I Became A Third-Rate Villain In The Hero Academy
chapter-278

Theo's companions and Croc's Paladins entered through the back door of [Ford Company].

The personnel of [Ford Company] hadn't expected outsiders to appear from the back door, so most of their fighters were gathered at the main entrance.

Head of Security Croc led the charge, commanding his people.

"Let's push through quickly!"

Theo's group and Croc's Paladins were unstoppable.

The fighters of Ford Company, who had been gathered at the front, belatedly headed towards the back door.

But by then, Theo's companions and Croc's Paladins had already taken control of the area.

It was only after losing more than a third of their troops that Thomas, the Acting Head of [Ford Company], realized the severity of the situation.

"Maitri is unreachable?"

A direct subordinate, sweating profusely, bowed his head and replied.

"Yes, Thomas. As soon as the enemies breached the back door, we repeatedly tried to contact him, but he's not responding."

"What's the current size of the enemy?"

"It's estimated to be about a hundred paladins led by Croc and about ten individuals suspected to be students from Elinia Academy armed with high-grade artifacts. There's also a Wood Elf princess who uses spirit magic involved."

Thomas tapped the side of his forehead, deep in thought.

'They've come prepared. Croc is a high-ranking Paladin with numerous military achievements. And now, there's a spirit mage with them too.'

A force that could engage in a total war even with the top-notch hero guilds.

Even with Oswald present, it would have been a difficult battle to win.

After a while, Thomas sighed deeply and asked.

"How much progress has been made in the robots' combat training compared to the target?"

"It's currently at about 30%, but... you're not considering deploying them, are you?"

"We have no choice. We haven't found a combat leader to replace Oswald yet, and Maitri isn't here either."

The subordinate spoke with a serious expression.

"But that seems like a very shortsighted decision. Even with their current level of training, we might repel the enemies, but if the robots' true nature gets leaked, the entire continent will turn against us."

A sincere piece of advice.

However, Thomas's decision remained unchanged.

"We need to survive first to plan for the future. Are you suggesting we all die here?"

"How about blowing up the base instead? It's a shame to lose all our research, but if we survive, we can start over."

It was a plausible idea, but Thomas shook his head. There was a space inside the base unknown to the subordinate who had limited access rights.

'That place must be protected from destruction.'

Inside [Ford Company], there was a space dedicated to serving the Great Demons.

Blowing up the base would naturally destroy that place too. Then, the enraged Great Demons would slaughter not only him but all living beings in the vicinity.

"We can't."

"May I ask why?"

"You'll know once we make it out alive. Prepare to deploy the robots to the battlefield."

The subordinate bit their lower lip and then nodded.

"Understood, Thomas. I'll prepare immediately."

Theo's companions and Croc's paladins advanced steadily. No more enemies approached.

"Let's take a brief rest to regroup, and then head for the main entrance."

Paladin Croc said this, swinging his blood-soaked mace up and down.

Blood dripped from the mace, soaked in the bodies of his enemies.

"Understood."

Taylor responded and looked around at the others.

He noticed Jang Woohee. She's been uneasy for a while now.

"Is something the matter, Jang Woohee?"

"It's nothing."

Jang Woohee clamped her mouth shut.

'No one who looked like Hyoyeon.'

According to Theo, her friend Hyoyeon should be somewhere in this building.

Unlike the others who focused on cutting down enemies, Jang Woohee concentrated on observing them closely.

Hyoyeon might have been turned into one of the enemy's fighters.

"That's a relief then. How are the rest of you holding up?"

Taylor asked the other students.

Even if they were prospective heroes, trained to slaughter, they were still young. They weren't accustomed to death like he was.

Eshild awkwardly lifted the corners of his mouth and said,

"Well... we trained for this at the academy, didn't we? These guys are just bad guys, right? No need to hesitate when killing bad guys. And besides, my family has been living off the money from killing people for generations. How could I, the future successor, not be okay?"

"Your voice is shaking quite a bit for that statement, Eshild. Sometimes, honestly acknowledging your true feelings can make you feel more at ease."

Eshild furrowed his brows.

"Truthfully, I feel terrible. Quite a lot. Even though they're masked, those bastards are all human too. Damn, I have no idea how my parents could kill people. My dad took his first assignment when he was 10."

Neike patted Eshild's gloomy back.

"It'll get better, Eshild! You can take a break if it's tough. We're here for you."

Eshild squinted at the ever-cheerful Neike.

"Somehow, Neike, you seem even happier than usual."

"Ah, do I? Now that I think about it, I guess I am kind of enjoying this. Maybe it's because I've been fighting since I was young."

"I have no idea what your brain is made of. Looking at you makes me feel like an idiot for being gloomy, sheesh."

At Eshild's words, Piel, Aisha, Irene, Alice, Alphs, and others nodded in agreement.

Neike scratched his head and laughed.

"Hahaha, I'm glad I could help, Eshild. Anyway, take a break if it gets tough later! You have friends by your side."

Soon after, Croc ordered another advance.

Everyone moved cautiously, anticipating possible ambushes from the enemy.

However, no enemy was in sight.

Aisha, walking in the back, said,

"Hmm, looks like they all ran away. That's good... Siena, do you see any enemies around?"

"Swoosh-swoosh says there are no humans nearby. But when is Theo coming? He said he'd finish quickly."

Then,

"Everyone, prepare for battle! Unidentified entities spotted ahead!"

Croc shouted.

All eyes turned forward.

Something in the shape of a human was approaching. There were about 300 of them, covered in black elastic fabric.

"What, what is that─ ugh!"

A paladin with a shield was pushed back.

A giant arrow was lodged in the center of the shield, shot from the direction of the human-shaped entities.

Croc, with eyes wide open, yelled,

"It's the enemy! Everyone, charge!"

The paladins followed Croc as he ran forward.

Theo's companions also quickly engaged in the battle.

Neike and Piel wielded their swords alongside the paladins, Seria cast spells.

Eshild, Jang Woohee, and Amy charged at the enemy's blind spots.

"That, that is..."

Aisha's expression hardened as she was about to draw her bow.

Aisha's trait [Sharp Vision] quickly analyzed the shape beneath the elastic fabric.

"Is there something wrong, Aisha?"

Seria, casting spells beside her, asked.

Aisha answered with a trembling voice,

"Robots. These are magic creatures imitated after humans, created by this company. The articles said they could only perform simple movements, but these movements are..."

The robots, varying in sizes, skillfully engaged the paladins.

Although one robot was weaker than a paladin, two could somehow manage to take on one.

Sentences she read in an article suddenly came to Aisha's mind.

─They follow their master's orders without emotion, executing commands as directed.

─As long as mana is supplied, they operate continuously.

─Through learning, they constantly grow.

Aisha focused on the last sentence.

'It's unbelievable. Even with learning, to match a paladin...'

Each paladin led by Croc had strength comparable to a lower-tier hero.

With that thought, more unsettling speculations arose.

'If these robots keep gaining experience... what happens then?'

Phew─

Aisha took a deep breath.

She decided to put aside her anxiety and focus on the task at hand.

'Theo must have asked us to help for a reason.'

Aisha immediately drew her bowstring.

How much time had passed?

I opened my eyes and looked around.

'Where am I?'

There was nothing around me.

Literally, a white space with absolutely nothing in it.

I had handed over my body to Nay and ended up here.

'This is a strange place.'

As I was thinking that.

Thud, thud.

A man appeared from afar. He was a figure I knew all too well, completely naked, not wearing any clothes.

"Nice to see you, other me."

It was Theo.

He continued speaking while standing in front of me.

"Or should I call you a demon?"