I’m the Slit-Eyed Character at the Academy, but I’m not the Mastermind

Chapter 320

“Falling in love with my student? Stop talking nonsense, Nanny!”

“Why is that so impossible? There are plenty of precedents.”

A long sheet of paper began to unroll from the nanny’s hand, extending all the way to Lucia’s feet.

“…What is this?”

Lucia cautiously examined the paper.

It was filled with names, marriage dates, and ages.

“There’s quite an age difference here! Twenty years apart? Are they insane?”

“It’s only natural. They were teacher and student.”

“…Huh?”

It seemed the nanny had gathered every example of teachers marrying their students. At this point, she was a fanatic—a marriage-obsessed ghost!

Fwoosh!

Lucia quickly manipulated her mana and burned the paper to ashes.

But the nanny remained unfazed. Why?

“Keke, I have plenty of copies. Just let me know if you need one anytime.”

“Why would you make copies?! Is marriage that important to you?”

“It’s more important than my life!”

Lucia and the nanny began to bicker.

Watching them argue through the crystal ball, Rodelin spoke up, as if realizing something.

“By the way, are you still staying at your friend’s estate? It seems like your mission is taking a while.”

Flinch!

Lucia, who had been knocked over by a pillow, flinched at Rodelin’s words.

Currently, she was staying at her friend Sylvia’s mansion after the battle with Volkan.

“Uh, yeah? Of course, it’s going well. The beasts are just really clever, you know? They’re hiding and won’t come out. Hahaha…”

“Keke, didn’t you defeat them all in one blow when you first arrived?”

“Did I? W-Well, I’m just taking a break! Yeah, a break! We just had a big battle recently, didn’t we?”

“A ‘break’? I think ‘turning into a pig’ might be a more accurate description. Just look at that plump bottom. It’s at least twice as big as it used to be.”

“Kyaaa!”

The nanny smacked Lucia’s backside with a playful grin.

Rodelin’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Sure enough, something massive behind Lucia filled the crystal ball’s screen.

“Getting chubby, huh? Don’t tell me… you’ve been skipping training too?”

“Wha-what? Why is the signal so bad all of a sudden? Must be because I’m in the countryside!”

“I’ve always told you! As the proud hero of the Empire, you must always behave with dignity—”

Crack!

A crack appeared in the crystal ball, cutting off the transmission.

Lucia, now breathing out little puffs of smoke, tossed the broken crystal aside and flopped onto her back.

“I hate you, Nanny! I really hate you!”

“I had to stop you from becoming a pig, my lady. Maybe you should’ve exercised a bit more?”

Lucia flailed about in protest, and the nanny wrapped her tightly in a blanket.

Peeking her head out, Lucia sighed.

“Well, at least Delyn seems to be doing fine. I was worried since it sounded like some of her friends died.”

“She’s strong, unlike a certain pig around here.”

“Who’s a pig?! And I’m strong too!”

“Yes, you are, my strong pig lady. It’s an honor to serve you.”

Lucia pouted, grumbling under her breath.

The nanny, watching her closely, carefully broached an important topic.

“Lady Lowell is heading to the Academy.”

“Lowell?”

“Yes. Apparently, she abandoned her mission. I wonder what’s going on.”

Lowell de Lucid.

The third child of the Lucid family, and Lucia’s younger sister.

Although she wasn’t as famous as Lucia, that wasn’t particularly surprising.

‘After all, the eldest is so extraordinary.’

Lucia had shattered every record for the youngest achievements in the Empire.

In other words, comparing anyone to Lucia wasn’t fair.

In fact, many smaller lords even preferred Lowell over Lucia.

Not only was it about money, but Lowell also had an unusual appetite for taking on requests. She accepted even difficult ones and completed them perfectly, which naturally made her quite popular.

‘But for Lowell to abandon her mission and head to the Academy?’

It gave Lucia an uneasy feeling.

But Lucia responded nonchalantly.

“Obviously, she’s worried about Delyn. Sending a student to the battlefield… It’s not even wartime, you know.”

“Is that really the reason? She used to care for Lady Rodelin more than anyone, but…”

The nanny clenched her fists tightly.

“She’s changed since that day.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Indeed, Lowell had changed.

Once, she doted on Rodelin so much that she carried her around all day, proudly calling her “my little sister.”

But after that day, everything changed.

“Who knows? From what I see, she’s still the same. The way she shows affection has just changed, that’s all.”

“Strictness can also be a form of love, I suppose?”

“She’s not even that strict! Honestly, I think I’m stricter.”

Lucia wriggled out of the blanket like a caterpillar.

As the nanny tidied up Lucia’s clothes, Lucia asked:

“Does she still travel alone?”

“Yes. I heard she even broke the leg of a knight who tried to follow her.”

“What is she thinking? A mid-twenties rebellious phase, really?”

Lowell was strong. Strong enough to handle herself alone.

And since most people who weren’t heirs to their families traveled solo, it wasn’t really an issue.

But—

For the Lucid family’s bloodline, it was a significant problem.

“Should we assign someone to her?”

“No. She’ll take care of herself. Delyn’s the only one who doesn’t try to get attention from me, so she’s out of my scope of interest.”

But—

“Station a few people along the path to the Academy. And select some who can stick with her later.”

“Understood.”

Lucia gave the order through a knight waiting outside the door.

The family’s elite would be selected to watch over Lowell from a distance.

Now, the next matter…

“Where do you plan to head next? There’s a big request nearby; should we take it?”

“Huh? I’m not going anywhere.”

“What?”

“Delyn will be busy, so it’s not like she’ll call me again, right? Things will be quiet for a while. So, let’s just eat!”

The nanny sighed deeply.

My lady…

Please, just get married.

A week had passed.

While there had been casualties among the second— and third-year students, the Academy was quickly returning to its routine.

This was thanks to the teachers and instructors, who worked tirelessly to help students forget the bad memories.

“Move, move, move!”

“How long has it been since you exercised? And you call yourselves students?”

The only issue was that we were literally shedding blood from the intense physical activities.

Though some complaints occasionally slipped from the students’ lips, none of them got through.

In the end, everyone quietly followed the instructors’ commands.

‘Well, it’s just that the physical training sessions have increased.’

Classes involving knowledge had decreased in favor of more physically demanding ones.

Most of the students grumbled, but a few of us, myself included, understood the reason.

The less time spent reflecting, the less they’d dwell on the memories of that day, the moment they lost friends.

‘The more they think, the more they’ll remember those painful moments.’

Maybe that’s why the second— and third-years followed the instructions without a word.

“They’re enduring this tough training without any complaints… impressive.”

“Do you think they’ve realized something?”

“You idiot, it’s probably because their classmates died. We were really lucky this time.”

Joint training sessions like today had also increased.

Though sparring was avoided due to the students’ unstable mental state, simple drills were conducted without much instructor supervision.

But this didn’t really apply to me. Aside from Rodelin, no one approached me.

“Phew… Is this the end of today’s class?”

“I’ve got a duel with Class 2 in the afternoon, and in the evening, there’s the spear exchange event.”

“I’m heading to the endurance training room.”

The second— and third-year students took on any additional training without hesitation.

Perhaps they wanted to avoid facing the fear of death again.

Or maybe they wanted to grow stronger to protect their friends next time.

I couldn’t be sure, but one thing was clear: they were training relentlessly.

“There’s a bit of madness in the air.”

“I heard it’s important to forget quickly after something like this. Otherwise, they might overdo it.”

“Can we really forget? If one of us were to die… could you just forget?”

Yes, you can forget. Forgetting is the greatest blessing granted to humans.

Even the fear of death, the loss of comrades, and even their names.

Eventually, the time to forget will come.

‘That’s how people are designed.’

If painful memories never faded, no one would be able to move forward.

That’s why humans are blessed with the ability to forget.

It had been a week since we returned from Carpathia.

Perhaps starting tomorrow, some might collapse into bed, claiming the training was too much.

But—

“Let’s run to the training grounds!”

“Yeah!”

In this moment, the shared memories of struggling together wouldn’t be forgotten.

Even if it hurt their bodies, or decades passed, these memories would remain somewhere deep in their minds, surfacing at unexpected moments.

‘And they’ll share those memories with the people beside them.’

Under the name of nostalgia.

“Let’s go. Best not to stand out.”

“Yeah, laying low is the best strategy right now.”

The first-years willingly gave up their reserved training spaces, choosing to keep a low profile.

After all, they didn’t want to disturb the second— and third-years who were still in the midst of growth.

Teron, Yuridia, and Victoria were also spending their time quietly.

But their silence had a different reason behind it.

‘The midterm results will shift the rankings soon.’

The calm before the storm.

It was the perfect phrase to describe the current situation among the first-years.

And so, eight days after returning to the Academy—

“The midterm results are out.”

At Caron’s words, the bustling classroom fell silent.

“I’ll start with a disclaimer. You probably had some idea of the midterm results, but… there’s been a slight shift in the rankings.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yeah, I missed an important piece of information. The professors forgot to include something in the midterm scoring… even though they were busy, that’s still no excuse… Tsk!”

Caron clicked his tongue, clearly irritated by the professors’ oversight.

Oddly enough, though, despite his words, Caron seemed to be in a good mood.

“The professors recalculated the scores yesterday, which caused a significant change in the rankings.”

“Still, the top student should be obvious, right?”

All eyes turned toward me.

Did I imagine it, or did Caron’s lips twitch slightly?

“Yes, as expected, Zero was supposed to be first. However…”

However?

Caron pulled a piece of paper from his coat.

The sheet listed student names and various scores.

“You’ve accumulated too many demerits. Your score took a considerable hit because of that.”

How many demerits could I have possibly gotten?

I’m a model student! Even if I did get some demerits, it couldn’t be more than five points…

“43 points.”

“…What?”

“You racked up 43 demerit points. What the hell did you do? Did you try to destroy the Academy?”

Well, I mean… I did break a few things here and there.

But only once, right?

“It’s better to be thorough. Let me read them off, and try to recall as I go. If there’s anything incorrect, feel free to object. Let’s see… 1 demerit point for improper conduct with a fellow student, Rodelin…”

He listed the reasons for each demerit and who gave it to me.

The surprising thing was, I remembered every single incident.

Yes, indeed. Forty-three demerit points. All earned by yours truly.

“In summary, 23 points from Rodelin, 5 points from me, and 15 points from other professors. Total: 43 points. Any objections?”

“Keke, none at all. This is quite impressive, really.”

“I was even more impressed. It’s the highest demerit record in the history of Annwood Academy. Still, a record’s a record, so congratulations are in order. Well done, Zero.”

Caron started clapping.

And the other students followed suit, applauding along with him.

“Congratulations.”

“Congrats.”

“Congrats.”

…Am I being bullied right now? No, it must be my imagination.

“Setting a new record! As expected of Zero! This is a record that won’t be broken until the day Annwood Academy collapses!”

The one leading the applause was none other than the demon of pure mischief, Raymon.

Since entering this game-like world, I’ve often wondered if that guy is really just pretending to be a devil. His way of thinking is beyond human comprehension.

“In the history of the Academy, no one has ever lost the top spot due to demerits. You’re the first, Zero. Next time, be more careful. Oh, by the way, you’re ranked 18th. Considering the number of demerits you’ve received, that’s actually quite high.”

The students let out gasps of surprise.

After all, one demerit point was equivalent to losing two merit points.

That meant I had lost 86 points and still managed to place 18th, giving everyone a rough idea of just how high my original score must’ve been.

At that moment, someone mumbled as they realized something.

“Then… who’s the top student?”

Thunk!

There was a faint creaking sound as tension filled the room.

Right. According to Caron, I wasn’t the only one who had demerits factored in.

Everyone’s rankings were likely affected.

Yuridia, Victoria, and even Teron, who had been in 6th place, were all within reach of the top spot.

The flames of competition began to burn in their eyes.

Caron wasn’t one to drag things out. Holding the certificate in his hand, he quickly announced the result.

“The top student for this midterm is…”

From my diagonal angle, I was able to catch a glimpse of something behind the certificate.

A faint smile on Caron’s face.

“Luna.”

–TL Notes–

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