Episode 49: The Stage of the Decisive Battle

“Siegfried von Kreving, huh?”

Having heard the full explanation from Randolph, Ludendorf stroked his meticulously groomed beard, sinking into deep thought.

“A man specially assigned by His Majesty the King, you say… But something feels off.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

Randolph leaned forward eagerly.

“The Kreving family is merely a minor noble house from the provinces. It’s hard to believe the King would issue special orders to such a family.”

In Ludendorf’s mind, the power structure of the kingdom’s nobility was clearly mapped out. According to that map, the Kreving family wasn’t particularly close to the royal house.

However, Randolph was already aware of this fact.

“Could it be that when Siegfried took over as head of the Kreving family, they aligned themselves with the ‘Fernbrick Ducal Faction’…?”

The Duke of Fernbrick.

In other words, Joachim von Kaltsart-Fernbrick, one of the ‘Five Great Nobles’ and the kingdom’s Prime Minister.

The right-hand man of the current King Luverios. And to Ludendorf, a political rival.

“That possibility certainly exists. Joachim is an enigmatic man, after all…”

A generation ago, the nobles of the Kirchien Kingdom were divided into three factions.

The First Prince’s faction, the Second Prince’s faction, and the Third Prince’s faction.

The First Prince was charismatic, the Second Prince was brilliant. The Third Prince, on the other hand, was a plain figure with little to distinguish him.

Most believed the next king would be either the First or Second Prince. Many nobles pledged their loyalty to these two.

Ludendorf himself had been part of the First Prince’s faction.

Yet, surprisingly, it was the Third Prince—the current King Luverios—who ultimately ascended the throne.

And Joachim von Kaltsart-Fernbrick was one of the few nobles who had backed the Third Prince.

In gratitude, Luverios granted Joachim the position of Prime Minister.

Joachim, who had bet on the least likely candidate, emerged victorious. Now, King Luverios and Prime Minister Joachim were practically inseparable.

“But this Siegfried fellow… I can’t quite believe he’s connected to Joachim.”

Ludendorf’s words were based on mere intuition, but they were uncannily accurate.

In truth, Joachim himself viewed Siegfried as a dangerous figure and regarded him with intense wariness.

To Joachim, Siegfried was nothing short of a nuisance.

“Then… what does it mean?”

“It’s just a guess, but… what if Siegfried was never given any special mission by the King to begin with?”

“N-No way!?”

“All we know for certain is the fact that ‘Siegfried was enrolled in the military academy under the King’s orders.’ It could simply be that the King, on a whim, decided to place Siegfried in the academy.”

“B-But, after acting so brazenly, to think he has no backing from His Majesty…!”

To proclaim he was acting ‘for the King’s sake’ when, in reality, the King had given him no mission at all… could such a thing be possible?

To rampage freely without the King’s support and then pin the consequences on the King—if that were true, Siegfried would be a madman.

“Well, it’s merely my speculation. I’ll have my people in the capital look into it.”

The Steyart family had connections spread across every corner of the kingdom. If they were tasked with investigating, the truth would likely come to light soon enough.

“Until we receive a report from the capital, we’ll observe. Tell your subordinates among the students to hold off on any actions for now.”

“W-What…!? You mean to let Siegfried run free!?”

Randolph couldn’t help but raise his voice.

“With your authority as the academy’s headmaster, Father, a man like him could be expelled in an instant!”

“Indeed, with my power, crushing a mere student from a count’s family would be child’s play. But—I seek a certain victory. It’s crucial to nip any chance of failure in the bud.”

Ludendorf smiled—a smile honed by decades of surviving the cutthroat world of political power struggles.

“Besides, an ideal opportunity is approaching. It’s the perfect stage to settle things.”

“An opportunity…?”

“The Martial Tournament.”

The Martial Tournament… officially called the ‘Combat Skills Competition’—the grandest event at the military academy, where students showcase the skills they’ve honed.

It was set to take place in twenty days. By then, it should be clear whether Siegfried truly received a special mission from the King.

“At the Martial Tournament, the entire student body will gather. If we crush Siegfried there, it will be abundantly clear to everyone who truly rules this academy. Until then, let him roam freely and lower his guard.”

“I-I see…! As expected of you, Father!”

Lulling the enemy into complacency and then striking decisively on the grandest stage—this was the mark of a true noble’s cunning.

Randolph marveled at the brilliance of the strategy, convinced that victory was already within their grasp.

 

◆

 

“S-Siegfried-senpai… thank you so much for the other day!”

“Thank you so much!”

“R-Really… you saved us!”

As I walked down the corridor of the main school building, three first-year students called out to me. I had no recollection of their gratitude and was about to brush past them—but the first-years continued speaking.

“Um, the other day, when some third-year seniors were about to ‘discipline’ us, you stepped in and helped…”

“Oh…”

So it was those students.

These three were the ones who, the other day, were about to be beaten by third-year noble students under the guise of ‘discipline.’

I suppose by beating those noble students to a pulp, I inadvertently saved these three… but I certainly didn’t intend to help them.

“Whether you were saved or not is none of my concern.”

With that, I walked away. A moment later, I heard whispers from behind.

“Man, Siegfried-senpai’s kinda cold…”

“Idiot, that’s what makes him so cool and badass…!”

“Yeah, way better than those seniors who just spew pretty words!”

Pathetic, I muttered to myself.

Praise or insults—it’s all irrelevant to me. What a true villain needs isn’t the approval of others. It’s the resolve to embrace their own villainy, nothing more.

“Seems like you’re pretty popular.”

The one who spoke was a young man with dull blonde hair—my dorm roommate, Dominik Münter.

“Well, you’ve been beating the crap outta those high-and-mighty nobles left and right… No wonder the commoner students see you as a hero.”

The next to speak was Leon Vague, a tall, dark-skinned guy.

“A hero, huh? How absurd.”

I have no intention of becoming a hero.

A hero is, more often than not, a title bestowed upon ‘one who defeats evil’—a concept that only exists because of the presence of villains.

In other words, a hero is merely a shadow cast by the ‘villain,’ nothing but an illusion.

“Then why the hell are you going around crushing nobles?”

Leon asked.

I’ve got no obligation to explain myself to him… but he’s a potential subordinate for the future. Might as well let him in on my principles.

“I’m hunting ‘villains.’”

“‘Villains… hunting…?’”

Leon and Dominik said in unison.

“Exactly. This academy is crawling with villains.”

The arrogance of the Kirchien Kingdom’s nobles isn’t unique to the military academy. That said, in the outside world, commoners and nobles live in entirely different realms, with distinct lifestyles.

But here at the academy, despite separate dorms, nobles and commoners coexist. People who’d never cross paths otherwise are confined to this small world together.

As a result, bullying of commoner students by noble students is a frequent occurrence.

In short, this place is a breeding ground for villains.

“Though, they’re mostly small-time villains…”

Most of them are just lashing out at commoners to vent their frustrations—third-rate villains, hardly worth mentioning.

“But letting them run rampant is no fun. So I hunt villains. To make them shine.”

No matter how minor a villain, in the moment they’re brought down, they radiate a certain brilliance as a villain.

Even if it’s a faint glimmer… it’s still the unmistakable sparkle of villainy.

“…Uh, I’m not really following what you’re saying.”

“…Yeah.”

Dominik and Leon clearly didn’t grasp my philosophy.

Fine. I never expected them to understand in the first place.

“That said, my villain-hunting is on hold for now.”

“Why’s that?”

Dominik asked.

“The villains… that is, the noble students, have stopped moving. It seems Randolph ordered them to cease bullying commoner students.”

“So, what, you won…?”

There was a hint of excitement in Leon’s voice. He’s the type who’d shield commoner students from noble bullying with his own body.

The fact that I silenced the nobles through force must be satisfying for him.

But—

“No. Behind Randolph, the headmaster, Ludendorf, is pulling the strings.”

“The headmaster…? Come to think of it, he’s at the academy earlier than usual this year…”

“And, conveniently, they’re preparing the perfect stage for me.”

“A stage…?”

I gave a quiet smile, picturing the grand stage that the villainous father and son were setting up.

“The academy’s greatest event—the Martial Tournament.”

It would undoubtedly be the perfect stage for a villain to shine.