How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 122

‘Fancy meeting him here.’

It was an unexpected encounter, but since it was the weekend, it wasn’t too surprising to run into someone at such a high-end restaurant.

However,

‘No matter how much effort he puts in, he’ll never become the dean. Beatrice will always hold that position.’

Watching Professor Phelan wistfully eye a lost cause, I had these thoughts.

Then,

“Oh, by the way, didn’t you say you were sponsoring a student, Phelan?”

“Hmm, yes.”

Oh, is this about me?

“Yeah, I heard that too. But is it true? You, the cold-hearted penny-pincher, paying for a student’s tuition and dorm fees?”

“When I looked into it, that student seemed pretty well-known. Isn’t he Kamon, the eldest son of the Vade Marquisate?”

“Ah, isn’t he the one who had that Honor Duel at the academy?”

“More like the lunatic who attacked the princess. I heard he was kicked out of his family.”

Listening to them gossip about me was oddly surreal.

“Everyone, enough pointless chatter. What does it matter who I sponsor?”

“But if that student was kicked out of his family, he’s now a commoner, right? Won’t his tuition fees go up next year?”

“Yeah, commoners pay at least four times more, don’t they?”

Wait a minute. Four times the tuition?

What…?

“Oh boy, you’re going to spend a fortune again. Haha, trying to act all generous.”

“That’s why you should never do things you’re not used to. It leads to disaster.”

“Exactly, haha!”

Professor Phelan’s friends began laughing and mocking him.

Professor Phelan’s face turned red with anger.

Then,

“Quiet! You’re all talking without knowing anything. I only supported him this one time. There will be no more support next year.”

“Huh? So you’re not going to support him anymore?”

“Oh, that poor student, losing Professor Phelan’s support. How unfortunate.”

Despite the continuing mockery, Professor Phelan shook his head, exhaling a laugh of disbelief.

“Sponsorship, my foot… I just helped out temporarily because he was in a tight spot.”

“But without your support, won’t he have to leave the academy?”

“Right, how can a commoner student afford quadrupled costs?”

Looking slightly concerned, they talked among themselves, while Professor Phelan replied with a smirk,

“How is that my problem? That’s his issue to deal with.”

‘What? This insane bastard…’

The same guy who confidently told me to trust him during the Honor Duel.

And now he says it’s not his problem?

‘Ugh, I could just…!’

I felt an overwhelming urge to smack that bald head.

“When he couldn’t even handle a mere swordsman, what? A draw? The more I think about it, the more infuriating it is.”

“…”

As Professor Phelan brought up the Honor Duel, I was momentarily speechless.

‘Excuse me. Kyle is the protagonist, you know. Not just any protagonist, but an absurdly overpowered one.’

Does he think matching him in a draw is easy?

‘This bald idiot is talking nonsense just because he has a mouth!’

Boiling with anger, I took a deep breath and shook my head.

“Whew, no. That’s not the important thing right now.”

Correcting any wrongs or arguments was secondary to solving the immediate problem.

‘If my tuition rises fourfold, how am I going to manage that?’

It wouldn’t just be tuition. Considering dorm fees and other additional costs, it would be far more than just four times.

So eventually…

‘It all comes down to money. Damn it!’

“Man, this isn’t easy.”

“Huh? Kamon, what’s wrong? Don’t you like the menu?”

Bren, noticing my expression, reacted immediately.

“The ‘Black Kyvon’ here is really good. You won’t regret it. Right, Lois?”

“Yeah, it’s famous, although I haven’t tried it myself.”

The stoic young server approached me, adding,

“Let me set the table first.”

The server, with well-practiced movements, arranged forks and knives and began pouring water into glasses.

The cool, refreshing water streamed into the tall glasses.

“The main course will be served soon. Please wait a moment.”

“Yes, take your time.”

“As long as it tastes good, we can wait!”

Eagerly looking forward to the ‘Black Kyvon’ steak, they nodded enthusiastically.

And seeing them like that,

“Sigh…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle and shake my head.

‘Fine, I’ll deal with the money issue later. Let’s just enjoy the meal for now.’

No need to ruin the mood here.

* * *

Grinding teeth

The young server assigned to Kamon, Bren, Elliot, and Lois at the ‘Hoguwan’ restaurant.

He was secretly gritting his teeth.

‘I’ve been waiting for this day.’

The seemingly emotionless boy, no, girl, had a past encounter with Kamon.

Her name was Angela.

She was the sister of Senbran, the head of the dark guild in the city of Velium.

Clenching her jaw tight, she remembered that day, biting her lower lip so hard it turned white.

Despite the risk of drawing blood, she didn’t care.

‘Now I can finally get my revenge.’

Since that unforgettable and humiliating encounter, she had been honing her grudge against Kamon and Bren.

– No matter what, don’t mess with him.

Despite her brother’s warnings, Angela didn’t heed them.

Revenge consumed her, and she spent her time gathering and analyzing information about them.

When she learned they would visit ‘Hoguwan’ restaurant, she knew her moment had come.

Disguised as a server for the past few days, she meticulously prepared, waiting for the perfect moment.

‘I’ll make them humiliate themselves in front of everyone.’

While she wanted to end their lives, she wasn’t that foolish.

Harming academy students could bring severe consequences, even for the guild.

This was personal, not worth endangering the guild.

“I’ll give them back exactly what they deserve.”

With that resolve,

Step, step

“The meat is here!”

“Wow, the meat has arrived.”

Angela, carrying a massive piece of meat—the ‘Black Kyvon’ steak—approached them with a feigned smile.

“I’ll now present the fire show.”

With a wave of her hand,

Whoosh, pop!

“Wow.”

“What the… That’s amazing.”

As the flames erupted, casting a blue hue, they began to sear the meat with a sizzle.

“Although the meat has already been cooked once, this method sears the exterior, inducing a strong Maillard reaction,” Angela explained, perfectly imitating a server at ‘Hoguwan.’

With a faint smile, she continued, “And now, we add the ‘Sear Butter,’ reputed to be the finest in the empire.”

Ssshhh!

Golden chunks of butter sizzled and melted rapidly on the still-blue iron plate. Everyone’s eyes sparkled with excitement, focused intently on the ‘Black Kyvon’ steak.

“Now, I’ll sprinkle some ‘Peltin Pepper.’ You’ll experience a taste like no other,” she said, pulling out a pepper grinder.

‘This has a powerful laxative mixed in. Let’s see what happens,’ Angela thought with a sly smile, about to grind the pepper.

“Wait a moment!” a voice suddenly called out, halting her action.

“Yes?” ‘What? Did they catch on?’ Angela thought, a bit flustered.

It was Lois, who tilted his head curiously and asked, “Do you have ‘Zerwan Pepper’ instead? I find that one tastier.”

“Oh…”

Momentarily taken aback, Angela quickly calmed her racing heart and smiled again. “Of course, I’ll bring it right away.”

‘Damn picky brat.’

Having worked as a new server for a few days, Angela had heard about such demanding customers from her seniors, but she hadn’t expected Lois to be one of them.

Thud, thud.

Angela, maintaining a composed exterior, swapped out the pepper grinder. With a swift, unseen movement, she mixed the potent laxative into the ‘Zerwan Pepper’ container.

‘Perfect.’

Step, step.

“Is this acceptable?” she asked, presenting the new pepper grinder to Lois, who nodded happily.

“Yes, please.”

“Hey, isn’t pepper just pepper? What’s the big deal? We’re starving here,” Bren grumbled.

“Just trust me. It’ll taste amazing,” Lois insisted.

“Yeah, let’s trust Lois this time,” Elliot added.

Amidst the chatter, Kamon Vade, Angela’s primary target, sat silently, gazing deeply at the food.

‘Could he suspect something?’ Angela wondered.

No, that was impossible. Her skill in sleight of hand and disguise was flawless.

Sizzle, sizzle!

Angela began grinding the laxative-laced pepper onto the ‘Black Kyvon’ steak.

‘This is it. It’s over now.’

Small pepper grains fell onto the sizzling steak, which was still cooking in the blue flames.

Someone gulped audibly, eagerly watching the process, and Angela seized the moment to speak.

“And we’re done. Now, please enjoy your delightful meal…”

But at that very moment,

“Kamon!”

A voice called out, and everyone turned to look.

There stood a beautiful girl with ash-gray hair in a luxurious purple dress—Cecilia, the student council president of Flance Imperial Academy and a precious member of the Romanoff Ducal House.

“Kamo-o-o-on!”

“President?”

“Cecilia? Who called her?”

“Sister? How are you here?”

Naturally, everyone was shocked and confused by her sudden appearance.

Kamon Vade himself let out a displeased sound, clicking his tongue.

“I told you we should have dinner together, right? How could you come here without saying anything?” Cecilia pouted.

At the same time,

“Cecilia, I told you to go slowly, didn’t I?”

The vice president, Rosen Ravenia, followed behind her.

“Sister Rosen too?”

“Sigh, the whole student council is here because of Kamon…”

“Haha, would you like to join us?” Bren asked, before Cecilia could even answer, she seated herself.

Scrape.

“Of course! I’m eating here,” Cecilia declared.

Rosen Ravenia naturally took a seat next to her.

Faced with the sudden and unexpected arrival of these individuals, Angela began to sweat.

‘Why are those brats here?’

She could have handled embarrassing Kamon and his friends with the powerful laxative, but…

‘Dealing with Romanoff and Ravenia is a different matter.’

Cecilia and Rosen were treasured by their families. Any mishap involving them at ‘Hoguwan’ could spell disaster for not only Angela but her entire guild.

“Come on, let’s eat already!” Elliot’s exasperated voice broke the tension, and Rosen Ravenia casually requested additional place settings.

“Could you bring more tableware?”

“Yes, right away!”

Angela, her mind racing, hurried to fetch the extra settings.

‘What should I do?’

She realized they were heading for catastrophe. She needed to act quickly.

‘Damn it. I have no choice!’

With a determined yet frustrated heart, Angela decided.

“Here’s the tableware… Oh!”

Crash, thud!*

Pretending to stumble, she threw herself onto the table.

“Watch out!”

“Ugh!”

“No, save the meat!”

Smash!

In the chaos, the table collapsed, sending the ‘Black Kyvon’ steak and all the tableware crashing to the floor.

‘This should do it.’

Covered in food and sauces, Angela inwardly wept, lying on the ground with her eyes closed.

—————–

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