Catching the Spy (1)
Truth be told, the reason I entered the Arts Department wasn't just because it seemed like a good place to slack off.
The entire kingdom turns into the main villains in the latter half of the story.
What that means is, toward the end of the novel, a ton of kingdom characters show up as villains.
Among them are, naturally, spies who infiltrated the academy to monitor its activities.
The professor that the protagonist Maria Frendis admired and liked so much? Turns out she was a kingdom spy.
Professor Temiri of the Arts Department.
The elderly gardening professor in charge of horticulture, tending to the academy's rear garden.
Later, it comes out that she was using Maria to relay info on Crown Prince Lucas and other key figures to the kingdom, which hits Maria hard.
Ironically, in the original story, it's Kael who takes her down. But by then, it's already too late.
Swish—
I slipped quietly into the academy's rear garden, a spot where hardly anyone came looking.
And sure enough, there was Professor Temiri, humming a tune as she watered the garden.
She looked totally harmless, like your average old lady.
I figured I'd observe her a bit more first, but maybe it was the sharp instincts of a kingdom spy—she glanced right toward where I was hiding.
"Who's there?"
Hiding from her seemed tricky.
No choice. I stood up slowly, hands raised.
"Ho ho ho. It's just a student. If you sneak around like that, I can't give you any candy."
That was the secret to how she got close to Maria so fast. She always carried candy on her.
Not poisoned or anything dramatic—just regular candy. Carrying it around was enough to build that harmless image.
Same as always. She gave me an innocent smile and held out her candy basket.
"Take as much as you want. Your department... Swordsmanship, right?"
"Arts."
"Ho ho ho. With that sword at your waist, I figured Swordsmanship. Turns out you're one of ours. What do you think of my garden?"
"Granny. One question."
Shing—
I drew my sword without warning and pointed it straight at the old woman.
Her face flickered with surprise.
"I already know everything about you, granny. Spill it all—who you've been contacting, what intel you've sent to the kingdom."
The moment I mentioned the kingdom, Professor Temiri's expression shifted.
From flustered to ice-cold. No more acting.
"I'm curious too. How much do you know?"
"Everything."
"In that case... I can't let you live. Ho ho ho."
The Arts Department wasn't just Temiri—there were plenty of kingdom spies hiding there.
The reason? Art doesn't care about borders.
Artists from the kingdom could become professors in the empire's academy. Magic and swordsmanship often got treated as national security issues, but not art.
Free exchange and creation—that's art's virtue and appeal.
My plan was to root out the spies in Arts, delay the kingdom's invasion, or at least make things a bit more favorable for us.
We had to win the war to avoid the island ending and enjoy a happy life afterward.
"Yeah, guess so."
Rustle—
"Huh?"
"Ho ho ho. Looks like there's one more."
With Professor Temiri's words, someone stood up from the bushes with a panicked look.
Maria Frendis. Of all people.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"W-well, you see..."
"One person I could've handled... but this complicates things."
As Professor Temiri said that, she tossed something onto the ground.
Puff—smoke bomb.
I held back a cough and charged into the smoke, but Temiri was already gone.
When the smoke cleared, I turned to Maria.
Come to think of it...
—"I had no idea there was such a beautiful garden behind the academy. I was shocked."
Their first meeting was probably around day three of orientation.
Maria had ducked in here to escape club recruitment.
I'd forgotten the original timeline. Not like I remembered every detail.
"You just let her get away, Maria Frendis."
"What on earth is going on...? Why were you pointing your sword at Professor Temiri?"
"Because she deserved it."
"I don't know what's happening, but... you can't just point a sword at a professor!"
This fucking idiot.
I barely swallowed the curse.
Right. She's the protagonist of a romance fantasy for women—she'd think that way. Villains get redeemed with sweet talk and tears; that's the genre's trope. Save first, kill later—that's the rule.
During the Temiri arc, Maria was peak frustrating.
Even after learning she was a kingdom spy, Maria still tried to protect her.
Not just kind—straight-up stupid. But in women's fantasy, that level of sweet potato angst flies.
"You have no idea what you just did, do you? That old lady was a kingdom spy. You bought her time to escape."
"No way. Professor Temiri isn't the type."
"No need to explain to you. Get lost."
"Isn't that too much? Even if so, couldn't you have talked to her first? Asked her intentions?"
Maria Frendis looked up at me with her big, innocent eyes.
Where to even start. Strip away the moral superiority in women's fantasy, and you're left with a corpse—so protagonists get a pass for being idiotically kind. Fine. The problem is 'intentions.'
Does good intent forgive bad results?
In women's stories, yeah—mostly. 'It was for you,' cue the waterworks, and the male leads forgive her.
But that's for characters in those stories. Not me.
"You ever heard about me?"
"...Yes."
"What do people call me?"
"Scoundrel Kael..."
"Want me to tell you why I'm a scoundrel?"
I sheathed my drawn sword.
Maria, who'd seen it as a threat, stepped back.
Right then.
"Don't touch her!"
"Don't bully Mari!"
Something rose from her body.
The fire spirit and water spirit—the ones Maria kept with her when alone.
They hid in her mana circuits normally, emerging in crises.
"..."
"Why are you so mean to our Mari?"
"Don't bully our Mari!"
Annoying as hell, but honestly, those spirits were dangerous.
No wonder she was the original protagonist. They didn't always help when needed, but basically, they were on her side.
And strong. Deadly. Unless you're good at magic, don't mess with spirits. For real.
To cut one with a sword, coat it in mana. To damage with magic, use the opposite element. Tricky.
Right now, my mana control sucked, so no chance against them.
Not without a sneak attack.
"You scared of me?"
She nodded quietly.
"Tch..."
I clicked my tongue and walked past her, leaving the garden.
After Kael Lotus left.
Maria Frendis finally let out a sigh of relief and checked where Professor Temiri had been.
Smoke residue from the bomb, and Temiri's watering can.
Nothing suspicious.
They call him a scoundrel, but he can't be a bad person.
She believed in people's goodness. If someone acted badly, it was probably from some deep wound.
Besides, Kael Lotus seemed to know a lot about something.
"What on earth is he chasing?"
"Mari! We chased the bad guy away! Let's go back!"
"Just a sec..."
Nothing odd where Temiri had been, but curiosity got the better of her, so Maria ventured deeper.
Gardening needed tools, and a place to store them.
Like she was drawn by a spell, Maria headed to the rear garden shed and opened it.
Creeeak—
The old door groaned.
And inside...
"Nothing... here...?"
"Mari! Dangerous!"
"Huh?"
"This place is evil! Super evil!"
Suddenly, the spirits freaked out.
Startled, Maria bolted out of the shed.
"It hurts! Someone's pain is trapped here!"
"Pain...?"
"Horrible! Disgusting! Let's go, Mari!"
Maybe she'd touched something she shouldn't have.