I Became A Third-Rate Villain In The Hero Academy

Moments later.

Theo, who had been closing his eyes to sense any movements outside, opened his eyes.

He spoke to Irene and Aisha.

"There's no one around."

Irene, amazed, opened her mouth.

"Wow... You know without even looking outside?"

"Yes. It's the effect of an artifact."

In reality, Theo had figured it out by manipulating his own qi, but he responded as such.

Because the knowledge about qi was something Nay insisted on being passed down only through direct lineage, Theo couldn't share it with others.

Theo grabbed the [Invisible Cloak] lying on the bed.

"Then let's get going. Everyone, come inside the cloak."

Theo wrapped the cloak around him.

Swoosh.

The upper half of Theo's body became invisible as soon as it touched the cloak.

"Wow, what a fascinating artifact. Though looking at it kind of gives me the creeps..."

Irene mumbled as she looked at Theo, whose lower half was left visibly dangling.

Theo, with the cloak over him, said,

"The cloak is on the smaller side. Come closer."

"Okay."

Irene immediately moved closer to Theo's right side.

They were so close that could feel each others breaths.

"..."

Theo flinched.

He was suddenly reminded of a few hours earlier in the café where Irene had been all over him.

Regardless, Irene, fascinated, said,

"Wow, you really can't be seen? This is useful. With this, we could be better than any assassin."

"Only the appearance can be hidden, not things like the sound of footsteps. It's a temporary measure."

"Um, I see. Still, it's quite exciting. It feels like we're playing cops and robbers, and I'm the robber!"

Irene, thrilled as if she had received a magic princess set as a gift, giggled and spun around on the spot.

Each turn made her and Theo's bodies brush against each other.

Theo said in a stiff voice,

"...Aisha, you get closer too."

Aisha, with a dazed look in her eyes and mouth agape, hastily responded,

"Oh, yes. Yes! Right away!"

Aisha hesitantly moved closer to Theo's left side.

Unlike Irene, she didn't press close, so one of her shoulders remained visible.

"...?"

Theo grabbed Aisha's delicate shoulder and pulled her close to him.

"Ah, ah?!"

Startled by the sudden physical contact, Aisha screamed without realizing it.

Theo frowned.

"Keep it down, someone might hear."

Inside the cloak, they could see each other.

However, Aisha, unable to look at Theo's face, bowed her head and murmured,

"Hi, hic! O-okay..."

"Let's start with a rehearsal. Make sure not to make any noise."

Theo crouched low, adopting a duck walk stance.

Irene immediately followed suit, and Aisha awkwardly tried to mimic Theo.

The three of them naturally ended up closer than when they were just standing.

Irene nodded.

"Aha. So we're moving like this because of the cloak's size. And here I was, unable to do any training since Monday because of someone... Well, this worked out."

Theo, hesitantly, said,

"...I apologize again for that. Anyway, let's try to synchronize our rhythm. Start with moving your left foot first."

After about ten minutes of rehearsal, Theo, Irene, and Aisha started duck walking towards the Lord's chamber.

However, Waldeurk Castle was quite expansive.

It would normally take about 5 minutes to reach the Lord's chamber with regular steps, but duck walking multiplied the time required.

Moreover, it was significantly more taxing on their stamina.

Silently, with their shoulders pressed together, the three of them kept up their duck walking, breathing low through their noses.

Sweat trickled down their cheeks and chins, but their breathing gradually became more synchronized.

Left, right. Left, right. Left, right.

They moved in unison, a perfect mirror image of each other.

Step, step. Step, step. Step, step.

Their breathing also fell into a similar rhythm.

Theo, in the middle, was acutely aware of this.

'This isn't easy.'

While he could bear the pain in his thighs, there was a more significant issue.

The continuous scent of the two women beside him started to distract him.

Especially Aisha, who had sprayed a perfume Theo favored, causing his body to lean towards her unconsciously.

Indeed.

Externally, Theo might be governed by [Twisted Noble's Dignity], but internally, he was still a vigorous 16-year-old boy.

'Till the seas dry up and the mountains wear down...'

To escape his turmoil, Theo internally sang the national anthem.

Nay, utterly oblivious to Theo's current situation, commented,

─Oh, duck walking training in the dead of night, and with companions too! Quite a romantic scene.

─Please be quiet, Nay. This is hard for me.

─What are you talking about? This level of training is less than half of what you usually do. Is it because it's the start of vacation?

It was a matter of the heart, not the body.

Suddenly, Theo thought,

'...No, wait. Isn't this also a matter of the body?'

Anyway, talking with Nay somewhat cleared his mind, making him less conscious of the two women.

While Theo continued to banter with Nay, the three of them arrived in front of the Lord's chamber.

Theo alternately looked at Irene and Aisha's faces and nodded.

"There's no one around. Just to be safe, let's seal off the sound first."

Theo cast a [Soundproof] spell through the magic cartridge.

Then he quickly got up and touched the lock of the Lord's chamber door.

The door, which only responds to direct descendants of the Waldeurk family, opened without making a sound, thanks to the magic he had set up in advance.

"Let's hurry."

Theo grabbed the wrists of the two women and immediately entered the Lord's chamber, then closed the door behind them.

The inside of the Lord's chamber was exactly as depicted in the game.

Books and ancient documents were placed in the same locations, and numerous paintings and vases were also situated where they were supposed to be.

Lord Robert had an almost suspicious level of organization, making one wonder if he was a bit of a maniac for order.

Of course, this was only relevant to Theo, not Irene and Aisha.

For them, it was their first time entering the grandiose Waldeurk Lord's chamber, and they looked around with curious eyes, marveling at the atmosphere.

Aisha murmured as she looked at a large plaque on the wall.

"Wow... It lists all the achievements of the Waldeurk Lords. Oh... The founder really was incredible, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Ryuk against corrupted dragons and demons. Oh? That looks like the Waldeurk family's artifact... I've only seen it in books, never the real thing."

Irene was amazed by the numerous books in the library.

"Indeed, like the Aslan family, the Waldeurk family has been using swords for generations. There are so many books on swordsmanship. Oh... I thought this book had been out of print for over 200 years, but it's in such good condition."

Meanwhile, Theo searched the room.

He was looking for the place where Robert's notes were kept.

'With this layout... It should be in the fourth cabinet on the left.'

Perhaps thanks to Robert's meticulousness, Theo easily deduced where the notes were kept.

Theo tried to open the cabinet, but it wouldn't budge, not equipped with a common lock.

'It doesn't have any magical or mechanical mechanisms.'

Having helped Sonya with her research over time, Theo had naturally developed an eye for mechanical devices.

As Theo pondered, Nay spoke up.

─Oh, what a pleasant surprise to see this here. And in such excellent condition too.

─What do you mean, Nay?

─The cabinet you're trying to open is an item that existed even before I was trapped in the sword. It was crafted by a master dwarf, so naturally, it won't open with mere force.

─What should I do then?

─Try holding the handle while drawing up your qi. It should open then.

─Understood.

Theo gathered his qi into his hand and grabbed the cabinet's handle.

With a creak, the cabinet that had refused to open before swung open, as if by magic.

Just as Theo had guessed, inside the cabinet were decades' worth of notes penned by Robert.

─Thank you, Nay.

─Hmph... This is nothing, merely child's play for me.

The current year is 504 of the Imperial Calendar.

Judging from Irene's comments and the appearance of Theo seen in the dreams, the significant events involving Theo must have occurred around the years 503 and early 504 of the Imperial Calendar.

The notes were well-organized and easily visible, making them not difficult to find.

Theo began to read through the notes.

『------

His eyes, which had been moving smoothly, stopped at a particular paragraph.

My son sought to reverse the method our family used to seal demons, attempting to forge a contract with a demon.

------』