How the Villain Invests in the Female Lead

Chapter 32: The history of the Holy Grail War

I cracked my eyes open, greeted by the wooden ceiling of our room. I blinked a few times before stretching with satisfaction. Glancing beside me, I found my wife still asleep, her face still heavy with sleep.

My eyes widened slightly as I realized our situation. I quickly checked my phone.

8:00 a.m.

We were already an hour late for the first class of our very first day.

But I wasn’t worried.

I leisurely got out of bed and gently woke my wife before heading to the bathroom. As I looked into the mirror, I frowned at the fresh hickeys scattered across my chest.

The hickeys from yesterday should have already disappeared thanks to my bloodline skill, [Basic Regeneration]. These could only have been made this morning.

"She really likes doing this...?"

I scratched the back of my head in confusion.

After taking care of our morning routine, we headed to Class S.

As we walked through the academy’s corridors, I reminded my wife,

"You like leaving hickeys on my chest, do you?"

She didn’t answer. Instead, her ears gradually turned red for some reason.

I continued,

"I don’t mind them. Just don’t let them affect your sleep. We were already late for our first class today. As you know, I can’t wake up early."

My wife gave a small nod.

"Sorry. I’ll keep that in mind."

Just a few minutes later, my wife began to notice the students lining both sides of the corridor. She asked curiously,

"Do you see them? They’re barely paying any attention to you after everything you did yesterday. I supposed the professors had handled it well."

I nodded in understanding.

"Yes. That’s how it should be. It’s for the academy’s reputation."

After another ten minutes of walking, we finally arrived at Class S. I opened the door and wheeled my wife inside.

Just then, a low, deep voice reached our ears from the podium.

"You two are late."

The professor, a handsome man in his early thirties, smiled at us. I recognized him immediately. He was the same professor who had transferred 200 credits to me yesterday.

He let out a sigh, closed the book in his hands, and set it on the podium.

"I’ll overlook the credit deduction this time, considering your contribution yesterday."

He added sympathetically,

"Besides, I understand that newlyweds tend to have... rather active married lives at your age. But that doesn’t mean you can be late for class."

It was a misunderstanding, but I supposed it was only natural for everyone to assume that. After all, we were a newly married couple.

Our classmates immediately began whispering among themselves, while my wife’s face turned as red as a tomato. I could tell she understood the consequences of her actions. But, from another perspective, it was a good lesson for her. From now on, I no longer had to worry about oversleeping because of it.

I just nodded calmly before apologizing to the professor to go to our seat.

By chance, I also caught a few familiar faces looking my way.

Lancelot.

He was sitting with his arms crossed, his expression as cold as ever. Even so, I could still sense the irritation and displeasure, even jealousy hidden in his eyes.

Tristan.

He was harder to read. His face was almost expressionless. He was a mannequin, after all. In the end, he simply gave me a small wave in greeting.

Maria – the young saintess of the Holy Church – clenched her jaw in anger, glaring at me as if I had just ruined something precious to her.

Finally, Scarlet.

My wife had once reminded me about her twin sister. She looked almost identical to Arthea, except for her hair and eye color.

However....she didn’t give me the sense of peace I usually felt from my wife.

She stared at Arthea first, then at my hollow eyes, lingering for a long moment. That made me frown slightly... until she suddenly lowered her gaze, her ears turning faintly red, clearly flustered.

My wife’s calm expression changed to a confused look as she stared at her twin sister. Then, almost immediately, it shifted into irritation.

She turned her gaze to me and said in a neutral voice, "You are absolutely not allowed to get close to her, or even speak to her."

I kept my soulless expression, ignoring my wife as I focused on the professor instead.He stood up and began to introduce himself and the lesson.

"So his name is Jonathan," I muttered.

Jonathan cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Today’s lesson is the history of the Holy Grail War. I want you all to understand, in depth, the purpose of existence for all beings in this world."

"The Holy Grail has existed for a very long time – around ten thousand years. It is a creation of the gods, sent to our world to grant power to living beings. Mana itself is one of the gifts of the Holy Grail, along with many other miraculous things."

"Our world might have reached the peak of evolution if not for the existence of the demons born from the Holy Grail through the will of the Demon God. They chose a different path. The demons believe that only their race is worthy of the Holy Grail’s power, rather than sharing it with others."

"From that day onward, the Holy War has occurred every two hundred years, as all races struggle for control of the Holy Grail."

"The alliance between humans and the ancient races had won continuously ... .until recently. In the latest war, we’re not only defeated, but also lost seven Knight Sigils."

"The demons are a race far stronger than us. With the loss of the seven Knight Sigils, we have lost a tremendous advantage. The next war will not be easy... it will be far more difficult."

"I don’t want to lie to any of you, especially the future warriors who will fight in the next Holy War. But our chances of victory are only five percent."

’’With the Sigils, they already possess the means to activate the Holy War, let alone the privileges of Knight Sigils...’’

He let out a sigh. A hint of helplessness lingered in his voice.

"All we can do is our best."