Villain Takes Over The Academy

Chapter 24

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[Translator - Peptobismal]

[Proofreader - Max]

Chapter 24

Before Nam Kang-ik's group attacked Do Jin-hak.

On the way to the movie theater, Okamoto was lost in thought.

'Why is she following us?'

Arche was walking arm in arm with Shin A-sol, making no effort to hide it.

Okamoto, envious of their closeness, wanted to take Arche's place.

'I need to get rid of that thing somehow...'

Arche, who had already become "that thing" in Okamoto's eyes, showed no intention of leaving Shin A-sol's side.

As Okamoto was deep in thought, trying to come up with a plan, he overheard a conversation between students on the street.

"Is there something happening at Yongmun Mountain today?"

"Why there?"

"I saw a bunch of Emission Department kids heading there earlier."

"But that mountain is a no-entry zone because of the fog, isn't it?"

"That's what I'm saying. But they were all carrying weapons, like they were going to catch a villain or something..."

Emission Department, weapons, Yongmun Mountain.

These three keywords brought only one thought to Okamoto's mind.

'Did Seo Su-kyung really mobilize the Emission Department kids? To deal with Professor D?'

As if to confirm his suspicions, Arche's expression suddenly darkened as she seemed to overhear the conversation.

This was his chance.

Okamoto casually said, loud enough for Arche to hear, "Ahem, did you hear that? They said the Emission Department kids went to Yongmun Mountain with weapons. Could Professor D be there?"

Arche's face grew darker and darker. Sensing this, Okamoto quickly added fuel to the fire.

"Well, with Seo Su-kyung's personality, she wouldn't just let it go after being humiliated like that. Could Professor D be in trouble today? In the worst case, there might even be a murder..."

"No way...!"

In the end, Arche's face turned pale, and she ran off towards Yongmun Mountain.

Okamoto, having finally succeeded in getting rid of the obstacle, inwardly rejoiced.

But things didn't go exactly as he planned.

"Sorry, Okamoto. I'll watch the movie with you next time."

"W-what?"

Leaving only those words behind, Shin A-sol quickly followed Arche.

Okamoto Daichi was left all alone.

As his dream of a date with Shin A-sol, which he had imagined countless times, shattered, a scream erupted from deep within him.

"Aaaagh! Seo Su-kyung! That useless... BITCH! Uwaaagh!"

Okamoto, screaming, beat the ground as if he was about to cry.

Passersby simply avoided him, whispering about the crazy guy.

***

'No, it can't be. There's no way Su-kyung would go that far...'

When Shin A-sol decided to follow Arche to Yongmun Mountain, she had thought that way.

Even though Seo Su-kyung sometimes did things beyond imagination, she wouldn't go as far as to lay a hand on a professor.

However, when Shin A-sol arrived at Yongmun Mountain with Arche, she had to admit that she was wrong.

"I-it's Iron Wall Shin A-sol...!"

"And even Arche...!"

"Why are those two here...?"

The masked strangers surrounding Professor D were murmuring amongst themselves.

Judging from their physique and the weapons they were carrying, they were clearly Emission Department students.

Shin A-sol's head throbbed as she saw the clear traces of battle.

'Seo Su-kyung! What is she trying to do?!'

If this incident became known to the school, it would be a huge problem. The Emission Department students would be expelled, and it was obvious that Seo Su-kyung, the ringleader, would receive an even harsher punishment.

"You guys, you're from the Emission Department, aren't you?"

While Shin A-sol was lost in thought, Arche stepped forward and spoke.

"Attacking a professor of the school, are you out of your minds?"

"Attack? I don't know what you're talking about."

The largest man among the masked strangers replied nonchalantly.

"We were simply giving the sinful professor a chance to reflect."

"What?"

"You all must have heard the rumors about Professor D, right? About how wicked he is."

"Even so, to do this...!"

"It would be best if you didn't interfere. Otherwise, you'll be joining the professor in his time of reflection."

Nam Kang-ik spoke confidently in front of the two. There was no way his identity would be revealed with the mask and voice modifier, and they had the advantage in numbers.

'More importantly, I don't like Shin A-sol.'

Nam Kang-ik had been displeased from the moment Shin A-sol appeared.

The two departments that formed the fiercest rivalry in Masterclass.

The rivalry between the Emission Department and the Defence Department was as old as the school's tradition.

The Emission Department taught that attack was the best defense, and the Defence Department often mocked the Emission Department, calling them ignorant fools who didn't know how to protect themselves.

'If it weren't for us, you'd be stuck holding shields and getting beaten up by villains all your life!'

For Nam Kang-ik, who had been with the Emission Department for a long time, the Defence Department students were an unpleasant presence, just by being in the same academy.

And among them, Shin A-sol was the ultimate trigger for his displeasure.

It's as if I can hear the frantic calculations going on in Nam Kang-ik's head beneath that mask. He must be racking his brains, but the answer is obvious.

"...Tsk, hey Professor, you're lucky."

Nam Kang-ik, finally concluding that he couldn't face both of them at the same time, glared at me as if he wanted to kill me and then turned around and went down the mountain.

The strangers left behind also hesitated and then followed him.

Arche, looking dissatisfied, said to Shin A-sol, "Is it okay to let them go like that? They all deserve to be expelled!"

"But no one was hurt. They won't do this kind of thing again."

"Even so..."

Arche seemed to disagree with Shin A-sol's judgment.

But I know why she let them go, despite her strong sense of justice.

'That's probably why she came here in the first place.'

Because there's no way Shin A-sol would have come all the way here to help me.

"Just in case you're mistaken, don't think I helped you, Professor."

As expected, Shin A-sol turned to me and said firmly.

"I don't care what happens to you. I came here only to..."

"To protect your friend, not me."

Shin A-sol's eyes widened as if hit on a sore spot.

I continued calmly, "You must have some idea who ordered those guys to do this, right? And that person is someone you know well."

Unlike other students who fiercely attacked each other's weaknesses, Shin A-sol had a strong tendency to see her fellow students as comrades.

And among them, Seo Su-kyung was the comrade Shin A-sol had known the longest.

She probably wanted to prevent Seo Su-kyung from being expelled for being the mastermind behind this incident.

"Don't worry. I don't intend to make a fuss about this either."

"Really?" Shin A-sol asked, surprised.

Her eyes were full of suspicion, showing how little trust she had in Do Jin-hak.

"Is there any reason for me to lie to you? Or have you heard rumors that I'm a notorious conman?"

"That's... not what I meant."

Shin A-sol blushed, realizing that she sounded like she was judging him based on rumors.

But I wasn't finished yet.

"But I have a request."

"...A request?"

"It's not something I can tell you now, and there's no need to worry. It's not something unreasonable."

"...Alright. If it's not an unreasonable request..."

Shin A-sol reluctantly nodded.

Seeing that, I laughed inwardly.

'I'm getting the Iron Fortress chance card like this.'

Shin A-sol was a character who couldn't rest until she repaid any debt, no matter what it was.

Even with her distrust of Do Jin-hak, she would definitely grant him one favor.

'Actually, it's difficult to expel Seo Su-kyung with just this incident.'

Shin A-sol was worried that Seo Su-kyung would be expelled from school, but that was because she didn't know Seo Su-kyung's true nature.

In the first place, Seo Su-kyung wasn't careless enough to leave evidence of her involvement when plotting something like this.

Creating a connection with Shin A-sol using the impossible expulsion of Seo Su-kyung was a huge gain.

"Then... I'll be going now."

Shin A-sol, with a dissatisfied expression, went down the mountain first.

I was also about to leave when I noticed that Arche's expression was unusual. She seemed greatly dissatisfied, her lips tightly pursed.

"Gianluca, is there something wrong?"

"...Are you really alright, Professor? To just bury this incident like this?"

"Is that what you're dissatisfied with?"

"Of course! To attack you, they should all be punished! Those guys, and the one behind them!"

Arche seemed unconvinced. Her reaction surprised me. I didn't expect her to be this angry.

'If I leave her alone, she might do something rash.'

Although her nature wasn't apparent now because she was a student, Gianluca the Dragon Mage, was known as the most radical member of the rebel army.

She was the type to see things through to the end once her switch was flipped.

For now, it seemed necessary to convince her of the current situation as much as possible.

"You must have heard the rumors about me, but this is just a minor incident for me. Like tripping over a rock on the road."

"But you almost died because of that rock. If we hadn't come..."

"That's unexpected. I didn't know you cared that much about me. Or did I seem so weak that you thought I would die from tripping over a rock?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"I hope you're not mistaken. I'm your professor. How I handle my students is my prerogative."

I emphasized my words to Arche.

Did she understand?

Arche seemed to be lost in thought after hearing my words, then she reluctantly nodded.

"...I understand. You're saying you have your own way of handling this, Professor?"

"I'm glad you understand. Then..."

"But it's the same for me. Just as you have the right to do as you see fit, I also have the right to do as I see fit."

Leaving only those words behind, Arche quickly descended the mountain.

I was concerned about Arche's demeanor. Her eyes seemed to be filled with fury.

It was as if she was about to do something dangerous.

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[Translator - Peptobismal]

[Proofreader - Max]