Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!-Chapter 56 -: 55 Stop the trial.[1]

One day before the student council president election...

In the club building of the Royal Arcane Academy.

"Leader," Kagano said, stepping forward. He held out a folded paper with steady hands.

Iagano reached up without looking away from his desk. He took the paper and skimmed it quickly.

"Are all the preparations for the summoning finished?" he asked, already grabbing a pen.

He started writing fast on another sheet.

Kagano nodded firmly. "Yes, Leader. Everything’s ready. I’ve gathered all the materials we’ll need for the ritual."

"Good job!" Iagano said with a quick smile. He finished writing and held out the new paper.

"Here. Don’t get our core members involved in the incident. Send only the human followers we’ve recruited." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Kagano took the list and scanned the names. He let out a long, tired sigh.

"Leader... are you really sure about Julius?" His voice dripped with doubt.

"He acts like a total simp around the whole academy. And he never shows up to our meetings. I sent the confirmation letter to verify his identity, but nothing’s come back yet."

He frowned, brows knotted tight. "I still feel uneasy dragging us into something this risky."

Iagano leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh too. He met Kagano’s worried eyes.

"I know he seems suspicious," Iagano admitted.

"But everything Julius has said and done lines up perfectly. Even his goal, stealing the Divination Board, matches exactly what he claimed about serving the Great Sanachi."

He paused, voice dropping lower.

"You’ve heard how terrifying the Great Sanachi is. Sure, his combat power is insane... but what people fear most is his divination ability."

"He can see the future, twist fate itself. Julius asking for that board? It makes his claim about being Sanachi’s true disciple feel way too real."

Iagano took a deep breath, then continued coldly.

"Still... we can’t drop our guard. Send only the trained humans, no one important. And once the mission ends..."

His eyes turned cold. "Kill them all. Clean up the loose ends."

Kagano swallowed, but he didn’t argue. He folded the paper carefully and tucked it away.

"I will do as you say, Leader," Kagano said with a small bow.

He turned, opened the door with a soft creak, stepped out, and closed it behind him with a solid thud.

After Kagano left, the room fell quiet.

Iagano let out a long, tired sigh. He rubbed his forehead.

"What am I missing...?" he muttered to himself.

"Julius seems so convincing... but something still feels off. Why can’t I shake this bad feeling?"

His face twisted into a deep frown.

"Is he really the disciple of the Great Sanachi? Or is he playing us all?"

He stared at the flickering candle on the table.

"Who exactly are you, Julius...?"

...

...

Meanwhile, far away in the Holy Empire...

The whole country was buzzing with excitement!

People from every corner of the empire were rushing to the capital city, Solmire.

The streets were packed, music played everywhere, and colorful flags waved in the warm breeze.

Solmire was the holiest city in the empire. Even though it was huge, it felt clean, bright, and full of pride.

The city had three main parts:

First was the "Cathedral Ward of Benigore"

The smallest area, but the most special.

Everything here was pure white, buildings, statues, even the flowers.

A calm, holy feeling filled the air the moment you stepped inside.

Second was the "Coinward." The busy, fun part! Inns, restaurants, big markets, street performers, shops selling shiny jewelry and tasty snacks, everything!

This was where most of the crowds gathered, laughing, eating, and shopping.

Third was "The Sanctuary." The biggest part, where almost everyone lived.

Rows and rows of neat two-story houses.

On every single roof sat a small, beautiful statue of Goddess Benigore, watching over the families below.

All the roads connecting these three areas were jammed with happy people, mostly in Coinward, of course!

Tomorrow was the big day: "the Saint Trial".

After 500 long years without a true saint, everyone was praying hard.

"I hope this time we finally get one!"

"Oh, merciful Goddess Benigore, please give humanity hope! Let the candidate pass the trial!"

"Please, please, send us a saint!"

Voices rose in prayer from every corner of the city.

Kids held their parents’ hands, old people bowed their heads, and even the street vendors whispered quiet wishes between selling goods.

Meanwhile,

In a quiet, booked room at the Coinward inn, six men sat around a heavy wooden table.

There weren’t many of them, just six, but the air felt thick and hard to breathe.

Each one gave off a strong, dangerous aura that made the candles flicker nervously.

A man in a sharp black suit stood up. He looked neat and tidy... except for his face.

Something about it was slightly twisted and wrong, like a picture hung a little crooked.

This was "The Guillotine", leader of the secret group called Guillotine from Shakehammer City.

"Everyone," he said in a calm, low voice. He looked straight at the five other men.

To his right sat two brothers who looked almost exactly the same, except one had snow-white hair and the other jet-black.

They were "Ron" (the older one) and "Kon" (the younger one), better known as the "Deadly Twins", leaders of the Sky Reaching Hand organization.

The Guillotine’s eyes moved to his left.

There sat a huge, muscular man covered in old battle scars.

His name was "Zalanara", leader of the Black Knights from Good Luck Charm City.

Next to him was a man with plain black hair and an ordinary face, except for his unusually wide nose.

This was "Reaper", leader of the secret group Revelation from Nightspire City.

The Guillotine swallowed hard. ’I never thought they would ALL show up...’ he thought.

His gaze finally landed on the man sitting directly in front of him.

’Even him... ’The Visionary’. Leader of the Balancers.’

The man looked bored out of his mind. He wore a dark cloak with the hood pulled down, showing his face clearly.

Blue hair fell over his forehead. One eye was pure white, like fresh snow. The other was pure black, like endless night.

The Guillotine felt a chill run down his back. ’If even The Visionary came... this is way more serious than I thought.’

He took a deep breath and spoke out loud.

"As you all know..."

He paused for a second, letting the words sink in.

"We were all paid a sudden visit by the same masked man.

"He came with one clear demand..."

"Stop the Saint Trial."