There Is No Hidden Villain in This Novel Chapter 11

And just as I thought.

The principal’s jawbone clattered as the flames burning in his eyes sharpened.

“You brat! Do not drag your private relationships into Area Academy! How dare a mere cadet talk back to the principal! What year and class are you in!”

“My class has not been assigned yet. All because the principal was late in arriving.”

“Look at you, a comeback for everything. Not a single likable bone in your body!”

He said all that, but he didn’t deny our master-student relationship. That was enough for me.

The original novel’s description of him wasn’t wrong. He considered it an insult to be forced to teach Cassis by the tyrannical de Millang family, but in public, he tolerated showing off their relationship as long as certain lines weren’t crossed. Why, I had no idea.

The original story unfolded from Ryuseong’s perspective, so as someone possessing Cassis, there was a great deal of information I didn’t have. The tidbit above had come from one of the principal’s complaints; it wasn’t as if Cassis was a major focus. It was a piece of information that had slipped out while the principal and Ryuseong were talking about the de Millang’s high-handedness.

Still, this much was enough to exploit.

As I was thinking that.

“Such wonderful arrogance from our top entrant! Excellent! Step forward! Here at Area Academy, rewards and punishments are doled out strictly based on skill! As a way to gauge the abilities of our new students, if you can so much as graze my collar, I shall grant you a reward!”

The principal had just royally screwed me over.

I knew this was coming, but it seems I had subconsciously been hoping it wouldn’t. I could tell from the way I blurted out a question in a fit of anger.

“…Excuse me, but could you please repeat that?”

Master, your unworthy disciple humbly wishes to inform you…

That I am a complete and utter fucking weakling.

“How dare you talk back when your master wishes to check on his disciple’s progress! Get your ass out here, now!”

Never mind his hypocrisy in bringing up our private relationship after telling me not to; this was a development that happened in the original story.

The principal hates the de Millang family.

As the chairman of Area Academy, he hates the de Millangs for poaching his students. He hates the de Millangs for forcing him, against his will, to take on a disciple. He hates the de Millangs for appointing the top entrant however they damn well pleased.

Up to this point, it wasn’t a problem.

The problem started here.

In the original story, Cassis gets his ass handed to him by the principal. The principal then calls for the second-ranked student, and Ryuseong struggles valiantly, shining like the protagonist he is.

That was the problem. The two of them would be compared. This would put Cassis, who intended to be superior in every aspect, in an awkward position. But from the principal’s perspective, he was just gauging the students’ overall level by comparing the top two.

It was simply the unfairness of someone weaker than Ryuseong taking the top spot, without an exam, solely on the authority of the de Millang name.

‘If there’s a problem, it’s that I’m even more of a fucking weakling than the original Cassis was.’

If I had my way, I’d want to just lie down, confidently shout ‘Yes! That’s right, everyone! I am that scrub!’, and surrender. But that would lead to a gruesome death. A slaughter.

I’d already come up with a plan to deal with this.

But for a final check, I tried to guess what was going on inside that skull head of his. And I decided now was the time to use the one and only bluff I had.

Let me be clear.

This will only be effective if used once.

‘Mind control, fuck.’

Screaming internally, I put on a radiant smile. And I walked. Toward the principal.

At that, the crowd stepped back in a circle. They were making room for the fight.

‘So fucking considerate of you, it brings a tear to my eye… you bastards…’

It’s a bit embarrassing for me, the one who took over this body, to say this, but Cassis de Millang is beautiful.

To have such alluring, almost magical looks while standing in that strange gap between an unripe boy and a mature man feels, in a way, unfair.

But that is Cassis de Millang.

Unjust and unfair. A being who had it all. A being who, despite having everything, tried to destroy the world because he could not defeat Ryuseong.

‘Honestly, I can’t really relate.’

Anyway, I tried to channel the venom Cassis must have felt in that moment.

What was he thinking? With what thoughts did Cassis challenge Ryuseong? And how did they become something like frenemies? And why? Why did he backstab Ryuseong and try to destroy the world?

‘Why. For what reason.’

I don’t know the reason. Because I never finished the original novel.

But at the very least, a cold killing intent must have appeared in my eyes. The principal let out a hollow laugh.

“Two nutjobs in the freshman class? Aigo. This is overwhelming. What more does this damn board of directors want from an old man who’s already a skeleton?”

From somewhere, a voice called out, trying to stop him, “Principal!” The principal looked as if he was about to answer, but I paid it no mind and stretched out my hand. Then, slowly, I beckoned with my finger. Three times.

The surroundings, which had been buzzing with anticipation, were now covered in a baffled silence.

I said, “Come at me. I will grant you the first three moves.”

This novel was a modern fantasy with a wuxia-mix, so it incorporated many wuxia-like tropes. This meant the classic trope of the stronger fighter granting the weaker one the first few moves was in play.

Therefore, my words were a clear provocation.

‘Yeah, Principal, you’re weaker than me. I’ll go easy on you, so come on and try me.’

The cadets gasped in unison. While it was impossible for a face of rotten leather stretched over a skull to show a distorted expression, I could somehow feel the principal’s face contorting.

Horribly!

‘I really shouldn’t find my fun in life by teasing others.’

It was too much fun to resist.

Maybe this is my true nature?

In the next instant, however, I could no longer afford to just stand there grinning. The principal, apparently genuinely pissed off, unleashed a portion of his sealed power.

‘Ah, fuck, is a teacher really supposed to do this to his student?’

From that moment, an immense pressure bore down on me, as if to force me to my knees. To give an idea of how powerful the ki wave focused on me was, the other cadets were stumbling and collapsing just from the stray currents flowing around the area.

‘Sure, I may have pulled a massive taunt, but this isn’t what I provoked you for, Master.’

When ki was condensed to a certain point, it could take a physical form strong enough to obliterate a person. A single hit would instantly grind a person, or anything for that matter, into a pile of meat. And it was precisely that kind of ki wave that was now pressing down on me, as if to rip me to shreds at any moment.

‘Honestly, the original’s power-scaling always seemed broken… but even for a world where gates open and monsters pop out, isn’t this too much? Is he really allowed to do this to mere cadets?’

I had read that since all the cadets were adults, the academy was run no differently from the military, but there was a world of difference between the words on the page and the ki wave crashing down on my body in glorious 3D.

Just standing still, it felt like my limbs would be torn apart. And this was while I was circulating all the energy I could muster to reinforce my body.

“Well, back down now. Otherwise, as the one who has been ‘challenged,’ I will have no choice but to go all out.”

The principal gave me one last warning. It seems a gentleman is a gentleman, even if his flesh has rotted away like a zombie’s, leaving only bones behind.

No, wait, should I say a scholar is a scholar?

But this was a reckless bravado I could only pull off once. Now that I’d started, I couldn’t stop. It was too painful to even open my mouth, so I simply gave a smirk and a jerk of my chin.

‘Bring it. If you’re not scared.’

At the simple gesture, the principal ground his teeth, stretched his right hand into the air, and pulled. Then, a set of pure white knuckles was summoned from thin air. The great archmage who, due to a powerful curse, could not use his power outside the academy, but boasted absolute martial prowess within it.

That skeleton threw a punch at me from a distance.

——!

There was no sound. My cheek was simply torn open.

Fresh blood trickled down, soaking my chin. Every hair on my body stood on end. Was it a warning? The principal had aimed for my cheek, not my throat. But I hadn’t even seen the trajectory of the fist. Nor had I seen the release of mana.

My legs gave out. The gap between me and this opponent I could never beat was so vast I felt like passing out. But unlike him, I had guts. I had a reason to tense my core and endure.

Despite my cheek being torn, I didn’t even take my hands out of my pockets. And I smiled brightly.

“Next.”

I’ve let you have one move. So please, continue.

At the provocation, which was a short summary of that sentence, the principal let out a disbelieving laugh.

“This… crazy bastard…?”