How to Redeem a Trashy Side Villain

Chapter 106: Return to the Academy

Contrary to what everyone seems to be convinced, I didn't need to be in the hospital any longer.

To be honest, the moment I woke up, I felt perfectly fine and wanted to walk out but chose to stay an extra day so that more testing could be done to ensure that I was perfectly healthy.

This was the request of my dear mother, so I obliged.

I had this strange feeling that if I didn't listen, she might've hit me in the head with a TV.

Although my father didn't say anything, the way his eyes were "speaking", he was telling me to just agree with her.

The only thing "wrong" with me was Selgaath's curse.

After inspecting the curse mark in a mirror during my stay at the hospital, the black lines somewhat looked like an octopus. Emphasis on the somewhat.

The knowledge about what the curse was existed in my mind even though no one explained it to me. It simply existed there the instant I woke up.

As I was getting dressed, I was having a conversation with the shitty god.

"How was it? Did you enjoy what you saw?" I asked. I could recall that I felt his presence watching over me since the beginning of that day.

"It was… entertaining."

Don't be embarrassed to admit that you're wrong, my shitty god.

"Not to brag… wait, I am bragging, hahaha," I laughed. "Not to brag, but I was able to achieve what your main character couldn't in the novel. Yes, I may have quite a bit of cheats that I acquired through the novel, but for the most part… my talents brought me to where I am today. How is it that I was this talented and yet I was mentioned only in the beginning of the novel and was never brought up later?"

"..."

"What? Too arrogant to admit that your writing was piss poor?" I asked as I put my arm through the other sleeve.

One button at a time, I finished the final touches of my uniform.

A week had passed since I woke up and now, the academy was ready to reopen.

"...What are you going to do now?" the shitty god asked me.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I scoffed as I checked my reflection in the mirror.

Not only did I not want to tell him because I wanted to annoy him, but from his perspective, as a spectator, it would probably be more enjoyable not knowing what was coming rather than being spoiled.

Before I left, I walked over to the black egg in the corner of my room.

"How much longer before you hatch?" I asked it. Grabbing the top, I fed it plenty of mana before letting go. "I don't care what you end up hatching as. Be it a dragon, a toad, a slime, or even a useless blob. Just… just don't be a loli. I'm not a pedophile, nor do I want to be a father yet."

"Why do you keep assuming that eggs can hatch into lolis?" the shitty god asked me.

Raising an eyebrow, I looked up at the ceiling.

If I were to be given a dollar every time this happens in novels and manhwas… I'd be a millionaire.

"If I recall correctly, didn't Arthurr's dragon transform into a loli?" I asked. "And if I'm not mistaken, wasn't she also a part of his harem?"

After that, the shitty god stopped talking to me.

On the foot of my bed was my new schoolbag. It had been customized so that I could hang Gon on it.

One of the Headmistress's instructions was that when we returned to school, she wanted every student to bring their weapon. Unlike before, where we had to keep it in our lockers and could only bring it out on certain occasions, we are now recommended to bring our weapon with us everywhere we go.

She also recommended that in our bags, we should have whatever tools, potions, items, etc., that we might need in case of another attack.

Picking up my bag, I slung it over my shoulder and began to head out.

Kissing my two little sisters on their cheeks, my mother gave me a tight hug, said a few things, before telling me to be safe.

"Remember…"

"My number one priority is my life."

"...Good."

The moment I stepped outside, the familiar bulletproof black car was already waiting at the entrance. Jerman was standing by the back door and as I approached, he opened it.

Sliding into the back seat, I had already sensed her presence before I even got in, but it was still a little surprising to see that someone else was already in the car.

"Hey, Bell," she smiled. "Good morning."

Sitting there with perfect posture, her hands were folded neatly on her lap. Her crimson hair was tied the same way as always, with pigtails and a free-flowing back.

Her eyes locked onto me and I had this strange feeling that it wouldn't leave.

"Morning to you, too," I responded.

The door shut behind me. A few seconds later, the car started to move.

Although I was looking forward, I could feel her glaring at me.

Feeling a little awkward, I cleared my throat and asked, "When did you get here?"

"Mm… maybe half an hour ago," she replied.

I looked at the reflection in front of me and saw Jerman shaking his head very subtly.

He mouthed the word, "Three."

Three hours ago? Why was she up so early? And why was she waiting so long in the car?

If she planned on waiting, why didn't she wait inside the house? I did not doubt that although my mother didn't like the fact that my father put me in a political engagement, she would still allow her to wait inside.

Then I noticed something.

What's that sticking out of her pocket?

For a split second, I thought that it might have been a pair of gloves that I had left in this car. I looked away for a moment and when I looked back, the gloves were gone.

I must be seeing things.

"Is everything okay?" she asked with her pearly-white smile.

A few minutes later, the car slowed down. When the door opened, it was Diana.

I was sitting on the right side of the back seat and she asked me, "Bell, could you scoot to the middle?" She had a smile on her face, but it was so stiff that it could've snapped.

Then with an exaggerated gasp, she said, "Oh. Ichiko's here too. What a surprise."

"Well, yes. Why wouldn't I be here?" asked Ichiko.

I moved over to the middle, and Diana climbed in.

Thud.

The door closed, and immediately the temperature inside the car dropped a few degrees. Yet oddly enough, Jerman didn't adjust the temperature dial. Strange…

What a mystery.

As the car began to move, I felt a couple of fingers sliding between the spaces in my fingers.

'Lewd lewd lewd! She should at least wait till marriage!' Liona screamed in my mind.

I swear this exact same thing happened before.

'Or at the very least, you two should use protection. Master, don't you have a pair of latex gloves that you can put on?' Liona asked me.

…No. Not at the moment.

'I like your fiancée, but… she's kind of lewd. I'm worried about your future Master.'

…Thank you for your concerns.

To my right, Diana leaned forward, her head slowly turning, and I could hear something creak as she did.

Crreeeeeeaaak~

Her eyes sharpened and she stared at my hand, which was being held by Ichiko.

Crreeeeeeaaak~

She turned her head back and leaned back into her chair.

Suddenly, I felt her arm wrap around mine, and she leaned into my body, her head resting against my shoulder.

Crreeeeeeaaak~

Ichiko glared at her.

Crreeeeeeaaak~

Another head rested on my other shoulder.

Not a single word had been spoken and yet, it felt like I was standing between two nations that were in the middle of an intense war.

To my left, it felt like someone was heating up and there was a heavy killing intent. To my right, my arm was starting to turn into ice and I saw a glimmer in the reflection of two sharp fangs.

Looking out of the window in front of me, I began to think about a conversation I had with my mother a few days ago.

I was in the middle of playing house with my two little sisters when my mother took a seat on the couch with a cup of tea.

She sat there in silence for a while as she watched us before she popped a question that pulled me out of the roleplay that I was in.

"Son, which one do you like?" she asked.

"...What?" I asked as I straightened up and looked at her. Rubi groaned as we were in the middle of an important scene and she punched my arm a few times, which felt like being hit by a feather.

"Diana and the Asano girl, which of the two do you prefer? You like one of them? Love?"

"...Where is this question coming from?" I asked, chuckling.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Come on, Son. The two of them stayed by your side for an entire week while you were asleep. Something has to be up with at least one of them. I was already surprised when you revealed that you became friends with the Diana girl after what you did to her."

She took a sip of her tea and made sure to suck it loudly enough for me to hear.

She continued, "But now you're close enough for her to be your side this entire time? And as for Ichiko, well… she's your fiancee but you know how I feel about that. Forget your engagement with her for a second and just think of her as a girl."

"Uh… okay?"

"So? Which one? Diana? Ichiko? Or perhaps… both? You are a noble so I won't be surprised if you plan on marrying one as your main wife, then taking the other in as a concubine."

"E-Excuse me?"

My mother then looked around the room. Left. Right. Left. Right.

"W-What are you looking for?" I asked.

"I'm just trying to find the reason you're so confused. Am I not speaking English?"

"You are!" Rubi answered as she leaped into her arms, laughing. Mother had to adjust herself so that she didn't spill her tea at the sudden attack.

"I believe you are," Eloise answered, nodding her head without a change of expression.

Looking at Rubi then at Eloise, I scoffed and said, "Thank you for that, you two."

Mother laughed for a few seconds before again, "So, which one?"

Currently on my knees due to playing house with two little girls, I took a proper seat. Crossing my legs, I tilted my head one side, paused, then tilted it the other way.

"Neither," I answered.

Mother raised an eyebrow, but she didn't say anything, waiting for me to elaborate.

"I mean… I'm close to both of them. Diana's a good friend," who uses me as a blood bank. "And Ichiko is my fiancée," I will likely end up marrying due to how long the upcoming war is going to be.

Although I was a little more fond of Diana at the moment because of how much more time I've spent with her compared to Ichiko, who I'd only seen a few times before she transferred to the academy, to say that I liked Diana romantically wasn't exactly accurate.

I'll leave that lovey-dovey harem bullshit to Arthurr. I'm here to farm clout points, aura farm a bunch, make a legacy, then return to… return to… return to my old world?

"..."

Going silent for a little bit, my empty mind was interrupted by my mother.

"Okayyyy," she said, winking. "I believe you."

Picking up Rubi, then Eloise, she began heading upstairs so that she could put them to sleep for their afternoon nap. But she made sure to wink a few more times on her way out.

"I got a strange feeling that she was being sarcastic," I laughed once I was alone in the living room.

'No shit, Sherlock,' said Kimi. She didn't know who Sherlock was, but I had explained to her what the phrase meant after using it a few too many times in the past.

…I shouldn't have taught you that saying.

Back to the present day, when we arrived at the academy, the moment I stepped out of the car, I had a feeling that what was going to happen was going to happen, but not to this extent.

I had been reading what others had to say on social media and even saw a few videos, so how others felt about my achievement was no secret.

But this — this was a little too much.

When I say that everyone was staring at me… I mean everyyyyyone..

From the students, to the teachers, to the staff members, and even the army of ants that were marching in the grass, everyone was staring at me.

Voices immediately began rising in my surroundings.

"That's him. My glorious king."

"Look at him. Look at Bell man. Sooo inspirational."

"I'd suck his toes if he asked me to."

Thanks for the offer but I'm okay.

"I bet you 500 Zeras that he can take yo bitch. Actually, he can take my bitch. I'll gladly give her to him."

Keep your bitch. Please. I don't want your bitch. And don't call your girlfriend a bitch.

"Fuck he's so sexy. I bet he got a big old juicy—"

Ayooo?

These types of people reminded me quite a lot of people back in my old world. At least the young generation.

If it weren't for copyright laws and the fact that neither the books nor the movies existed in this world, I reckon someone would've called me the L*san al-Gaib.

The other type of people who were speaking were a lot more… normal.

"Look. That's him. Bell. The boy who saved our lives."

"How did he kill that demon by himself?"

…By myself? Wait… what?

"We have the honor of standing in front of a legend that is currently being written. He defeated a demon in the past already. Now, he's defeated a second one. His name will not be forgotten."

"No way… It's him. It's actually him. Thank you, Bell. Thank you for protecting our school."

"What curse do you think the demon gave him this time?"

With Diana and Ichiko following behind me, their eyes gleaming with pride as if the compliments were for them, as I walked forward, the crowd parted like the Red Sea.

This… this happened in the novel.

In the novel, Arthurr had been the one in my shoes. Everyone praised him, and he went from being an unknown transfer student to the talk of the city.

A few of the students saluted me jokingly, while a few did so in half-joking, half-serious.

One guy actually stepped in front of me, dropped to his knees, and bowed with his arms swinging dramatically as if he was greeting loyalty in some old theatrical play.

"Share some of your aura with us, oh great hero," he said before a friend rushed in and pulled him back into the crowd.

My eye twitched.

This wasn't a bad result. I had expected that my interference would bring a lot of attention to me rather than letting the main character hog it.

I just didn't expect it to be this lopsided on my end.

Smile and wave, Bell. Smile and wave…