How the Villain Invests in the Female Lead

Chapter 36: Why am I feeling happy for him?

Finally, thirty minutes later, Jonathan called my wife’s name. But he quickly sighed and said it was unnecessary.

My wife was already a genius. Her only problem was her mana core, and only she could deal with that herself.

He paused for a moment before calling,

"Henry Albert."

I kept my usual empty expression as I walked to the center of the yard. Every student turned their attention toward me. After all, they were curious about the husband of the former greatest genius of their generation – how strong I really was.

I stopped in front of Jonathan. He rubbed his chin as he assessed me.

"I’ve heard about your reputation. Your specialty is close combat, right? Show me. And don’t hold back. I’m not an ordinary professor..."

I cut him off.

"I know."

My soulless eyes remained fixed on Jonathan. I never underestimated anyone. This professor had fought Lancelot, Scarlet, and many other geniuses, yet he had never shown any sign of being outmatched. I could tell he had once been one of the previous generation’s geniuses and possessed countless years of combat experience.

Even if I fought him with mana, I wasn’t sure I could defeat him.

Jonathan grinned and nodded.

"Let’s begin."

In the blink of an eye, he vanished, leaving an afterimage behind.

My pupils widened for a brief moment as I reacted to his incredible speed. My feet moved at the same time as I activated my technique, [Abyssal Shadow Step].

We moved at ridiculous speed, exchanging blows in an instant. The sounds of our impacts echoed throughout the yard.

My concentration remained at its peak as I relentlessly blocked his attacks. At the same time, I countered with refined technique.

My heart raced as he kept up the relentless pressure, never giving me a moment to breathe.

The final exchange of our first clash ended with me blocking his dragon kick using my elbow.

Jonathan clicked his tongue, not due to disappointment, but by admiration, even a bit of jealousy.

’’I don’t see any gap in your movement. How long you’re been practicing this manual art?’’

I kept my frozen expression, my eyes locked firmly on Jonathan. I wouldn’t answer any questions until the fight was over. Besides, even if I did answer him, he probably wouldn’t believe me.

Jonathan snorted before grinning.

"Good! Never let your guard down until your enemy is defeated."

We both leaped backward, landing in our fighting stances before charging at each other and going blow for blow.

Our movements were so fast that even my classmates couldn’t keep up with them.

[POV3]:

"I-Incredible. I’ve never seen martial combat at such a high level before," a student said.

Another student added,

"Henry... He’s really been hiding his strength. With close-combat skills like that, I believe he’s been training since he was a child, not just recently."

...

"Yeah. Look at him. He’s fighting the professor on equal footing. Even Tristan couldn’t do that. He didn’t even last ten exchanges."

Nearby, Tristan maintained the mannequin’s usual cold expression, barely showing any emotion. Yet beside him, his subordinate was sweating nervously, because he knew his master was irritated.

Lancelot smirked.

"He’s good at close combat, but unfortunately, the best path to conquer the world is with a sword."

Scarlet simply held a clenched fist against her chest, staring at Henry with dreamy eyes. She was completely captivated by the sight of him.

Arthea smiled unconsciously as she watched her husband display such overwhelming strength. A sense of pride welled up inside her.

But she quickly snapped out of it and clenched her jaw. Her face blushed in embarrassment and anger at once.

"Come on... I hate him. Why am I feeling happy for him?"

[POV1]: Henry.

Jonathan let out a relieved breath before raising a hand to stop me.

"S-Stop. The match is over."

I managed to steady my breathing as I returned to my original stance. Sweat drenched both of us after so many exchanges.

Jonathan grinned as he walked over and patted me on the shoulder.

"You’re very strong, Henry. I can say with confidence that, among your generation – and even the last five generations – very few people can match your close-combat technique."

"Moreover, Your manual....." He lowered his voice before stopping.

I guessed he had figured out the rank of my manual art. He didn’t want to reveal it in front of the other students. Besides, to learn a manual art of that rank, my potential couldn’t possibly be only [S]. Revealing it here would only confuse everyone.

He sighed.

"You have nothing left to improve. In fact, I might even have something to learn from you."

He added,

"Be proud, Henry. You’re the strongest at your rank. Even among all the students here, none of them could defeat you if they were at the same rank as you... You remind me of your wife. She was once like that."

Some students began whispering among themselves after Jonathan praised me.

Maria, wearing a grumpy expression, stepped forward. She grumbled,

"What do you mean by that, Professor? Are you saying he could defeat any of us as long as we’re at the same rank?"

"On what basis are you saying that? Do you want me to report you to the principal for showing favoritism?"

I glanced at Maria and sighed. I didn’t think she would hate me this much.

Jonathan frowned before scratching the back of his head.

"I’m sorry... I just got a little carried away after witnessing a student reach the highest level of a martial art."

I raised my hand.

"You don’t need to apologize. Let’s fight. I want to fight her."

The students fell silent for a moment before quickly erupting with excitement.

"Yes! A fight!"

"Let’s do it!"

Maria spat on the ground as she glared at me.

"I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. You’ll pay for everything you’ve done to the Child of God."

Jonathan let out a tired sigh before nodding.

"Alright. It’s not a big problem. I’ll be the referee."

A/N: Please leave a review and share your thoughts on my main character. Is he too cruel?