Even a Scoundrel Gets Tired – Chapter 26

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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After dinner, Lianna and I established a routine.

We’d train together in the practice rooms, working on our weaknesses. I’d teach her more efficient ways to use magic, answer her questions, and we’d eat dinner together.

More and more students approached Lianna, asking about her well-being, which meant the rumors about me bullying her were still circulating.

She tried to explain, to tell them it was a misunderstanding, but they didn’t believe her. Rumors of her being brainwashed by me began to spread.

She blamed herself, and I had to constantly reassure her.

The stares were uncomfortable, but at least no one dared to challenge me directly. The rumors about me nearly killing Leon in our duel had spread, and most students were too intimidated to approach me.

‘It’s a shame I didn’t kill him…’

‘What was his name again?’

Leon. That’s right.

I mentally thanked him and continued training with Lianna.

Finally, the day of the midterm evaluations arrived.

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Meanwhile, someone else had been eagerly anticipating the academy’s annual midterm evaluations, an event that filled every student with dread.

“I… will… kill… you…”

His appearance was ordinary, unremarkable. But the aura surrounding him, the venom in his voice, was anything but normal.

His words dripped with resentment, his mind echoing with his father’s criticisms.

He’d waited for this day, the day he could finally exact his revenge.

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“You useless fool!”

“Gah…”

A middle-aged man, adorned with gold jewelry, kicked the boy in the shin.

The boy stumbled, falling to his knees. The man clicked his tongue in disgust.

“You ruined everything!”

“F… Father… why…?”

The boy didn’t understand. He was already upset about something that had happened at the academy.

The sickening sounds of violence echoed through the room. Finally, the man spoke, his voice laced with fatigue.

“Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

“Cough… W… What did I do…?”

“Do you know why the Headmaster helped you today?”

Yes, why had she? She was supposed to be impartial. Yet she’d intervened in his duel of honor.

He’d initially assumed it was because of his family’s donations to the academy, but the Headmaster wasn’t short of funds. 9th-circle mages were rare and highly sought after.

It didn’t make sense.

The man exhaled a plume of smoke, his face contorted in anger, then explained.

“It started with a coincidence…”

“I never liked that woman, flaunting her power, basking in the empire’s glory.”

“So I hired the Information Guild to investigate her.”

It was a foolish move. If she found out, she’d be furious. Those who incurred her wrath lived in constant fear of retribution. No family could afford to offend her.

And this man had not only investigated her, but he’d done so openly, as if he didn’t fear her.

It meant he either didn’t know who she was, or he severely underestimated her.

“Then… I received a piece of information. Something that could ruin her.”

He couldn’t suppress a smirk.

“I used it to blackmail her. She tried to threaten me, but what could she do? I was the one holding all the cards.”

“It just proved how desperate she was to keep it a secret.”

“So I made her an offer. I’d keep quiet if she helped me when my family was in danger.”

He spoke casually, as if blackmailing a powerful mage was the most natural thing in the world. He showed no remorse.

“But how could I trust a verbal agreement? So I made her sign a mana contract. She’d help my family, and I wouldn’t reveal her secret.”

He frowned at the boy, who was still clutching his injured leg and whimpering.

“Do you know what she said to me today?”

[I kept my promise. Therefore, you must uphold your end of the bargain.]

“I told her she was insane! I hadn’t asked for her help!”

“And do you know what she said next?”

His face darkened as he recalled the conversation.

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‘I believe there was another condition in our contract.’

‘What are you talking about?!’

‘Wasn’t it to help your family when they were in danger?’

‘My family is not in danger!!’

She’d chuckled at his outburst, her tone mocking.

‘You have a son, don’t you?’

‘Yes, what about it?’

‘Your son almost died today. I saved him.’

‘W… What?’

‘If your son died, your family would lose its heir, its lineage. Isn’t that a family crisis?’

She laughed, but his face remained a mask of fury.

‘T… That’s absurd!’

‘What’s absurd?’

Her playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness.

‘I didn’t interfere in any events. I helped your family avert a crisis.’

‘The contract is still intact.’

‘And my mana is unaffected.’

Mana contracts were binding. Breaking one meant losing all your mana, an easily verifiable consequence.

‘I kept my promise.’

‘So you will keep yours.’

‘Or it won’t just be your mana you lose.’

The air grew heavy with her mana, pressing down on him, and despite his rage, he could only nod in agreement.

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Remembering the conversation, the man’s fury reignited. He grabbed a chair and smashed it against the boy.

Crash—

“Ugh…”

“Do you understand now?!”

“Sob…”

He threw the broken chair aside and leaned against his desk.

“With her help, I could have become emperor.”

“…”

“The entire empire would have been at my feet.”

“…”

“And you… you ruined it all!”

He grabbed a book from his desk and hurled it at the boy’s head. The boy cried out in pain.

“Do you have any idea how much I paid the Information Guild for that information?!”

Thwack—

“And the donations to the academy?!”

Thwack—

“And the bribes to keep the other nobles quiet?!”

Thwack—

“5,000 gold coins! 5,000!”

Despite the pain, the sheer amount stunned the boy into silence.

Information about the Headmaster was incredibly difficult and dangerous to obtain, so the price was naturally high. And the bribes to ensure secrecy were equally exorbitant.

But something else bothered him. Even House Reinhardt couldn’t afford such a sum. Where had his family gotten the money?

The man hadn’t mentioned the illegal activities, the exploitation of the commoners, that had funded his scheme. He’d risked severe punishment, convinced he’d be emperor soon. He’d be above the law.

And now, his dreams were shattered, thanks to his own son.

“You should have died! Why didn’t you just let him kill you?!”

“F… Father…”

“Shut up! You’re not my son anymore.”

“W… What?!”

“Get out of my house, you fool!”

“I… I’m sorry! I made a mistake! Father!”

“Guards! Throw him out!”

The servants dragged him out of the room, his pleas for forgiveness falling on deaf ears.

“Let go of me! Do you know who I am?!”

“I apologize, Young Master.”

He was thrown out of the mansion, the gates slamming shut behind him.

At first, he’d been in denial.

Then, rage had consumed him.

Finally, he accepted it.

He’d been abandoned.

Tears streamed down his face as he walked, his sense of injustice overwhelming. He’d only wanted to teach that arrogant bastard a lesson. How had things gone so wrong?

Cursing and muttering under his breath, he entered a dark alley.

The sudden silence, the absence of the usual city noises, made him wary.

He waited, but nothing happened. He decided he’d been imagining things and turned to leave, when…

Whoosh—

Space rippled, and a man appeared behind him.

He wore a white, smiling clown mask and a large, black robe that concealed his entire body. His appearance was unsettling.

The boy stared at him, wary, when a strange, otherworldly voice emanated from behind the mask.

“Do you desire… revenge?”

The question was unexpected. He didn’t know who this man was, how he knew about his desire for revenge.

The boy remained silent, and the man’s mask seemed to smile wider.

“Who… are you?”

“Ahahaha! I haven’t introduced myself. I am Kunbel.”

“Who?”

“I’m a fairy. A wish-granting fairy.”

The boy scoffed. A fairy? He looked more like a demon.

He tried to leave, but a powerful emotion welled up within him. He wanted to tell someone about his injustice, about what had happened.

Overwhelmed by the day’s events, he poured out his heart to the masked man. Kunbel listened, his masked smile widening.

“Oh dear! That sounds terrible!”

“Yes! It wasn’t my fault… Why should I suffer like this?!”

“Do you want revenge?”

“Of course I do!”

But the boy’s shoulders slumped. He knew he was powerless. He couldn’t even defeat that arrogant fool, let alone the Headmaster.

He despaired, seeing no path to revenge, when the masked man approached him.

“I… can give you power.”

“Power…?”

“The power of revenge!”

“How…?”

Kunbel produced a purple crystal and placed it in the boy’s hand.

“Embed this within your body.”

“How can I trust you?”

“You don’t have to. But you desire power, don’t you?”

The boy gritted his teeth, accepting the crystal.

“What do you want in return?”

“Hmm… I just want to see your revenge!”

“That’s all…?”

“What more could I possibly want? Heh heh.”

The man’s chilling laughter sent shivers down his spine. As he turned to leave, Kunbel stopped him and handed him a piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

“Use it when you want to kill someone. It will conceal you, even from the prying eyes of the Headmaster, at least for a little while.”

“How does it work?”

“Write these words on the paper, focusing your killing intent on the person you want to kill.”

The paper was covered in strange symbols.

“And when you tear the paper in front of your target…?”

“…What happens?”

“You’ll be transported to a space where only the two of you exist.”

“Heh… Heh heh… Very well. I’ll do it.”

Kunbel vanished, wishing him luck, and the sounds of the city returned.

The alley was silent again, only the rustling leaves and a slowly retreating figure remaining.

“I… will… kill… you…”

A chilling whisper echoed through the empty alley.

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