The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 69
The 20-day period of closed-door training had begun.
I had already informed Professor Louisa, so there was no need to worry about intruders.
There had been cases in Academia where students continued their training in isolation and did not attend classes, but it was rare for someone to notify beforehand like I did.
Professor Louisa, who usually turned a blind eye as long as the Academia’s rules weren’t excessively violated, didn’t stop me this time.
However, she advised that I had my status checked at least once a day by a responsible person, and through discussions, Alicia was chosen for this task.
During the closed-door training, there would be no examinations for Alicia and most external contact would be cut off.
Once a day, Alicia would bring meals and check on my status. I told her not to speak to me, so she would quietly leave the food and go.
For now, there was no need to waste time talking to anyone.
This was truly the optimal environment for training.
This was a precious time, not to be taken for granted.
“Then… I must rebuild the orb tower.”
There were various methods to increase mana capacity, but the orb tower was the most effective way to increase my mana capacity significantly, so I gathered mana again, shaped it into orbs, and reduced their sizes.
Recently, I managed to reduce a 1-meter diameter orb to 5 cm and stack it up to seven levels. For now, I must increase the levels.
At least ten levels were needed to move on to the next stage efficiently.
However, from today onwards, I planned to proceed in an even more special way.
“…….”
I looked ahead.
In front of me stood a young boy who looked exactly like Vargan.
This was Vargan at the age of 10.
To be precise, it was the mana that Vargan possessed at the age of 10.
Before I received the assignment from Helion, a doppelganger was created to contain all the mana I had at the time. This was Little Vargan.
This familiar was created solely for storing mana, for mana supply purposes.
This transparent entity, which only the contractor could perceive, could sometimes be recognized by spirits or special entities, but not usually.
In the original work, Vargan, who already had a lot of mana, found it easier to perform vast spells thanks to the additional supply from this familiar.
However, I decided to use this familiar not as a mana supply battery, but as a fierce competitor to measure and compare my training progress.
Unlike other familiars, this one didn’t interact well and only stored the supplied mana, making it versatile in terms of mana-related uses.
For example, like this.
Ziiing…
A blue light gathered in the hand of 10-year-old Vargan, intensifying in concentration. The orb soon shrank into a small sphere that fit in his hand.
Through this familiar, <Supplier>, it was impossible to manifest other magic, but it could handle pure mana.
The mana Supplier was currently activating was at the level of 10-year-old Vargan.
Its maximum was my mana from two weeks ago, and its intensity could be adjusted. Additionally, Supplier was not sealed in any relic.
In other words, I could train against the record of Vargan’s growing mana as I progressed.
The height of the tower or the diameter of the orb could be used to confirm progress, but this was a more intuitive and effective comparison.
“It’s better without words.”
As 10-year-old Vargan silently began stacking mana towers, I also got to work. The Supplier, needing no sustenance and showing no reactions other than with mana, was the best competitor.
‘I’ve gotten used to this unpleasant sensation.’
I’d become quite accustomed to the relic that limited my mana, making it possible to naturally create orbs despite the unpleasant sensation and restrictions.
Of course, knowing and having experienced higher levels of completion, I couldn’t say I was satisfied, but I could feel that I was steadily improving because I understood the level.
It was like in a game, where you could see the experience bar and levels in reality. The sense of achievement was palpable.
I created another orb.
And stacked it.
As my mana circuits heated up and my stamina and mental strength dwindled, my sense of achievement grew.
It was 20 days.
Only 20 days.
Realistically calculated, by the end of this training, the Supplier I face would be roughly 13 years old.
Given the severe mana restrictions of the relic, there was a high chance I wouldn’t even reach the level to properly compare with 13-year-old Vargan before the training ended.
However, this was not a pessimistic statement, but a positive one.
Three years of Vargan’s childhood. Within the remaining 20 days, there was a possibility of surpassing this time. Even if it was only related to mana achievements, it would be miraculous.
Therefore, not a single day, not an hour, not even a minute could be wasted.
Not even the slightest lapse could be tolerated.
Sleeping was a luxury.
Invest all the time.
……
And so.
Bit by bit.
The carefully built tower rose.
***
From the distant reaches of a wandering mind, a woman’s voice was heard. The voice became clearer and eventually awakened another woman.
“Alicia… Alicia!”
“… yes, yes?!”
Alicia, startled, blinked her eyes. It was her colleague, Emily, who had woken her. Emily, who had been waving her hand in front of Alicia’s face, stopped when she responded.
“Finally, you’re answering. You were zoning out for quite a while, you know?”
“Oh… was I?”
“Yeah, you were like hypnotized or something. Right, Emily?”
Frieda suddenly chimed into their conversation. Her fox ears perked up with every head turn.
Emily nodded in agreement and looked at Alicia with concern.
“Are you okay? If you’re not feeling well, maybe you should go home and rest today?”
“Thank you for your concern, Emily. But I’m fine. I must have just had a bit of post-lunch drowsiness.”
Alicia gave a faint smile, trying to alleviate Emily’s worry.
Frieda, watching Alicia, held her chin and thought for a moment. Alicia, usually diligent and hardworking, had zoned out while studying. There must be a reason. What had changed here?
Vargan’s absence.
‘Ah, that’s it.’
Frieda smirked with half-closed eyes.
“Why, why are you smiling, Frieda?”
“No reason, nothing at all. I haven’t given up completely yet, so I can’t afford to push my strong competitor, Alicia.”
Just being Vargan’s woman brought huge benefits, but it was true that being the second wife was better than being the third, and being the main wife was better than being the second.
Frieda ran calculations in her mind and then closed her mouth.
And just as the conversation was ending, the door to the laboratory opened.
“Ah, Lady Erica.”
Alicia stood up to greet her.
‘Wow… she actually came here.’
Frieda thought to herself, impressed.
The student council’s inspections were ongoing. Once or twice a week, a member of the student council would visit to observe activities or review reports.
Today, the person in charge of Arbol Frutal was Erica.
After checking the people sitting at the table, Erica looked around for someone.
“Where is Schugenhartz?”
“Master has begun 20 days of closed-door training from today, so he won’t be coming out for a while. … didn’t you hear about it?”
“Closed-door training?”
Hearing Alicia’s response, Erica seemed taken aback. It appeared that she hadn’t been informed about the closed-door training.
Frieda, with a mischievous grin, spoke with an innocent expression.
“That’s strange. To think that Lady Erica, his fiancée, wasn’t informed. We were told beforehand.”
Erica’s sharp gaze met Frieda’s.
“… you, what’s your name?”
Despite Frieda’s wide-eyed, innocent look, Erica felt a strange discomfort unlike with Diphelia or Alicia.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Erica. I’m Frieda, one of the executives of Mr. Vargan’s research group, Arbol Frutal.”
“Oh, I see… so, you’re Frieda.”
Erica’s expression slightly soured upon hearing Frieda’s name. She was the one who had betrayed Diphelia’s class and sided with Vargan during the class competition.
From Erica’s perspective, Frieda was the person responsible for their class’s defeat and the one who had made things awkward with Diphelia.
Since what happened was during the class battle, she didn’t actively seek out Frieda’s identity, but with so many rumors circulating, she had some information about her.
However, it was the first time seeing her face… and it seemed like she would never forget it for a while.
When Frieda met Erica’s eyes, she quickly turned her head away, grasped her teacup with both hands, and took a sip of tea. Her fluffy tail wagged slightly.
“……”
Erica picked up Arbol Frutal’s report more roughly than usual and sat down at a moderately distanced seat.
Meanwhile, Emily, who had been through a similar experience before, started putting her textbooks into her bag quietly enough not to make much noise. Her actions were decisive.
“I just remembered. I have an appointment with Liam. Haha… I’ll be going now?”
Emily tried to leave quickly.
“Oh, do you? I hope you won’t be late. Take care, Miss Emily.”
“Y-yeah… see you tomorrow, Alicia.”
Alicia’s innocent reaction inadvertently helped Emily leave naturally. Emily greeted everyone lightly and left the lab.
Filling Emily’s absence.
For a while, the three of them focused on their own tasks. Since no one spoke first, silence prevailed.
Eventually, it was about an hour later that the first words were exchanged. Erica, having reviewed all records of Arbol Frutal, was once again amazed at Alicia’s progress.
“Didn’t Schugenhartz bring you here?”
Alicia, who was reading her textbook, looked at Erica with rabbit-like eyes. Seeing that Alicia didn’t understand, Erica elaborated.
“He said he suddenly took you from the village where you were living quietly.”
“He wasn’t that rough… uh, yes. He did bring me from the countryside.”
“Did he know about your talent from the beginning? Or was it something else?”
“Well…”
Erica could see a reluctant expression on Alicia’s face. She was Schugenhartz’s personal servant, so it was understandable that she would be cautious about talking about him in his absence.
“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to say.”
It was not right to put her in a difficult position without a clear purpose or benefit. If Erica really wanted to know, she could ask directly later.
“No, it’s not that I’m reluctant, but I really don’t know how he knew about me, so I couldn’t tell you. I never heard how Master Vargan knew about me and personally came for me.”
“Really?”
“Yes… but I can tell you about my own experiences. Many people already know, and I think there’s no harm in telling you, Lady Erica.”
Erica wondered why Alicia thought there would be no problem, but she quietly listened to Alicia’s continuing story.
Alicia briefly explained how she came to Academia.
Suddenly, he appeared, bought her, told her about her unknown talents in the carriage, and through various training, brought her here.
Frieda pretended to read a book but was keenly eavesdropping on their conversation, and Erica narrowed her eyes, deep in thought as the story progressed.
“Hmm…”
A genius with such talent. People with significant expertise in magic or martial arts, or those from the church, could identify talent by observing her.
But the noteworthy point was that Alicia had not attended a church separately nor had any encounters with someone similar to a hero.
She might have met someone unknowingly, but could such information quietly reach Vargan, who was far away?
While Erica was lost in thought, Alicia added more.
“Actually… I once asked about it. I was curious, just like you, Lady Erica, and wanted to confirm even if it meant asking Master Vargan for permission.”
“And?”
“He just said there is a way to know everything and didn’t explain the details.”
Was Schugenhartz hiding the process?
A small bud of suspicion bloomed.
“Maybe it’s just because you’re pretty?”
Suddenly, Frieda spoke up. She closed the book she was reading and scanned Alicia from toe to head, finally locking eyes with her blue eyes.
“You’re so beautiful that it’s strange there weren’t any rumors in the village. There must have been many men clinging to you. It would have spread to neighboring villages and beyond. If Alicia’s talent wasn’t made public, this seemed more realistic.”
Frieda turned her gaze to Erica.
“Isn’t that right?”
“……”
Though her eyes still showed some displeasure, what Frieda said seemed somewhat reasonable. It was a perspective Erica hadn’t considered.
“Th-that’s not…! I’m just ordinary?”
“Stop it, Alicia. Saying more would be self-deception. It’s a bit rude to say, but it’s surprising you weren’t involved in any crimes given your looks.”
Having lived a rough life in the slums, avoiding and deceiving others, Frieda knew well how people with good looks were perceived.
Frieda herself had faced such crises multiple times and overcame them with strong mental resilience and survival skills.
“Mr. Vargan seems more interested in training or power, but he’s still a man. It’s natural to be interested in a beautiful woman.”
With Vargan’s appearance, power, wealth, and ability, it wouldn’t be strange for rumors about beauties from all over the world to fill his room.
Incidentally, she mentioned she would have done the same.
“You’re quite audacious.”
“Oh! If I offended you, I sincerely apologize. I didn’t mean any harm.”
Frieda, seemingly startled, bowed her head. Though she said she sincerely apologized, her expression didn’t match.
She lifted her head and continued. Her eyes and mouth drooped, making her look like someone who had committed a crime.
“Hah.”
Erica let out a short, hollow laugh and closed the report with a snap. She stood up, as if deciding Frieda wasn’t worth dealing with.
“Alicia, thank you for sharing.”
“Oh, no… it’s nothing.”
Alicia also sensed the subtle tension between the two and stiffly accepted the report Erica handed her.
As Erica turned away, she gave Frieda a sideways glance, which Frieda pretended not to notice.
Squeak.
As Erica left, Alicia asked urgently.
“Fr-Frieda! Why did you do that?”
“Just… jealousy of a woman who isn’t even a concubine. Besides, I didn’t say anything particularly harsh. I didn’t lie either.”
“Well, that might be true, but the tone of your words…”
Seeing Alicia flustered, Frieda chuckled.
“Alicia, I really like you.”
Despite the context, Frieda started complimenting Alicia. She praised her appearance, personality, and speech, saying everything was ideal and perfect.
“I like you so much that I want to give you advice, which I never do for others.”
She lightly patted Alicia’s shoulder.
Her voice was a mix of playfulness and seriousness.
“Don’t hide too much.”
“Pardon…?”
“Or you’ll really miss out.”
With those words, Frieda also left the lab.
Alicia was left alone to listen to the stillness of the spacious lab.
“……”
She slowly pondered the meaning of Frieda’s words.