How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 74

“[How dare these worthless bugs, less than trash, dare to defy me…]”

“[…I wish they’d all just drop dead. I don’t even want to look at those verm-ints.]”

Cecilia repeatedly activated the manipulated crystal orb that stored Princess Francia’s voice.

Click!

“[Nobles and commoners can never truly mix…]”

“Pfft!”

She suddenly burst into laughter and looked at me.

“Kaaamooon!”

“Uh? What is it all of a sudden?”

She then rushed over to my side and grabbed both of my arms.

“…?!”

Surprised by her sudden action, I tried to step back, but…

“Kamon!”

Calling my name loudly once more, Lady Cecilia smiled and murmured.

“Thank you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Thanks to you, I feel so much lighter and refreshed!”

Seeing her bouncing around excitedly, I could only manage an awkward smile.

“Haha, is that so?”

“Ah, I should have seen the princess’s face then. Such a pity. Did you see it, Kamon? Her face?”

“Uh, well…”

I did see it.

The iron mask that almost cracked, barely holding back her grimace.

“Since things have come this far, I’m just thinking everything will work out somehow, no matter what happens. Honestly, it’s more satisfying to see the princess taken down a notch than to worry about something that might not even happen!”

Seeing Lady Cecilia still chuckling made me feel guilty.

‘Have I corrupted her too much?’

“By the way, Kamon, do you know? It seems ‘Pjinyo’ is making quite a splash too. Maybe because they’re commoners, they know how to stir people’s emotions so well?”

“Lady Cecilia, that sounds very discriminatory.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m not used to these kinds of conversations yet. Anyway! Kamon, you have such guts. It’s no wonder you attacked the princess. This is outright defiance of the imperial family.”

“No, I do not defy the imperial family…”

“Oh, don’t lie! So, what’s the next strategy? Should we bribe someone from the election committee? Or maybe fabricate something to get the princess expelled?”

Seeing Lady Cecilia now taking it a step further, I could only stare at her in a daze.

She soon chuckled and shook her head.

“Kidding, no need to make that face.”

Lady Cecilia, who now seemed to have let go of a lot, stretched and spoke nonchalantly.

“Ah, we’ll see what happens in the future when we get there. Anyway, thank you. That’s sincere. Honestly, I thought this was a fight I could never win, but now it feels like there’s a chance.”

At that moment.

Boom!

The door of the office where Lady Cecilia and I were standing burst open, and someone familiar ran in.

“Big, big trouble!”

“Elliot?”

He, soaked in sweat, looked back and forth between me and Lady Cecilia, gasping for breath.

“The, the one who manipulated the voice has been caught.”

Both Lady Cecilia and I reacted with shock to Elliot’s sudden news.

“What?”

“What do you mean? Explain clearly.”

“So, well…”

With a pale face, Elliot began to divulge the information he had learned.

* * *

“They’ve all been caught?”

“Yes, all of them. Every single one.”

All the illegal and illicit groups scattered across the cities surrounding the academy were simultaneously arrested.

The person who handled our job got swept up in it too.

“Does this even make sense?”

Every misfortune imaginable seems to fall on me, but this is just too much.

How can I be so unlucky?

At that moment.

“This is the imperial family.”

“What?”

“The princess must have moved the imperial family. Otherwise, they couldn’t have arrested so many people so quickly.”

“If it’s the imperial family… no way…”

“Yes, it’s probably the princess who took action to identify those involved with the voice manipulation.”

Lady Cecilia, with a slightly pale face, looked at Elliot and me.

“Can you really trust that person?”

“The guy I know is pretty tight-lipped…”

“Being tight-lipped isn’t enough. Can he be trusted to not spill anything even if his life depends on it?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“…”

“…”

The office quickly fell silent, enveloped in a gloomy atmosphere.

It was natural.

If the imperial family really was involved at the princess’s command, it was only a matter of time before all our tracks were uncovered.

Everyone’s minds were filled with the thought that we were, quite literally, screwed.

‘Wait, but is this even physically possible?’

In any case, this incident involved the administrative power to turn several cities upside down.

But could this really have happened just because of a request from a single princess?

If any problems arose, could a mayor or a mere noble take responsibility for it?

‘Absolutely not.’

Such an operation would require a direct order from the imperial palace.

Considering the distance between the imperial palace and the academy, it was impossible for them to act so quickly after the crystal orb’s revelation.

So, in other words…

“Someone from the imperial family was already here?”

“What?”

“Huh? What do you mean, Kamon?”

“It’s strange, isn’t it? How could the imperial family move so precisely and quickly right after the incident? Such swift action is only possible if their people were already positioned here.”

“Then what do we do? Isn’t this even worse? It means we’re fighting the imperial family.”

Seeing Elliot’s anxious and trembling voice, I firmly shook my head.

“No, not at all.”

In fact, if the imperial family made the first move, we had a case to argue as well.
I quietly looked at Lady Cecilia.

“…?”

As one piece of the puzzle clicked into place, other previously unresolved questions began to clear up.

Why did so many people abandon Cecilia for Princess Francia so quickly?

Was it because Lady Cecilia was just a naive, clueless individual?

No. If that were the case, those people wouldn’t have stayed with her in the first place.
But if the imperial family’s influence was behind all this?

‘Then it all makes sense.’

Although it was not depicted in the original story, living in this world has allowed me to infer these hidden backgrounds.

I called out to Lady Cecilia.

“Lady Cecilia.”

“Yes, Kamon.”

Sensing something, she responded with a serious expression.

“There is something you need to do.”

“Me? What is it?”

Lady Cecilia in front of me was by no means an ordinary person.

She was related to two powerful families that wielded great influence in the empire: the Grand Duke Axelion’s house and the Romanoff Ducal house.

“Do you have any means to directly contact your father?”

“My father?”

“Yes, is there a way to communicate immediately with Duke Romanoff?”

Lady Cecilia, puzzled by my sudden question, soon nodded slightly.

“Yes, there’s a communication crystal orb… but why?”

Hearing her answer, I smiled broadly.

“It seems adults have gotten involved in the children’s fight.”

* * *

“This is clearly a fabrication. We must demand the election committee to uncover the truth.”

“No, Obern, it’s meaningless to argue now. The situation is already chaotic outside with all the talk.”

“We can’t just sit back and do nothing! We must take action!”

“And what happens when the truth is revealed? People will just say, ‘Oh, it was a lie,’ and move on.”

Rosen continued, looking around at the others.

“Nobody in the academy is talking about our promises. Oh, wait, there are some. Those who say it was a scheme by the commoner-hating Princess Francia to deceive them…”

“Rosen!”

At Obern’s rebuke, Rosen Ravenia frowned and raised his voice.

“See, I warned you. This kind of thing needs to be handled carefully. Can this mess even be resolved?”

“That’s why we’re here discussing it! I will go directly to the election committee.”

“I’m telling you, that’s pointless right now!”

“Shut up, Rosen!”

As the two of them yelled at each other with flushed faces, Princess Francia, who had been quietly sitting, raised her hand.

“Enough, everyone stop.”

Her weak voice silenced them both.

Princess Francia continued.

“You’re right, Lady Rosen. It has turned out just as you said. I’m sorry. I must have been too shortsighted.”

“Your Highness!”

“I’m not asking for an apology. We need to figure out what to do now…”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Excuse me?”

“What do you mean, Your Highness?”

“The imperial family will likely take direct action.”

“The imperial family?”

“Yes, this incident affects the honor of the Flance Imperial family. The secret unit under the imperial family is already in motion. It may take some time, but the overall problem will be resolved. However…”

Princess Francia hesitated for a moment before continuing with a bitter smile.

“The biggest problem is that the current rumors may affect the election.”

“As long as the facts are clearly established, it shouldn’t be a big problem. The support rates haven’t changed much, so there’s no need to worry too much…”

“No, that’s not the issue, Obern.”

“What?”

“What Her Highness means is to eliminate the suspicion in the hearts of the academy students that ‘the princess might hate commoners.’ That could influence the election right now.”

“…”

“…”

Rosen’s cold assessment, pinpointing the core of the problem, made the atmosphere among the election team somber.

“So, what do you suggest, Rosen? Your Highness, the damage is done. We can only correct the facts and rely on the royal unit to…”

“No, senior. Time will solve those issues. It’s this single-minded approach that earns you a rigid reputation.”

“So, what are you trying to say, Rosen!”

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

“What?”

“We can’t just silence or correct the rumors. Even if possible, it will take a long time. But what if another shocking rumor or news spreads?”

Realizing what Rosen was implying, Obern’s eyes widened.

“You mean we should spread false news too?”

“Yes, we have plenty of sources. What if President Alex, who claimed neutrality, suddenly supported Lady Cecilia? What if there were some secret relationship between them?”

“That’s because they are relatives.”

“Which makes it even more explosive. Something like a forbidden…”

Leaving the rest to imagination, Rosen’s suggestion caused a few people to gulp.

“No, that’s too risky! It could provoke both the Grand Duke Axelion and the Romanoff Ducal House.”

Anticipating this reaction, Rosen slightly nodded and twisted her words.

“Well, it’s not just President Alex around Lady Cecilia, is it? There’s also that problematic junior.”

At that moment, Chelsea, who had attended the meeting but remained silent, finally spoke.

“Kamon Vade?”

“Yes, that’s right. Why not use him too?”

Everyone held their breath as they listened to Rosen Ravenia’s chilling and fiery plan.

______________

Rate us on Novel Updates to motivate me translate more chapters (For every rating new chapter will be released).