Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

281st Episode. Summer Rest – The Queen of Snowstorms (2)

Suddenly, Jenny’s appearance brought a snowstorm.

I had come with my friends, feeling all excited, only to see some soldiers arresting them without any proper reason.

Her anger felt both hot and cold.

“If it’s Jenny Chain Silver… Could it be the family chosen for the next imperial line…!!”

With waterfall-like blue hair and eyes resembling frozen lakes, she radiated a chilling aura.

Erte couldn’t hide his shock.

She fit perfectly with the rumors about the children of the Chain Silver family.

“Who are you to arrest them on your own whim?”

Jenny’s thorny inquiry made Erte shiver, his body frozen up to his torso, leaving him unable to move.

In such a situation, how could Erte maintain his composure?

“Th-those guys…! They did this to my face! This is clearly indiscriminate assault!”

“Is that true?”

This time, Jenny cautiously asked us.

If we had indeed assaulted her, Jenny would have immediately kneeled and begged for forgiveness.

But that was not the case at all.

As we explained everything related to the guy, an even colder breeze began to blow.

“So you started it first.”

The ice that bound their bodies grew colder still.

Even standing in the sweltering summer sea, Erte began to feel an extreme chill.

Yet, he forced himself to endure and opened his mouth.

“B-but… I have witnesses that prove my innocence! Besides, I…”

“You’re Erte Daniel, right?”

“Y-yes?”

“The heir of the Daniel family that governs the laws of this country. I’m well aware of that.”

As a noble, Jenny couldn’t have been ignorant.

However, unlike Jenny, whose face was well-known, it seemed Erte’s face was not recognized.

Which was understandable.

“My father taught me that your family is one to avoid.”

Head of the family Gerard also knew about his son Erte’s issues.

However, due to the royal family’s influence and Elder Enviel from the Magic Federation providing full protection, there was nothing he could do, even if he wanted to.

All he could do was warn his daughters to be cautious of them.

But now, with the imperial power shifting and Enviel’s interference gone, there were no shields to protect Erte.

“Kidnapping young girls and violating them, all while your family turns a blind eye. That’s your family, isn’t it?”

“That’s… merely an artistic…”

“Shut your mouth. No one wants to hear your filthy excuses anymore.”

“But there are witnesses…!”

“Didn’t you hear me tell you to shut up?”

Shhaaaak-

“Ugh!!”

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, instantly freezing Erte’s mouth shut.

From behind Jenny, more soldiers appeared.

The knights from Chain Silver lifted Erte and began to take him away.

Because he was frozen, the knights had to endure slightly cold hands.

“Don’t worry about evidence. We couldn’t investigate so far due to the previous emperor’s interference, but now we can conduct a thorough investigation.”

“Ugh!!!”

Screaming in anguish, Erte vanished with the knights.

And the ice that bound the soldiers immediately melted away.

Now released, the soldiers couldn’t say a word and disappeared along with Erte.

After resolving everything in an instant, Jenny soon wore a bright expression.

“Is everyone okay?”

Then, like a savior, she shrugged and crossed her arms.

With such power solving the awkward situation caused by the absence of the two saints, it was incredibly reassuring. However, seeing her attitude of ‘Look up to me with pride!’ made me want to laugh.

Not just me.

“Puhuh!”

“What’s up? Why are you suddenly laughing?”

Luska, having instinctively laughed, covered her mouth, while Jenny looked at her with a sulky expression.

She seemed hurt, feeling mocked despite the help she offered.

Jenny kept acting like a hero who declared, ‘I have arrived!’

Seeing that, Luska couldn’t hold back.

“I just… find it funny.”

“What’s funny?”

“Puhuh!”

Upon seeing Luska continue to laugh, Jenny wore a concerned expression.

Then she poked Luska’s armpit with her finger.

“Ah! What are you doing all of a sudden!”

“I know you like to laugh. So laugh more!”

“Hahahaha! Stop! I got it, so stop!”

Luska, laughing maddeningly, had tears welling up in her eyes.

Vulnerable to tickling and clad only in a swimsuit, being touched all over was unbearable torture.

As she was tickled, Luska subtly signaled me for help.

Knowing that ignoring it could lead to tremendous consequences, I had no choice but to step in and intervene.

“That’s enough. You’re going to pass out at this rate.”

As I approached, the wicked aura on Jenny’s face vanished.

“Is that so?”

“…”

Luska had already collapsed with her eyes rolled back.

Mary used her telekinesis to lift the collapsed Luska and moved her somewhere.

“Thanks for your help.”

What we needed to say to Jenny was simple.

Upon hearing those words, Jenny could only smile.

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.

.

.

.

.

With everyone now gathered at the beach, our summer vacation had fully returned.

The two saints, who had temporarily left for personal reasons, finally arrived.

Nevia and Angela, curious if anything had happened while they were away, were relieved to hear that nothing significant happened, thanks to Jenny’s efforts.

Having confirmed this, they changed back into their swimsuits and joined the group again.

As I watched them enjoy their time together, I continued to revel in my fishing. Splashing around and playing in the water gets tiresome quickly.

But…

“Radon, don’t just fish there; come play with us!”

Jenny grabbed my hand holding the fishing rod.

Dressed in a matching blue bikini that complemented her hair, adorned with a lily-shaped hairpin in her right bangs, her fit figure was eye-catching—her cleavage peeking out as well.

I could barely keep my eyes off her pure, lively yet glamorous appearance.

“Why are you staring at me all of a sudden, Radon?”

“Uh… it’s just…”

“Is it because I’m pretty?”

Jenny quickly understood what had surprised me.

There truly was nothing to critique or tease her about this time.

Like Luska, she had no flaws.

“Yes, you’re very pretty.”

“Really?”

Feeling her face redden, Jenny pulled me toward the friends’ circle, hugging me.

If it weren’t for her impressive strength, I would have been dragged away effortlessly.

“And about what you asked me for, I made all of it.”

“How many?”

“About ten. Is that enough?”

“That’s plenty. We can deal with the umbrellas later.”

The request I made to Jenny was the creation of something.

Previously, I had met the Great Sage in the Illusory World and had received something from her.

That was the recipe for something exclusive to the Earth world I lived in.

Having received all that knowledge, I shared it with Chain Silver.

Gerard also found it intriguing and started production.

“But is it food?”

“Yeah. I used to eat it regularly when I was in that world.”

Of course, something similar exists in this world.

However, the variety here is not as rich as Earth.

Having missed out on those diverse flavors, I felt a sense of longing throughout my life, but now, that satisfaction was just around the corner.

I wanted to see everyone’s reactions to how it tastes.

“Additionally, the knowledge the Great Sage passed to you contained a considerable amount that could help the Empire prosper more than before.”

“That’s great.”

“Perhaps if my father becomes the Emperor, the remaining duke position might…”

Some ominous hints were dropped, but Jenny soon trailed off her words.

Maybe because it wasn’t a definite matter, she hesitated to respond.

“Anyway, I hope Radon graduates with good grades. That way, the chances of good things happening increase.”

“Already got good grades, both you and I.”

I couldn’t pinpoint what that “good thing” was either.

Although it wasn’t confirmed yet, it didn’t seem right to drink the kimchi soup, but it definitely felt like something fitting ‘good things’ would happen.

Lost in such thoughts, before I knew it, my body was airborne.

“Okay, I’m throwing you.”

Luska, who had somehow grabbed my head, announced.

“When I say ‘one, two, three,’ we all go at once.”

Nevia, holding my right arm, said.

I questioned what was happening suddenly, but…

“Hahahaha! Countdown~!”

Mary’s maniacal laughter silenced any objections I had.

And literally, the countdown began.

“5….”

“4….”

“3….”

“2….”

“1…!!”

Fwoosh-

“Waahhh!!”

As the countdown ended like a nuclear missile launch, my body began soaring toward the sea.

They had thrown me with all their combined strength, causing me to plunge into the water with a splash.

“Puhahaha!”

I coughed and sputtered as I floated back to shore, while they high-fived each other and cheered for their success.

None of them were in their right minds.

Among them, Jenny was laughing the hardest. It seemed this was her idea all along.

‘This is a prank that knows no bounds.’

But Jenny’s laughter was about to end now.

*

“Everyone gathered?”

“Yes, we’re here.”

That night.

Everyone, including me, gathered in Senior Trisha’s room.

From Jenny to Angela, they all came, but the others ignored us, saying they needed to sleep early for their health.

“Isn’t it a shame to miss out on a scary story in the middle of summer?”

Trisha wore an expression that sent shivers down my spine.

They seemed nervous, swallowing hard, but I could already tell what the topic would be.

“Hehehe~ It’s time for some scary stories!”

“Eek!”

As Trisha mocked a ghostly pose, Jenny jumped.

The others were equally startled, but Jenny was the most serious.

“What’s wrong, Jenny? Are you scared already?”

“Um… wouldn’t it be better to talk about something else? Like cute animal stories or something…”

“Cute animals?”

They were already beside us.

-Auww~

-Keuung.

Once Jenny saw the two adorable Divine Beasts whining, she lost her words.

“If we’re going to talk about that, we can do it anytime. But what’s summer fun without scary stories? It’s like shaved ice without syrup!”

The atmosphere was supportive of her statement, except for Jenny.

“That sounds reasonable.”

“Ra-Radon too…!”

When I also agreed to the scary stories, Jenny’s body trembled even more.

Seeing her like that, I grinned and spoke.

“Given that you all threw me like a catapult today, how about we play a game I want this time?”

“Huh…!”

Honestly, I had been interested in scary tales for a long time.

Even on Earth, I used to watch scary story videos on YouTube.

Thanks to that, I wasn’t easily frightened by most scary tales.

Maybe that’s why…

“Is that all there is?”

About an hour into the storytelling.

With Nevia, Mary, Luska, Angela, Crona, and Trisha in line, none of the stories disturbed me at all.

The most convincing among them was Trisha’s, but…

“Radon, how can you be so unfazed?”

“Are you sure you’re not acting? We’re all scared over here!”

Nevia raised her suspicions.

Is that really scary? These girls weren’t as seasoned as I was.

“Right? I almost screamed the entire time!”

Jenny had always been weak against this stuff.

“Now it’s your turn, Radon.”

Everyone was looking forward to my story.

Having endured those scary tales, what fear would I conjure to share with them?

Their eyes filled with awe fixated on me.

“Umm… what I’m going to share isn’t seriously scary.”

“What do you mean? How can you create a scary atmosphere without a scary story?”

No scary story, yet it’s a scary story?

“What is this, a creepy team without the gimmick?” Luska challenged.

Yet, I was confident that I could leave them speechless.

“I can show you what’s scary without having to say a word.”

“How?”

“Jenny.”

“U-uh?”

At the mention of her name, Jenny jumped in surprise.

Having been frightened by the ghost tales, she’d hidden behind the bed, peeking out cautiously.

“What is it, Radon?”

“Go to your room and put on some makeup.”

“Why all of a sudden…?”

“I’ll explain once you’re back. Just make it vibrant.”

There’s nothing scary about makeup!

With that thought in mind, Jenny stood up with a lightened mood.

“I’ll be back in a jiffy!”

Finally liberated from the fright, she left the room with a cheerful expression.

Everybody questioned what I was up to, but…

“Just wait a moment. Something amazing is coming soon. Heehee!”

I waited for Jenny, grinning.

They clearly had no idea what I was planning.

What does makeup even have to do with something scary?

Fifteen minutes later… Jenny returned to Trisha’s room.

“I’m back.”

Squeaking open the door, the moment she appeared…

“She came back faster than I expected… Aaaah!!”

“Jenny, no… Aaaah!!”

“Eek, eek!!”

“W-what’s that… my Queen of Snowstorms?! Gah…!”

Suddenly, everyone turned to look at Jenny’s face and fell into shock.

From Luska to Crona, all acted as if they had encountered a creature from the Cthulhu mythos, convulsing in fright.

“What’s going on with all of you…?”

“You want to know?”

Still bewildered, I showed Jenny the mirror.

When she saw it…

“Aaaah! What’s this?!”

In the mirror reflected a grotesque ghost with a pure white appearance.

Seeing Jenny collapsing in shock, I said, “That’s a mirror.”

“What?”

“I said, that’s a mirror.”

With that, Jenny grabbed the mirror again and inspected it closely.

Realizing that the horrific visage was her own face created by her makeup, she completely lost her strength.

“Ah… aah…”

Then, with a sigh of despair, she fainted.

In that moment, I alone remained composed.

Thus…

“It’s my victory.”

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.