A Beginner’s Guide to Being a Scoundrel

Chapter 135

Chapter 135

The day after finishing all schedules in the Holy Kingdom and returning to the Academy.

With a few days still left before the semester ended, I was attending classes like the other students.

Of course, even though I said I was attending, I was only half-listening with one ear and spacing out. It wasn’t just me—overall, that was the atmosphere. After all, everyone had just returned from an adventure because of the third-semester exams.

Alice was sleeping face-down as if it were only natural, and even Elysia, who always listened diligently in class, was dozing slightly.

Diark was stuck close to Maria, fidgeting and fooling around, and by the time I looked at Werner, he was wearing a complicated expression and letting out sighs nonstop.

‘That’s only natural.’

After Sword Marshal General Isaac ascended the throne, the Kingdom of Demedrio was quickly finding stability.

Since he had swept away, in one stroke, the factions gnawing at the country—including the Anti-Imperial Faction—there were even opinions saying that in some respects the nation had become more vibrant than before.

To Werner personally, Isaac was the mortal enemy who had killed his father, but from the standpoint of a prince, he was a leader who had laid the groundwork for reviving the country.

Moreover, Werner himself hadn’t even graduated from the Academy yet, merely carrying the title of prince in name alone.

It was unfortunate, but there was nothing I could do for him. For now, all that could be done was wait.

‘What’s right in front of me right now is the Gathering of Sword Masters, huh.’

As I covered Alice’s face with a book while she whimpered in her sleep, I frowned slightly.

Why had he suddenly moved up the schedule of the gathering?

My fief was located not far from the Sword Saint’s territory. I had planned to drop by while heading down there during vacation, but now it looked like I would have to go even before visiting my own land.

Knock knock-.

“According to officially compiled historical records……. Hm? Teacher Delke, what brings you here?”

In the middle of class, a familiar-faced man came looking for us.

When the elderly teacher, who had been passionately lecturing on the Empire’s war history, voiced his confusion, the man bowed slightly in apology for interrupting the lesson and spoke.

“Ah, it’s nothing serious. The Headmaster has summoned student Ostia.”

At Delke’s appearance, ripples spread through the previously quiet classroom. Standing by the doorway, he gave me a subtle look, and I rose from my seat with a reluctant expression.

‘Chris is calling me?’

I had already talked about what happened in the Holy Kingdom and various other matters yesterday. There shouldn’t have been any reason to pull me out of class for something trivial.

“It’s been a while, Teacher. I heard you went along as an escort for the journey to the Holy Kingdom—sounds like something else came up.”

“An urgent matter, that’s all. More importantly, I heard things got noisier than expected.”

“I didn’t expect it to turn out that way either.”

While heading to the Headmaster’s office, I made some light small talk with him. I casually asked whether he knew why Chris had called for me, but he shook his head, saying he didn’t know either.

“Then, I’ll be off.”

When we arrived near the Headmaster’s office, Delke said we’d talk again later and left. I slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

“It’s been a while. Ah, should I call you Hero now?”

The interior looked the same as yesterday, but the old man seated inside was completely unexpected.

“…Is that really what you pulled a disciple out of class for, just to say?”

Sword Saint Yohanel was sitting on the sofa, looking at me with a mischievous smile.

“I didn’t hear that this one would be coming either. He suddenly barged in…….”

When I looked toward Chris, she too shook her head with a slight frown, as if she hadn’t known the Sword Saint would come. Seeing that, the Sword Saint spoke with a faintly disappointed expression.

“We’re all in the same boat now—won’t you even welcome this old man anymore?”

“Old man? You’re a human absurdly younger than me.”

“Well, that’s true.”

He brushed off Chris’s incredulous retort lightly, then gestured for me, still standing by the door, to sit across from him.

“I’ve already heard most things from her. The judgment not to reveal who the real Hero was deserves praise.”

“I didn’t do it for praise, but hearing you say that does make me feel good.”

As I said that, I subtly shifted my gaze around him. As if reading my look asking whether he’d really come empty-handed just to praise me, the Sword Saint grinned and spoke.

“That’s exactly why I came in person. You heard from her, didn’t you? That the gathering I host every year will be held next week.”

“Yes. I was wondering about that myself. It’s usually held at the end of the year.”

When I asked if there was a reason, he nodded lightly.

“With the existence of demons and Majin rising to the surface, and the name of the Hero spreading as well, it’s time for me to move in earnest.”

‘So that’s why he gathered the Sword Masters.’

It wasn’t a bad idea. Sword Masters were key military assets of their respective nations and mostly held important posts.

Especially with what happened in the Holy Kingdom becoming a hot topic and warnings already spreading across nations.

In such a situation, if ‘the Sword Saint himself’ spoke directly to the Sword Masters about demons and Majin, conveying information and the dangers, the weight would be entirely different.

“And I intend to introduce the newly emerged Sword Master as well.”

At the Sword Saint’s gaze, I let out a bitter smile.

“The rumors have already spread far and wide.”

While walking the Pilgrim’s Path, I had defeated Holy Kingdom Paladins left and right, and even gotten into a full-blown scuffle with Agares. It would have been stranger if no rumors had spread.

“Even so, you are this body’s disciple. With your merits as well, establishing your status properly wouldn’t be bad. It’s about time you washed away that butcher’s stigma, wouldn’t you?”

“…Is that so.”

At the Sword Saint’s final words, I closed my mouth.

No matter what I did, the image of a butcher that had taken root for over a decade followed me everywhere. Yet hearing that I could finally put an end to it stirred a strange feeling.

“You’ve worked hard.”

The Sword Saint stood up and patted my shoulder. Even if what he envisioned differed from my actual circumstances, those words alone were a great comfort to me.

This journey to the Holy Kingdom seemed to have stimulated not just me, but everyone.

Right after returning to the Academy, Alice and Elysia sparred whenever they had time, often continuing late into the night.

Leysias and Yuria also resumed private magic lessons under Gawain, and even Diark and Maria, who were always glued together, appeared at the training grounds often—it seemed they weren’t just playing around.

With only a few days left until the end of the semester, after all Academy classes ended, I called out to Werner, who was getting up to leave.

“Let’s talk for a bit.”

He nodded slightly at my words and sat back down. Once everyone else had left the classroom, I perched on the desk in front of him and spoke.

“You look pretty troubled these days.”

“…I guess so.”

He shrugged, saying I already knew what it was about. I let out a small sigh.

At this point, there was no way for me to resolve his worries.

If killing Isaac and reclaiming the throne were all it took, I could have done that without hesitation, but the risks were far too great.

“Obsession over a problem you can’t solve right away is foolish too. I told you, didn’t I? The opportunity will definitely come.”

“…You did.”

But as long as one was human, it wasn’t possible to wait forever. That was why I said this to him.

“There’s going to be a Gathering of Sword Masters at the Sword Saint’s territory.”

“A Gathering of Sword Masters?”

At those words, Werner lifted his head. Since he walked the path of the sword as well, he must have heard of it.

“ The Sword Saint intended to speak to the Sword Masters gathered there about demons and Majin. And Isaac would probably be there as well. ”

He was the king of a nation—but rather, precisely because he was king, it was a position he couldn’t afford to miss.

The Kingdom of Demedrio served as a buffer zone guarding the borders between the Empire and other kingdoms. For them to survive, borrowing the strength of foreign powers was inevitable. An event like the Sword Saint’s gathering was not something they could skip.

“ We have one card that can be used to strike at Isaac. ”

“ A card? ”

At those words, Werner’s eyes gleamed. During the Academic Festival, the rebellion that had occurred in the Kingdom of Demedrio had clearly involved Majin forces.

In this world, there were countless ways to reveal truth and falsehood. A sworn document, or simply asking an artifact whether he had colluded with Majin—that would be enough.

If, in a place where countless influential figures from across the continent had gathered, the fact that he had colluded with Majin were revealed—

Seizing the throne outright might be difficult, but it would still deal a tremendous blow.

‘Of course, things wouldn’t go that smoothly.’

Isaac was a sharp-minded man.

Until the end of the original story, there was never any mention of him colluding with Majin forces. How thoroughly and meticulously had he hidden it for that to be possible?

Still, even the attempt itself was something that could advance multiple matters at once.

“ Because of what happened in the Holy Kingdom, it’s been revealed that even someone at the level of a Paladin can have a demon possess their body. If such beings had taken root in Isaac’s body as well, there couldn’t be a better outcome than that. ”

No matter how strong an enemy appeared, if dozens of Sword Masters charged together, he would be slaughtered without even being able to resist.

And there was also the Sword Saint there—stronger than everyone present combined.

“…I see.”

When I said that much, vitality finally returned to Werner’s eyes. Thinking it was an idea worth trying, he clenched both fists and lifted his head.

“ Then all I have to do is keep watch on my uncle’s movements, right? ”

“ Correct. ”

Seeing him already identify what he needed to do, it seemed he had sorted out his thoughts to some extent.

To be honest, the talk about Isaac had been something I came up with on the spot. Originally, I’d planned to simply attend the Sword Saint’s gathering and discuss matters related to my fief, but this approach felt like it would motivate him more, so I changed direction.

“ Then until the gathering, should we spar like Alice and the others? ”

“…Spar? ”

Werner’s eyes filled with confusion at the sudden mention of sparring. In response, I grinned and continued.

“ Yeah. You’ll be participating in the gathering as my attendant. I need to raise your level to a decent point, at least. ”

Even in his current state, he had grown far faster than in the original story, but with irregulars lurking everywhere, I had no intention of just watching idly.

Anything that could become fighting strength, I would nurture as much as possible. Werner had talent in his own right, so if I pushed him hard for a few days, I figured he’d grow quite a bit.

The underground prison of the Holy Kingdom.

It was usually a place where heretics, or criminals who had committed sins of a similar level, were confined.

In the past, when heretical sects had run rampant across the continent, it was often used, but in recent years, no one had been imprisoned here.

However, during this exchange event with Bayern Academy, a man had been incarcerated for attempting to commit disgraceful acts so vile they were shameful even to speak of, especially given his position as a Holy Kingdom official.

Those who stood ahead were meant to serve as examples for those who followed. Yet he had not only committed sin as a Holy Kingdom official, but the fact that the witness was the Saintess made the gravity of his crime even heavier.

Now, he was alone in the cold prison, waiting for the punishment that would come.

Not knowing how many days had passed, the man knelt on his cot, repeating prayers that received no answer, wailing endlessly.

Step. Step.

Then one day, at the sound of footsteps walking through the empty underground corridor, the man’s eyes flew open.

There were no guards stationed here. Meals were nothing more than lumps that barely deserved to be called food, dropped periodically through a chute. So the man placed his hope in the fact that someone had come.

“ Brother. ”

“ Ah, Priest. ”

And that hope did not betray him. Clinging to the iron bars, the man looked at the visitor who had come to see him and shed tears.

“ I did everything you told me to do. But I was discovered by that damned woman…… ”

“ You’re certain you put the drug into the champagne and had the girl called Alice drink it, correct? ”

“ Y-Yes, she definitely drank it! I saw with my own eyes her drinking the champagne with the sedative and that black powder mixed in! So please, save me…… ”

He begged to be saved, saying he had done exactly as instructed. The one standing before him nodded with a benevolent smile.

“ Of course I should help you. ”

“ Ah, thank you. Thank you. ”

“…That’s what I would have said originally, but unfortunately, you were caught by the Saintess, which has given us quite the headache. ”

“…What? ”

The man’s face stiffened. He tightened his grip on the bars and spoke.

“ I-If this continues, I’ll really die. I-If you don’t want your name to come out of my mouth……! ”

“ Which is why I came. To save you from sin. ”

“ Then…… ”

At those words, the man’s expression, which had seemed plunged into despair, brightened again. But it didn’t take long for it to turn pale.

Splaash-!

The priest’s face split open, and a monster whose form defied description burst forth.

The man trembled, his teeth chattering as he staggered backward, but as if that were meaningless, the monster opened its maw, crossed the iron bars in an instant, and swallowed the man whole.

Crack. Crunch.

Only the sounds of bones and flesh twisting echoed through the silent prison. And when his form returned to what it had been before—

“ Hm. ”

The priest, wearing a satisfied smile, turned his steps and left the prison as if nothing had happened.