Hero Regresses with Villain System-Chapter 39: Meeting the Headmaster
The headmaster looked over the survivors, his expression completely unreadable. Adam had watched plenty of movies with drill sergeants, but when he saw the man in front of him those sergeants almost seemed like the nicest and most easy-going people of all time.
He didn’t entirely hate this as he knew a tight regime would be necessary for them to become stronger. What made him more uncomfortable was the immense aura he emitted.
Unlike Varek, who he had easily shrugged off despite everyone else being flattened, the headmaster was on an entirely different level. It almost felt like he was facing hurricane winds at the same time as a magnitude 10 earthquake, all while a meteor was pressing on him.
After a few eternal seconds, the headmaster paused his silent staring to say, "I see you’ve survived this recent... unapproved escapade."
Although his gaze never left the students, it was clear who he was directly referencing.
Aria.
Pursing her lips as she prepared for the upcoming scolding, Aria made sure to keep her head held high. If everything else failed, she at least wanted to look strong in the face of punishment.
"But not all of you," The headmaster continued, noting the instantly darkened expressions of most of them.
For the first time, the slightest hint of a smile crept on his face as he noticed 2 people maintaining their gaze, showing no signs of grief. Adam and Varek.
His new ultimate soldier and his old one.
Both testaments to everything the Vanguards tried to be: a strong, insurmountable wall between humanity and extinction. Out of all the other inheritors before him, he knew these 2 were the real deal.
Just like Aria was supposed to be.
"Aria, " he began, his voice low and deliberate. The trio tensed up, expecting him to chastise her. Varek was emotionless, seemingly already knowing what was going to happen.
With great intrigue, Adam watched silently as the headmaster continued.
"You’ve been under my wing for far too long to act like this. I’ve done my best to ignore your antics, I really have. But this recent failure of yours is too much."
As the trio shuffled their feet anxiously in preparation to defend their teacher, Adam watched the headmaster closely. The way he was talking, it was clear that he wanted the students to believe he was talking about Thea.
However, at the same time, neither he nor Aria ever saw Set. After his Mech stat was raised, Adam had unlocked some kind of spatial storage where his Mechas could be stored. The poor football was probably alone right now, but it was for the best.
Adam wasn’t entirely sure he could trust this group. Not after Varek.
Right now, the headmasters face was unreadable though. It was impossible for Adam to tell whether he was berating her for getting Thea killed or simply failing to retrieve the artifact.
Maybe it was a bit of both. He could be mad that one of their soldiers had to die and yet they didn’t even finish the task.
Adam’s musing was interrupted by Aria lowering her head, respect emanating from her nearly 90 degree bow. Rising from the bow, she looked at the headmaster before saying, "I understand."
The 2 stared at each other for a second, both seemingly knowing exactly what needed to happen.
"I-if I may speak, sir." A low, timid voice interrupted them, surprising everyone. It was Evan—a shadow who was apparently growing more and more confident by the day.
Turning to the student who spoke out of turn, the headmaster lifted an eye as he said, "Well?"
For a few seconds, Evan stumbled through false starts. It was evident he hadn’t expected to get thus far, especially not so easily.
However, once he got his mind straight his words were clear and articulate. "I- if it wasn’t for her, none of us would’ve survived," he began before recounting the kaiju that killed Thea and then the Kaiju that stopped even Varek in his tracks.
The headmaster listened to his explanation carefully, without allowing any bias to interfere with his judgements. After Evan was finished, he turned to Aria and asked, "Is this true?"
"Y-yes," She began before swallowing and steeling her resolve. "Everything he said was true. However, it was my fault we got into that situation in the first place. I had overestimated them and my own abilities to lead, resulting in—"
The headmaster raised a hand, promptly making her quiet. There was no reason for him to speak, because his desires were not suggestions. They were requirements that he had earned the right to ask for.
"So you did put your life on the line in order to protect these inheritors?"
"Yes."
"And then because of that, Varek has gotten noticeably stronger."
Silent murmurs of affirmation rang throughout the room, as it was very evident. Whatever had happened between him and the Mother, he had undeniably grown much stronger.
"Additionally, this new kid Adam—"
’Huh?’ Adam thought as it felt like the temperature of the room suddenly plummeted.
"Not only has he acquired wrath, one of the 7 deadly sins, but he’s also acquired a very powerful artifact. One of the original Mechas, Set."
That was correct, but... how did he know?
All of a sudden, Adam felt like a caged predator. He knew he had sharp fangs and claws, but they were useless. The people around him knew too much and were far too dangerous...
He could tell that the headmaster was entirely reserved right now. There wasn’t even a single part of him that was trying to exude aura.
And yet...
It made Varek’s feel like nothing. It was like a nuke standing next to an extinction level meteor. Where it didn’t even feel like an ultimate power could do anything next to it.
Smiling at Adam, he shrugged before saying, "Don’t worry too much. You earned both of them. I’m not going to take them away from you. However... you are an Inheritor. That means you fight for us."
