How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain

102 – Acceleration (6)

Estel returned early in the morning. She then left me a letter through her maid. When she opened the folded paper, she saw straight writing that looked like it had been cut with a knife, just like Estelle’s personality.

‘I think I had a little too much wine yesterday. It’s extremely embarrassing to show such an indecent behavior in front of her younger brother. Don’t put too much meaning into the nonsense you say when you’re drunk… ‘

From Noble mtl dot com

Obviously, yesterday’s Estelle had no meaning or context. But did Estelle drink that much wine? Or maybe Estelle, surprisingly, wasn’t good at drinking. I finished reading her letter.

‘… There is no need to worry about what your uncle says. This is what my father usually says to me. And I want to believe that that won’t happen, but if you happen to find a girl you like, be sure to get ‘verified’ by me. I’m worried that your weak nature will get your nose pierced. If you’re feeling lonely, leaning on your older sister might be a recommended option. I’ll stop here. See you at the academy.’

The letter, which was not very long, was entirely filled with concerns about me. Do I give Estelle the impression that I am so unreliable? Well, there are things I have done over the years.

However, it seems that Estelle did not fully understand her father’s personality. He is a father who has never failed to achieve what he set his mind to, even if he appears to be evil at times.

If I don’t do anything like this, he might really go out of his way to find another wife.

***

A few days after Estelle left. A farewell ceremony was being held in front of the main gate of the mansion to see me off. Adele, standing in front, was holding a new teddy bear tightly in her hand. I paid the seamstress an extra fee, and he produced more than he promised in just one day.

Adele named her new doll Eddie, and except for a very brief period of time, she never let go of the doll.

“…Goodbye, brother…”

“You’re proud, too. If you grow up just a little bit, I guess I can call you an adult now, right?”

“… She’s not a baby even now… Adele is all grown up…”

Even though I patted her head and praised her, Adele puffed out her cheeks as if she was somehow dissatisfied.

Adele did not cry this time. There may be several reasons. I may have found some stability thanks to Mona’s presence, I may have grown a little on the inside, and on the other hand, it may be the result of my efforts.

Considering that his expression brightened noticeably when he was told to come to the Academy’s fall festival, the last reason seems to be the most credible.

“Edwin. Do we really have to go this quickly?”

“Father.”

The father walked out from behind Adele. His father’s face was also full of regret over my early return.

“What kind of mansion did you go into that needs such repairs? Your father will give you more money, so sign a new contract for a better place now.”

“hahahaha, wouldn’t it be too much of a hassle? I’m just talking about repairs, and it’s just a matter of fixing a few places. Don’t worry too much.”

I waved off his father’s advice.

Although there were still nearly two weeks left before the vacation ended, I decided to hit the road again this time. And for that excuse, he sold his decent mansion.

I decided to tell all the places I knew between the South and the Academy. Actually, from what I remember, there is nothing special about the items around here anymore. Rather, I was more curious about the fragments of the divine dragon.

There have been four fragments absorbed so far, and if more fragments can be secured as planned, up to six additional fragments can be obtained this time. And with that number, I think we can secure meaningful results.

“…I can’t help it if I say that. If you need help in the future, be sure to tell me. And be sure to keep in mind what my father said last time. I’m not as good as Robinette, but I’ve already figured out where to find her in many places.”

“…I understand.”

My father looked very serious, as if he was saying that what he said last time was not just empty words.

Adele glared lightly at her father, left the teddy bear in Mona’s care for a moment, and then rushed towards me. And he hugged my legs tightly.

“Brother, you can’t go anywhere without Adele…”

“Of course. Where should I go? I have to live with Adele for a long time.”

“hehehe…”

After hearing what I said, Adele smiled as if she was satisfied. I immediately got on the carriage, and Adele was shaking so hard that I couldn’t even see her hands.

The family’s guards followed me, but I sent them all away when I stopped by Westbury under the pretext of having other business to attend to.

I immediately changed course and left to collect the items. And after nearly 10 days of forced marching, they succeeded in acquiring all five items, leaving only one location left. I asked the nearby residents about the name ‘Eanna’ and they pointed me to a place.

But Eanna was not just a cave. When I looked at the cave walls, I saw several murals painted there that seemed to have weathered over time.

“…Was there a place like this?”

Most of them were damaged so that they could not be properly identified, but we were still able to make out the shape of some of the drawings. The mural was painted from right to left. In that order: people standing on the ground, falling meteors, and people with their heads turned upside down.

“…?”

I wondered for a moment if there was a hidden meaning, but nothing in particular stuck out to me. Since the schedule was tight, I stopped worrying any further and started moving again. I entered the blocked part of the cave and found a sign for an item hidden nearby. Then, I infused mana and retrieved the revealed box.

The box was as black as pitch black, and on top of it was an engraved pattern with a long horizontal line in the shape of a heart.

When I opened the lid, the items inside were revealed. Apparently, what was in Eanna was a bracelet called ‘Blessing of the Old Gods’. Since I could barely remember the name, I couldn’t quite remember the effect. Was it just a slight increase in physical ability? Of course, if such items are piled up one by one, it will be a different story. I left the cave immediately after taking the bracelet and the divine dragon fragment.

Perhaps because it was the last place, it was particularly memorable. The murals on the cave walls and the unique patterns engraved on the boxes.

***

“…Young master. Are you really going to put this item up for auction?”

“Why? Is there a defect in the item?”

“Is that possible? On the contrary, it’s the opposite. How long has it been since I last saw a treasure like this?”

The appraiser who heard what I said was startled and started making a fuss. He was caressing the dagger I gave him as if he were handling an old heirloom.

“It’s the craftsmanship, the ratio of the blade to the handle, the material of the blade… Of course, we need to look at it in more detail, but just knowing what we already know is enough to call it a supreme treasure.”

“I like it, but isn’t it too harsh to give it too much weight?”

“I can’t say it’s harsh. Rather, I had a hard time choosing an understated expression. To give a brief opinion, it is absolutely not inferior to Caron’s signature series. No, it is more than enough.”

Charon was one of the best blacksmiths in the empire, and his signature was always so over-ordered that it was impossible to predict whether he would receive it in a few years. And the dagger I handed to the appraiser was one of the items found in the cave.

I tried appraising it as a test because it had no effect and was the most useless to me, but looking at the reactions, it seems that even it is treated as a very precious treasure. And seeing the appraiser’s reaction made me even more curious about how far the value of this item could rise.

“You can stop. I know that your eyes are excellent. And like I said before, I will put it up for auction as is.”

“hehehe, you will never regret choosing our auction house. However, there is no confirmation as to when the next auction will be held. Do you know that?”

The appraiser asked me carefully. This was the imperial capital, and when I arrived, the atmosphere in the imperial capital was already very chaotic. Unverifiable rumors were wandering the streets like ghosts.

The imperial palace has been attacked, the vice-captain of the royal knights’ order is unknown whether he is alive or dead, or the emperor’s beloved princess is wandering through her death.

But no one could properly determine the truth. There were several more guards on the streets than usual, and those who spread rumors were severely punished. I just kept chatting away, avoiding those gazes.

And my situation was not much different. There was no way to know about the emperor’s affairs, and Princess Alcmene had not even seen a single hair of hers since her ball. I just hoped that this wasn’t a new variable that had emerged.

“It’s okay. I don’t really need money urgently. If I wait, won’t it open up someday?”

“Is that what you mean? Then, write a contract first…”

I signed a consignment contract with the auction house and immediately got on the carriage heading to the academy. And since the imperial capital and the academy were a short distance away, they were able to reach the academy territory in less than a day.

There was a bit of dust accumulating in the mansion we returned to, but it went without saying that there was no room for repairs anywhere.

-Tweet!

As I was opening the window and shaking off the dust, I heard a familiar sound from somewhere. I reflexively turned my head and saw a small bird sitting by the window.

The bird did not run away but continued to chirp while looking at me. I wondered if he might have forgotten about me, but he seems to be much smarter than I thought.

“How are you?”

-Tweet!

When I see this bird, I finally feel that it has returned. After I stroked it several times, the bird made a satisfied sound and disappeared behind the window again.

The cleaning was almost complete, so I closed the window and took a seat on the floor. Then, he took out all six of the divine dragon fragments he had collected this time and began absorbing them. In just a few minutes, I was able to absorb a total of ten fragments. And waited patiently for a few minutes.

“…Are even ten not enough? If that’s the case…”

Just as nothing was happening and my swollen mind was calming down, I suddenly felt a tingling pain near my right forearm. I reflexively raised my arm to check the cause of the pain.

Something the size of a fingernail was sprouting there. As she moved her arm around, it caught the sunlight and sparkled slightly. In many ways, I felt a sense of foreignness that did not fit the human body.

“…Scales?”