How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain.

If you want to read it for a cheap price until the last chapter, patreon.com/Makima02

— BANG! BANG! BANG!

Christina's eyes flew open at the sound of knocking, rousing her from deep slumber. She reached out to pull back the curtain, wondering if she had overslept, but outside it was still the realm of moon and stars.

Frowning, she pulled the covers over her head. She was not pleased to have her sweet dreams disturbed.

Today, she had been dreaming that dream again. It was a marketplace. The people of light and the people of shadow were wrestling, but no one could stop them. Then, an ill-tempered horse trampled both, ending the fight.

She watched the scene and laughed with satisfaction, and the stallion approached her. It had a black mane and gray eyes. After stroking its mane a few times, she mounted the horse, bareback without saddle or stirrups.

The horse galloped towards vast plains, and she felt an infinite sense of liberation as she rode; the dream had started after her visit to the South. At first, it was just a faint recollection, but as the same dream repeated nightly, she could now feel its distinct contours.

Christina also realized that the time for her to fulfill her mission was at hand. It had been nearly ten years since she was designated the next Saintess.

The first dream of a Saintess was always a prophecy and a revelation. All the past Saintesses had experienced this, and the previous Saintess, Erich, had defeated the Tarasque shortly after having her first dream.

The enormous monster that had ravaged the northern parts of the Empire was now stuffed and preserved under the Cathedral as a testament to faith. Christina remembered how shocked she was when she first saw it. A disaster with a lizard's head, six lion paws, a turtle's shell, and a scorpion's tail.

But when Christina had asked about it before, Erich had simply replied nonchalantly. She said she had merely dreamed of catching a mischievous kitten.

If even a kitten could represent such a massive monster, then what could Christina's dream be hinting at? The people of light and shadow, and the fierce gray-eyed stallion…

The revelation was tantalizingly close yet out of reach. It only vaguely reminded her of one person.

— BANG! BANG! BANG!

When no answer came from inside, the knocking resumed. Christina could no longer resist and kicked off her blanket. She approached the door with irritated steps.

She had clearly stated several times that she wouldn't attend dawn prayers. If that chubby priest started spouting nonsense again, she was determined to give him a kick in the rear this time.

— BANG!

"…Sister Rosanna?"

"Your Holiness. It's been a while."

Contrary to Christina's expectations, a middle-aged nun in neat clothes and glasses stood at the door. Despite being at least twice or thrice Christina's age, the nun immediately gave a respectful bow upon seeing her.

The nun was also someone Christina knew well. Rosanna had been her teacher during her studies in the Holy Kingdom.

"My goodness. What are you doing in Westford?"

"I have an urgent matter to convey, so I've taken the liberty of visiting at this late hour. Please forgive my rudeness…"

"Rudeness? Not at all. Please, come in…"

Christina opened the door and gestured, but the nun shook her head and didn't move an inch. Instead, she pulled out a small rolled parchment from her bosom and handed it over.

"How could I impose further? Instead, take this…"

"…What is this?"

"It is Erich's last dream. Also, the Holy Sword has awakened from its slumber, so prepare for what's to come…"

"…Then?"

At Christina's question, Sister Rosanna silently nodded. Despite Christina's repeated invitations, Rosanna left, and instead of returning to bed, Christina lit a lamp in her room.

Among all the Saints in history, Erich was exceptionally outstanding. Her prophecies rivaled even the greatest astrologers. While occasionally puzzling dreams would emerge, once interpreted, her prophecies never failed.

And judging by the phrase 'the Holy Sword had awakened from its slumber,' Erich's last dream was undoubtedly related to the Hero.

Christina sat in a wooden chair and unrolled the parchment; there, in neat handwriting, was just a single sentence —

「The destined starlight has gone awry, so one must illuminate their own path to move forward.」

"...…..?"

Christina furrowed her brow and sank into deep contemplation until dawn broke.

    *

There was a strict order not to return until all the fiends were eliminated. With the Knights' Commander needed to protect the imperial family, a pursuit team was formed around the Vice Commander. The knights faithfully carried out their mission, and after twenty days of pursuit, they finally caught the tail of evil.

The Knights were now at the border with the East. While the Empire was vast, the ruined East occupied well over half its area. Though deep wounds had healed, the recovery of the East, let alone the forever-lost Eastern Continent, was still a distant goal.

If the fugitives had hidden in those ruins, there would have been no way to catch them. Fortunately, they barely managed to track the traces of those fleeing this village. Most died in the ensuing battle or chose death when cornered, but a few were captured.

"Hue… hu… keeek…"

In the village square, a man knelt with his hands tightly bound; a black inverted pentagram tattoo was clearly visible on his arm.

Corpses with similar tattoos were scattered around. The knights were preparing to gather the bodies and set them ablaze.

Several long needles were stuck in the man's head, and behind him, an armored knight repeatedly inserted and removed needles from various points on his skull.

Depending on where the knight placed the needles, the kneeling man's expression contorted grotesquely before relaxing again. The needles were pushed in so deep that blood and brain matter clung to them up to the eye.

"Vice Commander. We're ready."

When a needle caught on a particular spot, the Knight turned and nodded. There stood another man in plate armor emblazoned with a lion crest. He was of imposing stature, his face covered in scars. Confirming the Knight's signal, he began the interrogation.

"Speak. How did you breach the protective barrier of the Imperial Palace?"

"…Blood reversal… hic… find the one who holds the snake and the monkey… Dismember the limbs and head according to the principle of the inverted star… keek…"

Gone was his fierce resistance from earlier; the man began to divulge everything he knew.

The Vice Commander frowned upon hearing the demon worshiper's words, recalling that horrific scene. All the guardian trees had withered and died, with dismembered human remains placed around them. Along with traces of dark magic having been performed.

"What's the nature of the poison?"

"…Extracted from the last basilisk's fang… urk… mixed with monkshood… gak…"

"Basilisk…?"

The Vice Commander squeezed his eyes shut. He had hoped it wasn't so, but his ominous predictions were never wrong.

The Basilisk was a magic beast that had already been confirmed extinct decades ago. More precisely, the Empire had systematically eradicated them. All the corpses were burned and disposed of, and now only unconfirmed sightings occasionally circulated in the borderlands, accompanied by tales of all vegetation withering where the great serpent had passed.

The enemy had targeted the Princess in the Emperor's absence, but the assassination failed, leaving the Princess with only a slight cut on her arm.

However, the Princess's condition worsened day by day, and the healers were struggling to even maintain her current condition. Even holy power had no effect on the wound. This was precisely why basilisks had been exterminated.

The Vice Commander continued the interrogation, suppressing his hatred, "Why did you attack the Imperial Palace?"

"…kyeuk… the foundation stone is broken… if left as is… prophecy… evil… division… agagag…"

"Petri, are you sure you've got it right?"

The more questions he asked, the more bizarre the kneeling man's condition became. Sensing something strange, the Vice Commander asked, and the knight behind him checked the area where the needles were inserted. Then he answered in a flustered tone.

"…I'm sure."

"…who ordered you to do this?"

"Agagag… gyak… gyak…"

The man was now only groaning unpleasantly without answering. The Vice Commander gave an order to the knight behind him as if there was nothing he could do, "It seems there's a restriction spell on him. It doesn't matter if he's completely ruined. Increase the intensity."

"Yes, Sir"

The knight who received the order thrust the needle deeper and stirred the brain; tears streamed from the man's eyes, and saliva flowed from his mouth like an endless waterfall.

"Who's behind this?"

"That… ugh… high… priest…"

— Splat!

Before he could finish speaking, the man's head exploded. The Vice Commander, frowning, wiped off the blood and raised his head to give instructions to the knight in front of him.

"Petri. Bring the next one… huh?"

"A… a… a… a… a…"

The Vice Commander was momentarily speechless at the horrifying sight before him.

Petri's eyes were now empty black holes, and only a few strands that looked like nerve bundles were hanging; the two eyeballs were rolling around helplessly on the stone floor.

Looking around, the knights who were taking a break around them were now clutching their eye sockets and screaming in vain.

"What the…!?"

— Rustle!

The Vice Commander immediately drew his sword and took a stance. A sound of footsteps on fallen leaves came from behind him; and the moment he turned his body, his vision also flipped in an instant.

"Huh?"

In his eyes, he saw his own body, his neck severed; blood gushed out from the severed neck, and his uncontrolled limbs trembled severely as if he had a cold. Soon, the severed head rolled to the ground, and the floor became the sky.

The last thing he saw in his fading vision was a shadow, wearing a bronze mask and a crown of thorns.

— End of Chapter —

If you want to read it for a cheap price until the last chapter, patreon.com/Makima02