How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

“He... isn’t really Upperclassman Vinny?” Margaret stared at Vinny for a long moment after hearing that.

“Not Vinny? How is he not Vinny? Even if you want to defend him, at least come up with an excuse that makes sense.” Mongel’s face was still stinging from the slaps, and his anger flared even hotter.

“You really don’t know what’s good for you, do you, elf? Judging by the way you two are keeping your distance, things clearly didn’t go well between you. And you’re still defending Vinny??” Mongel glanced at the wide gap between Vinny and Shicodale, then sneered coldly.

“If that isn’t Vinny, then who is it? Don’t tell me some evil Spirit Soul sorcerer disguised himself as Vinny just to frame him. Hah! As if Vinny is worth that much trouble. With his reputation, why would anyone even need to bother?”

“If the man standing in front of us isn’t Vinny, who else could he be? Could that face possibly be wrong? Once we capture him, we can have the instructors examine him and determine whether he’s someone else in disguise,” Mongel declared with absolute confidence.

“Oh?” Vinny tilted his head, amused, and looked at Mongel as though he were an idiot. “You said you’re going to capture me?”

“Vinny, your disguise has been exposed in front of all these people. Do you really think you can keep hiding?” Mongel wore the expression of a man who had already won.

“Human, if you value that miserable life of yours, you’d better shut your mouth right now.” Shicodale could no longer stand listening. He silently wondered how anyone this stupid could possibly exist.

“Mongel, step back. You should stop talking for now. We can decide what to do once the instructors arrive,” Mason said. Even he could tell that provoking Vinny right now was obviously a terrible idea.

Granted, whether they angered him or not probably no longer mattered. But they still couldn’t contact any instructors, and they had no idea whether anyone nearby had noticed the disturbance.

“What are you afraid of, Mason? He’s alone, while there are so many of us. Don’t be scared just because he’s a second-year. So what if he’s studied at the Academy one year longer than we have? Could he possibly be stronger than Her Eminence the Saintess?” Mongel dismissed Mason’s warning.

“The fact that [Blood-Debt] chose him proves he’s been hiding an evil Spirit Soul all along. Maybe ordinary people can’t deal with something like that, but what about us? We contracted [Saint’s Envoy]. We are the Goddess’s most devout followers. Are you saying even we can’t handle it??”

“Interesting.” Vinny smiled as he studied Mongel. “Your name is Mongel, if I remember correctly. Isn’t that right?”

“You know my name?”

“Of course I do. I also know that your family was once completely insignificant within the Church. It was the Pope of the Dawn who wanted to cultivate a faction loyal only to himself, so he invented a few titles and nonexistent achievements to elevate your family to a position it never deserved. An entire nest of dirt-poor nobodies rose to prominence overnight. Isn’t that right?” Vinny said mockingly.

“You insolent bastard! You’re about to die, and you’re still stubbornly making things up! What proof do you have that my family rose through some nonexistent achievements?” Mongel reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, looking ready to jump up and claw someone’s face.

“Do you seriously think anyone will believe the words of a criminal who secretly contracted an evil Divine Armament and caused countless bloody disasters??”

“I never expected anyone to believe me. But why are you so worked up?” Vinny taunted. “Expecting a swarm of stinking maggots like you, who do nothing but pollute the air, to understand human speech was giving you far too much credit.”

“The only thing I can do is send tumors like you into eternal rest.”

“That’s what we should be saying to you, Vinny,” Mongel shot back. “Don’t get arrogant. Just because you contracted [Blood-Debt], do you honestly think you’re someone important now?”

“You only gained admission to Carillian Academy and climbed the Academy rankings through crooked tricks. What happened? Did pretending for so long finally make you delusional?”

“I’d like to play a game with you.” Vinny ignored the provocation, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

“What?”

“I’m a man who cares greatly about cleanliness, and I’m also easily moved to compassion. So here’s the deal: as long as you stop polluting the air, you can continue living. Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful game?” Vinny asked cheerfully.

“What do you mean, stop polluting the air? What are you talking about? You’re the one polluting the air!” Mongel froze for a moment before snapping angrily.

“I’ll count to three. If you stubbornly insist on continuing to breathe and pollute the air, then you’ll die,” Vinny said casually.

“Wait. What is that supposed to mean??”

“Three.”

Ignoring Mongel, Vinny raised three fingers.

“You bastard! Stop looking down on everyone!”

“Two.”

“What an idiot.” Shicodale covered his face with one hand.

“One.”

“Hah! You’re bluffing! There are so many of us here, and Her Eminence the Saintess is with us. How could you possibly—”

Before Mongel could finish, Vinny’s figure blurred like a wavering shadow.

In an instant, before anyone could even see him move, he passed Mongel and appeared behind him, still holding the pose of someone who had just swung a sword.

Mongel did not even have time to look surprised.

The flesh covering his body dissolved into liquid, unraveling into countless thin streams that were drawn into [Blood-Debt].

Ugh, he was so damn noisy. I can’t believe he was actually this weak, [Blood-Debt] remarked at just the right moment, its voice lazy.

Tastes awful, too. Completely flavorless.

“Average.”

The shadow beneath Vinny’s feet devoured Mongel’s soul and offered its own assessment along the way.

In the final moment of Mongel’s life, only one thought remained in his mind.

How was this different from what they’d told me?

Hadn’t they said Vinny only reached his position through underhanded tricks?

Yet no matter what he thought, he could no longer change reality.

Mason, Margaret, and the female students behind them stared in horror. Several of the girls nearly lost their balance. They covered their mouths and noses, looking as though they might vomit at any moment.

Mongel might not have had a likable personality, but he had still been someone they knew—a fellow student and colleague.

A living, breathing person had melted away before all their eyes in less than half a second.

That grotesque demonic sword of flesh and blood had absorbed him as nourishment.

“Mongel...” Margaret stared blankly at the scene.

“Vinny! What the hell did you just do?? After this, there’s truly no turning back for you!” Mason said through gritted teeth.

“How many times do I have to tell you? He isn’t Vinny,” Shicodale stressed again from the side.

“Everyone knows Vinny’s Spirit Soul is [Armor Fortress]. Take a good look. Does his Spirit Soul resemble [Armor Fortress] at all??”

Only after Shicodale pointed it out did Margaret and Mason finally react.

That flicker of black shadow just now—was that this Vinny’s Spirit Soul?

Or was it an ability belonging to [Blood-Debt]?

“Everyone, there’s no point discussing that.” Resting [Blood-Debt] on his shoulder, Vinny walked toward them one step at a time. “Instead, you should start thinking about how to survive a little longer in our game of cat and mouse.”

“Upperclassman Vinny... are you really Upperclassman Vinny??” Margaret demanded.

“How many times do I have to say it? I’m Vinny. The genuine article. The truest Vinny there could possibly be. Why won’t any of you believe me when the truth is right in front of your eyes?” Vinny asked with amusement.

“Stop deceiving yourselves, you idiots. This young master really did collude with an evil Divine Armament in secret. And not only have I colluded with an evil Divine Armament, I’ve also worked with Demon Pillar cultists. So what?”

“Compared to all of you, this young master is practically spotless.”

“No... that isn’t right.” Margaret clutched her head, appearing to remember something.

She had met Vinny that night.

“No. It isn’t right.”

“Oh? What exactly is wrong?”

“The Upperclassman Vinny who said, ‘Anyone can be a Saintess,’ could never be someone like you!” Margaret declared firmly.

“A Saintess?” Vinny fell silent for a moment, then threw back his head and laughed. “Hahahaha! You’re still talking about being a Saintess? Now you’re putting on the innocent little flower act and defending someone else? Stop trying to sell that image, you fraud the Church shoved into power. Do you think your own hands are clean??”

“Do not insult Her Eminence!” Mason drew his sword and stepped protectively beside Margaret.

“Sometimes, I truly wonder whether you people genuinely don’t know or are merely pretending not to,” Vinny said abruptly.

“Fine. Whether you know or not, I’ll show you.”

With that, Vinny produced a bottle of alchemical potion.

Everyone immediately tensed and assumed guarded stances.

“What are you all so wary of? There’s no need. This potion isn’t mine.” Vinny gave Margaret a meaningful look as he casually tossed the bottle up and caught it again. “When this young master dislikes someone, I simply kill them. I could never come up with something this twisted.”

“Would you like to know where this perception-altering potion came from?”

“What are you talking about??”

“Heh. I found it in the home of your fraudulent Saintess.” Ignoring Mason, Vinny continued, “Your true nature is exactly what I expected.”

“A Saintess keeping something like this in her own home? Don’t tell me it was some alchemy assignment. That excuse would be far too ridiculous. What you intended to do with it—or what you’ve already done with it—shouldn’t require an explanation from me. You know perfectly well yourself.” Vinny smiled at Margaret.

“Perception... altering?” Margaret looked utterly bewildered. “I’ve never owned anything like that.”

“Never? But I found it in your home. Do you need a hint?” Vinny lifted his chin. “The hidden compartment beneath the bedside cabinet in your room.”

“I...”

Margaret tried to continue, but an intense pain suddenly erupted inside her skull.

She clutched her head in agony.

What... what is happening??

What are these memories?

I clearly never did any of this, so why did I...?

“Your Eminence, what’s wrong??” Several female students hurried forward to support Margaret.

“Oh? So now that you’ve been exposed, you’re putting on an act? I have to admit, your performance is fairly convincing,” Vinny teased.

“A perception-altering alchemical potion?” Shicodale seemed to realize something and stared intently at the bottle in Vinny’s hand.

Aesphyra had mentioned the same thing before.

The question was not whether this impostor was framing someone.

The question was why he would bother framing anyone at all.

Why would he need to?

With his strength, no one present was his match. He could kill anyone he wanted. The only reason they were still alive was because he had not finished playing with them.

Why would someone like that need to frame anyone?

And why, of all things, did he happen to possess a potion capable of altering perception?

Vinny’s disappearance had also been connected to something like this.

At that thought, Shicodale’s gaze toward Margaret flickered with uncertainty.

“Stop trying to frame her! Do you think we’ll believe your lies??” Mason immediately retorted.

“Fine.” Vinny fell silent for a moment, then put the potion away. “I already suspected this might have been your idea in the first place, and that you were the ones who supplied her with the potion. Since you’re accomplices who have agreed to stand or fall together, naturally you’ll all cover for one another.”

“So be it. I already said I never expected you to believe the truth. Let’s not waste any more time. We can begin our game.”

“Game??”

“I’m already bored with cat and mouse, and that little hold-your-breath game from earlier wasn’t interesting either. I want to play something new.” Vinny adopted a thoughtful expression. “Let me think. What should we play?”

“Enough of your arrogance!”

Brilliant light flared along Mason’s sword as he slashed at Vinny.

[Crystal Light Blade]

Vinny remained deep in thought and did not move, as though he had not even noticed Mason casting magic at him.

Before the blade of light could reach him, the black shadow beneath his feet swallowed it with ease.

“What??” Mason stared at the scene in shock.

[Crystal Light Blade] was the highest-level light-element spell he had managed to learn so far.

Only then did the group understand that even if all of them joined forces, they would still be no match for Vinny.

One swing of his sword would be enough to kill them all.

“Ah! I’ve got it.” Vinny struck one fist into his palm and enthusiastically praised Mason. “Thanks to you. That spell you just used gave me a wonderful idea.”

“Here’s what we’ll do. The next game we play will be hide-and-seek.”

“I’ll give you three minutes to run. After that, I’ll come looking for you. If I catch every last one of you, I win. How does that sound?” Vinny revealed a cruel smile.

“All right. The game begins now. The countdown has started. You may leave.”

“What is this supposed to...?” The female students still looked completely lost, but Mason had already made up his mind.

He knew that if they continued wasting time here, they would end up just like Mongel.

He had to protect Her Eminence!

“Your Eminence, hurry!” Mason quickly called to Margaret, who was still suffering from the headache, and the female students around her.

“What are you all standing there for? Help Her Eminence move! The countdown has already begun!” Mason shouted.

“R-Right!”

The female students finally snapped out of their daze and hurried forward to support Margaret.