Fated to Be Loved by Villains

→ War Chief Assembly (2) ←

[You must be out of your mind. Ha!]

I turned towards the speaker.

Velua Ger-Do.

He was definitely someone who harbored ill feelings towards me, probably due to the beatings I had given Krun before.

He probably had been talking shit about me.

[Hand over the entire academy? What in the world is that even supposed to mean? Are you suggesting we sell it off to you or something? A place that is no different from the cradle of the Tribal Alliance?]

Since the speaker was Velua, it might sound like he was just being argumentative, but even I understood this kind of reaction.

Given its small population, the Tribal Alliance itself was obsessed with nurturing each individual as an elite. It wasn’t for no reason that Hatan, a War Chief, also served as a Dean.

As such, well… I didn’t really expect to be given the entire academy either.

“Exercising full authority as a proxy would suffice. Access to facilities, authority over personnel deployment, permission to carry out equipment… Anything I wish.”

An academy of the Golden Triangle of itself was one of the major triggers in the scenario. To optimize its use, I had already decided on the ‘owner’ of it.

And it wasn’t me.

“Just for a few hours. That should be enough.”

After I added such words, the surroundings fell silent.

It was surely a ridiculous request from their perspective as well.

[…Setting aside the absurdity of your demand…]

The immediate follow-up illustrated this perfectly.

One of the War Chiefs spoke in an incredulous voice.

[In the first place, what threats are coming our way? Without any explanation, your demand is nothing but bullshit coated with bravado.]

“I don’t need to tell you. I can just show it to you right away.”

[…What?]

“Shall we make a bet?”

I responded to the War Chief who had just spoken.

“Soon, a calamity will occur at such a magnitude that no one here will be able to handle it. As such…”

When saying these kinds of things, confidence was key.

I had to continue speaking with an unwavering face of steel, as if even a knife piercing it wouldn’t draw blood. After all, this would make the other party wonder, ‘What makes this fucker so confident to say such things—’, or something similar to that.

“If the crisis I show is ‘beyond even the ability of the War Chiefs to handle’ and I manage to get rid of it right here… Then you’ll listen to me. How is that?”

[…So, what you’re saying is…]

Utad, who had been silently listening to me until now, spoke in a voice full of disbelief.

[An unprecedented crisis, undetected even by the technology of the Forge of Struggle, is imminent. And only you know of its existence. And you alone can stop it.]

“Yes.”

[…And you have the power to get rid of it instantly right here and now?]

“Yes.”

The faces of all the War Chiefs who heard me changed bizarrely.

There were those who doubted, those who turned pale in surprise, and those who scoffed.

Velua Ger-Do, who had harbored ill feelings towards me from the very start, looked like his anger had reached the very top of his head, as if it was about to pop like a kettle.

[…This is not even worth listening to.]

Velua spat out such words.

[It’s nonsense that is not even worth considering. Have you forgotten your place just because you received the title of Great Hunter? Just because of a mere fluke?]

“Come on, let’s be reasonable. How could it be a fluke for someone to get such a title?”

[…]

“Have you ever even touched a hair on one of the Rulers of the Demonic Zones? Have you forgotten your place after dealing drugs and committing crimes everyday?”

I threw his words right back at him.

Yes, those words were blatant provocations towards him.

After all, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree; The shallow nature of Krun Ger-Do was almost entirely inherited from his father, Velua.

Even if it was just one absurd provocation like this, I was sure he would bite.

[…]

Just like that.

Look at him getting all serious and worked up over a single sentence.

[…You talked about a bet, didn’t you, you bastard?]

Velua growled with an extremely low voice.

[What do you stake if you fail?]

His eyes glinted ominously. He was probably looking to manipulate the situation to my disadvantage. However…

“Take whatever you want, even if it’s my life.”

What I wanted was for him to initiate this quarrel.

[…What?]

“I said I’ll do anything you want. If you don’t believe me, we can even go through a vow.”

At the same time as I responded…

Hatan, who had been quietly observing this situation, smirked and Utad, as expected, let out a sigh.

By saying this, the bet had been ‘established’ without giving the other War Chiefs a chance to intervene or stop it.

It was definitive enough that he wouldn’t be able to back out later.

[…You seem quite confident, you bastard.]

Indeed, now that I had said this, even Velua, who had brought it up in the first place, seemed flustered. He was trying his best to not show it, but…

It seemed he didn’t expect me to so boldly declare that he could take whatever he wished from me.

“I’m confident. But anyway, let’s end the conversation here and get straight to the bet.”

With that, I approached the console embedded in the center of the table and started operating it.

This place served as both a conference room and a type of command control center. As a result, if I used the nearby equipment, I could thoroughly observe the surroundings of the academy.

“Now, there isn’t much time left until the thing I’ve been talking about appears.”

I checked the clock.

And then, I inspected all the video cameras available nearby.

[…Are you sure about this?]

As I did so, I heard Caliban’s voice from within Soul Linker.

[That woman, Tatiana, said she would give you just one day, didn’t she? Isn’t there still a long time left until then?]

‘…If you were going to stop me, why didn’t you do it earlier instead of now?’

[Obviously it’s because you wouldn’t do such a thing without thinking it through.]

How nice that he at least knew that about me.

I sighed inwardly and responded to Caliban.

‘Her words itself were too vague.’

[What?]

‘She said she would give a grace period of one day. That means she’s just going to hold back for exactly one day before coming to kill me. That’s the only thing she will do.’

Considering how submissive and dependent Tatiana was to the Prophet, I would definitely be a thorn on her side because of the attention I got from that being.

Even if she was ordered to hold back for a day, there was a high chance she would interpret that command broadly in order to kill me no matter what.

In that sense…

It didn’t take long for me to find what I was looking for by using the console.

The place shown on the screen was right in the middle of the sea near the Forge of Struggle.

[…Wait. What is that?]

And there…

A massive ‘pit’, reminiscent of a giant sinkhole, was forming…

Its state was filled with an unfathomable darkness.

Honestly, sinkholes large and deep enough to swallow several buildings whole were not uncommon sights on land.

However, one forming in the middle of the sea was another thing entirely…

It was an utterly alien sight, as if a ‘road’ was being created through the sea, connecting one side to the other.

-…

And from within…

Something started to ‘crawl out’.

A mollusc completely covered from head to toe in black tentacles.

However, its size was ridiculously large.

No cap, it seemed to be as big as a modern battleship.

[…Kraken? No, but…!]

“It’s not an ordinary Kraken.”

At one War Chief’s exclamation of horror, Hatan wrapped his head in his hands, groaning in response.

“The fact that its body is entirely black means that it’s a Demonic Creature that harbors a curse. It’s not one of those ordinary creatures that inhabit these waters.”

A Kraken was just classified as one of the High-Grade Demonic Creatures.

It was incredibly powerful, but Hatan had already hunted one by himself before. A hunting party could even handle it without much trouble.

However…

“…Demonic Creatures carrying such intense ‘attributes’ usually come from another dimension and they are monsters that are often several times more powerful than their counterparts.”

Hatan grinded his teeth.

“There’s a high likelihood that even I am not able to hunt that one.”

[…]

[…]

At that statement, all the surrounding War Chiefs fell silent.

A Demonic Creature that even Hatan, who was called the greatest hunter of his time, couldn’t defeat.

If he couldn’t handle it, then no one here stood a chance against it.

And it didn’t stop there.

[…Damn it. It’s not just one?!]

At the same time that such an exclamation erupted…

A second.

A third.

Several of them were crawling out of that sinkhole.

There were more than a dozen of them.

The things inside there were…

‘…This is Phase 1.’

Essentially they were the ‘vanguard’.

The Apostle of the Reversed Sea Boss Battle essentially took the form of ‘tower defense’. The goal was to fend off Demonic Creatures that continuously assaulted the Forge of Struggle from all sides of the surrounding sea.

And these bastards were basically the first wave.

[…So she really did prepare something.]

‘I told you. The only thing she’s doing is holding back from killing me for just one day.’

The plan was probably to attack the Forge of Struggle in advance, killing all the ‘people around me’ who would be the source of my strength in battle; that was what was excluded from her promise.

After all, she would have kept her word as long as she didn’t kill me.

She probably started the summoning ritual for those things right after showing me Alan’s state.

And that was why I knew they would appear around this time.

You see, if a person kept experiencing similar things, they would eventually develop a sort of resistance against it.

[ Main Quest ]

〖 Apostle of the Reversed Sea 〗

[ 15H left until the ‘Great Duel’ Incident! ]

[ The boss battle will follow immediately after the incident in question! ]

In the past, I blindly believed what was written here and got thoroughly bamboozled by the Prophet.

And the lesson I learned from that was…

No matter how much I ‘scheduled’ a plan according to the information written here, there was always the possibility of unforeseen variables.

“…”

However, one thing I wanted to point out was…

Creating variables that would hit someone in the back of their head was not exclusive to them,

With that thought, I switched the system window.

!!!!!!!!!!! Devil Alert !!!!!!!!!!!

[ ‘Devil-Related’ Emergency Event Occurred! ]

[ This is a critical event! ]

[ If you do not take the correct actions within the time limit, you will die! ]

[ Event related to target ‘Riru’! ]

[ Find a way to survive immediately! ]

Yeah.

For example, something like this.

-…! …! …?

The Krakens, who had been shrieking continuously while approaching the Forge of Struggle, suddenly paused.

They probably felt something approaching from behind.

Perhaps…

Even these Demonic Creatures that were strong enough for even Hatan to surrender to them…

Instinctively felt a ‘threat’ approaching, powerful enough to make them momentarily stop in their tracks.

[Wait a minute.]

One of the War Chiefs spoke as if his soul had left his body.

[…Isn’t that… A person?]

Indeed.

That was a person ‘running’ on the sea.

[…]

[…]

Everyone in the room fell silent at this bizarre scene that was impossible to understand.

Well, um, how should I put this?

This wasn’t about being athletically gifted or skillfully using Special Powers. This wasn’t a sight that could be explained within such boundaries.

It was as if they were twisting the laws of the world by themself.

They were kicking off the surface of the water, running at a terrifying speed as if it were solid ground.

They ran so intensely that each step caused a tsunami to rise behind them.

And, as far as I knew…

There was only one being capable of creating such a spectacle.

The person running on the sea was enveloped in a ‘blue aura’ that burst so explosively that it covered the entire screen.

“…”

Yeah.

That was none other than Riru. Pissed off out of her fucking mind.

The very person I dropped in the middle of the sea by using a mana stone from Faenol.

You see, I precisely calculated where to fling her away in order to deliberately make sure these Demonic Creatures would be in her ‘path’ when looking for me.

“Now then.”

As everyone looked towards this scene, stunned, my voice descended upon the silence.

“From now on, I’ll take care of these Demonic Creatures.”

“…What?”

Ignoring Hatan’s incredulous voice, I snapped my fingers.

“Yap.”

And at the same time…

-!!

–!!!!!!!!!

The nearby Krakens opened their mouths wide and rushed towards Riru. Several Demonic Creatures, each as large as a house, charged towards Riru.

It was the very definition of a desperate crisis.

“…”

Well…

For the Demonic Creatures, that was.

“Get loooooooost–!!!”

Riru shrieked as she charged directly at them.

And then…

All the Krakens that collided with her…

Were ‘pulverized’ on the spot.

Like eggs smashing against a rock.

It was a scene that defied common sense, given the disparity in size between them.

[…!]

“…!”

Everyone in the room gaped in horror at this sight.

Even I, who knew this would happen, felt cold sweat running down my back at this display of power.

How brutal.

That was the Blue Devil’s Authority, [Pulverization].

While wielding the Devil’s Power, anything that touched her body would be shredded to itty bitty pieces, just like that.

Regardless of the opponent’s size, defense, or durability. Seriously, fuck all of that.

Just a touch would rip them to shreds.

“…”

On the bright side…

With this, Phase 1 was skipped completely.

There was still another battle ahead, but there was no need to fight those terrifying Demonic Creatures right now.

And on the other hand, the negative part that even such gains couldn’t cover was…

“Dowd Campbellllllllllll—!!!”

As I was lost in such thoughts, Riru’s shriek virtually boomed from the screen.

As if to respond to her call, the blue aura surrounding her body surged even more explosively.

“Come out right this instant-! I’ll kill y—–!”

Before the sentence could finish, I quickly turned off the screen.

And then, I turned towards the War Chiefs who were looking at me with pale faces of shock.

“…I won the bet, right? I kept my word. All of it.”

I got rid of a crisis that no one here could have handled. Moreover, while standing still in this room.

It was a clear fact that couldn’t be argued against.

[You did keep it, but…]

“Yes.”

[Isn’t that thing coming to kill you right now? Can we really consider that your own abili—]

“But I got rid of the crisis.”

[…]

“I am the cause and the reason, right?”

If a promise was already made, you shouldn’t change it, okay?

So hurry up and fucking hand over the keys to the academy.

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