Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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269th Chapter. Lyman Begilius (2)

Ever since Dantia disappeared from the world, public opinion about her started to shift.

The Great Sage Dantia sealed away the Destruction God while also confining all evil gods of the continent beyond dimensions.

However, the truth about this was unknown to the public.

All that was known was merely a smear campaign suggesting that Dantia was in cahoots with those demons.

In reality, eyewitness accounts and evidence of her contact with demons surfaced, solidifying this misconception.

How else could she have created magical devices to oppose the evil gods?

People easily accepted this narrative, denying Dantia’s goodwill.

Of course, there were many who protested, but their futures looked grim.

‘Our side was too weak.’

The supporters of Dantia were just poor amateurs.

They had either received grace or teachings from her, but they were all merely social underdogs.

Most of those who faced misfortune at that time were from the lower class.

‘In contrast, those on the opposing side…’

Were comprised of wicked beings.

Admittedly cringe-worthy to describe, but they were malicious enough to form a damnable darkness.

Yet, for such scum, their strength was disturbingly high.

They far surpassed us in both power and authority.

Noblemen, who had succumbed to the temptations of then-Emperor Makia or felt inferiority towards Dantia, were not few.

Of course, among the nobles, there were those who felt gratitude towards Dantia.

They tried to fight back, but… they lost their lives as a consequence.

If even the strong faction fell, it was obvious what would happen to the weak.

‘They would meet the same fate.’

The light Dantia left indeed existed. Yet, it couldn’t shine, remaining merely a small spark.

The spark flared briefly and was extinguished. Afterward, darkness descended.

The entire empire became tainted by darkness. A malevolence that knew nothing but evil swallowed the empire whole.

Light ceased to exist anywhere. The only ones who had sided with Dantia either died or disappeared without a trace.

The darkness was so profound that even the survivors could not shed light on their actions.

Like trying to survive alone in a forest in the middle of a snowstorm, lighting a lamp would be pointless.

‘Mother, you were wrong.’

Watching their rise and fall, Lyman thought.

No matter how good a heart a human possesses, they would be devoured by darkness.

Even with his help, the outcome was tragic, leading Lyman to despair.

‘Why….’

How could they repay a mother’s grace…

Despite the countless lights of life…

Why did everyone choose to accept darkness and join in denouncing Mother?

Those who received help instead used it for selfish gains rather than gratitude.

Could such scum truly live a satisfying life?

“Shit, let everything just fall apart.”

There were more beasts than grateful people.

Not worth touching at all.

Those beasts always searched for something to devour.

Of all the places targeted, it just had to be Mother, and after she vanished, who would become the prey?

There was no longer any light to consume.

In the end, they only tore each other apart in darkness.

Foreseeing their internecine struggles, Lyman escaped that disgusting land of darkness.

Yet, he planned to return someday.

‘I wonder what they left behind after tearing each other apart.’

Lyman went out to sea and traveled to distant continents for centuries.

He learned various languages and acquired countless skills and spells.

And he searched for the spot where Maya would be reincarnated.

Though it was a journey to prevent her death, it all ended in failure.

The more he failed, the more Lyman lost what was precious to him as a human.

The understanding of love and goodwill he once received from his Mother.

Indeed, naïve folks could not leave their names in history.

Rather, above all…

‘What exactly am I living for?’

Now, he even loathed living.

However, dying was impossible.

So, he returned. Back to the empire that had been swallowed by darkness.

Coincidentally, Maya’s fifth reincarnation would happen there.

‘The timing is just remarkable.’

After centuries, he set foot on his hometown once more.

Yet, something felt off.

Change was expected after such a long time, but how should he put it…

He anticipated feeling nauseous merely by stepping onto the land, but instead, it felt completely different.

It was vastly unlike the atmosphere of the rotten empire that had been devoured centuries ago.

It appeared unusually bright for an empire born from such nefarious beings.

‘Could it be….’

With a glimmer of hope, he headed towards ‘that place.’

To the forest where Lyman was born, and where the Great Sage established her academy.

Given how those wretched beings had taken over the empire, it would only make sense for that academy to have vanished too.

However… it was intact.

In fact, it prospered more than before and shone brightly.

The small village that nurtured his mother had transformed into a large city comparable to the imperial capital.

People called it ‘Aligieri Town,’ named after his mother’s surname.

And the academy side was even more astonishing.

‘No way.’

What once looked like a small, rundown sanctuary of Dantia’s academy.

It now shone like a prestigious academy befitting its renown.

Notably, it had become a prestigious institution regularly attended by the royal family and sects.

‘How….’

What on earth happened?

It was natural to question this.

Given that the empire had been consumed by those rotten beings, any trace of his mother should have been obliterated.

Those who supported her had all disappeared.

So, who?

-Excuse me, are you a foreigner?

While he was wandering, entranced by the absurd sight, a man approached him.

-A foreigner?

-You certainly don’t look like someone native to this empire.

Certainly, Lyman, who had traveled through different continents, stood out.

It was only natural to feel a sense of unfamiliarity from his attire.

And the man’s clothing was also peculiar.

He was wearing a robe clearly symbolizing a high-ranking position in this academy.

-I apologize for the late introduction. I am Aiden, the principal here. What brings you to Dantia Pavilion?

-Dantia Pavilion? Is this place?

Lyman stared blankly at the building in front of him.

It was a building he remembered. Once used as his mother’s academy.

But now…

-This is a private residence for me and the members of the board.

-….

He arrived at the building without a destination in mind.

Lyman was puzzled by the fact that the building was still called ‘Dantia Pavilion.’

So, he asked the man, the principal.

-Why has this building remained here all this time?

-Excuse me?

-And how has this town managed to prosper?

Receiving the question, the man broke into an unexpected smile and began explaining.

He recounted the history of how this academy had been established, from the past to the present.

Hearing it from beginning to end, Lyman felt utterly flabbergasted.

-Hundreds of years ago…, this academy once fell into decline. But it was impossible to wipe this place off the map.

No matter how much Dantia was labeled a witch, what she left behind was exceedingly rare.

Hidden beneath this place were the magical devices she created.

Not to mention the magical energy from the legendary Thousand-Year Fox, lying dormant within a volcano.

There were things that were simply too valuable to discard stacked high.

Therefore, even though it was considered the witch’s land, it remained intact.

-However, there were many who sought to lay claim to Dantia’s land. So, what happened?

It was easy to guess.

They must have played a blame game amongst themselves, trying to dominate it.

And so, many fallen houses came about.

All a consequence of their own doing.

Because they desired only what lay before their eyes, they had no way of discerning ambushes from behind.

-It is true that the empire became tainted by darkness. However, the struggle among the darkness awakened the once-dormant light. That was the light Dantia left behind.

Aside from the witch’s incitement, there were those who still bore gratitude towards Dantia.

For Lyman, this fact was hard to digest. He thought all gratitude would have vanished because of the darkness.

Yet…

-You reap what you sow. No matter how consumed by darkness, the seeds Dantia planted were still growing.

That was exactly the case.

Dantia had sown seeds of ‘goodwill’ across the continent.

While some were deceived by incitement, there undoubtedly existed those who nurtured those seeds within their hearts.

Lyman once argued with his mother, questioning the significance of that seed within their hearts.

Yet, that seed began to bloom and shone like gold.

Those with such wills multiplied, regaining this land.

-Those who have grown from those seeds are essentially us.

Hearing this, Lyman’s mind started to reel.

Wasn’t it the case that those who knew no gratitude, lacked will, and only thought of themselves were the ones deemed ‘humans’?

Yet now, all those thoughts were being denied.

Surely this could not be reality. It must be a dream.

Having suffered so much while traveling to other continents, Lyman found it hard to accept.

But, what was happening?

-Though Dantia may have lost her life, she will not truly die as long as we exist.

It glowed.

Like a golden flower blooming from a sprout.

This aura was also present in the man’s heart and in the landscape of Aligieri Town.

Though Lyman still wanted to deny it, he was already acting unconsciously.

Perhaps he should trust them one more time.

It was then.

-Whoa. Didn’t I tell you it’s too early to come here?

A kid came running over to the man.

The man proudly introduced the child.

-Don’t worry. This is my son.

-Who is he?

-Say hello, Kaiden.

The child, who would become the principal in the future, bowed to the unfamiliar man.

Somehow, the man looked dejected and was quietly sobbing.

*

Various figures gathered at the severely damaged Papias.

Among them, even Gerard Chain Silver, who was basically assured of the throne, was present in person.

He couldn’t just sit idle since his daughter was in the midst of that incident.

As a result, everything that had happened in Papias soon spilled out into the world.

Grisha Highend, who had taken the lead in this matter, was thoroughly imprisoned.

Fortunately, no aura of the Destruction God could be sensed from him.

Because his main body was annihilated.

“Never figured you’d be here again.”

“Right?”

Gerard looked at me with an expression of wonder.

It seemed I was present in every incident.

“And besides…”

“….”

Gerard once again reunited with Lyman.

The two of them awkwardly exchanged shy responses upon seeing each other’s faces.

But, it didn’t take long before they conversed casually.

“Congratulations! You’re going to be emperor soon.”

“Well… it’s all thanks to you, brother.”

“How long are you going to keep saying it’s because of me? You could say your downfall is also all my doing, you rascal.”

“That’s not true!”

“Just kidding.”

“….”

My identity as Lyman had already been revealed to all.

By the time I had transformed into a demon and acted, it was no different from shedding the hero costume.

“I can’t believe you’ve gotten so familiar with Sir Gerard.”

Kaiden, standing next to Gerard, was still in shock.

Originally, he had thought Lyman was extraordinary, but he never imagined it would go this far.

No, even more than that, he felt that there was something familiar about him.

“Lyman, have we met before?”

“We saw each other in the academy pretty often.”

“Not that. Long ago.”

Kaiden, who was young back then, found his memories hazy.

He still hadn’t revealed that he was Dantia’s child.

He despised troublesome matters.

“I’ll leave that answer for another time.”

“….”

“More importantly, another matter is urgent.”

Myrona had little time left before she perished due to the curse.

To break the curse, they needed to mobilize the Archive located in the academy’s underground.

But Kaiden would not easily permit the misuse of the Archive, the academia’s core.

“Can I use the Archive for a bit?”

“What do you mean…?!”

“I figured you’d react this way.”

When I bluntly inquired, Kaiden was taken aback.

In the end, his expression looked like someone who was about to shout loudly, but I extended my hand to him.

“I have a compelling reason to use it.”

Unlike the original story, Kaiden, who survived until the end, was present.

Since he wasn’t in the original content, Lyman opened up the Archive on his own.

Given that it was different from the canon, he couldn’t replicate it exactly.

“….”

Kaiden silently took my hand.

In that moment, a flood of information rushed into Kaiden’s mind.

What I held in my hand was one of the gifts Dantia had given him from the Illusory World.

“So that’s how it was…!”

Information about Lyman, Myrona, and the curse that ensnared me.

There was no need to worry about ‘soundproofing’ during the memory transfer.

Thanks to Dantia, the founder of the Eternal Flame, that had been taken care of.

“Let’s hurry to the academy.”

There was no need to explain in detail; I managed to convince him.

“Oh, and please bring that man to the academy too, Gerard.”

Finally, I sought to recruit that man who was still imprisoned.

With this, all preparations were set.

Farewell to the curse was imminent.

Living as an Academy Scammer.