I Enrolled as the Villain
Chapter 32: What Remains of Belief

Chapter 32: What Remains of Belief

"They’re from the recently constructed Kael Valery Ultimate Academy of Excellence and Ascension."

I froze.

What?

A beat of silence.

...They didn’t change the name?

What the heck, Evelyne?!

From the front row, I noticed someone’s

shoulders trembling.

Snrk.

A muffled laugh.

Then another.

Instructor Elsin’s gaze snapped forward, eyes cold as steel.

"...What’s so funny?"

Instant silence.

She adjusted her outfit with unnecessary precision.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted Kael, you’ll meet the four students tonight at your dormitory. Make sure they’re briefed and integrated."

I didn’t say anything. Just leaned back in my seat, hand over my face.

This week was already going to be hell.

Now I had to live with that name.

"Class dismissed."

In the original novel, the Blue Star wins the Stronghold Competition. Of course they do. Their victory was written to be perfect unbeatable, flashy, made to impress the Association.

And Arthur?

He was part of the Valkcross Regent.

But back then, in the early arcs?

He barely mattered.

He trained alone quietly. A sword without purpose waiting to awaken that thing.

Not yet.

Not here.

I glanced at my syncwatch. Boxing class. One of the few places this story hadn’t fully written yet.

I walked out without a word.

———-

After boxing class ended, Riva, Thoms, and I collapsed on the floor of the training room.

"Haah... the coach is gonna kill me," Riva groaned, lying flat on her back, arms sprawled out as she caught her breath.

I glanced at Thoms. He sat cross-legged, breathing heavily, both his hands stained pitch black just like Riva’s.

Drelvain blood.

Compared to Valery, who worship the Eye, or Valeheart, with their blood-bound Heart... the Drelvain were different. Their strength began and ended with the Hand.

And among them, there’s one hand feared above all.

The Hand of God.

One of their senior students awakened it recently.

If she masters it fully—

I’m will be in deep trouble.

I glanced at Riva. She was humming something under her breath, one boot tapping lazily to the beat.

Then there’s Thoms.

He didn’t say much just sat quietly fiddling with his synswatch, eyes hidden behind his bangs.

Riva broke the silence first, groaning as she sat up and stretched her legs out in front of her.

"Hey, Kael," she said, flicking sweat off her brow.

"you seriously think you got a shot in this Stronghold thing? Because me and Thoms we’re under Valkcross. You?"

She gave me a sideways grin.

"Sorry, buddy. Game’s game."

I leaned back on my palms, gaze unfocused.

"Don’t worry. I’ve got my own reasons."

She raised an eyebrow. "That so?"

I nodded once.

"And I’ll do what I have to. Same as you."

"...You talk like you already know how it ends," she muttered, voice quieter this time.

That got Thoms’ attention. He looked up from his watch, studying me for a moment.

Riva tilted her head, her earlier grin gone.

Now they were both looking at me not like a teammate.

Like they were trying to figure out just what the hell I was.

"Even if I see the future..."

Which, technically, I did.

But before the weight of that thought could settle—

"Kael," Riva said, her voice flat.

"We need to talk about your fan club."

I blinked. "What?"

She wiped sweat from her brow, glaring like I’d just insulted her favorite artist.

"That Valery-blood singer girl? You know, the one topping every chart with those moody cosmic breakup songs?"

I shrugged. "Not really."

"Of course you don’t," she muttered.

"Because you don’t have to listen to them every time you walk into a café, store, arena, toilet anywhere."

Thoms scrolled something on his synswatch.

"You mean Starfall Veins? It’s trending again."

Riva mock-gagged.

"’Even your silence cuts me like the blade you buried...’ Gods. Kael. Be honest. Are those lyrics about you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why would they be?"

She stared at me like I was the dumbest genius alive.

"...You’re Kael Valery. Half the empire thinks you’re a demigod reborn. And she’s one of the youngest Valery nobles with a third-tier eye and a soft spot for tragic boys with trauma."

I said nothing.

Then she threw her hands in the air.

"Of course it’s about you!"

"She never mentioned me by name," I offered weakly.

"Oh, right," Riva said.

"’He stands in silence, the Myth behind the Eye, his heart locked in winter flame...’ Totally not about you."

Even Thoms gave me a long look.

I groaned. "I didn’t even know she was Valery."

"You’re the symbol of Valery," Riva snapped.

"You’re the heir-not-heir, the bleeding myth, the martyr prince—look, I don’t care what your lore dump is, just do something."

"Like what?"

"Talk to her. Fight her. Date her. I don’t care. Just make her stop singing about you like you broke up with her"

I leaned back, sighing.

"She’s free to sing what she wants."

As Riva continued to complain, I drifted into thought again.

Even if I can see the future...

The Hand of God... can grasp it.

————

As the academy day ended, I returned to my dorm.

The moment I stepped inside the penthouse, silence greeted me the kind that echoed.

I dropped my bag, walked toward the window, and sank into the chair near the tall glass panes. Below, the lights of the academy shimmered like stars scattered on concrete.

Then, my syncwatch lit up.

"Evelyne Valery Calling"

I clicked it without hesitation.

Her face appeared calm, poised. She sat behind her polished desk, the Valery sigil etched in gold on the wall behind her like a halo.

"Kael," she said. "You know what this is about."

I exhaled. "Lucia’s recent actions."

"And the Strongholds," Evelyne added.

Her voice was smooth, but sharp.

"Azmat already briefed me," she continued.

"But I want to hear it from you."

I met her gaze through the projection unreadable, as always.

"It’s..." I hesitated.

"It’s an unresolved problem between us. Complicated."

Her eyes narrowed. "Lucia?"

I nodded. "I was teaching Arthur a sword art. She saw that. Got angry. Tried to catch up... and pushed herself too far."

A pause.

Evelyne leaned slightly forward.

"Why Valeheart?"

Her voice didn’t accuse but it didn’t soften either.

I answered honestly.

"Because Valeheart isn’t our enemy anymore. Not him."

"And you trust that?"

"No," I said.

"But I trust what he could become. He’ll be a valuable ally. One we’ll need."

Another pause. Longer this time.

Evelyne leaned back slightly, fingers tapping the armrest of her chair.

"She’s your fiancée, Kael."

Her voice wasn’t cold just quiet and Careful.

"And she’s also my friend."

I stayed silent.

"She never said it aloud," Evelyne continued.

"but I think she always hoped that one day... you’d see her again. Not as a soldier. Not as a weapon. But just as herself."

I looked away, jaw tight.

...I don’t even know who she is without the sword

"It’s not about blame," she said.

"I know Lucia can be intense. But she’s always been like that ever since she joined the estate."

A soft pause.

"She pushed herself for you. For the name. For all of us."

Then her eyes, calm and golden, focused back on mine.

"I’m not asking you to fix it. I just want you to remember she never stopped believing in you. Even now."

Her voice dropped slightly.

"If you leave that belief unanswered... it might not survive the next time she breaks."

The call went quiet for a moment.

Evelyne stayed on the line, her expression unreadable beneath the golden Valery crest etched behind her.

"...One more thing, Kael."

I met her gaze.

She tapped her pen once against her desk, then stopped.

"Given the current condition of the Velvet Eye... are you certain about entering the Stronghold Competition?"

Her voice wasn’t harsh. It wasn’t even skeptical. Just... measured.

I leaned back in my chair, watching the academy lights shimmer beyond my window.

"I’ve already made my decision."

A pause. Then she said:

"I thought you might."

There was no judgment in her tone only something colder. Like steel that had accepted it must be drawn.

Then, softer:

"Then make it mean something, Kael," she said.

"Because if you fall — if we fall — I won’t be able to protect you from what comes next."

Then she nodded once.

"I’ll handle the Elder Council. You handle the rest."

The call ended.

And I sat in silence, the faint outline of her words still echoing behind my eyes.

The call had ended. But the weight of it hadn’t.

Then came a knock. Sharp. Two beats, then Elira’s voice behind it.

"Sir Kael! Sir Kael!"

She looked winded. Half urgency, half disbelief.

"The four students from the... Kael Valery Ultimate Academy of Excellence and Ascension—or whatever that name is—have arrived. They’re waiting outside."

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Let them in."

The door slid open with a quiet hiss.

Four students stepped in.

Three walked with ease confident. Each carried a faint edge of readiness in their posture.

But the fourth—

A soft mechanical whir followed.

She was in a wheelchair.