---

233rd Chapter: A New Mission (2)

Upon hearing that Harkel was coming, we immediately had to hide.

With Mary’s concealment magic, we wouldn’t get caught by anyone, so I felt at ease. But at that moment, Luska became very alert.

She saw it—a middle-aged man was about to appear in this room and show the village head a certain photograph.

As soon as Luska witnessed it, she suffered from a headache, and I realized that she had seen the future.

And I also discovered the shocking fact that my face was in that photograph.

‘So it wasn’t for nothing that the scamming character was chosen.’

That middle-aged man would be none other than Harkel. But why was he bringing my photo?

My detection skills whispered that it definitely wouldn’t be for a good reason.

I felt anxious about what the village head’s reaction would be upon seeing that photo.

So, we first knocked the village head out cold.

Jenny, Luska, and Mary concealed their appearances with concealment magic along with the unconscious village head, while I transformed into him using hair I had obtained earlier.

Since everyone was aware of each other’s abilities, there were no surprised reactions like “How is that even possible?”

Thus, I swiftly dealt with the situation and faced Harkel instead.

“Name, Radon Crawler.”

“…!”

“If you witness and capture this boy, I will provide a generous reward.”

It was a moment that sent chills down my spine.

I almost reacted with shock, but I barely managed to hold it in using my ‘acting’ skill.

It was shocking enough to be treated like a wanted criminal.

No matter how rotten he was, he was still a high noble.

“Um….”

“Have you seen him before?”

“No. This boy is unfamiliar to me.”

[Erosion Rate Decreased: -3%]

[+300 Credits]

“But what on earth is so special about this boy that you’re offering such a generous reward for capturing him?”

“Ah… I’m not entirely sure. My business partner has been making a fuss about capturing this boy.”

The mention of a business partner raised more questions.

I was curious about who he was, as well as the reason for wanting to capture me.

And when was this photograph even taken? Judging from the school uniform, it seemed he referenced the academy’s records.

“By the way, isn’t this boy wearing the academy’s uniform? If he’s being protected by such a good institution, we have no way to capture him.”

“I won’t instruct you to charge in and capture him. Even with our Viole Family’s power, he’s not an easy target to secure.”

“This boy?”

Was I such an extraordinary person?

Why?

“According to the informant, this boy is under the protection of none other than the Chain Silver Family, the highest authority in the Empire. Additionally, the Empress is also keeping an eye on him, so we cannot make a reckless move.”

“Then abduction would be…”

“Naturally, it would be impossible. The same goes for his family.”

In that moment, I felt my heart freeze.

I felt immense relief knowing that none of my family would be taken.

But knowing that, what on earth did they expect to do to capture me?

“So our chances of capturing him are even slimmer. Throwing a hook doesn’t catch clouds, after all.”

“I already mentioned it. There’s no need to physically capture him.”

“Then how….”

Harkel smiled as he explained to my many questions.

“Recently, the students of Aligieri have been sent on external missions. The village head is likely to send requests for minor tasks due to a shortage of manpower, right? While the chances are low, if by any chance this student comes here, I need you to contact me immediately.”

At Harkel’s explanation, I swallowed dryly.

Just as he said, I had come here on a mission.

“If you succeed, all the rewards will belong to the village head.”

“Those rewards entail….”

“Significant financial compensation, of course….”

Harkel leaned closer to me, wearing a joyful expression.

“Great benefits will be granted to this village as well.”

My body trembled with immense tension.

If it weren’t for the ‘acting’ skill, I would have appeared terrified.

Had I not swapped with the village head, the mission would surely have fallen apart, and I would have been taken by Harkel.

This mission involved clearing a path for the village, which was set to see inflated taxes and increased workloads.

Somewhere deep in the forest lay a mine hidden that could yield more than usual, and discovering it would prevent unreasonable work demands.

But I realized that the person forcing these unreasonable tasks was none other than Harkel Viole.

That meant….

“If I merely report to you, all the village head’s requests will be fulfilled.”

The village head had no need to ask us for a mission.

He could simply hand me over, and all the village’s problems would be resolved.

“Haha, that would be greatly appreciated. But I’m curious about who that business partner is.”

“Why is that?”

“Well… If I know, wouldn’t it make it easier to find that boy?”

Harkel seemed to ponder my difficult question, resting his chin on his hand.

After several seconds of contemplation, he spoke.

“I can’t give you the details, but I will tell you this: It’s an elf.”

“An elf…?”

“By the way, he might have some past connections with this village.”

The moment I heard that, one person popped into my mind.

Grisha Highend. It had to be him.

“But if you succeed in the abduction, how do you plan to handle the aftermath? Didn’t you say there are many places protecting this boy?”

There are now two princesses from the Empire and the Chain Silver Family beside me, about to become Empress.

Knowing that, no matter how ambitious Harkel might be, he could not easily make a move.

When I asked what provoked him so, he smiled and replied.

“You don’t need to worry about that. The person slated to become Emperor has already been determined.”

*

Clunk—

Having seemingly finished his business, Harkel left the village head’s room.

We watched as he rode away in his carriage.

It was truly an unusual occurrence that he was brought here due to a trivial request.

It was absurd that it had to involve abducting me of all things. The more I thought about it, the more unbelievable it became.

Once Harkel completely disappeared, my friends, who had been hiding inside the room, revealed themselves.

After manipulating the sleepy village head’s memories, we needed to find accommodations and discuss what we had just heard.

“Is that the path the villagers are yearning for?”

Luska gazed out the window at the forest across the way.

There, several soldiers from the Viole Family were loitering along the forest path, and beyond them stood a building that resembled ruins.

The reason we aimed to find a student whose presence could be minimal seemed to point back to those soldiers.

“It definitely has a smell coming from that ruin-like structure.”

Luska’s enhanced senses could pick up objects even from a distance.

Then she joined us in our circle, expressing her thoughts.

“So what now? Surely Radon, your face is likely known to the soldiers as well.”

“Should we hide Radon, then?”

Fortunately, with Mary’s help, we could manipulate the village head’s memories.

Currently, the village head’s memory indicated he had been threatened by Harkel, and there was anger among the villagers.

The photo of my face Harkel gave to the village head was tossed to Muto’s food. That erased the evidence.

What was fortunate was that Harkel didn’t bother gathering the villagers to announce they were to catch me.

He seemed to trust that the village head would spread the word among the residents himself.

“So, Harkel the duke has an elven business partner, and that partner must want to eliminate Radon?”

“Given how much trust he seems to place in that partner, it’s clearly not a casual relationship. But I can’t fathom why he’s targeting Radon.”

Just as Jenny said… I felt the same.

I couldn’t grasp why Grisha had taken such an interest in me.

“Is it possible he wants to capture me to use as a son-in-law?”

“Say something that makes sense!”

“Aagh!”

I socked Mary, who was rambling nonsense.

She was someone who had already lost a daughter and her family; the notion of being used as a son-in-law could freeze in place.

“Regardless, Harkel seems like someone who would stop at nothing to become Emperor.”

“Do you know anything about him?”

“Of course, I do. Being of the Chain Silver Family, I’ve kept a close eye on them.”

The Chain Silver Family had always been the envy of numerous nobles.

I don’t know what happened, but it’s said that the family was on the brink of extinction when Gerard was young.

Naturally, they became targets of disdain, yet after Gerard met a certain benefactor, the family rose incessantly.

Eventually, the Chain Silver Family flourished as they are now, and many still resent them.

Naturally, the foremost agitators were the Viole Family.

“That family has become even more detestable… and now they are trying to ascend to the throne of Emperor. I can’t imagine what sort of feelings they harbor.”

Reaching such a distant position, it’s normal to give up.

But Jenny had a gut feeling that it wouldn’t turn out like that.

“Though it may sound overly prescriptive, it seems Harkel hasn’t given up yet. He’s likely found a way to bring our father down as he moves so fervently.”

Jenny recognized it from the way Harkel had behaved as she watched from a distance.

Having seen him a few times before, she could tell he wouldn’t give up that easily.

“Does that relate to the dominance over this village?”

“And targeting Radon is likely part of that too.”

“….”

Currently, public opinion heavily favored Chain Silver. Even combining support from other families, they just barely managed to catch up.

But….

– “The person who will become Emperor has already been decided.”

In the end, no matter how high and mighty he may be, what confidence did he have to make such a claim?

And merely joining hands with Grisha already made my apprehension soar.

Perhaps, driven by their desire to become Emperor, they might unleash a presence that shouldn’t be allowed in this world.

“That means there’s likely something crucial hidden within this village that’s significant to the Viole Family.”

Luska spoke, gazing at the ruins far outside the window.

What were they planning here, and why were the soldiers milling around only there?

It seemed necessary to investigate.

“But you’re the only one who can slip through those soldiers, Luska.”

Among us, Luska was the only one whose face wasn’t known.

The rest of us could just gather requests among villagers, but for Luska to enter alone would be a tall order.

“Wait! We can disguise ourselves too!”

“What?”

Mary suggested that we could do as I did earlier and disguise ourselves as the village head, which I shook my head at.

The duration of that magic isn’t endless unless we eat someone whole.

While I had recently ingested the crown prince, it would be unreasonable to suddenly pop out as him.

“No, not that.”

But what Mary referred to was a different kind of disguise.

And that was….

“Do you remember the Ceremony of Flash?”

Upon hearing that, I took a deep breath.

It was a ritual I had performed during the prisoner escort mission, leading to a black history where I turned into a woman.

“Ah….”

“What a great method that would be.”

Jenny and Luska marveled upon recognizing this fact.

And for some odd reason, they looked at me with gentle eyes.

“Come to think of it, do you remember the wager you made with Radon?”

“What wager?”

“What do you mean what? Don’t you remember the bet we placed when we returned from winter vacation?”

“Ah….”

Uncomfortably, those memories began to resurface.

During a debate on whether Professor Stella actually had a lover… I naturally chose ‘no’, while they chose ‘yes’.

The outcome was my defeat, and it devolved into me potentially having to fulfill their twisted wishes soon.

Of course, they hadn’t said a word about it, seemingly having forgotten over time.

Just as I had intended to take that to the grave with me.

“Come on, Radon. Hurry over here.”

“I promise it won’t hurt.”

“Haha! Don’t worry, my friend! I’ve learned how to perform the Ceremony of Flash all on my own.”

They were all charging towards me like a horde.

No matter how necessary the disguise might be, was it really necessary to go this far?

“Of course we must. A promise is a promise.”

Luska instantly took hold of my back, immobilizing me.

I was going crazy. They were already a battle-hungry bunch, and now they had grown even stronger; I simply couldn’t break free.

While there was justification for being forced into this, I still couldn’t comprehend.

“Just how long ago was that promise? Why are you bringing it up now?”

I couldn’t even remember what chapter that was.

It was infuriating how, just when I was about to forget, that setting would pop up in my head.

“Haha! Just accept it readily, my friend! This is your destiny.”

“You crazy people!”

They were already wide-eyed with excitement.

My last desperate struggle was just foul-mouthed curses.

In the end, I felt like a Barbie doll rolling around in the hands of those girls.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

---