I Became the Savior of the Academy’s Villains

Chapter 186

'Huh? So suddenly...?'

Luca had sensed it vaguely as well.

He knew his growth rate was unusual.

But he had not expected it to be this much.

'Right before becoming a Grandmaster... To think he could reach that...?'

He still had not seen Wylde's full power, so it was too soon to judge, but simply put, he was on the same level as him or perhaps even higher.

'This is absurd. Even the protagonist didn't grow this powerful this quickly...'

Even the original protagonist only reached Grandmaster amid the war.

In fact, at the end of the academy arc, the peak battle power was someone on the verge of becoming a Grandmaster, just like Luca.

So, already, Luca had attained the same combat power as the original protagonist did at the end of the academy arc.

"... Hm?"

Just in case, Luca tried generating a sword, attempting to create an ether blade infused with willpower like Luca Traverse, but it didn't work.

"Huh?"

He tried several more times, but it still wouldn't work.

Luca glanced at Luca Traverse.

But even on his sword, the ether blade had vanished.

"What? Didn't you just succeed with that?"

"..."

In response to Luca's question, Luca Traverse lightly swung his sword.

Srrr—

"!"

This time, a blue, ordinary ether blade was created.

Of course, even that was already quite impressive.

But it wasn't the same sensation as before.

"Well... congratulations, I guess?"

Even though Luca had just been shocked, simply creating an ether blade meant Luca had reached a height all swordsmen dreamed of.

Because of that, Luca congratulated him in a daze, and Luca Traverse sheathed his sword and spoke.

"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems I've inadvertently ascended to an even higher state."

"That's good news, isn't it?"

"It is, but..."

Luca Traverse gazed quietly at his hand and slowly shook his head.

"I didn't get here through my own efforts. I'm sure the other powers you acquired helped me reach this point."

"That's..."

The power of the sky, and the power of the god of stories.

Luca already knew that these powers had grown stronger.

'The additional effects that strengthened my body must have had some effect too.'

The reinforcement of the body due to the circulation of sky's power and the additional effects that enhanced vitality must have helped in reaching the level of a master.

While Luca was thinking that, Luca Traverse spoke.

"I'll keep training here a bit longer. I need to polish my swordsmanship further and refine my emotions—in other words, my Pioneer's Will."

"Pioneer's will?"

At those words, Luca momentarily recalled the murky green ether blade he had seen earlier.

Luca Traverse slowly nodded.

"I think that's the will that connects both you and me. The will to pioneer our destinies, to carve out this story."

"... Ha, well, that's true."

Luca laughed wryly, and Luca Traverse, rarely, gave a pure smile.

"Tell our master later. The name of my sword is 'Pioneer's Sword'. It's a style of swordsmanship meant to sweep away all that blocks the path."

"... Haha, got it."

Since Luca Traverse didn't want to continue the conversation, Luca exited the mindscape.

As he slowly opened his eyes and looked at his sword, his blade still wasn't tinged with an ether blade.

'I'm still lacking, huh.'

Of course, Luca admitted it.

He didn't know how long Luca Traverse had trained in his mindscape, but the results were tremendous.

So, he could understand why he couldn't yet create an ether blade like Luca Traverse.

'But it's a little regretful. If I could use it freely, that would be great.'

The destructive power of an ether blade was beyond imagination.

Its value was absolute, considering it could cut through most magic.

Therefore, the status of a swordsman was completely different depending on whether they could use an ether blade.

'That's why even the artificial armored soldiers have ether blades installed.'

Even if artificial, an ether blade is still an ether blade.

It slices most kinds of magic.

That's why, in the original story, as time goes by, technology advances until, finally, they can make shields capable of blocking ether blades, but for now, they haven't reached that level.

'So if I could use ether blades now, I'd be the strongest.'

Luca already had no rivals among his peers or even the lower classmen.

If he could use an ether blade, he could defeat everyone except Wylde, even among the advanced students.

'Well, I'll get there in time. Besides, if things get dangerous, Luca Traverse can step in for me.'

He was happy just knowing he had another form of insurance.

Smiling with satisfaction, Luca left the training ground.

'Guess I'll call it a night.'

Night had already deepened.

A lot had happened today.

Luca headed straight to the dormitory.

When he arrived at his dorm room, a delicious smell greeted him.

As Luca entered, Bella looked at him and smiled brightly, as if she had been waiting.

"Oh my, master. Did your conversation with Professor Kryphi go well?"

"Yeah."

"I've prepared a late-night meal. Shall I serve it now?"

At Bella's words, Luca chuckled.

He hadn't meant to, but his body had moved a lot, so he was hungry.

"Let's eat right away."

"Yes! Please, wait just a moment!"

The late-night snack that day was incredibly delicious.

* * *

Several trivial things happened before the start of the semester.

He reunited with Pasmo, who had returned from staying in the Lamata Empire during break.

"It's been revealed that Odrima Lamata, the former crown prince, colluded with a rogue faction, so there will be a lot of changes in the Lamata Empire."

"Is the Thier ducal family alright?"

"Hehe, yes, everything is fine. My father is a great man, so I'm sure he'll handle this crisis!"

In the end, Odrima would be demoted from crown prince, and those who followed him would be dealt with after confirming any involvement with the Demonz.

There would be some commotion, but everything would be resolved before the Aldnoa War, which could take place in a few years.

"Well, let's have a good semester!"

"You too, Pasmo."

After finishing up with Pasmo, Milia and Isella came to see him.

"Did you have a good break?"

"Looks like you two had a good time."

It had been a while since he'd seen Milia and Isella, and they looked quite bright.

"Our conversation with Robentus went well. Actually, more than just 'well', I'd say."

Luca tilted his head, looking at the triumphant Milia.

"More than 'well'?"

"Hehe, don't be surprised. Robentus isn't the only one dissatisfied with Obrola—there are other siblings as well."

"Oh?"

That was to be expected.

Given that Robentus didn't even know Theodore had died, it was obvious that he was someone who kept information highly compartmentalized, even among family.

"It's not like we can trust them completely, but at least it's certain that Robentus is working behind the scenes to defeat Obrola Partigel. I'm preparing to establish a new faction by taking advantage of that."

"You'll be busy."

"Exactly! I can't even enjoy academy life at this rate! I need to wrap it up soon!"

Grumbling, Milia glanced over at Ottbo.

Then she made a puzzled expression.

"But did something happen with you two?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well... it's just... Ottbo seems different. I mean, his vibe changed a bit...?"

At Milia's comment, Ottbo scratched his cheek with an awkward smile, as usual.

"Nothing much happened, really. I just left the Gress family and am now indebted to the Traverse family, that's all."

"...?"

Milia paused at that and then burst out laughing.

"You guys just can't go a single moment without something happening, can you? Tell me what happened right now!"

To someone who enjoyed interesting stories, they were the most fascinating people.

After seeing off Milia and Isella, Luca met with Hav, Moula, and even Archiond, but nothing special happened.

Hav and Moula simply relayed that their master was well, and Archiond commented that the villa was fun, so they must go together next time—just that sort of talk.

"How could you not contact me until the end of the break? Am I someone you only look for when you need something?!"

Herote threw a tantrum, but that was nothing out of the ordinary.

Watching Herote grumble, Luca clicked his tongue and then, as if just remembering, spoke.

"By the way, how's Ravinia doing these days? Has she finished her research on the Waypoint?"

"Her? I sent her to the battlefield."

"... What?"

At her sudden words, Luca's eyes widened, and Herote shrugged.

"There was nothing more to get from here. Now, she needs to unlock the hidden power of Waypoint, which is all about guiding warriors on the battlefield. So I thought sending her to the front was the fastest way."

"But..."

"Don't worry. I'm monitoring her. If she's in danger, I'll summon her right away. Oh! Speaking of monitoring, it just occurred to me—the Kisen family's clone and the Hyperhemia experiment subject are living suspiciously well together. At this rate, they're almost like lovers, aren't they?"

At the mention of the Kisen family, Luca narrowed his eyes.

"What are those guys up to?"

"They're not doing anything, really. They've just escaped to the northern region and are living well. The Hyperhemia subject is working hard to support the Kisen family clone. Want to see them? They're practically showering each other with affection!"

"...?"

More than a little shocked, Luca's eyes twitched, and he shook his head.

"I'll pass."

"It's pretty entertaining. By the way, I wonder how long the Kisen family will allow those two to run free? I'm curious. Oh, right! The Harvest Festival is coming up. Is there anything you want?"

Listening to her, Luca made a subtle expression.

'So those guys are up north? Then that question mark I saw back then...'

He recalled the large question mark he'd seen together with the Shinryu Dominion, then slowly shook his head.

'No way. Probably not.'

While Luca was lost in his thoughts, Herote puffed out her cheeks.

"Are you even listening? I asked if there's a performance group you want to invite for the Harvest Festival."

"... Do I look like someone who's interested in festivals?"

At last regaining his composure, Luca replied curtly, and Herote burst into laughter.

"Haha! You had a blast at your first festival, didn't you?"

"Heh. You consider that having fun?"

"You had a blast!"

After another few dozen minutes of enduring Herote's rambling, Luca was finally released.

'Exhausting.'

Feeling the fatigue creeping in, Luca checked his student handbook.

There was a message from Ottbo to grab a meal together.

It was the perfect time for a meal.

Luca: I'll be there soon.

Ottbo: Shall we go to the student cafeteria?

Luca: Sure.

Luca headed straight to the student cafeteria.

Since it was still break, only one cafeteria was open.

There, Luca and Ottbo ran into an unexpected person.

"Luca! Ottbo! You came to eat too?"

It was Archiond.

Luca looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Why are you eating here?"

"Because this is the only student cafeteria open."

"Aren't you usually the type who doesn't eat at the student cafeteria?"

Archiond usually preferred eating at restaurants rather than the cafeteria.

At Luca's question, Archiond blushed slightly as he spoke.

"It's just... I need to save money."

"... Huh."

Having lost a lot of money in his bet with Luca and spent even more during break, Archiond was now out of pocket money.

He gave a bitter smile.

"If I could, I'd go looking for the Jewel of Michelan or something."

"Jewel of Michelan?"

At the unfamiliar term, Luca looked puzzled, and Ottbo immediately reacted beside him.

"It's a hidden treasure of the academy! It's a bit niche, but you know about it?"

"Ha ha! Of course. I can't miss out on an interesting story."

All of a sudden, Ottbo and Archiond became totally absorbed in their conversation.

While Archiond was easy to get along with, the truth was, the two had similar interests, so even meeting after a while, they hit it off.

Luca, unable to join their conversation, decided to just wait.

'They really are normal students, huh.'

With an old soul inside, such carefree talk was always difficult for Luca.

He ignored their conversation and continued eating.

Then, at some point—

[Hint auto fragment collection completed.]

"?"

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