How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 62. Conviction

Jin Seo-hyun was the rare possessor of the ‘Clone’ superpower.

Of course, a clone only held about 10% of the original’s magical power, so it couldn’t be said that the ‘Clone’ superpower was particularly outstanding in combat.

However, Jin Seo-hyun also possessed the ‘Energy Storage’ superpower.

The ‘Energy Storage’ ability allowed her to infuse bullets with mana, and when fired from a special gun, it could trigger a powerful magical explosion.

In other words, if she prepared a sufficient number of magical bullets in advance, Jin Seo-hyun’s clones could perform just as well as the original.

Yet, at this moment, two of Jin Seo-hyun’s clones were following Kim Do-jin, meaning that bringing her to their side was akin to gaining three allies at once.

‘How reassuring.’

There was likely no one who could use the ‘Clone’ superpower as effectively in combat as Jin Seo-hyun.

Kim Do-jin wore a thoroughly satisfied smile, yet he still did not view the chances of success for this operation as particularly high.

The opponent was none other than the ‘Karasma Family.’

‘It would be nice to have just one more S-rank Awakened…’

Kim Do-jin pondered this as he searched for any potential allies available in this place.

Yet, no matter how he thought about it, there was only one person who met all the desired criteria.

‘Astrid.’

Once one of Kim Do-jin’s most trusted subordinates, Instructor Astrid Lindell.

If she were to lend her aid, he was confident that this operation would succeed flawlessly.

However, there was a problem: he could not be certain whether Astrid Lindell had betrayed him seven years ago, and it was about time that uncertainty began to take shape.

According to the results of his investigations over the years, there remained only one step left to assure himself that she was not the traitor.

‘Originally, I intended to discuss this when I returned to Arc, but… given the circumstances, it’s better to move it up.’

With that thought organized in his mind, Kim Do-jin’s eyes gleamed sharply as he rose from his seat.

He picked up the smartphone that lay beside him and began to type something with urgency.

* * *

Astrid Lindell lay on the bed in her hotel room, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“…….”

While her fellow instructors were enjoying their trip, each in their own way, Astrid Lindell was not among them.

This was not just today; it had been like this ever since Kim Do-jin had vanished seven years ago.

To Astrid Lindell, Kim Do-jin was not just half of her life—he was more than that.

She had loved, respected, and followed him more than anyone else, so anything they did together brought her joy, and his goals became her own.

So, how immense must the sense of loss have been when he suddenly disappeared overnight?

Since that day, Astrid Lindell had lived in a state of lethargy for a full seven years, her only purpose in life being to find even the tiniest clue about Kim Do-jin’s whereabouts.

If it hadn’t been for Kate Lawrence, the chairperson of Arc, who had forced her into the instructor’s position under the guise of a request, she might have lived like a complete recluse.

In any case, Astrid Lindell was once again holed up in her room today, staring at her smartphone, hoping for any hint of a clue.

Then, in the midst of this…

“……!”

Her eyes widened in shock, as if they might pop out, while she was sifting through information posts without much hope.

“T-this is!”

It was not the first time she had received a message claiming to know the whereabouts of Kim Do-jin.

Though it had been a trap, she had recently received a tip that contained quite a bit of information about him.

However, the message she had just received was on an entirely different level.

—

Last time, the information was something that even Kim Do-jin’s other close associates could grasp, but this knowledge was known only to Astrid Lindell and Kim Do-jin himself.

“Could it be…?!”

Perhaps, after seven long years, she had grown weary enough to lose hope that Kim Do-jin was still alive.

Astrid Lindell stood frozen for a moment, disbelief coursing through her, before suddenly springing to her feet to check the time.

[I will wait until exactly 9 o’clock.]

Fortunately, there were still about thirty minutes left until the time written in the message.

Yet, Astrid Lindell did not wish to delay even a single second.

– Thud!

In a flurry, she grabbed her coat, channeling her magic as she raced toward the rooftop mentioned in the message.

“Captain!?”

Until now, she had wandered about with a heart clinging to the slightest hope, but that was no longer the case.

As soon as Astrid Lindell reached the rooftop, her heart soared, and she scanned her surroundings eagerly.

And then, she spotted the familiar silhouette she had longed for.

“Do… Do-jin, Captain?”

With a heart pounding in anxious anticipation, Astrid Lindell called out Kim Do-jin’s name, her voice trembling.

“……”

As if responding to that name, the man standing far off by the railing slowly turned his body.

“……!”

In that instant, tears burst forth from Astrid Lindell’s quivering eyes.

The face of the man, standing nonchalantly at the railing, was indeed the very face she remembered of Kim Do-jin.

“How have you been, Astrid Lindell?”

His voice, too, was just as she remembered.

“…Captain!”

It was a moment of reunion after seven years, a time she had not even been sure he was alive.

Though it was unlike her usual demeanor, Astrid Lindell dashed toward Kim Do-jin, tears streaming down her face.

She intended to throw herself into his wide embrace.

“……!”

To her astonishment, Astrid Lindell’s hands grasped only at empty air.

The moment her fingers brushed against Kim Do-jin’s body, he shimmered with light and vanished.

– Thud!

—

Astrid Lindel’s face froze in an instant, having lost her balance and struck her knee, caught off guard by the unexpected.

“This, this is…”

What on earth had happened?

As Astrid Lindel turned her pale face to survey her surroundings, she heard a voice.

“How have you been, Astrid Lindel?”

It was a slightly different tone, yet the same words as before, prompting Astrid to slowly turn her head.

“…”

At last, within her line of sight stood Kim Do-jin.

Not the Kim Do-jin she had followed and called her captain, but one of the students she was responsible for—this Kim Do-jin.

“Ca… Captain?”

Though she still didn’t grasp the full meaning of it all, Astrid Lindel was certain.

The Kim Do-jin before her was indeed the one she had been searching for all this time.

* * *

“Is it really you, Captain?”

Even after hearing the confirmation from Kim Do-jin’s lips, she remained in a daze.

“How on earth…?”

Kim Do-jin took another sip of the coffee set before her and began to explain.

Seven years ago, due to the betrayal of Cheon Sang-seok, she had attempted an emergency escape, only to find herself crossing into another world. After living there for seven years, she had tried to return, but instead ended up possessing this reckless Kim Do-jin. This was the barest outline of her story.

“To think such a thing happened…”

Astrid Lindel longed for more details, but sensing the urgency in Kim Do-jin’s voice, she posed another question.

“So when did you possess this body?”

Astrid had a rough idea already, having recalled the moment she noticed the change in Kim Do-jin, which had reminded her of her captain.

“About two months ago, I suppose.”

The answer was as she had anticipated, and Astrid Lindel frowned, feeling a pang of disappointment.

“But why didn’t you tell me sooner!?”

Kim Do-jin offered a wry smile, as if to say she understood the sentiment.

“Three out of the six people I believed would never betray me turned against me, leading to this mess. Of course, among them, I trusted you the most, and I’ve seen you still wearing that pendant… but even so, I needed to be sure.”

As she spoke, Kim Do-jin’s gaze flickered to the necklace Astrid wore.

At the end of that necklace dangled a square pendant.

—

It was none other than Kim Do-jin’s emergency escape device.

Astrid Lindell had carried it for him for over seven years, yet, regrettably, it had proven of no help at all.

After all, more than three of the other five had betrayed him.

“I wanted to find out who the scoundrel was that betrayed the captain and take my revenge… but I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”

It was a well-known fact that among Kim Do-jin’s six loyal followers, Astrid Lindell was the weakest.

Of course, it wasn’t that Astrid Lindell was weak; it was merely that the other five were far too strong.

Regardless, Astrid Lindell empathized with the betrayal Kim Do-jin must have felt, while her own powerlessness simmered beneath the surface, and Kim Do-jin reassured her that it was alright.

“Not at all. I’m just grateful to you for not betraying me and for seeking me out all this time.”

As Kim Do-jin gazed at her with genuine gratitude, Astrid Lindell felt her cheeks flush slightly, and she awkwardly cleared her throat.

“Um, um! But what’s this urgent matter? I want to hear more about what the captain experienced in that other world, and I’d like to know what the plans are moving forward…”

In response, Kim Do-jin adopted a rather serious expression and replied.

“There’s someone I need to kill urgently. For Misaki Ai, and for myself as well.”

For Misaki Ai?

Astrid Lindell tilted her head in confusion at the unexpected name.

“Huh? Someone to kill for Misaki Ai… who exactly is that?”

“Karasuma Ryota.”

At that answer, Astrid Lindell could hardly contain her surprise.

“Karasuma Ryota!?”

The fact that the person who needed to be killed was none other than Karasuma Ryota, the eldest son of the Karasuma clan, was indeed shocking.

But wasn’t Karasuma Ryota already known to have died five years ago?

“What do you mean…?”

Astrid Lindell’s face twisted in disbelief as she sought clarification, and Kim Do-jin began to explain.

He recounted the events that had transpired five years ago at Misaki Ai’s home, detailing the conspiracy that Karasuma Ryota was currently orchestrating.

“Wow… I can’t believe that happened…”

Finally, after hearing the full explanation, Astrid Lindell furrowed her delicate brows in anger.

Though she would normally follow Kim Do-jin’s orders without question, she could not simply let Karasuma Ryota be.

“So what do I need to do?”

In response, Kim Do-jin elaborated on how they would locate and assassinate Karasuma Ryota, detailing the plan he had devised.

As she listened, Astrid Lindell felt a fire ignite within her, thinking that this was indeed a plan worthy of Kim Do-jin.