I Became the Savior of the Academy’s Villains

Chapter 199

Luca looked around and twisted his lips.

'Surely, if it's this kind of overtechnology, it must have come from the Devil of Wisdom.'

These sorts of things appeared in the latter part of the original work.

You end up fighting something like a clone of an enemy you've already fought.

So, it wasn't exactly surprising.

'If I investigate this place, I might find clues about the Devil of Wisdom.'

As Luca was thinking that, Herote created a magic circle.

- Scan

Herote's spell swept through the clone research wing.

In an instant, the information inside the research facility flowed into her mind.

"Hmmm~ Is that how it is?"

Herote let out a hum of interest.

With her eyes closed, she sifted through the flowing knowledge in her mind and spoke.

"It's fascinating. This is an application of the ancient cultivation magic technique called 'Plant.' I've never seen it applied to humans in this way, but it's quite exquisitely made."

"There's no need for you to explain it."

"I couldn't even if I wanted to. It's difficult for even me to grasp all at once."

Herote shrugged her shoulders, still looking at the incubators with an intrigued gaze.

"When I learned that Miros was a clone, I was honestly puzzled. Can a fake lifeform this sophisticated really be made with magic? Or was it just some other person with their memories and appearance altered? I even wondered that. But, seeing this facility, it wouldn't have been hard to make a real clone after all."

"Can you track the person who made this?"

"This kind of facility can't be made with just a single spell. At least dozens of spells are organically linked together to create it. It's not easy to identify who's behind it with just this."

At Herote's words, Luca clicked his tongue.

'I knew it wouldn't be easy, but just as expected.'

Since this was the highest difficulty hint, he didn't think he would get everything right away.

'Still, if I can just get even a simple hint...'

Tap, tap.

While he was lost in such thoughts, someone tapped Luca's arm.

Thinking Herote had called him, Luca looked over with a curious expression.

But there was no one there.

"?"

"What are you doing here?"

The voice came from below.

Luca looked down and there was a black-haired girl in a frilly dress that didn't fit this place at all.

"...?"

Seeing the girl, a chill ran down Luca's spine for a moment.

'Since when was she here?'

From the moment he entered the research institute, Luca had been on constant alert.

But he hadn't noticed the girl's presence at all until she came close enough to tap his arm.

Realizing that, Luca instinctively reached for his waist.

"?"

At the same time, Herote turned her head with a puzzled look upon hearing the unfamiliar voice from Luca's side.

She, too, twitched in surprise when she saw the girl.

'She didn't get picked up on my scan?'

If such a girl had been there, she should have shown up during the scan she just used.

But neither of them had sensed the girl's presence until she spoke.

'Danger!'

Herote immediately tried to conjure a spell, but at that moment, her eyes met the girl's.

"...?"

The instant Herote met the girl's gaze, she felt an inexplicable sense of elation.

'Why...?'

There was an instinctual attraction she felt. For some reason, she found herself drawn to the black-haired girl.

"Herote!"

"!"

Shing!

As Herote hesitated, Luca shouted and drew his sword.

Freeze!

"..."

However, as he went to draw his weapon, Luca's body froze in place.

The black-haired girl pressed her finger to her lips and said,

"Could you not make a loud noise? Those children aren't ready yet."

"Who are you?"

Unlike Luca, Herote seemed able to move.

Looking closer, there were semi-transparent magic circles surrounding her like shields.

A mage is one who prepares.

Herote had preemptively cast defensive spells around herself in case of such an emergency.

At Herote's question, the black-haired girl smiled sweetly.

"My name is Agreas. But others..."

The girl paused briefly and then turned her head again to look up at Luca.

"They call me the Devil of Wisdom."

* * *

The Devil of Wisdom.

One of the three great devils.

A being who tempts all those who walk the paths of magic with an irresistible lure.

But the Devil of Wisdom, as described in the original work, did not look like this girl.

She was a beautiful woman with the wings of an owl and the lower body of a snake.

That is how the Devil of Wisdom was depicted in the original.

Of course, her appearance was irrelevant. The important thing was—

'I could die.'

That Luca was now facing the greatest crisis of his life.

Even Whistle had been startled at the mere mention of the Devil of Wisdom.

Confronting her here was, without doubt, the worst possible scenario.

'Whistle!'

There was only one way to break out of this: call Whistle. Luca desperately tried calling her in his mind.

But Whistle did not appear.

He had clearly awakened the power of the wind, so she should have come whenever he needed her.

"If you're calling someone, it's pointless. This place is presently an isolated space."

At that moment, the Devil of Wisdom, Agreas, smiled brightly, as if she knew Luca was calling to someone in his heart.

She then turned her back to Luca and approached Herote.

"But you're... quite a talented human, aren't you? Even in my endlessly long life, I've never seen such talent as yours."

Agreas looked at Herote with interest as she spoke. In response, Herote snorted and raised her hand.

"I know. I'm a genius."

"But... regrettably, you're chasing a hollow dream."

"... What?"

At the words "hollow dream", Herote flinched. But Agreas simply smiled cryptically and said nothing more.

"So, what brings you two here, anyway?"

Agreas turned her body and looked at Luca.

Only then did Luca feel that he could speak again.

"... We came to follow your trail."

"That's a relief then. You didn't find just a trace, but the real deal."

Agreas smiled sweetly, then walked in circles around Luca with her hands folded behind her back.

"Actually, I know who you are."

"Luca Melborne Traverse. The blood of the Melborne family runs strong within you—you are our nemesis."

"And yet, somehow you've acquired the power of the sky?"

"It's odd. I personally took steps to ensure the power of the sky wouldn't awaken."

"Frankly, it doesn't make sense for you to be here at all. By now, you should have been crippled by Martin Curves, to whom I granted the demonic eye."

"It's truly bizarre. For something I planned to go so awry—it just shouldn't happen."

Agreas continued speaking and then suddenly stopped between Luca and Herote.

Turning her head, she looked at Luca once more.

"It means that something from outside has interfered. Some interference that I don't know about."

"But there are very few things I cannot know. So I can quickly make a guess."

"And the one which fits your situation best is—"

Luca's eyes met Agreas's.

For a moment, he saw a strange sentence flicker and disappear within her eyes.

"God."

"..."

"You are a boy beloved by God, aren't you?"

Normally, people who met Luca's gaze were affected by his eyes.

Yet, Agreas looked at him without any trouble, carrying on her conversation.

No, she wasn't looking at his eyes—she was gazing at something beyond them.

It seemed like she was looking at that 'god' she herself had mentioned.

"Heh, or maybe not? Perhaps you're just loved by everyone?"

Agreas muttered to herself with a laugh, then looked again at Herote.

"It'd be best not to fight in here. It'd be a shame if these children died without ever having had a chance."

While Agreas talked, Herote had already completed all her battle preparations.

She had swiftly memorized hundreds of magic formulas and overlaid several dozen magic circles at her feet.

She was ready to unleash destruction more devastating than a carpet bombing at any moment.

"Do I have any reason to care about such fakes?"

"Fakes, huh. How do you distinguish the real from the fake?"

Suddenly Agreas was trying to provoke a philosophical discussion.

But Luca had no intention of letting her go unchecked.

Crackle!

Now that he knew Agreas was a devil, there was no need to hold back the power of the sky.

Luca immediately summoned the power of lightning and drew his sword.

Clang!

"!"

At that moment, a knight clad in black armor appeared out of nowhere.

Astonishingly, he was enveloping his sword in pure ether blade.

"I know your weakness well. Because of the power of the sky, you're strong against those with devilish power, but on the other hand, you can't win against those who are simply powerful without any devilish power."

Agreas smiled cheerfully, then turned her head to Herote.

"And I know your weakness, too. You're one of the most dangerous individuals."

"Hah, my weakness? I have no weakness!"

Vmm! Vmm! Vmm!

Herote said this and released the magic circles and formulas she had prepared.

In an instant, her magical power filled the research wing to the brim.

Agreas smiled gently as she watched.

"That's your weakness."

At those words, a tremendous explosion rocked the research wing.

Boom!

* * *

"Ghk! Herote!"

Luca pushed through the smoke, searching for Herote.

Just before the explosion, he had wrapped himself in the power of the clouds and avoided the blast.

But something felt off.

There was no way Herote would have acted in a way that could harm him.

That's why Luca immediately sensed that the explosion hadn't originated from Herote, and desperately sought her out.

"Ugh..."

"Herote!"

Hearing the groan, Luca rushed to the source of the sound.

There, inside a protective barrier, Herote had collapsed. She was covered in wounds.

"Herote!"

"You really do have amazing talent. To invent a new spell and protect yourself in such a short moment."

With Agreas's voice, the smoke instantly cleared.

Agreas stood there, accompanied by the clones that had been inside the incubators, looking at them with a bright smile.

"The weakness of a talented child is believing that she is in control of her every action."

Agreas had known that Herote was secretly preparing magical formulas and magic circles.

So she interfered with them, causing magical overload and making them explode.

"You probably believed that the spells you made were flawless. But you're wrong. I can see the holes in your magic that you yourself do not realize."

As Agreas said this, the same strange sentence that Luca had seen earlier flickered in her eyes and then vanished.

'Damn. That was my biggest trump card...'

Luca felt cold sweat drip down his face.

One of the reasons he had brought Herote here was the possibility that they might run into the Devil of Wisdom.

If, by some chance, they did, he believed only Herote could handle her.

'This is bad.'

Luca looked at Agreas.

Everyone around her was strong, yet none of them seemed to possess devilish power.

If he wasted the power of the sky fighting them, he wouldn't have enough left for a battle with Agreas.

'If only Whistle were here...'

It was an awkward moment to use the power of space, and yet Whistle wasn't here.

He had no way to summon her.

"Hah... huu..."

"Herote. Don't push yourself. I'll handle this somehow, so you..."

Luca stood before her, sword in hand, shielding her with his back.

He had to hold out until Herote could recover. If it was her, she would find a way.

"Did you think I hadn't prepared for something like this?"

"?"

At that, Herote bit her lips hard and raised her hand. In her hand appeared a tardigrade and a peculiar magic circle.

Zzzzt!

Using the tardigrade as a medium, the magic circle grew larger. Watching, Agreas showed an intrigued expression.

"Hmmm~ So you used a pre-made connection before entering this isolated space to punch a hole through? Pretty clever."

Hearing that, Herote forced a smile.

"A mage is one who prepares."

Vmm!

At that instant, someone stepped from within the magic circle. Luca's eyes widened when he saw her.

"You're..."

Pure white hair, pallid skin. And vivid red eyes.

"I have come to save you! Angel!"

Ravinia Way, master of the great soul Waypoint. She had arrived.