---

248th Episode. What are you doing? Sit down quickly.

A series of sudden misdeeds by the nobles had begun.

Ever since Emperor Kamain was deposed due to the shocking incident at the Magical Banquet, a great storm was hitting the noble political scene.

This enormous impact caused the ecosystem of politics to start transforming.

They began to stop at nothing to stand at the pinnacle of the changing environment.

Even if there were already assured entities at the top, they had no intention of giving up.

As a result, those unconnected would easily get swept up in the storm without batting an eye.

The two Saints were displeased by this.

It just so happened that the person in question was someone closely related to them.

“I assume you have a general idea of why we’re here.”

Two Saints had arrived at the Papias Kingdom.

The mere presence of them sitting there brought an indescribable silence to the kingdom’s Reception Room.

Nebia and Angela gazed with very cold expressions at the King sitting across from them.

There was a very serious matter at hand that warranted them to delay their important academic lives and come here in person.

“You know exactly what this is, don’t you?”

Nebia slammed down a flyer onto the table, speaking in a thorny voice.

It was clear at a glance that the flyer had a picture of Radon Crawler on it. Nebia felt displeased at the societal shunning directed towards him.

“I wish you could explain why you distributed such nonsensical flyers.”

Angela felt the same way.

They had both once owed a significant debt to the boy depicted on that flyer.

To the two Saints, who were practically the face of the Sect, the boy was a very special existence.

“Could you at least calm down a bit?”

“Let’s decide after seeing what you do.”

“Please make a perceptive judgment.”

The King, Toruma, attempted to speak in a gentle tone.

However, he felt a prickling sensation all over his body in response to the Saints’ fiery intimidation.

It was as if his entire body was pierced by a hot iron needle.

Their anger was “real” and thus, he couldn’t comprehend it.

‘Why exactly have these two come here?’

Right before him were beings with powers equal to royalty.

With just a few words from them, they could command the Sect’s army to declare war on Papias.

The possibility of labeling him as a heretic and inflicting a tremendous blow was also present.

Just like how a bounty had been placed on the boy featured on the flyer.

‘What on earth is up with this boy?’

He felt chills when he heard the Saints had come in person.

Even if they were fellow Students of the same Academy, their direct intrusion was truly unexpected.

Who would have known the faces of the Sect had any relation to this boy whose name was unknown?

‘Even that Elf, Grisha, and these Saints; does this mean there’s something about this boy?’

It was a curious thought that popped up unintentionally, but he couldn’t let anything go wrong now.

Everyone was fixated on this Radon boy, and he had to safely navigate this situation.

“I had no idea he was someone related to the Saints. I’m very sorry about that.”

“I hope you’re not just babbling such apologies?”

“Regardless of whether he is our friend, what you’ve done now is tormenting an innocent person nationwide. Doesn’t that strike a chord with you?”

Angela and Nebia spoke in a polite tone befitting of Saints.

The pointed nature of their words sent a paralyzing chill through him.

But Toruma was the King of Papias. Occupying the pinnacle of a military state meant he had reached the top of the food pyramid.

Thus, he was strong. Although he fell short compared to the former King Talema, he possessed a following strength.

Yet, why was he feeling this way?

‘Why do I feel so overwhelmed?’

It was no delusion.

At this moment with the throne empty, there was no one with more power than them.

Regardless of how much power they wielded, they were still just weaker women.

He could easily overpower and take them hostage right there.

If he could use that to threaten the Sect, he could do so at any time.

With no new royalty appointed yet, this place was as much a tiger’s den for them as it was for him.

“This isn’t the only flyer. There’s also Mirona, a peer who almost unjustly ended up on the gallows because of her connection to that Demon King Makia.”

“That’s…! It’s because we can’t just let the bloodline of that evil Demon King be left alone!”

“What a despicable excuse. By that reasoning, I too shouldn’t be here as a Saint, having once been a monster.”

They weren’t backing down at all.

With mere conversation, they were twisting Toruma’s diaphragm, the two of them were beasts drenched in blood from their words.

Right now, they could have drawn weapons from under the table to threaten their necks, but they couldn’t do so for that very reason.

Their indescribable anger could not be subdued by mere physical force.

“And could you show us the underground of this kingdom?”

“Why would you suddenly….”

“Why? Just to confirm something.”

Suddenly, Angela’s smile turned sinister.

In truth, she had already lived here before.

“I need to see with my own eyes if the same experiments are being conducted here as were done to me.”

A hellish time spent rolling as a test subject in the underground of Papias, where she couldn’t even taste things properly.

It was a time she could never forget. Ever since becoming a Saint, she had sworn to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

“Are you actually assuming I would follow in Talema’s footsteps?”

“Of course, it could be my sensitive premonition. But since I’m a Divine Beast too, I can at least do some ‘Resonance’.”

“Resonance?”

“Honestly, tell me what kind of scheme you’re plotting down there.”

Under the escalating pressure, Toruma hesitated to speak.

As someone who specialized in using a sword, he had never even heard of ‘Resonance’.

Yet, he thought if he wielded his overwhelming strength, he should be able to silence her like how he caught that Divine Beast himself.

“Nothing is happening.”

“….”

“If you truly wish it, I can show you myself.”

The more confidently he spoke, the deeper the suspicion would become.

Even if he guided them to the underground, it would be a place where no one could see.

That alone would hasten her death.

While Toruma was smiling inwardly about this,

“Hehehe…. Is that what you call a lie?”

“W-What?”

Nebia’s voice mixed with laughter pierced Toruma’s heart.

The smile he’d built up crumbled in an instant.

“You may say that, but the cruel laughter echoing from your heart cannot be hidden.”

“What on earth are you talking about…!”

“Don’t underestimate my ears as the Saint of Melody. I can hear the ugly thoughts lurking behind your lying mouth.”

Lies did not work in front of Nebia.

It was said that she enriches people’s hearts through sound.

However, the fact she could perceive other people’s inner thoughts remained largely unknown.

Toruma felt like he had been struck by lightning, gripping the hidden sword below even harder.

Then….

“And the very moment you hid a weapon, you were already found out.”

“W-What?”

“I heard clanking sounds of metal coming from beneath. It’s just the right size for a longsword.”

“By the smell, you’ve got plenty of blood on you, not only from humans.”

Nebia had keen hearing, and Angela had a keen sense of smell.

In front of their specialized senses, nothing could be concealed.

From the very beginning, they had already caught onto Toruma’s intentions.

In the end, unable to contain his impatience, Toruma stood up abruptly and drew his sword.

Swish—

“Don’t be so cocky!”

He pointed his blade at the two Saints and threatened them.

With his swordsmanship surpassing the speed of sound, decapitating the two women would be a piece of cake.

Though those foul intentions spread to Nebia’s ears, she merely laughed as if it were amusing.

“Are you scared?”

“W-What?”

“It’s like a kid bragging about stabbing someone with a knife, having never even cut anything properly.”

Toruma’s face flushed red at Nebia’s jibes.

Even with his life in danger, her relaxed expression was so infuriating it felt like he was facing a true Apostle of the Gods.

But his actions were incomprehensible.

“On what do you base this arrogance? Do you even understand the situation you’re in?”

The knights guarding the door leveled their swords at the two Saints as well.

While there were priests outside guarding them, the difference in force was in their favor.

“No matter how much you’re Saints, or how high the Sect’s power is, you cannot govern all of the nation’s politics!”

Currently, the empire was a house of cards.

Whether someone intruded, or those hiding within caused its downfall, it wouldn’t be a surprise.

In such a situation, the laws previously advocated by the royal family would hold no ground.

With everyone scrambling to take that house, they would not hesitate to employ underhanded tactics.

No matter how much Saints were cloaked in protection, at a moment of carelessness, they could fall victim to political sacrifice.

There would always be nobles harboring ambitions to stand at the top.

“Ah… Is that it? Like the operation that exposed the identity of Emperor Kamain, are you trying to make my true nature widely known across the empire?”

“….”

“But it would be pointless. No matter how much our inner thoughts may be revealed, once we grasp the throne, that will all become worthless!”

The expressions of the two Saints did not change.

Wasn’t it similar to an operation that would reveal Makia’s identity to the entire empire?

A few questions arose, but there was no choice but to hold on tight from here on out.

“Aligieri is also quite odd. Throwing two precious Saints into a tiger’s den like this!”

“….”

“Well, in any case, blame yourselves for not keeping your bodies secure!”

As the soldiers began to approach and apprehend them, the two still wore smiles.

Both of them oddly wore matching rings.

It was unlikely to be a couple’s ring, and suddenly the rings began to shine, calling forth something.

At that moment….

Crash!—

“Come here!”

With a boisterous shout, the door to the Reception Room swung open.

Someone kicked the door from outside and entered.

Since it was such an unrefined act, the soldiers quickly turned their heads towards the door.

Who dare commit such impertinence in front of them?

But upon recognizing that figure, they froze in place.

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

Even the two Saints, who had been firming their resolve, reacted the same way upon seeing the open door.

“Hmm? Why does everyone look like that? I’ve been getting so many flyers thrown at me that I thought I’d drop by for a visit.”

A boy with brown hair stood confidently at the doorway.

The face he wore matched perfectly with the one printed on the flyer on the table, leaving their mouths agape.

“Shouldn’t you be a little happy?”

The unwelcome entrance of Radon Crawler changed the entire atmosphere.

Whether he was dragged in or came voluntarily was unclear as he ignored the tense soldiers and approached the center.

“Where have you all been? Oh, here you are?”

“Radon, big brother…?”

“Senpai?”

“Move aside a bit. I want to sit too.”

They shifted their bottoms to the side. He took the empty seat in the middle and smiled brightly as he spoke.

“What’s up, Your Majesty the King? Why aren’t you sitting down quickly?”

Not even close to the ominous energy he had just displayed toward the Saints, a different vibe now lurked behind his smile.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

---