How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 80

“Alright, today’s class will cover the ‘First Lion War’.”

Attending the always dull and boring history class, I wore a heavily displeased expression.

‘Ah, my whole body aches.’

That night, I was subjected to over an hour of what felt like torture at Jamie’s hands. Although it wasn’t actual torture, the pain of having each joint twisted while being immobilized was excruciating, worse than many real tortures I had experienced.

‘It felt deliberate…’

When I asked how she found me, she evaded the question and simply tormented me relentlessly. Eventually, she realized I was telling the truth.

‘Hmph, she’s hiding something from me.’

I shook my head, trying to erase the terrifying memory I never wanted to experience again.

Regardless, I needed to organize my thoughts about the new information I had gathered through the presence of the dark figure.

‘So, there’s a force trying to assassinate Princess Francia, and Kamon Vade was originally a part of this organization?’

Unlike what was portrayed in the original story, Kamon Vade had deliberately attacked Princess Francia.

Perhaps the reason Kamon disappeared from the novel afterward was because he was quietly eliminated for failing his mission.

“Sigh, this complicates things.”

Though I no longer had to worry about being killed by that organization as Jamie’s apprentice, I still wondered.

‘What exactly is this organization?’

In the original, there was no organization targeting Princess Francia. Sure, high-ranking noble factions were somewhat hostile to the imperial family, but they didn’t resort to assassination.

‘Are they a force opposed to the current imperial family? If so, they would target the Emperor, not just the princess.’

What was the author thinking, hiding such a backstory? If only they had properly included some setup or a MacGuffin!

Lost in these thoughts, I was snapped back to reality by the history professor’s voice.

“Prince Theo, known as the ‘Black Lion’, won the ‘Battle of Charan Plains’ but was ultimately defeated by Crown Prince Depin, the ‘White Lion’. It’s a classic example of winning a battle but losing the war.”

The students, bored by the old professor’s lecture, listened with glazed eyes.

“Though Crown Prince Depin ascended to the throne, he soon died of illness. Theo’s eldest son, Theo II, succeeded him, leading to the ‘Second Lion War’. Princess Francia here is a direct descendant of Theo II.”

The students’ eyes lit up as they all turned to look at Princess Francia. But my attention was on someone sitting next to her.

‘Kyle will handle everything, right?’

The one sitting next to Princess Francia was, of course, the novel’s protagonist, Kyle Perion.

Left alone, he would likely solve everything as per the original storyline…

Given Kyle’s asymmetric power, whatever they tried, it would be difficult for them to succeed.

“Sigh, I can’t just tell it as it is.”

After my private conversation with Jamie, I asked her if we really needed to let go of what happened with those people.

She shrugged nonchalantly.

‘Well, that’s up to you. As long as I get my mana stones, I don’t care. Do whatever you want, Kamon.’

Jamie added a final comment.

‘I’d prefer if you didn’t bother me with this. It was quite troublesome today.’

With the Yellow Mage as my background, I had little to fear, but I couldn’t rely on her help all the time.

“I can’t just ignore it.”

Hearing an assassination plan and pretending to know nothing felt wrong to my ‘conscience.’

“Maybe I should give a vague warning?”

* * *

“What? Kamon Vade wants a private audience?”

“Yes, Your Highness. He’s waiting outside.”

“…”

Princess Francia fell silent, lost in thought, before nodding.

“Let him in. I’ll meet him.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

With her permission, Kamon Vade, whom she found repulsive, finally appeared before her.

Sip.

As Kamon Vade nonchalantly sipped tea, Princess Francia spoke first.

“You seem to be in good spirits. Have you had some good news lately?”

“Oh, yes, quite a bit. Especially related to the election.”

“I heard Lady Cecilia’s support has risen significantly. You must be thrilled.”

“Yes, it is thrilling. We’ve climbed to a 50-50 split now. But why do you ask? Are you feeling down lately, Your Highness?”

“…”

Princess Francia’s eyes flickered slightly at Kamon Vade’s retort.

“So, what brings you here? You’re not just here to boast about your rising support, are you?”

“Of course not. My life isn’t worth risking for that…”

Grimacing, Princess Francia gripped her dress under the table, forcing a smile.

“Hahaha, is that so?”

“Of course. I’m not like you, Your Highness.”

Thud!

Princess Francia slammed her teacup down, clearly irritated by Kamon Vade’s provocations.

“Let me ask again. Why are you here? Get to the point.”

“It’s not something I can summarize briefly. Oh, this tea has a wonderful aroma.”

“Well, it should. These are expensive leaves. You’re not worth serving it to… Anyway, why are you here?”

“I suggest you increase your personal security for the time being, or perhaps indefinitely.”

“What? Security? All of a sudden?”

“Yes, there’s a significant possibility that a malicious group is targeting you, Your Highness.”

Sipping his tea again, Kamon Vade’s words made Princess Francia’s pupils tremble.

“Targeting me?”

“Yes. I don’t know what foolish group they are, but someone might be targeting you, Your Highness. So, until the election is over, I suggest you strengthen your guards and take extra precautions.”

Princess Francia’s expression changed rapidly as she listened to Kamon Vade’s nonchalant warning. Finally, she looked at him with a strange smile and spoke slowly.

“Kamon Vade, it’s rather nostalgic hearing you tell me to be careful.”

“Indeed. I never imagined a day like this would come, but what can we do?”

“What?”

“It might sound funny coming from me, but safety is paramount. I recommend increasing your security by at least fourfold.”

“Hah, really!”

Princess Francia could no longer contain her rising emotions and shouted.

“Is this how you mock me now?”

“Mock? What do you mean?”

“Think about it. The person who directly attacked me in the past is now giving me warnings. Am I supposed to say, ‘Oh, thank you so much for ensuring my safety’?”

For the first time, Princess Francia’s face twisted with anger as she addressed Kamon Vade by name.

“Kamon Vade, you are truly…!”

Had he come to provoke her about the student council election or to tease her about her support rate, she could have responded with a smile. But this…

‘This is crossing the line!’

“Enough. This conversation is over. It was foolish of me to allow you a private audience in the first place.”

“Hmm, I understand what you mean, Your Highness. It’s hard to believe anything I say right now. However…”

Thud!

Placing his teacup down, Kamon Vade spoke with a serious expression and tone.

“I have given you my warning.”

“A warning?”

“Yes, a warning. I’ve said all I needed to say, so I’ll take my leave.”

“Really, until the end…”

Creeeak.

As Kamon Vade rose from his seat, Princess Francia glared at him and snapped.

“I sincerely hope this is the last time I see you.”

“Yes, well. Goodbye, then.”

Step, step.

Watching Kamon leave without hesitation, Princess Francia picked up her teacup, muttering in disbelief.

“What? An attack? Increase security? A warning? This is ridiculous… truly.”

* * *

Several days passed after my private audience with Princess Francia.

“Kamon, did you hear the latest poll results? It’s 52% to 48%! We’ve almost caught up!”

“The margin of error is 4%, so it might even be a tie.”

“We’re so close. This could really become a historic election!”

Bren shouted excitedly, while Lois and Elliot added their comments beside him.

“Didn’t I tell you not to get ahead of ourselves?”

Despite my attempts to temper their enthusiasm, Bren protested.

“But this is something worth celebrating!”

“Is the only thing left the handshake event? We can make our final move there, right?”

“Yes, that’s the last event.”

“Let’s hope we can maintain our support until then.”

The handshake event was the final opportunity for candidates to solidify their support by personally meeting and shaking hands with students over two days. It was a tradition that often determined the outcome before the official vote.

‘The attempt on Princess Francia’s life happened on the first evening of the handshake event.’

Remembering this, I shook my head. I had warned them, so nothing should go wrong. Besides, with Kyle around, any problems would likely be resolved by him.

“Just keep doing what we’ve been doing. I’m sure Kamon has prepared the next steps. Right, Kamon?”

“Well, I do have a plan, but…”

I did have an idea, though I was hesitant to reveal it unless absolutely necessary. I had shared it with Bren, just in case.

“Kamon, what’s wrong? You look uneasy.”

“Hmm? What’s up?”

Seeing Lois and Elliot suddenly concerned, I waved them off.

“No, just tired. I haven’t slept well in days.”

“Really? Then you should rest. We need to be at our best starting tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I should.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. Ever since the appearance of the dark organization, I hadn’t had a peaceful night’s sleep in the dormitory.

Even though I knew they couldn’t touch me with Jamie around…

‘Thoughts and reality are different matters.’

Maybe the shock had left a bit of a trauma.

Then,

“Hey, look over there.”

“It’s Princess Francia.”

Following Bren and Lois’s gaze, I saw a sizable group moving together.

“Oh, it’s really her? Wow, why are there so many people around her?”

Elliot commented, and Bren answered, tilting his head.

“They look like bodyguards.”

“Bodyguards? Why so suddenly…?”

“She must have increased her security due to recent troubles.”

Seeing Princess Francia surrounded by guards, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Hah, seriously.”

“Why, Kamon? What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.”

Despite her annoyance at me, she did increase her security after all.

Watching Princess Francia wave at the crowd, I continued to chuckle inwardly.

______________

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