The Vain One (3)
The schedule at Galimard Academy moved at a relentless pace. As the continent’s premier educational institution, its curriculum was equally demanding. Even the freshmen were given no exceptions. There wasn’t even a grace period to adjust. Lectures overflowed with specialized knowledge and dense academic papers. Assignments poured down like rain. The entire system screamed, If you can’t handle this, you have no right to be here. All of it had unfolded in the span of a single week.
The Class A students—hailed as the empire’s shining future—were no exception. Though only the top twenty elites gathered in this class, even they couldn’t escape the crushing weight of academics. If anything, the pressure was even more severe. As members of the advanced track, they bore twice the responsibility.
Before we begin the lecture… all assignments for Class A will be three times the volume of the regular classes.
Exceptional talent requires equally exceptional fertilizer.
These are direct instructions from the dean. Please complete them admirably.
Strangely enough, not a single student had dropped out yet. Perhaps it was because they were all elites raised in prestigious families; they had come prepared. Of course, that didn’t stop them from complaining among themselves.
“Hehe.”
None of it was my concern. As I idly twirled my pen, the pink creature sitting beside me fidgeted before finally speaking up.
“Y-Young Master…?”
“Ah, Miss Legia.”
“I-I was working on the assignment and… I ran into a part I d-don’t understand…”
“Oh my~ It seems I’ll have to help you then!”
I had already graduated from the original story’s academic curriculum long ago. Back when I was chasing after the happy ending, I had repeated countless studies. Unless it was the latest thesis from the Magic Tower or an alchemist’s cutting-edge paper, nothing could stump me.
“Let’s see… This is a problem dealing with the extremes of illusion magic?”
“Y-Yes… No matter how many times I solve it, I keep reaching the conclusion that it’s a paradox…”
In that sense, our protagonist’s newbie behavior was more than enough to stir the heart of a veteran like me. Her green eyes shimmered with tears.
“I-It’s too hard… I c-can’t solve it…”
“It’s not that difficult. For this type of problem, you simply use ‘Ilya’s Formula.’ Allow me to demonstrate.”
“H-Hyaa?”
I smiled brightly and scooted right up beside her. Perhaps startled by my enthusiastic attitude, Legia gave an adorably flustered reaction. Her face even seemed to flush a little.
“Now now, pay attention.”
“Ah, u-um… Yes.”
I carefully walked her through the solution. As I finished helping with the assignment, the fox who had been watching from behind muttered softly.
Irene, her expression indifferent.
“Unexpected.”
“Pardon?”
“I didn’t know you were good at studying too.”
“Hehe, I was quite the honor student, you know?”
My shoulders rose with a touch of pride. There was an indescribable, subtle joy in feeling like I was actually helping the protagonist.
“Perfect. I’m glad it seems you understood it properly!”
“I-It’s all thanks to your kind explanation, Young Master… Hehe, thank you.”
“What a commendable student.”
I finished the private tutoring with a bright smile. Time had flown by while we worked on the assignments. We rose from our seats.
“Shall we head back now?”
“Y-Yes…!”
“Is it finally over?”
We left the quiet library. The moment we stepped out of the space filled with the scent of books and paper, sparkling sunlight brushed against our eyes. A cool breeze immediately blew past us.
Whoooosh—
The scenery outside the building was pure spring. Freshly blooming petals, the tender sway of the grass, and the gentle warmth that wasn’t yet harsh. We walked along the peaceful path.
“The weather is lovely today.”
“It really is.”
“Now that I think about it… Galimard’s campus really is beautiful.”
“It’s practically the size of a small city.”
“There’s a reason it’s called the best.”
As we chatted lightly, a group of students approached from the opposite direction. They were also first-years. Were they heading to do their assignments too? I was about to pass them with a simple nod when I noticed the strange atmosphere. Their gazes were blatantly hostile.
I pricked up my ears. Using my Lie ability to push my hearing to its limit, I could clearly catch the students’ murmuring voices. They were filled with hostility.
They never imagined I could hear them. The distance was considerable, after all. Unfortunately for them, Big Brother knows everything. Even if you were chatting on the other side of the continent, if I wanted to listen, I could.
I smiled ominously.
Emilia again, huh.
I mulled over the name I had briefly caught. Even though a week had passed since the start of the semester, the students’ opinion of me remained terrible. I hadn’t shown them any notable achievements, after all. Most considered me a fraud, while the minority who didn’t were stuck in neutral, still unable to judge.
Emilia had played a huge role in shaping that public sentiment.
I’ll make you regret this.
It seemed her warning hadn’t been empty. She was thoroughly carrying it out—manipulating public opinion and tearing down my reputation. It looked like she planned to isolate me first before slowly devouring me… Watching it all was surprisingly entertaining.
“The Vanity name really is fearsome.”
After the imperial family, they were the ones who ruled the empire. Whether they liked it or not, the students had no choice but to watch the villainess’s mood. After all, they never knew when their necks might fly.
Of course, I didn’t think Emilia would actually go that far. She was simply quite twisted by her inferiority complex. She wasn’t broken enough to take someone’s life. Just your typical villainess young lady archetype.
“Still, it’s starting to get annoying… What should I do about it?”
How could I play with this in a fun way? As I pondered, Irene, who had been glancing at me, whispered.
“Vanity… You mean that blue-haired girl we ran into before?”
“That’s right.”
“Are you going to kill her?”
“I have no idea why your conclusions always jump straight to murder.”
Did this girl really want me to kill someone? I stared at her with an incredulous look. The fox quickly averted her eyes in embarrassment.
“…Never mind then.”
“Do I really look like such a bad person to you?”
“You walk around with a face full of killing intent, smiling in the most ominous way possible. Who wouldn’t think that?”
“This is just how I look.”
“Liar.”
Judging people by their appearance. What a sad world. It wasn’t like I asked to be born looking like this. As I pouted in resentment, a sudden cry rang out.
“N-No…!”
“Hm?”
It was a heavily intimidated voice. When I turned, there stood the pink-haired girl. Trembling all over yet still lifting her head, she looked quite pitiful. What was she trying to say?
“Y-Young Master is… n-not a bad person!”
“Oh?”
“What?”
“Young Master is a g-good person. Not bad at all…”
“Good heavens.”
I instinctively covered my mouth. What had our protagonist just said? That I wasn’t bad?
“Y-Young Master is a w-warm person! I-I know he’s scary, but… h-he’s not bad at all…!”
Her green eyes shook wildly. Yet she still mustered the courage to speak clearly. Our protagonist was desperately defending me. How could I not be moved? I felt like I should shed at least thirty liters of tears.
Unable to contain the rising joy, I responded with a bright, blooming smile.
“I’m truly touched, Miss Legia.”
“I-It’s because you’ve helped me so much until now, Young Master…”
“Mhm, mhm.”
This was the correct reaction. It was vastly different from that ungrateful fox over there. She could learn a thing or two. I quietly shot her a sideways glance.
“What.”
“Don’t you feel anything after seeing Miss Legia?”
“Nope.”
“Really?”
“…I said no.”
She refused to admit it to the end. Was this a challenge? With a petty heart, I grabbed her fluffy crimson tail.
“Hyaaak?!”
“This is your punishment.”
“W-Wait, you…! I told you not to touch my t-tail! It’s sensitive… H-Hyik?!”
“Accept it graciously.”
The noisy conversation continued. The walk back to the dormitory was going to be even louder.
Several days passed. It was the period when students were finally starting to adapt to academy life. They say humans are creatures of adaptation. Even the students who had been crushed by Galimard’s brutal schedule now seemed to be finding their own rhythm.
I was living my life in much the same way.
Bubble Top Student.
Unfortunately, the bad rumors showed no signs of dying down. If anything, they were growing worse with each passing day. It seemed she was properly furious. Maybe I had scratched her pride too much last time. Still, I hadn’t dropped any major bombs yet. To be precise, I was still laying the groundwork for a big one. It felt like I was preparing the stage.
My instincts told me something fun was about to happen soon.
I’m looking forward to it.
Even as the crisis built, the chaos was nothing but enjoyable. And then, at last, the big moment arrived.
“Oh dear~ What kind of situation is this?”
The moment I entered the classroom, I saw the scene. The villainess and several other students had surrounded the fallen protagonist on the floor.
“Y-Young Master…!”
When our eyes met, Legia’s eyes welled with tears. She didn’t look physically hurt… perhaps her legs had simply given out. It seemed she had been harshly bullied while I was away.
“Excuse me.”
I walked toward the group of students. After taking a few steps, a figure blocked my path.
“I wondered where the commoner had run off to… So you’ve finally shown up.”
Blue hair. An arrogant tone. I smiled with my eyes as if I had expected this.
“I had a feeling someone was waiting for me to appear.”
“How insolent.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Hah.”
Emilia sneered lightly. Though the corners of her mouth drew an arc, the look in her eyes was pure, venomous contempt.
“Your arrogance ends today.”
“Hm?”
“I intend to drag you down once and for all. Did you enjoy playing fake top student until now?”
“Thanks to you, I’ve been enjoying myself quite a bit.”
“I hope what happens next is just as entertaining.”
The girl brought her hands together after her sarcasm. Her elegantly moving fingers peeled off the white glove. Beneath it was pale, immaculate skin. Her next action was painfully obvious.
Thwack—!
The sound of fabric striking a chest. The glove she had thrown fluttered to the floor. Before I could even react, Emilia spoke her prepared line with crystal clarity.
“I, Emilia Vanity, in the name of honor and order, hereby challenge Yuda Snakers to a duel.”
A duel. A fight that no honorable noble could refuse. The girl had finally come to settle the score.
“The price of defeat… is to leave Galimard Academy, according to the victor’s decision.”
A glint flashed in her blue pupils. The surrounding students began to stir. They clearly hadn’t expected her to wager something so extreme. Every one of them stared at us with shocked eyes. The atmosphere swelled to the point of bursting.
“Your answer?”
All eyes focused on me. It seemed they were waiting for my reply. A sinister smile hung on my lips.
Without hesitation, I gave them exactly what they wanted.
“I accept.”