Villain Takes Over The Academy

Chapter 59

[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.’

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 ]