I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me

21 – 11. Time to Prove (1)

Ian grabbed his luggage and immediately left the lecture hall.

He could hear Haley saying something behind him, but he didn’t pay any attention.

To the current Ian, Haley Miles was a meaningless person.

She abandoned herself.

When she returned from the expedition. There was no need to listen to her self-abandoning words faster than anyone else.

The reason was that it was not the end.

Ian looked at the status window floating in front of him.

[Danger detected for Ariel Volkanov.]

[Emergency quest ‘For the Right Ending’ has occurred. To uncover secrets, you must prevent the death of Ariel Volkanov. Will you accept?]

[Acceptance reward: Neltalion’s Growth/ Failure: Death of Ariel Volkanov]

‘Has a threat already started to emerge.’

Ian read the system text carefully and bit his lip.

From the moment he saw this. Hailey no longer entered his eyes.

‘Ariel is in danger of dying…’

In the game, Ariel goes through countless crises until reaching the ending.

Managing Volkanov’s territory and fighting against savage tribes, even losing her life to demons.

Of course, Ariel’s crisis also existed in the Academy. If done wrong, he would have faced the cold body of dead Ariel.

And now, the first crisis had come to Ian.

‘Surely, the first crisis that Ariel faces and dies in is the war game.’

After trapping the students on a virtual island with illusion magic. Training to take the flag from each squad’s territory by any means necessary.

Although there were rarely fatal shocks since it took place in the illusion, there could still be lingering physical damage if severe injuries were sustained.

Those facing Ariel used extremely unethical methods in the war game. As a result, there were cases of severe injuries.

‘If unlucky, they could die there and have to start the game again.’

Of course, if it were a game, it would end if you reloaded from a saved point.

But at least Ian couldn’t do that.

This was not a game, but reality. If Ariel were to die, it would be the end of his life at that moment.

If he wants to live according to his plan. It is essential to first save and protect Ariel.

Ian eventually had no choice but to make a decision.

‘I should try to eliminate Ariel as quickly as possible.’

Although he didn’t know who it was. It was a situation where someone was planning to target Ariel’s life.

In such a situation, continuously exposing Ariel to others was madness.

Of course, the best way would be to guess the opponent’s plan and prepare accordingly.

But honestly, how many branching paths were there in heroic Academia where Ariel dies? How could one prepare for all of them?

Ian’s best option was to send Ariel out before others extended their black hands.

“Now, the last question is whether to send Ariel at the forefront from the 1st platoon…”

Would Ian try to quickly bring out Ariel’s party, which was no less than the most powerful weapon?

Of course, if that happened, it would be an unparalleled advantage for Ian… but it didn’t matter if it didn’t happen.

Even if it was hidden for the last use. If they broke through the 1st platoon, they would naturally pop out.

Ian looked at the skill he obtained as the reward for the fifth mock battle.

[Congratulations! You’ve obtained the skill ‘Ro Aeos’!]

‘Ro Aeos. Surely, it was a shield skill mainly used by Alex Volkanov.’

No matter what attack it was, it was the best defense technique that absolutely defended seven times a day.

Now that he had obtained it, Ian had no reason to be afraid.

***

Celia Wignoran couldn’t concentrate at all.

“What kind of relationship is this?”

When she went to apologize to Ian and visited him, she met Princess Erzabeth.

She was definitely caressing Ian’s face.

“Why?”

Why was the princess making a pitiful expression while caressing Ian’s face for some reason?

Their relationship couldn’t have been that deep, right?

They rarely spoke to each other. Why on earth was she doing such a thing in the sickroom? Celia couldn’t understand at all.

There was another strange thing.

“That blonde girl… What’s going on?”

A newcomer assigned to Ian’s platoon out of the blue.

Thinking about Ian and her sticking together in Haley’s class still made her feel uncomfortable.

One person came to the sickroom to caress Ian’s face. The other didn’t even think about dropping out of class time and stuck around Ian…

“What on earth…”

“Sister.”

“Uh, what?”

Celia, who was deeply in thought, raised her head at the sound of a slapping noise in her ears.

Ariel appeared to be clicking her tongue, as if in disbelief, in her eyes.

“Sister! What are you thinking?”

“Oh… Sorry… I got lost in thought for a moment.”

“Really… This is not the time for that. We have to plan the war game, and I’m already so busy.”

Seeing Ariel furrowing her brows, Celia lowered her head deeply.

Although her heart was troubled, there were still more important things to focus on. It was her fault for not concentrating.

“I’ll concentrate again. I’m sorry.”

In response, Ariel nodded reluctantly while still clicking her tongue.

“Seriously… If you do this again next time, I’ll be really mad, okay? I’m already troubled because of this.”

“Don’t be so hard on Ariel. There must be a reason for Celia too.”

Ariel’s anger only subsided after Bianca Matyif’s intervention.

Listening quietly to Bianca’s words, Ariel sighed deeply.

Being unable to concentrate wasn’t such a big mistake, but it was incredibly annoying in the current situation when her heart was troubled.

“I have to do well… even more than Ian.”

Ariel recalled the rumors circulating in her family in recent times.

After the fall of the matriarch, Ian had taken over like a tyrant, even selling her father’s name, who was ill, to engage in the potato business.

But what bothered her even more was that somehow within the family, Ian didn’t seem that bad as the next head.

“Just because he made some money… he’s not that bad as the head? Does that make sense?”

Changing one’s attitude just because they made a bit of money, was that reasonable?

Of course, Ian had done well. It was a fact that he had contributed to the development of the Volcanov territory.

However, it was too early to reevaluate Ian based solely on that.

“The Volcanov family shouldn’t have something that Ian can inherit…”

Why had the Volcanovs been appointed as the guardians of the Empire with such a strong military force? This was because they had protected the Empire from the threat of barbarians with their formidable military power.

In other words, what was most important to become the head of the Volcanov family was not making money through some business but preserving the Empire with military force.

Ariel planned to show that to everyone this time.

“This war game is held as a spectator lesson…”

Unfortunately, her father’s condition was critical, so he wouldn’t be able to come, but her mother and Shukin would come to see her.

At that time, it was necessary to prove.

It was about who was the most suitable for the role of the leader.

“Hoo… Anyway… The reason we’re gathered this time is because of a tactical change.”

“Tactical change? What kind of change are you talking about?”

Bianca asked with a questioning look, and Ariel opened her tightly closed mouth.

“Originally, according to the plans that the 1st Platoon leaders of each grade had discussed, our party was supposed to wait in the back.”

Ariel’s party, which gathered the strongest members from the 1st Platoon. The platoon leaders of each grade considered it their secret weapon.

“Others would attack other platoons, causing casualties, and in the end, we would wipe out the enemy.”

Hold the shield and endure to the end. When the enemy gets tired, that’s when we draw our swords and start the attack.

That was the platoon leader’s plan, but Ariel didn’t like it.

She had to prove herself. She had to thoroughly defeat Ian in front of everyone.

But… it didn’t make much sense to trample on a weakened Ian because of others.

In the best possible condition. She had to defeat the Ian of that time to finally have meaning.

That’s why.

“But the plan has changed.”

“Changed… You can’t be serious…”

The gazes of those, including Bianca, turned towards Ariel. Ariel continued, enduring those gazes.

“We will be the first to attack the 3rd Platoon.”

***

They may have made the best plan, but Ian never relaxed and let his guard down.

He rushed in early and eliminated Ariel.

Up to this point, there was no problem. However, the problem lay elsewhere.

‘Now, it’s about how the platoon leader is going to use me…’

Cayenne. What mission would he assign to himself? That was the new problem that Ian faced.

To attack Ariel, he had to be able to move freely.

However, if Cayenne gave the same command as “Move like the 1.2 Platoon with the 3rd Platoon,” there was no way he could move as he pleased.

Therefore, Ian decided to settle things when he met Cayenne in the morning.

Even if Igor or Eri didn’t know, he had to be able to move freely in this training.

However, to his surprise, the mission Cayenne assigned to Ian was exactly what Ian had wanted.

“Ian… make decisions and act with the platoon members organically. I won’t give you a separate mission.”

Ian made an incredulous expression at Kaien’s concise response. Kaien shrugged his shoulders.

“Is it really okay?”

“I thought so from the beginning. It’s a task that I don’t know how to use Ariel in First Platoon.”

The greatest weapon of First Platoon is the party members centered around Ariel Volkhanov.

As expected, he would keep them hidden until his platoon members got tired and then send them out.

However, the situation is such that the party members led by Ariel could wipe out Third Platoon from the beginning.

That’s why Kaien made Ian move organically.

If Ariel is the most powerful weapon of First Platoon, we must respond with a strong weapon as well.

Of course, the variable of spectators existed…

At least the Ian that Kaien had been seeing was not someone who would be swayed by such things.

While looking at Ian who was shaking with uneasiness, Kaien lit up another cigarette.

“I’ve set the stage. Now all that’s left is to prove it. Can you do it?”

“I will try.”

If he says it like that. There seems to be no need to worry.