Episode 116. Penalty Game (1)
Radian Bersern, who always walks around with a stern expression on his face in the academy. He was destined to die in Chapter 3, but thanks to my convenience, he has survived until now.
Radian should be as alive as possible, so that the atmosphere is not dark and he can stretch out his arms.
But who could have known that his survival would bring about such unexpected upheaval?
The fact that he became a couple with Professor Stella got on my nerves with all sorts of skills, including ‘eye contact’.
What feels most uncomfortable is the distance between them that suddenly seems to have become closer.
Of course, just because professors are hanging out together doesn’t mean it’s confirmed that there’s an office romance.
But what I’m looking at is the shiny object in their hands.
“But why are you two always hanging out together?”
“Ah… something like that happened.”
When Jenny asked curiously, Radian answered hesitantly. But he still looked very bright.
The other kids didn’t seem to notice, but I could tell. Unlike the usual Radian, he didn’t feel any energy at all.
The kids who heard that answer just tilted their heads, but to me, he seemed like a completely different person.
Above all, I am still the only one who has discovered that the two of them are wearing the same ring!
‘Let’s think… Think… Think! Think!’
My head spins like crazy. It’s like I’m scraping all the knowledge I have, to the point where I’m checking my brain itself.
Due to my tremendous survival instinct, my potential explodes to the max. Soon, time passes slowly and I step into a world of senses where only I can stand.
[The proficiency of all skills increases.]
Perhaps because I had activated my sense-related skills to the limit, a spear floated up, but I had to throw it away.
Time still flows. It’s only a matter of time before they realize it.
Even though the perceived speed has slowed down, the actions don’t speed up that much. If I don’t solve it within this given time, I’ll have to do that damn cross-dressing again.
“It looks like you’re in a huge mess right now?”
‘Be quiet!’
Suddenly, Muto pops his head out and starts talking to me. Judging from the clown’s ascension, he doesn’t seem to want to help me.
It seems that this guy Muto also shares my senses and exists in the same world as me.
“Honestly, I want to see you again. In drag.”
‘This fucking snake…’
As expected, he just showed up to tease me. That damned shaman. So this is the weakness of the shaman that Cardinal Bellion had been talking about back then.
‘Wait a minute, come to think of it, this guy…’
In the few moments before they notice, I think of something I never thought of before. A countermeasure comes to mind on its own.
‘That’s it!’
After the countermeasures were prepared, I was inwardly amazed and then came back to reality. Their eyes were about to roll towards the ring.
‘Muto, you have to suffer as much as you made me angry.’
『What? What the… Kyaaaaah!』
The moment my senses returned to normal, I immediately stabbed Muto in the eye. It was applied as a stimulus, and black smoke spread out from the guy’s mouth.
For those who lacked the ability to sense spirits, the stabbing scene was not visible, and only after the smoke appeared did Muto’s appearance become visible.
“Eww! What is this!”
“Hey Radon! Why did you suddenly manifest the spirit?”
Everyone is surprised and angry at the sudden change in circumstances. But don’t worry. There was a case to explain this problem.
“Sorry, sorry! Sometimes this old man doesn’t listen and goes wild. Whenever he gets a chance, he’ll eat away at the contractor’s spirit.”
『What the hell are you talking about! You did it on purpose… Ewwwww!』
[Erosion rate decrease: -3%]
[+ 300 Credits]
Before he could even speak, he grabbed Muto by the neck. And it wasn’t just to silence him.
Following the black smoke, this time it’s to pour out black liquid from its mouth.
“Hey, Muto! Just hold on for a bit. I’ll calm you down soon.”
『Gyaaaaaaah!~』
As Man-young’s raindrops fall on his head, the guy screams and vomits black blood.
I deliberately aimed Muto’s mouth at the two professors.
The blood that was shot as if from a water gun stained both of their hands.
“This… this guy!”
“What are you doing! You’re dirty!”
Of course, the two of you are angry, but you can cover it up by saying that it wasn’t intentional.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to, but… I’ll buy you each a new set.”
[Erosion rate reduction: -6%]
[+ 600 Credits]
“It’s okay. It’s not new, so it’ll be fine after washing.”
Stella naturally gets irritated when something dirty gets on her body, even if it’s not her body.
“It’s not my place to get angry over something like this, but… I’d like you to be careful. There will be a steady stream of guests this year, with many distinguished guests entering the school and the Magic Banquet. Let’s resolve this quickly before then.”
“All right.”
Since Radian was strict but had a saintly side, I could end it with just a few words.
Radian and Stella went away to deal with the dirty clothes, and we said goodbye, saying, ‘Goodbye.’
“Anyway, let’s go now. We have to finish organizing the dormitory by tomorrow’s opening ceremony.”
I spoke as if urging them to move forward. First of all, both of their hands were stained black, so no one would have been able to see the ring. Besides, Muto’s blood could be easily washed off with water.
Surely the plating on the ring won’t come off because of the water? Even if it does, you can just buy a new one. You’ve already accumulated a lot of credits.
“Radon, wait a minute.”
Jenny grabbed my shoulder from behind as I was trying to take the lead.
When I looked back, they were not walking but standing there.
“Why all of a sudden?”
I asked if they still had work to do. Then I suddenly wondered why all three of them were standing still at the same time. And their expressions were also a bit strange.
“Don’t act like a fool.”
Jenny said with an eerie smile.
“Did you think we didn’t see it?”
Huh? What are you looking at?
“Don’t just try to let it go.”
This time, Ruska stopped me by grabbing my shoulder.
“You sprinkled the ink on purpose, didn’t you?”
And then he made a surprised expression at the meaningful words he heard.
“Why are you guys suddenly like that…?”
Actually, I could tell instinctively that it was all already out there.
Everything I did a little while ago while poking Muto in the eye has now turned into a complete waste of time!
Fuck!
“Hey friend! Hey friend!”
This time Mary pulls my arm and says:
“You shouldn’t be acting like a dog. I saw you two wearing couple rings earlier.”
The three of them stare at me with unfocused eyes.
I could figure out what it meant, but there was no way out.
And then I realized again, these guys aren’t playable characters for nothing.
It’s not just me who’s getting stronger. They’ve also grown and seem to have acquired a sense of not being inferior to me.
Anyway, in a word, this is…
‘I’m screwed.’
Muto, who would be sarcastic at this timing, is now stretched out. No matter what means he uses, he cannot get out on his own.
“Radon, you didn’t forget what you promised, did you?”
It’s my complete defeat. The three of them are looking at me like beasts hunting prey. Since it’s come to this… This is a do-or-die situation!
I have a calm expression…
“When me?”
puck!-
… As I said that, my vision darkened along with a dull sensation.
[Erosion rate reduction: -60%]
[+ 6000 Credits]
[Experience points have exceeded a certain amount! 1 stat point has been acquired.]
[Various skill levels increase due to the levy effect.]
It seemed like a notification window had popped up, but I couldn’t see all of it.
* * * * *
“It’s finally a new semester. Aren’t you excited? Lyman Begilius.”
“It’s just so-so.”
“Hmm… Still a blunt guy.”
There were students who stayed in the dormitory instead of going home during the vacation. A typical example would be the student council that stayed on purpose to prepare for the new semester.
Kent Easyst, who is walking, is one of them, but it is rare for him to be left behind because he has nothing to do like his companion, Lyman Begilius.
“During the vacation, the vice principal changed and there were many things that needed to be improved.”
After Heidern’s dismissal, several candidates for the vice principal position were discussed.
Talena Christen, Head of Magic and Department of Magic.
Lepelli Nicole, Head of the Department of Alchemy.
Combat Department Head, Cage Revola.
The general opinion is that the vacant position of the vice principal should be filled from the position immediately below, but there were also opinions that it should be filled from outside.
However, since Heidern was a case in which such a thing happened, he was excluded under the policy of hoping that the same thing would not happen again.
Eventually, one of the three was chosen, and the vice principal for this semester onwards was Repeli Nicole, the former head of the alchemy department.
“Why did that person have to become the vice principal?”
“Is there any problem?”
“I don’t know about anything else, but the problem is that he’s too excited! It’s going to make Friday night, which was already noisy, even noisier!”
“Then wouldn’t that be better?”
“What a good thing! I can’t believe that that droopy appearance is truly that of the best Alighieri cadet in the Empire.”
Due to his strict family background, Kent was not fond of drinking parties and the thought of the mess that would follow is horrifying.
“If it was going to be like this, it would have been better if the military training from 30 years ago had been revived…”
“Don’t say those words so carelessly.”
For the first time, Lyman’s voice, which had been speaking indifferently, sounded weighty.
Long ago, when the expansion of the Demon Realm caused a great war, humanity, short on manpower, forced children to hold weapons instead of books.
The education that Alighieri gave after accepting that policy was soldier training. It was a time when cadets were clearly seen as tools of war, not beings who could nurture dreams.
“Okay. Just watch what you say.”
Kent, too, was able to admit his slip of the tongue because he had learned that history.
“Oh, Kent and Lyman? How was your vacation?”
Then they encountered three female students: Jenny, Ruska, and Mary, who had returned earlier than the others.
“Oh! Nice to meet you guys!”
Kent shook their hands firmly. He had to lower his head when shaking Mary’s hand.
“Nothing happened here?”
“There was no problem. Since Head of Department Repelli has become the vice principal, don’t forget to call him vice principal when you meet him.”
“okay.”
“But you guys… what is that?”
Something lying at their feet caught Kent’s attention. Lyman’s eyes widened as soon as he saw it.
Because a familiar classmate was being dragged around by their hands, her ankles held in her hands.
“Oh, this?”
Suddenly their eyes lose focus.
“You are a great sinner. You are about to receive a severe punishment.”
“Punishment…”
When Kent asks in a trembling voice, Ruska and Mary draw a line between their lips and say,
“It’s okay. We’re still breathing.”
“Hahahahaha! Our eternal doll is born.”
Kent reluctantly tilted his head back, as if he was looking at a warlock obsessed with cosmetic surgery.
Radon Crowler. What on earth did he do to deserve this?
I had many thoughts, but decided not to get involved because I thought it was their problem alone.
“But don’t ruin it too much. Even though he looks like that, he’s a guy I respect quite a bit.”
“See you next time then.”
Just as he was about to break up with them and go his own way… Lyman’s nerves suddenly went on edge and he stopped walking.
Enviel’s presence, who had supposedly disappeared, was suddenly felt nearby. The source of the presence was none other than the dragging Radon Crawler.
‘Is that just now… my mood?’
I wondered if it was that guy, but I didn’t feel any movement. I thought I might have been overly sensitive, so I ignored it and continued on my way.
“Why did you suddenly stop?”
“It’s nothing.”
Lyman started walking while answering Kent’s question dryly. The place they arrived was the Liber Hall in the faculty building. Inside, the new students who had just arrived were gathered.
They haven’t been assigned anything yet. The entrance ceremony will be held the day after tomorrow, and these are just those who arrived early in anticipation.
“There are already so many people here.”
“Then let’s get started…”
Kent, who was about to step onto the stage to recharge his energy, suddenly froze.
“what’s the matter?”
Kent could feel the energy within a ‘person’ by looking at their face.
I don’t know if it was something that was developed innately or something that was developed later on after growing up seeing the dirty faces of adults… but Kent could feel the inner energy just by looking at the freshmen.
‘The trash is mixed in.’
Those words almost came out of my mouth. It was a moment of trying to calm myself down, because I couldn’t move my mouth freely in this crowd.
“Are you the students who have advanced to the second year this year?”
A man in uniform walks in with a limp. He has a pure white sword on his waist and speaks to the two.
“I am Jason Barkel from the Imperial Household. You’ve probably heard the news.”
“Hey, nice to meet you.”
Kent stuttered as he greeted them. He felt a dark aura from Jason that was incomparable to that of the freshmen.
“Nice to meet you… Phew!”
Meanwhile, Lyman looked at him and smiled.
“Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought of someone whose face resembled mine…”
“I am the professor who will be teaching you from now on, along with Professor Radian. There will be no good in showing that kind of appearance, right?”
“sorry.”
Lyman couldn’t stop smiling even as he apologized. The reason he was smiling wasn’t because of Jason… but because he had seen the sword he was carrying.
“The sword suits you better than that.”
“Wow. That statement is worthy of praise. It’s a famous sword that is said to have been bound for hundreds of years. It’s perfect for my waist!”
“A few hundred years… kekeke…!”
“….”
It was Kent who was looking at Lyman strangely, who was strangely holding back laughter.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
