When the Villain Joined the Knights to Avoid Doom Flags, but Somehow the Heroines Started Approaching Him - Chapter 29: End of the Battle

Chapter 29: End of the Battle

Crack!

A fissure ran across the ice sculpture where Yulis sat. 

The moment it splintered, Ronye’s face appeared from within, and the semi-transparent ice shattered into pieces.

“Whoa! That was close! I almost died!”

Sweat beaded on Ronye’s forehead as she leapt backward, putting some distance between herself and Yulis.

(If I get trapped in that thing another two times, I’m probably done for…!)

Being encased in a block of ice below freezing was a death sentence if she couldn’t break free. 

Inside that sealed space, there was no oxygen, and suffocation would be inevitable. 

Even if she managed to escape, the freezing temperature would have already affected her body, leaving her unable to function properly.

If Yulis had intended to immobilize her completely without holding back, just two or three more attempts would’ve been enough to render her powerless. 

And with three knights present, the outcome of that scenario wasn’t hard to imagine.

“Heheh… But hey, pain and fear are my favorite! This is what it means to really feel aliveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”

Ronye stretched her arms out dramatically. 

Then—

“You think that’ll work?”

“Mggh!?”

Crash!!!

With a thunderous crash, an ice wall that had formed at the side shattered violently. 

Ronye had tugged at something, but it hadn’t affected Yulis at all. Instead, Yulis casually extended a hand toward her mouth, lifting her slightly as if mocking her efforts.

“Beh?(Eh!?)”

“Don’t underestimate a (reincarnated) villain. I can spot a brat’s little tricks from a mile away.”

Ronye’s magic involved manipulating air. 

The attacks she had used against Celia and the others were essentially compressed blasts of air, striking like an invisible fist.

Distance didn’t matter. 

As long as she could visualize it, Ronye could send her attacks anywhere she wanted. 

However, it wasn’t completely motionless or undetectable. She still had to aim and direct her strikes—whether with her gaze or a movement. 

Meaning, as long as you paid attention to her gestures and line of sight, there wasn’t much to fear.

“Mmph… Not over yet…!”

Even while being held up, Ronye waved her arm.

The moment she did, ice walls materialized around Yulis, encasing him from all sides. 

They shattered, reformed, and shattered again—on repeat. 

Yet, no matter how many times this happened, Yulis remained untouched, without so much as a scratch.

“Why isn’t it working?!”

“Are you seriously still resisting when I’m about to give you a lecture?”

Slowly, a faint white mist began to rise from Yulis’s arm. 

It crept toward Ronye’s mouth, spreading in an instant to engulf her in an icy barrier that wrapped around her entire body. Finally, the girl stopped struggling and fell silent.

“So, what do we do with her? Got a rope or a towel? We could tie her up and make her our unwilling guest.”

Yulis turned to the battered Celia.

“I have a lot to say about a young boy casually suggesting abducting a little girl… but first, where’s the princess?”

“Oh, her? I’ve left it to my duplicate. By now, she’s probably outside the academy, clasping her hands and praying this chaos ends soon.”

In other words, even while handling this entire incident, Yulis hadn’t struggled in the slightest.

Celia, swaying as she stood back up, looked at him in astonishment.

The situation had completely shifted the moment he showed up.

Where once there had been a rampaging girl causing chaos, now all Celia could see was Ronye, squirming helplessly in Yulis’s grasp.

(Yulis Blanche…)

She had seen his strength during their sparring match before, but this was on a completely different level.

Celia couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.

And then—

“…Let go of her.”

The voice was so sudden, no one had even registered it.

It was as if the words had appeared out of nowhere, natural enough to make one doubt their own senses.

Before anyone could react, a girl with the same hair color and build as Ronye was suddenly standing right beside Yulis.

“?!”

Reacting instinctively, Yulis surrounded himself with a layer of protective ice in an instant.

But the girl was already gone.

And not just her—Ronye, who had been in his grasp just a moment ago, had disappeared as well.

In the blink of an eye, their figures reappeared on the rooftop of the building directly across from him.

“B-Big Sis…”

“…We’re leaving.”

“B-But! It’s just about to get even more exciting—”

“…We’re leaving. Three against one isn’t in our favor.”

“Muu, fineee…”

Ronye drooped her shoulders, clearly disappointed.

However, she quickly brightened up and cheerfully shouted down from the rooftop toward Yulis and the others.

“See you later! I’m sure we’ll meet again soon. And next time, I’ll crush you obstacles and go straight for the princess!”

“…Bye-bye.”

And with that, the two girls vanished from the rooftop, leaving behind a sudden, almost eerie silence in the academy.

(…Mid-bosses retreating together right away, huh?)

Yulis scratched his cheek, feeling a mix of relief and frustration at letting them escape.

Then—

“Masterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!”

“Dogufu!!!”

A full-force tackle landed squarely against Yulis’s side. 

He barely managed to stay on his feet, which was honestly an impressive feat.

He was about to grumble about the sudden assault but stopped short when he noticed Iris’s tear-filled eyes gazing up at him.

“I-I didn’t loseeeee…!”

It was probably about the fight just now.

Iris had fought alongside Celia, but they hadn’t been able to completely overpower the enemy.

That said, they hadn’t lost either, and the mission itself was a success.

Sure, it would’ve been ideal to capture the culprits and extract some information from them, but the primary objective—protecting Fia—had been accomplished. There wasn’t really anything worth crying over.

(Besides, those two were opponents even the protagonist couldn’t defeat…)

It couldn’t be helped.

Even so, Iris didn’t seem to see it that way.

She felt ashamed for troubling her master and showing such an unsightly performance, and now, she was crying because of it.

Yulis let out a soft, wry smile as he looked at Iris, who was silently shedding tears in front of him.

Reaching out gently, he patted her head and spoke kind words, as if soothing a child.

“It’s fine, really. The princess is safe, and you did great. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“I… I’ll definitely defeat them next time!”

Hopefully, there won’t be a next time.

As he comforted his maid, Yulis glanced at the scenery beyond the academy’s overly damaged wall, his thoughts momentarily drifting away.

“…Master, please pet me more. Your touch is so soothing… it makes me feel better… meow.”

“Uh, you do realize we’ve got a senior watching us, right? I’d rather not get scolded for flirting in front of others—it’s embarrassing.”

“Don’t mind me. Honestly, just let me rest for a bit… please…”

“Whoa, she’s way closer to her limit than I thought! Forget petting—I think we need a stretcher ASAP! Hurry up!!!”