How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain

✦ Chapter 99 ✦

「Translator – Creator」

I gathered the letters from Ellie and Selene and brought them to my room. Adele, perhaps because she had nothing else to do, stared at me with a look of disappointment on her face. I dumped the jumbled paper cranes on my desk and began organizing them by date.

I decided to open Ellie’s letters first.

She must have used very high-quality paper, as her stationery was soft like silk yet remarkably thick and tear-resistant; her handwriting matched the quality of the paper—elegant and refined.

Although there was nothing particularly special in her letters, she had filled them with every tiny detail of her daily life. She wrote about being nagged by her parents to behave, how she caught her brother trying to escape and half-roasted him, and how bored she was at home.

Her letters went on endlessly. Roughly calculating, it seems she sent at least one letter every 1-2 days consistently. How was that even possible?

Meanwhile, as the dates grew closer, the tone of her writing gradually became more intense.

As if offended that I never replied.

“Ed. I’m really upset. You idiot. I hate you. If you don’t reply this time, I’ll come to the South and find you…’

The date on her most recent letter was three days ago. As if written in a hurry, the letter abruptly cut off mid-sentence without a closing.

Unlike her previous letters, this last one looked rather messy and unkempt. There seemed to be dull splotches here and there, as if she dipped her quill in too much ink.

An odd smell wafted from the blotted areas, faintly bloody but too faded after time had passed to discern clearly. Did she use some kind of special ink?

At the bottom of the letter, I noticed a sentence had been written and then crossed out. Holding it up to the light, I could make out the faint words: ‘Remember what I said that day.’

Which day was she referring to? The days Ellie and I spent together were far more than just one or two and our conversations could fill more than a couple of books. Perhaps she crossed it out, realizing how vague it was.

Right there, I composed a reply to Ellie, apologizing for not writing back sooner due to family matters. Despite my efforts, my letter ended up being much shorter than even the briefest of Ellie’s letters. Her dedication was truly impressive.

After sealing the envelope and infusing it with mana, it folded into the shape of a paper crane and flew out the window. I hoped this letter would ease Ellie’s frustration a little.

Despite the effort, my work was far from over. There were still as many letters left to read as I had already gone through.

I pulled Selene’s letters towards me. She must have used coarse, low-quality mulberry paper, as there were frequent small tears from its lack of durability.

The handwriting was somewhat crooked and clumsy, yet it conveyed a warm sense of familiarity. Occasionally, I noticed that she had started to write ‘Eugenia’ but crossed it out to replace it with ‘Selene.’

Selene’s letters were just as full of content as Ellie’s, differing only in the details of her daily life. Unexpectedly, through Selene’s letters, I was able to indirectly track Eugene’s movements. It was clear that in areas where our paths did not overlap, his activities remained largely unchanged.

The future may not unfold exactly as it once did, but it’s fortunate that a bit more can now be predicted.

Unlike Ellie’s letters that came almost incessantly, there were periods when Selene’s letters stopped for a while; then after a few days’ gap, her next letter would come with an apology and detailed account of an experience she had.

She wrote about accidentally encountering a corrupted spirit in an ancient tomb, fiercely battling it, and succeeding in destroying the spirit. And she found a ring there, which when worn noticeably increased her affinity with spirits and mana compared to before.

Reading Selene’s letters like that, I unconsciously clenched my fists tightly. I felt rewarded for finally seeing the fruits of the care and time I had invested in her.

The ‘Dryad’s Ring’ was a crucial item for Selene, a spirit mage.

She already had outstanding talent, so with the ring’s power added, she would surely rise to become the most powerful spirit mage in history as before.

Naturally, she would have no trouble joining the heroes’ party as well.

Looking down, there were a few more lines written below—

She wrote that thinking of me gave her the strength to prevail in the fight, and it would make her so happy if I comforted her efforts this time. Though she felt a bit disappointed I hadn’t replied, she thought she could get over it all.

In my joy, I grabbed a quill without a second thought, but then belatedly realized this letter had arrived several days ago, not just now.

“Oh…”

Clearly I had failed to meet Selene’s expectations, and despite not receiving the response she hoped for, she had sent another letter yesterday. It looked like an ordinary letter, but for some reason, I hesitated to open it.

However, I knew avoiding challenges wouldn’t make them disappear. With trembling hands, I infused the letter with mana. It unfolded from its crane form back into paper. Though still long and wordy as usual for Selene, compared to her previous letters, the content felt remarkably terse and concise—

“Edwin. Do you remember when we first met?

I still think about that day sometimes.  

Because that was the first and last time you were cold to me and got angry.

Edwin. Do you remember what you said to me then?  

You told me sharply never to attach a spirit to you again.

Edwin, I really kept my promise.

Even though I always wondered about you and worried, I held back because I didn’t want to upset you.

But if you’ll be like this, then I…”

I stopped reading there, knowing what the rest would say. I didn’t want to delay any longer. I immediately began writing a reply, and soon another paper plane flew out the window.

Watching the crane grow smaller in the distance, I finally felt the tension in my body release.

Looking back, it had been quite a while since I first met Ellie and Selene. We had shared many days and nights during the first semester. I thought I knew their personalities well by now. But did Selene always have this side to her? The Selene I knew, and her inherent nature, didn’t seem to match this.

Maybe she was shocked by something in the process of the future being distorted and her being alienated.

…Maybe things will improve once her relationship with Eugene progresses…

“……?”

My eyebrows furrowed at the emotion that welled up inside me. When I thought of Eugene and Selene ending up together as in the original story, I felt a slight headache coming.

…Why? Didn’t I go through all that hardship to revert things away from that path?

I wrestled with these feelings all day but couldn’t find an answer to this perplexing feeling.

* * * * *

I headed to the outer castle after being summoned by a guard. And there in front of the gate was someone I never expected waiting for me.

“…Isana?”

Isana. The blue-haired, yellow-eyed woman. Always elegantly poised, yet her demeanor becomes unruly when dealing with me. A resident of East Hall, the demons’ covert outpost, and one of Demon Lord Paine’s closest aides.

She even accompanied me to the Demon Realm on Paine’s orders, indirectly assisting in finding Cynthia’s sacred relic.

“Ah…ahem. Greetings, my lord.”

Isana, who had been in the middle of a heated argument with the guards, brightened instantly when she saw me. Happily waving at first, she seemed to catch herself and gave an extremely courteous bow.

Though she appeared to be acting properly in front of others, it felt jarring compared to my memory of her usual blunt informality when speaking to me.

“She barged in insistently, claiming to have business with you, my lord. Her manner was so obstinate that I had no choice but to seek your confirmation.”

“Oh? Ah yes, I did summon her. I have a request regarding my territory. Let her in.”

“…Understood. Please enter.”

“Heheh, thank you. My, to think such an upright person is serving as a guard…”

“…Ahem.”  

The guard loosened his stance after hearing my words.

And when Isana gave a crescent moon eye-smile, the last of his wariness melted away entirely. Her pretense of decorum was simply baffling.

“Sheesh…follow me.”

At my signal, the guard straightened up, sticking close behind me. I let out a deep sigh and motioned for Isana. She bowed her head and trailed along obediently.

“Isana. Why are you here, anyway?”

I entered a street that had been evacuated for an upcoming reconstruction. Snapping my fingers on my hand behind my back, Isana yawned loudly and corrected her posture.

“Why am I here? You said you had something important to say? I wanted to get out for a bit too…”

“You could have just sent a letter. Don’t you see all the priests and inquisitors around here?”

“Oh, it’s fine. I made sure to drain all my mana before coming, just in case.”

Isana waved her hand dismissively. Her earlier surprise gave way to calm assuredness, which was admittedly reassuring.

“So what is it? This important thing you had to say?”

— End of Chapter —

If you have liked the novel, don’t forget to rate and review the novel on NovelUpdates

Also, if you cannot wait to see what lies ahead in the story, you can subscribe to my 〚 Ko-Fi Membership 〛 and read a maximum of 18 chapters ahead