Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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41. Bugs, a very good protein.

The battle against the Shadow Brigade was 3 against 2.

Numerically, the main characters seem to have the upper hand, but they had exhausted quite a bit of energy subduing the underclassmen, which became a hindrance.

Furthermore, the situation was dire due to having inhaled the reagents dispersed by the Alchemy Department, leaving their bodies significantly sluggish.

Particularly, Mary had inhaled a large amount of that reagent, rendering her effectively non-combat capable.

This is because the reagent has a pesticide effect, which for Mary, who was associated with bugs, is practically a poison.

As a result, Mary lay on the ground, her eyes glazed over like a snail.

“What are you doing lying there?! Get up quickly!”

“I inhaled pesticide… Oh no, I’m dying.”

“We inhaled it too! Stop whining!”

While Mary tried to lie down and sleep by herself, Crona got irritated. It made one question if this could really be the famed daughter of Master White Tower.

“Still, there are only two left. If we work together, we can surely turn the tide.”

An icy blue sword gripped in Jenny’s hands.

She had used an ordinary sword to regulate her strength when facing underclassmen.

However, there was no guarantee that even at full power, they could overcome their current opponents.

The pressure she felt was almost suffocating.

“Alright. Let’s cooperate just this once.”

“Didn’t we always cooperate cheerfully…?”

“Shut up.”

As usual, Crona struggled to express her true feelings openly in front of Jenny.

While she complained on the surface, deep down, just being with someone she liked filled her with determination.

“Sun Red!”

With a dazzling flash, the phoenix appeared, generating a red wind.

The firebird created a tropical rainforest environment just by its cry.

Despite this display of elemental grandeur, the Shadow Brigade didn’t stir.

“Brace yourselves. Explosion!”

With an air of triumph, Crona gathered her mana and resonance with the spirit.

Using her maximum firepower, she was caught up in the self-satisfaction of having taken the initiative.

A heat projectile that could burn down the entire forest erupted from Sun Red’s beak.

If the forest did catch fire, Jenny could quell it with her Silver Age magic.

Confidently, she released her powerful magic, but… ironically, it didn’t hit.

“Uh?”

The limbs of the Shadow Brigade seemed to dissolve on their own. More accurately, they scattered like mist.

‘Naturalization.’

It was the main specialty of the Shadow Brigade, allowing them to molecularize their bodies and move fluidly.

The forceful explosion was useless. They could not burn their forms that had blended with nature.

The enormous thermal beam passed straight through, only igniting the unfortunate trees.

No matter how powerful its firepower was, if it can’t hit anything, it has no meaning.

“Is it a… ghost?”

A chill ran through Jenny.

It reminded her of the scariest thing in the world since childhood.

But feeling fear didn’t mean she wouldn’t resist.

Urgently planting her blue sword into the ground, ice pillars arose multiple times. They lined up beautifully and advanced, becoming increasingly sharp.

The wildfire ignited by the explosion was suddenly cooled. However, the Shadow Brigade ignored everything once more with their ‘Naturalization.’

Seeing those ghost-like figures charging in sent a chill down Jenny’s spine.

In a moment, she created an ice wall to fight back against them.

Crona, equally startled, clumsily cast defensive magic with her staff.

But it was useless. Their existence, having no tangible form, wouldn’t be blocked by mere walls.

They found themselves helpless, receiving cuts on their legs.

With voices mixed with pain, they knelt down. The sensations of real battle felt completely different from their training before enrollment.

“It’s not too late even now. Hand over that kid.”

“Otherwise, it will only become more painful.”

Despite the Shadow Brigade’s last warning, they didn’t leave Angela’s side.

In reality, there’s no guarantee that the blood of the Divine Beast works well for all humans.

It’s uncertain if those benefits would apply to Angela at all.

“I can’t let you do that!”

[Chain Silver Style – Frozen Flower]

Instead of surrendering, Jenny retaliated, sending a blade of ice slicing through the air.

A chilling strike containing the cutting force flew across the ground.

However, one of the brigade members deflected it with a dagger, bouncing it away.

Not only were they adept at evasion, but their skills were astonishing too.

Just when she thought they were nothing but ghostly figures, that perception vanished in an instant.

The Shadow Brigade showed no signs of trembling or wavering. It seemed as though they weren’t even using their true strength, with not even a change in their expressions.

Despite the sluggishness caused by the reagents, they were still formidable enough that victory was not guaranteed.

At this moment, Jenny wished she could take back her earlier words about having a chance of winning.

“If this is how it turns out, we’re left with no choice.”

“You brought this upon yourselves. Don’t think poorly of it…”

Swish—

Something zipped across the forest, striking the Shadow Brigade.

The afterimage left behind looked for a moment like a swallow, but it was impossible for a bird to knock two adults aside with its body.

The Shadow Brigade, having rolled on the ground for the first time due to a sudden ambush.

Still, they quickly regained their composure, readying themselves for the next attack.

As arrows came flying in succession, the brigade reflected them again with their daggers, realizing the incoming presence.

“I was wondering who it was….”

“Looks like you didn’t get enough last time.”

Meanwhile, Jenny and Crona grew alarmed upon seeing their savior.

“Luska… Mad Eye?”

The girl with black hair holding a bow.

Her red eyes met Jenny’s blue ones.

Jenny still remembered the previous instance when she attacked a friend and placed her in danger during the practical exam.

Filled with fears of losing control, Jenny had shied away from mingling with the other kids.

She spent most of her time cooped up in the mansion, except for occasional visits by Mary or Crona a few times a year.

As the loneliness grew, Jenny started craving companionship.

Once, she had even been criticized for being the witch’s child, claiming she turned an entire village into an Ice Age.

To her, a friend was more than a treasure; it was everything.

The act of threatening a friend right in front of her was akin to stealing a cub from a tiger’s den.

Luska, who committed that offense, was now looking down at her directly.

“What are you doing sitting there?”

“You…!”

The moment they locked eyes, she had to suppress the raging fury inside her.

It was the sin of carelessly touching herself and Radon.

What would have happened if Lyman hadn’t appeared back then? The more she imagined, the angrier she became.

“You’d better stay still, or you might lose something.”

“…….”

Luska questioned as she gazed at Angela.

Cowardly, yet her words held a hundred percent validity as she stood back up.

“What’s your aim?”

“I just have business with those people.”

Temporarily teaming up due to having the same objective. Whatever else it may be, it was mutually beneficial, so there was no reason to refuse.

Standing on the same side, it felt efficient to utilize it as far as it went.

“It’ll only be a waste of time to prolong this. Come out, Bug!”

At the call of one of the Shadow Brigade, bugs began crawling out from beneath the grass.

Insects that had been crying out from the trees flew over, responding to his will.

Whispers of anticipation emerged as the spirit materialized more as the sorcerer’s power and affinity increased.

That spirit took the form of a spider, the size of a small house.

“B-bugs?”

Luska’s usual cold expression twisted for a moment.

Given that the already grotesque bugs had grown in size, it was hard to see them in a good light.

Except for one…

“Sniff sniff! Bugs… bugs!!”

Mary, who had been lying there with her eyes swirling, sprang up. The unexpected sight of a long-forgotten presence surprised everyone.

With an expression halfway to madness, she looked at the insect spirit. She was drooling with excitement.

“Delicious~!”

To Mary, the disgusting was nothing at all.

The giant spider, a predator in the insect kingdom, felt the greatest threat since it sensed it could become the prey.

Poof—

“I’ll eat well!!”

Crunch!—

Mary leaped onto the spider’s back and began to bite into it. The Bug writhed in agony, screaming.

There are no set rules about who rules the ecosystem.

It’s meaningless whether there are predators or not because they can simply eat each other.

“Whoa….”

“How is this possible…?”

The onlookers were utterly aghast, merely witnessing the natural law they once thought was self-evident.

Luska was stunned, and even the Shadow Brigade couldn’t hold back their tongues.

Crona wished she could swap eyes with someone who hadn’t seen this horror.

The insect spirit, terrified by the predation, was quickly canceled.

Mary had juice from the torn Bug dripping from her mouth, and that strange liquid flowed as she wiped it away, exuding a wild charm.

“Ahahaha! I am resurrected!!”

Though small, Mary stood tall with her shoulders squared, her presence unavoidable to anyone.

*

There’s no need to worry about the heroines.

By now, Luska’s intrusion must have happened, so they should manage to get through that situation well.

However, what worries me is Lyman.

In the main story, he uses a noose-shaped artifact to utilize the ‘Snatch’ skill, pulling two members of the Shadow Brigade toward the lake.

It was a scene indicating Lyman’s strength as he faced independently against the Shadow Brigade that other characters had collectively defeated.

However, he was merely a clone at present. Depicted as only a fragment with 15% of the original’s abilities.

Although even that was a considerable strength, a clone is still a clone.

There would definitely be limits unlike the original.

If he were to exert more than that maximum of 15%, the clone’s power would weaken and vanish.

In the main story, there were two of him, so despite the risk, he never vanished.

He would have to rest for several days until his depleted power was recharged from the original.

“Hopefully, I can just face two.”

Even while Lyman’s clone was grappling with two, he needed a break.

However, facing more numbers would be problematic.

From a maximum of four, the Shadow Brigade had now increased to six.

Given Lyman’s personality, he’s likely to leave only two for the protagonists and take on the other four himself.

“If I had to rest for several days against two, what will it be like against four?”

I held down the underclassmen, but some of the Alchemy Department weren’t fooled either.

Compared to the 200 from the main story, their numbers were small.

Yet the fact that they climbed this mountain without falling into my trap made them troublesome.

Rather than engage in direct combat, they spread gas in the area to shift the field to their advantage.

It’s highly likely that the main characters inhaled the reagent gases they dispersed.

In that case, Lyman’s clone might take a substantial risk to share the burden for their sake.

What if he exhausts himself and disappears? That absolutely must be avoided.

I hustled and reached the lakeside.

The place where I typically felt a serene aura while fishing had transformed into a hellish battleground due to the carnage.

They fought, skipping over the surface of the water as if it were solid ground.

As I captured that scene with my eyes… my face hardened.

I silently gasped in shock.

Staring wide-eyed at a sight I could never have imagined.

They were being beaten down to the point of looking pitiful.

…The Shadow Brigade.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.