How to Survive as a Trash Extra Villain

Chapter 194

***

A lazy lunch hour. In the cold weather, most cadets would be cooped up in their classrooms, huddled together before the warmth of the heating magic.

But thanks to Elisha, I had found an open rooftop and laid out a spot. As I lay down, I felt drowsy and fell asleep easily.

Whoosh. Even if a cold wind blew, it wasn't a problem. Nerjin had illegally modified the heating function of the cadet uniform and strengthened it a bit more… It was perfect for winter.

Only my hands and face were slightly chilly, which felt more romantic, like I was camping.

‘Ah, this is nice.’

I had shaken off Adela and Luri. The protagonist’s party didn’t bother me today either. I had also taken care of my agenda items with Annette… No one would bother me until lunchtime was over.

‘This is what school life is about.’

The scales had tipped. So wouldn’t it be okay to give myself this much of a reward?

“I didn’t know there was an open rooftop.”

My eyes shot open. I was so surprised that a swear word almost came out of my mouth.

‘Why am I hearing this voice?!’

I shot up to find an old man sitting on the rooftop railing.

“According to school rules, cadets are prohibited from using the rooftop for personal reasons.”

The futile assumption that ‘I might not have been caught’ due to a stroke of beginner’s luck was thrown out the moment I made eye contact with the old man.

‘I’m screwed.’

“You seem to be living the good life, Cadet Martin.”

The old man’s face was expressionless. A blank expression. A dry, deadpan face.

“Yes…”

There were people I couldn’t treat carelessly, no matter who I was. Number 0 on the list was Lilac, and number 1 included the Star Child, the Emperor, and others… and this person was also included.

“Principal Lukfels.”

“I came to see which cadet dared to lay out a spot and lie down on the rooftop of an Imperium Academy building.”

“…”

“It’s a joke. You may laugh. Smile. It brings good fortune.”

How could he tell a joke with such a deadpan face? It sent a chill down my spine.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t come here to give you a warning or disciplinary action.”

“…That’s a relief, then.”

If I got a warning here for some absurd reason, I wouldn’t be able to face my family who were diligently selling coffee.

“So what brings you here? It seems you didn’t come to see me without any business.”

“Before we get to the main point… shall we have a chat? It was interesting. The process by which you saw the simulator’s 99th ending for the first time.”

“…?”

Could it be, this person.

“The person who could know such a thing, and be curious about it… would be the creator.”

“You’re sharp.”

“You’re not denying it?”

“There’s no reason to deny the truth.”

Huh, so the educational material was made by Principal Lukfels himself? No, it wouldn’t be strange to call it a game. Indeed, the fact that someone made such an elaborate device was amazing in itself.

“…Then Nine Kingdoms too?”

“My work.”

At the calm reply, I put a hand to my forehead. Lukfels maintained his deadpan expression as if there was nothing strange about it.

‘My goodness.’

To think that Principal Lukfels, Platinum Numbering No. 2, was the creator of the popular board game on the continent…

“Is it strange?”

“How could it not be?”

The fact that Principal Lukfels was busy was something no one on the continent didn’t know. There was a reason people said you had to make a reservation a year in advance to see his face.

“I was just thinking that a busy person like you managed to find the time to make something like this.”

“I am an educator. It is not strange to create playthings and teaching materials for children.”

“No, that… yes…”

If the principal of the best school on the continent said so, then it must be so.

As I silently looked at Lukfels, he threw out a new topic.

“Do you remember the promise?”

He had allowed me to go to the Fog Island Time Chaos Dungeon at the request of the Star Child. It must not have been an easy decision for Lukfels either.

It was fortunate that we conquered it safely; if there had been even one casualty, he might have faced harsh criticism.

No. In the first place, allowing the Prince, Princess, and children of the Four Great Ducal Families to enter was out of the question.

“Yes, you’re telling me to repay the debt from that time.”

The first request was to go to the Animas mansion with Teacher Faris to comfort Matthew.

What would the second request be?

“…Will you lie down with me?”

“Ye-Yes?”

Unlike me, whose brain circuits were burning so intensely that I could smell something burning at the tip of my nose trying to figure out what he meant, Lukfels lay down next to where I had been lying with a composed gesture. As if he didn’t care that the great mage’s robe was getting dirty from the dust.

‘What is happening.’

I silently lay down next to the principal. The two of us just lay side by side, looking up at the clear sky without a ceiling.

Not a single cloud. Come to think of it, since Kragach and Joberka’s terror attacks, I hadn’t seen any clouds in the sky.

“Isn’t it nice?”

“Pardon?”

“The sky is clear and education continues. As long as knowledge and beliefs are passed down, humanity will never be destroyed.”

Lukfels' words were the identity of the Humanity Alliance. After the fall of the Cosmos Empire and the formation of the Humanity Alliance, why did they build the academy first? Education was the indicator that humanity was alive and well. The continuation of education meant the survival of humanity.

“What you desire is also the survival of humanity, isn’t it?”

‘This person, perhaps…’

Archmage Sir Lukfels, Platinum Numbering No. 2, Principal of Imperium Academy. He, who carried all these titles on his back, held immense power and responsibility in both hands.

He was a strange person who was so busy it was hard to see his face, and who spoke with a deadpan, expressionless face whether he was joking or not.

However.

‘He might be a person whose inside is more charming than his outside.’

He had me comfort the despondent cadet Matthew, and he made the board game Nine Kingdoms that young people liked. And on top of that, this simulator. It was called a teaching aid, but in reality, it was no different from an educational game.

‘What was this person like in the original work? He fought 1-on-1 against a Demon Lord to protect the academy cadets and died in battle, I’m sure…’

An expressionless face, the immense responsibility on his shoulders. Behind that, wasn’t there an old man who loved children?

At that moment, my left hand tingled, and I got a feeling. I felt an unknown sense of kinship from the principal. It was on his left hand too. The crest of the Buster Order.

“Cadet Martin. You must have met the Director too.”

“Yes.”

I could realize that this was the main point of Sir Lukfels' visit.

…How could a person have the same expression when joking and when talking about the main point?

“He is an unknowable person.”

“Are you telling me to be careful?”

“No. His secrets must be revealed.”

“…?”

Something was unusual.

“Please tell me in more detail.”

“The Director of the Humanity Preservation Agency has not changed for a hundred years.”

“…”

“Having served as the Director for a long time… he has molded the continent from atop that immense power.”

In other words, was the Director also a transcendent being like the archmage or the Star Child before me?

“His actions are unknowable. It is clear that he is for humanity. Even decisions that seem questionable at the moment often turn out to have been the right choice in retrospect. He is a person with uncannily excellent insight.”

“…”

“What is the origin of that insight? I have hypothesized that the Director is seeing the future.”

“The future.”

Was it like my Wild Instinct, or the Star Child’s revelations?

“There are many unknown rooms in the headquarters of the Humanity Preservation Agency. Among them are rooms filled with ultra-high-level magitech machinery whose source even I cannot access. My guess is that among them is a future-seeing machine that predicts the future.”

“…”

Wild Instinct, revelations. Now, future prediction through ultra-high-level science?

“I may not know about magic, but the engineering was a remarkable technology that I couldn’t understand no matter how I looked at it. The Director must have obtained a powerful scientific civilization from an unknown ancient civilization. It’s not certain, but even the Cosmos Empire did not have that level of magitech technology. If such technology exists, the Humanity Preservation Agency should not monopolize it.”

“…”

“Amidst numerous invasions, the academy has been in danger many times, and countless cadets and educators have died or been traumatized. I will no longer stand by and watch. Perhaps there is something there that can heal Cadet Matthew or Cadet Elisha.”

“…”

Could it be, this person Lukfels… he seemed to have made an unbelievable plan…!

“We will infiltrate the headquarters of the Humanity Preservation Agency.”

“…”

“This is an alliance I am proposing, holding your insight in high regard as the one who saw the 99th ending.”

I swallowed hard. I couldn't tell if it was a joke or serious from his expressionless face, but no matter how I thought about it, it wasn't something to be said even as a joke.

Lukfels' body floated up and he stood straight. I followed suit and stood up.

“Relay my words to your family and the Star Child. I would appreciate it if you discuss it and let me know the result.”

A magic circle formed above and below him, and then he disappeared with a flash. It was teleportation.

Seeing him perform teleportation so easily, he was truly amazing.

We could barely transmit our voices between coordinates with a top-grade mana stone, but to move between coordinates without any medium.

It was hard to believe that the same kind of brain was inside that head. In fact, maybe the mechanical device was inside his head.

“…Infiltration into the Humanity Preservation Agency…”

It was truly unbelievable, rebellious, anti-national, and anti-humanitarian, but.

Perhaps, with that man, it might be possible.

- Know-It-All (Lv 4) agrees. If it's something Lukfels would do even alone, it's better to move with him than to let him do it alone.

- Wild Instinct (Master) also agrees. If we fall behind in this move, we might lose something big!

“I guess I have no choice but to participate…”

***

Virtual Training Ground. A common training ground that uses illusion magic for training. The goal of this training ground is to safely face dangerous environments, strong enemies, and traps through illusions that are too risky to encounter directly.

Not only that, but it is also used for record measurement, simulations, practical assessments, and exams, making it the most used training facility in the academy.

[Ta-da, did everyone have a delicious meal?!]

From the control room of the virtual training ground, Hailey shouted full of fighting spirit. Her amplified voice echoed to the cadets through a magic sound device.

The cadets, dressed in the lightest gear possible, focused on Hailey’s voice echoing from all directions within the training ground.

[Today’s second-period class is an ‘Evasive Maneuvers’ test! In a place fraught with all sorts of traps, you must become flawless ladies and gentlemen who do not allow even a single hit!]

I just laughed.

‘Somehow, she seems excited.’

[You’ll be taking the same test during the upcoming final exams! So you should practice in advance when you have the chance, right?! For reference, at my personal discretion, I’ve decided to give merit points to the cadet with the best score in today’s test!]

Merit points. Naturally, there were demerit points too. Though I hadn’t paid them any mind until now.

‘Since it’s the second semester, I should probably get some to advance to the second year.’

The reason I was aiming for merit points? It was obvious. The test title was Evasive Maneuvers, after all.

- Movement (Lv 10) is unable to contain its excitement.

It was my specialty.

[Now, shall we begin!]

Magic waves spread in all directions. Simultaneously, the appearance of the training ground changed drastically. Into the form of an endless maze. Follow current novᴇls on novel·fıre·net

[No one here gets motion sickness from mazes, right? Yes, I’ll believe that! Everyone, fighting until you find the exit!]

In a circular hollow of an ambiguous size, paths stretched out in all directions. It was in the form of a maze made of stacked stones, and though it was a little dark, it was cleaner than I expected.

The cadets, suddenly trapped in the center of the maze, began to look around.

“Ugh, a maze…? I’m terrible at this kind of thing.”

Those who were close to being pure physical types, like Bord, clutched their heads.

“Hmph, do you dare tell me to move around on my own two feet?”

Adela simply shook her head primly. Of course, even if she said that, she would move on her own once the class started.

However, those gathered here were elites. They were a force that wouldn't be strange to be deployed to active duty right away.

“I will use search magic, Your Highness Prince Kazaks.”

“Aha, then I should be the one to break through the traps.”

“Mhm. Shuga, Muller. I’m counting on you.”

Therefore, most, like Prince Kazaks' faction, were diligently preparing to break through the maze.

“Hmm.”

There were many ways to navigate a maze. Using thread, following only one wall, analyzing sound resonance…

‘Easy.’

Of course, these were methods I didn't need.

“Shall we go first?”

“Shall we?”

Gilbert and Bord fearlessly stepped forward, heading into one of the branching paths.

Naturally, many eyes were drawn to them. After all, it was Gilbert and Bord.

But those two didn't have any grand strategy either.

“I’ve got your back, Gilbert!”

“Leave it to me!”

Bord ran forward with his shield raised, and Gilbert stuck close behind, guarding all directions except the front.

‘Well, that’s a textbook method.’

Ordinary traps wouldn't be able to stop those monstrous guys.

Even now, arrows were flying and flames were spewing from all directions, but look at them charging forward without a care.

“Bord! The floor!”

“Okay!”

At that moment, the floor began to crack. A cliché falling-through-the-floor trap. Like warriors trained in mana, Gilbert and Bord kicked off the floor and leaped forward.

But then, blades suddenly shot out from the ceiling.

“Ugh?!”