How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 2

Thunk!

As soon as I hastily put down the bowl I was eating from, startled by the completely unexpected story from the chef, his voice continued.

“The road between Vade Marquis’ territory and this town is already open, so you don’t need to cross the mountain. You can get there comfortably, probably within a day.”

“What? That can’t be right. The village chief definitely said…”

At that moment, I felt as if I had been struck hard on the back of my head with a large hammer.

– “You need to go that way. You have to cross the mountain in the middle, but there are no significant dangers, so you should be able to cross it quickly.”

– “I don’t know exactly how long it takes, but at a normal walking pace, I heard it usually takes about three to four days.”

The image of the old village chief, who had kindly shown me the way with a benevolent smile, flashed in my mind.

“The village chief told you to take the mountain path? That’s strange. Unless he did it on purpose, there’s no way he’d direct you to such a dangerous route.”

“……”

I stood there dumbfounded, unable to say anything.

‘What? Did the village chief lie to me?’

He was so kind to me.

He even gave me camping supplies for free…

Why would he deceive me?

Simultaneously, an image of the benevolent old village chief sneering with a sinister smile appeared in my mind.

No, no way.

I shook my head immediately, trying to dispel the unnecessary thoughts.

“Hey, chef. Bring out a stew and meat set here.”

“Yes, sir. Right away.”

It seemed a customer had arrived at the restaurant, and the chef, who had been looking at me sympathetically, spoke.

“If you’ve finished eating, leave the bowl here. And kid, don’t trust just anyone so easily. Always be cautious. There are scary people in the world. Tsk.”

Clicking his tongue and offering his advice, the chef soon disappeared.

“……”

Staring at the barely finished bowl of meat stew in silence, I eventually let out a deep sigh.

“Ha, did he really deceive me on purpose?”

I don’t know.

First, let’s just eat.

Thunk!

After finally finishing the food in my bowl, I bowed as politely as I could toward the kitchen and said,

“I will definitely repay this kindness, chef.”

Already, there were two people in this world I owed… No.

“The village chief, that man…”

Thinking of the village chief again, I shook my head.

“Forget it, let’s go quickly. Get to the academy and live quietly. I can settle debts and disputes later.”

After all, the protagonist of this novel would take care of its ending, so I just needed to survive until then.

With that thought, I started walking towards the academy.

* * *

And much later.

“That must be the academy’s main gate.”

I murmured as I looked at the grand and ornate gate before me.

A massive gate adorned with pure white marble and glittering gold.

Several statues and magnificent sculptures lined up to display the authority of the Imperial Academy.

It was a truly impressive and beautiful sight, but what drew people’s attention even more was…

Clip-clop.

“… Enter safely!”

“I am Jerrain of the Forest family.”

It was the people entering through that gate.

All of them dressed in fancy clothes, riding white horses, and escorted by knights.

They were all noblemen, each with a dignified and elegant charm like princes and princesses straight out of a fairy tale.

Moreover,

Thump!

“Welcome to Flance Imperial Academy.”

The guards saluting with their spears held high and greeting the people entering were beyond merely impressive.

‘It’s fine. Now I just need to get inside.’

Seeing that dazzling sight, I felt as if all the fatigue and resentment I’d experienced so far would melt away once I got inside.

Thus, my steps grew faster.

Stomp, stomp!

Finally, I stood in front of the academy’s main gate, impressive with its beautiful blend of white and gold.

As I slowly joined the line and was about to pass through the gate like the others,

Clang!

“…?”

“Stop right there!”

The spear tips of the guards, who had been welcoming people with disciplined manners, suddenly pointed at me.

‘What’s this?’

Startled by the sudden turn of events, I quickly raised both my hands and shouted,

“Yes, me?!”

At that moment, I saw my reflection on the shiny armor.

Dirty, messy.

I looked like a beggar or a homeless person on the street.

‘Yeah, if I were them, I’d stop someone like me from entering too.’

I quickly raised my arms, clearly showing that I had no intention of resisting.

“I’m, I’m a student here.”

One of the guards, who was aiming his spear at me, slowly approached with a wary look.

“You said you’re a student?”

“Yes, I’m a student here.”

“Then show me your student ID.”

“Well, the thing is…”

I lost my bag, which had my student ID, while being chased by a bear in the bushes.

“I don’t have my student ID, but I really am a student here.”

There was no way to prove my identity at that moment, but I had no choice but to say that.

The guard looked at me with suspicious eyes.

Just then.

“What’s going on?”

Someone who seemed to be of higher rank approached us, asking in a firm tone.

“Ah, Captain. This person says he’s a student here…”

“Then verify his identity.”

“He says he doesn’t have his student ID.”

“What?”

The captain frowned at the report, then stepped closer to me.

“So, you’re saying you are… huh?”

As the captain approached me, he stopped abruptly, narrowing his eyes as if scrutinizing me.

“Kamon Vade?”

Huh? He knows me?

That makes it easier.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Kamon Vade. I’m a student here.”

I nodded confidently as I said that.

But at the same time,

“K-Kamon Vade?”

“…Is it really Kamon Vade?”

I saw the guards behind him flinch, their voices filled with wariness.

What…?

Why is the atmosphere like this?

Sensing the tension, I quickly spoke up.

“So, now that my identity is confirmed, can I go inside?”

“…”

The captain, who had been staring at me intensely, sighed reluctantly and nodded.

“…Yes, you may enter.”

What’s with the sudden sigh?

Puzzled by the captain’s incomprehensible attitude, I quickly moved forward.

Stomp, stomp.

Then, I heard the hushed voices from behind.

“He finally came?”

“I thought he wouldn’t show up. How shameless must he be to come here?”

“If he cared about that, he wouldn’t have done those things in the first place.”

“Ugh, this is going to be a headache.”

The murmuring voices of the guards reached my ears clearly.

It seemed like they were talking about me…

‘Is my reputation really this bad?’

I realized anew what kind of status and treatment Kamon Vade received in this world.

‘Anyway, this is not the time to worry about that. I need to get a new student ID first.’

With that thought, I headed straight to the administration office.

In the administration office, a middle-aged woman with a weary, expressionless face was seated.

“Excuse me.”

I spoke cautiously, but she didn’t even look at me, just extending her hand and mumbling.

“Student ID.”

“Ah, well, I lost mine…”

“Lost it?”

At my response, the woman turned her head to look at me.

“You’re Kamon, right?”

“Pardon?”

She sighed deeply, then muttered.

“Did you get into trouble again?”

“Trouble?”

What on earth had Kamon done to be recognized by even the administration staff?

“No, nothing like that.”

“Then why did you lose your student ID?”

I got tricked by a village chief, chased by a bear, and lost it… Do I really need to explain all that?

“Does there have to be a reason?”

The woman shrugged her shoulders, answering indifferently.

“No, there doesn’t need to be a reason. Just a moment.”

She then pulled something out of a drawer, dipped it in a round pot, and handed it to me.

“Here, take it.”

I reached out quickly and received a student ID with Kamon Vade’s name and face on it.

“…Is that all?”

“Yes, it’s done. Your student ID is reissued. Do you need anything else?”

“No, thank you.”

Not wanting to talk any longer with the annoying admin lady, I quickly left the office.

At that moment,

“Kamon!”

I saw three people urgently running towards me from the steps outside.

‘What, what’s this?’

Three people of different builds.

They looked like a hopeless trio, clearly reflecting their misfit nature.

“W-Who are you…?”

However, before I could finish speaking, they approached with teary eyes and murmured,

“Kamon-nim, are you alright?”

“We just heard. You’ve returned to the academy!”

“Oh my, look at your damaged skin. You must have gone through a lot of stress.”

Who are these guys?

Could they be friends?

“Kamon-nim?”

But they were using such respectful and formal language, it seemed unlikely they were just friends.

Judging by their identical uniforms, they were definitely students at the academy.

‘Oh, could they be juniors instead of friends?’

But wait a minute.

I’m a new student, so how could I have juniors?

‘What the… Then they must be at least my age, you idiots.’

However, they seemed completely unconcerned with my thoughts and continued talking incessantly.

“We were so worried when we heard about what happened. We wanted to visit you, but we couldn’t get permission to leave.”

“But we kept praying for you. After all, Kamon-nim did nothing wrong. You were just trying to teach that lowly commoner a proper lesson…”

“Hold on a second.”

Even though just talking with them was draining, I quickly gathered my thoughts as I faced the academy students for the first time.

‘This could actually work out well.’

They clearly seemed to be followers of Kamon. This was a good opportunity to find out the current situation of Kamon Vade.

“You guys. Tell me everything about our relationship and the memories we share.”

“…What?”

“W-Why are you suddenly asking, Kamon-nim?”

Seeing their uneasy expressions, I continued with a serious face.

“Right now, I can’t trust anyone easily.”

“Gasp!”

They simultaneously covered their mouths at my softly spoken words.

“So, tell me everything you know.”

“Understood. Of course, we will tell you everything.”

They nodded and answered, and I tried to keep my expression steady as I spoke.

“Then, while I was gone… No, tell me everything you know about what has happened so far.”

A moment later.

“…”

Their names were Sol, Crollin, and Mork?

Names that sounded strangely familiar… Ah, right.

Troll, Goblin, and Orc.

Yeah, these guys were the Monster Trio!

They appeared briefly in the original story.

They were also defeated by Kyle after picking a fight with him, just like Kamon.

‘Wait, what?’

I tilted my head, puzzled by my vivid recollection of these minor characters who appeared only for a few pages in the early part of the novel.

‘Is my memory really this good?’

But soon,

‘Well, it’s good to remember things clearly.’

I asked Sol Crensh, who seemed to be the leader of the trio.

“So Sol, is that all?”

“Yes, Kamon-nim. But why are you calling us by our real names?”

“Huh?”

“You always called us Troll, Goblin, and Orc. It feels like you’re distant from us now. Haha.”

…Did Kamon really do that?

‘No matter how you look at it, those names are so lame. Why would anyone use them?’

Even if they were minor characters who appeared briefly, giving them such ridiculous names would definitely attract criticism.

Anyway,

‘Thankfully, things are not too different from what I know in the original story.’

The original Kamon Vade grew jealous and even harbored hatred towards the commoner protagonist, Kyle. He eventually planned to attack him.

But things got complicated, and the princess got involved, leading Kamon to accidentally attack Princess Francia instead of Kyle.

…Well, that’s all over now.

“So, Kamon-nim, is everything fine now? No additional punishments or anything?”

“Will you be able to resume your academy life once the suspension is lifted?”

At Crollin and Mork’s questions, I replied casually, not thinking much of it.

“Oh, punishment? It ended with me being kicked out of the Vade family.”

“What?”

“Y-You got expelled from the Vade family?”

“Does that mean you’ve been demoted to a commoner?”

The Monster Trio seemed slightly panicked by my words, but I nodded.

“Yes, that’s what happened.”

“…”

Suddenly, their expressions began to change in a strange way.

What’s this?

Their demeanor clearly shifted, and I was left bewildered.

And then,

“What? So we’ve been talking to a filthy commoner all this time?”

“Hah, this is unbelievable.”

They began cursing and glaring at me with looks of intense disdain and disgust.

‘…Huh?’

What was happening all of a sudden?