The Villain Wants to Change Genres

Chapter 72

Perhaps thanks to meeting Luwen, I slept well despite the uncomfortable bed. However, I woke up early due to my roommates starting to make noise in the early morning. As I groggily got up, everything suddenly went quiet. As I brushed back my disheveled hair trying to wake up, I heard a cautious voice.

“Oh no, did we wake you?”

“Yeah…”

“Sorry… Should we be quiet if you want to sleep more?”

“It’s fine. I’ll get up.”

There was no point in closing my eyes again as I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep anyway. It was better to just get up.

The bunk bed was much more uncomfortable than I had expected, especially climbing up and down. I had hit my head on the ceiling more than once. Once, I almost fell while climbing down in a drowsy state, my fatigue not having dissipated.

‘I must escape this 4-person room no matter what.’

As I got down from the bed with a thud, I looked around to see all three of them huddled together. I gathered my toiletries and entered the shower room. Although it was divided by partitions to allow two people to shower simultaneously, no one ever came in when I was showering, which was convenient.

‘At least each room has its own shower.’

It would have been worse if we had to use a communal one. I was somewhat satisfied as I washed myself, but then I realized I was content with such a trivial thing and felt frustrated. Damn it.

When I came out with my wet hair wrapped in a towel, the noisy bunch went quiet again. At first, I thought they were well-behaved people, but that wasn’t the case. They were just quiet in front of me.

While I found it more comfortable this way, their blatant exclusion of me was annoying. There’s a difference between me voluntarily keeping my distance and them ostracizing me. However, I had no time or energy to waste on people who weren’t helpful. Unless it got to the point where they ignored me even when I initiated conversation.

“Norman.”

The big guy and… what was his name again? After thinking for a moment, I just called out to the freckled boy who shared my name.

“Yes!”

As he straightened his back to answer, I immediately asked what I was curious about.

“Do you know who the medical student was that participated in Duke Cromwell’s Knight Order’s monster subjugation team during last year’s winter break?”

The answer came not from Norman, but from the big guy.

“I know! It’s Senior Alteo, who’s been the top student in the medical department all along. He’s also the student council president.”

“Of the entire school? Or just the medical department?”

Although the general student council was mostly composed of students from the swordsmanship department, I wanted to confirm to avoid a wasted trip.

“The medical department’s student council president!”

“I see. Thanks for letting me know.”

I greeted them with a polite smile before finishing my preparations and leaving the dormitory room. Then I headed straight for the student council room. It might be empty at this early hour, but I didn’t want to stay in that stifling place, so it seemed worth checking out.

‘Oh well. No luck.’

The student council room door was firmly locked.

As I turned to leave, planning to come back after today’s scheduled lectures, I noticed a student with clear skin and large eyes staring at me.

“You’re a new student? Why are you here? Is there something you’re curious about?”

The person who naturally brushed past me opened the student council room door.

“I had something to ask the student council president. Are you the president by any chance?”

“No. I’m the vice president. I’m Rona. You’re Norman, right?”

“How did you know?”

It’s not like I was wearing a name tag. Puzzled, I asked, and the vice president smiled with an indecipherable expression.

“I saw the new student roster.”

“…You memorized all the faces from that?”

“Yes. It just happened naturally.”

“By the way, how many Normans are there?”

Sensing that she might have an excellent memory, I casually asked something I was quite curious about, though it was trivial. The vice president looked at me with a strange expression.

“Is that why you came here?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then I don’t have to answer, right?”

This person seems difficult to deal with. I quietly followed the vice president into the student council room. I had come with a request, so it was time to be humble.

The student council room was decorated in a rather classic style. I liked the warm feeling created by the furniture that made use of natural wood.

“What are you curious about?”

I wondered why she had come to the student council room so early. It seemed she had left something behind. As she busily rummaged through the desk drawers, I turned to her and asked:

“I wanted to know the requirements for applying to Duke Cromwell’s Knight Order’s monster subjugation team.”

“Hm? Ah, now I see why you were looking for the president. But it’ll be tough for you.”

“Why?”

“Each department is limited to one student participant. Our president is quite exceptional, you know. It’ll be hard to beat him. There’s a saying that just as Luwen is in the swordsmanship department, Alteo is in the medical department.”

I didn’t expect to hear Luwen’s name here too. I felt proud that so many people acknowledged him. But that also meant he must have worked very hard.

‘Come to think of it, I feel bad for sending Luwen off so quickly yesterday.’

I should have let him rest more leisurely before leaving. Although it couldn’t be helped because I had to dye my hair and make it to the dormitory on time…

“Ah, here it is.”

The vice president sighed in relief as she pulled out a stack of documents. Thanks to that, I came back to my senses and quickly continued my questions. I needed to get information before leaving.

“What do I need to win with?”

The vice president answered while scanning the documents with her eyes.

“What do you think you’d need to go out in the field? Skills, of course.”

What? That sounds easy.

“I see. Also, is there any way to move to a single room?”

At this question, she lowered the documents and looked at me.

“Why? Did something happen?”

Nothing happened, but do they move people if something does happen? Since I didn’t know when that thoughtless Adrian would take action, I decided to lay some groundwork.

“Well…”

I trailed off, avoiding her gaze. I had no idea what kind of situation would be considered serious enough. I was considering making up an excuse while gauging her reaction when a thought crossed my mind.

‘Wait a minute. Come to think of it, I am being ostracized. Isn’t this a serious enough reason?’

While Fei Vinter might not be affected, the kind and naive country boy Norman would have suffered a great emotional wound. He might even be scared that his roommates would harm him.

Feeling this was a pretty good reason, I was about to settle on this direction when…

“Is it something difficult to talk about? Sit down for now. Would you like some tea?”

The vice president, who had suddenly become kind after seeing my troubled expression, made me sit on the sofa. It was a positive sign that I had caught her interest. Since I needed to appear serious, I hesitated, moving my lips without speaking, and then hung my head low.

“I think an herbal tea with calming effects would be better. Can you wait a moment? Let’s talk while we drink.”

The vice president took out a teapot and started boiling water. Heat emanated from a small, specially made brazier. The familiar scent of lavender spread quickly.

“Here, drink. Be careful, it’s hot.”

“…Thank you.”

I picked up the teacup placed in front of me, took a sip, and put it down. During this time, the vice president was staring at me intently.

“Norman, your every action is so refined. It’s like watching a noble.”

There was a clink as the teacup touched the saucer.

I keep hearing that. With Adrian, it was because of my speech, and now it seems to be due to ingrained habits. Since I’m not consciously doing these things, I had no idea how to change them.

Even thinking about the people around me, there was no one I could use as a reference. Taran would wait until the tea cooled down and then gulp it all at once, which wasn’t helpful in this situation. Luwen had learned by watching me as he grew up, so I couldn’t imitate him.

‘Ah. That’s right. There was Luwen’s case, wasn’t there?’

Thinking this might be better than suddenly changing my attitude, I fiddled with the teacup handle. Since it was a hastily made-up excuse, I smiled bitterly at the vice president, worried that detailed questions might reveal its flaws. Then, lowering my voice and speaking slowly, I said:

“I served… a young master for a long time.”

“You too, huh?”

The vice president responded in a matter-of-fact tone while savoring the aroma of the herbal tea. Sensing that she wasn’t likely to inquire further about my circumstances, I quickly went along with the change of topic.

“Are there others similar to me?”

“Yes. Luwen from the swordsmanship department is famous. It seems natural that he was recognized by the duke’s family, given that he could use sword energy when he first entered the academy.”

I suppose that’s how it might look from an outside perspective. It’s natural for a martial arts family to nurture a talented swordsman. Happy to hear positive evaluations of Luwen, I wanted to hear a bit more.

“This Luwen person seems to be very famous.”

“Of course. You’ll hear Luwen’s name a lot as you spend time here. He’s handsome, talented, and on top of that, he works diligently. They say he’s usually quiet, but when he rarely smiles, it makes people’s hearts flutter.”

…What? For some reason, I felt a slight sense of displeasure.

“Moreover, since he can already handle sword energy, Luwen might even receive an honorary duke title. He’s popular in many ways due to his favorable conditions.”

Could it be because it seemed they were evaluating him based on their own benefits rather than Luwen’s inner qualities?

“Oh, but he seems to have high standards. I heard he’s received quite a few confessions, but rejected them all.”

“Are you interested too, Vice President?”

“Me?”

She chuckled and shook her head.

“No. It’s just that he’s surrounded by so many rumors that they naturally reach my ears too. I came to the academy to study medicine, not to date. I’m not interested.”

Judging by her straightforward tone, she seemed sincere. By this time, I had taken a few more sips of the lavender tea and put down my cup. The vice president continued:

“Do you feel a bit better now?”

“Ah…”

Was that the reason she brought up a different topic? I was a bit surprised, not expecting to be cared for in this way.

“Yes. Thank you.”

As I smiled in response, the vice president smiled back with a more relieved expression.

“Then… can you tell me the reason? I need to get approval as it’s not something I can handle on my own.”

Her tone suggested she might actively help, which perked up my ears. However, I couldn’t seem too eager as it might appear as if I had been waiting for this. So I continued to hesitate and show reluctance.

“…If I tell you, um, well…”

“Don’t worry about the consequences. If it’s a serious matter, we can expel those students. Then they won’t be able to do anything to you.”

What? Expulsion? Suddenly, I became fully alert. I just wanted some quiet time alone, not this. I had no intention of getting my roommates kicked out of the academy.

‘This is too extreme when they could just move me.’

Feeling this wasn’t right, I shook my head vigorously.