I Became A Third-Rate Villain In The Hero Academy
chapter-288

Shortly after, Theo received word that his companions had arrived.

While Adrienne was drinking water, Theo spoke to her.

"They've arrived. Let's head out."

"Yeah. Just one more sip of water."

"You drink a lot of water. Is that also a habit of the Light's practitioners?"

Adrienne shook his head.

"No. Just wanted to rinse my mouth out."

Adrienne wanted to get rid of the taste of mint chocolate latte.

Creak.

Theo and Adrienne stepped out of the dormitory building.

Near a bench in front of the building were Siena, Piel, and Jang Woohee.

Tadadadak─

As soon as Siena saw Theo, she ran towards him with her arms wide open.

"Theo~ Did you come looking for me first? I'm so touched!"

Theo sidestepped Siena's charge with a quick step.

Then, he looked at the three companions and said,

"Thanks for coming, everyone. Let's depart immediately."

"Alright. But where exactly are we heading? And who is this person?"

Piel looked back and forth between Theo and Adrienne.

Theo scanned the surroundings.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone of interest around."

Not far away, numerous reporters and guild & national officials were eagerly watching.

Theo spoke up.

"We'll explain on the way. The carriage is coming."

A carriage approached from a distance.

It was the one Adrienne had arrived in.

Thunk.

The carriage came to a stop in front of them.

"I'll ensure your safe transport."

A muscular driver with a large axe on his back opened the carriage door.

The driver's unique appearance caught Piel and Jang Woohee's attention as they glanced at him and boarded the carriage.

After everyone was on board, the driver, who had returned to his seat, said,

"We'll be departing now. The destination is the headquarters. Please be aware the ride may be rough."

The carriage carrying the five of them set off.

The headquarters of the Order of Light is located in the Holy Kingdom at the center of the continent.

The Holy Kingdom is in the southern part of the continent.

Meaning, it's quite a distance from Elinia Academy, taking nearly two days to reach.

As soon as they departed, Theo introduced everyone to each other and briefly explained their destination and purpose for gathering.

Inside the rattling carriage, Adrienne said,

"Everyone rest up. We won't arrive until tomorrow evening at the earliest."

Piel narrowed her eyes and responded,

"...You're really a practitioner of the Light?"

"Yes. Is there a problem, Piel de Chalon?"

"You're not what I imagined."

"What did you imagine?"

"Someone... more reticent and dignified? That kind of image."

In Piel's eyes, Adrienne looked like an older academy student, with wavy long black hair and smoky makeup that gave her intense eyes.

Adrienne chuckled lightly.

"I'm used to it. Many citizens think that way. Ah, but don't say such things to the others."

"Why?"

"They won't leave you alone because they'll find it cute. Especially Britney, that sinister b*tch."

Piel opened her chest nonchalantly.

"I'm not someone who gets intimidated by such people."

Hearing this, Theo looked at Piel, Siena, and Jang Woohee.

'Right, don't be intimidated. That's why I brought you all along.'

Piel, Siena, Jang Woohee.

They were the craziest and strongest people he could mobilize quickly.

'All three have strong convictions.'

He didn't bring along the strongest, Neike, because he lacked conviction.

Neike is like a blank piece of paper, easily influenced by the madness of the Practitioners.

However, with these three, they would not only resist the practitioners' madness but also selectively learn what is deemed beneficial.

'Especially Piel.'

Among the Practitioners, besides Adrienne, most are of slender build.

Fighters too.

With a talent like Piel, just spending a few days together would lead to significant progress.

Her talent is ranked among the top five in the entire continent, a transcendent EX-grade genius.

While thinking this,

"Hehe, Theo. What are you thinking about so deeply? Hmm~ Don't tell me you're thinking of me~?"

Siena had somehow moved to the seat next to Theo and clung to him.

Theo muttered,

"Let go, Siena."

"Hehe, no. You disappeared so quickly last time. Like you said, I've only been training with the little ones until now. I'll make up for it all today."

Siena hugged Theo tightly.

Feeling her soft touch, Theo struggled to keep a composed expression.

So, he practiced a traditional Korean calming technique passed down through generations.

'As long as the waters of the East Sea and Mount Baekdu remain...'

Then, Nay spoke.

─Right! Ah, your calmness is finally wavering! Opportunities like this don't come often.

─...What are you talking about, Nay.

─Circulate your qi right now! Opportunities to train in such situations are rare.

─A slight mistake could lead to internal injuries.

─That's exactly why you need to do it. A true warrior must maintain calmness in any situation. Isn't there a saying like that? Keep your head cool and your heart warm.

─I think that's an inappropriate saying for this situation...

Despite saying this, Theo assumed a posture for circulating his qi, sitting cross-legged.

Nay's suggestion seemed like a good one.

'Here I am, with a woman clinging to me, and I'm adopting a posture like a monk deep in meditation.'

Adrienne shook her head at this bizarre scene.

'...Let's not try to understand him with my common sense.'

The next evening, the carriage carrying the five of them arrived at the headquarters of the Order.

The headquarters, befitting the stature of humanity's largest religion, was magnificent.

It was comparable in size to the Imperial Palace of an Empire. The headquarters compound housed everything from a recruit training center, a forge, parks, to cafes.

Instead of entering through the main gate, the carriage went to one of the many back doors.

Piel asked Adrienne,

"Uh... Where are we going now?"

"The first virtue of a practitioner is secrecy."

The carriage navigated through a maze-like arrangement of buildings.

Thunk.

The carriage stopped inside a dilapidated building. Unlike the bustling other areas, this place was deserted.

"We've arrived. It has been an honor to serve you."

The driver opened the door.

One by one, the five people got out of the carriage.

Adrienne inserted a key into the door of the rundown building and said,

"Let's go in."

The four followed her inside.

Piel's eyes widened.

"Oh... It's completely different than the outside?"

The interior was luxurious.

It boasted state-of-the-art weight training facilities that could rival those of the Hero Department's training grounds, as well as a bright relaxation area.

The bookshelves were filled with all kinds of rare documents and books.

Siena pulled a book from the shelf.

She looked down at the cover with a distant gaze.

"Hehe, I think I'll fit in well here. Seems like you folks know your stuff."

She slowly flipped through the pages of [The Rothschild Chronicles] Volume 1 she held in her hand.

Adrienne, making tea in a corner, said,

"It seems the others have gone to eat since it's dinner time. Let's go join them once they return. Anyway, who wants tea?"

Everyone raised their hand.

Adrienne laughed sinisterly.

"Okay. Everyone's having tea... Ah, but you do know it's up to the host to decide what to serve, right?"

Theo replied,

"Leave the teaspoon in the mint syrup jar, Adrienne. I'll have an iced americano."

"Chet."

Adrienne grumbled as she made the coffee.

While the five were enjoying their tea time,

"My, my, it's really Theo Lyn Waldeurk?"

A woman appeared at the door.

She was a late-teen Caucasian woman with lemon-colored blond hair.

Adrienne frowned upon seeing her.

"...To see Britney's face first thing upon returning. Bad luck."

"What are you saying~! On such a fine day."

Britney walked gracefully towards the group.

She stopped in front of Theo and meticulously examined his face from different angles.

Then, Britney exclaimed,

"My, my, you're even more handsome up close. Wow... Not a single pore in sight. Can I ask how you manage your skin?"

Theo calmly said,

"Nothing special."

He swallowed the fact that he had been maintaining his skin regularly due to the original body owner's habit.

Britney clapped her hands together.

"See, natural beauty can't be beaten~ How... Even your voice is nice. I wonder if this is what a sculpture crafted with all the might of Renimid would look like."

Britney squealed and offered Theo a handshake.

"Oh, I should introduce myself. I'm Britney. When on missions, you can call me Kaidra."

"Theo Lyn Waldeurk."

"May I call you Theo~?"

"Sure."

Theo shook Britney's hand.

Despite her noble lady-like appearance, her palms were full of calluses.

'Just like Irene's palms...'

Britney, still holding Theo's hand, shook it up and down.

"Hmm~ I know you use a sword, but your palms are really smooth. Fascinating."

"Is that so."

He kept to himself the fact that he regularly applied hand cream, a habit from the body's original owner.

After a while, Britney turned her gaze to Siena, Piel, and Jang Woohee, still clutching Theo's hand.

"Are you Theo's companions?"

"Yes."

Piel answered with one eyebrow raised, visibly irritated.

'Something about her is really... annoying.'

Piel continued,

"Did you put glue on your hand? Let go already."

Swoosh.

Britney drew the sword she had at her waist.

"Hmm~ If you can defeat me, I'll consider it. I don't listen to those weaker than me."