How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain

16 – Find Hidden Objects (1)

“This is my mistake.”

Earl Reed, who received the report, muttered with a firm expression.

The count must have rushed right away after receiving the urgent message, and his usual well-organized outfit was nowhere to be found, and he was wearing only a thin coat on his loose clothes.

“Surely a troll came in. But how…”

“No one would have thought that the mountain keeper really saw a troll. Neither did his subordinates. How can you attribute this to the Count’s own mistake?”

Russ quickly took the Count’s words.

“Even so, responsibility is responsibility. As a lord, I have an obligation to ensure the safety of the people. That said, I fell into a shallow prejudice and ended up losing the lives of three precious soldiers. How can I excuse this?”

The Count sighed heavily.

“I will identify the dead soldiers and pay generous compensation to their families. Additionally, if the victim is the head of the family and the remaining people are in trouble, I will take responsibility in my name and guarantee their livelihood. Also, if the child becomes a servant of the family in the future, “If you join the Knights or Magic Order, you will be given the highest priority in the review process. The deacon will implement this immediately as soon as tomorrow dawns.”

“I will do as you command.”

As soon as the Count finished speaking, Hudson, who was standing behind him, bowed his head and answered.

“Russ, Laurel. You all went through a lot. It’s obviously unfortunate that there were casualties, but in a way, it must have been possible to finish that much thanks to you guys. It’s horrifying to even imagine what might have happened.

The whole corps will be given a bounty and a week’s holiday. In particular, those who stand the most valiantly against the trolls on the front line will be given additional rewards, and the same goes for you. It’s okay even if it’s not now, so if you have any requests, please let me know.”

“I’m embarrassed, Count.”

“It’s embarrassing.”

Laurel and Russ bowed their heads after hearing the earl’s praise. A big smile was about to bloom on Laurel’s face at the word ‘compensation’, and Russ, who saw that, slapped Laurel’s arm and desperately tried to get her to notice.

“Now let’s stop talking. Laurel, you felt something foreign about the troll?”

“Yes, Count.”

When the Count asked a question, Laurel quickly changed her expression and straightened her posture.

Laurel confessed exactly what she saw and felt. It had a body half as large as the average troll he knew, strong mana resistance, and, crucially, its bright red eyes that were shining ominously. As Laurel finished speaking, the Count’s expression became even more serious.

“Red eyes… So, does that mean they could have come from that cursed land? But that doesn’t make sense. The monsters that inhabit the Geumyeok region would have to pass through the wilderness and various villages on the border to reach this place. There are eyewitness accounts there. It should have come out first.”

“You never know. Since he was mutated under the influence of dark demonic energy, wouldn’t his intelligence have increased accordingly? In that case, he might have learned how to move secretly without being noticed.”

“There is something else strange.”

After Laurel finished speaking, Russ immediately followed up with her report.

“After the subjugation, we checked his body, and there were many wounds on his stomach and back. Some of them had not yet healed. They were clearly of a different type from the wounds we inflicted.

A search along the canyon also revealed traces of its burrowing. Sokha thinks that for some reason, a wounded troll ran away from its original home and came here, dug a hole and hid in it to heal its wounds. If so, that explains why it went unnoticed for a while, even after leaving footprints.

He wouldn’t have moved in the crypt while the wound was recovering to some extent, and the traces of the burrow would have been washed away by the heavy rain a few days ago. It is not easy to search the rugged canyon terrain, so even if you passed nearby, it is highly likely that you missed the trail.

And, there’s no guarantee that the guy has come from the Geumyeok. Even if it almost does not exist now, there are still lands where demonic energy is still remaining in the West Continent. It is also believed that there is a possibility that the monsters were accidentally influenced by those things and further mutated.”

“Anyway, it doesn’t seem like we can know anything for sure right now. First, send people to various villages in the east to see if anyone has seen a troll, and set up a few more guard posts at elements in each region. do what you do.”

After hearing Russ’ report, the Count said lamentably.

“Well, the soldiers are tired, and it’s already late, so let’s call it a day. The details will be discussed at the next meeting anyway. Laurel, Russ. Again, thank you for your hard work.”

The Count gave them a light pat on the shoulder, and Laurel and Russ bowed to the Count. The two immediately left the barracks and tried to disperse the soldiers, but somehow it seemed that the Count still had something to say.

As Laurel and Russ slowly noticed themselves, the Count cleared his throat a couple of times in embarrassment before bringing up a topic he had been curious about today.

“Oh, by the way, how was Edwin today?”

***

“Quaaa!”

When I woke up in the morning, my muscles were aching all over my body. What should I do with this weak body?

Yesterday, after the subjugation was over, Russ sent me back to the mansion first. It wasn’t until late at night that I arrived, and my father left after receiving a report.

Adele seemed to be sleeping because it was time, and I, too, couldn’t wake up from the overcoming fatigue and fell asleep as if I passed out in bed. The last memory of yesterday is yesterday.

My body, which hadn’t been washed yesterday, was in a very uncomfortable state now, so I decided to take a bath first before eating, and then trudged toward the bathroom.

As if the maids had prepared water in advance, the bathroom was transformed into a hazy landscape by the steam coming out of the warm water.

Going into the bathtub, soaking my body, and staying still, the memories of yesterday ruminate on my own regardless of my will.

From noble mtl dot com

The first thing that came to mind was the gruesome images of the victims of the troll.

Those poor soldiers who had their necks broken, their limbs falling off, their bodies fluttering around, their bodies torn in half alive, and in the end their internal organs were offered as a meal to the monster.

Thinking back on that disgusting sight, I feel my whole body tremble even though I am soaking in a warm bath.

I desperately tried to think of other thoughts and struggled for a while to push the images of the soldiers back into the abyss of my memory.

‘But still… ‘There is nothing gained.’

I wasn’t able to do anything in the troll subjugation battle because I still lacked skills, but if I think about it objectively, this subjugation was not a bad experience for me.

Mastering the sense of killing something is a huge payoff. If I continue like this, will there ever come a day when I will be calm?

When I suddenly turned my head and looked in the mirror, there was a reflection of my face and upper body except for the lower half of my body in the water.

Adjusting my diet, circulating mana on a regular basis, and continuing to train to see if there were any results, now I have lost a bit of weight to the extent that I can feel it.

‘But it’s still a long way off.’

However, it was at the level of ‘there was a little achievement’, and there were still a lot of mountains to overcome to reach the place I was aiming for.

It’s because the past was so bad that I couldn’t see it, but even now, if I had to say it, I’m still at the level of severe obesity.

Wouldn’t it be possible to lose weight this way without having to resort to extreme measures? I had thought about it, but after a certain point, the speed slowed down very much, and the conclusion I came to was that I couldn’t fit the time to return to school in this way.

Now that the suspension is less than two months away, it is even more pressing.

And until then, we have to find a way to treat mana sclerosis somehow.

‘Then should I really try that method… ‘

There was a method prepared for this case, but in order to achieve what I had in mind, I had to go to the forbidden region of the East Continent.

And what I needed to get to that place that was consumed by demon energy was holy water, and I was now anxiously waiting for that item to arrive.

‘Perhaps a message will come today or tomorrow.’

-smart

“Master. The Count has invited us to have lunch together today. The meal will be ready soon, so I think it would be a good idea to finish the ceremony a little early.”

“Really? Okay. I’ll be out soon.”

My father is always busy, so we rarely eat breakfast together, but it’s no big deal. Did he deliberately take the time to hear about yesterday? Actually, I didn’t do much… Still, if you want to hear it, you have no choice but to listen.

I left the bathhouse and started putting on my clothes.

***

As expected, my father asked me about yesterday’s subjugation as soon as I sat down at the table.

Laurel and Russ said they had heard it, but they seemed to want to hear it from me as well.

At first, he repeatedly apologized several times saying he was sorry for exposing me to danger due to his mistake, but he seemed to have calmed down a bit as I continued to convince him that I was fine.

Trying to be as calm as possible, I told my father what had happened yesterday. From watching ratmen, goblins, and finally to subduing trolls.

When I finished talking, I looked at my father, who was nodding his head with a pleased expression.

“Hmm. Well done, Edwin. It’s really great. Not to mention that he successfully subdued Ratmen and Goblins, and even unexpectedly encountered a troll, he’s so resolute! After all, he’s my son!”

“Father. If you say that, it makes me even more embarrassed. Goblins and Ratmen are like that, but the trolls were just watching…”

“Uh-huh, it’s a great experience to watch like that at your age! And you don’t know that well yet. Our family’s knights and wizards are very skilled, so a troll is definitely not an easy monster to catch.

Aside from its physical strength, the yelling a troll makes in an emergency is no different from a mental attack to those who are not trained. Urinating is a common occurrence, and sometimes people with a weak stomach lose consciousness. Think about it. “Wasn’t it like that yesterday too?”

Actually, what my father said was right. The knights and wizards with mental barriers seemed to have little or no effect, but there were certainly several soldiers with me who fell.

“But I heard that you, who have never received any special training, showed an unwavering and strong appearance even in such a situation. As a father, how could I not be happy? You can have more confidence.”

I guess I’ve been persuaded by my father’s words before I know it, and I feel a little flattered.

But did some of the fallen soldiers urinate? When I think about it, I feel pitiful. This kind of teasing will last a lifetime… Maybe I should say I’m glad I didn’t lose my mind.

“Whoa… whoa…”

Adele listened to me and my father talking, and then she looked at me with her eyes wide and her mouth open. How can that child look so cute even when he’s surprised? I feel like my heart, devastated by yesterday’s events, has been healed a little.

“Brother… you’re amazing…”

“It’s amazing.”

I smiled lightly and patted Adele’s head.

“If my Adele grows up later, I’ll be able to easily catch goblins, right?”

“Eh.”

Hearing my words, Adele frowned.

“I hate goblins…I hate trolls too…Adele won’t do that…”

Adele had a pretty face, but since she was still young and a girl, she seemed to hate gross things. I stroked Adele’s hair and continued the conversation with my father, and through my father’s mouth I heard Russ and Laurel’s report.

A red-eyed troll… If it was influenced by demon energy, it may be a foreshadowing of a future great invasion. In the original work, it was not specifically called a troll, but there was a description that some omens were seen little by little before the invasion due to the swaying magic energy.

Fortunately, my father said he would carry out a major inspection of the entire territory and increase the number of guards and guards, so even if something similar happens again for the time being, I think we will be prepared to some extent.

“Father. Now that the subjugation is over, I’m going to go look for a solution to the patrol and wheat problem in the territory that I mentioned earlier. Since we still have some travel left, I think it would be a good idea to rest for a day and leave tomorrow. Is that okay?”

When I expressed my intention to my father, he looked at me with a worried face.

“Honey, are you okay? Don’t overdo it, can’t you just rest and move slowly?”

“It’s okay. I didn’t use that much strength, and I think my muscles will loosen up faster if I move again.”

Aside from my physical condition, my father still seemed worried, probably because of the troll.

After I repeatedly convinced him that I would never do anything dangerous and only move during the day, my father finally agreed as if he couldn’t win.

Anyway, I don’t intend to travel to remote places, and monsters are active at night, so there’s little chance of problems if they only move during the day.

I spent the rest of the day with Adele, awaiting the arrival of the holy water.

Reading fairy tales to Adele and playing with dolls makes it feel like we’ve grown closer.

Unexpectedly, Adele really liked my chubby belly. In his own words, he likes it because it feels soft like a teddy bear.

When I read a story, Adele always put her hands on my stomach and rubbed them gently.

what about Adele? That belly fat might disappear after this outing…

***

“Boss. Someone from the church came. They said they brought the items you ordered, what should we do?”

“Tell them to come in, and write down the transaction amount in the ledger.”

early the next morning. After a long wait, holy water finally arrived from the church.

I feel a pounding in my chest.

The time has come to head to the forbidden land.