I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 88

“Got it. Then Aike, take this.”

“What is this…?”

“You never know how things will go when you get to the site, so hold onto it tightly.”

What Ender handed Aike was a red gemstone the size of a fingernail.

“The usage is simple. Just hold it in your hand and send some magical power, and I’ll get a signal.”

In Ender’s left hand was a similarly sized blue gemstone.

When Aike sent magical power to the red gemstone as a test, the blue gemstone vibrated and lit up.

“It’s a communication device using the principle of a magical mailbox. If you each end up playing different roles on-site and find something related to Avatarara, send me a signal.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Of course, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. If this incident turns out to be something they initiated… I wouldn’t even want to imagine it.”

Magical beasts were a threat not just to the Astria Empire but all of humanity.

To control such creatures was no different from turning the entire continent into enemies.

But conversely, it meant that Avatarara was that much more dangerous.

Please let nothing happen.

With that prayer in mind, Ender climbed into a carriage separate from the students.

After arriving at the fortress, a vibration and a blue light emitted from the pocket of Ender who was heading to the frontline with the professors.

“Hm?”

According to Gile’s orders, they had split into teams, and barely twenty minutes had passed.

Could Aike have accidentally sent power to the gemstone?

“…What the…”

Ender quickly realized that wasn’t the case.

The gemstone, which should have sent a signal for 2 to 3 seconds, was now—

Wrrringgg.

It was ringing like crazy.

“Everyone, just wait for a moment.”

At Ender’s words, the professors stopped in their tracks and looked at him.

“I think I need to step away for a bit. Is that alright?”

“Uh? What do you mean?”

“I don’t have time to explain in detail.”

Even at this moment, the blue gemstone Ender possessed was ringing incessantly.

It was far too serious to be called a prank.

“…The reason you are stepping away is more important than aid at the frontline, where countless magical beasts are approaching?”

“Exactly.”

“Phew.”

Hearing that, the professors who were looking at Ender all let out a sigh.

“Understood.”

However, there was not a single person trying to stop him.

As if they believed in whatever action Ender would take.

“If it’s you, Dean, then surely there must be a reason.”

“Thank you all.”

Seeing those professors, Ender gave a slight bow before wrapping wind around his feet.

Then, like a silver flash, he began to move forward quietly.

Please.

Please let nothing happen.

Following the magical power emitted by the gemstone Aike held, Ender dashed with all his might.

The intuition that there could be no delay even for one second wrapped around his spine.

Upon arriving at the location, Ender could only doubt his own eyes.

Reina and Helen were lying unconscious on the floor.

Aike, clearly devastated, was unable to get up from his serious injuries.

Lastly, Andrew was on the ground, having crashed into a giant tree, bleeding profusely with his right arm severed.

“No, not like this…!”

Seeing that scene, Ender cursed his own judgment.

He had heard from Aike what kind of organization Avatarara was.

And he had suspected that this incident might be linked to Avatarara.

If that was the case, even if a support request had been sent, they should never have dragged the students into this.

No matter how capable the students were as immediate combat power, that decision should never have been made.

The very decision to mobilize support troops, excluding professors, was a mistake.

Of course, Ender wasn’t without his justifications.

After all, even with the existence of a Knight Order and Magic Tower, there were reasons why specialization in swordsmanship and magic existed in Arcana.

While there was also the aspect of gradually preparing them before they joined the Knight Order and Magic Tower, it also aimed to easily distinguish those who could be called upon as immediate combat power in emergencies, given that Arcana was closer to public education.

In other words, there was nothing wrong with Ender’s choice to respond to the premise of this event, which was a “sudden massive outbreak of magical beasts.”

But such justifications didn’t even cross Ender’s mind.

He was solely cursing his own blunder.

“I’m so sorry, Aike.”

A woman was rushing toward Andrew, who looked like he was having difficulty breathing.

There was a clear intent to kill in her movements, as she aimed to end Andrew’s life.

Though she looked young enough to be called a girl, it was certain that she was the culprit behind this scene and was linked to Avatarara.

Even so, no matter how much she looked like a girl…

“I’m really sorry, everyone.”

To Ender, that part was indisputably an enemy.

★

“Eh?”

Before he knew it, transparent water was enveloping his entire body.

“It’s Healing Magic. Just rest there.”

To be precise, it wasn’t just him.

Looking around, the same magic was cast on Reina, Helen, and Andrew as well.

Yet, breathing was completely unimpeded, and he felt no discomfort whatsoever.

Instead, a cool sensation began to alleviate his pain.

“Hmm.”

Es, who had attempted to kill Andrew, immediately retreated the moment her attack was blocked by Ender and stood still without taking any further action.

“…I never expected to ensnare such a big fish.”

Yet Es’s smiling expression showed no signs of changing.

As if she were enjoying the situation.

“You. You’re Ender Arcana, right?”

“If so, are you affiliated with Avatarara?”

“Pfft!”

Hearing Ender Dean’s words, Es burst out laughing unexpectedly.

Then she removed the gloves she had been wearing and showed the back of her hand to Ender.

“That’s right. You got it right.”

On the back of her hand was the emblem of Avatarara.

The pattern of a serpent choking to death a lion.

“I’m Es Cruel, affiliated with Avatarara. Pleased to meet you.”

As soon as she finished that sentence—

“Then I’ll be going?”

The battle resumed.

Ender Dean gathered us all in one place and cast Healing Magic and Protection Magic simultaneously.

The other three had all lost consciousness, but…

“Really.”

The fight between Ender and Es was fierce, with neither side giving an inch.

Ender Dean hurled a storm of attacks, combining various spells with ease while avoiding Es’s sharp strikes aimed at exploiting any openings.

It was a battle where I had no chance of getting involved with my current skills.

“Seriously, that’s impressive.”

I knew it wasn’t the time to say such things, yet admiration slipped out naturally.

Ender Arcana, the Dean of Arcana.

In the original story, he played the role of a supporter for Leon and Sophia, with no active scenes.

However, in the settings revealed by the author after the conclusion, it was disclosed that Dean was a competent fighter capable of having a good match against Rex.

It remained a mystery why such a capable character ended up merely as a supporting role in the story, but that was not my concern.

The reason I sought the support of Dean was due to the situational shift towards an alternate future, where a confrontation with Avatarara would likely be even more demanding; I needed a reliable force.

In that situation, Dean was the strongest ally I could rely on based on my knowledge.

“The maximum number of consecutive moves is three. The maximum distance is 15m. Required rest time is 11 seconds.”

“How do you know to block that? It doesn’t seem like Aike taught you.”

Ender Dean’s initial surprise at Es’s attack using Teleportation was just that—initial surprise.

After withstanding a few attacks, he adapted perfectly, not allowing a single opportunity for Es.

“If you encounter an incomprehensible situation, understanding that situation as incomprehensible is the foundation of magic. If we assume that you’re controlling these magical beasts, then teleportation by a human isn’t anything extraordinary.”

“Pfft! What’s that? Nonsense.”

To be honest, I could understand Es’s reasoning, though it stemmed from different motivations.

The reason knights had an advantage over mages in combat was simply that mages’ attacks required a warm-up time.

To my knowledge, there were no exceptions.

The only way to compensate for such weaknesses was one.

It was like the strategy Reina had shown last year—using weak magic to keep the opponent in check and then exploiting their openings.

However, even that wasn’t foolproof.

The very act of approaching the opponent to exploit openings was already disadvantageous for mages, and having weak offensive power meant it was difficult to deal significant damage to the other party.

Wasn’t that why Reina ultimately lost against me last year?

So what was this situation now?

“Are you really a mage?”

“Since I was once the master of the Magic Tower, I guess I can say I was a mage. Though now I’m the Dean of Arcana.”

“You’re too different from the mages I know.”

Ice rained from the sky, lava erupted from the ground, and blades of wind swept through the surroundings.

Attacks that resembled natural disasters.

Most of them were Silent Castings, and only occasionally did she chant the names of the spells.

Es, who was desperately dodging those attacks to try and exploit openings, found Ender immediately twisting the flow of magical power to enhance his body and counterattack smoothly.

His method was entirely opposite in style compared to Leon, who fought after enhancing his physical prowess and only resorted to magic in critical moments.

While it somewhat mirrored Reina’s style of chiseling away at the enemy with weak magic while slipping through openings, it was executed to perfection—unlike the two, who were still inexperienced.

Seeing this scene clarified why Ender Dean couldn’t shine in the original story.

Had he stepped onto the battlefield, Avatarara would have fallen far too easily.

“Hmph!”

As Es approached Ender and pushed her palm forward, Ender swiftly dodged the attack and retaliated in kind.

It was a perfect counter.

Yet Es immediately retreated using teleportation.

“I don’t think this will be decided.”

“Well, I think it’s about determined, to some extent.”

Indeed, unlike the calm Ender at the start, Es was starting to breathe more heavily.

Acknowledging that fact, Es shrugged and nodded with a smirk.

“Yeah. Honestly, I don’t have the confidence to win. If it goes on like this, I’m 100% going to lose. You’re quite different from that guy.”

“…What do you mean?”

“That guy, you know? The Former Saintess. Her name was Elena or Selena, right?”

Hold on a second.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just as I said.”

The corners of Es’s mouth didn’t even twitch downward.

“I’m the one who killed the Former Saintess.”