Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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82nd Chapter. Why are you looking at me?

– Radon Crawler. Your hair is longer than usual. Beep.

“I know.”

– It is expected to be unnecessary during the mission. May I cut it? Beep.

“No need. I have to leave it this way for now.”

It was the day of departure for the external mission.

I packed a moderately large bag and the prepared items when the artificial golem spoke to me.

– The current temperature in Aramos Town is minus 15 degrees. There is a concern that the temperature will drop further as time goes on. It is estimated that it will take at least two weeks to escort the prisoner. Please prepare appropriately for the room. Beep.

“I’m already doing that.”

It’s portrayed as a disgustingly cold place in the game description.

I have sad memories of having to endure two extreme winters during my military service. However, compared to what I am about to face, those memories are trivial.

Except for Lyman, the rest are all shivering.

Even Jenny, who has freeze resistance, would end up looking the same after a few days, so that says it all.

– Although there are mana stones placed in Aramos Town that help raise the temperature, you will experience the sensation of being inside a refrigerator as soon as you start your journey. Therefore, I recommend you heed the advice of the clerics. Beep.

“If I stay close to them, I can get some blessing.”

– Especially, do not take off the ring. Beep.

The golem pointed at the ring on my hand.

It was the Artifact Ring I received from Crona yesterday. With this, I can walk through the freezing cold just fine without needing the clerics’ help.

When escorting a prisoner, we cannot allow those people to hold us back.

“Then please take care of the room while we’re gone.”

– Leave it to me. Beep.

It was a golem that Luska had personally hired a few days ago.

It had been instructed to monitor for any intrusions during our absence and to clean the room once a day.

Luska’s meticulousness was indirectly evident.

“Then I’ll be off. Keep the room safe.”

– Before you go, I have a question. Beep.

What is it? I turned my head toward it before walking out.

– Is Radon Crawler… a man or a woman? Beep.

“….”

*

‘Of course, I’m a man! Do I look like a woman, you tin can head?’

As I boarded the carriage heading to the mission’s destination, my insides were seething.

Is it sensible to be treated as a woman just because my hair got long?

Can this robot not recognize human genders?

That can’t be the case.

Am I being scratched on the inside because I lost the yellow stamp or something?

That wasn’t the only thing.

At the entrance terminal of the town, when boarding the carriage, both the guide and the driver kindly asked, “Are five female students going on a mission?”

‘The more I think about it, the angrier I get.’

Honestly, the possessed body does give off a somewhat delicate impression. Every time I look in the mirror, I feel like I’m lacking that wild charm typical of male students in the Combat Department.

And what if I also had straight hair, the root of beauty? The only things that could prove I’m a male student are my school uniform and student ID.

But right now, I’m heading towards a frigid region, bundled up in multiple layers.

In such thick clothing, the differentiation of gender would have to be made by my head or face.

‘Right, just bear with it this time!’

I tried to think as positively as possible.

Look around. Except for me, there are only pretty girls here.

What would others think of the sight of me standing among them?

‘I’d rather this than awkwardly being seen as the only guy and giving off a harem vibe.’

Besides, this way is the best for deceiving others. Considering the driver and the guide fell for it, others would likely do the same.

Thud—

As if stepping on a bumpy object, the carriage jolted slightly, and different scenery appeared outside.

Before I knew it, we had passed the warp gate and arrived in another area.

“Hey friends! Look at the sky.”

Mary pointed upward, discovering something out of the ordinary.

Snow. It must still be early autumn, yet fairy-like flakes began to fall from the sky.

And the air was growing chillier by the moment.

“We’ll soon arrive at the Crevasse Snowfield. Right now, it’s just light snow, but there’s information that blizzards will hit shortly after going a little further.”

Trisha said while spreading a map on the table inside the carriage.

Currently, we are about 7km away from Aramos Town. After traveling a few more kilometers, the world of refrigeration spreads out, making it difficult to travel by carriage.

Horses have no resistance to the cold either.

“So let’s get ready to disembark.”

*

Sure enough, the blizzard began to rage, obscuring our path.

The road that was somewhat visible vanished in the blizzard, forcing us to get out of the carriage.

“Ugh… It’s so cold! If we keep going straight from here, we’ll reach Aramos Town, so let’s be careful.”

“Thank you for the ride.”

“Now, ladies. Please stay safe!”

‘Ladies, huh…’

The driver wished us safety as he disappeared into the blizzard.

As I watched the carriage leave with some unease, one by one, they patted my shoulder.

And said,

“Don’t be too disappointed. Sister.”

What… Sister?

“Yeah, don’t worry and let’s just go ahead, big sister.”

Big sister…?

Swish! Swish!—

“Yikes!”

“Ugh!”

Suddenly hit on the head by something, Jenny and Mary clutched their heads, teary-eyed.

And in my hand was the Leviathan.

“Do that again, and I’ll use ‘Hurricane’ on you.”

“Got it.”

“Ugh.”

The crunching sound grew louder with each step. Before I knew it, the snow had piled thick beneath our feet, and light began to break through the blizzard that had blurred our vision.

“We’re almost there. Just a little more to push through.”

Trisha’s words rang true as the blizzard began to wane. Just then, when visibility returned, the source of the light was revealed.

A cluster of buildings and lights formed the village. Finally, a sense of relief washed over me that we had arrived.

“Still, be careful. There has been information that monsters may be lurking in this snow.”

“I know. We were informed of that through the artificial golem.”

“That golem is really handy. I instantly understood why the professors decided to develop those.”

Jenny and Luska didn’t hesitate to praise it. Compared to the world I used to live in, it’s almost like a smartphone.

Trisha was also satisfied with the golem.

“Right. It was so intelligent that it even packed what I had forgotten.”

“What did you forget?”

“The Nobel Record. I can’t sleep without it.”

“You brought that? Are you out of your mind?”

I looked at Trisha with a horrified expression. Yet, Trisha replied as if asking what the problem was.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t get in the way too much. If anything, having it boosts my motivation for the mission. Now, let’s go!”

“Geez.”

As I sighed, thinking about not wanting to argue, a massive claw emerged from the snow.

With a rough sound, a giant creature burst forth, breaking through the snowballs: the Snow Scorpion. It charged at us with a mass the size of a building.

We each drew our weapons to prepare for battle. However, before we could do even that…

Bang!—

In an instant, Trisha vanished, and at the same moment… the scorpion’s head exploded as if a bomb had been planted.

Trisha stood there, and a staff lodged in the scorpion’s shoulder, the source of which was unknown.

She had teleported in a split second and shredded its head with a blade of wind.

– So tell me, where is the wizard in all of this?

“Impressive.”

“Nothing big. It probably wasn’t much of a challenge, so let’s hurry through this gap.”

“Yes.”

As Jenny and Trisha exchanged words, Mary was staring blankly at the scorpion’s corpse. Her expression was one of ‘Oh my! I must collect this!’

Luska frowned at Mary and asked,

“You’re not… thinking of gathering that, are you?”

“Of course! I can’t just let such a rare ingredient go to waste… Ugh!”

“Shut up and just follow. Are you planning on making us all sick?”

Luska pinched Mary’s cheek and dragged her along.

It seemed she, too, had a strong aversion to insect dishes.

*

“Deputy Commander, the support students from Aligieri Academy have just arrived.”

“Got it. I’ll be out shortly.”

“Yes!”

Having received the report, Crudy glanced around the barracks as his subordinate left.

Life here is now coming to an end. Today, he will return to Kreuz with the students of Aligieri, leading prisoners.

As the Vice Commander of the Paladins, Crudy picked up the family photo placed in his barracks.

His brown-haired wife and daughter, who looked just like her, smiled side by side.

With a joyful heart, knowing he would return to them in just two weeks, he stepped outside.

“I’ve brought them. These friends will be the students joining this operation.”

A subordinate paladin guided a group of young students in front of his barracks.

Just by seeing that they weren’t clad in golden armor, it was clear they came from outside.

“Nice to meet you, Crudy. We are the A-3 group from Aligieri Academy.”

“Then you must be Trisha Marelyn?”

“Yes, and you guys are…”

Before Crudy could ask, the students introduced themselves in unison.

“I’m Jenny Chain Silver.”

“I’m Mary Ryudshiel~”

“I’m Luska Mad Eye.”

“I’m Radon Crawler.”

The applicant list had already been reported much earlier.

There were a total of five members, and among them, the tall and slender female student was the leader.

Crudy opened his eyes wide and gazed keenly at the students.

This mission was more dangerous than anticipated. Their abilities must be assessed, as only those with considerable skill could handle it.

As a paladin, with his blessed vision, assessing their potential resulted in…

‘Not too shabby.’

Surprisingly, each individual displayed significantly higher aptitude than an ordinary soldier.

Crudy felt relieved, thinking the Aligieri side hadn’t made a judgment error.

“So you said your name is Radon Crawler?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Are you a man or a woman?”

“I’m a man.”

“….”

Clearly, from the sound of the voice, it could be called a man. However, due to that long hair and gentle appearance, he actually appears more feminine.

There were points of focus beyond just that for Crudy.

‘He looks a lot like my daughter.’

Although he had no idea what he was thinking, it made him feel like wanting to punch him in the face.

*

We were left waiting outside after meeting the Deputy Commander.

It was a bit uncomfortable as everyone was misinterpreting me, so I stepped out to get some fresh air.

“That paladin was staring at you intensely a while ago.”

“So?”

“Congratulations on catching a man’s eye.”

“Shut up.”

Luska’s provocation almost raised my fist again. Even though Luska spoke in a casual tone, her expression was remarkably sly.

I wanted to give her a light hit, but a thought sparked in my mind. Why was that paladin staring at me so intensely?

Crudy Looming. The vice commander of the paladins responsible for this procession, and an extra whose name doesn’t get mentioned in the main story.

Yet, if one enters his barracks and talks to various objects, some information can be gleaned. Like the fact that he is the head of a household.

You could see his family photo on a drawer in a corner of the barracks.

‘In that photo, I’m sure… their hair was brown.’

I recalled the image of Crudy’s family photo I had seen then pulled out my student ID to inspect my own appearance in the mirror on the back.

‘Shit…!’

It was unmistakable. Crudy was projecting his wife and daughter onto my figure.

This absurd reality made the back of my neck tingle. And Luska, like fanning the flames of a burning house, asked with a smile,

“Was it that heartbreaking?”

“I’m just embarrassed to death.”

At that moment, carriages began passing through the middle of the street.

However, what was being drawn was not a driver’s seat but a barred cage, with disheveled-faced individuals inside.

“Are those prisoners?”

“Yeah.”

They were the prisoners we had to safely escort to Kreuz. And beasts in human form.

The horses pulling them wore gold armor, likely to protect them from the cold.

“That person seems to be staring at you.”

“Who?”

Luska pointed to the last barred cage, where among several prisoners, one was glaring at me intently.

I didn’t know all of them, but I remembered that one, although he was of minor stature.

‘Girl Hunter’ Juster Margil. Just as his alias suggests, he’s a psychopath with a fixation on pure women.

As the cliché goes in such scenarios, the prisoners’ handcuffs are loosened, leading to chaos. Among them, he is the biggest concern.

By chance, thanks to his astounding beauty, that guy just drooled while looking at the heroines.

He is target number one for elimination.

“Slurp.”

Indeed, upon spotting Luska, he disgracefully drooled. The subject of his gaze felt filthy and turned away.

“Ugh, that’s disgusting.”

With Luska gone, he would likely lose interest.

But then…

“Slurp…”

Huh? Why is he still staring over here?

A chill ran down my spine.

Survive as the Academy Scammer.