Villain Takes Over The Academy

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 61

The plan to become one of the Four Great Evils of High Society finally came to fruition around the 105th iteration, after successfully making Nachal and Jeokho my comrades.

Through countless trials and errors, I managed to drive out the previous members of the Four Great Evils. Leading the Blood Demon Legion, I swept across the battlefield. However, when a new grand villain emerged, the soldiers crumbled helplessly before their overwhelming power.

Then one day, Jeokho brought crucial intelligence—soldiers had secretly set up a base deep in the mountainous regions near Syria.

"If this area falls, they’ll be able to march straight to High Society’s strategic stronghold. We need to act fast and come up with a countermeasure."

With that, we devised a surprise assault to annihilate the military's base. We launched a large-scale offensive, striking when they least expected it.

"What the—?!"

"Aaaargh!"

"I-It’s a trap!"

But the screams didn’t come from the soldiers. They came from us—the villains. The information had been false. We had taken the bait and walked right into an ambush.

"Nachal, Jeokho! Stop!"

Waiting for us within the trap was an enormous illusion spell. Even Nachal and Jeokho, commanders of our forces, fell completely under its influence—attacking and even devouring their own subordinates.

A large-scale illusion unlike anything I had seen before…

The Blood Demon Legion, now trapped in the illusion and perceiving each other as enemies, was doomed to self-destruct. The intricate, high-level spell was woven so tightly, like a spider’s web, that there seemed to be no way to escape.

"Who the hell could pull off an illusion of this magnitude?"

In Military Chronicle, illusionists were often regarded as mere background elements—thrown in for the sake of variety but rarely useful in real combat.

It was a common belief that the illusion department lacked talent, so how had such a formidable illusionist emerged on the battlefield?

"Y-You… you're the Blood Demon, aren’t you?"

Lost in thought, I suddenly noticed a soldier appear before me.

She was small in stature, her short, disheveled hair barely covering her slouched shoulders…

But what caught my attention more than her physical features was the insignia on her shoulder—

The willow crest that sent shivers down the spines of villains.

"…A member of the Yang Clan."

Her face was mostly concealed beneath her deep hood, but she gave a slight nod.

"My name is Yang Se-ah… As you can see, I serve the Heavenly Emperor."

"Are you the one who cast this illusion?"

"Y-Yes. Your subordinates will keep tearing each other apart until they die… unless I choose to lift the spell."

"There’s no need for that. If I kill you right here, the illusion will vanish on its own."

I didn’t know what kind of confidence made her reveal herself, but I didn’t hesitate. I immediately reached out to snap her delicate neck—

But I couldn’t.

Because at that moment, she lifted her hood and revealed her face.

"That face…?"

Carved into her pale skin were blood-red ritual markings—

The remnants of an ancient forbidden rite known as the Blood Pact Ritual. A ritual that dramatically amplifies the power of a spell in exchange for the caster’s life force. A practice long lost to history.

So that’s how she was able to pull off an illusion of this magnitude. The mystery unraveled in an instant.

"You’re insane. The Blood Pact Ritual will consume every last drop of your life force. Your withered corpse will sink into the depths of the abyss, left to wander as a plaything for demons for eternity."

"I know… A-And I also know that as long as these markings remain, you can’t kill me."

The Blood Pact Ritual was also proof of a contract with one of the Abyssal Lords—Oromus, the Blood Sovereign. Oromus places a dreadful curse on anyone who dares take what belongs to him. That curse is Fear of Blood.

"A fatal curse for someone like you, isn’t it? You won’t be able to go near blood anymore."

"……"

She was right.

Anyone cursed by Oromus would develop an absolute terror of blood.

A warrior unable to face blood was useless in battle—a deadweight in war.

And for someone like me, whose very existence depended on consuming blood, the curse was a death sentence. I would waste away and starve.

But—

"Khgh—?!"

I lunged forward and gripped her throat. As I tightened my grasp, intending to crush her fragile neck, her slender limbs flailed desperately.

"You’ve got some nerve. Did you really think a petty curse like that would scare me?"

Curses could be broken. It would be painful, but as one of High Society’s Four Great Evils, there was no way I would cower before something like this.

"I-I wasn't trying to threaten you…! I-I just want to make a deal…"

"A Deal?"

"The Umbral Ghost Legion's location… Just tell me that. Th-then your legion will remain unharmed…!"

Umbral Ghost Legion?

I threw her down onto the dirt. That was an interesting name. Too intriguing to simply ignore and snap her neck—there might be a worthwhile offer hidden in there.

"So you lured me here just to find out the Umbral Ghosts' location?"

"I-I heard that the relationship between Blood Ghosts and Umbral Ghosts is like water and oil… If the Umbral Ghosts disappear, i-it benefits you too, doesn't it?"

That was true.

The Umbral Ghosts, Malevolent Ghosts, Fierce Ghosts, and Blood Ghosts…

The Four Great Evils of High Society cooperated, yet they were rivals at the same time.

Especially the Umbral Ghosts—they absolutely despised me. Because of me, Baekgwi, a former member of the Four Great Evils, had left High Society… and the Umbral Ghosts had loved her too much to ever forgive me for it.

That bastard had been a constant nuisance, meddling and obstructing me at every turn…

"…Why are you targeting the Umbral Ghosts specifically?"

If the military intended to get rid of the Umbral Ghosts, that would be perfect for me—but I still needed to know the reason.

At my question, she hesitated before answering reluctantly.

"B-because only then can the Heavenly Emperor unleash his full power…"

I was dumbfounded.

Not for the sake of humanity’s peace or the military’s victory—but just so Yang Hak-je could rampage unhindered?

"The Umbral Ghosts spread corruption throughout the world… They're the Heavenly Emperor’s natural enemy."

That much was true. At this point, the Heavenly Emperor was the highest-ranking military officer, proving himself in countless battles—yet he always struggled against the Umbral Ghosts. If they were eliminated, Yang Hak-je would dominate the battlefield.

"But even so, it won’t change the course of the war. Another Four Great Evil will replace the Umbral Ghosts, and that villain will just be another counter to a different top-tier general."

This war had maintained balance in that way for centuries. In the end, all this girl was doing was inflating Yang Hak-je’s achievements.

"I know… I don’t think we’ll win this war. My life probably isn’t even worth that much."

She knew her actions were meaningless. That only made me understand her even less.

"Then why go this far? Why sacrifice yourself with a Blood Pact Ritual just to aid the Heavenly Emperor? Did he threaten you or something?"

Even if they were from the same clan, this level of self-sacrifice was incomprehensible.

Shaking her head slowly, she muttered, "I’d give up my life a hundred times over… As long as it helps the Heavenly Emperor."

There was nothing but pure conviction in her eyes.

Even after that cycle ended, for some reason, I couldn’t forget that gaze for a long time.

* * *

"T-the abandoned school…? With me?"

Meeting her again in the middle of the Hwadam Library lobby, Yang Se-ah asked, her voice as timid as ever, eyes filled with hesitation.

"Yeah! You heard the rumors, right? The kids who went missing in Sector M—Professor Do and I have almost tracked them down. If you help, we can save them!"

Shin A-sol urged her with confidence.

But Yang Se-ah still seemed hesitant.

"But… what can I even do…?"

"You’ll have to prove that yourself."

My firm tone made Yang Se-ah shrink back, looking up at me uncertainly.

"As a member of the Yang Clan, shouldn’t you be demonstrating your abilities in a case like this? I hear even Yang Hak-je is very interested in this incident."

"T-the Heavenly Emperor…?"

At the mention of Yang Hak-je’s name, she faltered.

Just as expected.

The Yang Se-ah I had met in my previous cycle desperately wanted to be useful to Yang Hak-je.

‘Her trigger is definitely Yang Hak-je.’

Due to the peculiar customs of the Yang Clan, Yang Se-ah’s obsession with Yang Hak-je was nearly fanatical. She had even risked her own life to perform the Blood Pact Ritual solely for his sake.

‘More importantly, this abandoned school quest absolutely requires her.’

I wasn’t completely sure yet, but I had a strong feeling it was necessary.

If my theory was correct, then Yang Se-ah was…

"A-all right… I’ll go with you."

Still torn, Yang Se-ah finally agreed.

Just as I thought—she couldn't ignore it after hearing Yang Hak-je’s name.

"Great! Let’s hurry! Okamoto and the others are waiting for us!"

Shin A-sol, now full of enthusiasm, took the lead.

As Yang Se-ah followed behind, I silently started moving as well.

* * *

With three of us now, we returned to Sector M and headed straight for the abandoned school. Just like when I had come with Okamoto earlier, the atmosphere was heavy with an eerie, suffocating silence.

We made our way back to the annex classroom where we had started. It remained untouched, oddly pristine, as if separate from the rest of the decayed building. The warmth lingering in the air felt almost unnatural.

“Everyone, hold on to me and follow closely. If you get lost, I won’t be able to find you.”

Just as I had done before, I opened the window and stepped into the darkness of the courtyard, cutting through the shadows. Since I had already pinpointed my destination once using a bat’s echolocation spell, navigating the second time was much easier.

As we quickly crossed the darkened courtyard and arrived at the main building, Shin A-sol muttered in surprise.

“Wow… I can’t believe there was a way like this. That’s amazing.”

His voice carried both admiration and a tinge of defeat.

Now that I thought about it, Shin A-sol had already been in the main building before me. How had she managed to cross this pitch-black courtyard on her own?

‘She must have climbed out of the annex classroom window just like I did.’

Curious about her method, I asked. She answered bluntly, as if she didn’t even want to think about it.

“A method? I just walked straight through. I couldn’t see a thing and got lost so many times.”

“……”

So she had charged through the darkness without a second thought? Maybe I wasn’t the impressive one—maybe she was.

“T-that perfectly clean classroom and the darkness covering the courtyard… They’re probably both illusion spells. They feel similar,” came a quiet voice from behind.

Yang Se-ah, who had been silently following us, offered her observation.

Shin A-sol, looking somewhat frustrated, whined in response.

“The darkness was an illusion spell too? Then why didn’t you do anything? You could’ve dispelled it!”

“I… I thought the professor had it all under control… Sorry.”

“No, I mean, it’s not really something you need to apologize for…”

Realizing her words sounded more like a scolding, Shin A-sol scratched her head awkwardly and resumed walking at the front.

I leaned in and quietly asked her a question.

“Do you know that student, Yang Se-ah, well?”

“Se-ah? Well, we’ve been in the same academy for a while, so… I know her number, at least.”

“Have you noticed anything unusual about her recently? Like a sudden improvement in her skills or grades?”

“Something unusual…?”

Keeping her pace steady, Shin A-sol fell into thought before responding.

“Not exactly unusual, but her grades did improve a lot last semester. She was always in the top ranks of the Illusion Department, but her overall ranking used to be below 40.”

Now, she had jumped to 18th place. Shin A-sol spoke highly of her, emphasizing that such a rapid rise in ranking at this academy was proof of extraordinary effort.

“Proof of extraordinary effort, huh…?”

I glanced back at Yang Se-ah, who was following us. I wasn’t an expert in reading people’s faces, but that timid girl didn’t strike me as someone who’d put in that kind of relentless effort.

“Wait, why are you suddenly asking about this?”

Shin A-sol looked at me curiously.

This wasn’t the right place for detailed explanations—not when Yang Se-ah was right behind us.

Instead, I quickly gave her a quiet order.

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. Keep walking like nothing’s wrong. But when I give the signal, make sure she can’t escape.”

“W-wait, what? Who?”

“Who else? Yang Se-ah.”

“Whaaaat?! W-why all of a sudden—”

Leaving Shin A-sol reeling in shock, I slowly moved to the back.

Walking alongside Yang Se-ah, I saw the same nervous, withdrawn expression she always had.

But to me, it now looked like an act.

If my suspicions were correct…

The true culprit behind the abandoned school’s disappearances was none other than her.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]