The Villain Wants to Change Genres

Chapter 94

Luwen’s ears turned slightly red. Ah, how adorable. I wanted to tease him more, but we were approaching the dormitory, so we had to take the main road.

“By the way, you really need to call me Norman in front of others. My graduation certificate depends on you.”

“I understand… sir.”

When I spoke seriously, Luwen’s attitude also became serious, but it seemed difficult for him to call me Norman, so he just closed his mouth. No, maybe this is the Luwen famous for being quiet at the academy.

‘Being discovered isn’t as bad as I thought.’

There were still issues to explain, and future problems for me to deal with. I’m not sure how being caught in my act will affect things going forward, but…

‘It was worth the trouble to see flustered Luwen.’

I might change my mind later, but for now, it seemed okay to enjoy the moment. The rumors should be resolved after the written exams anyway.

* * *

My roommates, thinking I had finally made up my mind upon seeing Luwen, readily vacated the room. While they were leaving and I was pulling up a chair, Luwen looked around the room with a stiff expression.

“…It’s too cramped. Have you been staying here with those people from earlier?”

“Yes. It was uncomfortable at first, but I got used to it. You saw Nadian, right? The biggest guy. The small, cute one has the same name as me, Norman. And the seemingly cold one is actually quiet but takes good care of people. They all helped me a lot.”

“Helped you… with those rumors?”

Luwen’s pronunciation was particularly heavy when mentioning the rumors. He seemed to feel somewhat guilty.

“That’s right, but I don’t really care about those rumors. None of them are true anyway.”

“…”

Luwen closed his mouth. He seemed to have a lot to say but was unsure where to start. Thinking he probably had a mountain of questions, I spoke first.

“Actually, I enrolled to secretly watch over your academy life. I kept it a secret even from my sister.”

“Was there a need to hide it from me?”

“I didn’t want to interfere with your studies unnecessarily. As for the rumors, it seems I’ve made someone jealous. But they’ll all disappear after the written exams. I decided to aim for the top spot since things turned out this way, even though I originally planned to keep a low profile.”

“That’s why you collapsed.”

Wait… How does he know that? There’s only one person who asked Luwen about me, but I was bewildered that the news of my collapse had reached even the Swordsmanship Department.

“Once right after you enrolled, once after meeting me on the weekend, and once two weeks ago. I’ve heard of three times, were there more?”

Luwen asked, standing stiffly while gripping the back of the chair I had offered him to sit on. The wooden chair creaked. …I didn’t give it to him to break. Is he that angry? How should I calm him down…

“No, there weren’t. And I think the rumor from two weeks ago is exaggerated. I didn’t collapse, I just fell asleep in the library. Everyone misunderstood that.”

It did escalate a bit when a student found it strange that I didn’t respond even when shaken because I was in such a deep sleep. This was the problem with my insomnia. When I’m tired, there comes a moment when I suddenly fall asleep as if a fuse has blown. Then, it’s hard for me to wake up no matter who tries.

Luwen let out a small sigh. Although he tried to hide it, I was so focused that it sounded as loud as thunder.

“I believe everything you say, young master, but it’s hard to trust you when it comes to your health. ‘It’s fine,’ ‘I’m okay,’ ‘I’m in good condition.’ It’s not the first or second time you’ve fallen ill after saying such things.”

That’s true, but… I couldn’t help it. Even when I felt unwell, I always pushed myself to the limit because I couldn’t bear to waste time lying in bed. The number of times I collapsed because of this…

I started counting them one by one but gave up. What’s the point of counting these things? It’s all in the past. People should live looking towards the future.

“But this time it’s true. I’m not lying.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

I smiled brightly to emphasize my honesty. Luwen, who had been staring at me, sighed again. This time it was even deeper than before. And then his words disappeared. Luwen’s complicated feelings were caught on his tightly closed lips.

I should have considered the possibility of not being able to hide my identity until graduation, but in my arrogance, I thought everything would go according to plan. I didn’t expect to be discovered so easily.

I almost resent Drabis, who brought mixed true and false stories to Luwen like a gossip-monger. If he didn’t know about the rumors surrounding Norman, he wouldn’t be this troubled.

If the stories I heard about Luwen after entering the academy were similar to those about country Norman, I would have taken him back immediately. Imagining Luwen suffering because of such things made me uncomfortable.

‘It wouldn’t be any different for Luwen.’

Although it happened to country Norman and not Fei Vinter, Luwen probably couldn’t distinguish between the two like I could.

“I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“Oh? Sure. Ask me anything.”

“Is the reason you’re studying so hard because of the rumors?”

It was an expected question. I used the excuse that my roommates were familiar with.

“I realized I needed good grades to get rid of the rumors. But since I originally didn’t intend to stand out, my entrance scores weren’t that great.”

“So you had to show that you were studying. So that even if your grades improved suddenly, no one would doubt it.”

“That’s right.”

After I confirmed this, Luwen took a deep breath, nodded, and then asked his next question.

“Who do you suspect is behind this?”

…Right. I belatedly remembered that I had spoken without thinking properly, slightly panicked after seeing the shocked Luwen.

“I am your person, young master. So it’s okay to tell me.”

While I hesitated for a moment, Luwen added. He seemed to misunderstand that I was considering whether to speak or not. He calmly continued.

“You said you seemed to have made someone jealous. Doesn’t that mean there’s someone behind the rumors?”

I didn’t come to the academy to interfere with Luwen’s studies. But now that I’ve been discovered, there’s no way Luwen would be able to focus on his studies without worrying, even if I tried to hide it. He’s already overly protective, so he’d probably worry even more.

‘Besides, I don’t like Luwen being close to the president.’

There was no need to stall any longer.

“I think it’s the president of the medical department.”

Seeing Luwen’s brow furrow deeply, I explained step by step why I thought so. I thought he might not believe me since it was just a hunch, but…

“If you need a witness, I’ll meet him myself.”

Far from not believing me, he looked ready to rush out immediately if I gave permission. Moreover, it didn’t seem like he was just going to talk. Even though I had already set everything up, so there was no need for that. Regardless of my gratitude, I didn’t want him to waste time because of my affairs.

“No, it’s fine. As long as the rumors disappear, there’s no need for you to step in. More importantly, how did you end up with the president?”

Taking the opportunity to ask about what I was curious about since the president was mentioned, Luwen frowned and began to explain. After hearing the full story of what happened that day, I realized that I had made a tremendous misunderstanding from the start.

‘…If I hadn’t collapsed after going to see Luwen, would I have been discovered right away?’

Even if I concede that footsteps can have individual characteristics, he suspected me because of the rose scent? I had thoroughly removed any scent, knowing that country Norman wouldn’t use expensive perfumes like rose!

Without realizing it, I buried my nose in my arm. Of course, there was no scent at all.

“Did it really smell like roses? Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?”

“Yes. I couldn’t distinguish it accurately then, but I won’t make that mistake again.”

Luwen seems to have changed his profession from knight to dog. Do they also train sense of smell at the academy…

“Can you smell it now?”

I asked, extending my left arm, and he held my hand, lowering his head.

‘It looks like he’s about to kiss my palm.’

It was just a casual thought based on what I saw, but suddenly Luwen’s body temperature on my hand felt hot. All at once, this situation became incredibly awkward and embarrassing.

Feeling that this wasn’t right, I hastily withdrew my hand. Luwen looked at me quizzically, but I was busy fidgeting with the back of my hand where he had held it. The intense sensation left behind wouldn’t fade.

“…What is this?”

“Huh? What, what is?”

At that moment, a large hand reached out towards me. My arm was grabbed, and in an instant, my sleeve was rolled up. There was a bright red handprint left there. It looked like it might bruise.

“Ah. Earlier, I was grabbed by that person called Gaspar…”

“…”

I could understand why Drabis said Luwen was scary. Even though the killing intent in his dark eyes wasn’t directed at me, it sent chills down my spine. Is this what it feels like to be tied up and abandoned in front of a hungry predator at the top of the food chain?

“Anywhere else?”

“No, he just grabbed my wrist.”

“Young master, you always hide when you’re hurt. Show me. I need to check.”

“Uh, where?”

“Everything.”

…What?