The Villain Wants to Change Genres

Chapter 76

“What will change by doing that? In the end, I’m the one who needs to change…”

Nadian patted my shoulder and gave a rather cool smile.

“You know, you’re actually quite delicate unlike your appearance? There’s no need to be swayed by false rumors. Just live confidently.”

His voice tone was high. It seemed like he wanted to change the mood. Should I go along with what he wants? I smiled faintly as I responded.

“I’ll try. Thanks for comforting me…”

“Do you want to hang out with us from now on? Actually, I’ve been worried seeing you alone all the time. But I didn’t have the courage to properly talk to you.”

Nadian looked a bit embarrassed. It seems he’s decided to treat me comfortably, but he still appears nervous, probably still finding me difficult to approach.

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah. Norman and Cadin have been concerned about you too.”

“Actually… I wanted to become friends with you guys too.”

I put on the brightest smile I could manage. I’m not that difficult to approach. Come on, guys, let’s be friends. Help me out a bit. I’ll make it worth your while.

I planned to give them what they needed most once things were resolved. I don’t know what they want yet, but if I pay attention and observe, I’ll find the answer.

* * *

‘I’ll be able to see young master tomorrow.’

The sun still high in the sky felt frustrating. Luwen made a shade with his hand and looked up at the sky. The sunlight was dazzling. Why won’t it set already?

“Hey, Luwen. About Norman from the Medical Department. I heard he came here to seduce the upper class. But why did he ignore me? Don’t I look like a noble? When I tried to talk to him, he just walked past me. And there was this big guy hovering around him like a bodyguard, so I couldn’t even catch him properly.”

Drabis grumbled and let out a deep sigh.

“He was totally my type…”

Luwen frowned, feeling disgusted by the dreamy look in Drabis’s eyes.

“How long are you going to talk about that person? I told you I’m not interested.”

“Why? I found you a restaurant that meets your conditions, didn’t I?”

“And we had a match because of that.”

“I even planned a perfect date course as a bonus, and you can’t even listen to my chatter? Huh? Are you not going to ask for favors anymore? Don’t you need my information? You don’t even know the famous spots around here.”

Drabis lifted his chin proudly. Somehow, it felt like he had caught a weakness, but imagining Fei’s happiness made everything alright.

‘If young master is happy, it’s indeed just a bit of chatter.’

He could just listen with one ear and let it go out the other. If it wasn’t related to Fei, it wouldn’t have been possible at all.

Luwen looked up at the sky once more. The sun seemed to be in the exact same position, as if it would stay there forever. Luwen clicked his tongue briefly and adjusted his grip on his sword.

“Break time is over.”

“Ugh… Why is sweet time always so short…”

For the first time, Luwen agreed with Drabis’s thoughts. He moved his body, wishing the weekend was much longer.

* * *

Finally, the last lecture on Friday ended. Tomorrow morning, I can leave the academy.

With a light heart, I was organizing my textbooks and standing up when I heard whispering directed at me.

“Should I make a move on him too?”

“Doesn’t your family run a ranch? You think he’d be interested?”

“Don’t look down on me. My family is rich.”

“Don’t you know the nobles from the Swordsmanship Department got rejected? He didn’t even look at them.”

I looked at them with a gloomy face, and they avoided my gaze while changing the subject. The real me wouldn’t be swayed by such rumors, but I had to show this to my roommates, so it was tiring to act depressed every time.

I desperately wanted to return to the mansion and spend time with Luwen. It was frustrating that the innocent Norman, hurt by rumors, had to be careful with his behavior and couldn’t go see Luwen even though he was nearby. With anger building up and no way to release it, I felt like I might fall ill from stress.

‘The source of the rumors doesn’t seem to be that smart. I want to get rid of them quickly.’

My suspicion that someone was maliciously spreading rumors had solidified over the past few days.

According to Nadian’s investigation, no one knew about my third rumor on Monday. He said he didn’t go into details, fearing he might contribute to spreading the rumor, and only asked if they had heard any other rumors. However, as Wednesday passed, the number of people who knew gradually increased, and now it seemed like everyone knew.

‘What am I… It’s kind of funny how widely it has spread.’

Thanks to quick action, four suspicious individuals had been narrowed down as suspects. This was thanks to Nadian bringing a list of people who couldn’t properly answer where they heard the rumors. Tracing back always led to one of those four.

And they all belonged to the president’s group.

‘My gut feeling is that the president bastard is the culprit, but…’

Nadian still firmly believed in the president. So it seemed he was trying to find someone who whispered to the president, but I’m not sure. If we properly interrogate just one of the four, wouldn’t we be able to hear that the president ordered it?

But.

‘It’s not time yet.’

To properly punish the one who slandered me, it’s right to stay put like this for now. The time I’ve suffered is too short to reveal it now.

There will surely be a group trying to dismiss this as a simple misunderstanding, claiming they don’t want to become the aggressor. To prevent them from raising their voices, there needed to be many people feeling guilty.

In other words, the longer I suffer, the more I can drive those trying to gloss over it into becoming trash, and I can definitely bury the culprit socially.

Above all, the people watching from behind needed a chance to feel that the truth of the rumors was strange. Especially important were people like Shatrina, who was now walking towards me.

“Norman. See you next week.”

I quickly tried to erase my gloomy expression and raised the corners of my mouth. The point is to show a slightly distorted smile, as it shouldn’t look too nonchalant. A look of concern flashed across Shatrina’s face.

“Yeah. Take care, Shatrina.”

Still, I made sure my voice sounded bright. After all, people don’t like it when someone constantly looks gloomy. For now, it was also important to gain favorability.

Shatrina smiled at me and then turned her gaze to the side.

“Nadian too!”

“Sis, you worked hard too! See you next week!”

Nadian greeted her while placing his arm on my shoulder. Shatrina was one of the people who didn’t believe my rumors because of her friendship with him. Fortunately, thanks to Nadian’s innate friendliness, there were quite a few such people.

They were divided into those who treated me normally like Shatrina, and those who kept their distance while feeling sorry about getting involved in the rumors. Either way, they were people who would speak up for me given the chance.

People tend to find courage when they believe themselves to be just and realize it’s a fight they’ll definitely win. Moreover, if it’s for a commoner who’s been unfairly accused? I was looking forward to seeing quite a few people move, if only to shake off their guilt.

Once opinions supporting me become the majority, people swayed by mob psychology will increase, and when those interested in new prey join in due to the reversed public opinion, I’ll end up winning.

‘When they tried to bury one person, they should have been prepared for the possibility of it happening to them.’

But what if they didn’t prepare because they were as arrogant as me? It’s not my concern. As long as I feel satisfied.

The next morning. As I was getting up early and packing my things, little Norman approached me.

“Are you taking your textbooks?”

“Yeah. I need to study on the weekend too.”

“I think you’re pushing yourself too hard. You had a nosebleed the day before yesterday… Couldn’t you rest on the weekend?”

I smiled faintly at his worried advice and then quietly looked at the bag full of textbooks. There was a book stained with blood among them. The nosebleed wasn’t intentional, but dropping it on the textbook was deliberate.

The more evidence there is to prove that Norman is studying hard to clear his name, the better. To show that my thoughts were firm, I gripped the bag tightly and said,

“I need to be first in the class. That’s the only way people will believe me. That I didn’t enter with those intentions.”

“You’re not sleeping much either. You might collapse at this rate… I think it would be okay even if you’re not first…”

That’s true. If it was just for proof, there would be no need to obsess over being first. But since I also aim to apply for the knight order’s subjugation team coming in summer, it’s better to say this now.

Above all, to supplement the plausibility of suddenly becoming first in class despite my low entrance scores, I had to push myself. Originally, I didn’t plan to be this stubborn, but circumstances changed, so I was deliberately acting more excessively.

‘Since their goal seems to be slandering me, they might spread other rumors when I become first. Like saying I didn’t achieve the grades with my own power.’

Of course, this wasn’t certain since I didn’t remember making enemies with anyone to the extent that they would corner me like this. That’s why the president seemed more likely to be the culprit.

‘The reason is… probably because of the welcoming party representative.’

He openly disliked me becoming the representative, so I couldn’t think of anything else.

I found out that an envoy from the imperial palace regularly visits the academy, and the welcoming party was a kind of party to receive him. They couldn’t have someone surrounded by suspicious rumors in such a position, could they?

Moreover, the rapid spread of rumors started two days later. Perhaps it was quiet until then because I refused the representative position.

‘If I was mentioned again…’

It seemed plausible as a reason for the rumors growing since Wednesday. I still can’t understand why I’m mentioned as the department representative, but there was no other suitable reason.

‘If the president’s goal is the imperial envoy, he would want to become the representative and make an impression.’