HSTAV 07

Chapter 7

I lay down on the old dormitory bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, replaying what had just happened.

— …Well, this is only the part that’s been officially documented. I’m sure it’s not the whole story. Anyway, please take care, Sir Camon.

Just before I left, the head maid had blown out a thick puff of cigarette smoke and told me that.

“Yeah, that makes sense. No way… someone that vile could’ve stopped at just that. Of course, he must’ve done worse.”

But still—

‘Isn’t this going a bit too far?’

Sure, I figured the actual world might not perfectly match how it was written in the novel.

But this… this was on a whole different level.

“Damn it, this is driving me nuts.”

What the hell was the author thinking, writing this bastard as some petty, third-rate villain?

“Ugh, forget it. No wonder the novel tanked!”

Kicking at the bed, I vented my frustration for a while, then slumped back down with a sigh.

“…Should I just bail?”

Wouldn’t it be better to ditch this place, instead of living in constant danger?

I could scrape by doing some small trade, or just pick up manual labor and still survive, right?

No, wait. I had knowledge from the 21st century.

Soap, explosives, hot springs, steelmaking, generators…

Even if I couldn’t go all-in on the clichés of reincarnation novels, I could at least fake a few of them, right?

“…No, no, that’s not it.”

Why should I leave?

They give me food, shelter, safety, and comfort here. Why would I walk away from that?

I fought so hard to get in here—so I’d better grit my teeth and hold on until the end.

“Yeah, screw it. Worst case, I just die, right?”

I really did consider the possibility.

What if I suddenly got attacked?

With all the crimes and grudges this body had piled up, I could easily get stabbed in an alley or blown up by a spell one day.

And now I wasn’t even a noble anymore—I’d been demoted to a commoner.

“Then I just die, that’s all.”

Even though I said that, I was already running some cold calculations inside.

‘Still… Camon Bade’s infamy and fear factor should hold up for now. Maybe people won’t dare touch me so easily because of it.’

Which meant…

“I have no choice. I must become the perfect Camon Bade.”

Not in the sense of committing his atrocities again, but at least maintaining his aura of fear and his reputation.

“Alright, Camon Bade.”

I don’t know how I ended up possessing your body.

‘But from now on, I’ll live as you.’

And for now—

“I’ll just stay inside as much as possible. No need to take risks.”

I could keep living as Camon Bade, but I also had to preserve my own life.

Not that I was too scared to go out, no way.

Really.

Thud!

After wandering around the Academy for a bit, I returned to my dorm and quickly peeled off the oversized coat I’d been wearing.

“Yes, this is it.”

Thump!

“Rule number one of survival—loot.”

In my hands were papers wrapped around warm steak and bread.

“Do you know how many survival games I’ve played?”

PUB**, Day**, Rust, Last**—I didn’t even have enough fingers to count them.

This stash would easily last me for several days.

Chomp chomp!

‘…As long as the ceiling doesn’t suddenly cave in while I’m asleep.’

I looked around at the still-creaking state of my room and sighed.

“Fine, let’s fix this mess while I’m at it.”

Tap tap!
Rattle rattle!
Bang bang!

Dragging in some supplies from outside the dorm, I patched up the worst of the room.

“Whew, now it actually feels livable!”

I threw myself onto the bed.

Creak.

There was still a faint sound, but gone was that terrifying sensation that the whole thing would collapse any second.

“There we go…”

With the repairs and cleaning all done, I lay there with satisfaction, surveying my domain.

The bookshelf on the right held neatly stacked packaged bread.

On the desk in front, hidden inside the drawers, were boxes of cookies and chocolate bars.

And inside the wardrobe—

“Oh, I’ll need more dry ice.”

There were sterilized cartons of juice and milk, and next to them, a container of dry ice I’d nabbed from the herb lab, still letting off white vapor.

A lucky find during my scavenging runs around the Academy.

“Hehehehehe.”

I couldn’t help but grin—no, cackle.

This was the fruit of my decision to lay low and live unnoticed.

‘A lot’s happened already.’

Sneaking steaks and bread from the cafeteria.

Raiding labs for dry ice and ice blocks, stealing disguises to move around unseen.

Swiping essentials like toilet paper, shampoo, and soap.

“Just looking at it makes me feel proud. I’m set, I’m solid!”

Six months? A year? Maybe I could even last until graduation.

“As long as they don’t kick me out again, anyway.”

For the first time, it felt like I had some agency in this world.

“Would’ve been nice if I found canned food too… oh well. No point being greedy on the first day.”

Even if I was missing a few things, there was no need to rush.

Thinking that, I stood up and faced a cracked mirror I’d found somewhere.

‘Chin higher, eyes full of disdain… lips curled into a sneer—like I’m looking down on worms.’

Yes, that was it.

Taking on a pose that screamed contempt and arrogance, I opened my mouth.

“You filthy commoners dare—no, wait, you lowly nobles dare!”

The cringe was so strong I almost lost it.

No, endure it. Try again!

“You fools. You should all just—ugh.”

Arghhh.

I couldn’t do it.

“Damn it, how the hell am I supposed to pull this off in real life?”

Flop!

I collapsed back onto the bed.

“Actors really are amazing, huh…”

Just as I was developing newfound respect for professional actors—

Knock knock.

“Hm?”

I thought I heard knocking on my door.

Was I imagining things?

Knock knock.

There it was again.

‘Who could that be?’

No one should have any reason to come here.

‘No, just ignore it. Pretend I’m not home. They’ll leave.’

Why stir up trouble?

Knock knock.

“Sir Camon, please open the door.”

…Huh?

That voice sounded familiar.

“I know you’re inside. Open up.”

Wait—that was the head maid’s voice.

Click, creak!

I opened the door. There she was, smiling sweetly, holding something heavy in one hand.

“Hello, Sir Camon. What were you doing? You took a while to answer.”

“…What brings you here all of a sudden?”

“I have a few messages to deliver, including one from Professor Dellon.”

“Professor Dellon?”

“Here, take this first.”

Thump.

“…A letter?”

“Yes, letters from the professors addressed to you.”

Professors? Writing to me?

Why?

“Ah, and Professor Dellon said if you don’t attend Dungeon Studies tomorrow, he’ll fail you. He was furious, asking why you haven’t shown up yet even though your suspension ended ages ago.”

“…What?”

Classes? Fail? My suspension ended?

What the hell did I just hear?

“The letters say pretty much the same thing.”

“W-wait, hold on.”

I interrupted her to confirm what I’d heard.

“You’re saying… my suspension is over?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“When?”

“You didn’t get the notice?”

“What notice?”

“I heard your suspension was lifted last week. No, it was lifted.”

What?

It ended last week?

“They said it was reduced since you were forcibly removed from Elijah Hall. The punishment was already severe, so they lightened the rest.”

“…Why?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, why would they suddenly reduce my punishment like that?”

“…?”

She tilted her head at me.

“Isn’t a lighter punishment a good thing? Why do you sound disappointed—”

“N-no, it’s great! I’ve been waiting for this, so I’m just… overjoyed you finally brought me the news, hahahaha.”

I laughed awkwardly.

“Well, it is a little odd. Normally the Student Council or the Academic Office would’ve informed you directly…”

She trailed off, then shrugged as if to say “who cares.”

“Anyway, you know you’ve already been marked absent without leave for two days, right?”

“…Absent?”

“Yes, unexcused absences.”

“Wait. I wasn’t even told my suspension ended, and now I’m marked absent? That’s ridiculous!”

“Maybe you should take that up with the Academic Office instead of me.”

She continued with her errands.

“If you miss tomorrow as well, you really might get failed.”

Creak.

Just as she was about to close the door, she seemed to remember something.

“Oh, by the way—just in case. You do know that if you fail even one more subject this semester, you’ll be expelled, right?”

“…What?”

“You sure do like repeating questions, Sir Camon. Well then, I’ll be off.”

Bang!

“…”

What the hell was that?

If I skip class, I fail. And if I fail even one subject, I’m expelled?

“…Okay, stay calm. Let’s sort this out.”

I immediately tore open the other letters.

Sure enough, they all said the same thing.

“Damn it. I was just starting to get used to things here!”

Even if I tried to stay low, the world wouldn’t leave me alone. Grinding my teeth, I muttered—

“Fine. I’ll just crash through it. Yeah, that’s the only way.”

Careful planning? Cautious strategy?

Forget that.

“What’s the point, when I’ll be kicked out if I don’t go to class?”

Maybe… this was actually a good chance.

“Yeah. Might as well. I’ll take this opportunity to learn magic, swordsmanship, or whatever.”

Back in school, I was actually a decent student. This was an Academy, after all—how hard could learning be?

Right?