How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 129

“……”

Back in my dorm room, I lay down in a daze, staring blankly at the ceiling.

‘What the hell happened?’

I met with Beatrice to understand the current situation, which had deviated from the original storyline, and received an unexpected and shocking answer.

The answer to the most frustrating problem I was facing.

‘She knows the cause of my mana route blockage and how to fix it?’

Even Jamie, one of the same tricolor mages, hadn’t properly figured it out. She had only given me a temporary solution to alleviate the current situation.

But Beatrice, the red mage, claimed she knew the solution.

‘Should I believe this?’

Of course, I had my doubts.

“But I can’t just ignore it.”

If what Beatrice said was true, then I might finally have a clue to solve the problem that had been troubling me the most.

Besides,

‘I might be able to regain the power Kamon Vade originally had.’

I remembered Kamon Vade’s charismatic figure, sweeping away enemies single-handedly and never backing down in a one-on-one duel with Kyle.

Of course, regaining that power wouldn’t dramatically change my reality.

‘But it would definitely help in dealing with future problems and unfair situations.’

Considering the pros and cons, resolving the issue of my blocked mana route was undeniably beneficial to me.

So now wasn’t the time to question whether Beatrice’s words were true.

“If I can solve it, I must solve it first.”

The only problem was the condition attached.

“A Novice Challenge……”

I recalled when Princess Francia had personally come to me recently and asked me to join her.

At that time, I had firmly refused and demanded an outrageous condition……

‘Sigh, who could have predicted things would turn out this way?’

My head felt dizzy and even a bit painful from the confusion.

“Hoo, well, it can’t be helped.”

In fact, if I thought about it positively, it wasn’t particularly disadvantageous or problematic for me.

First of all, if I succeeded in the Novice Challenge, I could receive a huge reward, which would solve my current financial issues like tuition fees.

Furthermore,

‘I can find out the cause of the problem in my body.’

So the most important thing now was to pass the Novice Challenge no matter what.

“Well, I have no choice.”

I murmured with a bitter expression, coming to a decision.

* * *

As soon as the day broke, I went to Princess Francia and bowed my head.

“I want to join the Novice Challenge team.”

Princess Francia looked at me with a blank expression as I suddenly came and made such a request.

Soon,

“Ha, now?”

Princess Francia said with an incredulous expression.

I continued speaking without any embarrassment, as if my face was made of iron.

“Yes, I’ll participate without any conditions.”

“Unbelievable.”

Princess Francia let out a hollow laugh and then glared at me with sharp eyes.

“Why? Because there’s a reward for the Novice Challenge, you find it tempting?”

At her sarcastic question, I lightly nodded.

“Yes.”

“……”

As if she didn’t expect me to answer honestly, Princess Francia looked momentarily flustered but soon relaxed her stiff expression and nodded.

“But what should I do?”

“Hmm?”

“The team is already full.”

With a determined look in her eyes, Princess Francia spoke, as if she was determined to reclaim the humiliation she had previously suffered.

‘It’s only natural since the situation has changed.’

Now that I was the one in need, I couldn’t complain about Princess Francia’s attitude.

Still, the easiest way to pass the Novice Challenge and get what I wanted was this.

“The team members are Chelsea, Kyle, and Fabian, right?”

“Yes, you know them well.”

Princess Francia nodded confidently and continued.

“They’re all highly skilled, so passing the Novice Challenge won’t be difficult. So, they should be able to get all the rewards the Dean offered. If we want to add a new member now, we need to ask for their opinions too, right?”

“That’s true.”

“So, people should seize opportunities when they come. Why do you think I came to you back then……”

With her nose in the air, she spoke in a subtle tone.

“How about it, Kamon? Do you regret rejecting my offer back then?”

“Yes, I do regret it a bit.”

Without hesitation, I nodded, and

“What? What did you say? You really regret it?”

Princess Francia, not expecting my reaction, stammered and asked again.

“Yes, I regret it. I should have agreed back then.”

I was sincere. I wished I hadn’t stubbornly refused back then.

Of course, it was a matter of hindsight.

“……”

Once again, she fell silent, rolling her eyes as if deep in thought.

I lightly shook my head and spoke.

“It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. The team is already full.”

“W-Wait a minute. The team is full, but if you really want it desperately……”

Seeing her slightly stammering and speaking as if she was doing me a favor, I shook my head with a bitter smile.

“No, Princess. You don’t have to strain yourself because of me. I’ll just find another team……”

“No, Kamon. Why are you making decisions on your own when I haven’t even finished talking?”

“Yes?”

“Even though the situation has turned out like this, if you meet one condition, I can persuade the other team members to let you join our team. Ahem.”

I couldn’t help but smile inwardly at Princess Francia’s words as she cleared her throat.

‘I thought it was strange from the moment Princess Francia came to see me personally.’

Instinctively, I felt that the princess needed me for this “Novice Challenge.” I didn’t know the reason, but there was no other explanation for why someone who hated and resented me so much would swallow her pride and come to me.

‘I didn’t come to you without any thought, Francia.’

In a situation where we both needed something, it was a battle of who was more desperate.

And.

‘It looks like I’m the one winning this fight.’

“What is the condition?”

“Well, my condition is…”

Princess Francia trailed off, looking at me, then spoke in a firm tone.

“You must follow my orders unconditionally and be obedient during this ‘Novice Challenge.’ If you promise that, I’ll try to persuade the others.”

She spoke as if it was a proposal I would find difficult to accept. I shrugged lightly.

“Is that all? I thought it would be a tough condition, but fine.”

“What?”

“I accept your condition. So, are we on the same team now?”

When I extended my hand for a handshake, Princess Francia stared at me silently for a moment.

‘Why? Because my response was unexpected?’

But it was a condition that any fool would accept. The team leader was Princess Francia, and following her orders was only natural. It was strange to put such a condition.

“Princess?”

I called out to her again as she still looked at me blankly, and her eyebrows twitched slightly.

Clap!

Forcing a smile, she grabbed my outstretched hand.

“Keep your promise.”

“Of course. I will follow your orders without question.”

I replied with the brightest smile ever. In the original story, Kyle failed the “Novice Challenge.”

‘But with the team members being different and the content changed, it’s more likely to succeed now.’

Kyle’s failure was a minor plot device for his growth, so it wouldn’t significantly impact the overall story or cause a butterfly effect.

‘This is like getting on a top-tier bus.’

If they were giving me a chance to get on such a bus, how could I refuse? I would do anything except die for them.

* * *

“Kamon, are you really joining the Novice Challenge?”

“Yeah, I’ve already joined the team.”

I lightly nodded in response to Bren’s question.

“If you’re with Princess Francia, that means you’re on the same team as Kyle, Chelsea, and Fabian?”

“That’s right.”

“Didn’t you say you refused the princess’s offer? How did this happen?”

“I went back and asked her to let me join.”

“And the princess accepted that?”

Bren asked incredulously, but I answered nonchalantly.

“Yeah.”

“Unbelievable.”

“What kind of relationship do you have with the princess, Kamon?”

Elliot and Lois also reacted with disbelief, making a fuss, and I shook my head.

“What relationship? I just told her I would accept her previous offer, and she agreed.”

I shrugged, acting as if it was no big deal, but Elliot and Lois looked at me with disbelief.

Bren, who was standing nearby, spoke with a faint smile.

“So Kamon is part of the strongest novice team now. Passing should be almost guaranteed.”

“The difficulty of the Novice Challenge depends on the abilities you have. With this team…”

“Won’t they ask us to catch a dragon or something?”

Elliot nodded at Lois’s response.

“That’s quite possible.”

“Catch a dragon? That’s ridiculous. Are they trying to kill all the freshmen?”

I answered with a hollow laugh, but their expressions were quite serious.

“They’re saying your team is that strong.”

“A monster, the top student, and the heir to a family known for their spear skills.”

Lois mentioned Kyle, Chelsea, and Fabian, then looked at me.

“And the most promising talent in magic. They should at least catch a dragon for it to make sense.”

“Catch a dragon? Stop joking around. How’s the atmosphere in the student council these days?”

“The atmosphere? There’s not much to say. Everyone’s been busy because of the sudden increase in participants for the Novice Challenge. But everyone seems to be doing well.”

Lois answered my question as if there wasn’t much to talk about.

“Really?”

“Yeah, these days, both Rosen and Cecilia have been so busy that it’s hard to talk to them.”

“But Lois, you’re not even in the student council, so why do you keep hanging around there?”

Elliot asked teasingly, and Lois replied in his usual flustered voice.

“Huh? No, I just heard about it. I’m not hanging around.”

“You’re just eager to see your fiancée’s face…”

Elliot, who was about to tease Lois again, suddenly stopped and looked around.

The sudden appearance of Rosen Ravenia before seemed to have left quite an impact.

“Not here?”

“Yeah, not here, senior.”

Bren also quickly looked around and nodded.

“Why are you looking around just to tease me?”

“Of course, I’m checking to make sure it’s safe before teasing you. So, do you miss seeing Rosen’s face?”

Elliot started teasing Lois again, but then…

“Oh? Vice president?”

I murmured loudly while looking behind Elliot, who had his back to an empty space.

“W-What?!”

Elliot, startled, fell back, making everyone burst into laughter.

—————–

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