I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

Several days had passed since my duel with Brian...

With Brian’s awakening as the Hero, I had accomplished my first objective: making him considerably stronger so that, at the very least, he would be able to protect himself if he ever found himself in a desperate situation.

The next problem was the Demons. Surely, the Demon King had sensed the Hero’s awakening the other day. He would probably send some of his subordinates to find out who had been chosen as the Hero.

But I still had some time before the Demons found Brian.

Next, my main focus was training several students at the Academy to fight those Demons in the future. Several members of the Discipline Committee had resigned after they could no longer endure the training I had given them yesterday.

I suppose that was a good thing. After all, only the Seniors and a few second-year students had left the committee. I would have to find some promising students to fill the vacant positions.

”You will learn how to project your respective Mana Natures today.”

This time, I was attending a magic class with Master Erina. In the future, she would become the Head of the Imperial Council of Mages, replacing Valeria’s father, who would be killed while fighting the Demon Prince Asmogold.

She was the one who discovered Brian and brought him into Grunbelt Academy.

”Every human being possesses only a single Mana Nature,” Master Erina explained as she taught us about elemental magic. ”Only one in a million people can wield more than one Mana Nature.”

Master Erina then glanced toward Valeria.

A Mana Nature was a person’s innate magical affinity. It determined their compatibility with a particular type of magic. For example, if a mage possessed a Fire Mana Nature, their fire magic would be considerably stronger than that of a mage who did not possess a Fire Mana Nature.

Conversely, if a mage tried to use magic outside their Mana Nature, the spells they cast would consume more mana while being considerably less effective.

Valeria de Artagnan could use every type of Mana Nature thanks to her Codex—Endless Wisdom. With that Codex, she was destined to become the greatest mage in the history of the Empire in the future.

”Try projecting your respective Mana Nature. The instructions are on page seventeen.”

After hearing Master Erina’s command, I opened my palm and tried to project my Mana Nature above it.

Not long afterward, a layer of black mist appeared above my palm.

Raul possessed a Shadow Mana Nature. This Mana Nature could enhance Raul’s Stealth and Agility.

With this Shadow Mana Nature, Raul could also manipulate shadows according to his will. However, when Raul sold his soul to a Demon in the game, he obtained a second Mana Nature—Black Flame.

”If you have discovered your respective Mana Nature, come forward and show it to me,” Master Erina said. ”I will record your Mana Nature and enter it into the Academy’s database.”

The Academy database was essentially an information card containing the abilities of its students. The Empire wanted to keep track of the magical abilities of its Knights and Mages so they could be assigned to missions that best suited their respective specialties.

I watched as Elena, the Student Council President, stepped forward to face Master Erina.

If I remembered correctly, Elena de Aragon possessed the Lightning Mana Nature. This elemental affinity enhanced the user’s speed and physical strength several times over.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The Imperial Family possessed a special type of mana because they were direct descendants of Aragon, the God of Lightning. This caused all of his descendants to inherit a Lightning Mana Nature that was far more powerful than that of ordinary mages.

The Aragon family was not the only one. Several great noble families descended from legendary figures possessed similar traits. They inherited the magic of their ancestors, the very people who had founded their respective dynasties.

.

.

.

After attending Magic class, Eric and I walked around the Academy in search of new recruits to replace the students who had left the Discipline Committee.

”Are you sure about this person?” I asked him.

”You have to trust me, Captain. He’ll be very easy to persuade if you give him what he wants,” Eric said, trying to convince me that his choice was the right one.

Eric de Andalus was a student in the elite class and the heir to Count Gerold de Andalus, a nobleman from the western region of the Empire.

Although Eric’s combat abilities were mediocre at best, his particular talents would prove quite useful to me in the future.

”All right. Let’s go see this guy.”

We then headed to Melina’s Tavern, which was located not far from the Academy. The tavern was frequently visited by students from the regular classes because its food and drinks were considerably cheaper than those sold in the Academy cafeteria.

”That’s the guy, Captain.” Eric pointed toward a man sitting at one of the tables.

His unfocused gaze, unkempt appearance—as though he had not washed himself in several days—and gloomy expression made him look more like a vagrant than an Academy student.

I stared at Eric with an expression that clearly said, Are you serious about this guy?

Understanding the meaning behind my gaze, Eric simply nodded confidently.

We then approached the gloomy-looking man.

”Joshua de Ginoa?” I called out his name.

He looked at me with eyes that resembled those of a drunkard.

”Hiccup... Yeah... I’m... Joshua... Son of... Hiccup... Blerrrhhh...”

As he introduced himself, the man suddenly vomited, dirtying the tavern floor.

Judging from his behavior, this man was completely wasted. I couldn’t help but think that way.

”Ngghh... Zzzzz.... Nghhh....”

He suddenly fell asleep.

Eric and I dragged him outside the tavern and placed his body inside a pigpen. He wore a silly grin as he slept.

*Was he dreaming about something nice?*

I grabbed a bucket of water and splashed it directly onto Joshua’s face.

”Ha...! Marina! Where are you, Marina!?” He suddenly stood up and tried to hug me with his filthy body.

Bam!

I punched him hard in the face. He clutched his nose while groaning in pain.

”Damn! That really hurt, you bastard!” he complained, glaring at me angrily.

”Are you sober now?” I asked, staring into his reddened eyes.

”Huh? Who are you? What do you want with me? And why am I in a pigpen!?”

Ugh... Now that you’re sober, you have a hundred questions? What a troublesome guy.

I pulled a gold coin from my pocket and held it directly in front of Joshua’s face. I then moved the gold coin from side to side, up and down.

Joshua’s eyes remained intensely focused on the coin in my hand.

”You want this?”

Joshua simply nodded repeatedly without taking his eyes off the gold coin.

”Join the Discipline Committee, and you can have this coin,” I said, sounding like an evil Demon offering a human being a soul-binding contract.

”I’m in! I’m in! Give it to me! Hurry!”

I then tossed the gold coin into the pigpen, right into the middle of a group of pigs that were busy eating.

Joshua immediately leaped toward the pigs to retrieve the coin.

”You see that, Captain? His dedication to a goal is truly worthy of admiration, isn’t it?” Eric remarked half-jokingly.

*No. If anything, this only demonstrates how miserable this man’s life is.*

I could only sigh at his ridiculous comment.

”Come with us, Joshua.”

That day, we successfully recruited six new students and brought them to the combat arena for an orientation.

I looked at the six students I had just picked up from the streets.

A drunkard, a playboy, a magic maniac, a troublemaker, a fallen noble, and a loser.

Rather than a Discipline Committee, they were more fittingly described as a group of criminals.

Why I only recruit gloomy people like these?

The reason was simple. Nobody wanted to join a group led by a rotten noble like Raul, who was infamous for being cruel and an absolute bastard toward everyone else.

But with backgrounds like theirs, they would be far more loyal to me than recruits with ordinary backgrounds.

”Attention!”

The six of them looked at me in confusion. They were probably wondering why I had brought them here.

”Listen to me carefully,” I said as I walked among them, looking at each of their faces in turn. ”You are losers! Your lives are meaningless, and you are nothing but stains upon your family names!”

Hearing my words, they lowered their heads in shame.

These students were those who had failed the Academy’s advancement examination. They had fallen behind and had only one more opportunity to take the examination if they did not want to be expelled by the Academy.

”But things will be different from now on. I will turn you from stray dogs into conquering hounds feared by everyone!”

I would turn the Discipline Committee into the foundation of an army—an army that would serve me both now and in the future.

And when the Demon King’s invasion finally came, this army would be the first line of defense against it.