MV – Chapter 111: The Academy and the Minor Villain

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The magic academy, located in a middle area of the Surface District, is a school that trains mages, attracting both wealthy students and those from impoverished backgrounds, provided they have outstanding mana. 

It was originally built by the Tateno family as a research and training institute but, over the centuries, it has gained a reputation for producing outstanding talent. It now stands as the premier magic academy in the area.

The academy grounds are vast, large enough to accommodate several dome stadiums. In addition to classrooms, there are gymnasiums, fields, training grounds, and forests. Given the sheer size of the area, monsters naturally spawn here, so security guards dressed in spirit armor patrol the grounds to maintain order.

Unlike typical schools, the magic academy is almost the size of a small village. It was built atop ancient ruins, so strange structures like a Stonehenge and an old dome with a roof made of special crystals can still be found within its premises.

Around 3,000 students, considered the elite, are enrolled here. These future leaders of the Surface District give the academy an atmosphere akin to an independent territory.

“Good morning~. Did you watch TV yesterday?”

“I might be called on in today’s class.”

“Oh no, I forgot my homework. Can I copy yours later?”

Every morning, a stream of elite children enters through the main gate. They draw envious gazes from passersby, clad in the academy’s black uniforms. It’s said that anyone who graduates from this academy will never have to worry about their future after all.

Amid this crowd of students on their way to school, a lone young man stood at the gate, seemingly obstructing the flow of people.

The first impression he gave was that of a shady swindler, like someone who might pull off a petty scam. Even if you tried to look at him kindly, he came off as a small-time thug trying to make some quick cash. 

The students saw him as a potential hassle and avoided him as they passed by. Even if it looked like they could win, they could imagine that he would try to invent an excuse somehow to cause trouble. There’s no one who would want to get caught in trouble first thing in the morning.

This person was none other than Lanpeach Kouza. Today, he wore a hoodie, his posture slightly hunched, and his face donned a mischievous grin.

In his mind, he thought he looked cool and dandy, but little did he know that others saw him in a vastly different light.

“Heh, so this is the magic academy. The main gate looks just like it does in the game. Or maybe I should say, the game has completely influenced the scenery in reality.” (Lanpeach)

[Does the game start here?] (Libra)

Today, Libra had returned to her shrine maiden outfit, her silver twin-tails flowing in the air as she floated beside Lanpeach, unseen and unnoticed by anyone else.

By the way, Mira returned to the colony. 

She apparently can’t switch to an ethereal form like Libra. It seemed that in this regard, Libra was superior to Mira. She is a support character that excels in the weirdest of places.

[For some protagonists, yes. Depending on the player, the starting point can be the slums, a farm, or even a rich household… The game lets you create original characters and change your character’s background.] (Lanpeach)

[I see. So this academy is like your playground?] (Libra)

[Nah, the academy wasn’t this big in the game. Moving around would’ve been a hassle. They scaled it down. There weren’t any ruins either, but there was a minor villain who tried to kidnap students for ransom.] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach reminisced, his eyes distant, but Libra smirked mischievously, faking a tear and flashing a devilish grin.

[Soldier… So you really were involved in such petty crimes.] (Libra)

She had caught on to the fact that Lanpeach had indeed played the part of a minor villain. He was nothing more than a stepping stone for the newly enrolled protagonists to showcase their prowess.

[Well, yeah, Lanpeach was out for ransom, but there was this guy who manipulated him into doing it. It turned out there was this whole conspiracy involving the academy staff—] (Lanpeach)

“Excuse me, but you’re in the way.”

A girl’s annoyed voice interrupted Lanpeach from behind before he could finish his sentence.

He turned around.

“Oh, sorry about that. It’s my first time here, and I got a little lost. I’m supposed to be working on the ruins excavation job. Could you tell me where the old botanical garden is?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach stuck out his tongue playfully as he spoke, trying to act outgoing, which might have worked if he were a pretty girl. Instead, his attempt to come off as charming made him seem like a psycho licking a knife while grinning maniacally.

The nearby security guards began discreetly surrounding him, ready to subdue him if things escalated. It looked as if the girl might scream, leading to a failed quest and a swift game over… but instead, she widened her eyes in disbelief, as if she had just seen a ghost.

The girl stared at him, then sighed blatantly, and directed cold eyes at him with her green hair tied in a half-up style. 

[The Minor Villain skill has been activated!] (Libra)

[Shut up, Libra. I already know that.] (Lanpeach)

The girl with green hair, styled in a half-up, gave off a stern and cold aura, but she seemed timid, as if putting on a brave front. Her gentle eyes and well-formed features gave her a cute, small-animal-like impression. Judging by her uniform, she was undoubtedly a student at this academy.

[Minor Villain] had definitely triggered. A passive skill that causes first-time interactions to start with a negative impression.

“Botanical garden? You’re working there?” 

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s my first day, and this academy is huge. I’ve never been here before, so I have no idea where anything is.” (Lanpeach)

Though the academy was indeed vast, Lanpeach had no intention of actually looking for the place himself. Even in his previous life, he would immediately ask the nearest staff member if he couldn’t find something. He is the kind of man that doesn’t want to do unnecessary work. He would ask where the new manga releases were even if they were stacked right in front of him.

He scratched his head and played the fool but, for some reason, the girl glared at him.

“It’s your first time here? I see~. Then, do you have your visitor’s card?” 

“Huh? I need one of those? That’s strange. No one mentioned that when I was hired, but it makes sense. Outsiders would need a card to enter the school.” (Lanpeach)

He put on a sheepish grin, trying to seem unassuming. Of course, nowadays, it’s common for visitors to get a guest card at reception.

“Um, where’s the reception?” (Lanpeach)

“You forgot that too? It’s that building next to the main gate.” 

She pointed to a small building where security guards were waving. Upon closer inspection, Lanpeach noticed men, probably like himself, standing in line to receive their cards. Moreover, there was even a sign that read: “Temporary workers for the botanical garden, please receive your visitor cards here”.

“Thank you very much. I’ll head there now.” (Lanpeach)

He would’ve found it right away if he had just paid a bit more attention. 

Feeling slightly embarrassed, he tried to cover it up by muttering: “Oh, it was there all along? That wasn’t very clear”, as he awkwardly made his way toward the reception, further adding to his embarrassment.

“Wait, that’s it?”

Lanpeach started walking, but the girl unexpectedly reached out as if to stop him.

“Yes? Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got it now.” (Lanpeach)

The reception was right in front of him; there was no room for confusion. Yet the girl still seemed oddly dissatisfied.

“Aren’t you going to mug me?”

She apparently assumed that a minor villain would openly extort students at the main gate.

“Mug someone at my workplace? Even the bravest hero wouldn’t pull that off.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach ended up replying like that without thinking. 

[Minor Villain] was doing too good of a job. What kind of person did she think he was? Oh right, a minor villain.

The girl stared at him intently, making him feel incredibly awkward. He hadn’t felt this uncomfortable since he was awarded perfect attendance in front of the entire school, even though his friends knew he had skipped class the day before to buy a burger, making them look at him with an incredulous look. But that was the teacher’s fault for not taking attendance!

“Nono~! What’s up? Staring down some guy? Is it love at first sight?”

But a savior arrived. A female student came running up from behind the green-haired girl, playfully hugging her.

“It’s not like that. It’s nothing. Come on, let’s go.”

“Sure! By the way, did you finish the ancient language homework? What does choberiba** mean again? Was it from the Yamanba language?” <a word commonly used by gals. Shortened for cho (super) beri (very) ba (yaba which means bad)>

“I think it’s part of the gal language, from the era before the Abbreviation Tribe…”

With that, the girl turned her attention to her friend and quickly lost interest in Lanpeach, walking away.

[Ahahaha, Soldier, your minor villain act is amazing! Mugging? You should’ve gone along with it!] (Libra)

[Yeah, sure. I’d get fired on the spot. Look, even the guards are still suspicious of me, even though they know I’m just here for work.] (Lanpeach)

[It’s been a while since I got to see your minor villain antics. That was satisfying!] (Libra)

Libra was still laughing in amusement, but Lanpeach could only sigh and join the queue at the reception, feeling defeated.

Suddenly, Mira’s face appeared in front of him.

[Pla-san, the research facility is ready to be unlocked. Please use 5,000 EXP.] (Mira)

[You really got the job done, huh? Thanks. Got it, I’ll take care of it when I get back to the colony—] (Lanpeach)

[‘Got it’ taken as an affirmative. Using 5,000 EXP. Research Facility Unlocked!] (Mira)

Mira pressed a button, and behind her, the colony’s walls began to open, revealing a new area with the symbol of a research facility painted on it.

[Wa, seriously?! You should’ve done that while I was at the colony! I was looking forward to seeing that!] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach had been excited about the events happening on the space colony.

[But you gave the order ‘got it’, didn’t you? Don’t worry, there are protagonists who wake up drunk only to find their base expanded without them. This is normal. Just think of it as a skipped cutscene.] (Mira)

[Nugugu, flawless logic…] (Lanpeach)

[More importantly, let’s unlock Libra’s basic skills. Since it’s in the initial phase, each skill only costs 5,000 EXP. I’ve removed things like [Justice].] (Mira)

[Fine, fine. But from now on, no more extreme misinterpretations.] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach gave up and checked the basic skills. Unfortunately, the ones he would have picked were already removed, so he went with something else.

[Fufufu, now I can really show my stuff!] (Libra)

Libra puffed out her chest, filled with excitement, to which Lanpeach gave a dry laugh.

━━━ From an outsider’s perspective, it probably looked like a man muttering to himself, waving his hands in the air, and then suddenly laughing…but Lanpeach didn’t notice any of this at all.

◇◇

“Nono, what’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing!”

From a distance, the girl who had spoken to Lanpeach earlier had paused to watch him, but soon after, she walked away briskly.

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