How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 168

*Clop, clop, clop!*

The sound of horses’ hooves echoed in my ears, and I couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Am I dead?’

Is this how it works in this world? When you die, you get taken somewhere by carriage? I’d heard of crossing the River Styx in a boat, but never in a carriage…

What the hell?

With that thought, I abruptly opened my eyes.

“Kamon!”

“He’s awake.”

Kyle and Fabian’s voices hit me like a slap, shaking me out of my stupor.

“What… What’s going on?”

At the same time—

[Oh, finally awake, huh? You missed quite the spectacle. Bad luck for you.]

‘What?’

Suddenly regaining my senses, I quickly realized I was in a carriage, surrounded by familiar faces. Who in their right mind would be calm in such a situation?

I looked around, bewildered.

“Chelsea and the princess are in the other carriage. Luckily, neither of them are in critical condition,” Kyle said, mistaking my confusion for concern.

“Uh, yeah, okay,” I mumbled.

Kyle, thinking he was reassuring me, continued to explain. But I had other things on my mind. I quickly reached out to Airsya in my thoughts.

‘What happened? Explain everything properly.’

[Hmmm, not sure where to begin. It’s quite a story.]

As Airsya toyed with me, dragging out her explanation, I was about to rub the ring in frustration when—

“I spoke with your father.”

“What?”

I was so startled by Fabian’s sudden statement that I couldn’t help but blurt it out.

“Ah, sorry. I should say ‘Marquis Baran,’ since you are no longer part of the family,” Fabian corrected himself. “But yes, I spoke with him.”

‘No, that’s not why I was surprised.’

What shocked me was the fact that Marquis Baran—*your* father—had appeared out of nowhere.

“What did you talk about?”

“Not much. He just asked a few questions about you. But if I had to say….”

Fabian trailed off for a moment, then nodded firmly before continuing.

“I think he cares about you a lot.”

“Huh?”

‘He cares about me?’

Marquis Baran—my father, whom I hadn’t even met once since being reborn in this world—cares about me?

“Yeah, you two look really similar,” Kyle chimed in, nodding in agreement.

“Given the situation, I suppose he had no choice but to push you out of the family. But someone who doesn’t care about their kid wouldn’t bother asking about their Academy life, right?”

Fabian’s words left me momentarily stunned. Kyle, noticing my dazed expression, smiled gently.

“We probably overwhelmed you, talking so much right after you woke up. Rest for now, Kamon. We’ll be back at the Academy soon enough.”

Finding out that Marquis Baran had arranged for carriages to take us directly to the Academy, I decided to focus on getting the full story from Airsya.

‘Hey, Airsya.’

[Ahhh, even thinking about it again, it was an incredible sight. The sky was ablaze with fire…]

Still lost in her own world, Airsya rambled on, and I could feel my patience thinning.

‘Enough with the nonsense. Just tell me what happened while I was unconscious. I need to know why Shador didn’t kill me, and how Marquis Baran got involved.’

***

‘So you’re telling me that as soon as I passed out, the entire sky caught fire and Marquis Baran showed up?’

[Yes, exactly. That’s why that shadowy old man ran off with his tail between his legs.]

Airsya stretched her short arms wide, clearly excited as she recounted the scene. I tried to imagine it in my head.

‘A sky engulfed in flames…?’

It reminded me of the dream I had of the original Kamon Vade. Was that just a coincidence, or something more?

In any case, Marquis Baran had arrived and taken control of the situation.

[That’s how it ended. Oh, and that musclehead got an earful too.]

Apparently, Rowan Vade had returned late, only to be scolded by Marquis Baran. For some reason, that gave me a strange sense of satisfaction.

‘So, what happened to the golden banner we stole?’

[Marquis Baran said that since you had already retrieved it from the mansion, it counted as a successful ‘Novice Challenge.’ He even gave permission to take it back under the Vade family’s name.]

Marquis Baran seemed more generous than I expected.

‘Was he like that in the original story?’

Marquis Baran’s personality wasn’t detailed much in the novel. He only made a brief appearance after the Vade family’s downfall, once he had been corrupted by a demon.

The story never really showed what he was like before that.

‘There was a demon that corrupted him, wasn’t there? I guess I’ll have to deal with that at some point.’

Though the thought crossed my mind, it wasn’t something that needed immediate attention. The Vade family arc wasn’t supposed to happen until Kyle reached his third year.

‘But still, what’s this about him taking an interest in me?’

[Oh, that part? Nothing major. He just asked about how you were doing at the Academy and spent a moment looking at your bracelet.]

‘The bracelet?’

The bracelet I took from Marquis Baran’s office.

It resonated with the ‘Orb,’ and the ring absorbed its power. Moreover, in a moment of crisis, it suddenly activated on its own, creating some kind of defense magic.

‘Could it have been a treasure used by Marquis Baran?’

[Hard to say. For something like that, he didn’t make much fuss. Even if it was a treasure, it seems like he’s passed it on to you.]

‘……’

I still had many unanswered questions, but the most important thing was that we had successfully completed the ‘Novice Challenge’ and managed to escape a deadly situation.

Though I regretted not meeting my father, Marquis Baran, in person, that wasn’t my primary concern right now.

What mattered was that I could now investigate the cause of the issues with my body and secure the funds needed for the upcoming year’s tuition.

***

“Well done, everyone.”

With a bright smile, Beatrice, the Red Mage, greeted us, holding the golden banner of the Vade family adorned with the image of the ‘Griffin with Black Tears.’

The symbol of the Vade family shocked the others around us. They stared in disbelief.

“Wait, they really did it?”

“No matter how many top first-years you gather, how is that even possible? Especially with *that* family.”

“And Kamon Vade being involved is a bit strange, isn’t it?”

“Still, you can’t deny they’ve achieved something monumental—obtaining the Griffin banner from the Vade family? That’s a huge accomplishment. And these kids are just first-year students?”

The students, staff, and even professors whispered among themselves, either praising or marveling at what we had done.

Of course, among them, a few voiced their jealousy or skepticism.

“Come on, Kamon must’ve leaked all the family secrets. That’s the only way they could’ve pulled this off.”

“If that’s all it takes, send me to my family’s estate. I could do the same.”

Such complaints were rare, but they still existed.

At that moment, Beatrice, the temporary dean, raised her voice.

“Princess Francia and the four others have completed a challenge that is nearly impossible for first-year students. This is an extraordinary achievement that will be remembered in the Academy’s history!”

She solidified the significance of our success, ensuring everyone recognized how remarkable it was.

Then she added, “As a reward for such a great accomplishment, the Academy will present these students with the highest prizes we can offer. Look forward to it!”

Beatrice winked playfully as she spoke, and I couldn’t help but mutter internally.

‘A reward is great, but how about you tell me the secrets you promised, Dean?’

[A reward? What kind of reward? What is it?]

Ignoring Airsya’s excitement, I forced a smile and stood there quietly.

After the ‘Novice Challenge’ return ceremony ended, I met with my mentor, Jamie, alongside Chelsea, who had recovered enough to walk.

“You kids went through a lot, huh?”

“Yes, Master,” I replied.

“We thought we were going to die,” Chelsea added.

“Yeah, I can tell just by looking at you how much you’ve been through. Now, tell me everything—what happened, what kind of danger you faced, and how in the world you managed to pull off the impossible.”

With curious eyes, Jamie leaned in, eagerly awaiting our story. Chelsea and I exchanged glances before slowly recounting all that had happened.

After some time, we reached the part about our near-death encounter with Shador, the elder of the Shadows.

“What? Shador?”

Jamie’s face stiffened upon hearing the name.

“Why, Master? Do you know him?” I asked.

“Yeah, vaguely… He was a pretty notorious assassin a long time ago.”

“An assassin?”

“Yeah. He was infamous for killing people with invisible blades. He was a menace, though not unbeatable,” Jamie said, shaking her head dismissively.

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but recall the terrifying moment when Shador’s invisible blades almost killed me.

‘It still gives me chills thinking about it.’

[Yeah, that was a close one. I was worried I’d be wiped out too.]

Airsya, who only I could see or hear, nodded in agreement.

‘Come to think of it, I need to talk to Jamie about the changes in the ‘Orb’—its growth, or whatever it is.’

I wanted to discuss the unusual abilities the ‘Orb’ had developed, but before I could bring it up, Jamie was too engrossed in the story of Marquis Baran’s fiery intervention.

“So, how big were the flames exactly? It seems Marquis Baran lives up to the reputation of the Vade family, known for their magical prowess. Flames that could cover the sky… Should I try that sometime?”

Jamie rambled on about random ideas, and before long, she dismissed us.

“You’ve all been through a lot. Rest up for now, and we’ll talk more later.”

‘Damn it. I missed my chance to ask.’

“Yes, Master. We’ll see you later.”

“Take care, Master.”

As Chelsea and I left Jamie’s office, I turned to look at her.

Her once long, flowing hair, which had burned during the fight because of my magic, was now a short, blunt cut. It still hadn’t been properly styled, leaving her hair looking a bit disheveled.

Seeing this, I suddenly remembered something I had picked up back at the Vade mansion.

‘Right, the hairpin.’

I reached into my pocket and felt the flower-shaped hairpin I had found earlier.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled it out and awkwardly said, “Hey, Chelsea.”

“…Hmm?”

She turned her head to look at me, her expression curious. I quickly handed her the hairpin.

“Here, take this.”

“Huh? What is this?”

“It’s a gift. For… you know, because of your hair. Sorry about that.”

“A gift?”

“Yeah, a gift. Just take it.”

Feeling a little embarrassed, I avoided making eye contact as I practically shoved the hairpin into her hands.

Chelsea stared at it for a moment in silence, then carefully placed it in her hair. Her voice was soft as she muttered.

“…Thanks, Kamon.”

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