The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

Chapter 44

44. Hellish Group Project (3)

At the same time, by the lake in the forest.

Rian von Hildegaard pulled out the sword stuck in the rock. As the sword pierced deeper, the crack grew, and eventually, the rock shattered. Seeing this, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

“…You’re dead. Illeonhart.”

Sion Illeonhart, that guy will definitely be a huge obstacle in the future. Rian’s instincts were telling him so.

He needs to take care of that weed before it grows.

Even though he couldn’t do it properly last time due to the sudden appearance of the teacher, he couldn’t let it slide.

Sion said to himself back then,

“But I told you, it’s not possible for me.”

Just thinking about it makes him furious.

“What’s with you, rejecting my offer when I’m letting you off easy?”

Illeonhart, a family name he’d never heard of before.

On the other hand, he was the eldest son of the wealthy Hildegaard family, who had reached out to him first in Grande. It wasn’t like that guy had any right to order him around.

He could still hear the snickers of his classmates. To regain his lost honor, he had to crush that guy completely in this dungeon.

He had to make sure that guy couldn’t lift his head again, couldn’t get in his way for the rest of his life in Arsene.

If it were a real dungeon, he could even bury him inside, but unfortunately, this was a ‘ecorded’ dungeon, so that wasn’t possible. Still, he could give him a serious trauma.

After all, it was just a team of misfits gathered from the first grade.

Rian looked up at the night sky. A sharp crescent moon was hanging between the clouds.

…

Midnight Hair Salon.

It was already past closing time, but a lone customer had arrived just before the deadline.

Although it was late and the pressure was high, the customer had made a reservation a while ago, so there was no choice but to serve them. The hair designer took on the last customer of the day with a service-oriented mindset.

“Hello… welcome?”

“Please come in! Take a seat over there.”

The hesitant customer sat down in the empty chair. The designer’s hands trembled, unsure where to start with the tangled hair, but they picked up the comb and scissors.

But wait a minute.

As they combed through the messy bangs, they revealed smooth, porcelain-like skin underneath. The jawline was sharp, and the facial structure was a perfect oval.

This was a reminder that you shouldn’t judge people by their first impression. With a bit of styling, this customer’s image would change completely.

With the mindset of polishing a rough gem, the designer started cutting, and after about ten minutes, the customer finally opened their mouth.

“Uh… could you just trim my bangs a bit? Just a little?”

“Will this do?”

“It’s… done, I think?”

The mirror reflected a face that was distinctly different from before. It was as if they had regained their lost youth just by styling their hair.

“By the way, where are you going out so late? You’re a face I’ve never seen around Arsene.”

“Ah, ahahaha, well, there’s still some training left. Tomorrow.”

“Ah, you’re a trainee? I’m sorry. I thought you were a staff member…”

“Could that be the case?”

At that moment, a brief silence fell. It’s best to quickly change the subject in situations like this.

“Your hair looks like it’s been dyed, are you going to get a root touch-up?”

“No, no! I’m done! I’ll calculate it.”

The customer, who was in a hurry to make a payment, fumbled with their watch. The hair designer finally cleared their throat and corrected themselves.

“Um, you don’t have to pay the additional fee. You can just leave.”

“Yes…? Ah, thank you!”

The customer stood up, looking a bit awkward. They then looked in the mirror and were shocked.

“Is this… me?”

The change was so drastic that it was as if they had become a different person.

The hair designer was satisfied just by seeing the refined gem they had created.

After six months, Edel D. Bison’s makeover was finally complete.

…

…and the student council room.

“Rebecca-nim, it’s all done. You can take a day off now.”

Amelia, the secretary, was finally able to finish her tasks, which had been delayed until D-Day.

Amelia wasn’t the only one. The remaining student council members, who were the elite, had all been struggling with their workload for a week.

The words they had been longing to hear were just one phrase.

“You’ve worked hard. You can take a break now.”

The tense atmosphere in the student council room finally began to relax.

Rebecca, who was sitting at the head of the table, finally stood up after signing all the documents on her desk. The student council members, who had been watching her, began to stand up one by one.

Rebecca didn’t move until they had all left. She then stood in front of the mirror and adjusted her crooked ribbon. Now, only Rebecca and Amelia remained in the student council room.

If not now, there would be no opportunity to speak. Amelia carefully approached Rebecca, timing her moment.

“By the way, what are you going to do about that child?”

“Are you talking about Zion El’Heart or Kyle Ivanstear?”

“I’m talking about both.”

Rebecca thought it was a serious matter, but she still had her back turned, only looking at the mirror.

“In the case of Kyle Ivanstear, as I said, we need to show the authority of the student council. If we don’t take control now, it will be harder to control in the future.”

“The authority of the student council… are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Even Amelia, the secretary, didn’t know why Rebecca had overhauled the previous student council and left only a few members. She just did as Rebecca, the student council president, told her to do.

Rebecca had always used the excuse of “the authority of the student council” back then and now.

While Arsen was causing a stir with his rumors and gossip about the student council, Rebecca didn’t care at all and just moved forward quietly.

‘…Why did you change?’

Amelia was just puzzled.

Why had Rebecca become so authoritarian?

Why did she ruthlessly eliminate those who followed her?

And what was she hiding?

Everything was shrouded in uncertainty, like a fog that obscured all. It was as if a veil of darkness had been cast around Rebecca, making it impossible to discern her true intentions.

Yet, as her secretary, Amelia remained by Rebecca’s side, just as she always had. Together, they would continue to run the student council, no matter what.

Even if it meant walking the path of a ruthless dictator.

-Who is it…?

-I am Rebecca von Anastasia Grandeur.

Amelia, who had owed her life to Rebecca at the fire scene several years ago, had made up her mind to stay by her side until the end. No matter what happened, her resolve would not waver.

“What about… Sion Ilyeonhart?”

Rebecca, who had been facing away, reacted to Amelia’s question for the first time.

Amelia quietly placed a CCTV capture on the table.

“It seems to me that Sion isn’t interested in the student council. Is it okay to just leave him be?”

Sion Ilyeonhart’s actions, such as entering the professor’s office and receiving praise from Professor Biern, were too conspicuous to ignore. As the student council president, Rebecca must have been aware of this.

Amelia was simply curious.

Why was Rebecca, who was ruthless towards her fellow students, being so lenient towards Sion Ilyeonhart?

She genuinely wanted to know.

But Rebecca’s response, which came afterwards, left Amelia stunned.

“It’s okay. Just leave him be.”

“Y-yes…?”

Rebecca turned around, her pale white hand adorned with an unfamiliar glove.

This change was unfamiliar, but that was not all. A small dagger hung from her waist like an accessory.

Furthermore, a necklace she had never seen before hung around her neck.

Rebecca, who usually didn’t bother with her appearance, had dressed up for the first time.

“President Rebecca…?”

“You can leave now. I’ll take care of the remaining agenda myself.”

“Ah, y-yes…”

Rebecca had Amelia leave the student council room before she could say anything. Amelia was taken aback, but she reluctantly followed Rebecca’s orders.

As she walked down the dimly lit corridor, a thought crossed Amelia’s mind.

Rebecca had changed noticeably since her encounter with Sion Ilyeonhart.

Someone who was ruthless towards others was being so kind towards one person.

What’s more, Rebecca had just kicked her own secretary out of the student council room. This was enough to stir up some ominous thoughts.

“Could it be that President Rebecca…?”

Amelia shook her head, dispelling the unwanted imagination. It was a disloyal thought towards her lifesaver.

***

And finally, Arsen’s morning had arrived.

“Please come this way.”

The day of the mock dungeon conquest had finally arrived.

Just like during the entrance exam, the first-year students gathered at the Geordi Pavilion. The difference was that they were now divided into teams.

Some familiar faces were present, and some students were greeting each other.

Since classes had not yet begun, the atmosphere at the Geordi Pavilion was lively. However, this lively atmosphere would soon dissipate once classes started.

—

The doors of the grand auditorium opened, and over ten instructors and their corresponding teaching assistants entered the room in an orderly fashion.

Behind them, lined up like soldiers, were the 2nd-year students participating in this dungeon conquest. Most of them were upperclassmen who would become the actual leaders of each team.

Kai, who had been staring blankly at the scene, suddenly seemed to realiz something and asked,

“What’s going on, Sion? Why are there only three of us?”

“There are five of us. The other two will arrive soon.”

“What…?”

Only I, Airi, and Kazuha knew the truth, but our team currently had only three members. The other two had not yet arrived.

Most of the students forming each team were 1st-year students. Occasionally, a 2nd-year student would be recruited, but I remembered that only one or two teams had done so.

And among those teams was Serin Anett’s team. Kai Ivanstear, who had been constantly at odds with Serin Anett, would likely have noticed by now.

The 2nd-year students didn’t enter the Geord auditorium until all the instructors and team leaders had arrived. In other words, the empty seats would be filled by upperclassmen.

“That’s what I thought.”

“How did you know?”

Kai asked, but before I could answer, the microphone feedback sounded. The source was, as expected, the speaker installed on the ceiling.

—Announcement from Arsene.

—After a short while, you will be divided into teams and enter the dungeon in sequence. Please re-check your equipment for any issues before then.

—That is all.

At that moment, a woman I had never seen before approached us. I thought she was a passing instructor, but since she was wearing a student uniform, that wasn’t the case.

“Who are you?”

“Ah…!”

Airi’s eyes widened in surprise, and the woman looked at me before bowing her head.

“Hello… I’m Edel Di Vaison, a 3rd-year student…”

“Yes?”

“Uh, so… I was the one who… you saw last time…”

…I knew that already.

“What are you doing?”

From noble mtl dot com

“I just got a haircut, did some skin care, and tidied up my clothes…”

That’s normal. Many students do that.

“Don’t you recognize me?”