How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 125

“Yawn, going back to class is so boring.”

“Why isn’t it the end-of-term exams yet? And why does the weekend fly by so quickly? I can’t wait for vacation.”

“Demeter’s Birth is still two weeks away.”

As usual, we were lounging around Lufinus Café, exchanging pointless chatter. Then Elliot spoke up with a somewhat serious tone.

“Guys, how about I invite everyone to my dorm for a meal this time? What do you think?”

His sudden decision made me tilt my head in curiosity.

‘Hmm, suddenly?’

Does Bren not know yet that Elliot is from the Fren family?

Elliot asked again.

“What about you, Kamon?”

“Me? I don’t mind.”

“Then what about you, Lois?”

“I’m in. I’ve always wanted to see the top-notch individual dorms of the Imperial Academy.”

Lois nodded enthusiastically, seemingly happy about the idea.

“Ha ha, really?”

Seeing Elliot glance around nervously, Bren mumbled to himself.

“Top-notch individual dorms?”

Elliot cleared his throat awkwardly and composed himself.

“Ahem, so, Bren, don’t be surprised. I’m from the Fren…”

“Yeah, if you’re from the Fren family, it makes sense that it’s top-notch.”

Bren interrupted before Elliot could finish, nodding as if he had known all along.

‘Oh, he knew?’

Elliot was startled and stopped mid-sentence.

“You, you knew?”

“Of course. We’ve known each other for a while now. How could I not know? I’m not an idiot.”

Bren said nonchalantly and then turned to Lois.

“Still, it feels a bit rude to go empty-handed. Should we buy something to bring?”

“Not a bad idea.”

Lois agreed, nodding at Bren’s suggestion.

Elliot quickly waved his hands, a slightly awkward smile on his face.

“No, no, it’s my invitation. Just come comfortably. Ha ha.”

Seeing Elliot break out in a cold sweat made me chuckle inwardly. I patted his shoulder.

“Alright then, let’s hurry and check out Elliot’s place.”

A bit later…

“Wow.”

“So, this is what being rich looks like?”

Bren and Lois gaped at the sight of Elliot’s dorm, which was far more extravagant and grandiose than Elijah Hall, where I first stayed when I arrived at the academy.

“This is Heinckes Hall?”

“Yeah, it’s a private dorm. Impressed?”

Elliot, now openly flaunting his wealth as the heir of the Fren family, seemed to enjoy showing off.

Watching him boast, I smirked and said,

“People might think you already own the Fren Merchant Guild.”

“That’ll happen naturally over time.”

“Yeah, right?”

I thought about how he couldn’t say a word in front of Diana but decided not to burst his bubble.

‘Should I help this guy become the heir for real?’

Briefly entertained by the idea, I quickly shook my head.

‘Enough with the useless thoughts.’

“This place is truly the pinnacle of luxury.”

“Everything here is made from high-quality materials and furniture. It’s amazing.”

Bren and Lois’s continuous praise made Elliot beam with pride.

Well, anyone would be impressed by such opulence.

‘I’ve already visited here once.’

Back then, I was too focused on finding Elliot to pay attention to the surroundings.

As Bren continued to explore, he whispered,

“I want to live here.”

“You too? Me too.”

Hearing Lois’s agreement, I thought,

‘Wait a second. Next year, I’ll have to pay dorm fees again. Should I just stay here?’

“Hey, Elliot, can I stay here next semester? Looks like there are plenty of empty rooms.”

Heinckes Hall had over seventeen usable rooms, not counting Elliot’s own room.

We could all stay here comfortably.

“Friend, academy rules prohibit inviting others to stay in private dorms.”

Despite his rising grin, Elliot maintained his stance.

“Come on, it would be great to live together like a family.”

“Sorry, I don’t want to get kicked out.”

But he refused firmly, though he added with a smile,

“However, you’re welcome to use my dorm anytime. As long as you don’t sleep here at night, it’s fine.”

“Then can I take naps here? I’ll come here to sleep during my free periods.”

Elliot laughed and put his arm around Lois’s shoulder.

“Sure, good idea, Lois.”

“But it’s a shame. We could save money on the doubled tuition and dorm fees next year if we all lived here.”

“Right, I forgot that tuition doubles for second-year students. Sometimes I forget you guys are first-years.”

Listening to their conversation, my head started to ache again.

‘Damn, how do I solve this money problem?’

I already knew from Professor Phelan and his friends’ conversation at the restaurant in Velium, but I still had no good solution.

‘Should I blackmail or extort someone again?’

Thinking of Diana Fren’s diamond necklace still hidden in my dorm ceiling, I wondered…

‘Should I really sell it?’

While I couldn’t sell it through normal channels, there were always illegal markets and back-alley auctions.

At that moment, Bren asked me,

“By the way, Kamon, are you okay? For commoners, the fees will more than double.”

“That’s right. Kamon, you’re a commoner, aren’t you?”

I felt like smacking Lois’s head for realizing this so late.

“Maybe you could get help from the foundation? After all, you were a noble once.”

“Those foundation guys are tough. They’re worse than loan sharks.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, the elders in my family always said to avoid the academy foundation at all costs. They’re worse than money demons.”

Bren and Elliot’s conversation made me tilt my head in confusion.

“Foundation? What’s that?”

“Oh? You don’t know about the Academy Foundation? It’s an institution run independently by the royal family, and they cover over 75% of the tuition for first-year students. As you advance in grade, the support decreases to 50%, then 25%.”

“Support?”

“Yeah. But this only applies to noble students. For commoners, the support stops after the first year. That’s why their tuition more than quadruples.”

I had always known there was a stark difference between nobles and commoners, and that it was an obvious element in a medieval fantasy setting.

“But who decided that?”

“Uh… what?”

“I mean, logically, nobles have more money and are better off. Why do the poorer, weaker commoners have to pay more?!”

Suddenly, I found myself representing the commoner students, shouting in frustration.

“Well, that’s…”

“Yeah, it’s not your fault.”

Why does the academy charge commoner students more than noble students?

‘Why? It’s obvious.’

Because the damn third-rate author who loved making my life difficult set it up that way.

* * *

“Haah.”

Is this a joke? Quadruple the tuition?

Faced with this unexpected hurdle, I fell into deep thought.

‘What do I do now? Should I try blackmailing Professor Phelan again?’

“…”

That was one option, but given that the man was known among his peers as a miser, it might not be worth the trouble.

‘Let’s keep that as a last resort.’

“Sigh, should I really sell the necklace?”

However, Diana Fren’s mother’s heirloom was also fraught with risk. Diana was probably desperately searching for the necklace right now, making it likely to be detected.

‘Nothing is easy.’

Various methods crossed my mind, but none were safe or convenient. Each had elements of risk that could lead to a bad ending if mishandled.

But…

‘I’ve always managed somehow.’

Most of what I had dealt with up until now involved greater risks and challenges. And I overcame them without much trouble.

“I’ll figure this out too.”

Starting with the easiest approach seemed the best. With that thought, I left my dorm room.

“Hey, do you have any money? I need some urgently.”

“Uh, money? Suddenly? Sorry, but my situation isn’t that good right now.”

Bren, looking genuinely apologetic and unable to meet my eyes, made me nod.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“Maybe ask Lois. I heard he has some savings.”

“I already did. He doesn’t.”

“Ah…”

Leaving Bren behind, who hung his head in guilt, I moved on to find another person. I hadn’t expected much from Bren or Lois anyway. I had someone else in mind.

“Sorry, Kamon. My family’s punishment still isn’t lifted.”

“What? Still?”

“Yeah. Just hang in there a bit longer. I think things will be resolved by the end of this semester. It’s not an urgent issue yet, right?”

“Yeah, I guess not. Got it.”

Due to submerging Dranthe’s heritage, the Fren family had frozen Elliot and Diana’s funds as a punishment. And the one who submerged the heritage was none other than me.

‘Is this karma?’

No, I can’t give up. I’ve invested too much here to quit now.

“Of course, it’s possible!”

“I knew I could count on you, President Cecilia!”

Seeing Lady Cecilia’s bright smile as she agreed, I clenched my fist in joy.

She continued, beaming with excitement,

“Then we’ll create a special scholarship for the student council president and give it to Kamon every year…”

But at that moment,

“Who said you could?”

“Huh?”

Like a demon emerging from the shadows, Vice President Rosen Ravenia’s whisper silenced both of us.

“Who said you could create a special scholarship for the president? Absolutely not.”

“Why not? I’m the president of this academy’s student council.”

“And I’m the vice president. If there’s a disagreement among the council members, it needs to be brought to a general meeting and the advisors’ opinions must be considered. Are you still going to proceed, President?”

Rosen Ravenia’s subtle pressure made Lady Cecilia lower her head.

“S-sorry, Kamon.”

“No, President. We can do it. Let’s work together to overturn Vice President Rosen’s opinion, just like in the election!”

“Who’s the devil here? Kamon, get out.”

“Ugh, step back. You devil…”

“Get out now!”

I was promptly kicked out of the student council room, blocked by Rosen Ravenia’s impenetrable defense.

Now, all that was left was…

‘I really didn’t want to come here.’

“What? Money?”

“Yes, Master. Your unworthy disciple needs your help…”

Before I could finish, Jamie handed me a paper.

“What’s this… a, a body donation agreement?”

“My dear disciple, Kamon. As your mentor, I’m very curious about your physical state. If you help with my research, I’ll support you financially.”

“No, I must have made a mistake.”

“Mistake? No, no. You came to the right place.”

“I should get going.”

“Wait, Kamon. Just five times, no, three times. It won’t hurt. Just a little prick?”

The look in Jamie’s eyes was far from normal, clearly intent on conducting human experiments.

“I’ll see you next time, Master.”

I quickly fled and returned to my shabby dorm, collapsing in my room.

“Haah, there really is no way.”

All my current options were blocked. Should I go to the interim dean, the Red Mage Beatrice, and ask for financial support under the condition of becoming her disciple?

“No, Jamie would kill me.”

Or should I really sell the necklace on the black market?

Even if Diana Fren got wind of it, it would be hard to trace it back to me in the illegal market.

Despite the risks, this seemed like the only option.

“Fine, let’s deal with this once and for all.”

I couldn’t keep hiding the problem forever.

“It was something I had to do eventually.”

Muttering to myself, I moved to retrieve Diana Fren’s necklace from its hiding spot in the ceiling.

But just then,

Knock, knock.

I heard a knock on my door.

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