The Villian Who Broke The Story

Kael sat in his holding cell, exhausted, as the weight of every battle he had fought during the tournament finally began to settle on his body. The adrenaline that had carried him through one impossible fight after another had long since faded, leaving behind nothing but fatigue and an aching body.

The cold stone floor beneath him did little to ease his discomfort.

His wrists were restrained by thick enchanted chains that were fastened to the floor, preventing him from moving more than a short distance. The Academy clearly wasn’t taking any chances after what had happened during the finals.

Kael leaned his head against the damp stone wall behind him and let out a slow breath.

”So this is how the champion gets treated...”

He laughed weakly to himself before wincing.

”Definitely not worth the title.”

His thoughts drifted back to the final moments of the battle against Auriella.

He remembered drawing upon the Celestial Moon Style.

He remembered the overwhelming surge of power.

Then...

Nothing.

It was as if someone had ripped the remaining memories straight out of his mind.

”...What exactly happened?”

Just as he was trying to recall the missing pieces, he felt another presence inside the room.

Someone else was standing in the cell.

Kael slowly lifted his head.

His vision was still blurry from exhaustion, making it impossible to clearly make out the figure before him.

”Who are you?” he asked quietly.

”Young Master!”

A panicked voice echoed throughout the room.

Before Kael could react—

Crack!

The chains restraining both his wrists shattered into countless pieces.

He blinked in surprise.

Warm hands immediately cupped his face.

He could feel genuine worry radiating from the person touching him.

”Young Master, are you alright?” she asked anxiously.

Kael slowly focused his vision.

The blurry silhouette gradually became clear.

”Oh... is that you...”

He blinked again.

”...Wait, who are you?”

”It’s Isabella,” she answered gently.

”The Head Maid...”

Kael muttered weakly.

The tension in his body disappeared almost immediately.

Still exhausted, he leaned forward until his forehead rested against Isabella’s chest.

”And if you’re here...”

”...that means Mum must be close by.”

He pieced everything together almost instantly.

Isabella smiled softly as she stroked his hair.

”Yes.”

”Your mother sends her love.”

”The Academy is quite lucky she didn’t meet you like this.”

She reached into the pouch at her waist before pulling out a crystal bottle filled with bright emerald liquid.

”I got this.”

”I think you might need it.”

She uncorked the bottle and brought it toward Kael’s lips.

Only for him to immediately turn his head away.

”No.”

He shifted farther from the bottle with a stubborn expression.

Isabella froze.

That reaction...

She had seen it countless times before.

A nostalgic smile slowly spread across her face.

She couldn’t help but remember trying to feed the young Kael his milk when he was only a few months old.

Back then...

He had resisted just as stubbornly.

No matter how much she coaxed him...

No matter how carefully she held him...

The little boy always refused.

Some habits truly never changed.

She chuckled quietly.

”Come on, Kael.”

”Open up.”

”You are behaving like a child.”

Kael shook his head again.

”I don’t need it.”

He planted both hands on the ground, trying to stand.

”I’m perfectly fi—”

His legs immediately gave out beneath him.

He collapsed backwards before he could even finish the sentence.

Fortunately...

Isabella caught him before he hit the floor.

She simply looked down at him with an amused smile.

”So...”

”Do you still need it?” Isabella asked.

Kael remained silent for several seconds.

His pride battled fiercely against reality.

Reality won.

With obvious reluctance...

He slowly opened his mouth.

”There we go.”

Isabella smiled warmly before carefully feeding him the healing potion.

The instant the liquid entered his body—

Warmth spread through every one of his mana circuits.

The cuts covering his body began closing at a visible speed.

Bruises faded.

His aching muscles relaxed.

Even the exhaustion weighing down his limbs lessened considerably.

”The effects were... faster than expected.”

Kael blinked several times.

Within moments, he felt strong enough to stand again.

He rose steadily to his feet, rolling his shoulders as strength returned to his body.

Isabella couldn’t help smiling.

”Well, that happened faster than expected.”

”And you left my embrace rather quickly.”

”I miss it when you were a child.”

She stood gracefully behind him, folding her hands in front of her apron with the same elegance expected of the Head Maid of the Draven household.

Kael scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

”...Let’s not talk about that.”

Instead, he changed the subject.

”So...”

”How is my mother doing?”

Isabella’s expression softened at Kael’s question.

”She seems to have returned back to her mansion. Maybe she’s a bit shy of meeting you after your previous argument with her. After all, you sneaked out of the mansion to the Academy.”

Kael immediately turned toward her.

”I didn’t sneak out. It’s more like you guys let me go with how powerful you were,” Kael muttered.

A faint smile appeared on Isabella’s face.

”I guess what you are saying is true.”

She folded her hands neatly before continuing.

”But Madam Draven wanted to give you an opportunity to see the world.”

Kael remained quiet.

For someone like his mother, giving him freedom was probably far more difficult than fighting an army.

Knowing her personality...

She had likely been watching him the entire time without him ever noticing.

Isabella slowly walked closer until she stood directly before him.

”So what exactly do you know... about me? You are the closest person to Mom,” Kael asked.

She looked into his crimson eyes for several moments before answering.

”Well, from the incident that happened today, we are both sure that something happened.”

Isabella took another step.

Her voice became quieter.

”Well... you are at that age where your hormones basically control you, so I’m just wondering...”

She hesitated for only a second.

”...was it true what happened? Did you happen to sleep with Lilith...?”

Kael nearly choked.

His eyes widened dramatically.

”Mom really told her not to sleep with me?”

Isabella nodded awkwardly.

”Well, we didn’t expect her to make contact in the first place.”

She sighed.

”Well, your mom is pretty angry at you for that.”

”Me?”

Kael pointed at himself.

”I don’t even want to ask why.”

He rubbed his forehead helplessly.

Isabella smiled apologetically.

Before she could respond—

The heavy iron door slowly opened.

Its hinges echoed loudly throughout the quiet prison corridor.

”Oh, you’re here, Kael.”

A familiar voice entered alongside the newcomer.

Kael immediately recognized it.

”Xavier.”

The blindfolded instructor casually walked into the holding cell as though he owned the place.

Kael instinctively looked toward Isabella.

She was completely frozen.

Standing exactly where she had been.

Not moving.

Not blinking.

Even the expression on her face remained unchanged.

Kael looked back at Xavier.

”You paused time around her?”

”Yep.”

Xavier answered without the slightest concern.

”Didn’t really want her butting in on our conversation.”

He continued walking until only a few steps separated them.

Unlike his usual carefree attitude...

This time Xavier looked unusually serious.

He folded his arms.

”So...”

”What do you think of my offer...”

”...future Calamity?”

The title made Kael frown.

Future Calamity.

It wasn’t the first time Xavier had called him that.

Nor did it sound like a joke.

”Will you be my disciple?”

Silence filled the room.

Kael lowered his head.

If Xavier had truly been observing him from the very beginning...

Then those mysterious eyes hidden beneath the runic blindfold had probably already seen far more than Kael wanted anyone to know.

His abnormal growth.

His copied techniques.

Perhaps even the strange entity that had taken control during the finals.

Yet...

Instead of killing him...

Instead of exposing him...

Xavier was extending his hand.

Kael couldn’t understand the man’s intentions.

He stood there quietly for several long moments.

Then—

A helpless smile appeared on his face.

”Hakuna Matata it is.”

He shrugged.

”I accept.”

For the first time since entering the room...

Xavier genuinely looked confused.

”What...”

”...is Hakuna Matata?”

Kael grinned.

”If I told you...”

”...then I would have to sing it to you.”

”Do you really want to hear my singing voice?”

Xavier actually paused to think.

”Hmm...”

”Of course not.”

”Why would I want to hear your singing voice?”

He nodded seriously.

”But maybe you will sing it for me during your training.”

Kael’s smile instantly became stiff.

”If I survive...”

he murmured under his breath.

”What was that?”

Xavier asked immediately.

”Nothing.”

Kael replied without missing a beat.

The two simply stared at each other.

Neither spoke.

The strange silence lingering between master and disciple carried an odd sense of understanding, even though countless questions still remained unanswered.

Xavier gave Kael one final look before turning toward the door.

”Good.”

”I’ll come to collect you after the semester.”

Kael folded his arms.

”So that’s it?”

”You ask me to become your disciple and just leave?”

Xavier chuckled.

”What more do you want?”

”A dramatic ceremony?”

”A contract written in blood?”

Kael shrugged.

”I don’t know... maybe an explanation.”

”You’ll get one.”

”When the time is right.”

Before Kael could ask another question, Xavier simply smiled.

”Try not to get yourself possessed again before then.”

The next instant—

He vanished.

Without a ripple of mana.

Without a sound.

It was as though he had never been there in the first place.

Almost immediately, time resumed its natural flow.

Isabella blinked once.

She looked around in confusion before her gaze settled on Kael.

”...Did someone tamper with time?” she asked.

”Yeah, someone did,” Kael stated.

Her expression immediately became serious.

”So Xavier was here.”

Kael nodded.

”Well, he did have some questions about what happened in the tournament.”

He scratched the back of his head.

”But I’m still confused about who won.”

Isabella couldn’t help smiling.

”Well, it was you that won the tournament, although people didn’t really see what occurred in the tournament’s final battle.”

Kael blinked.

”I won...”

Somehow, hearing those words directly from Isabella made everything feel more real.

The endless training.

The countless simulations.

Every near-death experience.

Every impossible opponent.

It had all led to this.

He had actually become the strongest first-year student in the Academy.

Isabella paused before looking at him once more.

”Be careful with the way you use Darkness Mana Emphasization.”

Her tone was unusually firm.

”It nearly consumed you.”

Kael looked down at his hands as his thoughts began to wander.