I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me chapter 61

61 – 28. Memories of That Day (1)

Heroic Academia had several hidden pieces.

Items developers intentionally concealed or set particular conditions to be met, opening up hidden paths to gain unique items. Simply put, these were items that could not be obtained through regular gameplay.

“It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s not easy to accomplish. It takes days to find them, and there are hardly any clues.”

True to the claim of being unobtainable through conventional means, even by pushing through the main story, finding a single clue seems impossible.

The same goes for sub-quests. Clues can only be found in trivial item descriptions or NPC dialogues.

“Far more dreadfully difficult than one can imagine. You have to break through these unfriendly secrets just to gain a single item.”

Let’s be honest, how many NPC characters can a game have?

Analyzing every single line from all of them to find hidden pieces is an incredibly daunting task.

“But compared to achievement items, these hidden pieces are peanuts. With time and effort, they can be found somehow.”

Playing Heroic Academia, Ian had found most of the hidden pieces and knew their locations.

Of course, there were times when he used the information of high-level players rather than relying on his own strength during the process… But isn’t it important that he found it?

However, there was still one item that Ian couldn’t obtain until the end.

“The achievement item that can be obtained from the corrupt city Broker’s event… That was its only flaw.”

It wasn’t entirely devoid of information. Ian knew how to obtain it and what its effects were.

But even until the moment he cleared the game, Ian couldn’t get his hands on that item.

Why? Was there anything special about it?

“Well… I died close to 40 times here, so that’s why,”

In order to obtain the achievement item, he needed to have a perfect understanding of the corresponding stage and play as if dominating the enemies.

For Ian, who barely managed to clear it, obtaining it was a difficult task.

Of course, if he had the determination to uncover everything about Heroic Academy, it would have been possible.

“But it wasn’t to that extent.”

Wasn’t it a game he stumbled upon while playing all the games in the academy genre and searching endlessly like a fox?

He couldn’t bring himself to play the stage that gave him countless agony once again.

That was the reason.

“So I contented myself by looking at the pictures the experts posted in the community.”

The reason Ian gave up obtaining the achievement item in the Brookes Territory.

He thought it was an unbreakable fate. It seemed like he would never get it, so he believed that finding satisfaction this way was the end of it.

“But… I never expected to see it here.”

Ian smiled as he looked at the green gem in his hand.

He knew very well what this item was.

“The Indomitable Will… It’s an item that you can only obtain by clearing a battle with the host without receiving any attacks.”

In the original, Viscount Velos injects a syringe into the host and loses his life. The enraged host then calls forth a horde of zombies that he needs to withstand for 10 minutes.

“It was an event where you had to avoid the surging zombies or somehow withstand them.”

At that time, Ian didn’t follow the conventional method.

“I used a bug. But it doesn’t mean I used any external programs.”

He happened to find a spot where the zombies’ attacks hardly reached. He stayed there.

Occasionally, he took a few hits from the zombies’ blind attacks. But there were no problems as he had prepared potions in advance to consume while withstanding them.

It was easy to clear, but unfortunately, he couldn’t obtain the achievement item.

But now things were different.

“Well… I only defeated the zombies passionately. I never got hit.”

Didn’t she avoid one-sided attacks? To worsen matters, Vanessa, who was cornered, even offered the zombies as sacrifices.

It was expected that the mission would be automatically cleared.

Ian, after pondering the matter, looked at the green bead. “As far as I know, if the bead is broken, it should give a powerful resistance passive against mental attacks.”

In reality, even in the game, just facing the zombies would result in minor debuffs, such as fear.

Holding out for 10 minutes without being attacked meant that he had overcome those minor debuffs akin to fear. Thus, it wouldn’t be strange for him to receive this kind of reward.

“Anyway, it’s a good thing. It’s not easy to obtain mental attack resistance.”

It is undoubtedly a satisfying reward.

His reason for this can be understood just by looking at the fact that black mages and shamans have been shunned in society.

“They were shunned not only because they used disgusting magic, but also because they attacked human emotions.”

Unlike the body that can be grown through training, attacking the mind is not something that can easily grow even with repeated training.

“So black mages and shamans have been shunned. There is a reason for having disgust towards their attack methods. It is fearful of killing.”

Because if they grow, they will undoubtedly wield power. As it cannot be openly prohibited, it was enough to make them abandon black magic and curses on their own.

“Of course, that would be effective for the humans who must continue living. But the demons are different.”

Can demons easily handle humans? It’s not something they can learn or avoid from the position of the demons.

That’s why most demons tended to employ at least one mental attack.

“That’s what you can defend against. And even to get a powerful resistance effect, a tremendous effort is required.”

There will be no better reward than this when facing the demons to come.

After confirming the reward, Ian looked up at those on the upper floor.

At the same time, it appeared. “Finally over.”

“…Really… You did it.”

Bianca, breathing heavily while raising the corners of her mouth, and Lord Belos, looking down with a painful body.

Ding!

[You have completed the quest!]

[You have acquired the indomitable will as a reward!]

The notification that the corrupt city of Brookes had ended.

“Bianca, sister! You’re here! I ran over here and was worried.”

“….Oh…. Yeah.”

The incident came to a close, and Bianca could once again face her colleagues.

From Noble mtl dot com

Ariel approached with a relieved expression, taking deep breaths as if thankful.

However, Bianca didn’t show much interest in Ariel.

“Sister, what’s wrong? Are you still hurt? I’m sorry… but I also had my own thoughts.”

“I’m not angry. I’m just tired.”

“Really?”

“That’s right. Can you let me be alone for a while?”

“Uh, okay.”

She distanced herself from her nonchalantly.

Not only because her heart was hurt, but also because there was no longer any feeling when she looked at Ariel, unlike before when her smile brought endless joy.

Being by Ariel’s side used to make her feel secure and less lonely.

“But things have changed now. On the contrary…”

Being with Ian and Nathalion felt more comfortable.

Although it hadn’t been long since they met, Bianca quickly realized that Ariel was different from what Ian had imagined.

“Just a few days ago, I would have considered it shameful and inappropriate to have such thoughts about Ian.”

On the other hand, Bianca felt relieved that she had finally grasped the truth.

“If I had realized a little later…”

They might have developed a deeper relationship with Ariel.

Now they were only friends who had progressed a bit further, but if she had seen Ariel’s true self after crossing certain boundaries, she wouldn’t have been able to endure it.

“Now that I think about it, my father was right about one thing.”

After the resolution of the incident, Bianca wandered through the mess that became of the mansion and headed towards her father’s former office.

Though it looked completely different from what she remembered due to the passage of time, the memories of this place remained unchanged.

As Bianca entered the room, she touched the lower part of the right wall, lost in thought.

“A lot of scolding happened here. When there were accidents, he used to tell me to come here and raise my hands.”

Unlike the clever Vanessa, Bianca had a temperamental personality.

While being generous can be seen as praise, wouldn’t it also mean being taken advantage of when seen from a different perspective?

As the representative of the Dark Sorcerer, her father knew how harsh society could be, so he couldn’t just leave Bianca alone.

“He was always like that. He had to be ruthless. You can’t have proper human relationships otherwise.”

Her father’s nagging, which she had heard countless times, had become monotonous. But Bianca didn’t dislike it.

“Now that I think about it, he said those things for my sake…”

The father who made sacrifices for his daughter even in the midst of his busy schedule.

And so she followed him readily. Despite knowing that he was busy with work, he would always come to show off how his skills in dark magic had improved.

Each time, her father would sit her on the seat beside him and give her light praise.

“…I miss him today.”

Bianca brushed away the tears that flowed unexpectedly and pulled out a photo from her pocket.

It was a picture of her father holding her younger self in his arms and smiling.

As she caressed the worn and faded photo, she opened her trembling lips.

“I’m here. Dad… it’s been a long time. Have I grown a lot? I was very young when we last met…”

Her throat was choked with tears but Bianca bravely looked at the space she had once shared with her father.

“He always sat me here and told me so many things. To meet good people. To meet someone I could rely on in society. He used to say that a person without a mask is the best person.”

Now that she was here, were there any words more important to live by in life?

At the same time, she felt ashamed. Despite all the times she had spoken, she had been with Ariel.

“But I have met someone I can rely on now. I may not practice dark magic well, but I have improved a lot compared to before, should I show you?”

Her father, who had already passed away, probably had no business here. But you never know. It might be possible, like the ghosts she had been communicating with. Her father might be watching from somewhere.

Bianca drew in the mana. It was never used because it was absolutely prohibited by the family, but there was no difficulty.

The magic she was casting allowed her to see the past by borrowing the eyes of the spirits in the space called ‘memory tracking’.

There were more difficult magics, but the reason she used this one first was simple.

“Because I might be able to see Dad.”

It was also because of the sense of relief she felt at just barely regaining the memories that she almost lost forever if she had made even the slightest mistake.

Bianca realized that enough mana had been gathered, and she cast the spell.

At the same time, her field of vision reversed.

The elegant decorations and light illuminating the ceiling were just as they were in her memory, unlike the current dimness.

It was a moment when she could get lost in the memories… but unfortunately, she couldn’t.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Ian? Why on earth are you….”

As she gazed at the man in front of her, nothing made sense to her.

Ian stared at the fallen man with a trembling voice and blood trickling from his sword.

The one lying before him was her father.

“Dad?”

Her father. The Count Marteif.

Why? Why is Ian pointing a sword at his father?

At that moment, their mouths opened.

“Please… I beg you to kill me.”

“I cannot. How can I lay a hand on Lord Mathieff?”

“I have to die. That’s the only way to save my daughter… I’m begging you like this. Please.”

Trembling, her father whispered.

“Kill me, Ian.”