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

5 – 2. You Won’t Win Like That (2)

At that moment when Ian was preparing for Igor’s battle.

Ariel and the heroines were remaining in the auditorium, watching the entrance exam.

“Ugh… Why do I have to watch this…”

In her heart, she wanted to forget about the match and spend time rolling around with her lover in the dormitory, but…

“Well, Princess is here too… I can’t just leave my seat.”

Glancing at the woman next to her, a lady with white hair and golden eyes, the First Princess Erzébét, the royal family’s representative.

Arielle was putting in extra effort to keep her seat because of the remaining Princess. Of course, it wasn’t necessary to stay in her seat just because the Princess was sitting next to her. Unlike others, Arielle wasn’t a noble who needed to be so cautious.

“Who am I? I am the beloved daughter of the prestigious Count Volkanofov. Am I not the chosen champion of the Holy Sword Elysion? Even though my reputation has suffered a bit from one failure, I’m still doing well. Nobles in the empire still treat me with the utmost respect.”

“Even if she’s just a Princess, Erzébét is truly remarkable for being so adamant about holding her position.”

“She’s not just an ordinary Princess; she’s a strong contender for the future Empress’s position.”

The current Emperor had two sons and two daughters, and among them, only two were potential successors.

“Second Prince Bedon Arcana and the First Princess, Erzébét Arcana.”

The original plan was for the First Prince to become the Crown Prince, but he had decided to devote himself to a higher calling and become a clergyman, leaving the position vacant. The youngest, Second Princess, was only ten years old.

You might think Bedon Arcana would become the Crown Prince, but if you knew a bit about the royal situation, you couldn’t say that.

“Princess Erzébét is an exceptional elemental mage… She puts in so much effort… Unlike Bedon, who acts like a tyrant, she has been building connections with nobles step by step.”

Thanks to this, except for bureaucrats and insignificant nobles, everyone supported Erzébét. Just look at the people sitting next to her, isn’t it obvious?

Besides the First Princess, there was the “Mighty King” Duke Vernogia and her mentor, the Black Knight.

Would exceptional individuals like them leave their seats and rush to watch the game? Arielle couldn’t bring herself to do such a thing.

“Phew…”

As Arielle let out a sigh, her heart felt heavy. Erzébét was watching her, perhaps aware of her feelings, with hopeful anticipation.

Watching Igor, who was wearing impenetrable gauntlets, Erzébét swallowed her saliva.

“Igor… He’s known as the Impenetrable Wall. I’m looking forward to how Ian will fight against him.”

As Erzébét spoke as if she had high expectations, the Mighty King wore a kind smile, as if he were looking at his granddaughter.

“I have high expectations. Your Highness.”

“Aren’t you the King?”

As Erzebeth looked at the King with wide eyes, he only showed a kind smile.

“I apologize. It doesn’t seem like it will be an interesting match, especially if it is one-sided.”

“One-sided…”

“I am certain that Ian Volkhanov will lose. Since he can no longer use the weapon he has trained with all his life, he doesn’t stand a chance.”

At the Duke’s harsh judgment, Erzebeth shifted her gaze to the Empress this time.

Viscount Haley Mileus nodded lightly, as if agreeing with the Duke’s opinion.

“I am of the same opinion. It will be a pitiful match where Ian will be beaten.”

“You are being cold… But I heard that he was once his mentor.”

“It is a relationship that has already ended. It is merely the karma of someone who has done wrong.”

Haley’s opinion was somewhat sharp, but it was justifiable.

Facing a master when unable to use the weapon that one has trained with all their life? It would be foolish to expect victory.

Ariel shared the same opinion.

The thought of witnessing her lover and Ian being humiliated caused her expression to involuntarily darken.

With a smile on her face, Ariel looked at Celia with a mischievous grin.

“Senior. It seems like Ian will use the spear, right?”

“Huh? The spear? Ariel, what are you talking about?”

“What am I talking about? Haven’t you had a duel with Ian using spears before, Senior? And the spear is an easy-to-handle weapon…”

For a moment, Celia became irritated at Ariel’s joke.

“Ariel!”

“hehehehe. It’s just a joke, just a joke!”

“Don’t even joke about something like that! The memories with that guy are memories I want to forget.”

Celia turned her gaze upwards with a stern expression.

Actually, Ariel’s words were not entirely wrong. It was true that they had dueled with spears when they were childhood friends.

She, who was naturally weak, saw him as an imaginary existence of a peer friend.

The harsh air of the north gave her the strength to withstand [the hatred of fire], but it also gave her loneliness.

In the moment of spending lonely days, she met a boy, and that boy was Ian.

Under the commonality of being alone, they quickly became close, and there was a time when Ian wielded the spear in a duel to help her avoid falling behind in her family.

However…

“No…. Let’s not even think about that bastard.”

Selina, who was reminiscing about the past, shook her head incessantly.

During our poverty-stricken days, I thought Ian was a really good person. I liked him more than just a friend.

I even dreamed of a future with him, like a poor couple.

But after meeting Ariel, I realized the truth about myself. To be precise, I discovered Ian Volkov’s disgusting true nature.

The moment I realized the truth. It was impossible to romanticize those memories.

“And there’s no way that bastard can handle a spear!”

The spear might indeed be an easy weapon to handle.

However, it is not simple at all, but rather one of the most difficult weapons to handle.

As Selina seethed with anger, Ariel burrowed into her arms and looked into her eyes.

“Senior… Can’t we calm down and watch together? I’m sorry…”

“Well, you better never do it again, got it? Ariel?”

“hehehehe.”

“You too… Come here.”

It was at that moment when Ariel nestled into my embrace and turned my head towards the ring.

Thud!

An unpleasant noise filled the hall.

A bone-shattering sound. What was that? Did Ian get hit already? Selina and Ariel turned their heads, wondering.

They could see.

“What? He’s fighting barehanded?”

Ian Volkov, fighting barehanded compared to Igor, who wore a gruesome gauntlet.

“But why is Ian winning?”

Ian Volkov, who was inflicting violence close to a beating against Igor, who was limping and trying to hide his broken leg.

***

King, Heidel Liens Bernogia.

He foresaw Igor’s victory in this match.

It was originally an expected outcome. No one would have expected Ian Volkov to win.

“Visen is a strong country.”

Having devoted his life to martial arts, he traveled not only the empire but also many cities in order to become stronger.

He had visited Vizen as well. As a descendant of a fighting nation. The martial arts of the Vizen people were even acknowledged by himself.

Do I have to fight against the strongest opponent in this Visen? Kwonwang thought it was a match that he no longer needed to watch. Even with just the basic skills of Visen-style martial arts, he could toy with Ian.

That’s what he thought.

“What am I seeing right now? Ian Volkanoft won?”

Until Igor was completely defeated, that is.

Igor rolling on the ground, breaking through the fence of the ring. In comparison, Ian Volkanoft was casually wiping off the sweat.

He was the pillar that supported the empire. The one known for having no one able to withstand his punch.

That was himself.

Although he believed that he had mastered all the martial arts existing in the world.

“What kind of martial arts is Ian using?”

Ian demonstrated even martial arts that he had never seen before.

“The power of the kicking that instantly broke the young man named Igor’s front leg was unbelievable. But those movements, what are they?”

The light steps jumping in place, the repeated movement of lowering and raising his posture.

Were these strange movements something that even he, who had dedicated his life to martial arts, had never seen?

However, what was more surprising was how incredibly efficient they were.

“By moving with short steps, he strikes the enemy and then escapes from the attack range. And by repeatedly lowering and raising his posture, he deceived the enemy.”

Even the way he extended his fist was different.

The majority of fighters compress their mana in certain parts of their bodies and then strike forcefully.

Once their fist touches the enemy, they push forward with their whole body weight.

But Ian was different.

He only punched and evaded.

It made one wonder if fighting in such a manner could produce any significant power.

But when looking at Igor’s face sprawled on the ground, those thoughts disappeared.

“It’s beyond belief that I can’t witness this….”

To create such a face with just a few punches meant that the power was considerable.

The face of Duke Bernogoia, who was looking at Igor, showed a disappointed expression.

“Haah… What the hell….”

Everything he had believed to be true until now was shattered.

He looked around, but… the reactions of the others were not any different from his own.

“What? What? How did Ian win? How did that guy do it?”

Ian’s former master, Keomhu, abruptly stood up and his eyes trembled.

“Oh, sister. What am I seeing right now? Is this a dream? Did Ian win?”

“…I don’t know either, Ariel.”

Ariel Volkhanov, Ian Volkhanov’s younger brother and a warrior, denied reality. Lady Wignoran next to him couldn’t take her eyes off the ring.

“…Interesting.”

“I didn’t expect even the princess to react like that.”

1 Princess Elizaveta.

A person who is highly regarded and expected to ascend to the position of empress, trusted by the imperial nobility.

Her eyes were perceptive.

There were many skilled individuals in the empire, and even she had reached the level of a master.

So she never blinked, no matter who the opponent was….

“It seems even the princess was quite surprised.”

At that moment, Heidel Bernogia closed her eyes in regret and recalled the scene just now.

“I would regret missing that.”

He didn’t want to miss even the slightest movement Ian showed.

The decisive blow that Ian showed at the end.

“Even if it’s said to be the hand of the legendary monster that the ancestors of the noble family heard of, I would believe it.”

Imagine the moment when the giant hand is embedded in Igor’s abdomen, his eyes instinctively closed.

“…I trembled so much as if I had been observing from a distance.”

An attack that wouldn’t seem strange even if it was said to be the manifestation of a god’s arm in a myth.

If it were now, it would be different, but if it were a grown-up Ian in the future.

“I don’t have confidence to withstand it.”

The duke, who had opened his eyes, finally released his held breath.

The gaze towards Ian was now filled with curiosity.

***

After knocking down Igor, Ian quickly left the grand hall.

Since he had already passed the test and there was no one to congratulate him, there was no need to stay there.

“It’s a pity, but I can’t help it.”

There is no use being attached to sentimental emotions. Ian had decided to do what he had to do.

Ian pulled out his device and checked the message with a stern expression.

– When you see this, come to the smoking area behind the auditorium.

A short and clear message.

As much as he wanted to brush off the message and head back home, the moment he saw the sender, that thought vanished completely.

– Sender: Captain of the 3rd Platoon

“If I had ignored the request, it would have been a big problem.”

It was impossible to ignore a request from the officers of the 3rd Platoon he belonged to.

“If it’s the Captain of the 3rd Platoon, that must be him, right?”

In the original story, the 1st Platoon, where Ariel and the heroines were, was the main focus, but the 3rd Platoon also had a significant presence.

“Ian is the main villain, and he’s from the 3rd Platoon, but there’s another reason.”

“Because the 3rd Platoon is led by a non-noble veteran platoon leader.”

Usually, platoon leaders responsible for the training of platoon members were of noble descent, mainly because they emphasized etiquette as nobles.

“But Emperor Isaac Vernoy Arcana, when he ascended to the throne, broke the condition that platoon leaders must be of noble descent. He emphasized that skills and etiquette as nobles should both be priorities.”

The Empire was constantly under attack from the northern barbarians, as well as monsters, and improving the skills of the recruits was a pressing issue. The Emperor, however, found it distasteful to entrust the education of recruits to nobles with skills but lacking experience.

“So the decree was issued to have at least one platoon led by someone with exceptional skills, regardless of their background.”

As an example, the Emperor sent a knight he knew to Ark, and he took charge of the 3rd Platoon.

“How strong those guys are, Ian knew it all too well.”

If asked to list the top 10 toughest opponents he faced in the game, members of the 3rd Platoon would easily occupy several spots.

“The platoon leader who trained those guys is even more of a monster.”

Recalling memories of the original, Ian made his way to the smoking area. As he approached, he noticed a man standing alone.

“Captain….”

Despite being a commoner, he had joined the Royal Knights and single-handedly stormed the hideouts of the monsters, wiping them out.

“You’re here? Take a seat.”

Captain Kaien of the 3rd Platoon.

He looked at Ian.