How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 135

It was clear at a glance that something was wrong with the child.

‘She must have gotten lost or is making some kind of request…’

The problem was that the child was more emotionally agitated than expected and was crying.

In the busy street filled with countless passersby, the child was squatting and sobbing, and Chelsea was at a loss, nervously pacing back and forth.

‘Why is she like that? She could either comfort the child or move to a quieter place to listen properly.’

As I was thinking this, I recalled one of the original settings.

Chelsea Arten keeps a considerable distance from children and is not comfortable around them.

‘Oh, right. That was a thing.’

There wasn’t a specific reason, but every time children appeared in the original story, Chelsea would act awkwardly or avoid them altogether.

Even the children themselves would keep their distance from Chelsea.

‘Is such a useless setting applied so precisely?’

I chuckled and shook my head.

“……!”

Chelsea, who made eye contact with me, widened her eyes and shouted.

“Kamon!”

“Huh? Me?”

Surprised by her sudden shout of my name, I responded, and Chelsea quickly nodded.

“Yes, Kamon. Please, help me for a moment.”

“What?”

Chelsea, who would normally not ask for help easily, was urgently gesturing for me to come over.

Reluctantly, I approached her and asked,

“What’s going on?”

“Well, just come over here for a moment.”

“Huh?”

Chelsea looked very hesitant and seemed reluctant to speak. Then she started explaining the situation in a very low voice, almost like a whisper.

A moment later,

“……”

I alternated glances between Chelsea and the crying child.

‘As expected.’

It was eerily accurate. The child had lost her mother and was wandering around, and Chelsea had found her and was trying to help.

But,

‘Chelsea’s questioning must have felt intimidating, like an interrogation.’

Chelsea couldn’t understand why, but she said that every time she asked or talked, the child seemed scared.

Eventually, the child ended up sitting down and crying like this.

“Do you know why? I don’t think I did anything wrong, but I’ve never taken care of children before…”

Seeing Chelsea speaking without her usual confidence, I couldn’t help but chuckle and shake my head.

‘Typical Chelsea from the original story.’

“Sorry, Kamon. But could you please help me?”

Seeing Chelsea speak in a somewhat desperate tone, I pondered for a moment.

Normally, I would have coldly refused and gone to solve my own tasks.

‘But considering how much help I received during the honor duel with Kyle, ignoring her now wouldn’t be right.’

I had already decided to help her to repay the favor I owed her.

Besides,

“We still need to solve the complaints anyway.”

With that, I sat in front of the little girl and gently spoke.

“Hello.”

“……”

At my greeting, the child slightly lifted her head, looking at me with teary eyes.

“Your name is Flora, right?”

“Yes.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Kamon. I’m friends with this person here.”

As I led the conversation with a bright smile, the wariness in the child’s eyes began to fade.

“You’re friends with her?”

“Yes, we go to the same school.”

“……”

Although the wariness had lessened, Flora’s face still showed awkwardness and fear.

“Just to make sure you don’t misunderstand, this brother here is not rough or scary like this sister, so don’t worry.”

“Huh?”

“Look, could a handsome brother like me be scary? Maybe this ugly sister might be, though.”

“Heehee.”

With my exaggerated movements and distancing from Chelsea, Flora’s tearful face bloomed into a smile.

“……”

Of course, I felt a slight stinging sensation on the back of my head, but I ignored it for now.

“Did I hear right that you’re looking for your mom? Do you remember where you last saw her?”

Asking the question to the now more relaxed and open Flora, she straightened her body and pointed with her small arm.

“Over there.”

“Over there? Do you mean the place where the man with the blue hat, who insists he’s not an old man even though he clearly is, is standing? Or the place where the lady with pink curly hair, who thinks she’s pretty, is singing?”

“The lady with pink curly hair who thinks she’s pretty… Heehee!”

Flora laughed again, and I smiled gently in return.

‘Ah, today my jokes are hitting the mark.’

Indeed, making children laugh was always effective.

Finally, after getting some information from Flora, Chelsea and I started searching the entire commercial district with the child.

Flora’s mother must be looking for her too, so we should be able to find her while wandering around.

Flora, now free from wariness and fear, stuck close to me and continued chatting.

She talked about liking bears and how receiving delicious candy made her the happiest, all the typical stories of a young child.

And I responded appropriately to Flora’s words.

But Chelsea, watching our conversation, looked amazed.

“Kamon, you…”

“Huh?”

“Have you ever taken care of children before?”

“What?”

What’s she talking about all of a sudden?

Anyone hearing this might misunderstand. I’m a perfectly normal bachelor who hasn’t even married yet!

Seeing Chelsea throw out a strange question, I shook my head in disbelief.

“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s focus on finding her mother.”

But Chelsea seemed sincere, watching Flora, who had regained her smile, with bright eyes and murmured.

“No, I just didn’t know you were so good with children. You handle and guide them so well.”

“Of course…”

I didn’t know how Kamon Vade was portrayed in the original, but to Kang Hyunsoo in reality, taking care of children wasn’t a difficult task.

‘It’s something I’ve been doing since I was young.’

Recalling childhood memories, I shook my head and said,

“Anyway, let’s find her mom quickly. We need to finish and get the signature.”

“Yeah, got it.”

Chelsea answered confidently, but finding Flora’s mother in the port city of Califa wasn’t easy.

Even after more than an hour of searching the entire commercial district.

“This doesn’t make sense. She has to be here.”

I muttered, puzzled, and Chelsea whispered worriedly.

“Kamon. Do you think Flora’s mom might have deliberately…”

Chelsea seemed to suspect that Flora’s mother might have intentionally abandoned her.

But I shook my head firmly and replied.

“No, that’s not it.”

‘Kids aren’t stupid; they can sense those things.’

How do I know that?

Well, obviously…

At that moment, I noticed Chelsea muttering with a puzzled expression.

“Then why is it so hard to find her?”

“Maybe they got separated somewhere else, not here?”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

Chelsea then attempted to engage Flora in conversation again.

“Hey, Flora. Was the last place you were with your mom in the commercial district? Because the place where I first met you wasn’t here. It was…”

Chelsea suspected that there might be a problem with the information Flora provided.

Swoosh!

Flora, who was clutching my leg and hiding behind me, turned her head away and did not answer Chelsea’s question.

“……”

Seeing this, Chelsea sighed quietly and muttered.

“Sigh, I think Flora is mistaken about something. I first met her at the entrance to the commercial district.”

“Chelsea, hold on.”

“Huh?”

Interrupting her, I looked at the bustling center of the commercial district and came up with an idea.

“We don’t necessarily have to find her ourselves. Why don’t we gather both the mom and the complaints at once?”

“What do you mean?”

I pointed to a spot.

“Look, I think there’s a contest happening today.”

A large tent surrounded by a crowd and a fancy banner caught our attention.

The 86th Califa Commercial District Talent Show

* * *

The talent show was a festival where ordinary residents gathered to have fun and laugh together.

Most of the participants showcased small, amusing talents.

“I will imitate Mayor Everdon’s voice.”

A young man stepped forward, describing the pot-bellied Mayor Everdon and mimicking his voice.

“…So, you see, this is a very simple task.”

“Wow, that’s exactly like him. It’s really spot on.”

“How does he even manage to capture that greedy look?”

“Hahaha!”

Many people clapped and cheered.

The young man who imitated Mayor Everdon received a warm ovation as he left the stage.

Other talent performances followed.

“I’m going to eat ten pies in one bite!”

“Is there anyone in this area who can drink more than me? Talent show? My liver can handle it all.”

It was a small-town event where ordinary people came out, laughed, and had fun like a tiny festival.

As the contest continued, it was finally our turn.

“Thank you for the enthusiastic response. Now, for the 86th Califa Commercial District Talent Show… Oh? Magic demonstration and sword dance? That’s an unexpected combination. Participants, please come forward.”

At the host’s words, I quickly pulled Chelsea by the arm.

“Let’s go.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah, just do as we planned.”

“……”

Reluctantly, Chelsea followed me onto the stage. I waved at Flora, who was sitting below.

As we stood on the stage, the host approached us and asked.

“Oh, what a handsome couple we have here. Are you two dating?”

It was a typical comment, but,

“What? No!”

Chelsea’s expression turned icy as she responded sharply.

“Oh… Unfortunately, they’re not.”

“Aww, that’s too bad. They look good together.”

“Yeah, but that girl is the unlucky one.”

“He’s handsome. What’s the problem?”

As the town’s women chatted, an awkward atmosphere developed.

Then, the host spoke again.

“You two don’t seem to be from around here. Are you perhaps students from the academy who have been touring the city?”

“Yes, that’s right. We’re students from Flance Imperial Academy.”

“Oh, academy students. I thought so. But what brings you to participate in this talent show? Our prizes aren’t that great…”

“Hahaha, I told you, we should have better prizes.”

“How can we offer more when we have no money?!”

“Sigh. It’s a show-off.”

Amidst the banter of the men and women, I spoke confidently.

“We’re here to find Flora’s mother. She got separated from her mother and hasn’t found her yet.”

Upon my explanation, the host reacted enthusiastically.

“Oh! As expected of Flance Imperial Academy students, here to do a good deed. Is anyone here the mother of this child?”

“Mother of a child?”

“Have I seen that child before?”

“Wait, that looks like Flora.”

At that moment,

“Floraaaa!”

A middle-aged woman came running from somewhere, and Flora turned and cried out.

“Mommy!”

It was a touching reunion that looked like a long-separated family meeting again. The host’s voice echoed once more.

“Wow, everyone, the mother has finally appeared. Let’s give a round of applause!”

Clap clap clap!

The place, already festive, now brimmed with emotion, heightening the atmosphere.

Then,

Tap!

Chelsea tapped my hand, and I turned to see her smiling brightly.

“Well done, Kamon. Thanks to you, we solved it.”

“……”

For a moment, the surroundings seemed to brighten.

‘Was she always this pretty?’

While I was lost in thought,

“Hold on, so the students achieved their goal. But does that mean we won’t see the talent show? No way. Let’s see it now. The academy couple’s sword dance and magic demonstration, please begin!”

“What?”

I only came to attract attention, but do we really have to perform?

At that moment, the voices of the people below echoed.

“They entered the talent show, so they should perform.”

“Let’s see the students’ talents after a long time!”

“That’s right, show us.”

“Show us! Show us!”

People murmured and the audience began to cheer, but,

“Wait a minute!”

Chelsea shouted firmly, and all eyes focused on her.

“Is there a problem?”

The host asked cautiously, and Chelsea shouted in a stern and cold tone.

“No, we’re not a couple!”

“……”

Chelsea, that’s not the point right now.

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