Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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Chapter 43. If You Dare, Then Dare

It’s common knowledge in the Empire that the Papias Kingdom is brutal.

As long as a king with such a notorious temperament rules, there’s a belief that his prince would also be shaped similarly, hardened by the same cruelty.

It’s a place devoid of blood and tears.

That opinion may seem obvious, but… the prince was more gentle than expected.

Prince Totema, who did not inherit his father’s savage nature, was truly an extraordinary being.

It was like a lamb being born in the belly of a tiger.

However, this was a fact known only to a few within the royal palace. The idea that Prince Totema was this kind-hearted did not spread widely throughout the Empire.

The royal family’s motto was always that they must be courageous and merciless like beasts.

To uphold this as much as possible, only distorted information about the prince circulated.

Everyone looked at him with fearful eyes. Just that fact alone brought great pressure to Totema.

No one would look kindly upon a child born from a beast that had tasted blood.

As indirect disdain and avoidance continued, Totema’s relationships with others became tangled and unmanageable.

Totema, who inherently desired to live happily like an ordinary person, found the crown of a militaristic nation to be nothing less than a crown of thorns.

Moreover, not only was his family’s disposition misaligned with his own, but he also possessed no combat talent whatsoever.

Despite enrolling in the Academy, he had yet to showcase any noteworthy skills.

The fact that a member of the Papias royal family possessed such pitiful power could not be made public.

Therefore, some professors… even the vice principal intervened to keep Totema’s grades from leaking out.

Thanks to that, they managed to put out the fire temporarily, but whenever the professors saw Totema, their eyebrows were always furrowed.

As a result, the only redeeming quality Totema had to show for himself was his good character.

Even in difficult situations, he was sincere enough to help students in need using the authority of his royal family.

He never held back his gratitude towards the Shadow Brigade that protected him.

He always remembered their numbers and names.

He attached sensory magical devices so he could check on their status at any time.

However, the Shadow Brigade did not sense his gratitude.

Yet, Totema constantly emphasized that even if they were artificial beings, life is life.

He wanted to make it so that one day they would cherish their own lives.

But then…

“Are they all dead?”

Sitting at his desk, Prince Totema was consumed by sadness as he looked at the magical device in the shape of metal scraps.

The magical device resembled shards of glass, and six heart shapes were shining within it.

If they were beating normally, there was no problem, but if they turned purple, it indicated poisoning.

And if the hearts split, it meant death… All six hearts were shattered.

“Why… why…!”

They were so pitiful. They didn’t have to die in such circumstances, yet they chose to take their own lives to silence anyone. No matter how artificial they were, it was just too sad.

As guilt overwhelmed him for their deaths being due to him, he sank into despair.

“I’m sorry.”

“I apologize.”

“Because of someone like me…”

Repeating such phrases, the prince uttered whatever words he could.

As if someone were nearby. He began addressing the invisible presence.

What was he supposed to do now? Why couldn’t he see them even though they were so close?

Knock knock—

The sound of glass tapping echoed.

A single eagle was pecking at the arched window with its beak.

He was startled at first, but there was a piece of parchment tied to the eagle’s leg.

Upon confirming that it was a messenger, he relaxed and received the letter. His eyes widened as soon as he read it.

There was a drawing made with a cursed magical device.

The divine beast, a girl with white hair, was seen bound and seated in a dark place.

The contents of the letter read:

“From now on, do as I say. Then I will give you a bit of this girl’s blood.”

*

Days passed since that battle over the prize. Soon, only a week remained until finals.

During this time, a scandal that could flip the academy erupted, and I was busy writing about it in the newspaper.

“All of Prince Totema’s proud and valiant achievements have been revealed to be false!”

“Are the excellent grades he supposedly achieved all lies? How will he explain this?”

“Prince Totema’s true self, who has deceived the academy all along, has been fully uncovered. Astonishingly, it has been confirmed that the prince revealed this voluntarily.”

By day, I attended classes, after school I wrote articles, then I prepared for exams—it was complete chaos.

Given it was exam season, there were chances to refrain from club activities.

However, with such a massive incident brewing, there was no way I could stay still.

Trisha even apologized for forcibly pulling club members into action.

“Ah… I’m going to wither away.”

During lunchtime, I sat at a table in the plaza and ate my packed lunch.

The rice balls mixed evenly with ham and tuna went down smoothly.

Of course, it was far from enough to relieve my fatigue.

But what could I do? It was a necessary event for Totema to expose his situation.

By now, it had likely spread throughout the Empire, causing total chaos.

The Papias Kingdom must have been turned upside down. Soon, the king himself would come to the academy.

He would arrive during finals to observe the prince’s final test.

To see what his son relied on to reveal a top-secret matter.

“It seems things are going smoothly on Luska’s side.”

She had vanished from the academy after kidnapping Angela.

She hadn’t been seen in class or in the dormitory.

It could be seen as a de facto disappearance, but there were few searching for her.

“What has Luska done?”

“……!”

A delicate voice, as if scratching leaves, was heard.

I turned around to find Jenny gazing down at me with lowered eyes.

Her face, which had been as bright as flowers, had transformed frighteningly.

“Don’t ever mention that guy in front of me.”

“I didn’t know you were behind me. But you’re only bringing lunch these days, not eating properly?”

“I’m not managing my expression well these days.”

Having been betrayed by Luska, it was hard for her to maintain a cheerful demeanor.

For Jenny, who usually drew in surrounding friends, managing her expressions was essential.

Though it wasn’t as bad as when her pendant was shattered, it was still quite shocking.

“What about the others?”

“Crona is calling in his exploration team from outside the academy to investigate. Mary initially concentrated on amplifying her mana sensitivity to search, but…”

“…but?”

“Time passed, and she returned to her original state.”

When she took things seriously, Mary suddenly became more distinct.

However, that was only temporary.

As time went on, she returned to being non-functional again.

The other friends were not in a condition to have a conversation.

Even Lyman, who usually treated Jenny like his student, was completely wiped out now.

He had unwittingly used strength he shouldn’t have used in his clone body.

In reality, not having the protagonist move created a gap in the story.

Of course, Lyman wasn’t the only playable character, so it was solely limited to his perspective.

Consequently, I was the only person who could converse with Jenny.

Since I too belonged to her circle of friends, it was only natural that we would run into each other.

Plus, it wouldn’t be bad to join in on checking her psychological state either.

– No longer just a game character, but as a person right in front of me.

“I truly hope you’re safe.”

“Yeah.”

It had been about a week since that day, so it was worrying to see what had happened to Angela.

Jenny’s biggest source of concern was undoubtedly guilt.

She must be thinking she was powerless for losing Angela.

“Hey, Radon.”

“…….”

“Am I really strong? I’ve believed I was strong because I can control my powers now, yet why couldn’t I protect her?”

Even if they weren’t family, Jenny was Angela’s guardian.

It was a voluntary duty, not something imposed.

Having failed that duty, there was nothing she could say even if her beliefs were shattered.

“Lately, I can’t seem to muster strength in my arms. I can hardly swing my sword.”

“That’s completely unlike you.”

“I know. But it’s already been a week like this. I feel so pathetic.”

It felt as if her slump had doubled compared to the main story.

It was undeniable that her resentment toward Luska was greater than it ever was in the original storyline.

The fact that she had attacked me, a friend, during the practical exam was likely the cause.

Not only had she teamed up with an enemy, but she had also stabbed me in the back, leading to a significant feeling of loss.

This wasn’t a level that could be easily overcome through normal training.

“Having been taught by Lyman, and even having received help from you, why am I like this? At this rate, I’ll just be a flower in a greenhouse like he said.”

“…….”

Luska must still remember the provocation she made during the practical exam.

That was dialogue even absent from the main story.

“I have to produce results worthy of the help I’ve received… but I’m scared that a similar incident might happen again.”

Her voice sounded weak, like a faltering, feeble person.

With each word she spoke, her voice grew lower and her gaze fell, laying bare her inner turmoil.

What had I done when smoke bombs went off, and Angela was kidnapped?

I had descended, grinning, thinking everything would flow smoothly without issue.

“How embarrassing. Why did I do that?”

Seeing Jenny like this made me reconsider that situation, filling me with despair.

It felt as if cracks had formed in the dam of my conscience.

I had anticipated that Jenny would end up like this, but ignoring it knowing the truth was no different from being an observer.

Even if I were to refrain from intervening to prevent variables, I couldn’t just remain a bystander.

As I had said before, I was the only one who could help her.

“Hey, Jenny.”

“Huh?”

So, I made the suggestion.

“How about we go into town this weekend?”

“Wha, what?”

“If you stay this way, there will be no progress at all. Even if it’s exam season, weekends are an opportunity to rest. Let’s try going to a place we wanted to visit but held off on.”

“…….”

Naturally, Jenny shot me an incredulous look at the sudden suggestion.

Her face, which had been gloomy just moments ago, was now blossoming with life like a flower reblooming in response to a long-awaited answer… like a young girl.

*

“Are you serious? That’s still too much of a stretch!”

Professor Radian was well-known for raising his voice with first-year students.

His booming presence made him seem both like a military commander and a strict teacher guiding the children, creating a perfect blend.

Despite the loudness, there was never any intent to despise the students.

However, right now, his contempt and rage were more direct than ever.

Even though he was an elder of the Magic Guild.

“It’s an act that damages the tourism of Purgatory Mountain! Could you please reconsider?”

Elder Enviel suddenly called both himself and the professor over and made the unbelievable request.

He asked them to demolish the entrance to Purgatory Volcano this weekend.

The foothills entering the volcano were composed of outstanding natural scenery. It was even recognized by the Empire for its beauty and designated as a protected area.

“Don’t worry about that. The royal side has permitted us for volcanic energy research. And we’re not completely destroying it, just lightly modifying the mountain’s entrance.”

Elder Enviel dismissed it as a simple maintenance task.

However, the opposing side’s resistance showed no signs of waning.

“Why, among so many parks, is it specifically the hiking entrance? If we do this, the solar energy supplied by the volcano could be cut off, incapacitating the village.”

A woman standing next to Radian retorted to Enviel.

With long brown hair braided down to her back and blue eyes, she looked a bit naive but had graduated at the top as Aligieri and entered the Combat Department as an assistant, Adela Merhenna.

She wanted to offer support to her revered Professor Radian.

No matter how high-ranking someone might be, she hoped that they would reconsider if logic were on their side.

But reality was not that accommodating.

“Are you arguing with me right now? Know your place.”

“……What?”

Adela’s eyes widened, and her whole body stiffened.

Radian displayed a similar look of shock.

The malice revealed by Enviel caused both of them to lose their spirit.

And the threat didn’t end with mere malice.

“I heard a Lycanthrope invaded in the past. I’d like to know who the fool was on duty then. Right?”

– Assistant Professor Adela.

It dawned on Adela that he was referring to her, and her face darkened.

But it wasn’t over yet.

“You had the potential to cause great harm due to your incompetence, and here you stand with such audacity. Have you learned nothing from that mistake?”

“Enough.”

“Someone who lacks that level of learning shouldn’t even be a teaching assistant. Principal Keiten would be astonished if he knew.”

“Hey!!”

Radian could no longer hold back and shouted.

He couldn’t just stand by while he saw Adela’s expression dulled.

Leaving aside everything else, he could not remain silent while a student was belittled.

It felt like plucking every ear of corn lodged in his teeth would bring him relief.

“Regardless, protesting like that is meaningless. It’s already been decided.”

“…….”

While their ranks were already daunting, Vice Principal Heidern was right next to Elder Enviel.

Like Radian and Adela, Heidern had an employer-employee relationship with Enviel.

There was no doubt that a faculty member disobeying their superior would not be left unpunished.

“Oh, I’ve shown you disrespect until now. Allow me to offer this as an apology.”

Enviel casually made a gesture of bowing his head and vaguely apologized.

Then he placed a charm that absorbed mana onto Adela’s shoulder.

“This charm absorbs spirit power. It should help against curses. Well then.”

With that, Enviel left the room with an air of nonchalance.

As his presence completely faded, Adela clutched the charm tightly.

Though she couldn’t express her anger in front of Radian… she expressed it by crumpling the charm completely.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.