The Villain Who Robbed the Heroines Chapter 14
༺ Prelude to Becoming a Professor (4) ༻
⸄༺ The Imperial Capital – Ernes ༻⸅
After passing through the obligatory checkpoint, we could see the crowded streets of the heart of the Empire.
Strangely, while the streets were crowded with people, the order was still maintained.
Carriages and wagons drove in an orderly fashion on their designated lanes, and the people walked by the roadsides.
And given the significance of this city, the streets could be said to be extremely clean.
The clock tower, which seemed to challenge the heavens with its towering height, announced the time.
11:50 am.
'It seems that we arrived rather early.'
I had to present myself at the Academy's office at 1:00 pm, therefore, since there was time, we headed to a state owned by the Brutein family.
'Sure enough….'
When we arrived at the state and opened the door, I had no choice but to express my admiration for the spectacular view I witnessed.
Since Ferzen never cared about such things, there was little to no information about this mansion in his memories, so I didn't know what to expect.
The exterior of this mansion was like a miniature version of the Palace of Versailles.
After walking through the gates, a vast garden blended with an artificial lake created a scenery worthy of a painting.
This state is supposed to be deserted, but seeing the excellent condition of the gardens, there should at least be a skillful gardener here.
Creak!
However, unlike its exterior, the inside of the mansion was full of dust, which proved that this place was indeed left unattended for a long time.
After instructing the servants, I brought along with me to start cleaning the place; I went to the Master bedroom with Euphemia on the third floor.
"If you have thoughts about furniture or any decoration you'd like, go with the maids and buy it. It seems I won't be home until the afternoon or evening."
"Fine... "
Seeing Euphemia nodding her head in agreement, I changed my clothes.
The current Euphemia is in a state of depression and low self-esteem, caused by both Ferzen's actions, and my attempts of coercion.
Even if she doesn't want to give in to me in the first place, she doesn't have any goal or objective that she wants to pursue, therefore, her will is weak.
Never once did the thought of being rescued by Ciel Midford cross her mind, and apart from her personal feelings and Ferzen's actions, this marriage was the best thing that could have happened to her.
That's why I want her to have a child.
There is no stronger motivation for a woman than taking care of her own child.
"Euphemia."
"Yes…"
"I'll be back soon."
"….Just go."
For a moment, her lack of emotion in sending me off offended me a little, but nevertheless, I left the mansion and got into the carriage and set off to the Academy.
"Onwards."
* * * * *
The Academy was located in the outskirts of the capital, comprising two educational centers and dormitories, with one main building as its main axis.
'This is strangely familiar…'
Maybe it's the architecture?
It reminded me of a foreign university with a great prestige that I visited on my first trip abroad.
'Looks like the others are arriving as well.'
Starting from the main entrance of the academy, a long line of carriages were parked behind the main building.
And as my luck demands it, from the corner of my eye I saw a carriage branded with the purple rose characteristic crest of the Alfred Family.
'Yuriel Wayne Dayna Alfred… '
She should be the one inside that carriage.
Getting out of my carriage, I took out an expansive and intricate cane from my subspace, thinking that I should leave this place as soon as possible in order to avoid any incidents.
"… … "
It was an extremely natural and fluid behavior, so I didn't even question it for a moment.
When in crowded places, it was a habit engraved in Ferzen's bones to move while holding a cane.
Clip-Clop!
"... "
As I was about to leave this place, Alfred's family carriage parked right next to mine.
Parking by the side of a carriage bearing the crest of the Brutein family usually is something that most would avoid, since they would be subjected to comparison.
But the Alfred family had a sort of inferiority complex when compared to Brutein.
Therefore, they used every single opportunity to compete with the glory and fame the Brutein family had, and in this case, they chose to park their carriage right by the side of Brutein.
Bump!
"Don't get me wrong."
A black-haired beauty similar to Ferzen's own hair color, just slightly faint in comparison, Yuriel Wayne Dayna Alfred, got out of the carriage.
A gothic-style black coat, a beautifully embroidered cape, and a short skirt that revealed her slim legs, with the typical hat of a wizard.
"This was the only vacated spot… Hyaaa!"
Yuriel, who was approaching me with a smug expression, stopped in her tracks when the tip of my cane bumped into her chest and she fell to the ground with a squeal.
Indeed, it seems that the rightful use of this gentleman's cane is to warn and stop anyone who tries to invade my personal space.
"What was that for, you crazy bastard!"
Yuriel pouted and glared at me as tears welled up in her eyes.
"If you have something to say to me, then say it from where you are."
"You could just tell me to not come closer to you!"
"If that's what you wanted to say, then I bid you farewell."
When I turned my back on her, Yuriel hurriedly got up and blocked my way.
This time she calculated the distance so my cane would not be able to reach her.
"I just parked there because that was the only space that could fit our carriage."
"… Didn't you already say that?"
"Hmph. Don't pretend you're not blaming yourself for the bad blood between my arrogant family and your prideful Brutein. You can't deceive me with that act of yours, I know you better than anyone."
"... "
"What? Cat got your tongue?"
As I stared at her without saying a word, Yuriel blushed and adjusted her wizard's hat.
"Yuriel Wayne Dayna Alfred."
"What?"
"Don't say you understand the reason for my actions ever again. It's unsightly."
I could count on one hand the times we met, and she is already this casual with me.
It is hilarious hearing her say she is the only one who knows who I truly am.
Even in the odd chance that she actually finds out about my Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, can she even begin to understand even 10% of my suffering?
"If I was you, I wouldn't put my trust in those inferior eyes of yours."
Thinking that continuing this conversation would be just a waste of time, I turned my back to her for the second time and walked into the main building of the academy.
"… … "
But Yuriel caught up with me and walked by my side.
When our eyes met, she blushed and opened her mouth.
"What? there's only one path to the office, it's not like I wanted to walk with you."
"Sigh, some things never change. You're still a troublesome woman."
Are all those descendants of the Alfred family this deluded?
Holding back yet another sigh, I entered the main building – with Yuriel stuck to me – and tried to find the Chairwoman's office, as that would be the gathering place.
However, I could not find the damn office in this building.
Where is it?
"You know… The Chairwoman's office is to the right, not the left."
"….. If you knew it, why did you follow me then?"
"Well… Because you barged into the building with such confidence… So I thought I might be wrong?"
"Unbelievable. You're not even capable of voicing your thoughts? Pathetic."
"Excuse me?! You're the one who got lost in the first place!"
"I was at fault for not knowing where I was going, but you are much worse because you went the wrong way, even knowing it was wrong. It's not the same, and you know it."
"Sigh, you're a real piece of work aren't you…."
Yuriel, who turned around with a pout, began walking forward.
Then, as if nothing happened, I followed her to the Chairwoman's office.
* * * * *
"Um... "
In the Chairwoman's office, the First Imperial Princess – Elizabeth, observed the long line of carriages outside her office through the window.
'Brutein and Alfred... '
The first sight that caught her eye was those two extremely luxurious carriages bearing the crests of the Bruteins and Alfreds.
Honestly, it is true that Brutein was the superior one when compared to Alfred's family, but ironically the Imperial family favored the latter.
Because of their standing, there was a difference between when Brutein bled for the Imperial family and when the Alfred's did the same.
Brutein could be said to be the cornerstone of the Empire, since its foundation.
However, they're loyal to the Emperor and only him.
Nothing else mattered.
Therefore, it's not an exaggeration to say that if one successor to the throne managed to obtain the support of Brutein, this heir would become the next Emperor without a doubt.
But they are too arrogant and forthright.
Just like a strict Father.
They were a strong ally that is true, but they would only move when they wanted to.
In that sense, Alfred differs from Brutein as they were easily coerced.
"My lady, they are here."
"Tell them to come in."
Upon hearing her maid's report, Elizabeth sat comfortably and began to greet those who answered the Imperial 'Invite'.
* * * * *
When I entered the Chairwoman's office, I took extra care to never look at the first princess – Elizabeth's face.
Because there was an extremely high possibility that something in her could trigger my obsession.
The Imperial family, especially a woman of such bloodline, always had put a high value on their personal 'brand'.
It's not an exaggeration to say that the fashion trends of this world revolve around such individuals, so every month artists and tailors present their works to the Imperial Family.
So basically, women of such high standing tend to wear quite a lot of jewelry, almost being borderline excessive with their use. Therefore, for me, looking at them is almost like a guarantee of getting a headache.
So I calmly looked down at the document that contained the general outline for the academy and gave it a read.
'As she is the one blessed by the God of Wisdom, this is sure to be worthy of my time.'
Under the premise of a sponsorship, commoners can also attend the academy.
But, unlike many novels or manwhas, no matter how much the Imperial family says that all of those attending the academy are now equals, in reality, it's bullshit, and there exists hypocrisy of the highest order.
Take this hyperbole as an analogy. Imagine that you actually had the gal to put both Jews and Nazis in the same school and told them that in the confines of such a school they were equal.
The irony of such a thing is that in order to actually protect the commoners from being despised and suffering harassment by the aristocrats, they need to be segregated thoroughly.
And true to her wisdom, these documents contained the outline for the division of areas exclusive to nobles and commoners, such as different dorms for both classes. And even their scheduled lunch time was organized in a way they didn't overlap.
Another thing worthy of note is that even the lectures were planned, so nobles only took lectures from other nobles, and commoners only took lectures from other commoners.
There were many other discriminatory practices, but in reality, none of them were truly unfair.
In particular, the dormitory for nobles is a single room for students, whereas the commoners had to share a room with 4 people.
This is actually a form of carefully controlling the bonds those students could form with others.
It was frankly surprising how much insight the Imperial Family, who is sitting at the top of a feudalistic regime, had about the intricacies of social classes.
'No. Isn't that exactly why they acted like this in the first place?'
The early steps towards total centralization of power.
In order to increase the Imperial Family's influence and power, the basic procedure should be to hire talented commoners rather than snake-like aristocrats with their own agendas.
In fact, all professors in charge of commoners are directly under the imperial family.
So naturally, those commoners who enter the academy through the 'sponsorship' will join the Imperial Family's shadow.
'They're ambitious. I will give them that.'
After getting a rough outline of those detailed plans, I put those documents in my arms.
"Going down to the 1st floor, we hired a couple of artisans of Rosenberg to act as teachers, so they will be in charge of any artistic curriculum."
"Do you mind if I borrow them out for a while? I plan to take them to my private mansion."
"No, I don't want my new teachers to be suffocated to death."
"... "
"If any of you, for some reason, read the entire outline for the academy and didn't understand it, or if you have some doubts and suggestions, I will allow you to voice them. If not, go and take a look around your classroom or private offices."
At the words of the First Princess, most nobles glanced at me.
Yes, no matter how the princess worded her little speech, for these minor nobles, it could be interpreted as a sign of arrogance to get up first, so they anxiously awaited for me to get up first.
If you follow Brutein then there will be no problems.
"Then let us take a look."
And so I got up from my seat and walked out of the room.
And when I left, the others followed me.
However, this wasn't a nuisance
It is natural for those of lower status to follow Brutein.
It's their instinct as lower beings.
* * * * *
'Is it here?'
Not wanting to waste my time on a tour of the academy, I went to my soon-to-be classroom.
"Ah… … "
Although Ferzen may never have experienced something like this, Seo-jin certainly did, and for many years at that, so I was hit with a wave of nostalgia.
A large blackboard and a small chalk eraser were arranged neatly.
Writing with chalk requires a certain skill in its own way, but I don't think this should be a problem for this body and its natural talents.
'Thankfully, there is nothing to worry about.'
Since even the desk and chair where the students would sit were placed at an appropriate distance from the board, it is unlikely that this would act as a trigger for my obsession.
For some strange reason, I pulled the chair out and sat there.
As soon as I did that, memories from my past life surfaced again.
And after a moment, I got up from this chair that evoked those memories and put it in its place.
"... "
And then I found the problem.
'All right. I can't do this.'
What is the probability that every single student is going to listen to my lectures with the appropriate posture?
Even if they, for some reason, did sit with an impeccable posture, if they apply just a little pressure on the desk, it will become unbalanced.
If this happens, this slightly unbalanced desk will certainly act as a trigger for me.
Not only that, but there's no way those students will be still while sitting, so the desk can be bent in a manner of different ways.
"… … "
But the solution for this was surprisingly simple.
Wasting no time, I pulled out a piece of paper from my subspace and grabbed my fountain pen.
Changing the layout of the classroom was something that needed the permission of the Princess, since she is the acting Chairwoman, so I had to write a request form.
The content was very simple.
Replacing those desks from my classroom with another model of the desk.
And with this new addition, even if my classroom would probably bear the stigma of being something repulsive to those students, at least I would be at peace.
Yes, the devil that lurks in the universities of the 21st century.
The enemy of all college students – the all-in-one desk.
I'm a villain anyway. What's so bad about acting like one for a change?
Seo-Jin's ego, who usually is extremely calm, is now screaming at the top of his lungs, but Ferzen tried to ignore it.
My top priority, after all, was creating a comfortable environment for myself.
Translator's Note:
Hear Hear lowly mortals, It is I, your translator, And I Declared that:
>>>>YURIEL IS THE NEW BEST GIRL
If you disagree with me, you shall get cliffhangers for the rest of this novel!!!!
This is my Royal Decree as the one who would absolutely blue ball you guys in a snu snu chapter with no hesitation!!!!!
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