Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

50th Chapter. Shower (2)

This final evaluation practical exam is managed by the academy’s internal system.

In the basement hidden within the Unique Hall of Professors, numerous faculty members were crowded in what was known as the Archive Control Room, busily working.

They sat before semi-transparent screens, operating the archive.

Their tasks included checking if there were any irregularities on the race course, whether any students had collapsed from exhaustion, or if they spotted students being attacked by monsters, and they would immediately transport them to safety.

More than half had already dropped out from the Aligieri Tower side. The ones not from the Void Space practice monsters were actual monsters that didn’t know how to control their strength.

But as usual, the faculty and other higher-ups were watching this exam.

The screen displayed by the observers reflected in the mirrors, and starting with the principal, other faculty members were seated to watch.

And there were two unexpected guests.

Talema, the King of a small country, and Enviel, the Elder of the Magic Guild. They too were watching with interest.

And when a fox monster appeared on the observer, their expressions froze.

“Could that be…!”

Vice Principal Heidern was the first to react. It took him just three seconds to realize that it was a Divine Beast. The others slowly began to show similar reactions.

A Divine Beast called a monster comparable to a dragon. Only great wizards or 7-star knights could hope to stand against such a powerful creature.

If such a being existed in this village, those who shouldn’t sit idly by were precisely them. Moreover, how could it break through the barrier and infiltrate the village?

“We need to stop the exam immediately!”

“Is that really okay? If we stop it suddenly, it could cause errors in the performance data. Worst case, we might even lose the scores from the written exam…”

“Students’ lives take precedence over that!”

Kage Revola, the Head of the Combat Department, opposed this. Elena Kristen, the Head of the Magic Department, was worried about the repercussions, but ultimately agreed with Kage’s opinion.

They would stop the exam by blocking access to the archives. And immediately move to the field to subjugate the Divine Beast.

They executed the plan as if they were one.

First, the faculty members completed the blocking of the archive. The semi-transparent screen faded away.

Now, all they had to do was use teleportation magic to head to the scene. The only ones who could stand against that monster were the professors.

“Why isn’t it working?”

Elena gripped the staff and completed the casting, but there was no response. She presumed that upon leaving this place, she would find herself standing at the foot of a volcano.

A skilled person like the department head wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake as failing a cast. She and all the faculty members suspected external interference.

“Who on earth would do something like this…!”

Vice Principal Heidern also tried to use teleportation magic, but it was ineffective. A grid-like crease appeared on his forehead. Even the other professors could not use their magic.

Not only could they not use their magic, but it was also laughable that no one had foreseen such an unexpected event during the final evaluation.

“Hahaha! Things are getting quite exciting!”

Talema let out a hearty laugh, which was out of place in the serious atmosphere.

Whether he was enjoying the situation like a king of a military state or if he simply felt such emotions from the moment he was born, the spectators frowned.

“I apologize for the interruption, but this is not the time to be laughing. Moreover, the Prince Totema, who is also your son, is out there!”

Department Head Kage spoke as politely as possible, considering the hierarchy. He was doing his best to control his anger.

Talema seemed to know this. Even with his awareness of the situation, he simply enjoyed it.

“It doesn’t matter much. Keeping in mind that he’s a talent who can’t even awaken is what makes him so memorable.”

“Ha… You’re more shocking than the rumors say.”

Kage was taken aback by his unexpected reply. He had heard that he was quite barbaric, but he didn’t expect it to be to this extent.

Kage decided to remain silent. What was important right now was not that.

“Principal, over there!”

At that moment, they were startled by the image displayed by the observer showing someone.

The observer was unintentionally focusing on the Nine-Tailed Fox, and there was the figure of Elder Enviel captured on the screen, despite him being right here.

“Could you explain how this is happening? Elder.”

The one sitting at the far end stood up. The silver cloak he wore symbolized his control over everything in this Magic Academy.

Just his presence made the air heavy—he was Kaitan Zodiacs, the principal of the academy.

“Is this all your doing?”

Kaitan approached the calmly seated Enviel. If Enviel was here, who was the Enviel on the screen?

And furthermore, the sudden appearance of the fox monster… it would be strange for him not to raise suspicion.

“C-calm down, Principal! There seems to be some misunderstanding…”

“Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding could there be? It’s clearly him standing right there!”

“My mentor wouldn’t do something like that. Elder, please don’t just stay silent, defend yourself… Gah!”

As Heidern was trying to defend Enviel, he fell over after being struck by something. The spectators were stunned to see Heidern faint from the magic bullet shot from Enviel’s fingertip.

Enviel stood up, snorting. His movements were quite erratic. His form seemed to oscillate as if he barely existed.

“It was a doppelganger.”

Kaitan recognized it immediately upon seeing that. He lowered his voice as heavily as he could from his position.

“Elder… no, what is your purpose?”

Now that he had sensed Kaitan’s hostility, there was no reason to treat him with respect.

*

By now, the faculty must have caught on.

They would have realized the trick behind Enviel and would try to stop him, but they were already caught in the trap set by Enviel.

A special barrier had been erected throughout the Professors’ Building. It was different from the barrier encircling the entire academy.

Since the confined space was perceived as a different dimension, their mana was significantly weakened.

It was impossible to escape, let alone break the barrier from within.

Even if they miraculously managed to break it, they wouldn’t be able to contend with Enviel. He had already fused with the volcano’s mana, becoming stronger.

There was no one in this academy who could stop him.

‘Except Lyman.’

Enviel’s goal was to seize the archive system. And to utilize the awakened Nine-Tailed Fox for the destruction of the Papias Kingdom.

By now, the faculty must be under threat of “If you don’t want a bloody incident, hand over the archive.”

Of course, the archive wasn’t something that could easily be handed over like an object, so they must be racking their brains over that.

His next goal was the same as Luska’s—the annihilation of Papias. In Luska’s case, it was revenge, but for Enviel, it was to resurrect the Demon God sealed in that land.

The Nine-Tailed Fox was the key to that.

Once the Nine-Tailed Fox infused with volcanic energy self-destructed in that area, the hidden corpse of the Demon God would be revealed and awaken.

Simultaneously, the Papias Kingdom would disappear from the map.

‘This is where Luska wants to end it, but… who knows what will happen now.’

By now, her mental state must have completely crumbled. The Divine Beast she intended to use as a tool for revenge turned out to be her sibling.

She must have felt an overwhelming sense of guilt after having cut off her sibling’s tail and allowing them to be tortured. She would probably be drenched in rain, dazed and sorrowful.

Revenge or family.

She must be suffering greatly from that immense conflict.

Swoosh~~!

“Finally, the moment has come.”

A tremendous magical energy surged from the side. The wave of magic spread to engulf the entire village.

It was the curse wave emitted by the Nine-Tailed Fox. Just brushing against it caused one to lose consciousness and fall.

But there was something prepared for this scenario.

“Muto!”

The shadow at my feet moved on its own.

The enlarged shadow morphed into a mouth shape, devouring the curses that were trying to interfere with me. This guy’s nickname is not merely ‘Shadow of Gluttony’ for nothing.

Normally, it wouldn’t matter if someone fainted as long as the main characters would handle things.

However, since I needed to substitute for the missing Crona, now is not the time to rest.

Furthermore, there was another reason I shouldn’t faint.

The main characters facing the Nine-Tailed Fox were pushed back in a straight confrontation, leading to their eventual retreat. The place they hastily moved to just so happened to be the alley where Luska was sitting dejectedly.

Jenny, who encountered her, was filled with rage and would undoubtedly grab her by the collar and question her. After all, this chaos occurred because Luska kidnapped Angela.

When Jenny and Mary first faced the Nine-Tailed Fox, they must have heard the whole story from Elder Enviel.

That Luska had intended to use her and Angela…

“That scene when she received a slap was outstanding.”

Although Luska was struck by Jenny’s anger after learning the truth, she did not resist. She had already given up hope.

However, Jenny decided to forgive her just this once, reaching out to Luska as if to make amends. Thus, there would be a scene of reconciliation between the two.

But right now, there’s no guarantee that such a scene would occur. In this case, Jenny’s anger towards Luska would likely be twice that of the main story.

The negative impression from the mid-evaluation and the crucial factor was Crona.

The unexpected scenario where Crona approached the Aligieri Tower might even have been mentioned by Enviel, focusing on negative points.

Maybe she would wield not just a fist, but a sword.

I am currently rushing to that location to mediate this.

Now is the perfect moment for them to come into contact.

Coincidentally, having passed the sword examination and the building, I had arrived.

It finally came into view.

In the turning alley stood some boys and girls, one black-haired girl was sitting down.

Then, the blue-haired girl began aiming her sword at her…

“Hey Jenny! Stop!!”

*

Jenny Chain Silver.

Mary Ryudshiel.

Baimon Dreadnote.

Riplain Halo.

There were also students who had not fainted from the curse wave, but they all fell short of being able to contend with the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Currently, they had escaped narrowly by luck.

They needed to regroup. Beimon’s opinion about analyzing the Nine-Tailed Fox’s weakness was about to be established when they spotted Luska Mad Eye sitting in the alley.

Upon seeing her, Jenny’s face distorted in rage.

She had tolerated the attack on her friend during the mid-evaluation, but she couldn’t tolerate the kidnapping of Angela.

According to what Enviel told her, Luska was one of the masterminds behind this incident. Moreover, Crona had been unable to participate in the race due to getting involved in this chaos.

Jenny was more than justified to lose her composure.

“It’s all… your fault.”

“If it weren’t for you… If it weren’t for you!!”

Grabbing Luska by the collar, Jenny glared at her with the intent to kill. However, Luska’s heart had already turned desolate, offering no response.

“Say something. This mess happened because you interfered.”

“……”

“Why won’t you answer! If you have a conscience, at least respond!”

How could you still be human and act this way? Even Beimon and Riplain were trying to stop her at this point.

It was then that Luska finally spoke.

“Do as you please.”

For the first time, Luska’s voice came out. In her dry tone, Jenny heard something snap within her.

After all that, her only response was so bland…

“Then I’ll grant you your wish.”

In an instant, Jenny summoned her blue sword and infused it with aura. She pushed Beimon and Riplain away and prepared to unleash a powerful skill.

“Stop right there!!”

Fortunately, Luska was safe.

A fishing line flew like a noose, binding Jenny’s arm.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.