Author Reincarnated as Villain
Chapter 62 : The Truth

Chapter 62: Chapter 62 : The Truth

The orbs of light finally merged and revealed the figure of Headmistress Valentina in a giant hologram-like projection.

In the sky, the enormous holographic figure of Headmistress Valentina appeared as though she had transformed into a flying giant.

However, the version of Headmistress Valentina currently addressing the public was completely different from the one who had spoken to Van and Arthur earlier.

If when with Van and Arthur, Headmistress Valentina looked like a mad, maniacal, careless, and curious woman. But now, when appearing before the public, she looked like a noblewoman—elegant and charismatic.

"Remain calm, students of the Avalon Royal Academy. What happened just now was part of an academic program and a joint project with the Avalon Royal Family.

You all surely know that our beloved Avalon Kingdom was recently attacked by a group of heinous criminals.

Therefore, the Kingdom and the Academy arranged this event for your well-being. This was done to give you experience in facing a large-scale assault.

You are the pillars of Avalon’s future, so this event is an essential learning opportunity. I hope you can grow from it.

Also, because our Academy has been destroyed, the [Summer Festival] will be postponed from next week to the week after that. During the two-week break, you are free to leave or remain at the Academy, but you must return one day before the [Summer Festival]. That is all. May the [Gods] bless you all."

As Headmistress Valentina finished her speech, her hologram shattered into light particles and vanished into the sky.

Hearing her speech, Van, Arthur, Nana, Silvie, Master Nathan, Master Aaron, and even the foolish Master Rock wore expressions of disbelief and astonishment.

’Just for experience, this crazy woman dared to destroy the Academy?! Impossible! There’s definitely more to this.’ Van thought.

Van snapped out of his thoughts and noticed that the others also had confused, surprised, and puzzled expressions.

"Alright. You may return to your dormitories to recover. We have other matters to attend to," Master Nathan said.

Without giving Van or the others a chance to respond, the Masters vanished in the blink of an eye, as if they had never been there.

’I’m starting to suspect the Masters have other plans, but I have no proof.’ Van thought.

"SILVIE! NANA!"

"VAN!"

Van, Arthur, Nana, and Silvie turned around at the familiar voices calling out to them—especially Nana and Silvie, whose expressions brightened with relief and joy.

The four turned and saw Lucas and Victor running toward them.

"Lucas! Victor!" Nana cried happily.

"I’m so glad you’re safe," Lucas said, a hint of tension in his voice.

"We had some trouble earlier, but Master Rock and Master Aaron held back," Silvie said.

"Master Rock?! Master Aaron?!" Lucas and Victor exclaimed in shock.

"What about you guys?" Nana asked, curious.

"When we escorted Master Rock for evacuation, we were attacked by a cloaked figure. His power was terrifying! He made us feel weak without even doing anything," Lucas replied, fear flashing in his eyes.

"Wait! Weak? Master Walter?!" Arthur interjected as he heard Lucas’s description.

"Yes, that cloaked figure was Master Walter. At that moment, I realized this whole incident was orchestrated by the Academy. Even the dying Master Rock we were evacuating turned out to be a puppet," Lucas said, looking both weary and frustrated.

"Those bastard Masters. I’ll make them pay when I’m stronger," Arthur muttered angrily, cursing under his breath. "Especially that blonde swordsman—I’ll leave a fresh scar on his face."

"By the way, do you know why that crazy woman would do this? She even destroyed the entire Academy," Van asked Lucas, genuinely curious.

"Crazy woman?" Lucas asked, confused.

A second later, he realized who Van meant, and his expression soured.

"I think you’re the only one brave enough to call Headmistress Valentina that," Lucas muttered with a wry smile.

"I don’t know, but whatever benefits the Avalon Kingdom offered must’ve outweighed the losses," Lucas replied.

Van simply nodded.

"[Roc Bird]!"

The [Roc Bird] emerged from Van’s shadow, and both he and Arthur climbed onto the back of the giant bird.

"In that case, I’ll be off. See you at the [Summer Festival]," said Van.

"Don’t worry, I’ll defeat you and drag you to the Headmistress’s office," Lucas replied with a thin smile.

"You’ll need a thousand years of training if you want to do that," Van responded calmly.

The [Roc Bird] flapped its wings and soared into the sky, leaving the four [Academy Committee] members coughing in the dust from its wings.

"Uhuk uhuk. That bastard... I’ll pay him back tenfold at the [Summer Festival]," Nana grumbled.

"Alright, we [Academy Committee] still have extra duties. We need to calm the other students, but first, let’s regroup with the others," Lucas said with a small smile, eyes glancing toward the direction where the six remaining [Academy Committee] members were running toward them.

- - - - -

The [Roc Bird] finally arrived at the sky of [Residential] zone. After landing, the two entered a portal and emerged into the [Residential], guarded by [The Gatekeeper], Master Randall.

Although the entire Academy was destroyed by Headmistress Valentina under the guise of "experience," fortunately, the residential areas, [Residences] and [Dormitories], were not targeted for destruction.

Once at the villa, the two cleaned their wounds, bathed, and ate lunch.

At the dining table, they devoured their food as if it were their last meal.

After half an hour, the table was covered with dirty dishes, and the [Doppelgangers] were busy carrying them to the kitchen while Van and Arthur sat silently, digesting their meals.

"So, what are we going to do for the next two weeks, Master? Stay or go back?" Arthur asked.

"We’re going back," Van answered calmly.

- - - - -

A day had passed since the Academy attack incident.

At first, the public panicked, thinking the enemy had launched a second assault, but the Avalon Royal Family quickly intervened and calmed the masses by claiming the event was merely a field practice.

The truth would eventually come out, but the Royal Family couldn’t afford to wait.

No one knew if spies from rival kingdoms or cults would take advantage of the chaos and launch a real large-scale attack on Avalon.

Ultimately, the panic was mostly among the lower and middle classes. The nobles didn’t really care about that.

As nobles, Van and Arthur were unaware of the public unrest. And even if they knew—so what? Would they panic too?

What if the [Gehenna Cult] exploited the panic to attack Avalon again? Hehehe. Let them try. Van wouldn’t hesitate to recite that forbidden spell again—the one that made even Master Rock and the others tremble.

As for Van and Arthur, two of the victims involved in the incident, they finally arrived at the Black Family mansion in the capital.

In the mansion’s courtyard, Van’s father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, and two little "monsters" stood watching as a horse-drawn carriage stopped at the gate.

Van and Arthur stepped out of the carriage and walked toward the courtyard. Van noticed proud, happy expressions on his father, mother, and grandparents’ faces—but the expressions of the two little monsters were completely different. They looked at him with fear, irritation, and hatred, as if he had slaughtered their entire family.

’Damn! That bastard got even stronger.’ thought Oliver in fear.

’Why the hell is this jerk back?!’ Olivia thought with anger.

But what really caught Van’s attention wasn’t the proud looks on his elders’ faces, or the resentment from the two small monsters—it was the bruises covering their bodies.

’Hoh, something interesting happened while I was gone?’ Van mused, slightly intrigued.

He pushed aside his curiosity and walked toward his family, with Arthur trailing behind like a bodyguard.

The two faced the Black Family, and none of them said a word, causing an awkward silence.

Sensing the tension, Van’s father tried to ease the atmosphere with a wide smile.

"Come here, my dear son. Come give your father a hug," William Black said, arms outstretched.

Van’s expression remained cold and blank, though his eyes clearly showed disgust.

Arthur’s reaction was even harsher. He looked at Van’s father with contempt, as if to say, "Your son is so cold and arrogant that even the [Gods] would kneel before him."

Van’s grandfather, grandmother, mother, and even the two little monsters wore similar expressions.

Clearing his throat, Van’s father approached him with a proud look.

"I heard what you did during the incident. Good job, son. I’m proud of you," he said, ruffling Van’s hair.

"That’s what I was supposed to do," Van replied calmly and flatly.

"HAHAHA, you’re truly my son," his father laughed.

"Hoh, so this is the child you’ve been praising so highly."

A deep, rough, and powerful voice echoed through the courtyard.

Upon hearing it, the two small monsters—Oliver and Olivia—trembled as if they were facing their worst nightmare.

Because his father was standing in front of him, Van couldn’t see the speaker, but he could confirm one thing based on the aura and pressure he felt:

’A BEAST!’