“That’s Mu’en Campbell!”
A soft shout came from the crowd.
Then, as if trained, the crowd suddenly parted to create a pathway.
It revealed Mu’en, who was quietly hiding at the back and was about to slip into the academy.
“What the hell.”
Holding a half-eaten skewer, Mu’en looked completely bewildered, as if he were a thief caught red-handed under the spotlight.
Who shouted? Their eyesight is too sharp!
Can’t I just keep a low profile?
Do they realize that my appearance in this situation would be very awkward?
Looking at the confrontation between Aemon and Ariel in front of him, Mu’en felt a splitting headache.
Of all people, it had to be the protagonist, Ariel, whom he least wanted to see.
And it was his subordinate’s sidekick sending a head to Ariel, a classic scene for the protagonist to show off and slap faces.
In this situation, a yellow-haired villain like him appearing would surely be a disaster.
It would make the protagonist think he was there to deliberately watch her make a fool of herself, thereby increasing the animosity!
…
In fact, Mu’en had arrived long before Ariel did.
He had come earlier than her, but instead of rushing into the academy, he strolled around the streets nearby, bought some snacks, and had a few skewers before planning to enter the academy when there weren’t too many people at the gate.
Just then, Ariel happened to emerge from the carriage.
And Aemon and his idiot friends just happened to block Ariel’s way.
A few minutes later, over a hundred onlookers suddenly gathered at the academy gate.
In an instant, they packed the entire entrance, making it impossible for anyone to pass.
Where did all these people come from? The gate was empty just a moment ago!
Is this what they call the protagonist’s domain expanding—having an audience for their pretentiousness?
Mu’en couldn’t help but grind his teeth in frustration.
Complaining aside, being looked at by everyone all at once triggered the muscle memory of his body.
He quickly masked his awkward expressions with a standard friendly smile and nodded to the crowd.
But even though he thought he looked utterly handsome, his smile bore no malice…
Still, at least eighty percent of the girls in attendance averted their gazes.
“Uh-oh, making eye contact with Mu’en Campbell could lead to pregnancy.”
“Ah, I forgot to put on some ash for camouflage! What to do? I heard that if he sets his sights on you, you’ll be knocked out at night and sent to the Duke’s Mansion, where he would do all kinds of things.”
“Want to be the Duchess? What a joke! He’s already engaged; he’s just toying with you. I’ve heard there are enough girls he has played with to form a class!”
“Do you know about that infamous suicide building on campus? It’s said that half of those who jumped from there were abandoned by Mu’en Campbell.”
“…”
Listening to the increasingly absurd whispers among the girls, Mu’en couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.
What ultimate playboy status does he have? It sounds like it has reached a point where even an honest person would be crushed by a mud truck for just stepping out!
Although his previous self, Mu’en Campbell, was indeed a scumbag, it surely wasn’t to this extent—he was just teasing some young girls.
If it really led to students committing suicide, even as the Duke’s son, the school wouldn’t turn a blind eye.
“Is it true that three people can create a tiger? Rumors really are terrifying.”
Mu’en sighed, fully aware that changing others’ impressions of him would be a long and arduous journey…
However, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; he must start somewhere.
Determined to change from that moment onward, Mu’en stepped forward, heading towards the eye of the storm.
…
“Hey, Mu’en Campbell, you really showed up.”
Seeing Mu’en, Ariel was not surprised; rather, she considered it expected.
After all, it was he who orchestrated everything, so naturally he would come to witness his enemy being insulted.
Just like he had done in the past.
However, she would not allow such a thing to happen.
“What’s the matter? Still like before, lacking the skill to act yourself, only daring to let your wild dogs bite? You’re just as useless as you used to be,” Ariel sneered.
“Those words are truly hurtful.”
“Isn’t that fitting for you?”
“…True.”
Calmly enduring Ariel’s mockery, Mu’en walked to her front.
Then, placing a hand on his chest, he smiled in an extremely gentlemanly manner and said:
“Good morning, Miss Ariel.”
“Huh?”
Ariel was stunned.
She widened her eyes as if she had seen a ghost.
What was she seeing?
What was she hearing?
That Mu’en Campbell was actually greeting her, actually saying good morning.
He didn’t start by saying, “You filthy, wretched scum, why don’t you roll out of here?”
Am I dreaming?
Ouch, it hurts—this isn’t a dream!
Mu’en Campbell actually spoke human words!
“You seem quite surprised that I’m greeting you.”
Mu’en struggled to control the twitching of his lips as he said,
“I greeted you in the same way at the banquet, didn’t I?”
Ah, right, he did greet her like that at the banquet.
…So that makes it even more wrong!
What kind of prank would allow someone to feign their true nature for so long?
He must have some grander scheme!
“What do you want to do, Mu’en Campbell?” Ariel asked sternly.
“…I want nothing, just a simple greeting.”
“Don’t try to deceive me; I’ve seen through too many of your schemes!
Ah, by the way, your stare at Lia was quite inappropriate; you must have intended to feign innocence to lower my guard and then go after the naïve and well-endowed Lia, right?
Let me tell you, I will absolutely not let your plot succeed! Lia’s assets are mine alone!”
Ariel glared at Mu’en fiercely, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
“I’ve already told you, I was just greeting you, you’re overthinking it.”
Mu’en shook his head with a bitter smile and turned to ignore the overly complicated-minded Ariel for the moment.
“Young Master Mu’en.”
Seeing Mu’en turn around, Aemon and several others straightened their backs and flashed flattering smiles.
“What are you doing?” Mu’en asked.
“We are challenging Ariel Bugarde.”
Aemon declared loudly, brimming with enthusiasm:
“To erase the humiliation from last semester!”
So you, a fourth-year student, challenging a second-year student, isn’t that also shameful?
Mu’en facepalmed and forced a smile.
He really didn’t know whether these fools caught stupidity from his previous self or if his previous self caught stupidity from them. No wonder, in the original book, even with Mu’en Campbell’s background, he couldn’t last even twenty chapters.
“Did someone instruct you to do this?” Mu’en asked.
“No one; we did it voluntarily!”
Aemon stood tall and proud in response.
As the second son of a viscount, he understood that if he wanted to stand out in this life, he could only cling tightly to Mu’en, the Duke’s son.
So he had long decided to be an excellent lackey.
What does it mean to be an excellent lackey? Does it require the master to issue tasks personally?
No, an excellent lackey must grasp the master’s intentions and learn to seek out work for themselves.
