Episode 117. The Penalty Game (2)
I was hit in the back of the head and lost consciousness.
The culprit was none other than them. The power was so heavy that it was hard to believe it was that of girls in their late teens.
Her mind is wandering and vague, but it’s almost like being hit with a sledgehammer. Who else among the three can show such brute strength besides her?
“Have you reflected on it?”
“I reflect on it.”
I sat down on my knees in front of Ruska, who was asking me with her arms crossed.
I returned to the dorm with her and finished tidying up. I swept the dust and ventilated the room, so I didn’t sneeze while sitting.
“Can I ask what I did wrong?”
“If you already know, is there a need to say it?”
“Answer me.”
Ruska’s tone of speech changed to a more dignified one. Her tone was full of interrogation, like that of a saint hearing confession.
The sunlight streaming in through the open window illuminated Ruska, making her look like a saint.
If it had been a full moon instead of sunlight, this interrogation wouldn’t have ended like this.
“I lied. Okay?”
“….”
She looked down with cold eyes and remained silent… and eventually sighed and sat down.
“Okay. Going over each and every thing will just give you a headache.”
“I thought you’d dig deep, but this is surprising?”
“Actually, I don’t think anything will change even if I ask you deeply.”
Ruska added, resting her hand on her chin.
“I could feel it while living with your family during the vacation. You are nothing but a drop in the bucket compared to those people.”
Our Crowler family is famous for living with lies in their mouths.
Living in that gap, Ruska had to endure agony that felt like her head was going to burst.
Because she doesn’t know about the Liar’s Curse, she can’t understand it.
“I’ve not seen many liars in my life… but I don’t think there will be anyone worse than your family. You know how much I suffered while living with you.”
Of course I knew that. There was a time when I took my mother’s words about me being ugly at face value and was so discouraged.
It took me a few days to understand that all that swearing was a lie.
“I thought it was just you, but I never imagined it would be your family too. So I thought about it and…”
“….”
“Your family. Are you under some kind of evil spell?”
At first, I thought it was just a personal deficiency of Radon. But after I realized that the whole house was like that, I couldn’t help but think that it was just an individual problem.
“I don’t think there’s any other reason why a family would live in a group lie.”
I answered with a change of expression instead of with my mouth. Ruska looked at my wide-open eyes and raised the corners of her mouth, remembering that she had guessed correctly.
“Tell me honestly. What the hell is that spell?”
It’s not a spell, it’s a curse, but I’m grateful that you noticed it. But I could never say it with my own mouth.
“If I could have said it, I would have said it a long time ago. I’m talking about this ■■■’s ■week.”
As you can see… whenever I try to speak, it becomes silent like this. Ruska also tilted her head, not understanding this.
“Anyway, there was a reason why you became a conman. So I won’t nag you too much.”
Ruska blushed and lowered her head as she spoke. She looked quite embarrassed, perhaps embarrassed by having been angry all this time.
So the moment I opened my mouth to say something…
“But that’s a separate thing from losing the bet, you know?”
“uh?”
Suddenly, Ruska’s eyes widened.
Silence fell over the once warm atmosphere.
“Did you think we didn’t see the professors hanging out together wearing the same rings?”
Just a little while ago, Jenny and Mary, and Ruska too… they all seemed anxious to play with me.
There is no expression on the face of a little girl who is about to unwrap the Barbie doll she received as a birthday present.
What do I have to decorate?
And then those two suddenly become a couple and it’s chaos.
I never expected that I would get stabbed in the back of the head like that by Professor Radian, whom I had saved with great effort.
“But I don’t plan on making her cross-dress just yet. Not yet, that is. Hehe…”
I meant to postpone it until later, but I couldn’t feel at ease.
Because it was like… the face of a predator that was about to devour its prey after it had been perfectly cooked.
The smile forming on Ruska’s lips feels scary.
Surprisingly, Jenny and I had personalities that suited each other well.
* * * * *
The opening ceremony was easier than expected, so it started and ended early.
Because it was an event for cadets who had already adapted to life on campus, there was no need to get lost.
But the opening ceremony was only a warm-up. The real battle was today’s entrance ceremony.
In fact, the entrance ceremony is not much different from the opening ceremony. It is a simple event that can be concluded by simply watching the principal’s speech and the students’ pledges.
However, the level of difficulty greatly depends on the status of the incoming cadet.
The children of the nobles are nothing special. But two saints, and a princess who inherited the blood of the emperor, though of a lower rank.
Now, the three of them were riding on a carriage and setting foot on the grounds of the Academy. First, two saints in uniforms got off the carriage that was shining brightly.
The principal and other board members gathered in front of him as if to welcome him.
`This is quite burdensome.`
Angela felt a deep sense of inwardness as she met eyes with Alighieri’s principal, Keiten Zodiac. It was only natural to feel uneasy when standing before a war hero from 30 years ago.
Even though she was chosen as a saint and her status rose, she had a hard time holding her head high because of her strong conscience.
“Nice to meet you… Principal… Keiten…”
“Why are you hesitating so much, you saint? Raise your head.”
“But then…”
Above all, there was the most fatal element that pricked her conscience. If she said it was the nine-tailed fox incident, even those who asked why would keep their mouths shut.
“Ah… isn’t that something that has already happened?”
“I was really ashamed at that time. I feel sorry because even my stepping foot on this land was entirely due to the will of the religious order.”
“But isn’t there a reason for that? Stop raising your head. We, the Alighieri, have already abandoned the old custom of persistently criticizing such things.”
Naturally, the education of a saint included education in history.
As it was a vast continent, each region had its own culture and customs, and there were also long-standing bad habits written in them.
It is said that people in the past waited for someone who committed a great crime to come forward. The reason was that the main purpose was to catch the criminal and gain merit.
Just looking at this, you can tell that it’s a ridiculous custom. It’s no different from making up a foolish thing yourself because there are no villains.
Even these private sanctions were applied to the descendants of the criminal. If they had even a single drop of that blood, they would not be able to live with their faces open in the empire. Even if they were children, there was no mercy.
Angela, too, had made a big mistake at the Academy and was afraid that the same thing would happen to her. That’s what Kayten said to her.
“Many regions have already corrected that habit. No one will dare touch the saint, no matter how harsh their gaze may be.”
“Thank you very much, Principal.”
“And I would also like to greet Saint Nevia.”
Kaiten bowed slightly to the green-haired saintess standing next to Angela.
She looked at Azela with annoyance and greeted her a beat late.
“My name is Nevia Cromag. Please feel free to call me by my name.”
“So I’m taking it easy. I hope there will be good learning in this land in the future.”
The greetings were over quickly. Nevia, who felt the conversation was somehow dull, glanced at Angela. She was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the fact that she was monopolizing all the attention. Furthermore, interest in her had disappeared like a bubble due to the next incoming student.
“Headmaster Kaiten Zodiac, I would like to greet the princess.”
“Greetings to you, Repeli Nicole.”
“This is Talena Christen with Magic.”
“This is Cage Revola from the Battle Department.”
“Andrew Rayfield with Alchemy.”
The members of the board bow down before the red-haired princess, who is being protected by the knights from the side.
It was natural behavior in front of the highest authority. Above all, she was the youngest of the Emperor’s children, and the least known. Since her disposition was unknown, it was necessary to be courteous and respectful.
“Oh, hello! I am Mirona Kirien Divine, the third princess of the Divine Imperial Family! Nice to meet you!”
“….”
The students were dumbfounded as if they had experienced something unexpected. All the emperor’s children who had entered the academy so far had been very arrogant.
But perhaps because she was the youngest… Princess Mirona was much more intimidated than Saint Angela, whom she had just met.
It felt like she was a transfer student from an unfamiliar place, not a princess, to the point where I wondered if she was really the royal family we know.
“Hey… is there a problem…”
“No. I hope you have a great learning experience in the future.”
The board members were momentarily embarrassed, but they became polite again so as not to show their displeasure. There was someone watching the greetings between the two sides from a distance.
“….”
Lyman, leaning against the tree, looked at the scene. What caught his eye was Princess Miro or Princess. Lyman wanted to say something, but he remained silent as if something was complicated.
He looked at the princess, then a bitter expression appeared on his face and he disappeared with the wind.
“huh?”
Mirona, sensing a presence, turned her eyes to the tree, but there were only branches swaying in the breeze.
* * * * *
Even after the entrance ceremony, the important events of the academic year are not over yet. This is because the third-year student who served as student body president until last year graduated this year.
In short, the student council president election event is about to begin.
‘It looks like a fierce war of nerves is about to unfold.’
Even though the weather was still chilly, the heat was already rising and it felt hot.
This is because the second and third year students are deciding who to choose and forming factions after watching the entrance ceremony.
According to the main text, the candidates mentioned are as follows:
Symbol 1. Nevia Cromag.
Symbol 2. Angela Whitegreen.
Symbol 3. Krona Delaware.
They are all formidable figures with powers as great as the heavens.
If we were to pick a lesser one, there would be Crona, but she also had her own purpose of trying to efficiently correct the system of the bachelor’s degree.
There is a reason for his appearance, but there is always someone better than him. He will soon kneel before overwhelming recognition.
‘But it’s better to kneel quietly.’
As I said before, the competition is very fierce. You build up a huge momentum like building a tower, but if you lose, it falls apart in an instant.
Fortunately, Crona collapsed at a point where the towers weren’t stacked too high… but the problem with the other candidates’ towers is that they were stacked too high.
‘Everyone will be running wild, determined to bring the other down.’
If you don’t vote for the candidate they want, they threaten and politicize. The reason they act so aggressively is because the candidate is secretly controlling them from behind the scenes. That candidate is none other than Nevia Cromag.
‘There was no witch disguised as a saint.’
I was currently climbing the forest hill while retracing this chapter. Right after the entrance ceremony, the characters each devoted themselves to their given goals.
I too was heading to the lake to experiment with fishing. It had been a long time since I had fished there.
Besides, since I was in class A, no one noticed what I was doing. It was a moment when I arrived at the fishing spot in a good mood.
thud!-
“What, what is it!”
Suddenly, I was startled by a noise coming from the lakeside. It was a peaceful day so far, but there was no sign of an incident.
I could see the scene through the trees, wondering if anyone else was practicing.
Silver and green, two dazzling flashes of light clashed against each other. My vision seemed to be fading, but I could tell that someone was engaging in a magic duel. No, it was closer to magic than sorcery. There were only two students in this academy who could use such menacing sorcery.
Angela and Nevia. The two saints appeared in the light. The green-haired saint had an annoyed expression, while the one with the beast’s ears looked at her with pity.
`What the hell is going on?`
What are the kids who should be preparing for the upcoming elections doing here? While I was so shocked, the light began to collide again.
There was no particular sense of murderous intent, and it seemed like a kind of fight of wits. Nevertheless, a fierce battle of wits was unfolding, with neither side showing any sign of backing down.
I was watching the unplanned fight with my mind blankly for some unknown reason. A ripple of sparks and flames appeared between the clashing lights and spread throughout the forest.
[Erosion rate is reduced due to the influence of the power of doubt.]
[30%]
[29%]
[28%]
[27%]
“uh?”
And then I glared at the window that suddenly appeared.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
