How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 27

In a very wide and antique-looking garden, there were two beautiful young ladies smiling. One had gorgeous blonde hair, while the other had dark gray hair. The girl with gray hair elegantly moved the teapot she was holding.

Pouring…

With a pleasant sound, warm yellow tea filled the teacup.

“Thank you, Lady Cecilia.”

“Fortunately, tea leaves of Fils Rosemary from the Forton region arrived just in time. The aroma is very nice, so please enjoy it slowly.”

Right after the exam ended, Princess Francia was quietly sipping tea in the garden of Lady Cecilia, who was her only rival and practically an enemy, having accepted her invitation.

“So, how was this semester for you, Princess?”

“The same as always. It passed without any problems, just like the last one.”

“Ah, I see. By the way, I heard you passed the practical exam for Dungeon Studies this time. Congratulations.”

At the soft and delicate voice of Lady Cecilia, Princess Francia momentarily paused with her teacup in hand, trying hard to keep her lips from twitching downward as she barely managed to continue speaking.

“Ah, yes. That’s right. Thank you.”

“I also took that class last year, and I remember it being quite difficult. Still, you must have received a good score.”

“I was lucky to have good teammates.”

As Lady Cecilia spoke in a sweet voice, gently stroking her gray hair, Princess Francia responded as defensively as possible.

Then, Lady Cecilia’s voice continued again.

“Did you work with that commoner again this time?”

“……”

At the sudden probing question, Princess Francia slightly twitched one of her eyebrows and sipped her Fils Rosemary tea.

Eventually.

“Yes, I passed the practical exam all thanks to Kyle. And he’s not a commoner anymore; he’s now a Junior Knight.”

“Ah, right. I heard he received the title of Junior Knight because of what happened last time.”

Nodding her head as she answered, Lady Cecilia continued to speak without erasing the smile from her lips.

“Unfortunately, I heard it wasn’t the top score…….”

“Yes, the top score went to Chelsea’s group.”

“Chelsea? You mean Chelsea Artin, the top student?”

“Yes. By the way, this tea has a really nice aroma.”

“Really? Then I’ll make sure to pack some for you later, Princess.”

Although the princess indirectly expressed that she did not want to discuss this topic any further, Lady Cecilia continued to provoke her as if she didn’t care.

“I heard Kamon Vade, or rather just Kamon now, was also in that group. Is that true?”

“……”

Clank!

At the mention of Kamon Vade’s name, Princess Francia slowly put down the teacup she had been savoring.

“I heard he was on the verge of being expelled from the academy. But if he got the top score…….”

“Well, that’s fortunate, isn’t it?”

“Pardon?”

“No one likes seeing a fellow student get expelled from the academy.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Lady Cecilia, I believe Kamon has already paid the price for what he did.”

“Well, that’s true. Being demoted from a noble family to a commoner in an instant……”

Nodding her head as she murmured, Lady Cecilia soon looked at Princess Francia and smiled brightly.

“How can our princess be so angelic all the time?”

‘…Really, you do go too far.’

The fact that Kamon Vade survived without getting expelled was already bothersome enough, and now Lady Cecilia was openly mocking her, causing Princess Francia’s heart to naturally turn upside down.

But.

“This tea is really good.”

It was something she could never express outwardly.

“What? An angel? Ha, that’s funny.”

Returning to her dormitory after the meeting with Lady Cecilia, Princess Francia bit her lower lip hard.

‘This is all because of Kamon Vade.’

If he had been expelled from the academy as expected, she wouldn’t have to endure such humiliation.

He was like a pest, with an unnecessarily strong survival instinct.

“Huff, it’s okay. There’s no need to worry about it. Anyway, he will eventually……”

Knowing Kamon Vade, he would eventually cause trouble and get expelled.

It was then.

Knock, knock!

“Yes, what is it?”

A maid, who soon entered the room, spoke politely.

“Princess, a guest has arrived.”

“A guest? Who is it?”

“They introduced themselves as Sol, the child of Baron Crensh.”

“Sol?”

“Yes.”

Tilting her head at the unfamiliar name, Princess Francia soon replied briefly.

“I’m rather tired today, so I think it would be difficult to meet the guest.”

“Understood, Princess. I will convey that…….”

As the maid bowed politely again and was about to leave, the princess spoke once more.

“By the way, what did they say they came for?”

“Well……”

“Hmm? Why the face?”

“They said it was about Kamon Vade…….”

At the maid’s words, who seemed reluctant to even mention the name, Princess Francia immediately cut her off and shouted.

“Tell them to come in immediately.”

“Pardon?”

“Hurry!”

* * *

Scratch, scratch.

The boy sitting at the desk was more focused than ever, engrossed in his writing. All around him, notes filled with dense writing and wide-open books were scattered in a chaotic mess.

Scratch, scratch.

As he busily scribbled and concentrated on his studies, he looked up.

His slightly droopy eyes and gentle impression gave anyone the feeling that he was a kind person.

Whistle!

At the loud sound from an old kettle, the boy got up and slowly approached it, lifting the boiling kettle to pour into his cup.

Drip, drip, drip!

Soon, the teacup was filled with hot water, and the leaves within began to steep, releasing a light-colored essence.

“…Done.”

The room was filled with the fragrant aroma of tea, and although he was exhausted, the boy managed to smile contentedly and mutter to himself.

“Not much longer now.”

His gaze soon shifted to the pile of books on his desk.

[Understanding Basic Magic]

[Humans and Non-Humans]

[History of the Andrea Continent – Basic Edition]

[The Mysterious and Beautiful World of Pharmacology]

“Maybe I just need to study Phenomenal Magic now?”

His name was Bren.

As a first-year student at the Flance Imperial Academy, he was frantically studying for the upcoming second-semester finals.

“There’s only one subject left, so I guess I can take a little break.”

Bren lifted his cup, savoring the deeply brewed tea, enjoying a fleeting moment of blissful rest.

“Ah, this is nice.”

Bren, immersed in the quiet, clean, and peaceful atmosphere that brought a smile to his face, suddenly thought of someone.

“…Ugh.”

He shook his head and shivered as if a chill had run down his spine.

“But I won’t have to see them again.”

Just being associated with the academy’s most notorious troublemaker, who even attacked the princess, was a constant source of stress for the timid Bren.

Sip.

He calmed his mind with a sip of warm tea, then turned his attention back to his books.

And soon,

“Oh? It’s a salamander feather.”

Bren picked up the high-quality salamander feather he had gotten for free in the city of ‘Velium’ and chuckled.

“I really thought I was getting kidnapped back then.”

In the end, after the practical exam, they even had a small party together.

“But they weren’t as scary or vicious as the rumors said… No, what am I thinking? Back to studying.”

Muttering to himself as if reminding himself, Bren ended his brief break and returned to his desk.

* * *

“Everyone, leave your test papers and put your hands on your head.”

Unlike the full practical exam for Dungeon Studies, most other classes were conducted as written exams.

The class called Heterogeneous Analysis was no different.

Thud.

I put down my pen and looked at the problem I had just guessed on, tilting my head in confusion.

“Did I take it too lightly?”

Well, even if I fail, I won’t be expelled.

Professor Delon, who handles Dungeon Studies, is unusual, but most first-year liberal arts courses don’t fail students.

It’s just a pass (P) or no-pass (NP) system.

So even if I did it haphazardly, I would pass for sure.

“Alright, the person in the back, please collect the papers and place them on the desk.”

Rustle!

With the professor’s clear voice, a student from the back approached and took my test paper.

“Phew.”

As I let out a long sigh, finally feeling the end of the long second-semester finals, I noticed Bren on the other side, looking somewhat gloomy.

Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, I shook my head sympathetically.

‘He must have had twice as hard a time as everyone else.’

It’s true that he suffered in various ways after getting unexpectedly caught by me.

Although we had a small party after the exam…

‘Well, you can never have too many parties. Maybe we should have another one today to celebrate the end of all exams?’

As I considered having such an event, the Heterogeneous Analysis professor spoke with a bright smile.

“You all did well this semester. The final grades, including today’s exam scores, will be posted on the bulletin board tomorrow, so please check them. Great job.”

Hearing the professor’s words, I recalled a unique rule at the academy, or rather, in this world.

‘Why is the report card announced publicly instead of being given individually?’

Surprisingly, the Flance Imperial Academy publicly displays students’ overall grades on a giant bulletin board.

In other words, other students could see my report card.

Eh, whatever.

Forget the grades. Today, it’s all about the party, the party!

“Bren, how about we… huh?”

Clatter!

Before I could properly call him, Bren quickly left the classroom.

“What’s that about?”

Is he really that tired?

Yeah, if someone worked hard, they need rest too.

He looks like an introverted type.

Just for today, rest well, Bren.

“So, what should I do now?”

As the long-awaited end of the exams brought a slight thrill of anticipation, I started thinking.

Usually, after finals in the real world, friends would head straight to karaoke or PC rooms.

Is there anything different in this fantasy world?

Maybe something like magical escape rooms or fun activities!

As I looked around with those thoughts, I noticed something important that I had temporarily forgotten.

Most of the students had already left the classroom, leaving it very quiet.

Ah, right.

I originally didn’t have any friends, did I?