How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 46. Doubt

As they returned to ‘Arc’ in the car.

Secretary Jin, who was driving, suddenly glanced at Kim Do-jin through the mirror and asked,

“But what was your relationship with the hero, Go Yoon-si-hun?”

In response, Kim Do-jin gave an answer similar to what he had just told Yoon Yuna’s mother, Jeong Ye-eun.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Naturally, this was news to Secretary Jin, who tilted his head in confusion, yet he did not pry further into whether it was truth or deception.

“…….”

Meanwhile, Kim Do-jin, with a weary expression, turned his head away, suddenly fixating on the scenery flowing past the car window, lost in thought.

Aside from Yoon Si-hun, there were the five others who had been called his trusted subordinates.

How many among them were truly traitors, and who could they be?

‘At least three, perhaps all of them could be traitors… how devastating.’

The pain in his heart was profound, for he had trusted them deeply, but now was not the time for sentimentality.

First and foremost, he needed to ascertain Astrid Lindell’s loyalty.

‘If Astrid were to stand by my side, it would be a great comfort…’

With that thought, Kim Do-jin gathered his mind and playfully pinched the cheek of Winter, who was quietly sitting beside him.

But then, at that moment.

– Vroom.

A sudden message arrived from Dr. Yoo Eun-a.

“Hmm?”

As he picked up his smartphone to check the content, Kim Do-jin spoke to Secretary Jin.

“I need to stop by the Cube for a moment.”

* * *

After some time had passed.

“Ah! You’ve arrived already?”

Finally reaching the Cube laboratory, Kim Do-jin was warmly greeted by Dr. Yoo Eun-a.

“Yes. I happened to be passing nearby. Can I see the finished product now?”

Dr. Yoo Eun-ah soon brought forth the two mana engineering inventions she had mentioned in her text.

“Well, I developed them as you instructed, but what on earth are they for?”

What Dr. Yoo placed on the table were a mana-coated device specialized for mock combat training and a mana wave detector enhanced for resistance.

Though Dr. Yoo could not know it, these items shared a commonality: they were all things needed by ‘Ark.’

“To make money, of course.”

Kim Do-jin replied simply, then immediately began to check the functions, while Dr. Yoo, unable to contain her curiosity, asked again.

“Make money? Where would you sell something like this?”

With a sly grin, Kim Do-jin answered.

“Ark.”

“…Ark?”

“Yes. These will be used exclusively and solely by Ark. So there’s no need for mass production; just make about 2,000 of this one and around 100 of that one.”

Dr. Yoo was taken aback by such a grand directive.

Usually, items commissioned by ‘Ark’ would spread rumors throughout the industry, but since she had never heard of it, her surprise was understandable.

“R-right now? Has a delivery contract already been signed?”

When Dr. Yoo asked this, Kim Do-jin calmly nodded in response.

“No. But it will be. At a very high price, too.”

At that, Dr. Yoo found herself momentarily at a loss for words.

To begin production with such enormous costs when no contract was in place…

How would they bear the losses if it failed?

“…….”

Dr. Yoo worried if this was truly the right course of action, but to earn big money, one had to take big risks.

But what if there was information that could reduce the risk?

There was no reason not to act.

Through the events of yesterday, Kim Do-jin had accurately grasped what ‘Ark’ needed, and he possessed the technological prowess to meet those needs.

To not bet here would be foolish.

“Heh heh….”

Already convinced of success, Kim Do-jin let out a sinister laugh as he envisioned the astronomical profits to come.

* * *

In a room adorned with antique furniture.

Chairwoman Kate sat across from someone on a sofa, engaged in conversation.

“Forgive me for not being able to come to your aid in time, Chairwoman Kate.”

Suddenly uttering these words, the figure bowed their head, and to everyone’s astonishment, it was Lee Jin-ryul.

Despite being an extraordinary genius, Lee Jin-ryul was still just one of the students of ‘Ark.’ Why, then, was he offering such an apology?

How had he managed to secure a private audience with the elusive Chairwoman Kate in the first place…?

Anyone else might have found it strange, but Chairwoman Kate responded with a warm smile, unfazed.

“Not at all. It was unavoidable, given that you were in a location where information was blocked. And… here we are, conversing safely now, aren’t we?”

At her words, Lee Jin-ryul’s expression lightened, and he continued.

“Thank you for saying that. However, it has been confirmed that the recent security system breach stemmed from an internal information leak.”

“Ah… I see… I believed all our staff to be trustworthy… Who could have committed such an act?”

Chairwoman Kate bit her lip in dismay before asking, and Lee Jin-ryul shook his head in response.

“Well, the silver lining is that the access rights to that information are high, so the suspects are narrowed down to those above the instructor level… Still, identifying the culprit won’t be easy.”

One of the instructors at ‘Ark’ was, in fact, a spy for a villainous organization.

Chairwoman Kate felt a pang in her heart at this revelation but pushed it aside to inquire further.

“Understood. We will conduct our investigation as discreetly as possible and continue to share information with you. But, wasn’t there also a spy among the students?”

“Yes. According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, that seems to be the case. We suspect that one student and one instructor are spies planted by that organization, but it remains unclear if they are collaborating.”

“Hmm… I see. Do you have any suspects in mind? Last time, you requested information on student Kim Do-jin, and as you know, he saved me during this incident…”

“Yes. That was an unexpected move on his part. However, given his concealed abilities and sudden change in behavior… there are still many suspicious aspects, so we are not ruling him out and are continuing to narrow down the candidates.”

The two engaged in a deep conversation for some time before finally rising from their seats as the hour grew late.

“Then I shall return to my mission.”

Lee Jin-ryul bowed his head slightly in farewell, and Chairwoman Kate beamed at him, saying,

“Yes. I look forward to your efforts, Agent Baek Eun-ha.”

* * *

Ding ding ding!

The loud alarm jolted him awake.

“Ugh…”

Kim Do-jin groaned as he reached out to silence the alarm, then propped himself up.

He had hoped for another day of canceled classes like yesterday, but sadly, that was not to be.

“Ugh…”

Shaking off the drowsiness, Kim Do-jin turned on his gaming console and began preparing for school.

After a refreshing shower, donning his uniform, and giving Winter a playful kick, he stepped out of the dormitory.

Thirty minutes earlier than usual.

The reason was for the student council duties, and as expected, when I arrived at the classroom, I found Yoon Yuna already finished with her patrol preparations.

“Why are you so late?”

“Huh? No, I came right on time…”

“Hurry up and get ready.”

Kim Dojin found himself hastily finishing his preparations and following Yoon Yuna’s lead without even realizing it.

– Clack, clack.

Yoon Yuna walked through the quiet courtyard with an air of confidence, her heels unusually high today.

And Kim Dojin trailed behind her, awkwardly keeping his distance.

“Hey.”

Suddenly, Yoon Yuna spun around and spoke.

“Huh?”

Kim Dojin flinched, stopping in his tracks, and Yoon Yuna continued to gaze at his face, as if she had expected this reaction.

“Just what is true and what is false? Can you clarify it for me? I’m getting confused.”

In that moment, Kim Dojin was at a loss for words.

He couldn’t admit that he was possessed by another person, this reckless Kim Dojin, and so he was left with no choice but to lie.

“……”

So he simply kept his mouth shut and stared back at her, but Yoon Yuna sighed deeply, as if she had anticipated his silence.

“Alright. Fine.”

Then, she abruptly changed the subject, speaking words she usually wouldn’t.

“But you said your dog’s name is Winter, right? Is Winter not coming out for morning walks these days?”

She continued to chat about various things, but Kim Dojin’s mind was elsewhere, responding only half-heartedly.

‘What is this?’

He felt a sense of confusion at Yoon Yuna’s behavior, which was somehow different from what he had expected.

‘Didn’t she… I mean, didn’t she hate this reckless Kim Dojin? And didn’t she say she liked Lee Jinryul…?’

Suddenly, he couldn’t grasp what was happening.

Kim Dojin found himself staring at Yoon Yuna’s bright smile as she kept talking, feeling a lingering sense of bewilderment.

* * *

After some time, the student council activities came to an end, and we returned to the classroom.

Soon after, it was time for the morning assembly, and the instructor entered.

“Are we all safe?”

The instructor was none other than Astrid Lindell, the original homeroom teacher.

She had claimed to be away due to an urgent matter just two days prior, right before the attempted kidnapping of Chairwoman Kate, and now it seemed that matter had concluded, allowing her return.

“Yes!”

The students soon engaged in cheerful conversation with Instructor Astrid, but Kim Do-jin remained aloof.

‘Where had she gone at that time? It can’t be mere coincidence that the incident occurred on the very day she was absent. Perhaps those who sought to abduct Chairwoman Kate had deliberately drawn Astrid away to weaken our defenses, or maybe Astrid herself…’

Though Kim Do-jin trusted Astrid Lindell more than any of the six he called his confidants, he could not entirely dismiss the possibility of betrayal.

Thus, he observed Astrid’s actions with his characteristic sharp gaze.

“…!”

Suddenly, Astrid Lindell turned to look at Kim Do-jin, and their eyes met.

“….”

In that moment, he instinctively averted his gaze.

Yet, for some reason, Astrid Lindell flinched slightly, shaking her head as she let out a deep sigh.

* * *

From noble mtl dot com

At last, the afternoon class arrived.

If the morning had been dedicated to theoretical training, the afternoon was reserved for practical examination.

The task was ‘team-based monster hunting,’ but unlike before, all twenty teams would enter the testing ground together, racing to find and slay a single monster first.

Since combat among students was prohibited, the key lay in who could best understand and locate the hidden monster’s traits.

Once the instructor finished explaining, she instructed them to form teams autonomously, and Kim Do-jin slowly lifted his head to survey his surroundings.

But just then.

“Want to team up?”

An unexpected figure approached Kim Do-jin with a team proposal.