Chap 58-It’s Disappointing

 

The blatant harassment directed at me has definitely decreased recently.

Well, the biggest reason is probably because Camilla, who used to harass me the most actively, is now completely ignoring me.

But now, even Camilla won’t be able to ignore me anymore.

Thanks to Professor Merlin telling us to meet with our group members today to discuss the exam, I was able to properly face Camilla for the first time since that day.

The very day she tried to drag me away and torture me while I was out of my mind from the Truth serum.

I remembered the horrifying sight of my head exploding right in front of her eyes, and Camilla’s terrified trembling, even as she cursed.

Her, who was usually so cold and ruthless, looking so afraid… to be honest, it was quite cute.

Cute enough that I wanted to see it again.

‘Hmm… she looks more normal than I thought.’

The shock of that day must have been quite significant, but has she already recovered?

Or is she just pretending to be calm?

Her expression was as haughty and arrogant as usual, but in her eyes as she looked at me, there seemed to be a very subtle wariness, and perhaps even a bit of disgust, flashing by.

Unlike Camilla, Clara, who had witnessed my appearance with her, still seemed unable to escape the shock of that day.

Every time she saw me, she would flinch in surprise and tremble with fear, unable to even properly meet my gaze.

It seemed like she had developed some kind of trauma.

On the other hand, Camilla…

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s decide on a group leader.”

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she scanned us with arrogant eyes and declared that she would be the group leader.

Her attitude suggested that she wouldn’t consider anyone else’s opinion.

Usually, in these group projects, everyone tries to avoid being the leader, but of course, our Camilla had to be the leader wherever she went.

Clara, being one of Camilla’s loyal followers, wouldn’t dare to object, and simply nodded silently.

A girl with neat brown hair,

Lea.

Despite being from a commoner background, she seemed to have been raised with some refinement.

Perhaps thinking that she had no say in the matter anyway, she was simply looking around with wide eyes.

It seemed like she found it fascinating to be among such high-ranking people.

Then, when she made eye contact with me, she flinched in surprise and quickly looked away.

But…

‘Hmm?’

Her reaction was a bit strange.

Rather than simply avoiding me out of fear, it felt like she was blushing and feeling embarrassed…

‘What is it?’

The feeling was slightly different from the other students who looked at me with contempt, disgust, or fear.

Lina, who was the only one among the group members who could stand up to Camilla’s authority, also quietly nodded in agreement.

Well, I didn’t care who became the group leader.

Thanks to her volunteering, the troublesome selection of a group leader ended very easily.

“Alright. Now that I’ve been decided as the group leader, let’s first…”

Camilla opened her mouth with a satisfied smile. She looked around at us and asked as if confirming something obvious.

“Does anyone here not know about the ‘Farm’?”

A moment of silence flowed through the classroom.

Lina, Lea, and even Clara, who was terrified, simply shook their heads or looked at Camilla without saying anything.

Well, there was no way that any of the students in Class A of the academy wouldn’t know about the Farm.

The Farm.

Just hearing the name, it sounded like a peaceful place where fish or livestock were raised, but the reality was completely different.

It was an area located near the front lines of Terra, managed for a special purpose.

Vast areas that had been lost due to Contamination in the past.

Among them, strategically important areas or places where many people lived were directly purified and reclaimed using the Saintess’s powerful divine power.

However, areas that were ambiguous for human habitation, or where purification would require too much divine power, were managed in a different way.

That was by preventing the spread of Contamination with holy springstone and using the interior as a kind of training ground.

The place created in that way was the ‘Farm’.

An area where Contamination was not completely removed, but was relatively safely controlled by the holy springstone barrier.

Therefore, it was mainly used as a place for reserve forces or academy students to gain practical experience before being fully deployed to the front lines.

In fact, according to the academy’s curriculum, every year, the first-year students had to take a practical midterm exam at this Farm.

It was like a kind of rite of passage.

Up to this point, it was a normal story.

The problem was… at that place, during that midterm practical exam, a terrible ‘attack’ was going to happen.

‘Actually, the original story has already changed a lot, so it’s honestly ambiguous whether that attack will really happen or not…’

Thanks to my intervention here and there, the story was already flowing in a completely different direction from what I knew.

But considering my luck so far…

‘Something bad will definitely happen.’

I sighed inwardly. I wanted to think positively, but hadn’t my life always been heading towards the worst-case scenario?

This time too, that terrible attack would definitely happen in some form.

Camilla spread out a large map in front of us and began to enthusiastically explain the goal of this group project, the expected route, and the division of roles.

“…So, we’ll approach the target point in the shortest amount of time through this route. Lea and Lady Lina will be in charge of forward scouting and cover… Clara, you’ll be in charge of rear support, and I’ll be in charge of overall command and…”

Her explanation was fluent, but I was looking at something else.

I could see that the tip of her finger, as she pointed at the map and spoke passionately, was trembling very slightly.

A small tremor that didn’t match her usual arrogant and confident appearance.

I didn’t miss that sight, and I made eye contact with Camilla, giving her a meaningful smile.

“…!”

Camilla’s shoulders twitched momentarily at my smile.

Her eyes wavered slightly, and then she quickly looked away.

It was a very brief moment, but what flashed across her face was embarrassment and a bit of fear.

‘As expected.’

I smiled inwardly with satisfaction.

Sorry, Camilla.

The truth is, I know your real personality.

Camilla Medici.

She was also one of the main playable characters in the original game .

Of course, I knew better than anyone about her abilities, background, and hidden real personality.

As well as her circumstances of deliberately wearing a cold and arrogant mask to deal with people because she hated her weak and timid real self so much.

Her timid and cowardly real self is also attractive, but…

Still, the cool-headed appearance that she was desperately trying to act out when she was bullying me was more to my liking.

‘Come to think of it…’

Thinking about Camilla, I suddenly became curious.

If she used her Librarian ability, ‘Mind’s Eye’, to look at my inner self, what would it show?

‘…I hope it shows something normal.’

If possible, I’d like it to show something cool like ‘a cool-headed strategist’.

Hmm… that’s probably a bit difficult, right?

“Yeon! What are you doing right now? Aren’t you paying attention?”

Suddenly, Lina glared at me with wide eyes from beside me.

There was a bit of annoyance and reproach mixed in her voice.

Startled, I quickly turned my gaze back to the map.

At that moment, I faintly heard Lina muttering to herself in a very small voice.

“…Could it be Camilla too…?”

‘…Huh? Camilla too what?’

I couldn’t understand what she was saying at all, but Lina didn’t say anything more and pretended to focus on Camilla’s explanation again.

Camilla’s explanation continued for a long time.

The terrain of the Farm, the expected types and numbers of magical beasts, the division of roles, and emergency response procedures.

It seemed like she had prepared quite thoroughly.

Finally, she folded the map and said.

“Then, since we need to focus on our individual studies until the written exam, let’s have group meetings regularly only once a week.”

With Camilla’s words, the long and tedious first group project meeting finally came to an end.

I stretched my stiff neck and stood up from my seat.

I wanted to go back to the dormitory and rest as soon as possible.

But then, Lea, who had been sitting quietly without saying much during the meeting, suddenly approached me.

Perhaps because she was stuck between the high-ranking Lady of the ducal family, she had been quite subdued and had almost no presence throughout the meeting.

She suddenly stood in front of me and abruptly held out a book.

A plain-looking book with a brown cover. But the title written on it was anything but ordinary.

 

‘…?’

I looked at Lea with a what-is-this expression.

What is that title, and why is she giving it to me?

Is she subtly dissing me?

Does it mean something like ‘a villainess like you doesn’t deserve to be saved’?

But Lea just looked up at me with sparkling eyes and said.

“…Please sign it, Lady Bennett!”

“?????”

‘…Huh?’

A signature? Why me? On this book?

I couldn’t say anything and just alternated between looking at Lea and the book she was holding out with a bewildered expression.

Lea, regardless of my reaction, was still looking at me with an expression full of anticipation.

‘…No, seriously, what is this?’

I couldn’t bear to ignore her sparkling gaze, so I ended up taking the book and pen she held out to me without knowing why.

‘<The Villainess Does Not Need Salvation>. What kind of title is that?’

I awkwardly scribbled my name on the inside of the book cover.

As soon as I signed it, a very disappointed expression suddenly appeared on Lea’s face.

The sparkling look she had just a moment ago was nowhere to be found, and she had the face of a child who was disappointed because they didn’t get the gift they were expecting.

“…….”

She took the book I handed her and was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply and said.

“…I’m disappointed.”

And then, without saying anything more, she turned around and left as quickly as she had come.

I blankly stared at the end of the hallway where she had disappeared.

No… what was that about?

I did it because you asked me to!

‘Seriously, what is it…?’

“What’s with that woman? Yeon?”

Lina began to glare at the hallway where she had disappeared with a fierce expression.

Why are you doing that again…

Author’s Note

I’m sorry… I’m very late…

The exam will be over in a week, so the update cycle will be normalized to some extent.

Thank you for reading!