The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 68
As I spent time honing my skills in building bead towers and participating in research group activities, eight days flew by.
With the assignment season over and some time left until the final exams, it was a rare and precious period for students to catch their breath.
At this time, students could be broadly divided into two groups.
Insects who had no intention of becoming heroes wasted their time even more meaninglessly, while those with a bit of sense engaged in self-improvement or explored fields they normally wouldn’t.
While everyone was spending their time in their own ways, the announcement of assignment results approached everyone equally.
“Alicia, did you get good grades?”
“Thankfully, they evaluated me well.”
Emily, who had approached suddenly, seemed quite pleased with her own grades.
Alicia showed her grade report. Perfect scores in all seven subjects. Her average score, converted to the highest Cattia, was listed as 10.
Emily clicked her tongue but nodded, acknowledging that it wasn’t surprising for Alicia to achieve such results.
“What about Serena?”
“…”
Serena replaced words with her grade report. She had the highest scores in all subjects except one.
“Whoa… everyone scored high…?”
Emily, slightly shrinking, subtly glanced at Finn. She seemed to assume that Finn would have grades similar to hers.
However, Finn easily shattered her expectations.
“What… Finn…! I believed in you…!”
“Huh? I don’t have any A+ grades.”
“But most of them are A’s and B+’s! You still get an 8 Cattia…!”
“What score would have satisfied you…?”
Finn laughed as if he couldn’t believe it and replied to her question.
Despite her resistance to revealing her own grades after knowing her teammates’ scores, Emily, who had asked everyone, showed hers.
She had an A in one subject, and the rest were all B+’s.
Her Cattia score was 7.
It was above average.
Since the assignments required not just personal skill but also invested time, it wasn’t strange that both she and Finn had high scores.
“… what about you?”
Finally, Emily asked me.
Her eyes seemed to wonder if maybe, due to recent restrictions by the relic, my scores would be different this time.
Ha.
I laughed faintly.
“The mediocre ones always make the most noise.”
“… I thought my grades were quite good. Guess I was wrong.”
My grades were, of course, all A+, the highest scores, and the Cattia I received was also the maximum.
I never intended to reveal it to others. It was too obvious. Not even worth bragging about.
Anyway, this brought my total Cattia to 70, still maintaining first place in the grade.
Since ranking battles were not allowed in June, the only means to obtain Cattia in the first semester were the ranking battle in May and the final exams. Unless something drastic happened, I was expected to keep my top position with minor fluctuations.
While Katia scores were important in their own rights, my aim wasn’t the score itself.
Finishing the first year as the top student granted rewards later on.
It was a precious, highly valuable item, one of the materials to create the <weapon> I wanted to forge.
I absolutely couldn’t miss it.
… however, as my skills had become well-known in the Academia, it was getting harder to find opponents for ranking battles. Since duels were agreed upon by both sides, it was hard to find someone willing to face a tough opponent.
If there were too few, I might need to use my family’s influence or negotiate mutually beneficial terms.
I had enough money. If not, I would find other means.
“Well then, Mr Vargan. I’ll be off first.”
Finn bowed his head and hurriedly ran towards the training ground, almost as if he were in a rush. Recently, he seemed to be living there.
Emily watched where Finn disappeared.
Although he was gone, she began talking about him.
“Finn’s been training really hard lately. He seems to spend most of his time, except during classes and sleeping, swinging his sword.”
Emily had seen him during her own training sessions at the training ground. Finn was dedicating all his time to the sword without any waste.
“Recently, he’s been training with the members of <Branch> and Leon’s group. The intensity is incredible. I wonder if his body can handle it…”
“Are you worried?”
“Of course, I’m worried. It’s obvious he’s overdoing it.”
Emily was concerned that Finn’s body might break down.
A grueling schedule.
While one shouldn’t view a magically enhanced, warrior-trained body from a regular person’s perspective, Finn’s body was indeed accumulating strain.
“Still, I can’t lessen his training intensity.”
“I know… Finn’s doing it because he wants to.”
Finn in the original story had the same personality as now.
He didn’t have any trauma like Alicia that hindered his growth, nor did he have the potential for unique development like Emily.
Always showing a bright side to others while diligently working behind the scenes.
Trying to catch up by taking five steps when others took one.
Despite this, he never caught up and eventually died without seeing any hope.
I didn’t like the word <overdoing it>, but for Finn, it was necessary. This was his last chance, his final means.
He knew it too, which was why he was giving it his all.
“I need to work harder too…”
Emily muttered to herself.
With eyes vibrating softly, she looked at the door where Finn had left. I spoke to the sentimentally caught up Emily and our teammates.
“Finn is Finn, but there’s something more important.”
I looked at Alicia who was standing quietly. Her head tilted slightly.
“Alicia, for the time being, you and Serena should continue the activities of Arbor Frutal. I’ve prepared the tasks and schedules, so make sure everyone knows and checks them.”
“Yes, understood. Master. I’ll follow your orders. But… do you have other urgent matters?”
Yes, I had very urgent matters.
It was the tenth day since I wore Helion’s relic. The remaining effective period was 20 days.
For the remaining period of this relic that lasted 30 days, I must focus intensely.
“I’ll be going into seclusion training for the next 20 days.”
“Seclusion training… excuse me? Master…?!”
It was not that surprising. Seclusion training just meant staying in the dormitory for about three weeks for intense training.
“Th-then, what about classes?”
“It’s done.”
“Ah…”
Alicia tried to make herself understood without showing her embarrassment.
But it was not like I said that without any plan. I was not a rebellious teenager who just didn’t want to go to school; there was a purpose and a plan behind this.
“When I calculated the remaining days, even if I don’t attend classes for the next three weeks starting tomorrow, my grades won’t be affected. The progress of the classes is trivial and not something I need to worry about.”
“Wait, wait! What about the people at the trunk? Even if the branches and stems are manageable, the trunk people are not ones we can handle on our own!”
It seemed Emily had developed quite a proper mindset as a member of the research group. She was full of rebellious thoughts at first, but now she had changed.
… though she still worried unnecessarily.
“They are not within your scope of concern. Once simple instructions are given, they will carry on their activities just fine. What are you worried about?”
The elite group was not called the elite for nothing.
Even in the main activities, I was not teaching them something but rather honing techniques and conducting research together, so I was not an indispensable presence.
“And there is one more announcement.”
“What is it this time?”
This was also quite important.
It was relevant to everyone in Arbol Frutal.
“On the first day of next month, we will hold a promotion ceremony.”
That meant, June 1st.
Members of Arbol Frutal would be evaluated based on the skills they had honed, and those who were judged to have surpassed their current group would be promoted and reassigned.
“Also, those who succeed in the promotion will be awarded 10 gold. Make sure to inform everyone.”
“You’re giving them money too?! This is getting serious.”
Human nature was such that if someone was placed above others and was symbolically recognized, they gained satisfaction and a sense of superiority.
That alone would make both high-ranking nobles and commoners eager to compete.
Nevertheless, offering a cash prize was to boost their motivation. Some might compete for the money, and even if not, having a tangible reward made it more exciting.
I was investing in their future.
Of course, I had no intention of easily letting go of the talents I’d acquired.
“Do you understand?”
“I will carry out your orders, Master.”
The engine of Arbol Frutal was just starting to move.
***
“… so, for the time being, the trunk group will follow the outlined activities. Also, note that the trunk group will not be included in this first promotion ceremony.”
A meeting arranged exclusively for the trunk group members.
When I informed them that I would be engrossed in training for three weeks and wouldn’t be able to show up at the research group, they each had different reactions.
“Yes, then we can each show our improved skills after three weeks.”
Bantlo left a comment with a friendly smile, looking forward to our next meeting.
“That’s not fair! It will be boring in the research group without you, Var!”
Alexeria expressed her dissatisfaction in a voice mixed with an unreasonable whine.
Was that <Var> referring to me? How should I deal with this? Should I bury her along with Paula after everything is over?
Vargan thought to himself as he listened to her nasal tone.
“Understood. I will keep an eye on the research group to ensure no issues arise.”
Brachium, as a senior, agreed with a dignified demeanor. He, along with Alicia’s team, would fill in for Vargan’s absence.
“……”
The only one who remained silent was Francesca.
‘This is troublesome…’
Outwardly, she showed no sign, but she was slightly flustered.
She joined the research group to gather information about Vargan.
If he was deemed unsuitable, she planned to leave the group quickly, but now things were getting complicated.
If less than a month passed since joining, she could leave freely without any restrictions.
Although it might upset the members, she valued her own objectives over the evaluations of others.
Of course, even after a month, she could leave at her discretion, but the process became more complex and time-consuming.
Especially in cases where she had signed a long-term activity contract from the beginning.
Moreover, if he disappeared, it would delay her progress. It would be a waste of time in many ways.
‘Would it be wiser to leave now? But… I can’t give up on the skills he has shown…’
In the Academia full of geniuses, including professors, there was no one in the field of curses and familiars with talents like Vargan’s. It was exactly the field of magic she needed, so she couldn’t give up easily.
Francesca quietly spoke.
“Will you return to the research group after three weeks?”
“There is no reason not to.”
“I see…”
“See! Others are also feeling sad about it. Can’t you just skip this closed training?”
Alexeria made it noisy again. Amidst the commotion, Francesca thought.
I would have carried on the research alone if he weren’t here anyway. Let’s continue as I have been so far.
She calmed herself down.
However, under the desk, her fingers were tapping nervously as if being chased by something.