I Became the Academy's Worst Villain Chapter 17: Terrified respect

The next morning, I found myself back at Training Ground Seven before dawn. Helena was already there, as expected.

But she wasn’t alone because Marcus stood beside her, looking distinctly uncomfortable in the predawn cold. He clutched a travel mug of coffee like a lifeline.

"You actually send the enchanter," Helena said approvingly.

"I said I would."

"Most people say a lot of things." She turned to Marcus. "You. Can you make combat enchantnts?"

"Uh, yes? That’s kind of my specialty." Marcus took a long drink of coffee. "What did you have in mind?"

"Weapon enhancents. Armor reinforcent. Detection wards. Anything that keeps this idiot alive in actual combat." She jerked a thumb at .

"Hey," I protested.

"You have a problem with being called an idiot?"

"Not the idiot part. The ’actual combat’ part. I’ve been in actual combat."

After all Hadeon Ravana is a nobility and he had so kind of training back at his House. So kind.

"Dueling an academy student isn’t actual combat. That’s sparring with an audience." Helena’s voice was flat. "Actual combat is when soone’s trying to kill you and there’s no referee to stop it. No rules. No rcy but the cold intensity of death. The certainty that one must die and the other must survive. And sotis, they both die."

Her words hung in the cold morning air.

"You’ve been in that kind of fight," Marcus said quietly.

"For twenty years." Helena turned back to him. "So yes, I want enchantnts that work in real combat. Not academy-approved decorative bullshit. Real, functional, life-saving enchantnts."

Marcus straightened up despite the early hour. "I can do that. Though it’ll take ti and resources."

"He has resources," Helena said, nodding at . "Don’t you?"

"Family coffers are available for important things, and this should qualifies."

"Good." Helena drew her sword. "Then let’s start with basics. Marcus, watch how Ravana moves in combat. I want you to design enchantnts that enhance his natural style."

"Wait, we’re doing this now?" Marcus asked. Taking hurried steps back.

"No ti like the present. Set up over there and take notes. Draw diagrams or whatever, do your genius thing." She turned to . "You. Warm up, do so stretching and we’ll do sa drill as yesterday."

Marcus scrambled to the side, pulling out materials from his bag. Within minutes he had a portable workspace setup, complete with asurent crystals and analysis tools.

The man was nothing if not prepared.

"Ready?" Helena asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

She attacked.

And....

.....Two hours later, I was exhausted, Marcus had three notebooks full of asurents, and Helena actually looked satisfied.

"Your movent pattern is interesting," Marcus said, reviewing his notes. "You favor evasion over blocking, using the environnt over direct confrontation, and precision over power."

"That’s called not being strong enough to block Adrian’s attacks and a way for weaker people to try and asure to the strong."

"No, it’s called having a distinct combat style." He sketched sothing quickly. "I can work with this. Give a week and I’ll have prototypes for enchanted gear that enhances your natural advantages."

"Speed?"

"Reaction ti boost, but not raw speed because that’s inefficient, if you’re fighting soone stronger then they’ll probably be faster or as fast as you anyway. But faster processing and decision-making. You’ll have more ti to think in combat."

"Perfect."

"Evasion assistance, minor spatial awareness enhancent, and terrain adaptation." He was getting excited now, talking faster. "Oh, and I can integrate so of the anti-holy disruption work into defensive layers. Won’t stop Adrian completely, but it’ll give you an edge."

Helena listened to all this with arms crossed. When Marcus finished, she nodded once. "You know your craft. Good. Ravana, you have your enchanter. Marcus, you have your project. I’ll coordinate training around the gear developnt."

"Wait," I said. "Coordinate? Does this an...."

"It ans I’m tired of wasting my talent on ungrateful nobles who think combat is a performance art." Helena’s smile was sharp. "You want soone to train your people? Fine. I’ll do it. But I’m doing it my way. Real training and real preparation with real results."

"Your way is perfect." I said.

"Damn right it is." She sheathed her sword. "We start tomorrow. Bring your inner circle or whatever. I want to assess everyone’s combat ability."

"Done."

"And Ravana?" She paused, her face going stiff and cold. "Thank you."

Before I could respond, she was walking away, back straight, moving with that predatory grace that marked true warriors.

Marcus whistled softly. "Did you just recruit Helena Crimsonfang?"

"I think I just did?" I blinked.

"Dude. She’s a legend. Like, actual legend. Do you know what she did at the Battle of...."

"I know. That’s why I wanted her."

Marcus grinned. "You’re building sothing real here, aren’t you? Not just a faction. An actual force, it’s as if you’re planning for more than Adrian."

"That’s the plan, and who knows?" I shrugged. If I could use them to survive the ss that I found myself, then what’s there not to build?

"Cool. I’m in. Obviously." He started packing up his equipnt. "Though I should ntion, the poison analysis you wanted? Damian dropped it off last night."

My attention sharpened. "And?"

"It’s Shadowbane alright, and an xtrely pure one too. Professionally synthesized. At that level." His voice dropped. "Hadeon, this stuff costs more than most people make in a year. Whoever gave this to Adrian has serious resources."

"How long to make a fake?"

"Visual and olfactory replica? Two days. Perfect chemical replica that would fool magical analysis? Impossible."

"Don’t need perfect. Just need it to look right when Damian pours it."

"That I can do." He finished packing. "Though I have to ask, why fake your death? Why not just catch the poisoner? Why not just go after Adrian?"

"If we go after Adrian, then I won’t know who else they would use the next ti. I want to catch them all from the root if possible." I replied calmly.

Marcus considered this. "That’s... actually brilliant. Terrifying, but brilliant."

"I’ll take that as a complint."

"It was ant as one. Terrified respect is still respect."