I Became the Savior of the Academy’s Villains

Chapter 174

'It's a little different from what I thought.'

Luca thought it would be just like a modern car—step on the gas to go and the brake to stop—but it was more complicated than expected.

"So, you have to channel magic power into it gradually. First, you pour mana until the circuit responsible for starting up powers on, then keep supplying mana to the circuit that controls the auto-carriage, then to the circuit that further activates the engine. You shouldn't put in too much at once. Also, if you input a lot of mana at first, the drive magic in the internal engine of the auto-carriage will activate right away, so you can't just pull the mana out immediately after that. If you do, the drive magic will forcibly take mana from the magic stone and make it run..."

It had been a while since Ottbo gave such a long-winded explanation.

Watching him explain at that rapid pace, Luca spoke impassively.

"Try to explain that a bit simpler."

"Um... so, uh..."

Watching him struggle, Luca suddenly had a thought.

'This guy's skill in drive magic... could that be his trait?'

A trait would be like a natural ability, and if Ottbo's trait was what it seemed, it would be his unbelievable understanding of drive magic.

'If so...'

Luca's eyes sparkled with an idea.

And he spoke to the pondering Ottbo.

"Ottbo. Do you trust me?"

"Huh? Of course. I only made a mistake because it's my first time, but if it's you, Luca..."

Ottbo revealed infinite trust.

Watching him, Luca activated his skill.

― Bond, Ottbo Gress.

He could instinctively sense how to use it:

Summon the target in his mind, will the bond to activate, and utter the name internally.

Woom!

"?"

As soon as the Bond was invoked, Ottbo wore a strange expression.

"Uh...?"

Ottbo looked at his body with a puzzled face.

Unconcerned, Luca grabbed the auto-carriage's steering wheel.

Pop!

"!"

In that instant, he understood the drive magic inside the auto-carriage and got a sense of how to use it.

Bwooom!

"L-Luca?"

Luca immediately poured mana through the steering wheel.

Gradually channeling mana into the circuits, he awkwardly but surely moved the auto-carriage.

Bwooong! Screech! Bwoooong!

He swerved the steering wheel, backed up, and drew a T-turn, steering the carriage in a new direction.

"Oh."

Ottbo let out an impressed sound at the sight.

Luca drove one lap around the mansion.

He smoothly picked up speed, slowed down, turned corners, made a U-turn, and even came to a perfect stop.

"Awesome! Luca!"

Seeing Luca's performance, Ottbo's eyes went wide.

When the carriage crashed into the fence from sudden acceleration, he'd thought it wouldn't be easy, but after seeing Luca drive properly right away, he couldn't help but be impressed.

'Luca really is something!'

While his awe for Luca grew, the latter glanced at his own hand.

'If I use the Bond, the target doesn't take damage from attacks...'

Luca turned to look at Ottbo.

And then held out his hand.

"?"

Smack!

Luca flicked Ottbo's forehead.

At the unexpected blow, Ottbo screamed.

"Ack!"

"?"

His forehead instantly swelled bright red.

Clutching the hit spot, Ottbo bowed his head.

Seeing this, Luca grimaced.

'He's in pain?'

Despite the Bond's activation and apparent trust, the impact still landed.

'... Does the effect during use and the conditional effect differ?'

Perhaps the passive effect shares certain things, and when both sides fully trust each other, further effects activate individually.

'Or maybe something like a forehead flick doesn't count as an attack since it's just a prank?'

He hadn't intended to injure Ottbo—maybe it didn't register as an attack.

'Not like I can stab him with a knife to check.'

No matter how much you're trusted, even Luca would look dubious if he said, "I'll stab you gently so it won't hurt."

'... Guess I'll have to consider that effect nonexistent for now.'

Resolved, Luca gripped Ottbo's shoulder.

"You alright, Ottbo?"

"I-I'm fine, but... why...?"

Ottbo looked up with a tearful face.

His forehead, unlike a moment ago, was now perfectly clean.

Luca, relieved, spoke.

"I wanted to experiment with something. Unfortunately, it didn't work."

"E-experiment...?"

"There are a few things I want to ask about that."

Luca questioned Ottbo if he felt any changes while the Bond was active.

"Well... I definitely felt like my body was hot and overflowing with strength. And maybe my vision was clearer?"

"Your vision..."

"That's all I noticed. Sorry."

From Ottbo's explanation, Luca could guess what was being shared.

'The swelling on his forehead healed instantly; it looks like all passive effects of exclusive abilities are applied. My eyesight seems to be partially shared too.'

If Luca thought about what his innate trait was, as Merian said, it would be the blood of Melborne—the Eyes of the Lake.

Even though Luca himself doesn't directly sense the full effects of the Eyes of the Lake, Ottbo's comment suggests it also sharpens vision.

"Did you feel like you could use any new abilities?"

"That, I'm not sure."

"I see."

Whether the Albino's Super Regeneration could be used, he still wasn't certain.

'It's safest to assume only passive effects are applied.'

Seeing Luca, Ottbo showed a puzzled face.

"Luca, what did you do to me?"

"...."

Luca hesitated over how far to explain before speaking flatly.

"It's the power of friendship."

"P-power of friendship?"

"Yes. God was moved by our friendship and granted us power."

He didn't want to go into detail.

At Luca's abstract explanation, Ottbo frowned in annoyance.

"Is this a joke?"

"Surprisingly, it's about 90 percent true."

"So the last 10 percent is just a joke..."

Ottbo scratched his cheek and smiled faintly.

"Well, it must be true if you say so, Luca."

As expected of someone with MAX likability—he just accepted even such nonsense.

At that moment, Wylde, who had been watching, approached them.

"Did you manage to drive the auto-carriage?"

"...."

At Wylde's question, Luca lightly tried channeling mana into the handle.

Unlike when using the Bond, he couldn't understand the magic formula at all.

"I'd rather just ride in the auto-carriage Ottbo drives."

"... I can't drive either. Maybe it's our family tradition."

Wylde said this and turned back inside the mansion.

Staring at his departing back, Luca frowned.

"Did he come out just to say that?"

"... Maybe he was trying to comfort you?"

"That's comforting?"

Luca looked dumbfounded at Ottbo's words, then shook his head.

"I don't know why all the men in this family are like this."

"Was that a self-deprecating joke?"

"... Ah."

He wasn't one to talk.

* * *

Dressed in their academy gym uniforms, Luca and Ottbo stood at the training grounds.

There was the Treasure Hunt, the completed hint, and so much to do—but first, there was something they needed to practice.

Luca needed to get used to aerial combat with celestial wings.

Ottbo needed to get used to combat using the newly upgraded armored giant Rivik.

"It's the last spar, so let's go all out."

"Got it!"

The final duel to cap off their training.

Since it was the last one, they could push themselves harder.

Whir! Click! Clack!

Ottbo replied and infused mana into the armored controller.

With that, his modified armored giant Rivik sprouted extra exoskeleton armor and a new main cannon.

"Ooh."

Ottbo's Rivik, modified at the academy, had tons more functions than a regular mass-produced armored giant.

Whether Ottbo could fully utilize it was another story, but the academy had definitely whipped it into shape.

'Srettle Magus must have put in quite an effort to keep Ottbo close.'

After all, Ottbo's drive magic was essential for Srettle Magus' research.

"Then here I go!"

"Alright."

Zing!

At Luca's reply, Ottbo immediately fired Rivik's new main cannon.

It was similar to Moula's magic power beam cannon.

Though it had less power due to being lighter, it allowed for much quicker attacks.

Boom!

"Too slow."

Luca dodged the blast easily and darted straight for Ottbo.

He moved in an arc for the next attack, making it easy for him to evade again.

Seeing this, Ottbo quickly hid behind Rivik.

Thunk!

Luca leaped upward.

Ottbo, anticipating this, fired the beam cannon at Luca floating in the air.

Ordinarily, there would be no way to dodge in midair.

Pew! Pew! Pew!

But the beams only sliced through empty space.

Now, celestial wings had unfurled behind Luca's back.

"That's cheating, isn't it?"

Of course, Ottbo expected Luca to do that, but he couldn't help finding it unfair.

Grumbling, Ottbo detached Rivik's main cannon and reinforced the exoskeleton.

Whirr!

An artificial ether blade formed on Rivik's arm.

Seeing this, Luca caught his breath.

"Huuu!"

Crackle!

Lightning enveloped his sword.

With lightning flashing around, a thunderbolt crashed toward Rivik.

Boom! Crackle!!

The artificial ether blade on Rivik and Luca's sword clashed instantly.

While creating distance, Ottbo prepared another spell.

Still locked in with Rivik, Luca twisted his body, stepped on its head, and leaped at Ottbo as he tried to run away.

Whoosh!

Crackle!

Luca's lightning-charged sword slashed at Ottbo.

"Ugh!"

Ottbo quickly deployed a shield, but Luca's blade, wreathed in lightning, pierced right through.

Fortunately, the blade stopped just short of Ottbo's nose.

"Whew! I lose."

"That was a good match."

Luca sheathed his sword without emotion.

Ottbo, exhausted, collapsed right where he stood.

Thus, their final spar ended.

"Your movements have improved a lot, Ottbo."

"Still a long way to go. I should have used more magic to keep you in check."

"That's why I stepped in to not give you a chance."

"Right? It's hard to calculate the coordinates fast enough."

"Mages can't beat swordsmen up close. But you could now beat most opponents."

They exchanged thoughts on the training as they headed to the bathhouse.

'Ottbo. My clothes probably won't fit you—what'll you do?'

'Oh, don't worry about that. I brought my own.'

He pulled something out—it was the pouch given by Ferka.

Inside were all of Ottbo's things, including his school uniform.

It even held more than enough money and various magical tools to live on comfortably for some time.

"Big brother must have expected me to run. Or maybe he wanted me to."

"Is that so."

Thanks to that, he could train comfortably in his academy gym uniform.

Once they arrived at the bathhouse, Luca and Ottbo undressed and showered first.

Couldn't go into the bath covered in dirt, after all.

Having washed up, Luca and Ottbo stepped into the warm bath to soothe their fatigue from training.

Ottbo rambled on about pointless things, and Luca, already used to it, gave half-hearted replies while looking at his phone.

'Training's pretty much wrapped up. Should I start moving around a bit now?'

He'd gotten pretty comfortable with aerial combat using celestial wings and Kryphi's swordsmanship.

He'd even refined his skills through duels with Wylde.

It felt about time to move on to the next stage.

'The map app...'

Woom!

When he opened the map app, the surrounding terrain floated up as a 3D hologram.

Luca fiddled with it for a bit and discovered a 'share' setting.

'What's this?'

The moment Luca pressed it, Ottbo seemed flustered.

"Luca. What's this?"

"?"

Ottbo's eyes were on the map app.

Luca marveled.

"So this is possible now, huh."

"Uh... it's a map?"

Once confirmed as a map, Ottbo's eyes lit up.

Luca toyed with the hologram and said,

"Yeah. Herote gave me the magical tool."

"Wow... but Luca, you're not wearing anything, right?"

"That's Herote's technology for you."

As long as he said it was Herote's doing, anything could be excused.

After messing with the hologram a bit more, Luca finally found it.

'This must be it.'

[Treasure Hunt]

― Find all hidden secrets within a certain range; you may fully unlock one of them.

― You can judge a secret's importance by the size of the question mark. Once a secret is chosen, you cannot switch to another.

― There's a chance the secret will be too difficult. Choose carefully.

Number of uses left: 2

"Huh...."

Reading the Treasure Hunt explanation, Luca sighed.

'Is it really okay to give out abilities like this?'

It was an obviously broken power.

'I mean, is it really okay to just have a function that fully unlocks secrets?'

So far, neither hints nor anything else had ever given perfect information about things that hadn't happened yet.

Hints were always spotty, and Luca had to look for the missing pieces himself.

'Well, it's true that getting someone's full trust isn't easy, so I admit a MAX likability mission is rare, but...'

Luca clicked his tongue and shrugged.

'Oh well. It's not my job to worry about that. If the gods thought it was fine, then it must be, right?'

Anyway, now that the flow of the story was in his hands, it seemed like it was okay to get something this impressive.

'First...'

Luca decided to choose the information he could definitely make use of.

[Divine Standard Dominion]

― This is a divine banner bearing the image of an angel blowing a trumpet.

― It holds the great power to declare God's territory.

― For now, it is simply being used as a blanket by someone in a cold region.

It was the Divine Standard Dominion info he'd previously received as an extra hint.

Now was the time to make use of it.

'Activate Treasure Hunt.'