LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 35
Chapter 35: Damned High-Ranking Visitor (1)
Sunday is the sweetest yet most miserable holiday.
I don’t need to explain how sweet it is to have a day off, but the miserable part is quite simple.
Monday comes next. That’s all the explanation needed.
While enjoying my freedom, it’s inevitable to wonder what I’ll do the following day.
It just so happened that this day marked the plunge back into the daily grind, so it’s common to fall into the Monday sickness.
Just when my mind was already clouded with the Monday blues, how would it feel if suddenly some high-ranking officials decided to give us work on our day off?
Out of nowhere, like a bolt from the blue during the peaceful Sunday, a carriage rolled into the Academy’s front gate.
That gold-trimmed carriage was quite familiar among the academic crowd. There are only a few who show up to work in such a flashy private vehicle at the Academy.
Vice Principal Heidern was one of them.
“Attention all students! Cleaning of the Academy will commence now. All available students, please gather immediately. I repeat, it is announced that Elder Enviel will be visiting soon. All available students are requested to gather at once. Thank you.”
The noise-casting magical device activated from the broadcasting room. That voice rippled across the magically embedded stones throughout the Academy.
Just hearing that announcement stirred an uncomfortable sensation deep within me.
We were supposed to be resting, yet we were suddenly ordered to clean? But the command of the Vice Principal, next in power to the Principal, is absolute.
If told to do it, we have to.
“Ugh….”
“Ugh….”
Jenny Chain Silver and Crona Delaware were moving their arms with displeased expressions.
In their hands were elongated broomsticks. Even these top students of Class A couldn’t escape being dragged into the cleanup crew.
“I can’t take this anymore!”
Crona tossed her broom aside and screamed in frustration.
For her, someone who values cleanliness, the need to do a servant’s work was simply alien.
“What is this sudden calamity? Just hours ago, I was sipping tea in the café, minding my own business! Why don’t they send more servants instead of forcing us students to do it?”
“Crona, you know it’s a waste of resources to hire more people to clean this vast Academy.”
“That’s nothing but stinginess!”
Even Crona, the noble’s child of the Target Group, found this inefficient.
Jenny was equally exasperated and let out a deep sigh.
Actually, the main issue was that the distinguished guest was a mentor to Vice Principal Heidern.
No matter how high-ranked the guest might be, problems could be solved by simply hiring extra servants.
But students were the ones suffering due to Vice Principal’s rigid mindset, as they felt compelled to demonstrate that they weren’t lazy in front of their mentor.
“I can’t take it anymore! Jenny Chain Silver! Let’s escape to the back mountain! We’ll hide there until this terrible ordeal is over!”
“No way. You saw the staff watching us.”
“Don’t you think they’d rather not deal with us either? Sometimes, you need to be flexible!”
The staff supporting the Vice Principal roamed around the Academy. If caught slacking off, their name would definitely reach the ears of Heidern.
Vice Principal Heidern was that kind of person. If something didn’t sit right with him, he’d stubbornly try to change it, more stubborn than a mule.
Even Principal Kaiden Jodiatz never forced students like this over the weekend.
Sure, a guest could come visit on a weekday, but they wouldn’t waste students’ learning time on a weekend like today.
“This is all the Vice Principal’s fault! Just being unnecessarily thorough without yielding any profit! What an old coot!”
“…….”
“And what’s with having a party in the square this Friday night? Look at this mess! The traces from last time are still here! I feel an overwhelming urge to set everything ablaze with Sun Red!”
“…….”
“Jenny Chain Silver, where are you looking?”
Suddenly, Jenny had turned her gaze absently somewhere else.
Crona subtly tilted her head towards where Jenny was looking.
There stood Radon Crawler, the scammer, pulling weeds around the square.
Jenny’s expression looked strange as she watched him.
It was as if she had spotted something of interest while doing her chores, unable to keep her focus.
Jenny wouldn’t care about pulling weeds. Meaning she must be interested in the person pulling them.
“Hey! Get a grip! Focus!”
“Oh, sorry! I got distracted.”
“Do you have a thing for Radon Crawler or something?”
“No, it’s not like that….”
“It’s not? You were so distracted while we were conversing that it can’t be nothing, can it?”
“…….”
Despite Crona’s sharp gaze, Jenny was peculiarly fixated on one man.
She would try to act as if she didn’t notice, but Crona, sensing the feeling beneath the surface, clicked her tongue.
‘Radon Crawler. What kind of trick did he pull to charm my Snowstorm Queen?’
Crona found herself feeling a strange emotion towards Radon as well. It was a feeling that tightened her fist… jealousy and rage.
‘Sigh… It’s not even a visit from a star.’
Thoughts of military nightmares surfaced. Whenever high-ranking officials visited, their subordinates would have their golden time stolen away.
I was aware that Elder Enviel was set to visit tonight.
The issue was that I never expected they’d make us do this.
Moreover, just like yesterday, Angela had popped into my room this morning.
How many servings of rice balls had she devoured while making them since morning? I lost count. No matter how much she wore a mask, I really wished she hadn’t come.
‘I can’t believe there was a hidden side story not depicted in the main plot.’
Given that Elder Enviel was the mentor to Vice Principal Heidern, he would surely want to show off before him.
Indeed, Vice Principal Heidern isn’t right in the head.
At first, I was taken aback by his sharp eyes, but he was just as stubborn as portrayed in the main story.
Pulling all these weeds by hand is madness. Even with a weed whacker, it’s uncertain if it could be finished today. How on earth would I manage to do it all alone?
Clearly, standing out is the answer. But that doesn’t mean standing out thoughtlessly.
“I’ve done everything.”
“…….”
I had pulled enough weeds and called over a staff member.
The once messy weed-strewn field had transformed into a tidy sight.
The staff member watched with a bright expression and said.
“Passed. Now you can do what you want.”
“Thank you!”
Thus, I was able to escape the cycle of cleaning. After I had fully left my post, an hour later, the staff came to check on the patch of weeds I had cleared.
By now, I couldn’t remember who it was, but they looked impressed with a student.
Clearing that mess all alone…
“Huh?”
The weeds were still there. The plants I thought I had uprooted were still standing tall.
The mess remained intact.
What on earth was going on? The staff was lost, and soon enough, the truth came to light.
Upon realizing it was an illusion, the staff erupted with fury.
“Who cleared the weeds here! Where did they vanish to!”
– Illusion Summon Lv2
I had unconsciously used it before but became accustomed to it as my level rose.
One of the signs indicating how inexperienced I was back then was the fact that the illusion lasted a maximum of one hour.
[Invasion Rate Decrease: -30%]
[+3000 Credits]
[You have exceeded the required experience, gaining 1 Stat Point.]
The staff, loyal to the Vice Principal, was clearly not in a good mood. Even on the weekend, their devotion was evident from them showing up due to a mere word from the Vice Principal.
I didn’t care what they were thinking. But at least, isn’t it courtesy to maintain some basic decorum?
‘Asking us to uproot everything by hand without a weeder? That’s just ludicrous.’
After spending hours slacking off in wait, an imposing carriage arrived at the Academy entrance.
The shining silver carriage was more luxurious than even the Vice Principal’s.
The wings symbol embedded on the door represented the Magic Guild. This was a private carriage of one of the Guild’s elders.
A man emerged from the carriage and set foot on the Academy grounds.
He was a gigantic figure, as if his muscles had been inflated. Draped over him was a robe that symbolized a grand wizard.
He appeared dignified yet had a friendly look in his soft eyes that made him seem approachable.
The bearded Elder Enviel was surrounded by Academy members who had come to greet him.
“It’s a pleasure to have you here in this humble place, Master.”
Vice Principal Heidern was the first to greet him as he stepped out of the carriage.
“It has been quite a while, Heidern. Do I need to acknowledge the rest as I’m the only Elder not from Aligieri?”
“My, I have been too busy. But still, in an effort to maintain cleanliness, I called upon students to tidy up the Academy even on a weekend. Would you like to take a tour?”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
“Yet you’ll be coming and going for the next few months…”
“Well, I’m fine as is.”
Elder Enviel didn’t even care about hygiene.
He was completely indifferent whether the Academy was clean, dirty, or in ruins.
As the true antagonist of Chapter 2, there’s no way he could be good. The main reason Lyman left the Academy behind was mainly due to Enviel.
‘He’s finally come, hasn’t he.’
Thinking that, Lyman Begilius (the clone) clicked his tongue and turned away to disappear.
Enviel possessed the “Mana Eye,” which could see through everything, and Lyman feared his identity might be exposed.
His Mana Eye was innate and could detect even beings in disguised forms.
Fortunately, the chance of exposure for a weaker clone was drastically lower.
In the game, playing as Lyman would reveal that his performance had been nerfed.
Yet even as a clone, he could retreat two Shadow Brigade members or inflict the first injury on the strongest practice monster during final evaluations.
Even nerfed, the essence of the game remained intact.
Up until this point, players would be curious about just how powerful the protagonist truly was.
“Hoho… I must say, I barely recognized you. Prince Totema.”
Elder Enviel exclaimed with surprise as he approached none other than Prince Totema.
He once tutored the prince in magic to earn experimental privileges from the Papias Kingdom.
“It’s truly a pleasure! Master Enviel!”
The prince, meeting his long-time mentor, adjusted his attire and bowed respectfully.
In his recollection, Enviel was simply a kind teacher who taught him magic.
When he raised his head again, Totema shook hands with Enviel.
“Really, I can’t express how happy I am to see you again.”
“I feel the same, but I’m curious about how your studies are going. I’ve heard rumors that they’re only mediocre.”
“Yes….”
Totema suddenly slumped his shoulders.
With royal blood running through him and attending a prestigious academy, along with having received one-on-one tutoring from the Elder of the Magic Guild since childhood, he had generated massive expectations.
However, the reality was that he was barely managing grades around Class B.
The world just coldly ridiculed the prince.
The pressure of that judgment continued to flow like a raging river upon him.
“I apologize.”
“No, it’s fine. No matter what the world says, I will always be on your side, Prince.”
“Thank you so much. And I’m truly sorry.”
A few words from Enviel always made the prince’s heart soar.
It felt like a brief relief from the chains of judgment surrounding him.
In the very next moment, as if embracing a family reunion, Enviel hugged the prince, causing his eyes to glisten at the brink of tears.
“I don’t mind whatever happens to me.”
While hugging the prince, Enviel spoke with a smile.
That seemingly kind smile radiated a sinister, decadent aura.
Because they were hugging, the two couldn’t see each other’s faces.
With the prince’s face resting in peace, he couldn’t glimpse Enviel’s true expression.
Surviving as an Academy Scammer.