Villain Takes Over The Academy

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 59

Clang-!

Creeeeak...

“It... it opened!”

The heavy iron door finally swung open.

Shin A-sol was visibly stunned.

A door that had remained unscathed despite her pounding against the walls had now unlocked so easily.

“This door... it was really this easy to open all along?”

She fidgeted with her shield, looking somewhat embarrassed by how forcefully she had tried to handle the situation.

I found myself watching her, slightly concerned.

“There’s no need to blame yourself. Everyone has their own strengths. Your power will come in handy when the time is right.”

I wasn’t just trying to comfort her.

‘She needs to pull her weight in this quest.’

With Okamoto out of commission, Shin A-sol’s unexpected presence here was a huge advantage. I needed her fully motivated for what lay ahead.

“Well then, let’s head inside.”

Grabbing my potion case, I stepped forward, ready to enter through the iron doorway—

—but then, I noticed Shin A-sol staring at the case.

A second later, she frowned and asked, “Wait a second... isn’t that Okamoto’s potion kit? Why do you have it, Professor?”

I was slightly surprised.

She had recognized its owner in an instant.

That was unexpected.

Despite being longtime friends, Shin A-sol was known for never paying much attention to Okamoto.

“Okamoto never goes anywhere without that case. He even takes it to the bathroom."

Her eyes narrowed.

“He’s not the kind of guy who just lends his stuff to people...”

“I didn’t borrow it. I took it. Daichi was dragged away by the Divine Beast.”

“W-what?! Okamoto was taken?”

Shin A-sol’s expression twisted in shock.

I briefly summarized everything that had happened so far—though I left out certain details, like Clementine’s letter and the shop.

Still, she got the gist.

“That bastard... If something like that happened, he should’ve told me.”

Shin A-sol let out a long sigh, rubbing her temples.

“You didn’t hear anything from him? I thought you two were always together.”

“Not at all. I haven’t even seen him in a while.”

She sounded annoyed now, muttering about how Okamoto hadn’t even shown up when the student council was assembled for the recent string of thefts.

I already had a good guess why.

‘Makes sense... This time, Okamoto’s been investigating Yang Hak-je’s movements.’

A change in the timeline.

Because of that, Okamoto’s routine had shifted, and he had ended up spending far less time with Shin A-sol.

That was probably why she hadn’t been in the library during the last Phantom Thief incident either.

Then, a thought struck me.

‘Wait... that means she hasn’t learned Wave Penetration yet?’

Just to confirm, I asked, “Have you ever heard of Wave Penetration?”

Shin A-sol tilted her head, looking utterly confused.

“Wave... what?”

No recognition whatsoever.

‘So, in this timeline, she hasn’t even learned that spell yet.’

In the original story, Okamoto played a crucial role in helping her acquire it.

This was... an important lead.

In the previous timeline, Shin A-sol rejected my offer to join the Deconstructionist Department.

I had assumed it was because of her ties to the Defense Department professor, but now—

It was clear Okamoto had also been a major reason behind her decision.

‘Okamoto probably thought that as long as he kept helping, Shin A-sol would eventually master the Wave Penetration spell.’

But in this timeline, Shin A-sol had never received that help. She didn’t even know the spell existed.

Then, what if...

I were the first person to teach Shin A-sol Wave Penetration?

‘Maybe then, she’d join the Deconstructionist Department.’

It was a real possibility. No—it was almost certain.

Wave Penetration was practically Shin A-sol’s ultimate move.

And if she realized that I was the only one who could teach it to her, she would have no choice but to join the Deconstructionist Department.

‘I had almost given up on recruiting her...’

Was this what an unexpected windfall felt like?

If Iron Fortress joined the department, she’d be more than enough to fill the gap left by the Dragon Mage.

“Um... Professor? Are you feeling okay?”

Lost in deep thought, I hadn’t noticed Shin A-sol watching me with concern.

I quickly wiped any expression from my face and said, “No, it’s nothing. Let’s head inside.”

“Right. We need to rescue Okamoto before anything happens to him!”

Brimming with determination, Shin A-sol took the lead, striding forward.

Watching her walk ahead with such confidence...

It made my heart soar.

Like the rush of a fresh ocean breeze.

‘And soon... that strength will be mine.’

I couldn’t help but feel excited about what was to come.

With that thought, I silently followed behind her—watching over her, like a shadow.

Completely unaware of what awaited her.

The hallway beyond the iron door was nothing like the abandoned school we had seen before.

Cool moonlight streamed through pristine windows.

Warm lights illuminated the corridor.

The floors were polished to a mirror sheen.

It was as if students had just been here, chatting and laughing.

“This place... doesn’t feel abandoned at all. It’s like students could walk in at any moment.”

Shin A-sol murmured, peeking into a nearby classroom.

Each room looked untouched, filled with signs of recent activity.

‘This atmosphere... It’s just like the classroom where the Divine Beast appeared.’

The more I walked, the more I was reminded of the annex where I had first encountered the Beast.

That room had felt just as out of place in the abandoned school.

‘In that case... there’s a high chance the Divine Beast is hiding somewhere here.’

From a game design perspective, places like this always meant something.

Game developers never waste effort decorating a location unless it matters.

There had to be a reason this space was so well-maintained.

* * *

As I walked, keeping a careful eye on my surroundings, I noticed something odd.

Shin A-sol, who was leading the way, kept glancing back at me.

She seemed... uneasy.

She had been doing it for a while now.

I was starting to get curious.

“Why do you keep looking back? Are you still wary of me?”

“I... No, that’s not it. Not entirely.”

She hesitated, as if choosing her words carefully.

Then, after a moment, she cautiously asked, “Can I... ask you something?”

I smirked.

“Perfect. I have a question for you, too.”

“For me?”

She looked confused.

“What do you want to ask?”

“You first. Let’s trade questions.”

Shin A-sol hesitated but then took a deep breath and asked, “Then... why did you take Seo Su-kyung into the Deconstructionist Department?”

Ah.

So that’s what this was about.

“She’s not the kind of girl to make that choice on her own. You must have done something. Right?”

“That’s not a question I should be answering. You should ask her yourself.”

“Ask Su-kyung directly...?”

Shin A-sol let out a sigh.

She had probably asked many times already.

But, of course, there was no way Seo Su-kyung would have given her a proper answer.

After all, how could she possibly admit to becoming a conditional slave because she got caught sniffing someone else’s gym uniform?

And the owner of that uniform—Shin A-sol herself—had no idea what had really happened. She just looked frustrated, completely in the dark.

“Then what exactly are you planning to do with Su-kyung? I’m warning you now—if you’re thinking of using her for something shady, you’d better stop. She’s not as easy to manipulate as you think.”

“You don’t have to worry. This isn’t a one-sided arrangement.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that...?”

“I’m going to train Seo Su-kyung and turn the Deconstructionist Department into a major department. Her ranking will rise far beyond what it is now. Far enough to surpass both you and Yang Hak-je.”

Maybe I said it too casually, because Shin A-sol just stood there, mouth open, stunned into silence.

That was probably how ridiculous the plan sounded to her.

“Using Su-kyung to make Deconstructionist Department a major department...? Is that even possible? How?”

“Well, that answers your question. Now it’s my turn.”

Shin A-sol frowned slightly, clearly wanting to press for more details, but she held back.

Too bad.

I had no intention of revealing my full plan this early.

Keeping things under wraps was the most important part of a strategy like this.

“...So what do you want to ask me?”

“Nothing big. Just wondering—do you know the password for this case?”

I pulled out Okamoto’s potion case.

The question must have caught her completely off guard, because she blinked, momentarily thrown off.

“If it’s Okamoto’s password... wouldn’t it be something simple, like the last digits of his phone number?”

She checked Okamoto’s number and tried entering it.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

But the lock remained sealed.

She tried the first digits.

Then flipped the number around.

Still nothing.

If it wasn’t his phone number... could it really be something as basic as his birthday?

“When’s Daichi’s birthday?”

“His birthday? I think it was sometime in January... No, wait, February?”

Shin A-sol sounded confident that it was at least in winter.

I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for Okamoto.

‘She doesn’t even remember the month—just the season?’

They’d been friends for years, yet she was this indifferent?

Meanwhile, Okamoto probably knew every little detail about Shin A-sol—right down to her shoe size.

...Wait. Shoe size?

A thought suddenly struck me.

Since this was a military chronicle, Okamoto’s password was probably a number he considered most important.

If I was right... then maybe the code was—

AAAAAHHHH—!!!

A scream.

A piercing shriek echoed from deep inside the abandoned school.

Shin A-sol’s eyes snapped wide open.

“That voice... could that be Okamoto?”

“...Maybe.”

Honestly, I had assumed he was already dead.

With how fragile he was, I doubted he had survived this long.

AAAAAHHHH—!!!

The scream rang out again.

“Oh no, I’m sure of it! That’s definitely Okamoto! We have to go—now!”

Believing her friend was in danger, Shin A-sol sprang forward like a coiled spring, bolting toward the source of the sound.

I wasn’t particularly eager to run after her...

But in the end, I had no choice but to follow.

We passed through the empty, desolate hallway.

Through the classroom.

Down the stairs.

Down.

And down again.

“There! The sound is coming from the first-floor audiovisual room!”

As Shin A-sol sprinted ahead, she quickly re-equipped her shield, preparing for a possible fight.

But something felt off to me.

The screams coming from behind that firmly shut audiovisual room door—something about the volume and timing felt unnatural.

Almost as if...

As if they were leading us there on purpose.

‘More importantly... what the hell is up with this school’s layout?’

Just a moment ago, Shin A-sol and I had descended about three or four floors using the stairs.

Which was normal—of course, a school would have staircases.

The problem was...

No matter how hard I thought about it, I had no memory of ever going up the stairs in the first place.

How could we descend stairs we’d never climbed?

“Okamoto...!”

Before I could process it, Shin A-sol shoved open the audiovisual room door.

And the moment she did—

Her entire body began to sink into the floor.

“W-What...?”

Her startled gasp rang clearly in my ears.

The scene before us was not an audiovisual room.

The moment the door opened—

We were suddenly staring at a towering cliffside, so high it was nearly swallowed by thick clouds.

“Ahhh—?!”

Grab-!

Just before Shin A-sol plummeted off the cliff, I lunged forward and caught her by the wrist.

Her face had gone pale, her body limp, as if she couldn’t even process what was happening.

“P-Professor...? What... what the hell is going on?!”

“Is this really the time for questions? Or do you happen to have multiple lives to spare?”

That finally snapped Shin A-sol back to reality. She immediately started climbing back up to solid ground.

Once she was safely up, she let out a deep sigh of relief.

But the confusion on her face remained.

“A cliff... inside a school? How is this possible? Okamoto’s screams definitely came from here...”

“It’s simple. We got played. Someone set us up.”

“Set us up...?”

I gestured behind her with a tilt of my chin.

She turned around—and her eyes widened in shock.

“W-What the hell?!”

The hallway we had just raced through was gone.

In its place, an entirely different scene had appeared.

We were now standing right back in the hallway where we had first heard Okamoto’s screams.

“It’s an illusion spell. And we fell for it—completely.”

The seemingly intact classrooms and hallways in the abandoned school.

The stairs we descended without ever ascending them.

The cliff that appeared when we opened the door.

All of it—

Every single part—

Had been an illusion.

And the worst part?

We had no idea where the deception had even begun.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]