The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 78
“We’ve arrived. It’s here.”
Liam, who had been feeling the wall, confirmed that a specific part was set with a unique multi-layered spell.
“So, if we undo the spell, it will open?”
“Yes, I memorized the dispelling spell, so I can do it quickly.”
Liam calmly answered Ophelia’s question.
It wasn’t a heavily fortified space but rather a device made to allow passage for those authorized.
Though not a simple spell, Liam could unlock and enter it as long as he knew the type and content of the spell.
Nikela followed Liam and placed her hand on the wall.
Even when she whispered through her spirit, she couldn’t discern what lied beyond. It was an action taken just in case, but it indeed lived up to being a spell prepared by Academia.
“Tsk. They really found it.”
Lucaiel clicked his tongue in annoyance and pulled on Haliana’s wrist. They needed to follow the original test route before she changed her mind.
“As we discussed, Haliana and I will go to the mock altar. If others come, we’ll say we got separated because of the nest’s traps.”
“Thank you, Lucaiel.”
“Thank me, my foot.”
Maintaining a cold demeanor, Lucaiel headed towards another fork in the path.
Haliana, being pulled along, conveyed her apologies to Liam and the others with a light bow.
Liam asked Nikela and Ophelia one last time.
“Are you two really planning to follow me to the end? It would certainly be better to follow Lucaiel and Haliana….”
“Liam… you’re so stubborn.”
“If Nikela is getting mad, there’s no need to say more, right? Let’s not waste time and move on.”
With Nikela puffing out her cheeks and Ophelia affirming their decision, Liam continued the spell dispelling.
Although he had read the novel, he didn’t remember all the information. Only the type of spell was mentioned, not the detailed method to solve it.
Without the information obtained through Academia’s classes or library resources, it would have been impossible to find the solution.
Drawing out his mana, he meticulously filled in the blank parts of the spell. Fortunately, there were no modified parts, and he proceeded without any issues.
After about a minute.
“Done.”
As soon as Liam uttered the word, the substance that formed the wall crumbled like an afterimage, revealing a hidden passage behind it.
Finally, there were two paths stretching forward, fitting the description of a forked road.
Both were shrouded in a dark smoke-like substance, obscuring the view.
Nikela extinguished the floating flash flame.
Though advancing might not be easy, there would be Academia personnel inside.
If they were caught, it would be troublesome, so they needed to act as discreetly as possible.
After briefly looking into each other’s eyes and steeling their resolve, the three proceeded into another passage. As they entered, the wall behind them reformed, closing like a door.
Cautiously advancing through the passage, being as vigilant as possible, Liam and his group moved forward.
Since it was a hidden passage, there were no Altifes inside. With no traps activating, they could focus solely on stealth.
At a 90-degree corner that appeared ahead.
The Archer Ophelia maximized her senses to predict what lied beyond.
Her senses detected no vibrations. There were no small insects or the wriggling of the inner wall, only silence.
Ophelia nodded to indicate it was safe, and Liam proceeded.
In his newly gained field of view, there really were no obstacles. Despite having been inside for a while, there were no professors, other personnel, or even a trace of people.
Though Liam usually had an easy time moving, as time passed, a sense of unease began to rise. Things were unfolding much more easily than expected, which ironically worried him.
Rustle.
Suppressing the creeping sense of unease as much as possible, he continued forward.
They had come this far already.
There was no blockage, and things were going smoothly. To retreat now just because of a feeling of unease would be absurd.
‘Once we reach the room with the altar, let’s immediately break the core.’
Even if forced, they had to act swiftly before the personnel could interfere. Soon, Alicia would encounter Altife.
With part of his mind occupied with such thoughts, they reached the room with the altar.
In a nest, the concept of a <door> didn’t exist.
Though there were traces of human tools here and there, there were no doors, as the nest had been repurposed for use.
Carefully peeking inside while hiding, he glimpsed the altar and the figures surrounding it in the darkness.
No more hesitation.
They needed to move forward and destroy the core on the altar!
Tap?!
Giving a simple signal to Nikela and Ophelia, Liam stepped forward.
Without paying any attention to the people in his sight, he charged straight towards the altar.
His sword, long out of its sheath, was enveloped in lightning-infused aura, ready to destroy the core in one strike.
Crackle.
In the blink of an eye, the situation progressed, and as Liam increased his speed, he confronted the core directly ahead.
With his sword poised to strike, it seemed like the core would be destroyed.
Thud.
“Huh?”
Only the sound of crackling electricity was heard, and Liam’s sword didn’t even leave a scratch on the core.
It was as if striking metal with a wooden stick, with the objects having entirely different properties.
Panicking, Liam immediately increased his mana output and struck again.
… maybe, maybe it was because he was tense.
According to the novel, the core of an unclaimed nest was supposed to be soft and easily destroyed with a light impact.
But.
“Hey, are you okay? Hey?!”
With Liam’s sword stuck once again, Ophelia’s urgent voice struck his ears.
Liam’s heart pounded. Instinctively, he felt that something was going wrong.
“Li-Liam…! These people… they’re not breathing!”
Nikela’s delicate voice was heard. Only then did Liam turn his head and scan the entire room.
Despite Liam and his group suddenly barging in, the people showed no reaction. They remained frozen in their positions as if time had stopped.
Looking closely at them, he saw people lying on the ground.
Something… something was going wrong.
Ophelia, below the altar, was casting healing spells, continuously checking their conditions.
Nikela was doing the same, using all her methods, busily moving around.
“… what’s going on here?”
In a moment of panic, a pathetic voice escaped from Liam’s mouth.
Hearing his own words, Liam’s brain began to work quickly.
This was an abnormal situation.
The test was no longer the issue.
What had happened to the people here?
Had they been attacked by someone?
He needed to inform everyone about this…! Stay here with Nikela to help the people recover while sending Ophelia out to inform others?
[That wouldn’t do any good. They’re already dead.]
A child’s voice whispered in Liam’s ear, choking his breath as if not allowing him to breathe.
Thump, thump, thump.
His body transmitted the beating of his heart. It was so loud that it felt like having two hearts.
Descending slowly like an angel, a cold hand brushed Liam’s head, stroked his cheek, and flowed down his neck to his heart.
A child with a face smaller than Liam’s.
Liam met the child’s eyes and instantly realized this was no ordinary being.
Eyes horizontally slit.
Not even a demi-human. The ominous aura and intense killing intent couldn’t belong to a human. The child’s mouth curled into a delighted smile.
[You came sooner than I expected. I haven’t fully conquered this nest yet.]
Ah, you don’t know who I am.
The child spoke, bearing a creepy smile. From her dead white mouth, her voice continued.
[I’m Zagan, an archbishop of the Goddess Church.]
Liam knew her.
She was like a twin sister to Ami, the one who devoured the soul of Helion’s arm.
With hair whiter than Alicia’s and pale skin, the girl with snow-white everything – eyes, nails, lips, eyebrows.
While Ami made bodies rot by devouring souls.
[Let’s have some fun. Little human child.]
Zagan hollowed out the concept of <body>, leaving them as empty mannequins.
***
Wriggle, wriggle.
The nest began its vigorous activity. The entrance closed, and all the initial magic spells were dispelled.
This clearly indicated that another Altife had taken over.
The first-year students, startled by the sudden change, tried to grasp the situation with surprised eyes. Some screamed, but a significant number remained relatively calm.
“So, in the end, it came to this.”
Vargan, who was the first to understand the situation, clicked his tongue with a frown. It went down the least likely path he had considered.
Helion’s interest in Academia spurred actions from Ami or her sister-like counterpart, Zagan.
Ami should be busy expanding her influence by ravaging villages far away at this time, so it was likely Zagan, who had taken over the nest.
Vargan unfolded his familiar, Whitie, which served as an interdimensional storage pocket, and reached inside.
Soon, his hand emerged with a blue sword, and he called Alicia.
“Yes, Master.”
“Take this.”
Despite his rough throw, Alicia caught the sword smoothly. She understood Vargan’s intention.
“What should I do?”
Her once kind eyes turned into those of a raptor about to hunt.
Vargan surveyed the surroundings, identifying the necessary personnel. They were busy calming their peers.
“The test is over. From now on, we must form teams and move.”
With the entrance sealed, it would take time for the professors outside to enter the nest.
Moreover, if Zagan had arrived, she would have brought bishops to prevent the professors outside from intervening.
If we just waited here, the damage incurred would be too great to rely on their help.
“Four teams have departed so far, right? We must ensure the safety of the three teams from the first years that are wandering outside the nest.”
“Then what do you plan to do about the remaining team?”
“That team… well…”
The fact that the spell had activated even though not all students had entered the nest yet meant there was an intruder on Zagan’s side controlling this altar.
Among the students here, there was only one person who knew the location of this altar and could enter: that incompetent protagonist.
“We’ll go in ourselves.”
Even if he was like a maggot, Liam possessed an incredible strength, and his team members were valuable talents with bright futures.
For the sake of my own future, their lives were not to be taken lightly.
“From now on, connect with the people I name. Given the situation, I will move personally, so take them and swiftly enter the inner area.”
“Understood, Master.”
Archbishop.
Fifteen beings with strength incomparable to that of bishops.
Realistically, I couldn’t handle them with my current power. From the rank of archbishop, they were truly different kinds of monsters.
I had already assessed the current strength of all the first-year students at the Academia. I’d calculated what kind of talent and how much was needed in this situation.
Except for one person to control the entrance of the nest, we needed to select only the elites. We shouldn’t have too many. The risk of unnecessary sacrifices was high.
We needed to gather the minimum necessary personnel to face her.
If that damned Liam had just gone alone to the altar on his own… but things wouldn’t go that smoothly.
We needed to move quickly.
Even if it lacked the dignity of a noble, we must run. If we delayed even a little, all his team members would be killed.
No, massacred.