How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 184

A lot of things were happening at once, causing some temporary confusion, but eventually, most of it had settled down.

‘Still, the whole marriage proposal with President Cecilia… I didn’t see that coming at all.’

The most shocking part of the day had thankfully been dodged by sheer luck. Now, all that remained was to sneak back to the hidden location I had discovered earlier and investigate it properly.

“Man, that hot spring was amazing today,” one of the guys said.

“The water was great, the view was great… everything was great.”

“Think we can go back tomorrow?” another chimed in.

“Hmm, that might be a little tricky,” someone else replied.

After our time at the ‘Vishran’ hot springs, we returned to the dormitory assigned to the male students. Everyone was chatting, seemingly content with the day’s events, but I stayed quiet.

I would only be able to make my move after everyone had fallen asleep late at night.

That was when Elliot turned to Lois, a teasing smirk on his face.

“But Lois, aren’t you related to Cecilia? How come this is your first time at the ‘Vishran’ hot springs?”

“Just because we’re related doesn’t mean I get free passes. I don’t really interact with my uncle’s family much,” Lois said, pouting.

Bren chuckled softly. “Still, this was pretty fun. We’ll visit again with the academy, but this might be the first and last time we get to enjoy it like this with just us.”

“True,” both Lois and Elliot nodded, a bit of nostalgia creeping into their expressions as they reflected.

“Kamon,” Bren suddenly called out.

“Hm?” I turned my head to look at him.

“What did you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“You just had a private meeting with Duke Romanoff, right?”

“Oh yeah!” Elliot jumped in, suddenly very interested. “We were all wondering what happened! What did you talk about with the Duke?”

“Yeah, it’s not like my uncle is someone who’d just call you over for no reason,” Lois added, his curiosity evident.

“Nothing much. Just some pointless conversation,” I replied.

“Pointless conversation? The Duke, one of the Empire’s Elector Dukes, called you in for a chat? That doesn’t make any sense, Kamon,” Elliot scoffed.

“Hey, Kamon. Be careful, alright? This is Duke Romanoff’s territory. You could get into serious trouble if you’re not cautious,” Lois warned in a half-teasing, half-serious tone.

While they continued to tease me, Bren tilted his head in thought. “But didn’t President Cecilia follow you?”

“Huh? Cecilia did?” Elliot asked, surprised.

“My sister?” Lois echoed.

“Yeah, after Kamon left, she followed after him not long after,” Bren said, matter-of-factly.

Damn it, Bren. Why do you have to have such a good memory?

“I’m telling you, it was nothing,” I insisted.

“Then what was it, this ‘nothing’ conversation?” Elliot pressed.

“Yeah, why are you being so vague about it?” Lois added.

At this point, I could feel the attention shifting towards me, their curiosity mounting. I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment.

“Did getting shut down by Rosen earlier not teach you guys anything?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you saying it like that? You’re creeping me out…” Elliot and Lois immediately hugged their arms around themselves, shivering as if they felt a chill.

Bren just chuckled and shook his head, amused.

At that moment—

*Creaaak.*

“Are you guys not going to sleep?” a voice asked.

It was Lucas, poking his head out from the top bunk.

“Oh, sorry, senior.”

“Were we too loud?” Bren and Lois quickly apologized.

“Coming all the way here and going to bed early is more annoying, Lucas,” Elliot said boldly, as he was in the same year as Lucas.

“Hmm, really?”

Lucas thought about it for a second, then nodded. “You know, you’re right. I’ll join the conversation. So, Kamon, what did you talk about with the Duke?”

“…”

That night, I found myself overwhelmed by their relentless curiosity. I barely got a moment’s rest, let alone the chance to explore the hidden location. My investigation plans had to be put on hold.

***

[Hah, what a mess you’re in,] Airsya’s amused voice echoed in my mind the next morning.

‘Quiet. My head hurts.’

Fortunately, we still had some free time left as part of the hot springs exploration group, which gave me a bit of breathing room. Starting the second day, we were granted personal free time, and I used that opportunity to lay low and explore the area with Airsya’s help.

‘So, did you find anything?’

[Nothing special. Everything’s the same as before. No new auras or anomalies, so it seems that the gemstone really is the essence of the hot springs.]

‘The essence of the hot springs, huh…’

Something about the whole situation kept bothering me. That hidden gemstone seemed to be significant, and for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was related to what I was supposed to find.

‘Could that gemstone be connected to what I’m searching for?’

As I pondered this, a voice called out to me.

“Kamon.”

“…?”

I turned around and saw an unexpected figure approaching.

“Arian?”

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Oh, I was just taking a walk, enjoying the scenery. It’s beautiful out here,” I replied.

“Is that so?”

She gave me a skeptical look but then nodded, smiling faintly.

“I guess that makes sense. You don’t get to see views like this every day.”

“What about you, senior? What brings you here?” I asked.

“Me? Oh, I was just walking around, same as you,” Arian Marquis replied casually, shrugging her shoulders. But something about her demeanor seemed… off.

Then, after a pause—

“Wanna walk together for a bit?” she asked suddenly.

“Walk together?”

“What? Don’t want to? You’re always sticking around Chelsea or President Cecilia, but now you’re avoiding me?” she teased.

“No, it’s not that…” I stammered, confused by her sudden approach.

‘Is she trying to get closer to me on purpose? Why?’

But after a brief moment of hesitation, I realized there was no real reason to refuse her. So, I shook my head and answered as nonchalantly as I could.

“I just thought you didn’t like me much. But sure, let’s walk.”

“Wait, you thought I didn’t like you?” she asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

“Well, didn’t you?”

To be fair, Arian and I hadn’t interacted much. We had bumped into each other a few times, and she had apologized for an earlier misunderstanding, but we hadn’t spoken much since then.

So naturally, I assumed she had no interest in associating with me.

‘It’s not unreasonable to think she wants nothing to do with me, given my reputation as Kamon Vade.’

It was probably just my own bias after all the trouble I’d caused.

“Hm, I see.”

“Why do you look like that?” I asked, noticing her contemplative expression.

“No reason. You just hit the nail on the head.” She smiled lightly, a bit sheepishly. “You’re right, I didn’t really like you.”

“…What?”

Arian’s blunt confession caught me completely off guard. I couldn’t help but let my shock show on my face.

Seeing my reaction, she let out a snicker.

“Kekeke. Relax, I was just joking. Look at your face—you were really startled, huh?”

She laughed heartily, her teasing tone carrying a warmth I hadn’t noticed before. It was like seeing a whole new side of her.

‘Was she always this playful?’

“Come on, don’t make that face. You just seemed so stiff and awkward, so I thought I’d tease you a bit.”

She shrugged as she continued.

“To be honest, I don’t really have strong feelings about you one way or the other. Or, to put it more accurately, I just wasn’t interested. I’m not the type to get swept up in whatever people are saying about someone.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, really. The first time I took any interest in you was because of that bracelet you were wearing. After that, I just saw you as one of the selection team members, nothing more.”

“Just another member of the group, huh?”

“Don’t tell me you’re disappointed by that?” she teased.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

I chuckled, shrugging my shoulders, and she shook her head with a soft smile.

“Look, don’t dwell on trivial things like that. We’ve got plenty of people here in this group, right? I treat most of them the same way.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

She nodded, and with that, our conversation seemed to reach a natural end.

We walked in silence, keeping pace with one another, neither of us saying anything more.

Before long, we found ourselves walking toward one of the more secluded areas around the *Vishran* hot springs, where the crowds had thinned out, and the sounds of the bustling academy group grew faint. We ended up in a quiet, wooded area near the hot springs.

It was then that I finally broke the silence.

“So, what made you suddenly take an interest in me?”

“Hm?” Arian tilted her head, her expression momentarily confused.

“I mean, up until now, I was just another member of the team. But here we are, walking together in this secluded spot. I’m curious why you suddenly wanted to spend time with me.”

“Well, that’s… obvious, I just—”

“*Fireball.*”

*Whoosh!*

The moment the words left my mouth, flames erupted around us, forming a circle of scorching heat.

“K-Kamon? What are you—”

“Please, Senior. You can drop the act now. There’s no one around.”

Airsya.

[Ugh, always with the troublesome tasks. Fine.]

With Airsya’s help, the power of the corrupted spirit spread through the *Orb* on my finger, completing the magical barrier I had prepared beforehand.

*Ziiing!*

A low hum filled the air as the barrier sealed us off. No one outside would be able to hear our conversation or even see us.

“Hah, you’ve got to be kidding me…”

Arian stopped walking, biting her lower lip in frustration as she pulled a dagger from her coat.

I narrowed my eyes and asked calmly, “So, you really were planning to kill me?”

“Don’t act like you didn’t already know!” she snapped. “Just die, Kamon!”

*Tat-tat-tat!*

“Shit.”

Arian lunged at me with terrifying speed, the sharp gleam of her dagger slicing through the air. I quickly moved the fireballs surrounding us to intercept her.

*Whoosh!*

But—

*Shwish!*

“Ha!”

As expected of the academy’s second-year top student, Arian deftly dodged the fireball barrage, her movements swift and precise.

“Die, Kamon Vade!”

With a shout, she hurled herself at me, dagger poised to strike.

Damn it.

I had suspected she had ulterior motives, but I didn’t think she would go so far as to make an open attempt on my life.

As she closed in, her dagger aimed straight at my chest, I considered my options. I could use the “Sky-splitting Blade” to finish her off right here and now, but—

The barrier wouldn’t be able to contain that much power.

If I unleashed that technique here, in the sacred grounds of the Romanoff family’s hot springs, it would undoubtedly cause chaos, and the consequences would be severe.

Not only would it attract unwanted attention, but it would also prevent me from fully investigating the hidden location I’d found earlier.

Damn, what do I do?

I hesitated, weighing my choices, when suddenly—

*Ziiing!*

“Stop!”

“Huh?”

I turned in surprise as the barrier I’d created was forcibly torn apart. A figure rushed toward us from the outside.

It was none other than Lucas Fenelli, the third-year top student.

“Damn it, Arian, stop this!” he shouted.

*Thud!*

Lucas threw himself between Arian and me, tackling her just before her dagger could reach me.

*Thud, crash!*

“Arian!”

“Let go of me, senior! Let go right now!”

“Snap out of it, Arian Marquis! You can’t do this!” Lucas shouted, holding her down as she struggled violently in his grasp.

The scene unfolding before me left me dumbfounded.

“What the hell is going on?” I demanded, my eyes narrowing.

“Kamon… I, uh… Damn it!” Lucas cursed, trying to keep Arian restrained as she thrashed against him.

“Let go of me, you bastard!”

Finally, Lucas gritted his teeth, muttering under his breath, “I have no choice. Forgive me, Arian.”

*Thud!*

With a swift motion, he struck Arian hard on the forehead, knocking her unconscious.

“…”

I stared at her limp body, slumped in Lucas’s arms. For a second, I wondered if he had killed her.

“She’s just unconscious, I swear,” Lucas said quickly, waving his hand defensively as he noticed my look.

I nodded slowly. “Alright, then. Now, care to explain what the hell just happened?”

Lucas sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Ugh, alright… This is all Duke Romanoff’s doing.”

“What?”

“He set conditions for the merchants who want to negotiate with him.”

“Conditions?”

“Yeah. And one of those conditions is your head, Kamon. That’s why Arian pulled this crazy stunt.”

“…”

As his words sank in, I quickly pieced together the situation. So Duke Romanoff had put a bounty on me, essentially using me as a bargaining chip for the various merchant guilds.

But there was one thing that still didn’t add up.

“And how do *you* know all this?” I asked, my gaze narrowing. “You’re not a merchant, and you have no direct ties to the Romanoff family.”

Lucas froze, realizing that I had caught on.

“Uh, hold on, Kamon. I think there’s been a misunderstanding—”

“*Fireball.*”

*Whoosh!*

“Agh, wait! Wait, okay, I’ll talk!”

Waving his hands frantically, Lucas surrendered as I prepared another fireball.

“Arian… she told me everything. She… came to me for advice.”

“Advice? Why you?”

“That’s because…”

*Whoosh!*

“Alright, damn it! Fine, I’ll say it! Arian and I… we’re dating! She’s my girlfriend, okay? That’s why she came to me for advice!”

“…What?”

“I’m her boyfriend! So she told me what was going on!”

I stared at him, dumbfounded by this revelation.

Arian and Lucas… were a couple?

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