I Became the Traitor in an Academy Story

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“If it were a kind hero instead of the Liberators who took Blanca in…”

I smeared the paralytic component-infused slime onto the fleeing villain’s body, yanking on it with all my weight as if I were reeling in a big catch.

However, since this guy was a muscle-bound powerhouse, there was only so much I could do by brute strength. As he thrashed about, I felt my posture falter, and it seemed like my arm was about to pop out of its socket.

“You think you can escape? Not on my watch!!!”

I forced adrenaline into my body, but still, there was a limit to stopping this walking gym of a villain.

I shot several strands of slime behind me, trying my best not to get dragged along, but that just ended up breaking the slime or peeling off whatever it stuck to.

Seriously, what kind of strength is this? Here I was, gripping the slime and injecting a paralytic agent, yet my arm felt like it was about to snap.

I contemplated whether I should inject some deadly poison to half-kill him and then fix him up, when suddenly I heard a ‘kreeaaakk’ sound and the villain’s head snapped back toward the sky.

As I tried to wrap my head around what had just happened, I quickly realized what it was and managed to steady my shaky body while expressing relief.

“Where have you been, Maha…?!”

Though my voice dripped with annoyance, he could tell I was glad to see him, so he just sheepishly made an excuse.

“Sorry, I was helping Protean and Pyra; they were having a tough time! I’ve got to go help Yukihana now, so I can’t chat long. Sorry, Chemicat! Take a breather and help the others out!!”

While I placed my hand on the villain’s breathing apparatus and sprayed sleeping gas, Minho rattled off his words and immediately flew off to another spot.

“Hey, at least give me a battle situation update… Sigh. What’s got you so busy…?”

I grumbled to the now-absent Minho, knowing he wouldn’t be coming back.

Swearing that I’d collect plenty in dessert and equipment costs later, I had no choice but to move this villain on my own.

Fortunately, the battle situation was turning in our favor.

By the original story’s logic, we’d have been at a disadvantage due to the Executors’ ambush, but we had two people here who knew about it.

Me and Minho. Sure, we hadn’t blurted it out directly, but we subtly led ourselves to be prepared. Thanks to our brainstorming sessions, the situation was much better than in the original.

Even in the original, we had been clever in our own right, but we ended up with an empty victory for Piros.

“It pays off to use my head…”

Muttering to myself, I strained to drag this hulking monster toward the safety team, including Ageha.

“Chemicat?! Where have you been… No, what on earth is that?!”

Ageha opened the barrier for me, but her jaw dropped at the sight of the villain.

“Maybe… Executives?”

I casually replied, and she seemed flabbergasted, wondering what I was thinking fighting an executive all alone.

“I wasn’t fighting alone; Maha stole the finishing blow from me at the end.”

Grinning, I slipped through the gap in the barrier and guided the already subdued villain toward the special police waiting outside.

Ageha was keeping the barrier up to protect citizens and the injured, so she hesitated to leave her post, but soon enough, the support team, including Maria, approached me to inquire about the battle situation and my condition.

Of course, Ageha was still asking from her spot.

“The battle situation is fantastic, so don’t worry.”

“And Chemicat…?”

My state? Honestly, I felt like I might collapse…

“I can still fight.”

As I said this, I charged my spirit and prepared to head inside the barrier again.

Ageha questioned whether I should really push myself when it was clear to anyone that I looked exhausted.

“I appreciate the concern, but no thanks. I’m aiming to be a hero; do you think I’d collapse this easily?”

With a smirk, I headed back toward the barrier.

Minho, Lapiz, Yeonhwa, Jinhyeon, the crew was still fighting.

———————

“Hmm…?”

When I came to, my mom was sleeping right next to me.

…The lights were out, and since my mother was dozing, it must be evening. Judging by my attire and the surroundings, I was in a hospital.

I didn’t know if it was an ICU or not, but based on my last memories, it had to be an ICU. I took those attacks head-on, after all…

Well, that was probably a stretch. But if I hadn’t taken them, my friends could have really been killed… Ugh. There was nothing I could do about it.

It was better for me to get hurt than for my friends to worry. I heal pretty quickly anyway.

As I rustled around, my mother forced her eyes open, struggling as she asked if I was awake.

“Yawwn… Ugh, Vice. Are you up…?”

She still looked tired but showered me with a loving gaze, showing just how kind she was deep down.

She could have scolded me about why I threw myself into danger, but instead, she asked about my condition, which was… interesting.

Given how kind she was, she would gladly reach out to me in that situation.

“I can’t say I’m fine… Sorry, Mom.”

“I’m not trying to scold you. If you hadn’t been there, countless people would have been injured or faced far worse fates. You did well, Vice.”

My mom patted my head, praising me for my effort. As I sat still, absorbing her gentleness, I had to correct something.

“No, Mom. It wasn’t for the people. It was for my friends. I don’t care what happens to those humans. Not at all.”

The reason I made such a reckless move was solely that my friends were in danger. The civilians and the injured who were behind them… honestly, it didn’t matter to me.

My mom looked down at me, wearing a somewhat bitter expression, and asked if I still hadn’t forgiven humans.

“…No. How could I? They tore me apart, poked at me, and dissected me. How could I ever forgive them? Not for a thousand years or ten thousand years; it’d never happen.”

I know. The humans I saved aren’t the ones who tortured me. I’ve dealt with those culprits myself.

But.

The society where they lived. The culture they enjoyed. It was because of them that I was torn apart like that. Because of Heros Company. So… I couldn’t forgive them.

Not ever. Even if my friends begged me, I wouldn’t think to forgive.

Joining Heros Academy was only to fit in with the main cast, including Minho, and to meet my mother’s expectations.

I had no intention to become some heroic figure saving people in the name of justice.

If my friends or my mom wanted that, I could play the part… but that doesn’t mean I wanted to.

My mother looked at me sadly, flapping her big rabbit ears.

“…One day, you’ll come to care for humans.”

“I hope that day never comes. I have no desire to forgive or even want an apology.”

“Vice…”

Sorry, Mom, but that was really out of the question. I had no intention of that. Me? Caring about humans? Ugh. I should keep such unpleasant thoughts to a minimum.

“But today, I didn’t torment any villains, Mom. Can you at least give me credit for that?”

This back-and-forth conversation wasn’t pleasant for either of us, so I brought up some good news I hoped would earn praise from her.

“…Alright, Vice. You really did well. That’s where you need to start. One day, you’ll be someone who can accept kindness from others without suspicion.”

“Hehe.”

My mom patted me, saying that was the first step.

…In reality, it was more about not having the opportunity to torment anyone, but hey, I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t.

Yep, totally innocent.

I didn’t like deceiving my mom, but what choice did I have to cheer her up?

“Ain can be a great hero too, Vice. I have no doubt you can too. If we set an example, people will eventually recognize Ain.”

“Yeah, I know. So, I’ll do my best to make that happen. Yawn… Is it alright if I just catch some Zs since it’s dawn?”

I tried to play cute with my mom, but she gently smiled before insisting I couldn’t do that until the doctor checked my condition.

“Ugh… I’m so tired.”

“But that’s still better than getting worse, right? No matter how good Regeneration Recovery Medicine is, overconfidence isn’t wise.”

“I know, it’s a Heros Company product… Ah, they’re here.”

Despite not trusting Heros Company. Hating humans. Loving my friends and my mom.

So, as long as there are people I love and care for,

I guess I have to remain a good kid.

 

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