Damn Academy - Chapter 176

[Episode 176] Suspicion (6)
T h is w a s c op i e d f r om k in g m t l .o r g

Damian filled his plate with thick cuts of meat and looked over at Olivia, who was holding a plate full of the same.

“Why do you keep following me?”

She couldn’t shadow him during classes, but at leisure times like lunch, Olivia would hurry to join Damian. She had even followed him to the art club and now to the student cafeteria.

“I need to pretend to be friendly with you to irritate my fiancé.”

“…”

He showed signs of discomfort, but whenever she mentioned her fiancé, Damian begrudgingly acquiesced for reasons unknown.

Even though Olivia dressed lightly and sometimes flashed skin in an attempt to flirt, Damian seemed largely uninterested. He was stone-faced, making it hard to decipher his thoughts, or possibly, his strategy.

“Don’t I have a personal life as well?”

“Fine, do as you please. Just be seen with me when others are around.”

Damian found an empty table and sat down, Olivia taking the seat opposite him. He ate the meat with an unenthusiastic efficiency, as if merely refueling rather than enjoying the meal.

“Do you always dine alone? Don’t you have friends?”

“Yes, I do not.”

“Why? The other freshmen seem to have settled in. Are you being ostracized? Did you do something like confessing to a girl in public?”

“I prefer being alone.”

As Damian glanced over Olivia’s shoulder, she turned to follow his gaze. A girl with a bob cut caught her eyes – a familiar face.

As far as she remembered, the girl was quite popular in the drama and dance clubs.

‘Trisa… Tris something.’

The boys in the vicinity were subtly eyeing the girl, and Olivia remembered her as one of the freshmen Ruskeus showed interest in.

‘Could it be?’

Though Damian seemed stoic and emotionless, it appeared he was still a man.

“Are you interested in that girl…?”

“Stay put.”

Damian cut her off and pulled out a notebook, subtly shielding his face with it.

“…?”

Suddenly, a cheerful voice rang out from behind.

“Damian!!”

Damian winced as if slightly irritated and then opened his eyes. The girl approached quickly, leaning on the table and smiling at Damian.

“Damian! There you are!”

He lowered the notebook and responded.

“What brings you here?”

“You’re not eating alone today, unlike usual.”

She glanced at Olivia and asked.

“Who’s this?”

“An acquaintance. She’s agreed to help me with a mock duel.”

“You’re so kind! I’m Trisha.”

“Oh, I’m Olivia.”

“Pleasure to meet you!”

Trisha’s eyes were warm when looking at Damian but held a slight wariness towards Olivia.

Damian pointed out something on Trisha’s face.

“You have something on your face.”

“What?”

“Black… there.”

Trisha playfully pushed her cheek forward.

“Where exactly?”

He sighed and used his handkerchief to remove a black bean skin stuck to her cheek. She smiled, revealing her dimples.

“Thanks!”

“Hey! Trisha! We’re leaving!”

Her group called out from behind, and she quickly wrapped up the conversation before leaving.

“I’ll catch up with you later!!”

Trisha breezed away as if her mission was accomplished.

Damian looked slightly drained. Olivia sat silently for a while before speaking.

“She’s quite charming and cute… Are you two dating?”

“No. Don’t pay any mind. She just likes to play around occasionally.”

“Friend?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you hang out together?”

“She’s a handful.”

“From my perspective, you seemed to handle it quite well.”

Damian resumed eating his meat in silence.

I had thought him to be blunt and cold, but inside, he seemed to possess a humane side.

The interaction between the two left a bitter taste. Despite their mere friendship, they showed each other warmth, while Olivia faced disdain and scorn from a man she was to spend her life with.

Feeling troubled, Olivia stood from the table before Damian finished his meal.

“Let’s have a quick duel this evening. I’ll see you then.”

“Are you leaving already without eating?”

“Yes. I’ve lost my appetite.”

Olivia left the student cafeteria, her distinct Southern attire attracting the gazes of boys other than Damian.

A sense of futility washed over her, and she murmured to herself.

“Why does it have to be so complicated…”

As she trudged away, she came across an odd scene near the cafeteria building.

A white wolf, as large as a bull, sat quietly in the bushes. They usually didn’t belong in the middle of campus. She blinked, but the wolf remained. It wasn’t an illusion.
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Atop the wolf’s head perched a round, red sparrow—an odd pairing of creatures—and their gaze was fixed on Olivia.

“…?”

The wolf appeared docile for its size, but the sparrow’s eyes held a deadly seriousness.

“What… is this?”

Feeling threatened, Olivia cautiously backed away.

***

“Stop, that’s enough!”

Olivia collapsed to the ground, sweat-soaked after the sparring session with Damian ended abruptly.

The duel lasted roughly ten minutes. It was Olivia who succumbed first to exhaustion as her magic dwindled.

She sat speechless, engulfed in frustration; her primary goal had been to identify Damian’s weaknesses, but she found none.
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Damian had kept his senior on the defensive, showing a combat intuition far beyond his years.

Moreover, he hadn’t fully revealed his capabilities. Whether immune to certain magic or having counters she couldn’t discern, elemental spells were futile against him.

He didn’t even seem tired. Nonchalantly cleaning his sword, Damian slipped it back into his belt.

He was adept at concealing himself. Certainly, no ordinary man.

What baffled her was Damian’s apparent disinterest in the duel itself. He seemed like a student who lounged in the back of the class, sleeping or staring out the window, yet somehow managed good grades.

“You’re quite skilled, more than I expected.”

The duel day was drawing near, and Olivia had nothing to report to Ruskeus. What might he say, scream? Perhaps he’d cut off her family’s support in a fit of rage or lash out at her.

Her mood darkened, but then Damian approached with a bottle of orange juice and a wrapped piece of jerky.

“I’ve heard it’s not good to be drained of magic. Have this.”

“Is this for me?”

“You didn’t eat earlier.”

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“Ah…”

Caught off guard, she felt pierced by Damian’s unexpected gesture. Unaware, he had struck at Olivia’s vulnerabilities.

Suddenly, there was a rustle in the trees surrounding the sparring area.

Damian and Olivia turned their heads simultaneously toward the shadow-hidden figure.

An odd figure emerged.

A woman with long golden hair, concealed in a robe, her face hidden behind an asymmetrical wooden mask with skewed eye holes.

“…?”

“…?”

She didn’t seem to bear ill will or the intent of an ambush.

Olivia asked.

“Damian, do you know her?”
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He gazed at the mysterious woman for a moment, then nodded with a slightly perplexed expression.

“Yes… I believe I do.”

He left Olivia and approached the masked woman.

She pulled out a note and handed it to him, followed by potions, a towel, water, and snacks.

She spoke in a barely audible voice.

“I heard you were training…”

Touching his face as if referring to the mask, Damian replied.

“Thanks… Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes…”

“Be careful on your way back.”

The woman nodded vigorously.

The tender atmosphere between the two shifted Olivia’s mood again.

The masked woman finished her purpose and turned back toward the forest.

She bumped her head against a tree. It seemed painful, but without a cry, she covered her face with her hands and walked on.

Olivia, still somewhat dumbfounded, asked Damian.

“Who… is that?”

“Just a friend.”

Damian didn’t have many friends, but the few he did have seemed to be good people. And those friends genuinely cared for Damian, who seemed to reciprocate that fondness. It was clear to see without probing too deeply.

Damian was a good person, his warmth evident even in small gestures.

Had Olivia ever voluntarily done anything for her fiancé? Reflecting back, aside from one or two instances when she was clueless, she hadn’t.

And now, she found herself sincerely hoping Damian would beat Ruskeus.

“Damian… I have something to say.”

“Yes?”

“In truth… I approached you on Ruskeus’ orders to find your weaknesses.”

His reaction was stoic.

“I see.”

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“Aren’t you angry?”

“You can report my abilities as they are, it’s fine.”

“Ruskeus is strong. You’re talented, but it won’t be enough. He’ll be thoroughly prepared for you. And…”

“If you do that, Ruskeus will not leave you in peace. Report what you discovered while sparring with me. I’m okay with it.”

“But, then you…”

“Ruskeus won’t be able to handle his own hysteria after our duel. Keep your distance for a while.”

It was as if Damian knew Olivia’s predicament all too well.

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“…What?”

“Let’s wrap up here.”

***
After sending Olivia off, I stood alone in the moonlit training grounds, lost in thought.

I pulled out the note Luna had given me, filled with information about Olivia and Ruskeus gathered by Luna’s spirits.

[… Olivia was ordered to find your weaknesses. It wasn’t her own will. She’s entangled with Ruskeus because of family issues, and he uses that to control and repeatedly assault her. He also plans to shake your standing in the Duchy and take your place.]
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I had no concerns about my position in the Duchy being threatened. The events in Barvisia were only partially known, and truly understood only by the lady’s relatives.

Vivi, as I knew her, wasn’t one to abandon people so easily. She was steadfast, tough, and loyal.

My worries were for Olivia. Regrettably, I couldn’t directly intervene in another’s personal strife.

Meanwhile… did Vivi receive my letter?

***
Vivi was in the midst of a heated discussion in the grand conference hall, surrounded by young attendants.

“I never explicitly said to send a letter. I only subtly suggested it. Yet… he took the initiative to write. With this clear evidence, can you still deny it?”

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A young attendant, sweating profusely, tried to argue.

“But even subtle suggestions can be pressure due to our status difference. And Damian is known for being courteous and kind. It could have been sent just as a friendly gesture.”

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“You misunderstand. From the moment we met in Eternia, he has always been arrogant and presumptuous. For such a man to ‘voluntarily’ write a letter. Even with this, do you deny his feelings for me?”

Another attendant interjected.

“I agree with you, my lady. The second paragraph of the letter where it says, ‘I found myself thinking of Lady Vivi occasionally,’ is not a phrase one uses lightly.”

Vivi’s face flushed with pleasure.

“Is that how you see it? Indeed, I share your sentiment.”

Just as she spoke, someone knocked on the conference hall door. An attendant peeked in and cautiously relayed a message.

“Count Ruskeus III has an urgent message for Lady Vivi…”

Vivi snapped irritably.

“Tell him I’m busy and to come back next year!!!”