The Academy's Doomed Side Character

Meanwhile, the award ceremony was proceeding without a hitch.

The auditorium was filled with applause, bright lights, and the hum of celebration.

"Cadet Ryen and Cadet Rin Evans," the Dean’s voice rang through the hall, clear and steady, "have demonstrated exceptional bravery and unwavering commitment to justice. In recognition of their service, we present them with these certificates of commendation."

There was another round of applause. I shifted in my seat, awkwardly straightening my uniform.

Seeing the professors clapping, their expressions warm and proud, made me a little embarrassed. I wasn’t used to being praised in front of this many people.

Ryen’s name was called first. He walked up confidently, the kind of guy who made standing in the spotlight look easy. He accepted the certificate, bowed politely, and returned with a small grin tugging at his lips.

Then it was my turn.

Just as I stood up to make my way toward the stage—

WEEEOOOHHH!!!

An ear-splitting alarm tore through the auditorium.

The cheers died instantly.

I froze in place.

The next second, the ceiling above us cracked open with a thunderous roar—and something dropped down from the sky.

It landed with a sickening crash, shaking the floor beneath us.

A creature. No—a monster.

It was massive. At least five meters long. Its body twisted and segmented like a centipede’s, armored with black chitin that gleamed under the lights. It had the curved, deadly scythes of a mantis on each side, and two sharp, twisted horns jutting from its head like the crown of some ancient beast.

Its presence was wrong. Distorted. Like it wasn’t meant to exist.

And I quickly realized why.

It wasn’t natural.

A synthetic monster—a chimera.

Something born from the fusion of dark magic and biological tampering. A crossbreed created by some sick mind. Part insect tamer’s pet, part dark mage’s nightmare.

The moment it screamed, a horrible screech that sounded like metal grinding against bone, panic erupted.

Students screamed.

Some bolted for the exits.

Others froze in fear, unable to move.

I could feel the aura it gave off—a pulsing wave of killing intent. Heavy and alien.

"Ryen."

"I know."

There was no need for more words.

He was already on the move, pulling a blade from beneath his uniform coat with practiced ease. As our eyes met, I saw the calm in his gaze. Steady. Sharp. He was used to moments like this.

So was I.

The chimera shrieked again, its segmented body twisting as it slithered forward, crushing rows of chairs beneath its weight. A swipe of one of its mantis-like scythes tore a deep gash into the wall, sending chunks of debris raining down.

"Students, get back!" someone yelled, their voice strained with urgency.

The monster’s presence was overwhelming. Most of the students were frozen in fear, and some were starting to panic. For a second, it felt like this might be it—that everything was spiraling into chaos.

Then something changed.

Just as the chimera lunged toward the nearest group of cadets, its massive body suddenly halted mid-air.

It didn’t jump. It didn’t fly.

It was floating—unnaturally, unnervingly suspended above the ground.

Gasps filled the auditorium.

"W-What’s happening?"

"Wait, is it flying?"

"No... something’s wrong."

Confused murmurs spread through the crowd, their terror slowly giving way to puzzled awe.

Then—

"Ah!"

Someone pointed. Eyes turned toward the sky above the barrier.

There, walking calmly on the air itself, was a woman with silver hair and an unreadable expression.

"The Chairman...?"

She descended slowly, like stepping down invisible stairs, her hands behind her back, composed as ever.

"So it’s true," she said, her voice cool and slightly amused. "I was told one of the rats would show themselves if I released a monster. Looks like we’ve got another traitor hiding in the academy."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I’ll need to start vetting the professors again."

The students exhaled in collective relief. The professors, still trapped behind the barrier, looked equally stunned—but no longer panicked. The air around us finally began to loosen.

She raised one hand slightly, and the monster let out a strained shriek as it twisted in place, helpless against her will.

"I think that’ll be enough for today," she said, almost like she was talking about cleaning up a minor mess in a hallway.

A voice spoke from above, and another figure appeared beside her—leaner, wearing a hooded coat and carrying an arcane staff.

"Honestly, you have no idea how shocked I was," the newcomer muttered, scratching the back of their head. "I got a message this morning saying there’d be a terrorist attack during the award ceremony, but that I shouldn’t worry because it’d be handled." They let out a sigh. "Who sends a warning and a reassurance in the same breath? Of course I panicked!"

The Chairman chuckled softly.

Behind me, students slowly started to move again—shaking, but safe.

And as I looked up at the floating figures above, I couldn’t help but wonder—

Just how deep did this rabbit hole go?

The chimera, still thrashing helplessly in the air, let out a final, choked shriek—its segmented body trembling under the invisible force that held it aloft.

With a flick of her fingers, the Chairman crushed the monster midair.

Bones cracked. Exoskeleton snapped. The entire auditorium shook as the creature was compressed into a twisted mass of gore and black ichor before disintegrating into particles of dark mana, which scattered into the wind like dust.

Silence fell over us again—an eerie, heavy kind. freeweɓnøvel.com

Students stared in disbelief. Some were still too shocked to speak. Others had fallen to their knees, trembling from adrenaline or sheer terror. The seats were destroyed. The stage was torn apart. And yet, somehow, no one had died.

"Barrier’s down," someone whispered.

True enough, the invisible wall that had separated the professors from us vanished with a faint hum, and instructors immediately rushed toward the stage, checking the students’ conditions one by one.

"Anyone hurt? If you’re injured, raise your hand!"

"Evac team’s on the way—just stay calm."

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Ryen.

"You alright?" he asked, his voice low.

I nodded, though my legs were still shaky. "Yeah. You?"

"Fine. Nothing happened anyway," he said, but he kept glancing up at the Chairman, eyes narrowed in thought.

She was descending now, walking calmly among the wreckage, her sharp eyes scanning the professors like she was mentally measuring each one.

The mastermind was probably watching everything unfold—and panicking.

Things had gone sideways fast. The traitor couldn’t escape, not with the barrier still active, and whoever was pulling the strings behind the scenes had to realize their plan was falling apart. Fast.

And yet, while chaos simmered beneath the surface, Ryen leaned over to me, his tone casual but curious.

"By the way... why didn’t you catch him? You just let Leo take care of it."

I shrugged, my eyes still on the chairman as she gave instructions to restrain the fallen professor. "If you and I didn’t go up to receive our awards, they would’ve gotten suspicious. Someone had to play their part."

Ryen’s brows lifted slightly, but he didn’t argue. He understood.

This was a game of timing and trust. And we’d just let the grumpiest of the second protagonists do what he does best—go wild on traitors.