I Became A Third-Rate Villain In The Hero Academy

[Leading Mind] is not an opponent to take lightly.

It is the second-largest guild on the continent, and its guild master, David, is an exceptional fighter who has achieved perfect Demonization.

So, I plan to gather everyone I am close with, along with others I know like Andrew, Rok, Natasha, Eshild, and Maximin...

As many as possible.

Of course, I am not confident in persuading them one by one. There is no time for that.

That is why I am going to pull out the Holy Sword first.

Having the Holy Sword will surely make them feel the weight of my words differently.

"I need to hurry."

The headquarters of the Order is in the Holy Kingdom in the southern part of the continent, and it will take nearly two days to get there.

After organizing my thoughts, I headed to the basement of [The Hilté].

In the basement of [The Hilté], Fyat and the Practitioners were staying.

Knock, knock.

Theo knocked on the door to the basement.

Taylor greeted Theo in the same manner.

"You're here, Theo."

"Nice to see you, Taylor. What are the kids doing?"

"They're all practicing in their rooms. Ah, there's Fyat over there."

Taylor pointed to a door.

Fyat was there, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

Theo greeted her.

"Looks like you're taking a break from training."

"No, I came out hurriedly because I heard the footsteps of Theo Lyn Waldeurk."

"Thanks, but that wasn't necessary."

"When the husband arrives, regardless of what she was doing, the wife should come out. It's only natural."

There was no hesitation in Fyat's eyes.

'Are all elves like this?'

Feeling a different kind of fear from Siena, Theo spoke up.

"There's too much omitted in your title. Fyat, you are not yet my wife. And I am not yet your husband."

"It's a rehearsal for when it will soon be so. We don't want it to be awkward when we're actually married. So, are we finally setting out?"

"Yes, we're heading to the headquarters of the Order. What about the Practitioners?"

"They're training among themselves in their room. After receiving the [Alternate Body] implant, it seems they can't control the overflowing power."

Fyat pointed to a room with her eyes.

Theo headed to that room.

Knock, knock.

He knocked, but the door didn't open.

After knocking a few more times with no response, Theo opened the door and entered.

Inside, all the Practitioners were doing handstands on one arm, with dumbbells between their feet.

'Incredible body control. To perform such a difficult maneuver so comfortably.'

"Ouch... Ahhh!"

Thud!

Britney lost her balance and fell to the floor.

The rest of the Practitioners cheered and stood on their two feet.

Dwarf Billy and Limping Mike danced their way over to Britney.

"Kahaha! Last place again, Britney!"

"This time, you can't excuse it by saying your [Alternate Body] is crappy! Just accept it!"

"You crazy fucks! Aaaaah!"

Britney screamed, but Billy and Mike were relentless.

Smack! Whack!

A cannonball-like flick hit Britney's forehead.

Britney clutched her forehead and rolled around on the floor.

Regardless, Billy and Mike sang a tune and told Sara and Adrienne.

"Hey, you two, hit her too! Don't hold back!"

"Yeah, exactly. The weak won't do! We need to be strong enough to stab the high-ups in the guts!"

Theo couldn't help but snicker at the scene.

Only then did Billy and Mike greet Theo.

"Oh, Theo! When did you get here?"

"Do you want to join? The loser gets hit by everyone."

Theo shook his head.

"I'm tempted, but given the situation, I'll pass. It's time to head to the headquarters."

Billy and Mike's eyes went wide, and they cheered with their arms in the air.

"Oh? Are we finally going? I've been itching for this!"

"It's time to kick their asses!"

They squealed and ran around the room chaotically.

Theo then turned to Sara, who had approached him.

"You've adapted well to your new body."

Sara nodded and responded.

"Yeah. It's astonishing that I can wield such power without [Release]. Science is truly amazing."

Sara said this as she examined her own arms and legs.

All the Practitioners had [Alternate Bodies] implanted in their arms and legs.

Normally, [Alternate Bodies] boast superior performance to the original body, and the ones implanted in the Practitioners were overwhelmingly so.

However, performance isn't everything.

The most crucial aspect is the coordination with the original body.

Recklessly implanting [Alternate Bodies] that have a disconnect with the original body can lead to serious side effects, such as neurological damage and necrosis.

Yet, the original bodies of all the Practitioners showed excellent coordination with the overwhelmingly superior [Alternate Bodies].

When they were contaminated with demonic energy in the [Release] state, it pushed their human limits to the very end.

In terms of physical abilities, the current Practitioners were incomparable to their past selves. They were probably stronger than when they were in the [Release] state.

Theo said to Sara,

"Even though you've become stronger, try not to use [Release] unless absolutely necessary. While its effects might have grown stronger, so would the cost of using it."

"I just hope there won't be any need to use it,"

Sara replied, looking at the other Practitioners with a melancholy gaze.

Then, Taylor entered the room, announcing,

"Theo, the carriage for the trip to the Holy Kingdom is ready."

"Yes, we need to pick up the Saintess and the Guardian Knight in front of the Student Council Room before we leave. Let's all head out."

Theo left the room, followed by Fyat and the Practitioners.

The carriage carrying Theo and his group rumbled along the unpaved road towards the Holy Kingdom.

The carriage was spacious enough for the ten people aboard - five Practitioners, Fyat, Taylor, Isabella, Claire, and Theo.

Isabella, wearing a wide-brimmed white hat that covered more than half of her face, said,

"You're Taylor, right? This carriage is quite nice for something arranged so hastily."

Taylor laughed and replied,

"Hahaha, well, we're travelling with the First Saintess, after all. Riding in a shabby carriage would tarnish her reputation."

"I see,"

Isabella responded briefly, then sealed her lips and looked out the window, unable to stop reading the Practitioners's minds, despite her wishes.

─Just looking at her face, you can tell she's f*cking beautiful.

─Tch, why does the Saintess care about her looks so much? Annoying.

─What's her relationship with Theo? Does the Saintess know about the Silver Warrior?

Taylor asked Claire,

"Does the Saintess get car sick?"

"No, she doesn't. Actually, she tends to talk more in carriages... Maybe she's not feeling well today."

"Hmm, I see. Maybe we should get some tasty treats from the next village we pass through."

"The Saintess likes sandwiches."

Taylor laughed cheerfully,

"Hahaha, thank you for telling me. I'll remember that - sandwiches."

Regardless of Taylor's attempts to lighten the mood, Isabella continued to stare out the window.

And no wonder, since Taylor's inner thoughts were the most chilling.

'It's good he's friendly towards Theo.'

If Taylor's thoughts had been as crude and instinctual as those of the Practitioners, it would have been bearable.

However, Taylor's inner thoughts were on a different level altogether.

Isabella had seen many people's inner thoughts, but only the top echelons of the Order matched this degree of discrepancy between appearance and reality.

Suddenly, Isabella looked over at Theo.

Theo was sitting in a full lotus position, his eyes closed. Regardless of any noise around him, he was focused solely on himself.

Isabella stared blankly at Theo's figure.

"..."

Watching his dignified posture somehow brought her peace of mind.

A thought crossed Isabella's mind.

'Hmm... I wonder if doing that could help calm my mind...?'

Hesitantly, Isabella tried to mimic Theo's posture.

Of course, not wanting to lose the dignity of a saintess, she did not sit in a full lotus position but simply closed her eyes.

Even with her eyes closed, the thoughts of those around her continuously invaded her mind.

But Isabella firmly resisted the urge to open her eyes.

'If Theo, that bastard, is doing it... there must be a reason.'

How long had it been?

"What are you doing? It doesn't seem like you're sleeping."

Theo's voice reached her ears.

Isabella hurriedly opened her eyes.

"Ah..."

Everyone, including Theo, was looking at her strangely.