A Villain's Survival Guide

"In today’s Magic Phenomena class, we will be looking into the Fourth Wonder of this world. I truly enjoy seeing how your studies are progressing. This topic is usually reserved for second years, but I believe you’ve earned it."

At the podium, Instructor Rosario rubbed his potbelly and lectured on. He’d chosen this topic deliberately — the rumours doing the rounds throughout Chatenham about a dangerous man, the Jester of the End, had seen to that. A Philosopher, no less.

"The Fourth Wonder, unlike floating islands, citadels, or rune realms, refers to forces that may be wielded by Philosophers or individuals of higher ranks."

A subtle pause, and his words followed. His eyes moved slowly toward the far right end of the class and found Leomaris, the title Apostle of Death quietly resurfacing as they did.

"This wonder consists of forces known as false entities. Among all of you, the one most likely to wield such a force is Cadet Leomaris. Why? Because of the history and conspiracies surrounding his title as the Apostle of Death for over two centuries."

Far to his left, Alfred gave his barrack cap a quick adjustment and wasted no time putting his hand up.

"Are you suggesting that some Philosophers are more likely to possess authority over false entities than others?"

Rosario took a moment with the question. It sounded arrogant, bordering on the slight, but he made a point of letting it slide and answered for the sake of education.

"That was not what I meant, Cadet Alfred. False entities are not real beings, but rather forces to be controlled. However, not just any force — a sufficiently powerful one. They may originate from myths, dark deities, or ancient tales. Yet there must be enough conspiracies surrounding them for them to manifest and give birth to what we refer to as forbidden knowledge.

"In this case, the conspiracies tied to the legend of the Apostle of Death over the course of two centuries could allow the tale itself to be manipulated into a false entity and wielded."

From the front row, where she sat beside Charlotte, Marie got Instructor Rosario’s attention and asked.

"Instructor Rosario, if I may ask, what is forbidden knowledge?"

Rosario’s lips curved into a soft smile. A decent question at last, and one worth answering with some care.

"Forbidden knowledge refers to an excessive amount of information capable of overwhelming the minds of most humans and mages. Unless a Philosopher or an individual of higher rank explains it directly, the concept can be difficult to comprehend, as a mere Sorcerer such as myself could only dream of understanding it. However..."

He paused.

"It is widely known that forbidden knowledge is what grants higher-ranked mages authority not merely over their own abilities, but over false entities as well. In ancient instruction, it is described as the laws and restrictions governing how higher-ranked mages may command myths, dark entities, or ancient tales."

From the far end of the room, a young lady’s hand went up with barely contained urgency, as though her question had been ready to burst out of her for some time.

"If that is the case, Instructor Rosario, then why can’t higher-ranked mages choose to command the tale of the Apostle of Death instead of Calamity Leomaris?"

Rosario stepped from behind the lectern and moved a little to his left, positioning himself where he could see the cadet properly before he answered.

"It is possible for another individual to achieve it. However, as with contracting a creature, compatibility is required. To become a Philosopher, a mage must undergo three synchronisations: personality, blood, and mind. Therefore, the myth, dark deity, or ancient tale must be compatible with one’s contracted creature. If not, forbidden knowledge cannot be obtained."

—

A frown settled on Leomaris’s face as he watched Instructor Rosario go on, smiling through the whole of it. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

For the time being, he’d made his decision: keep his head down, and focus on his studies. His enemies were waiting and would make their move sooner or later, but until then, he had no reason to act. Just stay sharp.

What he hadn’t bargained for, though, was a topic on false entities cropping up in class. With mid-semester exams barely a week off, an Instructor as devoted to education as Rosario should have had his hands full with that alone.

That said, he couldn’t argue with how much more helpful the class had been than he’d bargained for.

Philosophers and higher-ranked mages could command false entities without uttering a word. Leomaris could summon one well enough, but his way of going about it was another thing altogether.

He had no real authority over them the way higher-ranked mages did, and possessed only a fraction of actual forbidden knowledge at that. On top of that, summoning his false entity meant reciting hymns.

For a Philosopher, a false entity was practically a second skin; something to wear, fly with, and bend to their will in all kinds of ways, provided it fell within the conspiracies surrounding it.

That said, before Leomaris could do any such thing, he had to work through the countless hymns in his mind, settle on the fitting one, and recite it. Only then would the false entity appear.

His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

’I knew most of the things he said... but compatibility?’

The one who’d had talked him into consuming Le Mythe des Quatre, the hymn concerning the Firstlight Goddess, was none other than his contracted entity, Mystery.

It had been nothing short of an abomination. His actions had earned him a curse from the Goddess herself, the tattoo of a centipede left on his body as proof.

’But if I have to be compatible with the myth to consume it... does that mean Mystery is connected to the Goddess somehow?’

Using Solve, his ability to break anything down like a puzzle and master it, he’d consumed the Goddess’s myth. Compatibility, in that sense, was beside the point.

’Wait—

He frowned.

’Did the Goddess curse me because we weren’t compatible... and not because I used tricks to possess forbidden knowledge?’

The thought pulled him deeper than he wanted to go. He knew the answer, whatever it turned out to be, wouldn’t change a thing, but he still wanted to know. Some part of him needed the reason.

After turning it over long enough, he settled on leaving it well alone. Almost as if on cue, Instructor Rosario brought the class to a close at that very moment.

"This concludes today’s class. You may have the opportunity to witness a false entity in your second year, once you have become Sorcerers. I hope this serves as motivation."

He’d begun gathering his things when he paused.

"I am putting things in place. Once the mid-semester exams are over, we will proceed on a short trip to the Pandora Floating Island. Do not forget that your mid-semester theory examination will include chemistry questions set by me. I hope you will make me proud."

He spoke with a proud smile, as though the cadets had been waiting on his opinion all along.

Rosario never quite made it out before Instructor Stella walked past. Her curvy figure sat neatly within her clothes, red hair falling behind her, and the confidence in her eyes caught every eye in the room without trying.

The class watched in confusion as she stepped up to the podium. Her dark eyes moved across the room, face to face, unhurried, until they landed on Leomaris.

"Calamity Leomaris, your mother requests your presence."

Leomaris’s heart stuttered, and his expression twisted into something that couldn’t quite decide between panic and confusion.

"Huh? Mother?"