Chapter 86: Festival, sincerity, and foreshadowing of the finale Part 1

One thing I finally realized this time:

It wasn’t me that was wrong.

From the beginning, it was this world itself that was flawed.

‘I kept failing, so I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. Perhaps if I left it to someone else, things might turn out differently.’

But the results turned out to be the same.

Excluding Schulte’s final act of betrayal, the other attempts were more plausible than I had initially thought.

But none of them worked, which clearly proves the situation.

It wasn’t that my plans were flawed—it was simply bad luck.

It wasn’t that I lacked the skill to get myself fired; it was just that my misfortune was truly extraordinary.

‘I can’t trust leaving this to someone else.’

Efforts to get fired.

‘Who else would have gained experience trying such bizarre things? I’m the only one who would dare attempt it.’

Since my life literally depends on getting fired, no one can match my motivation or passion.

Unlike Schulte’s betrayal, I don’t have to worry about betraying myself.

‘This is my battle.’

With that thought, I steeled my resolve.

Even if the plans are flawless, there’s still the problem of “unreasonable interference.” But how do you solve something like that?

The demerits caused by my accumulated failures will only hinder me.

‘How could I overcome this absurdly favorable tide against me and lay the groundwork for dismissal? It was a headache, to say the least.’

But now I was ready.

I would sacrifice one thing to gain another.

To survive, I wouldn’t hesitate to use any means necessary.

• It’s time to resort to something unethical.

The most terrible crime imaginable.

Today, I planned to commit a crime so heinous it couldn’t even be spoken aloud.

‘Well, not murder, obviously.’

‘Murder? Killing another human being? Especially an innocent person unrelated to my situation just to save myself?’

That’s not a matter of conscience—it’s a matter of basic human decency.

And frankly, it’s not even practical.

‘Murder is too trivial a crime, anyway.’

It wouldn’t be shocking enough to seal the deal on getting fired.

It’s too trivial and petty—barely even worthy of being called a crime.

If this sounds absurd, consider for a moment what kind of world we’re dealing with here.

This is an academy-themed web novel.

Tracing its roots, it probably connects to Harry Potter, but ultimately, it’s a Korean-style web novel.

That means it has the element of “satisfaction” added.

‘Have you ever seen a web novel protagonist without a history of murder?’

In this genre, killing an annoying character without hesitation is practically a trend.

There are hardly any readers—if any—who would be upset by such a thing.

Even if the character insults, mocks, betrays, and harms the protagonist, no one would argue, “Well, murder is bad, so the protagonist shouldn’t do it.”

‘…But if it’s “sexual harassment,” that’s a different story.’

In a general, all-ages web novel—not an adult story—if the protagonist were to suddenly engage in inappropriate behavior in a first-person perspective, the comment section would explode.

Blacklist, public shaming, review bombing, and complaints—it would spiral into chaos.

In this world, harassment was a more heinous crime than murder.

Of course, the repugnance it brings is a significant obstacle.

‘I don’t actually have to commit a crime, though.’

As long as I walk the fine line without crossing it… I could justify trying it for survival.

I’d create an incredibly suspicious atmosphere.

I’d overtly act like a pervert to attract attention.

The guards would receive complaints and find themselves shocked that Professor Riyan had been hiding such a secret life.

Soon after, headlines would dominate the news.

[The Double Life of a New Professor]

[Professor Riyan’s Secret Perversion Exposed]

[Shocking Flood of Victim Testimonies Leaves Everyone Feeling Betrayed]

If such rumors spread, victory would be guaranteed.

No one could deny my incompetence in battle at this point.

What I needed to target was a flaw in my personal life.

If I caused a scandal and was socially ruined, I couldn’t possibly remain as a teacher in a school that educates children.

The logic was indisputable.

With this determination, I waited for the right time.

***

Before long, the perfect opportunity arrived.

An episode that’s a staple in academy-themed stories:

The Royal Academy’s festival had begun.

The surroundings buzzed with excitement.

Crowds gathered in throngs, with entertainment everywhere.

Students of the academy were enjoying the festival like any normal day.

Everything seemed ordinary, no matter how you looked at it.

The only reason why those broken, messed-up kids looked so normal was because of one thing:

‘See? Getting fired really is for everyone’s benefit.’

It’s because I wasn’t there.

As long as it wasn’t an incident involving the new professor, the students acted like kids their age.

A perfectly crafted disguise.

To blend in as an outsider participating in the festival, I changed out of my professor’s suit and altered my hair and eye color.

It would have been more convenient to use a concealment spell instead of wigs or contact lenses, but maintaining the spell would have drained too much mana and been inefficient.

My goal was simply to appear suspicious.

I wore a mask and sunglasses, concealing my face entirely.

With my eyes, nose, and mouth hidden, there was no need to complicate matters with perception distortion.

I had infiltrated the festival as a perfectly shady character.

‘Do I really need this much of a disguise?’

It didn’t hurt to be thorough.

This cruel world seemed intent on working against me.

If I happened to encounter a fanatic who would rejoice in my alleged perversion, or if the situation spiraled out of control, I wouldn’t be able to handle it in my current state.

So, I pulled my hat down low and wandered around.

I wandered and… wandered some more.

I wandered again and again, continuously.

‘…This is turning out to be way more frustrating than I thought.’

Of course, committing an actual crime was a no-go.

The goal was solely to create a scandal.

It had to remain an attempted act, yet it needed to be provocative enough to warrant a report to the guards.

If this were simple, that would have been strange in itself.

The plan wasn’t progressing at all.

All I could do was observe, unable to take action.

Various scenes came into view.

***

The chairwoman darted around, eyes sparkling, while the administrative director chased after her in a frenzy.

The saintess, still moving like a shadow, crawled under a food stall.

‘Was she looking for me?’ Professor Scott, meanwhile, wandered around scanning the surroundings.

Then my gaze stopped abruptly.

It wasn’t the dragon ancestor in a mascot costume, sneaking into the festival for fun.

That sort of thing happened all the time.

No, it was something far stranger.

People more suspicious than I was.

Men in black suits whispering among themselves.

Words like “deal” and “drugs” floated into my ears—undeniably suspicious terms.

I quickly predicted what was about to happen.

It would’ve been stranger not to foresee it.

An academy story and a festival.

‘Isn’t there always one word that comes to mind in such a scenario?’

***

…Kidnapping.

Ah.

In light novels heavily influenced by academy settings, this is a common cliché.

A kidnapped heroine to be rescued, or a kidnapping prevented with the use of original story knowledge—something like that likely happened here.

Logically, the simplest thing to do would be to report it anonymously.

Getting unnecessarily involved would only make things more complicated.

But for some reason, I didn’t want to do that.

My original plan was already at a standstill.

A thought came to mind.

‘…Couldn’t I use this to my advantage?’

There isn’t only one way to escape.

‘What if it wasn’t me resigning, but external forces making it impossible for me to stay?’

‘What if I were sold as a slave somewhere?’

‘Dragged to a distant country outside the empire?’

‘What if I lost my memory due to the trauma of torture?’

Unavoidable force majeure.

It wouldn’t be my fault—it’d be the criminals’ fault.

Nobody could blame me for that.

Of course, there was no guarantee it would go smoothly.

Even if they kidnapped me, whether they used me as a test subject, harvested my organs, or sold me as a slave would be up to them.

But I had some power.

While I couldn’t fight the demon king or anything like that, I could handle small-time organizations.

If they didn’t want to sell me as a slave to a distant country, I just had to make them feel like doing so.

There was nothing to lose.

I let a wicked smile spread across my face.

Equality between men and women is the standard nowadays.

There’s no gender distinction in roles anymore.

…It was time for me to play the damsel in distress.