How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 46

“Huff, huff. I’m really going to die. I’m out of breath, I might just collapse and… ugh.”

“You won’t die from that. Keep running.”

“No, but why did you suddenly choose a path we don’t even know…”

“Anyway, we shook them off, didn’t we?”

“I almost died several times! That’s not what I’d call ‘shaking them off’! Ugh, it was just luck.”

Elliot responded firmly to my stern tone.

‘Luck? Yeah, we were definitely lucky this time.’

Indeed, we escaped in a completely different direction than the path we took to get here.

Why?

‘Obviously to avoid being chased!’

Before Kyle could fully recover, we hastily fled, only to be horrified by voices coming from afar.

Diana, who had somehow regained consciousness, was giving orders to Kyle, who had just gotten up.

‘Kyle, catch those bastards!’

Luckily, we had moved quickly and gained quite a bit of distance.

Tatadat!

But Kyle closed the gap in an instant, forcing us to change directions multiple times to shake him off.

‘He’s really tormenting me to the end, that bastard.’

“Ptui!”

Thinking of Kyle, the protagonist and cheat character of this world, I spat on the ground.

“Hey, why are you suddenly spitting… Ugh. Kamon, slow down a bit. I mean, let’s take a break. They’re not chasing us anymore. Huff.”

I turned to look at Elliot, who spoke with a voice that seemed like he would collapse any moment.

Still suffering from the aftereffects of his berserk state, he was walking with heavy steps, looking extremely exhausted.

‘It’s a wonder he didn’t get left behind.’

“Alright, let’s take a break.”

To evade Kyle’s persistent and relentless pursuit, we had taken an unknown path, continuing our forced march.

Thanks to that, we encountered numerous traps and uncharted guardians, suffering considerable damage, difficulties, and pain along the way, but we managed to shake off the pursuit.

“Do you think they really can’t catch up anymore?”

Elliot, who was lying flat on the ground, still seemed anxious as he stared at the direction of the entrance to the vault with shaky eyes.

“Yeah, they won’t be able to follow us anymore. Like you said, we were lucky. We found that secret passage by chance.”

It was an exit cleverly hidden among the traps, a path even the protagonist Kyle wouldn’t know about.

“Yeah, we were really lucky.”

Nodding at my words, Elliot soon burst into a chuckle.

“What’s so funny all of a sudden?”

“No, I just thought about how we managed to give that damn girl a good hit. It’s making me feel good.”

“Hey, you didn’t get the inheritance either. This isn’t the time to be laughing.”

“Hahaha, right. I didn’t get the inheritance. But she didn’t either.”

Still laughing, Elliot turned his head and continued.

“When I collapsed at the last altar, honestly, I almost gave up on everything. The inheritance, the position of head, the merchant guild… But…”

Elliot stopped talking and slowly sat up.

“Anyway, the opportunity has come again. Neither Diana nor I got the inheritance, so now we can compete fairly again. It’s a pity our ancestor’s treasure is submerged, though.”

“Ahem, if that’s how you see it…”

Elliot didn’t know that I was the reason the inheritance was completely submerged.

‘Let’s keep my mouth shut for now.’

There’s no need to stir up trouble unnecessarily.

Feeling somewhat guilty, I looked at the ‘Orb’ in my hand and spoke to Elliot again.

“Anyway, let’s get back as soon as possible. I need to prepare for the magic demonstration at the seminar.”

It took about ten days to come here and obtain the ‘Orb.’

If I can return to the academy within four days and get used to the ‘Orb’ in that time, I should be able to perform the magic demonstration without any issues.

Though I hadn’t yet moved the mana, the necessary formulas and operational methods were already in my head.

“Huh? Wait, Kamon. Did you just say ‘magic demonstration’?”

“Yeah, I have to attend it. It’s almost mandatory. If I don’t show up, I’ll probably get expelled from the academy immediately.”

Because of that damn magic demonstration, hahaha.

I tried to sound cheerful and spoke in a light tone.

“But can we afford to stay here like this?”

“Huh?”

What’s he saying now, making me nervous.

Then, Elliot’s voice continued.

“No, it takes at least four days to get to the academy from here.”

“……”

I stared blankly at Elliot, momentarily speechless.

The unexpected news from Elliot made my mind go blank as I barely managed to ask again.

“Four… days?”

“Yeah, at the quickest pace, it’s four days. No, even at the slowest, it’ll take five days.”

Seeing Elliot shrugging nonchalantly, I…

“Hahaha.”

Unconsciously burst into laughter and tightly shut my eyes.

Yeah, no wonder we’ve been so lucky.

* * *

Whiz, thud!

A fat old man hit a white ball on the floor with a long stick.

Roll, thud!

The ball rolled and soon fell into a small hole in the middle.

Clap clap clap!

“Wow. Count Benner, you’re really amazing!”

A slick middle-aged man clapped rapidly with both hands, and the fat old man burst into laughter.

“Hahaha. That’s why I always want to play ball with you, Velion.”

“Oh dear, how can I have any fun when you always torment a novice like me? I want to win at least once, Count!”

“Haha, you’ve improved a lot since last time. You might catch up to me soon.”

“There you go again, teasing me. Fine, then let’s have another match next time?”

“Alright, alright. I’m always ready, just call me.”

“Haha, got it, Count Benner. Then I’ll ask you again next time.”

“Sure, you’ve done well today!”

The fat old man left, still in a good mood, and the slick middle-aged man, Velion, started picking up the white balls scattered around.

Thump! Thump!

At that moment.

“I have something to report.”

A sudden, unfamiliar voice stopped Velion’s hand as he picked up a ball.

“Is it over already?”

“Ah, yes. It’s over, but there’s a bit of a problem…”

“Enough, I’ll hear the details inside.”

Thud!

Velion answered and put down the ball bag, heading somewhere.

A little later.

“So the entire inheritance in the vault is submerged?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Before the excavation of Dranthe’s Secret Vault, a man with a goatee knelt on one knee in Diana’s office and answered her.

“So, in the end, neither Elliot nor Diana managed to obtain the inheritance.”

“……”

“That means I still have no successor.”

The slick middle-aged man summarizing the situation was none other than Velion Fren, the head of the Fren family and the merchant guild.

“What orders will you give to those two?”

“Both made the mistake of losing their ancestor’s inheritance, so they’ll have to pay for that mistake.”

“Understood.”

Creak!

Velion, indicating he had no more to say, stood up from his seat. The goateed man hurried to follow him.

At that moment, Velion spoke again.

“Oh, by the way.”

“Yes?”

“The one who submerged the vault is the eldest son of the Vade family?”

“Ah, he’s currently exiled and downgraded to a commoner. His name is Kamon.”

“Kamon, is it.”

Repeating his name briefly, Velion smirked and continued.

“Interesting.”

“……?”

“Even my clever daughter can sometimes be outwitted. Heh.”

Chuckling quietly at the mention of Diana, Velion asked again.

“He was moving with Elliot, you say?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Well, recruiting people is also a skill.”

Muttering this to himself, Velion began massaging his shoulders and sighed.

“Hah, it’s exhausting to lose on purpose every time. That Count Benner, he’s really terrible at playing.”

* * *

“Thank you all for attending the 23rd Magic Academy Seminar…”

At Flance Imperial Academy, amidst the murmuring of many people, the opening ceremony for the seminar was about to begin.

“Still no news on him? You haven’t found him yet?”

“I’m sorry, Professor. We’ve searched the academy and even the surrounding cities thoroughly, but…”

“Don’t just apologize. Find that bastard immediately. Bring him to me as soon as you find him.”

The face of the old bald professor in a fine suit was flushed with anger.

He was Professor Phelan Xavier, the head professor of the magic department at Flance Imperial Academy.

“Where on earth are you hiding, Kamon Vade?”

He muttered Kamon’s name through gritted teeth.

Soon after, the distinguished guests and notable figures that the seminar attendees had eagerly awaited began to appear.

“Now, please give a big round of applause. Here is the person leading Flance Imperial Academy, Dean Elmon!”

An old man with impressively long white beard appeared, waving with a benevolent smile. But people’s attention was drawn elsewhere.

“What, he really attended?”

“The scale is bigger than expected.”

The dwarf-like, stout magician had the emblem of the ‘Seven Tables’ with the number ‘7’ on his chest.

“Wow, I never expected a member of the Seven Tables to come.”

“Yes, indeed! One of the seven pillars supporting the magical world, Master of the Magic Tower ‘Glagos’, Xavier Partizan is here.”

The host shouted with excitement, but the more they did so, the more Phelan muttered under his breath.

“Damn it.”

‘Why did the Master of the Magic Tower have to come…’

Until the seminar began, Phelan hadn’t been overly worried about the magic demonstration.

Regardless of any problems, most of the guests and researchers present were already his followers.

So, whether the demonstration succeeded or failed, his research was bound to receive applause.

Even with Dean Elmon there, his voice was more influential in the magical community.

But if the Master of the Magic Tower was present, everything changed.

In front of a person with much greater power and fame, no magician could afford to act deceitfully.

Thus, Phelan’s expression grew increasingly distorted.

“What are you all doing?”

Noticing the assistants hesitating before him, Phelan shouted more irritably than ever.

“Move quickly! Find that bastard. If you don’t bring him back before the demonstration, you’re all finished too!”

Seeing the assistants’ faces turn pale at his harsh tone, Phelan’s frustration mounted.

“Yes, Professor!”

“Understood!”

Watching the assistants scurry off, Phelan shook his head.

“Useless, all of them! They can’t do anything right! Just wait, once this seminar is over, all of you are done for!”

After venting all his anger, he was about to return to his seat when…

“Is there a problem, Professor?”

“Ah, Princess Francia.”

Seeing Princess Francia approach, Phelan forced an awkward smile and slightly bowed his head.

“From your expression, it seems something has gone wrong…”

“Haha, it’s nothing.”

“Is that so?”

As she tilted her head and asked again, Phelan scratched the back of his head, pretending to give in.

“Yes. There’s a small problem, but it will be resolved soon.”

“A small problem?”

Seeing her eyes gleam as she asked, Phelan sighed deeply.

“Sigh. Kamon Vade, he has disappeared.”

“What? Kamon Vade?”

“Yes, we will find him soon, but I’m sorry to say this to you, Princess. I know you had quite an interest in him…”

“Oh, no. I’m fine. Isn’t it more of a problem for you, Professor?”

“Hahaha, it’s fine. He’s not the only participant in the demonstration.”

‘It’s not fine at all. I want to wring his neck right now!’

Hiding his inner rage, Phelan smiled and narrowed his eyes at the princess.

‘Perhaps it’s all your fault. If you hadn’t mentioned Kamon Vade, none of this would have…’

But Phelan wasn’t foolish enough to voice his thoughts openly.

Instead,

“It’s unfortunate, but that’s how it turned out. I apologize once again.”

Phelan Xavier, a man who could bow to the powerful faster than anyone, said.

“Now, I must go to continue the seminar.”

“Yes, Professor. Good luck!”

After exchanging farewells, the two parted ways.

“……”

Princess Francia watched Phelan walk away, bowing his head. She quietly smiled and whispered to herself.

“Pft. What? Disappeared? Is he still there?”

With a tone full of mockery, she spoke to herself before quickly changing her expression.

She then gracefully greeted the new people approaching her.

“Hello, Professor.”

“Yes, yes, I’ve been well.”

“Oh my, thank you so much for saying that.”

Princess Francia, responding warmly and softly to each person she met, looked happier than ever.