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125th Chapter. Princess, Please Have Mercy… (2)

Inheriting the blood of royalty usually comes with a lot of advantages.

The basic perks include enjoying absolute power that comes from status, access to proven education, and the guarantee of building a desired career.

In short, it’s like being born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Those who are ensured a leisurely life.

However, the downsides are equally straightforward. The pressure and responsibility stemming from authority, the gazes of the lower classes, and the power struggles that come with politics.

When you build a castle, there are inevitably defects. The taller the castle, the more noticeable these flaws become. Defects also tend to grow in proportion to their volume.

Even being born in a regular noble family, flaws can easily be found. If it’s on the scale of royalty, explaining it would be a fruitless endeavor.

Mirona Divine Kirien. All she inherited was merely the emperor’s bloodline.

Because of that bloodline, there were multiple attempts on her life.

“What a… monster.”

In the completely destroyed examination room, Manus Holonez, the first-year magic department supervisor overseeing this exam, muttered quietly.

Little information was known about the third princess, Mirona. Just considering that fact, one could predict that she must not be favored by the emperor.

It felt strange that she had not been assassinated but…

“She didn’t just evade assassination… she defeated the assassins herself!”

Princess Mirona was still peeking through the torn space. Manus felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief at her clueless face.

When he watched her on screen… her face had momentarily transformed into that of a ghost.

“U-um… what should we do now?”

Princess Mirona asked, trembling. The one exhibiting the greatest terrifying power was herself, yet she was the one who was frightened.

*

“By now, there must be quite the commotion.”

The morning was dedicated to theory classes. I was reminiscing about the events that were about to unfold.

The assignment test for freshman classes. It was similar to the practical exams that were held occasionally.

However, all new students would take it in the expansive gymnasium located underground in the academic building rather than the usual gymnasium.

They would close off all students from the combat, magic, and alchemy departments in the Void Space and begin.

Among them, the first confirmed student in Class A was Saint Nebia.

Originally, Nebia lacked combat experience. Facing golems inherently had many unfavorable factors.

Yet she frequently showcased her hidden talents and claimed her position in Class A.

“Though she couldn’t defeat a level 5 golem… this will surely drive Nebia to madness.”

The moment she firmly acknowledges her talent. From that instant, she becomes arrogant and views others as insignificant.

She would spew aggro-filled lines, claiming that others were lower-level than her.

Until she witnessed the next successful candidate.

Boom—

At that moment, a tremendous noise erupted, and the ground shook.

Though the sound wasn’t overwhelming and the intensity of an earthquake was not present, it was enough to disrupt the class.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“How would I know?”

The students attending the class were thrown into turmoil.

“Did someone cause an accident?”

“Who would act out during class time?”

“Is something happening again?”

This space of learning, which should have been filled with knowledge, was instead brimming with worry.

It was the moment when the lecture about the heart, the source of mana flowing through the human body, and the dantian began to blur.

“Silence! Who dare chatter during the lecture?”

The professor leading the class instinctively shouted. The students, startled, turned their attention back to him.

“What you’re thinking is not relevant, so there’s no need to worry. It’s just an accident during the exam.”

Aroma Sharonaque, the professor in charge of the magic department for the second year, was responsible for courses related to the fundamentals of mana rather than elemental or spirit-centered magic.

Mana is an important factor in all departments, not just the magic department. Many students, including those from the combat department, attend to understand that power.

Such as Jenny beside me, Luska, and Lyman behind.

“Is it really an accident?”

Jenny boldly asked, and Aroma smiled as she replied.

“There’s no detection of monsters or external forces’ mana nearby. It’s clearly a minor accident that occurred in the underground laboratory. It will resume shortly.”

Because she had a perfect understanding of mana, detecting it was as easy as pie.

Moreover, she could surmise roughly what incident had occurred based on the flow of mana.

“So focus on your studies without distraction.”

Though Aroma was coldly returning to her work…

“What an outrageous freshman has appeared.”

She murmured softly while looking at the chalkboard. The detected mana was at an entirely uncharacteristic level for a student.

If it had to be compared with any student, it would be Mary Ryudshiel perhaps?

“Did you just feel that?”

“Well, it’s not that I don’t know, but I’ve never caused such vibrations during my entrance exam.”

“….”

Jenny quietly asked while looking at me and Luska.

Luska expressed her thoughts based on what she heard from the professor.

I was still silent as if I didn’t understand…

“….”

Lyman was also silent.

The girl he treasured… had previously been a saint in her past life and was now born a monster in this life.

*

Despite being a princess, Mirona did not receive the emperor’s affection.

As a child of the concubine, she was perpetually shunned by the legitimate wife and her children.

Still, there was a reason she wasn’t expelled from the palace.

That was the Devil’s Talent.

Usually an innocent girl who seemed clueless, yet the moment she held a sword, she literally became a monster.

Because she unleashed fragments of that sword demon without restriction, the vibrations just earlier had occurred.

Nebia, the saint who witnessed that scene, felt a scratch on her pride.

Believing herself to be the best and becoming arrogant… only to realize there were those who soared above her.

With her pride diminished, Nebia harbored immense inferiority towards the princess.

Moreover, she was running for the position of student council president just like herself. She must have been eager to drag her down immediately.

‘The word of that gag scene must have spread throughout the academy by now.’

If one were to look at Mirona’s actions back then, it would raise questions about her qualification to be part of royalty, let alone be student council president.

Because of that, Nebia found Mirona even less appealing.

Originally, Aligieri’s students sought a dignified president for the student council.

Hence, very few would cast their votes for Mirona.

However, with her overwhelming talent, royal status, and her willingness to risk her life for others more than anyone else, she would eventually rise to become the student council president, gaining tremendous support from the students inspired by that sight.

The reason she ran was to be recognized by her father, the emperor. But through her encounter with Lyman, she realized that such recognition was ultimately futile.

And she gradually began to uncover her father’s true nature, becoming a being who could stand against him.

“Mirona is growing… while Nebia’s mental age remains stagnant…”

In a normal story, that would be how it wraps up.

But this world has undergone a complete upheaval.

A single stone I cast might return as a tremendous wave.

Above all, Nebia must find a way to survive by any means necessary.

“Please, to break my curse…”

“Hey, are you spacing out?”

“Oops!”

Clash!—

The sound of a wooden sword colliding with a solid object echoed out.

I had nearly forgotten. We had combat training scheduled for the afternoon.

In those sessions, two students would be chosen to duel against each other to assess their strength.

Instructor Jason pointed out Lyman first, and Lyman had selected me.

In short, right now I’m…

“Your thoughts are wandering more than usual, you piece of trash.”

“I can’t believe this. Why did it have to be someone like me?”

“This isn’t the time to be whining. You could get killed.”

Exactly. Had Muto not intervened to block Lyman’s wooden sword just now, I would have been unconscious for quite a while.

‘Thanks, Muto! I definitely need to rely on you this time.’

“But sorry, I just happened to meet his gaze, and now my body won’t move.”

‘What?’

Lyman shot a sharp glare at Muto. I could see Muto obediently retracting his tail and shrinking away.

“I’m sorry. Can’t be helped this time…”

‘Tch, that’s typical of you, you snake.’

I was a fool to have expected anything.

But it was something only Lyman could do. He could freely release killing intent to diminish the will of his opponent.

Yet since I’m still standing fine, it seems Lyman has something to settle with me.

Which is to be expected….

“You were laughing well back then, but now your expression has changed.”

“Just saying sorry should be enough, right? Are you trying to kill someone?”

“Haha, if it ended with just that, I wouldn’t be in this position.”

Damn protagonist type! That benevolence unique to school story protagonists is nowhere to be found.

Truly, he seemed more suited to be a delinquent story’s protagonist.

“This time, I want to change that. Even if it means being a fool, I hope to be a protagonist full of trust and kindness…”

Lyman closed the distance once more. Given the bruises on my arms, it would be a struggle to defend against that.

Just from the few hits I took at the start, it’s miraculous that I’m still gripping the wooden sword.

I reflexively unleashed black lightning onto the sword. But he easily dodged it and grabbed my neck with his wooden sword.

“Listen well to what I say from now on.”

What is he asking me to listen to in a situation like this? I can barely breathe.

Still, he had adjusted his strength so I could talk.

“Do you know what happens if you publish what you saw this morning in the newspaper?”

“Wh-what? The newspaper?”

Oh, I just recalled—I’m in the newspaper department.

That could make for quite a good article.

“With rumors already circulating, if you even think of using that to rake in views, you’ll be dead. If you even think about it, you’ll be dead. If you write a single letter even, you’re dead. The moment you grab a pen, you’re dead. No, just be careful in everything, or you’ll die. Got it?”

“You crazy bastard! What do you mean, you’ll die no matter what you do?”

If this goes on, won’t he just end up killing me anyway? The more I think about it, the more chilling he seems.

He resembles a protagonist who accidentally stumbled into the wrong story.

“Enough! That’s it.”

Jason, who had been watching, declared the end of the match.

Lyman released me and stood up. He then said,

“Still… with you here, it’s not boring.”

The irritated expression on Lyman’s face had softened considerably. I was surprised at how quickly his anger dissipated.

‘I expected it to end like this.’

Rather, I should be grateful it ended at this level. Thinking about what happened to Trabel being beaten with sticks makes it even more so.

“Let’s please be careful from now on. Please!”

I chastised myself as I stood up. Since it was my smile that caused the trouble, there was no other way.

“Are you alright?”

The one approaching me and offering their hand was Professor Radian.

It would be a loss not to take the offer of his solid figure and kind gesture.

“I’m doing alright. But why are you bothering with me?”

He had merely been observing during the duels of other students. I was hesitant that this might be favoritism towards me.

“Not much, just…”

Radian brought his mouth closer to my ear.

He took the lead in whispering as he maintained that state.

“Radon, it’s best to avoid using fishing rods from now on.”

“Why?”

“Shh!”

He was aware that my main weapon was a fishing pole. But he pressed my mouth shut and dragged me toward the bathroom wall.

“What’s the reason?”

“I know this might sound strange, but… something doesn’t feel right.”

He pointed over with a gesture towards Jason, who was leading the next match.

“You must know that guy feels something off as well.”

“That’s true.”

“He’s definitely here with some dirty plan. There’s no other reason for him to be in such a romantic place.”

Radian knows Jason well. For someone like Jason who treats innocents as insects, the academy would seem like a den of pests.

“So be careful. For precaution’s sake, hide your full power. I want to keep you as a trump card.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong. Jason’s nemesis was none other than Radian.

I hadn’t chosen to save him for no reason.

“Then I’ll trust you.”

“Thanks.”

There will be some sort of worth from saving me.

Hiding his full strength aligned with my own tricks as a scammer.

Embracing his advice, I returned to my original spot.

“What did you talk about with Professor Radian?”

“Nothing much. He just asked if I wrote about his dating antics in the articles.”

[Corruption Rate Decrease: -4%]

[+400 Credits]

Jenny beside me fabricated a vaguely plausible lie.

“Oh, is that so? The professor seemed to feel embarrassed.”

The quite naive Jenny fell for that line. I’d better keep this from her and the others.

“Then I guess I’ll have to use a regular sword for a while.”

‘That’s right.’

After Muto naturally mentioned that… about an hour later, the training came to an end.

Jason, standing on the platform, shouted towards us who were gathered.

“I’ve been watching closely, but… aside from a few exceptions, all of you are terrible!”

“….”

“At this rate, you’ll clearly fall behind in tomorrow’s joint training for freshmen!”

The joint training for freshmen.

It’s where they compete with those who just entered and share each other’s abilities.

The goal is to ensure that junior students can emulate the power of their seniors.

“The thing that junior students admire the most is strength! Thus, starting today, stop those trivial notions and prepare to stay up all night. Got it!”

Stay up all night?

No matter how you look at it, isn’t that a bit too far ahead… as that thought began to swirl among them.

“Doesn’t my word sound serious? If you lose tomorrow and get branded with a scarlet letter for losing to a junior, who’s to blame?”

Of course, it would be their own fault. Nothing could be more humiliating than being overtaken by someone below them due to their laziness.

“If you don’t want to taste that humiliation, train at Libel Hall until 4 AM. I will personally guide you!”

The students collectively wore expressions of despair.

Radian also seemed to have anticipated this and sighed.

If they were unable to focus on tomorrow’s exam due to lack of sleep and ended up losing… whose fault would that be?

Clearly, it was a scheme to revel in his own sadistic tendencies. Just a shiny facade of justification.

“Now, I’ll read out the list of who you’ll be fighting tomorrow!”

Jason pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket.

The pallor on the students’ faces remained unbothered as he listed our opponents.

I recalled what would unfold in the joint training event.

Mirona vs. Extra Male Student.

Mirona would seriously injure the opposing student and would feel significant guilt.

The moment she swung her wooden sword with a casual grip, she would ultimately turn the extra into a bloodied mess.

‘It’s just pitiful for that extra again. Unfortunately, I can’t help this time.’

At that moment, following Jenny, Luska… and Kent, my name began to be called.

“Radon Crawler vs…”

Jason raised an eyebrow as he spoke.

“Mirona Divine Kirien.”

Uh…?

Did I hear wrong?

“That’s all! These are the juniors you’ll be fighting. Make sure to remember them well.”

Hmm… I needed to give it another thought.

I’m truly in trouble this time.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

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