How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 26

“Kiaaaaa, this is refreshing!”

Gulping down the apple juice I had stored away, I shouted at Bren, who was hesitating.

“Hey, Bren. What are you doing? Drink up already!”

“Oh… Okay.”

Slurp!

Bren also gulped down his apple juice in one go.

“How is it? Amazing, right? I’m telling you, this apple juice is the best.”

“Yeah, but isn’t this from the cafeteria?”

“Yeah, it is. Why?”

“…No reason. Haha, it’s nothing.”

Bren let out an awkward laugh and tilted his head slightly. However, I didn’t pay much attention to his reaction and expressed my pleasant mood openly.

“Anyway, it’s all over now. We can stay at the academy. I won’t fail the remaining exams even if I just wing them…”

Thunk!

As I opened the closed wardrobe, a cool breeze flowed out, revealing bottles of juice and milk stored inside.

“Bren, do you want something more to drink?”

“Wow… What’s this?”

Bren looked at me with amazed eyes and asked.

“What do you mean, what’s this? It’s a mini refrigerator.”

“Kamon, did you make this yourself?”

“Of course. Why?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just amazing…”

Seeing Bren gaze at my homemade mini refrigerator with sparkling eyes brought a smile to my face.

‘My own little sanctuary.’

Not a life filled with fear of being expelled from the academy and never knowing when I might die… but a life where I could live safely and happily in the sanctuary I built, thanks to getting the top score in the Dungeon Studies final exam.

“Hey, Bren, what are you going to do after the exams? It’s winter break.”

“Uh… break? It’s only about two weeks, so I don’t have any plans.”

Mumbling, Bren cautiously glanced at me and opened his mouth again.

“Why? Do you have any plans, Kamon?”

“Me?”

“Y-yeah.”

Hearing Bren’s slightly trembling voice, I shrugged and replied immediately.

“Of course, I have a definite plan!”

“What?”

“I’m just going to stay in my room and do nothing but rest. Homebody, stay-at-home!”

Why bother going out pointlessly when I have my room, my home, my sanctuary?

“Oh, I see.”

Hearing my perfect plan, Bren nodded with a somewhat relieved expression.

‘Why is he always so scared?’

I felt a bit puzzled by Bren’s behavior, but it didn’t really matter, so I soon lost myself in thoughts while sipping my apple juice.

‘Is the second semester over now?’

The academy’s system followed a Western curriculum, not a Korean one. There were three semesters in a year, with short breaks at the end of each. Instead, after the final semester, there was a long break of more than three months.

So now…

‘Since the second semester is over, the next one is the final semester.’

If compared to reality, it felt like the Christmas-New Year holidays or Lunar New Year.

As I pondered this, I looked at Bren and opened my mouth again.

“Bren, do you want to stay in the room with me during the break? It would be more comfortable with two people than being alone.”

It was a simple suggestion, thinking it would be better to spend time with a friend rather than being miserably alone.

But.

“Huh? Well, I have club activities and need to catch up on and review my studies…”

Bren seemed eager to decline my offer.

Feeling a playful urge, I asked in a low voice, setting the mood.

“Why? You don’t want to stay with me?”

“N-no, it’s not that. Don’t misunderstand, Kamon. Really, I…”

“Hey, hey, I’m joking. Why are you so flustered?”

“A joke. Hahaha. Oh, right.”

At that moment, Bren’s eyes lit up as if he remembered something.

“What? What is it?”

“Well, there’s the magic society seminar during this break.”

“Huh? Seminar? What’s that?”

“….”

Completely clueless, I asked again, and Bren’s eyes wavered significantly.

What is it?

Magic society seminar?

Did that exist in the original story?

As my brain raced, I couldn’t recall any such event in the original plot.

“Oh, no. I heard there’s a big seminar held by the magic society during this break, centered around Professor Phelan, the head of the Magic Department.”

“Hmm?”

“And it’s such a big seminar that many guests from outside come, and there’s a lot to see. Oh, right. There’s even a rumor that the tower master of the Magic Tower might come.”

Seeing Bren talk with a slightly excited look made me chuckle inwardly.

‘So, he wants to go there with me.’

Cute.

Well, Bren was a model student and a mage, so attending such a seminar would probably be beneficial for him.

Since he’s the first… no, a friend I made in this world who wants to do that.

I can accompany him for that much.

With that thought, I started to speak to Bren.

“So you want to go there with me…”

But at that moment.

Thunk!

“Ah!”

“What, what’s wrong? Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“No, I just realized that we have the Basic Magic Theory exam tomorrow, and I haven’t studied at all.”

With the topic of conversation shifting so suddenly, I scratched the back of my head and went along with him.

“Oh, right. We still have the Basic Magic Theory and Mixed Analysis exams left, huh?”

“Yeah.”

The atmosphere around Bren, as he momentarily recalled his grades, felt a bit untouchable.

Then, soon enough.

“Kamon, I’m sorry. I think I shouldn’t be here right now. Let’s meet after the exams. I’m going to study!”

“Oh, okay. Do your best, Bren.”

Unlike before, Bren spoke firmly without any tremor in his voice and hurriedly left my room.

“What was that about, all of a sudden?”

I looked at the spot where Bren had vanished, then downed the last of the apple juice in my mouth. I still had about three or four exams left, but…

“Yeah, I’m not going to study.”

The remaining exams were not like the Dungeon Studies exam; even if I flunked them, there was no risk of expulsion. Actually, they probably wouldn’t fail me anyway. So, there was no real reason to study.

“Oh, I wish these exams would be over soon.”

Saying something that my teenage self might have said once upon a time, I stretched out and lay down on the bed.

* * *

“You all did great on the Dungeon Studies exam. Let’s enjoy ourselves tonight!”

“…What’s the occasion, Lois? That stingy guy?”

“Stingy? Me? Hahaha, looks like some envious group is spreading useless rumors about me.”

“So, how’s everyone doing with their exam prep?”

“Well, sort of?”

“More or less. Hey, let’s not talk about that tonight!”

Lois, Mellin, Elaine, and Claire. Everyone who had tackled the practical exam in Dungeon Studies with Chelsea’s group was gathered together.

“But where’s Chelsea? Didn’t she say she was coming?”

“Oh, she’s probably still taking her exam. Wasn’t it Geographical Anomalies? She had that exam today.”

“Really? Then she’ll be here soon. It’ll be over before ten anyway.”

“No, but why does Chelsea have an exam right after the practical? Isn’t she tired?”

“Hey, the top student isn’t the top student for no reason.”

While the primary purpose of their gathering was to celebrate completing the Dungeon Studies final exam…

“Kamon’s not invited?”

“No, why invite that bastard? He stabbed us in the back.”

Mellin reacted sharply to Claire’s question.

“As I’ve said before, nothing has been properly clarified yet. And it’s technically a party to celebrate the highest score in the Dungeon Studies final exam.”

“Hey, Claire. You’ve been…”

“Mellin!”

Elaine intervened to stop Mellin, while Lois shrugged and muttered.

“I don’t know for sure either. I did contact him, but whether he comes or not is his choice.”

Then he pointed to the snacks and drinks in front of them and continued.

“Anyway, it’s all on me tonight, so eat, drink, and have fun!”

Just then,

Creak!

“Sorry, am I late?!”

The door opened, revealing Chelsea, carrying a heavy bag and books.

“No, no. You’re not late!”

“Oh, the real star of the night has arrived! Come here, the hero, Chelsea Artine!”

With Lois’s exuberance, even the cold atmosphere between Mellin and Claire quickly melted away.

“Here, this is your seat, Chelsea!”

“Yay, let’s start the party!”

Soon, everyone was laughing and chatting around the table with Chelsea at the center.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t expect him to charge forward so recklessly!”

“Reckless? Don’t eat that! I bought it!”

“There he goes again, being stingy. Fine, I won’t eat it!”

“Hey, just kidding, Mellin. Eat, go ahead!”

As they reminisced about what happened in the dungeon, Chelsea simply smiled quietly.

“…”

Her eyes drifted to an empty seat at the large table.

‘Kamon Vade.’

Although she didn’t expect him to come, for some reason, his absence bothered her a bit.

‘…I wanted to ask him something.’

Chelsea had started to have some questions about Kamon since the dungeon raid.

“Now, let’s hear from Chelsea Artin, the student who single-handedly took down the final boss and got the highest score!”

“Woooo!”

“Chelsea, tell us. How did you manage to take down the final boss alone?!”

With Lois’s prompting and Elaine’s enthusiastic response, Mellin asked a playful interview-style question.

Chelsea smiled lightly at their antics and stood up.

Screeech

Then she said,

“I didn’t do it alone.”

“Huh?”

“…What?”

“The raid, I did it with Kamon Vade.”

Chelsea confessed truthfully, feeling lighter than ever.

However.

“Okay, that concludes the humble interview of top student Chelsea Artin.”

“There she goes again! Yeah, we all tackled the dungeon together! Sure thing, sure thing!”

“Come on, let’s drink!”

Naturally, the other group members didn’t take her words seriously, treating them as a joke instead.