I Became the Savior of the Academy’s Villains

Chapter 102

"I'm sorry, but this is all I can offer you."

Bern brought out tea brewed from a few herb leaves plucked from a small pot he tended.

'This is practically just hot water.'

There was no way a place like this would have coffee or black tea.

Naturally, the fragrance was faint, barely perceptible.

While drinking the tea, which was closer to just warm water, Hav spoke.

"Master, why are the villagers carrying guns?"

"It's not something you need to worry about... but I know you won't let it go even if I say so. Hmm."

Bern groaned as if resigned to the inevitable, then took a sip of the thin herbal tea.

"You already know Baron Max has been eyeing our village for some time, right?"

"Yeah. Even though it's not his own territory, he demanded we pay him taxes and stuff."

Hav nodded, and Bern furrowed his brow.

"... To be honest, the biggest reason he covets this village is because of me."

"Because of you, master?"

Hav looked puzzled.

Bern let out a sigh.

"I don't know if you'll understand, but usually in rural places like this, most families have many children, and many of them die young."

"I know that."

"But thanks to my medicine, far fewer children die now."

Bern, apparently parched, took another sip of the thin herbal tea.

"Because of that, the number of people in Max's territory increased exponentially. Naturally, his land couldn't produce enough crops to meet the demand."

"Ah~ So that's why he came asking our village for food."

"They were so desperate for something to eat that now they're asking for monster meat."

At Bern's blunt remark, Hav laughed.

"Ha ha! Really? I eat it from time to time, but that's not easy for most people."

"I couldn't just stand by while people in Max's territory starved, so I developed improved potatoes and wheat, and even made supplements to help them grow faster. Thanks to that, Max's territory enjoyed an unprecedented boom."

"Oh~ Isn't that a good thing?"

Hav tilted his head. His expression suggested, 'If Max's territory prospered, isn't that the end of it?'

Bern replied with a bitter tone.

"Human greed knows no bounds. People who barely survived year by year on the crops they produced started piling up reserves and soon set their sights on even more."

"So... that means Baron Max wants to expand his lands?"

Hav summarized.

Bern nodded.

"That's right. And I'm at the center of it."

"So Baron Max wants you, master?"

Bern wore a bitter expression.

"On top of that, he seems to want to make Potro part of his territory as well. He intends to move up from baron to viscount."

Great nobles above the rank of count were a bit different, but for the vast majority—viscounts and barons—their status was usually determined by the size of their domains.

It's not just about sheer territory size; the population, the resources produced, and the number of troops are also important factors.

"The number of residents has grown, but most are still children, so there aren't many who can work. Naturally, with more people being born, you need to produce more food to feed them."

"So he wants to leave those extra food demands to our village."

Hav nodded as if understanding, but then quickly looked puzzled again.

"But couldn't you just strike a deal? They give us necessities, and we provide food."

"That's how it should work... normally."

Which meant this was anything but a normal situation.

Listening quietly, Luca muttered under his breath.

"It seems they just ordered you to hand over the food."

"What? No way!"

Hav stared at Luca, as if he couldn't believe someone would be so brazen.

But Bern confirmed it.

"Indeed. Baron Max seems convinced that Potro has always produced more food than his territory. He decided Potro is wealthy solely due to my improved crops and supplements."

"But hasn't it?"

"If I could, I would have already done so."

If it were possible, he would have done it already. Seeing the villagers still living in shacks, Bern clearly would have wanted to help.

But there was a reason he couldn't.

"They've always used the improved crops, but the supplements aren't easy to make."

"Then what about the ones you gave to Baron Max?"

"... Those were reserved for Potro to use during a famine. But when I went to Max's territory to get supplies and saw children starving to death, I couldn't help but give them away."

Bern spoke with a painful tone. Hav responded with a gloomy expression.

"I see... Then it couldn't be helped."

"You believe me right away, but Baron Max didn't. He thought I was lying to keep more supplement and food in Potro for ourselves."

Bern glared fiercely.

"In the end, he sent soldiers to take our food by force. They even tried to sneak into the granaries to steal our reserves."

"..."

"I couldn't just stand by. It all started because of me, but I still had to do something to stop it."

Bern's heavy tone made Hav bite his lip.

"So that's why the traps and guns..."

"If they realize we're not to be trifled with, they'll have to give up and try negotiating again."

Bern seemed to have a plan.

Hav nodded and fell silent—this wasn't his place to butt in.

"... By the way, how did you all get here? This isn't a place you reach easily."

Trying to change the atmosphere, Bern shifted the subject. Hav giggled and pointed at Ottbo.

"You'll be surprised! This friend here drove an auto-carriage all the way!"

"You drove an auto-carriage...?"

Bern was rather taken aback.

He looked at Ottbo, who gave an awkward smile.

"Ah, h-hello... I'm Ottbo Gress from the Gress family."

"... The Gress family?"

Bern's eyes widened slightly—being from an alchemist family, he surely knew of the Gresses.

Ottbo glanced at him, a little unsure.

"Yes. Mr. Bern Doyner."

"!"

Bern's eyes grew round at Ottbo's words. He then glared at Hav.

"You! Did you tell these brats my surname?"

"No, no! They already knew!"

"They already knew? Knew who I was?"

Bern pulled a confused face, not understanding at all.

Hav pointed at the "mop water".

"Yeah. We knew you made this, master."

"You! I told you and Moula only to use that—wait a minute."

Bern's face filled with doubt.

"How... did you connect that to me...?"

He made that concoction after the downfall of his family.

There should have been no way of connecting him to Bern Doyner because of it—or so he thought.

"Hav, Moula. From this point on, if you listen, you might lose your heads. Is that alright?"

At last, Luca spoke.

Hav and Moula exchanged looks. With resolute expressions, they answered.

"If it's about Master, I want to hear it!"

"Me too."

"You kids..."

Bern looked conflicted.

He'd always figured he'd have to explain his past someday, but hadn't thought it would be now.

But something in the way things were unfolding made it impossible to hide his history any longer.

Bern soon gave a resigned expression.

"Fine. You should know anyway."

"For the record, Bern Doyner, we're not here to take you back. We've come to ask a small favor."

"A... favor?"

Bern looked puzzled at the word favor. But Luca's next comment shocked him.

"That's right. We know you participated in the Hyperhemia experiment. We want some help related to that."

"... You know about that experiment? Kids like you?"

His face was filled with shock.

Not only was the Hyperhemia experiment highly classified, but the cruelty of it made Luca's awareness even more surprising.

"I don't even know where to begin explaining."

Luca took a sip of tea and continued.

"To get right to the point—the reason Hernan Academy is on temporary break is because of terrorism by Marquis Kisen, who ran the Hyperhemia experiment."

"!"

Bern was shocked for two reasons.

First, that Hernan Academy really had been attacked.

And second—

"You even know about Marquis Kisen's involvement."

He was surprised that they even knew Kisen's house was behind Hyperhemia.

"The smaller families, including the Doyner family, were scapegoated and destroyed after the experiment."

"... That's right. Our Doyner family was one of those sacrificed."

Bern wore a self-deprecating expression.

"My greed ruined everything I was part of, starting back then."

"..."

Bern soon found himself gazing out the window. His eyes swept past the crude houses and a few villagers, filled with deep remorse. I

t was hard to imagine his feelings, facing the possibility that Potro would be ruined just like the Doyner family—because of him.

But that didn't matter to Luca.

"The details don't matter. What I need to know is only one thing—can you use the results of the Hyperhemia experiment to restore my lifeforce?"

"... Your lifeforce?"

Bern looked somewhat puzzled. He glanced Luca up and down, then got up from his seat.

"Wait here a moment."

Bern returned after a moment holding a small box. He took out goggles with a magnifying lens and scrutinized Luca.

"... It's true. Your vitality is unstable—almost as if you're cursed or seriously ill."

"I used up quite a bit of it stopping the recent terror attack. So, I need to restore it."

"...!"

Luca's friends looked startled at his admission, but Luca paid them no mind. He continued blandly:

"The Kisen marquisate already created the results of that research. I don't think you were the only one responsible, but when I saw the 'mop water', I figured you'd achieved at least some results."

"I don't know how you know all this but... hmph. Very well."

Bern removed the goggles and sighed. His eyes grew calm.

"I can restore your spent lifeforce, but it won't be easy."

"As long as you can, that's all that matters. How long will it take?"

Luca's nonchalant attitude made Bern give him a strange look.

"I could do it right now, if we had the materials."

"Materials?"

"Yes. The materials. And for the Hyperhemia experiment, those materials are, of course..."

Bern paused, glancing at Hav and Moula. Then, resigning himself, he spoke bitterly.

"Human beings."

* * *

"Eh, ugh, urgh."

The guard who had checked Luca and his friends was making strange noises, eyes rolled up, as snow-white tentacles bored through his head, writhing.

"Hoo~ I see. Hmm~"

A hooded figure let out an admiring sound every time the guard groaned.

The scene was both wondrous and revolting.

'Ugh! Is that the Albino's soul feasting? That's one thing I never want to experience.'

'Whew... At least it's not me seeing it directly.'

Witnessing it nearby, baron Max and his guards shuddered.

Soon the 'soul feasting' ended and the hooded figure spoke.

"It seems there's been a misunderstanding. It wasn't someone from the imperial family after all—the ones who came were students from Hernan Royal Academy."

"Th-th-that's correct... eh?"

Baron Max looked displeased.

"What would students be doing here...?"

"I'm not sure about the details, but actually, this works out nicely for us."

The hooded figure grinned broadly.

"Let's make them members of us Albinos as well."