Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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110th Episode. Did I go too hard?

I don’t really know what happened during the baptism ceremony in the main story.

They didn’t quite describe it, but from the circumstances, I could infer that the event went smoothly without any noble disputes.

Even Nebia, who was filled with selfish desires, didn’t have much to say about it.

It was just a passing event, and I planned to approach it lightly. After all, just sitting in front of the Saint and having my head patted would grant me some blessings.

“What an interesting person.”

But something felt off. It wasn’t just strange; it was downright creepy.

No matter how much of a fleeting event it was, based on the atmosphere in the story, I could definitely feel some dissonance.

In other words, there’s no way that Angela could be staring at the guests with her tail spread wide like that.

“Saint…?”

At first, Atheus Layered spoke confidently. But under the beast-like gaze of the Saint, a chill ran down his spine.

For one, as he said, bringing something as crude as rice balls to such a place was an insult.

It was like a clumsy student barging into a big corporate festival and wasting ingredients by playing with balls of rice.

Of course, he wouldn’t get chased away for that, but at the very least, he should be prepared to receive some harsh stares. Even though freedom is guaranteed, there are unspoken rules and dignity among nobles.

In short, Atheus’s aim was not to drive anyone away but to shame the Crawler Family significantly in this grand setting.

My family was already receiving harsh looks. If he boldly made claims like that, the chance that others would join in and go along with him was clear.

Normally, there would be gasps coming from all around, and our family would have been the laughingstock.

Sure… normally, that would be the case.

“Could you please say that again? What did you just call the Layered’s rice ball ‘trash’?”

“Uh…?”

The way the Saint looked at him was quite ominous. Atheus thought so, but upon seeing the Saint’s smiling face, he reassured himself that it wasn’t a big deal.

To be asked to repeat himself made him think he had misheard. However, not realizing this was an opportunity to correct himself, Atheus… opened his mouth freely.

“I’m talking about some rice ball made by a man from the Crawler Family. To make something like that here implies that the family’s standing doesn’t concern them at all.”

Everyone present had heard of it. They knew why the Crawler family was annihilated and consumed by the Layered.

Since the Crawlers offered no explanations, the scales naturally tipped toward the Layered.

The absence of any words acknowledged their mistakes and became an object of disdain.

Thus, it didn’t concern them what happened to us.

“You called it a rice ball?”

“That’s right! Can’t you tell it’s just trash?”

Atheus Layered hammered in the point that it was trash endlessly.

Angela’s once-smiling face suddenly hardened into a cold expression… and with a whoosh!—nine tails rapidly elongated, lifting Atheus’s limbs like vines.

“Eek!”

Atheus was taken aback as his body was tied up by tails. He asked why this was happening, but Angela’s face had transformed into one that was no longer saintly.

“That rice ball, I told them to make it.”

“Uh…?”

Everyone was shocked, including myself and the main characters next to me, at the sight of Angela suddenly lifting Atheus.

The Layered family had turned pale.

Though it was highly unlikely to happen, those tails looked as if they would tear apart the limbs they grabbed.

The knights were watching that scene as well, but no one dared to move.

“I only asked the Crawlers to make it… and you dare call it trash?”

Upon hearing that, the Layered family’s mouths hung open. Even if they weren’t stunned, the atmosphere among the crowd became unsettling.

Just moments ago, those who were eating it were now giving cold looks at the Crawler family.

“Of course, I agree that you might find it hard to understand. It’s hard to believe that someone who learned nobility and virtue from being chosen as a Saint would make such a request.”

“Even if you consider that rice ball trash, to me, it was the first light of my life. If it were mere gossip behind my back, it would be one thing, but to call it trash openly in front of me amounts to treating me the same way.”

Everyone who knew would understand. Saint Angela wasn’t a being raised nobly, but a creation born from inhumane experiments.

A girl who couldn’t even eat well was graced by light and became a Saint. Even though she bore wisdom, one must consider that remnants of her past linger.

“And I don’t understand what the problem is. This is a free space where everything is permitted except immoral acts. While it’s ostensibly a solemn baptism, in essence, it’s a festival to celebrate a Saint born after 30 years. Do you truly need to play petty mind games over something like that?”

From the moment Atheus raised his hand and made a declaration, Angela had already suspected it.

She had previously warned the clergy that there might be political fights to belittle opposing nobles. Thus, she felt intimidated when she first arrived at the event space.

[She was taught that there was no need to concern herself with such matters, but faced with the reality, she couldn’t remain still.]

Regardless of other concerns, the fact that what had awakened her tongue was now being compared to trash caused her anger to boil.

“Truly dignified individuals, unlike you, do not plot and fuss with trivialities. The one truly unworthy of the baptism ceremony was you.”

As the tension in her tails relaxed, Atheus was thrown to the ground by the force of gravity. Though his family offered worried assistance, the gazes directed at him were anything but ordinary.

Everyone was glaring at them—both the two Saints and the other attendees. Even from the knights, an unusual energy was palpable beneath their helmets.

Even the despicable Crawlers shook their heads with a mix of lament. In response to their revolting expressions, my stomach churned.

Why was a non-noble like him even present here? They should be able to bear the displeasure.

Under normal circumstances, those guys should have been the ones to be humiliated. So why had the tables turned? Why were we the ones receiving those scorching looks?

Why was the Saint siding with the Crawlers? The answer seemed clear. The brilliance of the Layered’s intellect illuminated the outcome.

‘It’s all the Crawlers’ fault.’

A simple and convenient answer. Yes, that wily Saint must have been tricked by the Crawlers into their schemes.

I wanted to argue right away, but amid this heavy atmosphere, I lacked the courage to do so.

That ambiance implicitly demanded submission, and the Layered family had to tremble through their departure.

All the while, the chilling stares of the Saint and attendees remained fixed on them. Even though I tried to walk nonchalantly, it felt as though something was chasing me.

It felt like a storm had just swept through the venue.

I had expected the Layered family would be an obstacle, just as my father had said. But the preparations for how to respond hadn’t been ready yet. I never imagined the situation would unravel like this.

Simply picking on someone for being a fallen noble wouldn’t suffice. As long as they were invited, everyone here was equal, noble or not.

Thus, they dug into ‘dignity’ as an additional argument. If not for Angela, they might have succeeded halfway.

They would obviously endure embarrassment, but we too would be in a position to bear the laughter.

‘The effort to make those 50 rice balls paid off.’

The trash rice ball… it had to be that part which was touched.

It was like watching a fellow military recruit, who had been to the military prison twice, trying to show off and getting slammed with facts, digging their own grave.

‘I wonder how they’re doing now?’

After the Layered family exited, the baptism proceeded smoothly.

Each person stepped up from the stairs below the podium, and for five minutes, the Saint placed her hand on their head and cast sacred magic.

What effect it had, I couldn’t say.

Jenny and Mary received blessings from Angela, while Crona and Luska received from Nebia.

Though it was unfortunate that the sisters were separated, there were no complaints.

Next was my turn. Unfortunately, I was also receiving from Nebia instead of Angela.

As I climbed the stairs, I saw the natural green hair above me. A girl wearing a white, transparent veil looked down at me from above.

“Long time no see.”

Nebia’s voice came down softly from above. Before lowering my head, I caught a glimpse of her face wearing a benevolent smile.

Without a word, her delicate hand was placed on my head. Then, faintly, her lips murmured and a song floated forth.

As if my vision was shifting due to that sweet song, I felt as though I lay in a tranquil sanctuary surrounded by slumbering creatures of the forest.

At that moment, several butterflies made of mana fluttered up and danced in the air.

Thinking about it, most of Nebia’s sacred magic and spells came from her singing. She was, in effect, a bard who could buff allies through song or attack foes with soundwave-like mana.

She could modulate the syllables of her voice so that only one person could hear them. The reason I reacted while others didn’t was exactly because of that.

“Damn, the more I hear, the dizzier I get.”

‘Just hang in there a little longer.’

The song imbued with divine power was an unpleasant sound from a Muto’s standpoint. It wouldn’t finish until five minutes had passed, and the butterflies settled back down.

[The blessing of the Divine Spirit is granted. Luck increases slightly.]

It was a rather beautiful song, but separate from that, the effect felt ambiguous. If luck occasionally spiked, that would be one thing.

[The Spirit Power negates the blessing of the Divine Spirit. Luck decreases.]

It was already slight, and now it was being halved?

Of course. This damned residue of a curse wouldn’t let me be.

Regardless, since it seemed to have ended, I lifted my head. I was planning to stand up and exit since the next person’s turn was coming.

“Don’t worry too much. I won’t ask you to come under me just for a mere baptism.”

As soon as I lifted my head, Nebia’s unexpected words reached me. However, there was a reason I kept an eye on this woman.

“But remember… this doesn’t mean your ties with me are severed.”

Thanks to her sacred magic, no one but me heard those words.

To others, it merely looked like the Saint was giving me a fresh smile.

*

After the ceremony concluded, the party resumed into the night.

Now was the real free time. Of course, we had to avoid any immoral acts, being mindful of the nobles’ perceptions.

If there was a quarrel, it should be a formal duel rather than a mud fight. It’s an event that occasionally happens at noble gatherings.

“You came without running away, Radon Crawler.”

In a large building set beside the venue. A colossal gymnasium used for training the Chain Silver knights. However, on this special day, some decorations had been added, but it hadn’t lost its gym functions.

There stood Markray Layert, who had been waiting for me off to one side.

“Now that my hands are weak, let’s finish this quickly.”

I stood across from him and stretched my wrists. Seeing my awkwardness, he raised an eyebrow and asked.

“Do you have any other discomfort?”

“….”

He seemed intent on confirming whether the poison effect was working well. If I were honest, I’d have to run away.

This was when my specialty was called upon.

-Acting Lv6

“Ah… discomfort? What do you want to know about that? Ugh…”

I pretended to be uncomfortable. This was to emphasize that the paralysis poison was indeed taking effect.

“That’s good then.”

Markray, smirking, raised his training staff. I feigned trembling as I held my wooden sword and readied my stance.

That fool was certainly falling for it. And it wasn’t just him; even the spectators watching were tricked.

Among them were those girls as well.

“Radon doesn’t look well, does he?”

“Did he use all his strength making rice balls?”

“Come on, buddy! You can’t lose! Just based on magic quantity, you’ve got the advantage!”

Was my act too convincing? The instant Jenny and Luska looked at my face, their expressions froze.

Mary held onto hope, not losing faith in me.

“Apologize for the humiliation you caused our family just now.”

Markray, who was turning the tables, made a declaration, generating blades of wind and sent them flying. Though the blades were quite large… they were clear to my eyes.

-Mana Sight Lv2

I dodged the blades that slowed down like in slow motion. Focusing the mana gathered in my legs, I closed the distance in an instant.

His face turned pale as I, who had seemed to be dying, suddenly approached.

“Eek!”

It was a surprise attack he never saw coming. He barely regained his stance to avoid falling over.

Even though that was the perfect moment to strike, I didn’t attack. Instead…

“Did you know?”

“Huh?”

“I’m not poisoned.”

[Corruption Rate Decreased: -70%]

[+7000 Credits]

He had no time to be shocked and understand that statement. My wooden sword struck out like an arrow, and he was sent flying.

For someone not trained in physical exercise, that was a significant blow. Even rolling on the ground would have decided the outcome.

Bang!—

But instead of rolling, he crashed into the wall. Under the completely wrecked wall, he lay, eyes rolling back.

“Ah… Did I go too hard?”

I had put in a little extra power since my hands felt weak.

Survive as the Academy Scammer.