How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

“Dale, sit down. Why are you letting her do anything?” Vinny folded his arms. “That gap is enough for her to squeeze through. This is the one time that body of hers actually comes in handy.”

“Eh? That... wouldn’t be very nice, would it?” Shicodale looked extremely troubled.

For some reason, Vinny, who usually seemed quite mature, became terribly childish whenever he ran into Aesphyra.

“There’s no need to make way for me, Dale.” Just when Shicodale was caught in a dilemma, Aesphyra spoke first. “I understand what Vinny means.”

“Huh?” Shicodale looked baffled, not understanding what Aesphyra meant.

“What I mean? What do I mean?” Not only did Shicodale not understand, even Vinny was equally confused.

“It was my lack of consideration. I didn’t expect that after not seeing me for an entire vacation, Vinny would miss me so much that the moment he saw me, he refused to let me leave. He wants me to sit in the same seat with him.”

“Ah... ah?” Shicodale’s eyes widened as he looked at Vinny, as if asking, “Vinny, is that what you meant?”

“Hey, don’t interpret things however you want. This Young Master never meant that!” Vinny seemed so anxious that even his face flushed red with a whoosh.

By this point, even the classmates who were usually used to Aesphyra and Vinny arguing looked over curiously.

If they still could not hear the ambiguity in their conversation at this point, then it would be impossible. After all, even Shicodale, that slow little fool, could tell something was off, let alone everyone else.

Some people watched the drama and gossip. Of course, even more people were indignant, their eyes full of envy and jealousy.

That enviable bastard could always draw the attention of such top-tier beautiful girls.

Of course, they could only feel indignant in their hearts. If they envied him, they would also have to possess his strength. He had instantly defeated the year’s former fourth-ranked student in practical combat. His strength was, at minimum, top three in the year. He was already the third person below Isatia and Aesphyra.

If you were unconvinced, go up and exchange a few moves with him. Let everyone see whether you could last a few more moves than the year’s fourth-ranked student.

Facts proved that one could be stubborn with one’s mouth, but hard strength would never lie. Many people understood perfectly well how many levels of combat power stood between them and Vinny.

When someone’s ability is not much stronger than yours, yet they stand on the same level as you, or even receive better treatment than you, you may feel unconvinced. When someone’s ability is only slightly stronger than yours, you may feel jealous. But when someone’s strength is openly ten times greater than yours, far beyond comparison, so far ahead that you can barely even see their back, you can only look up. It becomes very hard to even think of surpassing them.

The current Vinny was already publicly recognized as one of the top three second-years. Even those who disliked him in their hearts had no choice but to acknowledge his strength. No one would have the thought of stepping on him to rise up, much less the idea of exchanging blows with him. That would merely be inviting humiliation.

“Ah, you really are as unreasonable as ever. Go, go, go. Hurry up and get inside. I already said this Young Master is allergic to nuts, yet you’re still standing in front of me this long!” Seeing more and more people looking their way, Vinny, who had always been unafraid of embarrassment, for some reason felt his face burn fiercely. He hurriedly made way.

“Oh? Wasn’t Vinny asking me to stay right here?”

“Don’t push your luck. The teacher is about to come into the classroom. If we get seen, we’ll definitely both get in trouble!” Vinny snapped.

“Oh, so Vinny is afraid of that too?” Aesphyra said playfully. “Has Vinny started wanting to become an obedient, proper good student? Does he not want to keep being a notorious young master anymore?”

“What’s it to you? Forget it. You may not care about your face, but I still care about mine.” Vinny rolled his eyes at Aesphyra. “Hurry up. The teacher really is coming.”

Hearing that, Aesphyra finally stopped teasing Vinny and walked to the desk on the inside.

“That girl really is as reckless as ever.” Vinny broke into a cold sweat and touched his face. Yes, it must have been because that girl had angered him so much that his face had heated up and turned red.

Soon, the teacher came in, greeted the students in the class after the long break, and began class.

Vinny also returned to the state he was most familiar with: listening in class as a student.

Compared with encountering all kinds of uncertain things outside, repeatedly crawling around on the edge of life and death, studying inside an academy filled with the bright sound of reading was indeed an extremely relaxing thing.

Come to think of it, that girl seemed pretty busy this vacation too. He wondered what she had gone off to do.

During class, Vinny secretly glanced at Aesphyra. Looking at the peerlessly beautiful side profile of her serious gaze fixed on the blackboard, for some reason, he felt his heartbeat quicken by half a beat.

Morning classes ended very quickly.

“Vinny, is there something you want to say to me?”

“Hm?” Vinny, who was tidying up his textbooks, suddenly heard Aesphyra’s meaningful voice from the neighboring desk.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“There isn’t?” Aesphyra looked at Vinny teasingly. “If there isn’t, then that’s curious. After all, during class, Vinny glanced at me several times, intentionally or otherwise. I clearly remember there wasn’t a blackboard on my face.”

“Tch, narcissist. Don’t talk nonsense. Who glanced at you? Let’s go, Dale. We’re leaving. Back home for lunch. This Young Master is allergic to nuts, and even more allergic to narcissistic nut kernels!” After saying that, Vinny pulled Shicodale out of the teaching area and headed toward the dorm area.

Everything seemed to have returned to calm. The clear breeze swept past, carrying a few lingering traces of spring, leaving Vinny somewhat dazed.

This feeling of returning to the plainest daily life let him relax slightly from that high-pressure state, reducing his mental strain by no small amount.

It would be nice if he could live this kind of carefree life, with no worries about food or clothing, forever. But Vinny knew that he was destined to have no such life.

Yet there was nothing to complain about. No one could choose their own fate. Not only him, but the Moon Elf princess walking beside him as well.

After eating the lunch Shicodale made and resting for a while, there was alchemy in the afternoon. Vinny had only just glimpsed the threshold of this subject, but before class began, he was stopped by the teacher of that subject.

“Vinny, apologies for disturbing you. If you do not mind, may I borrow you for a moment?”

“Teacher Sif?” Vinny was holding his textbooks and was just about to enter the classroom. Seeing who had called out to him, he froze for a moment.

The other party still had half her body hidden around the corner, as if she did not want more people to see this scene.

This was the first time Vinny had seen this Sea Elf alchemy teacher act so awkward.

“Teacher, class is about to start. Did you need something from me?” Vinny glanced around. Since it was already nearly time for class, everyone had entered the classroom, and there was basically no one outside. Vinny could only walk over to the corner and ask Sif.

If even the teacher for this class was outside, then he did not have to worry about being late. Going over did not matter.

“Vinny, do you know Princess Milian’s—no, Milian’s current situation?” Sif asked, her eyes full of worry.

“Milian? Don’t worry. She’ll be fine very soon.” He had already handed Milian’s Soul-Heart to the Golden Elves. The Golden Elves definitely would not joke around with their own princess’s life.

“Is that so? Then that is good.” Sif calmed herself and thanked Vinny. “Please do not blame me for suddenly stopping you.”

“Not at all. May I ask if there is anything else?” Sif was also an elf, so it was only natural that she would care about Milian.

“No. Thank you for your answer. Go back to class, Vinny.” Sif smiled gently.

“Mhm.” Vinny nodded and entered the classroom one step ahead of Sif.

A few seconds after Vinny entered the classroom, Sif walked in from outside with perfect composure, as light and calm as the breeze, and began teaching as if nothing had happened.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed. Vinny was about to welcome his first weekend after the start of school.

“Ah.” On the way home, Vinny touched his pocket and discovered that the pen he usually kept there was gone.

“Dale, you head home first. I think I left something in the classroom,” Vinny said to Shicodale beside him.

“Huh? What is it? I’ll go back and look for it with you.” Shicodale, carrying his bag ahead of him, turned around and suggested this after hearing him.

“No need. You go back and make dinner first. It’s getting late. I’ll go back and find it myself. I remember where it is,” Vinny said after thinking back.

“Oh, all right. Then I’ll go back and make dinner first.” Shicodale heard that and felt he was right, so he left first.

Vinny, meanwhile, headed in the opposite direction, walking quickly toward the teaching area. Along the way, when he passed the park, he encountered two students. They seemed to be saying something.

Vinny had no intention of eavesdropping, but when he passed by, their voices happened to enter his ears.

“Hey, did you know? Among the recent new students, that one called Margaret...”

However, when Vinny passed them, the voices stopped abruptly.

Vinny found it strange. It was not as if these two were plotting something shameful, so why did they stop talking the moment someone passed by? He had only happened to pass by and was not interested in the contents of their conversation at all.

So he glanced back at the two male students and was surprised to discover that the two male students were also looking at him. Their gazes carried a strange, indescribable quality.

It was as if the matter they were discussing was not something unspeakable, but merely something that could not be mentioned in front of a specific person.

For example, him.

“?” Vinny instinctively felt that this was a little odd, but he did not think too much about it.

Perhaps they simply did not want more people hearing their conversation, even if it was only idle chat.

Carillian Academy did not lack people who valued their privacy too much.

“Found it.” After returning to the teaching area, Vinny found his pen and then returned to the dorm.

The next day was a rare weekend, but he did not rest, because he had serious business to handle this weekend. As the vice president of the card-player-soul club, he had to help recruit new members.

However, he was the only one recruiting this time. He alone represented the card-player-soul club. He represented the face of the entire club.

Ferdi’s explanation was that, other than Vinny, the appearances of everyone in the card-player-soul club were not up to the task. They were simply too bizarre in every possible way. Either that, or they were utterly ordinary. If they went, they would probably produce a negative effect.

Of course, that bastard Ferdi’s evaluation of himself was “graceful as a jade tree and charmingly debonair,” with absolutely no Heracles-level self-awareness. But if one asked why he was not coming...

“When it comes to recruiting, what club president goes in person?” Ferdi had also found an explanation that could justify itself.

And so, early in the morning, Vinny carried by himself all the recruitment slogans and advertising illustrations the card players had worked overnight to make, heading for the on-campus club new-member recruitment area.

The recruitment slogans among them also left one somewhat speechless. Vinny took one look. They were all over the place, but if one had to summarize their style, it was basically the feeling of “if you’re my brother, come cut me down.” The contents were so abstract that they looked like they belonged to a completely different art style from all the other clubs.

Like this, who could they possibly recruit?

Vinny was speechless.

Sure enough, although he had come the earliest and the club recruitment area today was packed shoulder to shoulder, after occupying the booth until noon, he still had not seen even half a person show any intent to join. Even the ones who stopped did so only out of curiosity toward something bizarre.

No, seriously, those bastards wrote the slogans this abstractly. Who would join?

Vinny sat on the little stool he had brought himself, drowsy and unable to stop himself from complaining inwardly.

If this kept going, recruiting no one was a small matter. The real big matter was that his juniors would think he was a very strange person as soon as they entered school, damaging his radiant image.

Wait. Had he been tricked?

Vinny suddenly figured something out.

That bastard Ferdi—could it be that he had realized long ago this would not be easy, so he dumped it on him?

“Ugh.” Vinny let out a long sigh.

Forget it. Since he was already here, he might as well sit here for the whole day. At least recruit one person, right?

If he could not recruit even one person, would he not have occupied such a good spot for nothing?

But he was so hungry.

It was already noon.

Vinny considered whether he should go home, eat a meal, take a nap, and then come back. As for these abstract advertising illustrations and slogans, not bringing them along was fine. Who would want them?

He was only afraid someone would take them away as trash.

Since students in second year and above basically already had their own clubs, and those who did not had gone an entire year without joining a club, meaning they had no intention of participating in club activities at all, they would not come.

On a rare weekend, upper-year students were definitely either going out to play, relaxing, participating in club activities, or else secretly grinding hard to get one over on others. In any case, they would not waste energy squeezing around in this kind of gathering.

So those who could appear here were basically all first-year new students. Only they did not have clubs yet.

Although this year’s new students had no manners, their looks were not bad.

In one morning, Vinny had no idea how many pretty junior girls he had seen. Of course, there were also quite a few handsome junior boys. But, well.

The juniors still had plenty of room to improve. They still could not outshine him, their old senior.

And just as he stood up, he suddenly caught sight of that somewhat familiar cherry-blossom color amid the crowd gathered around someone.

“Hm?” Vinny’s expression froze for a moment. His first reaction was to suspect he had seen wrong, and he looked over again.