I Am a Villain, So What?

Chapter 226: Brief time of peace

There was a specific villain who should have been causing major headaches around this time in the original game’s timeline.

Leon Herman.

But I had already dealt with him. During the incident in the Aethelgard Desert ruins, Leon had betrayed his older brother, Instructor Valerius, and tried to kill Elisha and me. When he was backed into a corner, he sacrificed his own life to summon a high-ranking demon, which I subsequently blew to pieces.

"Stance! Your footing is entirely too cowardly! You cannot command the weapon if you do not stand confidently before the target!"

"Wow, that’s amazing, Princess Celestia...!"

...A loud, distracting noise pulled me from my thoughts, but let me finish my train of thought first.

Anyway, Leon was dead. Because of that, there were no major catastrophic events scheduled for a while. I finally had a brief window to actually live like an ordinary cadet at the Imperial Academy. I planned to spend this peaceful lull exclusively studying the advanced marksmanship manual I had received from the Executioner and mastering the Lumeveil Enforcer.

Even if it was just the calm before the storm, I was going to enjoy it.

I let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.

I really didn’t know what had changed in Princess Celestia. Ever since we returned from the Winterguard vacation, her attitude toward me had shifted drastically. I had a strong guess as to why. We had fought back-to-back at the frozen borders in extreme, apocalyptic conditions. And, without trying to brag, I had practically saved the fortress and everyone in it.

Even so... why was the untouchable Ice Princess suddenly pestering me so much? She was sticking around me during practical classes as if we were old childhood friends.

"You seem lost in thought, Cadet Lucien."

I turned my head. "Oh... Instructor Valerius."

Valerius, the eldest son of the Herman Earldom. The master sniper of the Academy, and... the older brother of Leon, the boy I had killed.

I had heard he recently returned to the Academy after recovering from the injuries he sustained in the desert ruins and organizing his brother’s funeral.

He stood beside me at the edge of the training field. We didn’t look directly at each other; both of us were watching Princess Celestia and Mariella at the nearby archery range.

"Yes, I suppose I am," I replied quietly.

Was it awkward? No. ’Awkward’ was too light a word. It was profoundly uncomfortable.

I had killed his brother. Worse, I had socially buried his family. The recording of Leon’s vile betrayal and his demonic summoning had spread across the continent.

Even if it was for the greater good, I thought, gripping the strap of my rifle. I had wanted the world to be thoroughly warned about the Demon Cultists infiltrating the nobles. But what I had done to Valerius and Leon was exactly the same ruthless tactic the protagonist party had done to the original Lucien Ashborne. I had spread his misdeeds to socially execute him.

I’d do it again if I had to, I reminded myself coldly. I was different from Kael and his self-righteous party. I had the absolute burden of preventing the apocalypse, not playing some childish game of heroic justice.

...But using the apocalypse as a convenient excuse to justify ruining a family felt disgusting. The fact remained: standing before Valerius, who had lost his only brother, I was the executioner.

"Um..." "Um..."

Our timing overlapped perfectly. We finally turned and met each other’s eyes.

Perhaps due to his age and experience, Instructor Valerius yielded with a faint smile. "You go first."

"Then..." I took a breath. Despite the heavy air, I had to convey the apology I hadn’t yet given. "I am sorry about your brother, Instructor. It might sound ridiculous to apologize now, after everything that happened... but I never intended to make him, or your family, a laughingstock."

The Herman Earldom had been on a relentless decline since the footage from the Aethelgard ruins was released. As a prestigious family of master archers, they wouldn’t collapse entirely, but producing a demon worshipper was a fatal, generational stain.

"Hmm. You were about to say the exact same thing I was," Valerius scratched the back of his head with a sheepish, tired smile. He looked at me, his eyes squinting against the sunlight.

"I wanted to say that you don’t need to feel sorry for me, Lucien. Rumors and the past aside... from what I’ve seen, you seem incredibly sensitive to carrying guilt."

I blinked, momentarily stunned.

"Only those who have been deeply hurt truly know pain," Valerius continued softly, looking back out at the field. "You learn to empathize with the burdens of others only after being crushed by them yourself. So, you don’t need to carry this guilt for me. We are proud Imperial nobles. Our family—and I, as his older brother—failed to stop Leon before he fell into darkness. It is only right that we make our shame known to the world and take time for deep reflection."

Valerius turned to me, offering a genuine, respectful nod. "Thank you, rather. For stopping my brother. If you hadn’t put an end to it then... who knows how far he, and his victims, would have fallen."

A heavy weight I hadn’t fully realized I was carrying lifted slightly from my chest.

"Let’s at least greet each other comfortably when we meet on campus," Valerius smiled, his usual professional demeanor returning. "Oh, and you are always welcome to join the Academy’s Shooting Club. A marksman of your caliber would be an invaluable asset to us."

"I’ll... keep the offer in mind. Thank you, Instructor."

"Lucien! Over here!"

A sharp, demanding voice cut through our conversation.

"Hehe, Princess Celestia is calling for you, Cadet Lucien," Valerius chuckled, giving me a light pat on the shoulder.

"Sigh."

Leaving Valerius, who waved lightly as he walked away, I headed toward the shooting stalls where Princess Celestia was standing.

She wasn’t alone. Elisha and Mariella were there with her. It seemed they had finally picked up on the intensely hostile atmosphere between Kael and me, because the ’Sword Saint’ was nowhere to be seen. That was a relief.

"What’s going on, Princess?" I asked, stopping a few feet away. "Did you need me for something?"

"This thing simply won’t do!" Celestia complained, holding up an object with clear frustration.

I stared at the weapon in her hands, completely bewildered.

It was a gun. A hunting rifle, structurally similar to my Winchester. But in true Imperial fashion, the wooden stock was carved from rare white ash, and the barrel was plated entirely in ostentatious, gleaming gold.

Princess Celestia... with a gun? I had never, in my wildest dreams or in the game’s lore, imagined the ultimate Ice Mage wielding a firearm.

"Why is a high-tier mage holding a rifle all of a sudden...?" I asked, genuinely baffled.

"What! Why?!" Celestia fired back, a faint blush of embarrassment coloring her pale cheeks. "Is there some Imperial law stating that I am forbidden from learning marksmanship?!"

"No, that’s not it, but—" I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Fine. Hand it here. I’ll show you."

Taking the ridiculous golden gun from her, I stepped up to the firing line. Celestia immediately stepped close to my side, watching me intently. Elisha and Mariella leaned in as well, curious about the strange weapon.

"Watch closely," I instructed, keeping my tone professional. "The principle of firing a mana-rifle is simple. Loading and shooting. It’s just the precise repetition of these two actions. First, you pull the bolt back to expose the chamber, then eject the spent casing..."

[Sixth Sense (Lv. 3) is certain that Princess Celestia’s eyes are focused entirely on your face, not the weapon!]

I paused, feeling a sudden prickle of heat on my neck. I glanced sideways. Celestia was staring directly at my profile, her ice-blue eyes unblinking.

"Princess, are you actually watching the chamber?" I asked dryly.

"O-Of course I am," she stammered, quickly snapping her gaze down to the golden barrel, the tips of her ears turning red.

"...Right. Then you insert the appropriate mana-round into the chamber. Close the bolt. That’s loading done," I continued, feeling my face tingle under her persistent, completely unsubtle gaze. "Firing is simple. After loading, you align your posture and pull the trigger. The hammer strikes the primer at the rear of the bullet, igniting the compressed mana powder inside the casing, causing a localized magical explosion that propels the slug."

I stepped into a proper shooting stance, bringing the stock flush against my shoulder.

"There are advanced concepts like barrel rifling, magical silencers, and elemental infusion, but just knowing the basics is enough for now. First, let’s focus on aiming."

I aimed at the wooden target fifty yards downrange. I aligned the rear sight, the foresight, and the bullseye. I regulated my breathing, pushing the ambient noise of the training ground out of my mind.

I squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

The sharp crack echoed loudly across the shooting range. A flash of brass and concentrated mana pierced straight through the air, punching a perfect, smoking hole dead-center in the target’s forehead.

I smoothly racked the bolt, ejecting the smoking casing into the air, and caught it before lowering the rifle.

"That’s how it’s done," I said, handing the golden rifle back to her.

"Hmm," Celestia murmured, her eyes gleaming as she took the weapon back. "I believe I get the gist of it."