How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 53. Spy

‘Misaki Ai…’

Thinking back, he realized he didn’t know much about Misaki Ai at all.

They had been on the same team a few times during tests, but there had never been an opportunity to grow close.

‘The fact that she’s a powerful psychic capable of enchanting those who meet her gaze, and that she walks around with her eyes covered, certainly raises suspicion.’

Kim Do-jin pondered this as he stared intently at the white blindfold covering Misaki Ai’s eyes.

But then, in that moment—

“…!”

Suddenly, Misaki Ai turned her head to the side, startled, before quickly facing forward again.

Though Kim Do-jin could not be sure, it seemed they had locked eyes for a fleeting instant.

“….”

Misaki Ai remained stiff, her gaze fixed ahead, and there was something undeniably suspicious about her demeanor.

‘What’s got her so startled?’

To think that a spy from ‘Levathain’ would be caught off guard while secretly observing their target, Kim Do-jin… it felt off.

A spy from such a colossal organization couldn’t possibly be this careless, and besides, with Misaki Ai wearing a blindfold, who could know where her gaze was directed but herself?

‘This makes no sense at all.’

In his confusion, Kim Do-jin shook his head, then decided not to exclude Misaki Ai from his suspicions as he scanned the surroundings.

‘Hmm…’

Other potential suspects included Dokgo Su, Nasca and Renya, Ryuujin, and Hong Hyun-hwa.

Yet, he found no concrete evidence of wrongdoing among them either.

‘Could there really be a spy from Levathain among the first-year class?’

According to intelligence gathered by the ‘Special Defense Agency,’ it was clear that there was one spy among the first-year students at Arc.

However, that didn’t necessarily mean the spy was in Class 1-1, which meant he might be suspecting innocent people for no reason.

‘Well, it’s fine. As I gather more information, the truth will naturally come to light.’

With that thought, Kim Do-jin resumed his observation of the other students.

And after some time had passed—

– Druk.

Finally, Astrid Lindell, the homeroom instructor of Class 1-1, opened the classroom door and stepped inside.

“….”

The spy planted by ‘Levathain’ was not limited to just the students.

As the ‘Special Defense Agency’ had investigated, there was also one spy among the instructors, and Astrid Lindell was no exception.

‘Surely, Astrid can’t be a spy for ‘Levathain’… can she?’

Kim Do-jin watched Astrid Lindell as she walked in, her steps heavy, and she soon climbed onto the platform at the front of the class to begin the morning announcements.

“Tomorrow is the day we depart for the school trip, as you all know, right?”

With those words, the usual routine of the day unfolded.

Astrid Lindell spoke of the day’s agenda and conveyed various messages, listening to the students’ questions and suggestions before stepping out of the classroom once more.

Left behind, the students, as if it were only natural, blossomed into lively chatter—not about the day’s schedule, but about the upcoming school trip that would begin tomorrow.

Though they were the elite from around the world, fiercely competing in the ‘Arc,’ Kim Do-jin was struck anew by the realization that they were still just first-year high school students, merely seventeen years old.

“I once had such a time myself. Of course, back in my day…”

It was then, as Kim Do-jin fell into nostalgia, that memories of the past began to surface.

– Vroom.

Suddenly, the smartwatch on his wrist vibrated, and Kim Do-jin raised his hand to check what message had arrived.

“…….”

The sender was none other than Astrid Lindell.

And the content instructed Kim Do-jin to come to her office alone.

“Has she gained enough trust to represent Chairwoman Kate?”

With a rough idea of the purpose behind the summons, Kim Do-jin stood up slowly from his seat.

Time passed.

– Knock, knock.

At last, he arrived in front of Astrid Lindell’s private office and knocked.

“Come in.”

He heard Astrid Lindell’s voice, and without hesitation, he opened the door and stepped inside.

“Sit here.”

Astrid Lindell, already seated on the sofa, gestured to the couch opposite her.

“Yes.”

Kim Do-jin replied, trudging over to the sofa and taking a seat.

“…….”

A peculiar silence settled between the two, who sat facing each other.

Kim Do-jin, once a loyal confidant, now held his tongue, uncertain of the betrayal that lingered in the air, while Astrid Lindell saw in the seventeen-year-old before her the reflection of someone she once admired and followed.

“Why do I keep seeing the captain in you…?”

Astrid Lindell found the thought strange, and suddenly, without planning, she posed an unexpected question.

“Why the sudden change?”

“…Huh?”

“I mean it literally. At some point, not just your test scores, but even your subtle expressions, gestures, and tone of voice have all shifted.”

“…….”

Kim Do-jin was slightly taken aback by the sudden question, but he feigned curiosity, tilting his head as he replied.

“What’s the problem with that?”

With such a question, Astrid Lindell found herself at a loss for words.

After all, a homeroom instructor had no right to meddle in a student’s personal affairs.

“…No, that’s not it. It’s just… no, I’ve brought up something unnecessary. What I originally meant to say wasn’t this.”

With that, Astrid Lindell finally steered the conversation back on track.

“The reason I called you here is because of the terrorist incident that occurred just the other day.”

“You know about it too, Instructor.”

“Yes. ‘Ark’ has a responsibility to protect its students, and we maintain a close cooperative relationship with the ‘Special Defense Agency of the Republic of Korea.’”

As she said, the ‘Special Defense Agency’ had requested cooperation from ‘Ark,’ and the chairperson of ‘Ark,’ Kate Lawrence, had discreetly asked Astrid Lindell, whom she trusted most, for assistance.

Since she was also Kim Do-jin’s homeroom instructor, the request was to protect him from the clutches of ‘Leviathan’ while coordinating with the ‘Special Defense Agency.’

“Anyway, under the special directive of Chairperson Kate, the security forces of ‘Ark’ will be strengthened to protect you. Moreover, the ‘Special Defense Agency’ and ‘Myeongseong Group’ will also provide separate security, so unless an SSS-class Awakened intervenes, it will be difficult for anyone to abduct you now.”

To protect Kim Do-jin from ‘Leviathan,’ Astrid Lindell would take charge from ‘Ark,’ while Lee Jin-ryul from the ‘Special Defense Agency’ and Jin Seo-hyun from the ‘Myeongseong Group’ would also be involved.

It could be summarized that with this level of force, there was little worry of being captured by ‘Leviathan’ unless an SSS-class Awakened appeared.

Of course, there were contingency plans in place for the emergence of a true SSS-class Awakened, so Kim Do-jin felt a sense of satisfaction as he replied.

“I see.”

Astrid Lindell nodded and began to explain the more specific security plans.

After some time had passed, Astrid Lindell finally finished her explanations and asked,

“That’s all. Is there anything you don’t understand?”

Kim Do-jin hesitated for a moment, contemplating, before answering.

“No, there isn’t.”

And then it happened.

– Ding dong ding dong!

An alarm rang through the ceiling speakers, signaling that the first period was approaching.

“Alright. Then let’s head to class.”

With that, Astrid Lindell stood up first, and Kim Do-jin slightly bowed his head before leaving the staff room.

– Thud.

Just as Kim Do-jin closed the door behind him,

“…….”

Astrid Lindell gazed at the door he had just shut, her expression somehow wistful.

How much time had passed, one might wonder.

– Swoosh.

Astrid Lindell suddenly pulled the pendant hanging around her neck out from beneath her clothing, fingers toying with it.

“Captain…”

This pendant was, in truth, a secondary device for the emergency escape mechanism entrusted to her by Kim Do-jin long ago.

When Kim Do-jin found himself in peril, it was her duty to activate this device and facilitate his escape.

Astrid Lindell had once harbored doubts about whether she would ever truly need to use this emergency escape device, for who could possibly threaten a leader endowed with absolute power?

Yet, by the meticulous schemes of Cheon Sang-seok, even Kim Do-jin had been cornered into a dire situation, prompting an attempt to use the escape device.

Naturally, a distress signal was immediately transmitted from the pendant she held, and in her shock, she fumbled to activate it.

However, Kim Do-jin’s emergency escape device failed to function.

There had been a traitor among those who had received the secondary devices, aside from Astrid Lindell.

For the emergency escape mechanism to work, at least four out of the six secondary devices needed to be operational, but that was not the case.

‘Those filthy traitors…’

Astrid Lindell recalled the five trusted subordinates who had once shared Kim Do-jin’s trust, just as she did.

Yoon Si-hyun, Yeom Seok-jun, Han Myung-hoo, Jang Min-ho, Cecilia Inas.

All five had received the secondary devices from Kim Do-jin, leading her to conclude that at least three of them must be traitors.

Thus, she yearned to hunt down and punish the betrayers, but regrettably, she lacked the means to do so.

Though Astrid Lindell was a formidable S-rank powerhouse, renowned as the world’s best in the realm of ‘super regeneration,’ the other five were simply too strong.

In truth, with no substantial power base of her own, all she could do was wander in search of Kim Do-jin’s whereabouts, just as she was now.

‘If the Captain is alive somewhere… and if he returns one day, those traitors will surely pay for their sins…’

With such bitter thoughts simmering within her, Astrid Lindell stood gazing for a long while at the door through which Kim Do-jin had just exited.

* * *

At last, the morning of the school trip dawned.

“Yawn…”

Awakening from sleep, Kim Do-jin stretched, shaking off the remnants of drowsiness before slipping out of bed.

“Woof!”

Shaking off Winter, who clung to him as usual, he stepped into the shower, and by the time he emerged, the hour was drawing near.

‘Finally, the time has come.’

Standing before the mirror to don his school uniform, Kim Do-jin wore an expression brimming with excitement.

Of course, the reason was entirely different from that of the other students.

‘If I can just eat those two, I might just brush against the threshold of S-rank…’

With that rough plan sketched in his mind, Kim Do-jin turned to Winter, who had been waiting on the sofa.

“Let’s go.”

Usually, he left Winter in the dormitory when heading to school, but this was not the case for the school trip.

“Woof!”

Winter dashed over, tail wagging as if it had been waiting, shrinking its body down to the size of a finger.

It was impressive how it acted on its own without being told; indeed, a spirit was a spirit.

Anyway, all preparations were now complete.

Kim Do-jin tucked the finger-sized Winter into his pocket and grabbed the travel bag he had packed in advance.

Finally, he opened the front door and stepped out of the dormitory.