Chapter 27 - I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

Episode 27 27 - You Must Avoid the 0.1% Landmine <27 - You Must Avoid the 0.1% Landmine> The Western Nobility Alliance. They often appeared as supporting characters in the game. There were nobles in other regions too, but these ones had particularly large presences. “Are you telling me that, clad in such expensive armor, you do not know how to start a fire?” “Ah? Why would I know such a thing? That's something for the servants to take care of.” “…….” “And those incredible weapons, what do you intend to use them for?” “I have caught my prey! Although… it turned out like this.” A noble dressed in flashy ceremonial clothes held up a mongoose that had been reduced to rags. The excessively expensive attire and gleaming weapons made the tragically torn-apart mongoose carcass stand out all the more. “Don’t look at me with those eyes! I am the one and only Anthony, ranked third in the Western Nobility Alliance, the master of speed sword.” Anthony. Regardless of his fancy nickname, his last name was more famous than his first. The last name being Soboro. Among users, someone with a fragile mental state like the crumbs of a soboro bread is often referred to as having a ‘Soboro-grade mentality’. In short, he was a supporting character famous for the wrong reasons. “Don't ignore me! There is nothing that I cannot cut except mosquitoes, fatigue, sleepiness, hunger, and thirst!” “…….” I'm not sure whether to view that level of self-deprecation as a sign of a weak or a strong mentality. “I have heard about it. The scion of the famous Soboro swordsmanship house is taking the entrance exam this year. You are that Anthony Soboro.” “You’re a good man! Indeed, there is no bad man sporting a beard.” When one is upset, even a little consolatory word seems to greatly shake one’s heart. His affection for Mr. Giselle shot up tremendously. He seemed ready to become sworn brothers with him. “Anyway, please help us!” “I will repay you with anything!” “You are lowly commoners, surely you are familiar with such tasks!” “…….” I was thinking of turning a blind eye just once and helping them out since they looked pitiful and even offered a reward... But that idea was shattered to pieces. “Hmpf, let's just leave.” “I agree. There's no reason to show kindness to someone who disparages even children.” “Uwahaha, Little Mousie, you’re finally saying something I can appreciate.” “We must, therefore, decline to assist you. We will be on our way.” Son Ocheon took a deep breath and then extinguished the bonfire with a spirited shout. “Nooo…!” “The fire that could have cooked the meat!” “The precious fire that would have thawed our frozen bodies from the cold!” “You wouldn’t want to use a fire started by lowly commoners, would it bruise your pride? Be grateful that I've saved you the embarrassment. Uwahahahaha!” “Who was the one spouting nonsense earlier!” “It's the scion of the Baronet Utao family.” “I should write a letter to their house. Tell them not to invite the Utao Baronet to this year’s harvest festival.” “On what basis does a lowly noble spout words similar to those of commoners?” “What an idiot.” “Woo, woohoo...! I am sorry. Please forgive me, just this once…!” Despite my annoyance, seeing him cry somehow softened my heart. He's still a bratty kid, not beyond redemption. “That’s enough.” “Lord Andersen…” “A noble must be responsible for their words to wield power rightfully. Child of Utao house, I will offer you an opportunity to rectify your mistake.” Perhaps they had sensed my wavering heart. The top-ranked member of the Western Nobility Alliance. The second son of the great founding Grand Duke Pretzel. A character of considerable importance, Andersen Pretzel, gave him a chance. “I’m sorry… *sniffle*. It was my short-sightedness that offended you…” “Harsh words are not good. In the academy, everyone is equal, so please be more careful in the future.” By now, the truly malicious crowd must be getting active. Caught by such villains, who knows if the Western Nobility Alliance will be intact by the end of the exams? “However, I'll forgive you in exchange for a snack I’ve saved up.” “Really?” Excited by the prospect, the Utao scion pulled out four neatly wrapped pastries from his pocket. “This is the emergency ration of our family, preserved in a small magic backpack. It’s deep-fried bread with a high-calorie content and quite tasty.” By the way, 'Utao' is actually a real food item. In this world, it is a tradition for the nobles to adopt the names of dishes from reality as their house names. Among players, the prevailing theory was that the creators were inspired by the story of a noble called 'Sandwich' because he had invented the sandwich. 'What food item will Papa come up with for his house name?' It was somewhat startling to wonder what house name the unfamiliar Papa might bear. Oknodie sticky rice doughnuts. Oknodie fresh kimchi. Just imagining it made me dizzy... Of course, names that authentic wouldn’t pop up even randomly. Considering that both Jonah and Leaf, the servants assigned to my house, were Westerners, it’s unlikely I would receive a name based on Korean food. [The General Cooking chapter of FooDex has collected 'Utao'.] Regardless of the household name choices. Earning the favor of a noble's child can add a food item to my FooDex collection. If I reach a major noble house, they’ll even give me rare recipes. “Our little lady is quite the kind-hearted one, isn’t she?” “Just as soft as a mousie, indeed.” “If you resent the apology, why not give that bread to me instead?” “Euhaha, should I?” Hehe. What simpletons. To think they would see me as a good kid, unaware of my nefarious plan to fill my FooDex. Even Isabel was fooled as she affectionately stroked my head with a warm hand. “It would be nice if you remain just as kind-hearted from now on.” “Ehehe.” Next to Isabel, a pleasant fragrance lingered. Shall I remain a good kid for a little while longer? A week, no, maybe two more weeks! * * Our food situation has improved, so we found a suitable place to lay our beds and enjoyed a restful night's sleep. Remembering that the forest was quite vast and the exit was along an inefficient route, we decided to take it easy and rested for the night. The examinees unaware of the truth would be the most anxious at this time. Throughout the forest, screams could be heard. Most likely, they were from individuals who became victims of score-hunting. “Will you take on the second task as well?” “It looks fun, why not? Let’s do it.” “It’s dangerous. Can’t you hear the endless screams?” The second auxiliary task was a scramble. A large ball made of interwoven tree vines had a golden ball placed at its center, and the objective was to snatch it. At the front of the ball, an instructor in charge of judging was leaning against an outdoor table, checking the admission quota. “This task allows the participation of six individuals at a time, and those who have attempted once cannot try again. The score for this task is 40 points. If you fall out of the area, you’re disqualified.” A task advantageous for many and disadvantageous for few. Examinees acting individually either took the challenge thinking they had nothing to lose or quickly gave up to search for the next task. We had already earned 10 points each and seemed to be overflowing with confidence. “What will you do, Oknodie?” “Should I decide?” “From the ticket exam to the first barrier, and up to the last auxiliary task, Oknodie has shown excellent wit in every test she faced. I trust you. I trust Oknodie’s judgment.” “What are you pondering, employer? Trust or not, we are already a group of four.” “That’s exactly the issue. We've stood out to every examinee here, and no one would want to face a 4 against 2 situation in the test.” Gathering a full team of six was impossible. To proceed with the test, we would have to split up and attempt it separately. “It’s good that you know. Just invite one person over.” “Conveniently, we’ve gathered five examinees who were traveling alone.” “Let’s make it a fair fight, one-on-one.” Other examinees suggested teaming up to take the test together. “Oh. So is it my turn to step in?” Son Ocheon Uncle was ready to jump into the fray with confidence, but I grabbed his arm to stop him. “No way.” “What is it? You want to go?” “It’s not that. Let’s just move on to the next task.” “Really? Leave those easy targets behind?” “Have you ever regretted listening to me? Huh?” Son Ocheon looked at me with a reluctant gaze, glanced over at the others waiting, then turned away sharply. “Thinking back to the first exam, the judgments of the Little Mousie did prove superior to my own intuition. Fine. I will, exceptionally, heed your advice this time.” “Goodness, I bother to care, and why are you acting so generous? If you want to do it so badly, just go ahead.” I snapped at him sardonically, and Son Ocheon walked away with a peeved look on his face. “Do you think I would actually go if you told me to? Stupid Mousie. I absolutely won’t go. Absolutely not.” “……Next time, I’m absolutely not giving any hints.” “Euhahaha. It was probably something obvious anyway. Weren't those five actually in one group?” The solo-play disguise strategy. One way to clear the second auxiliary task. In fact, four of the examinees seemed to be employing that strategy. A group that had a 9.9% chance of appearing. If it was just that, I wouldn’t have intervened. I stepped in because of the 0.1% chance of a landmine. ‘It’s an absolutely unwinnable duel.’ The tomb of brawn characters where the bigger you are, the more you lose. With Oknodie’s small frame, perhaps there might be a chance, but even so, the difficulty was excessively high. The 0.1% chance of encountering a landmine. Its essence: a malign supporting character. And a formidable one at that. Yearning for points, could one not even cut off the ticket watch? * * “Aaaack! Let me go, let me gooo!” “It won’t come off, it just won’t!” “Did this damn kid figure out we were teamed up?!” The examinees' screams as their bodies stuck to the vine ball. A girl wearing a mask with an impassive face laughed mockingly. “It didn’t matter how many were on the same team or who would challenge. I was determined to make you all unable to move, just like rats caught in a trap.” “Wa, wait! Don’t touch the ticket. There’s no need to go that far!” “Please, show mercy just this once!” “Yes, disqualified. Be gone with the lesser examinees, down to where the bottom feeders gather.” Four tickets ripped off with a zipping sound, and the score increased by 10 points. The loot score was 10 points, and the Golden Ball achievement score was 40 points. The required 50 points for passing were collected. “Hey, over there! I'm not part of their group. I might have already collected enough points, could you let me pass?” “Should I?” “Phew.” “Almost thought I would~. Like I would let you pass. To think such pathetic rivals would be my fellow classmates in the upper tiers for years to come. The mere thought disgusts me so much my hands tremble.” “Aaagh!” Zip. The girl resolutely disqualified all five, tossing the now-worthless ticket watches behind her back with a flourish. The cries for even the courtesy of removing the thicket had long been forgotten to her. She was reflecting on the top student of the first barrier, a child with good instincts. ‘Se was perceptive of my ability. How did she know?’ It was a first for her to be figured out before even showing her skill. ‘I'll have to ask next time.’ A technique passed down among assassins. If you recognized this technique, are you an assassin too? Scribbling. “…….” And don’t forget to also ask how he hasn’t been bitten by mosquitoes. A Word From the Author (Author's Note) The consequence of neglecting mosquito repellent.