The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 64
Crash! Boom!
Whack?! Wham!
The sun was hanging precisely in the middle of the sky.
The vast mock battle arena was filled with the sounds of Arbol Frutal’s members.
“Alicia! Cover the right side!”
“Yes, I’m on it!”
It wasn’t just the usual <Root> members, but also the 33-member research group… well, it was 32 now since Tigres left. Most of the students with free time were engaging in duels, if not all of them.
It would be strange if it were quiet.
“Hmm…”
I slowly observed them, reading the flow of the battlefield.
Divided into two teams clashing head-on, it was a fierce scene reminiscent of class battle.
They were giving their all, trying to defeat the opponents right in front of them.
A woman with shining white hair under the sunlight, Alicia, was skillfully subduing her opponents. Her movements were swift and precise, like a dance without any awkwardness.
Serena was exchanging arrows enveloped in aura with Bantlo… and Emily was holding her own. Finn… well, with Helion’s relic, he was doing okay.
Unexpectedly, Frieda was also fighting earnestly, not hiding her fox-like demeanor and carefully hunting only those she could defeat. It was a combat style true to her nature.
“Aah!”
“Isn’t this cheating?!”
However, my attention wasn’t on the Root members. The center of the commotion was the second-year student from Trunk, Francesca Victoria Ocell.
With a mere flick of her fingers, the tide of the battle changed. Currently, the fourth-year seniors were absent, and my magic was extremely restricted. The real power here was Francesca, the second strongest among the second years.
Clatter. Clatter.
Francesca’s surroundings were filled with the sound of bones clashing. Her noble eyes and brilliant blonde hair were motionless, with skeleton soldiers moving in her stead, protecting her like guardians.
Clang!
Alicia started clashing with one of her soldiers.
Naturally, after a few strikes, the soldier’s head was shattered by Alicia’s sword, but there were quite a few, making it troublesome.
“……”
As her soldiers fell one by one to Alicia’s sword, Francesca seemed displeased and infused more magic into them.
Whoosh!
A blue aura enveloped the weapons of all the soldiers.
Their movements became quicker and their power stronger. It meant she could control their strength.
The tide of the battle completely shifted.
“Monster bones…”
If you looked closely, there were not only human bones but also those of monsters. My eyes were unconsciously drawn to them.
For reference, those small and cute bone monsters belonged to the rodent family.
… no, that was not the point.
Regarding Francesca, she was one of the four main heroines in this novel. To put it differently, she was part of Liam’s group of women.
<The Necromancer Francesca>.
Like me, she was in the black magic category, so she should have been a villain, but she was clearly a heroine and a significant ally to Liam, almost as much as Alicia.
Hmm… but that was after the early stages of the story.
In the beginning, she had no connection to Liam. They weren’t in the same year, the same research group, or even the same classes.
They went without any contact until the second semester festival episode in the first year.
In the incident where Frieda and Liam had a confrontation, Francesca met Liam.
For quite an intriguing reason.
“Haa!”
“Hm?”
Thud.
While recalling information about Francesca, a member of the branch thought I had let my guard down and charged at me with a sword.
However, there was no way an effective attack would succeed. My shadow, <Darky>, emerged and blocked the sword.
Yesterday, I used Darky in various forms, but originally, it was used to protect my body from physical attacks. It was truly a thankful and lovely creature, protecting its master without needing commands.
“When your attack is blocked, shouldn’t you find another method or retreat? What a foolish move.”
I kindly gave feedback, dissatisfied with the man’s response who had targeted me.
Fortunately, being someone I had approved, he quickly regained his composure and continued his assault with a determined look.
He wasn’t someone with a rotten spirit. Such people had long been filtered out.
But still…
“I didn’t tell you to make a grim face.”
“Yes…?”
I threw a compressed, high-density ball of air at his abdomen. With a grunt, he spat out some disgusting liquid from his mouth.
It seemed to have hit properly.
It had been a while since I formed magic into elemental spells rather than curses. It wasn’t smooth. The relic’s effect was so powerful that the air sphere, which should have formed instantly, took two seconds to take shape.
And even that wasn’t up to my standards.
It was indeed inconvenient. The mana consumption was excessive. But since this month was for training, I had to make good use of it.
Clatter, clatter.
The march of the bone army was loud.
I turned my attention back to them.
Francesca was single-handedly handling her opponents. Among them was Alicia, but no matter how much faster she was growing than in the original story, she couldn’t match Francesca now.
Francesca excelled not only in necromancy but also in personal combat skills. There were some regrettable aspects, but they could be improved through research group activities…
I needed to guide her to approach and talk with me soon. Before the summer vacation, which was between the first and second semesters, we had to form a deeper connection.
The second semester festival, which started fresh and lively.
The initial episode, filled with dreams and hopes.
The scene where the protagonist Liam and the heroine Francesca first talked to each other.
It was a festival not of cheers and hope, but of screams and chaos.
And the cause of that chaos was the necromancer, Francesca.
Clatter, clatter.
Francesca’s army trampled over the enemies.
Without looking back, they moved forward and forward.
Keeping their ranks.
***
After the mock battle, Vargan attended the remaining afternoon classes and visited the research lab with Alicia and Emily.
It was assignment season at Academia.
In one of the practical classes, the three of them, who ended up in the same group, had to collaborate on a group project.
“Why… why… does everything keep going wrong…”
Emily sighed, slumped over the desk.
“I’m sorry, Miss Emily… you must be tired of being in the same group with me now…”
“No, it’s not that! Alicia, it’s not your fault at all.”
“You certainly complain a lot for someone who will be riding the bus with Alicia and me.”
“A bus… what is that? I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound like a good thing.”
The group members were selected randomly.
Thus, Vargan had no involvement in this matter.
Emily wasn’t blaming anyone either; she was just venting.
“Oh, I see. Imagining Liam happily being in a group with other girls is what’s bothering you, isn’t it?”
“That’s not… and! Liam isn’t like that?!”
“Come to think of it, I’ve seen him hanging out with that spirit mage girl often recently.”
“… that’s… yes! That’s it! Who is she anyway? Why did they get so close??!”
“Emily, calm down! You’re too excited!”
Alicia wiped up the spilled tea with a rag. As Alicia cleaned up her own mess, Emily, feeling sorry, gradually calmed down.
Meanwhile, Vargan sipped his tea, savoring it.
“He always brings trouble about women wherever he goes.”
Emily reacted to his little mumble.
She was more on edge than usual.
“… Liam isn’t even dating her, and even if there’s something… something going on, it’s just one person. What kind of women trouble is that?”
‘That’s because you don’t know the original story, you fool,’ Vargan wanted to say.
Although the heroines played significant roles in supporting Liam, it was also true that they frequently had minor conflicts. Alicia, as the main heroine, was often too busy being pushed around by the other heroines, but Emily consistently held her ground.
Clink.
Vargan set down his teacup.
“Whatever happens, do your best until the end. I sincerely hope things work out well between you and Liam.”
Alicia, who had been listening, nodded eagerly, expressing her own hope that the two would end up together.
Emily’s expression changed in an interesting way.
She was smiling but also blushing, her words denying it, but she seemed happy.
“Come on… it’s not like that, you two…!”
For the first time, Emily thought that Vargan might actually be a decent guy.
On the other hand, Vargan inwardly clicked his tongue.
“Enough with the chit-chat, let’s start the assignment.”
And so, the three of them began their task.
Alicia suggested that they use most of Vargan’s mana considering his current output, but he rejected the idea.
It was to train himself by deliberately limiting its use, arguing that it would be pointless otherwise.
In the end, Vargan handled the mana output, Alicia the control, and Emily the other details. Their understanding of each other seemed high, as the blue-tinted magical structure smoothly took shape.
While working on the assignment, Vargan intentionally expanded the mana conduit to use it inefficiently, seeking extreme inefficiency as a form of training. If not for the training, it would have been unbearable.
“By the way, Alicia, did you finish Professor Louisa’s assignment? The one where you have to specify what you want to achieve before you die. It’s tricky since it can’t be related to a hero’s duty.”
“Ah… no, I haven’t done it yet.”
“The deadline is approaching, which is a problem.”
“Yes… but. I’m already so happy that if it’s not related to a hero’s duty, then I can’t think of… oh.”
“What? Judging by your reaction, it seems like something came to mind? What is it? What did you think of?”
Emily asked with a curious face. Alicia showed a flustered expression visible to anyone.
“Ah, no. Nothing yet…! Nothing came to mind!”
“Both of you, shut your mouth and focus.”
Meanwhile.
Creak.
The door to the lab opened.
A petite woman walked in.
“What’s the matter, Erica?”
“It’s a student council inspection. Because of the recent incident, we’re checking all research group activities.”
The research group’s exploitation of illiterate labor. As in the original story, Liam resolved the incident.
Due to this, Academia decided to monitor research group activities more closely and directly, with surprise inspections by student council members or related personnels, just like now.
Click, clack.
Erica’s footsteps, free of any hesitation, moved around the room. She inspected the shelves, drawers, books, and documents, then sat on a chair a reasonable distance away.
“Continue with your work. Don’t mind me.”
“Are you going to sit there the whole time?”
“I don’t want to stand.”
She intended to observe the activities of Arbol Frutal.
Erica’s sharp eyes scrutinized the three. Feeling uncomfortable, she crossed her legs.
Ah.
As if a light bulb turned on, Alicia began to move busily. Using magic, she heated the kettle, precisely controlling the contact with the air and time to fill the teacups.
Alicia offered Erica a cup of tea.
White steam billowed from the freshly poured tea.
“If you don’t need it, you can leave it.”
“……”
Erica looked at Alicia’s kind smile. Even Erica, who wasn’t close to her, could tell this act was based on pure kindness.
… she must be a good person.
She reminded her of Diphelia.
Instead of thanking her, Erica gave a small nod, and Alicia returned to her place to continue the work. As the fragrant aroma of the tea wafted up with the steam, Erica spoke.
“Alicia… right? I have news for you.”
She addressed Alicia, not Vargan.
“Yes? What is it…?”
“I heard you were insulted by Tigres del Laban. That’s why you had the ranking match, right?”
Erica explained.
Coincidentally, Arterion, who attended the rank match to understand the details, investigated the witnesses at the scene and found out how Tigres had insulted her.
Unusually upset, he personally confronted Tigres, made him confess the details, and reported it to the higher-ups, resulting in Tigres receiving a third warning.
“In the end, he was expelled.”
Erica shrugged, saying it was self-inflicted.
“Oh… so that’s why he left the research group….”
Not only did he leave the research group, but Tigres was also expelled altogether. Alicia felt a slight sense of guilt as if it were her fault.
Seeing her expression darken, Erica was taken aback.
Erica didn’t expect Alicia to blame herself.
She was worried if it was inappropriate to bring up such matters in front of others, and she wondered if it was a mistake.
Vargan didn’t let their misunderstanding continue.
“You shouldn’t try to understand Alicia from a normal perspective. Right now, she feels down because of Tigres, not herself.”
“… what do you mean?”
“I mean that she’s ridiculously kind.”
Thud!
“Ouch! My forehead….”
Only then did Erica understand Vargan’s words. She looked back at Alicia, who was waving her hands saying it wasn’t true.
She had a vague idea of what kind of person Alicia was, but this was beyond her imagination. That such a person truly existed in the world.
“……”
Erica took the teacup Alicia gave her and stared at the tea’s surface. Her face reflected on the small ripples. It swayed with the vibrations.
She brought the teacup to her lips. As she tilted it slightly, the warm tea gently entered her mouth.
Sipping the tea, Erica gazed at Alicia.
… it had a pleasant aroma.
Even without sugar, it tasted good.
Unlike herself, it needed no additives.
It was complete as it was.
So, it felt more bitter.
….
Silence engulfed the room.
Erica didn’t leave her seat for a while.
No conversation, only silence.
And.
There was one woman who hadn’t said a word since she entered.
‘Ah… I want to get out of here.’
Amidst the awkward atmosphere among the three.
Emily was suffering.