides the maximum ten Cattia, the loser must obediently follow the victor’s orders.
That meant soon….
That white, soft skin….
Tigres gazed at Alicia with repulsive eyes filled with lust.
Alicia could guess what kind of delight he was experiencing.
His entry rank was 28th.
In contrast, she was 47th.
Despite the attention she received from the class competition and being hailed as a promising talent, the idea of bridging this gap in less than two months seemed implausible.
Though she had responded boldly, Alicia was actually anxious. The unpleasant gaze touching her skin made her want to flee.
However, this was a task given to her by her Master, Vargan. Her Master had deliberately allowed such a person to pass the selection to create this situation.
It wasn’t a mere coincidence.
There were too many factors that couldn’t be overlooked to consider it a coincidence.
The fact that the rank difference allowed them to compete in the ranking match. The fact that Tigres hadn’t participated in any other ranking match this month. And the hints her Master had given her, etc.
Her Master had undoubtedly planned this. Alicia understood this much without difficulty.
Hence, she couldn’t afford to lose.
She would give it her all.
Because that was her Master’s will.
Alicia gathered her mana to the utmost limit.
She focused all her concentration.
Once ready.
Beeeep!
The match began.
“…!”
Charge.
In the blink of an eye, Alicia’s body closed the distance to <zero> with Tigres.
Startled, Tigres swung his sword instinctively, not with reason but with primal reflex.
Clash!
The two blue auras collided, sparks flying.
In the blinding light, Tigres saw Alicia’s eyes, completely different from before.
“Ha…!”
Tigres, with an animalistic grin, pushed her sword away with force. Ignoring the sparking auras, he used his momentum.
He planted his foot and launched a side kick.
However.
Whoosh!
Alicia’s body was protected by a thick barrier of wind, stopping his kick entirely.
Alicia didn’t miss this brief moment and swung her sword again.
Her sword descended like an explosion, as if a bomb had gone off behind it.
A fierce strike.
Tigres felt a thrill run through his peripheral nerves.
‘This is… more than I expected!’
Tigres angled his sword to deflect Alicia’s attack. The impact sent a sharp pain through his hands.
Despite the power, it meant nothing if it didn’t land…!
Tigres, laughing loudly, planted his foot and cast a spell. Then.
A pillar of rock shot up towards Alicia’s chin.
Though thin enough to grasp with one hand, it moved with terrifying speed and had the hardness of iron.
The pillar hit her chin.
But Alicia turned into a black fog and disappeared.
“Cheap tricks…!!”
The fog wasn’t the only trick.
Out of nowhere, droplets of water rained down on Tigres.
The highly compressed liquid was like bullets.
Tigres hurriedly defended himself with his sword or thickened his aura around his body to shield himself.
“Ha…!”
No pain.
The droplets touching Tigres turned to smoke and vanished.
It was an illusion, just like before.
Alicia revealed herself again.
Clang! Clang!
Alicia continued her relentless assault, mixing illusions and swordsmanship to corner Tigres.
Tigres resisted with his magic and sword skills, but he was slowly being pushed back.
Feeling the tide turning, Tigres’s smile vanished, replaced by anger.
An anger born from his distorted sense of superiority.
“You think a lowly servant girl like you can beat me!!”
Clash!
Once more.
Tigres successfully deflected Alicia’s sword.
She moved in the wrong direction.
A pillar of rock shot up.
But she, who had been hit by the pillar, turned into black smoke once again and dissipated.
Then, numerous water droplets flew towards Tigres.
‘The same pattern as before…!’
Feeling humiliated, he ground his teeth and unleashed his mana. The shockwave alone was enough to dispel the illusions.
“Huh?!”
Dozens of steel-like droplets pierced through Tigress’s mana and struck his body. Only a trained warrior’s body could withstand such an attack; an ordinary person would have been riddled with holes.
“This bitch keeps… attacking… me…!”
As Tigres’s mouth opened.
Clang?!
A sharp pain resonated through his hand.
With a clear vibration, his sword flew far away.
His gaze shifted from the sword spinning in midair.
He saw the woman’s eyes staring straight at him.
“The Eyes of the Predator.”
Her eyes, though merely objects, seemed to swallow him whole like a predator. She was an entity at the top of the food chain’s pyramid.
In her eyes, which seemed as tranquil as the sea, there was an unfathomable depth. The boundless abyss was enough to evoke a fear of the deep sea. Tigres’s movements came to a halt.
‘Is this an illusion too…?’ The thought snapped him back to reality.
Hundreds of high-concentration liquid projectiles shot at his defenseless self.
Gkyaaa, gkyaaaaak!
He screamed.
But no sound came out of his mouth.
He lost his will to fight in an instant.
Tap.
Alicia approached.
Without averting her gaze, she sheathed her practice sword.
“Recently, I’ve realized something.”
She spoke.
“Originally, I thought it was okay to be insulted. Compared to the many nobles here, I am indeed of humble status, and it didn’t bother me much because I was used to it.”
There was something like a thin layer of poison in her gentle voice.
Alicia did not stop walking.
“But I was wrong. I… am truly grateful because I… am the servant of Master Vargan.”
So many projectiles surrounded Tigres that Alicia’s approaching figure was obscured.
What was certainly liquid now looked like black steel bullets.
“I realized belatedly that insulting me is the same as insulting the Master I serve. … Tigres. You said you wanted to experience what I do with the <aster at night?”
Alicia looked down at the trembling Tigres on the ground. Her eyes were kind but also cold, just like her Master’s.
“I hope you endure it safely.”
“Huuk…!!”
With those final words.
The surrounding projectiles pierced him.
He lost consciousness.
[19:20. Arena C-5. Winner, Alicia. Winner, Alicia.]
When Tigres woke up with a start from his sleep, he realized that the final projectiles had all been an illusion.
It wasn’t until the morning sun rose the next day.
***
Tick.
The clock on the wall struck the hour.
The two hands overlapped, becoming one.
April 28th was finally over.
I could use mana freely again.
There was a year left until the next restriction.
A year… did I have to wait until then?
I wished time would fly so I could be restricted again. Only then could I break all the shackles….
“Let’s see…”
I fiddled with the bracelet I was wearing, trying to activate it. Meanwhile, I continued my thoughts in parallel.
I heard Alicia had performed well.
Naturally, she acted according to the storyline I desired.
What was his name again…?
Yes, Tigres del Lavan. That guy.
Using the side character who fancied himself a villain, I reestablished Alicia’s position in the <Stem>. While there were no issues with the <Branch>, which was mostly commoners, problems related to rank would inevitably arise in the <Stem>, which was filled with nobles.
Even if it wasn’t Tigres, discontent about following someone of commoner origin would eventually explode after a few months.
Emotions felt by living beings weren’t just beautiful. When someone lesser tried to command them, dissatisfaction naturally built up.
Whether consciously or unconsciously.
It accumulated.
Even if they proved their abilities in class battles, there were always those lowly people stuck in their rank who refused to acknowledge it.
Therefore, I deliberately inserted that third-rate villain to cause a disturbance. Knowing that Alicia could easily subdue it, I didn’t give her any special advice.
Minimizing accumulated discontent and delaying it required fear, ability, and a bit of human touch.
This was why leaders with proper charisma had fewer opposing forces. Depending on Alicia’s future circumstances, this might change, but for now, she had the minimum conditions to lead the Stem.
Gentle charisma.
Was Alicia like Liu Bei from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
“Oh, it worked.”
As I activated the artifact handed to me by Helion, I felt the bracelet absorbing my mana to its maximum capacity.
It was a mysterious sensation.
It was like feeling weak and unable to move when you saw something extremely terrifying or cruel. In time, this too would become a familiar feeling.
“One month in this state. The release date is the 29th of next month.”
Even though this artifact was top-grade, it forcibly restricted the wearer’s mana, so there was a recommended interval between uses to prevent side effects. The period was long, about 9 to 10 years.
From my memory, Vargan wore such an artifact when he was 6 years old… it was the perfect timing. I wouldn’t be able to participate in class battles or roam freely for a while, but what about it?
I could fly freely in a month.
I immediately sat cross-legged and began expanding my internal magic. The top priority was always the total amount of mana. This was fundamental for me.
I could instantly feel my mana’s movement becoming extremely sluggish and the output lowering to a childhood level. It was frustrating and felt like my insides were filled with foreign substances. The effect seemed to be working properly.
The achievement upon release should be considerable.
Based on my current achievements.
In a month….
‘All preparations for the unique technique I’ve been aiming for will be complete.’
I would have the foundation to complete a technique at a higher level than the one previously shown by Vargan. Even if it stopped midway and ended up being mediocre, the output would undoubtedly be different.
“I can’t wait to see it.”
The saying <the beauty of waiting> was for times like this.
….
Ah, come to think of it, I was talking about Vargan’s incurable disease.
There was no need to worry about that.
Did you think I, who planned to overturn all developments, would die because of such a minor setting? Vargan’s incurable disease, one of his weaknesses, was actually a cure to help overcome another weakness.
Fight fire with fire.
Fight poison with poison.
Fight weakness with weakness.
Well, Liam might take it seriously on his own, but to me, a weakness was not despair; it was another opportunity.