I Became A Third-Rate Villain In The Hero Academy [On Hiatus]

Chapter 247-250: On Sight (1-4)/Chapter 251-253: Song of the Ghost (1-3)

6:30 PM.

Theo arrived at a restaurant.

It was a more upscale establishment than the one where he had previously dined with his teammates, complete with private rooms.

Creak─

Upon entering a private room, he saw Amy, who had arrived earlier and was waiting.

Amy stood up and bowed her head.

"Have you arrived, young master?"

"Yes."

As Theo was about to sit down near Amy, a man entered the room following him.

"Nice to see you again, Theo, Amy. It's good to meet you like this."

Theo turned his head towards the familiar voice.

"...Branch Chief."

The man was Taylor, the Branch Chief of [The Hilté], the only Healer guild situated within Elinia Academy.

"Hahaha. Did you see something you shouldn't have? Hmm, I guess I'll sit over here."

Taylor sat down laughing, opposite Theo and Amy.

Theo was initially startled but soon composed himself, remembering his past encounters with Taylor.

'After all, it wouldn't be strange for that odd man to hold a position in Equilibrium.'

The Taylor Theo knew was exceptionally capable, raising questions about why he hadn't been more prominent in the story.

He had created an imitation panacea, and despite not being a high noble, his livelihood was suspiciously comfortable.

Moreover, his adept use of healing magic with internal mana instead of divine energy was noteworthy...

And there were other suspicious aspects about him.

"..."

A brief silence filled the private room.

Theo, seeing Amy still wide-eyed, turned to Taylor.

"So, you're the executive of Equilibrium?"

Taylor answered with a smile.

"To be precise, I'm one of the executives. There are quite a few of us since the organization has roots all over the continent."

"Have you been watching me all this time? Giving me the imitation panacea, the communication crystal, the stamina recovery..."

Taylor looked at Theo, who spoke calmly, and shrugged.

"Hahaha. Watching you? Like I said before, Theo, I just wanted to establish a good relationship with a talent who will soon make a name across the continent.

I was already in Elinia Academy even before you enrolled."

"But you knew I was a target for Equilibrium's surveillance."

"Of course, I knew. But Theo, did you know that there are over 300 surveillance targets within Elinia Academy alone?"

Taylor continued, still smiling.

"Narrowing it down to just the first-year students of the Hero Department, there are over 20 besides you, Theo. This includes Neike and Piel, who are the top two students of the year, and many others."

"Did you approach them like you did with me?"

"No? As I mentioned earlier, I was more interested in establishing a relationship with you than monitoring you. Due to my nature, I didn't find much interest in the other students. Anyway, you're the only one among all the surveillance targets who knows my true identity. Does that answer your question, Theo?"