Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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61st Chapter: Alright, everyone calm down…

[The contract with the spirit ‘Muto’ has been successfully established!]

[‘Contract Spirit Slot 1’ now includes ‘Muto’.]

——————

[Contract Spirit Slots]

[Muto ★★★★]

-Affinity: 25%

-Personality: Aggressive, Optimistic

-Attributes: Poison, Darkness

[Empty Slot]

——————

After a nap, I woke up to find various changes.

My body, which had fainted in the Spirit Forest, was laid upon the bed in a cabin, and upon awakening from my unconscious state, morning had arrived.

It seemed my family discovered me collapsed and hurriedly brought me here. In fact, they had been watching my training for a week. As skilled magic users, it must have been easy for them to observe.

I may be quite weakened now, but at that level, it wouldn’t be strange for them to take up a position as a magic professor at a magic academy.

‘Though I can’t live a normal life due to the curse.’

While I, cursed as I am, manage to go to school because I’m isekai’d, the original Radon would have been expelled before even taking a mid-term evaluation.

Given that my family doesn’t possess the ability to see the system like I do, the chances of them being able to do so are slim. Trying to find jobs or enroll in schools would be pointless.

“Did you sleep well?”

From underneath the bed, a black snake slithered out and spoke. Muto slithered closer, scanning my face with its eyes and flicking its tongue.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“Hmm, so you finally woke up.”

“Do I look like I’m still asleep?”

What’s with trying to determine someone’s sleep state using a tongue? It was still as picky as ever.

Still, achieving the contract with it was a significant accomplishment. The reason it complied with my previous requests was its own benefit.

Although I was at the mercy of a stronger force, I was able to taste the delectable meal called Enviel.

I may have received some benefit, but I still didn’t fully possess the power of Enviel. However, my knowledge and spirit power have certainly expanded.

“Could you start talking now?”

“What about?”

“About the curse our family is under.”

As a high-ranked spirit, there was a high likelihood it knew about it.

While eating at home, I asked my father about the curse, but he too replied that he didn’t know much.

“I woke up one day and it was suddenly there.” That was all the answer I got.

“Big brother, are you awake?”

At that moment, Amy burst through the door. She rushed to the foot of the bed, causing the floor to creak. I was nervous, fearing it might collapse.

Muto vanished the moment my sister appeared.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. I don’t have any injuries, I just exhausted my mana.”

“Thank goodness. It was me who brought you here at that time. Mom and Dad were a bit busy.”

“You went to that dangerous place alone?”

“What’s so dangerous about it? I’m a girl who knows how to handle things!”

Boom!—

Suddenly, Amy’s body grew enormous. She transformed into the bodybuilder-like figure I saw when we first met.

Now it made sense how she managed to bring me back.

But that body was always unsettling to see. I felt a pressure like she could crush me at any moment.

Moreover, the floor creaked even more. It was miraculous that it didn’t collapse under her weight.

We needed to move out, like, right now.

“Come down to the kitchen. Dinner is ready.”

*

“Congratulations! You made the contract.”

“I knew our son could do it.”

My mother and father sat at the table, cheers of joy erupting as they began to drink. Day drinking, huh? They must have some strong willpower.

I was thankful for their help in this contract.

“Why are there so many vomit stains down here?”

Muto slithered out again from under my feet to comment.

My parents laughed it off as if they could see it, while Amy tilted her head, apparently unaware of its presence.

“Can you keep it down during dinner?”

I had been annoyed about it for a while; what’s with the vomit comments?

“Seems like you guys are under a special grade curse.”

With Muto’s remark, the atmosphere quickly turned somber. The sounds of laughter and merriment from my family faded completely.

“What was the name of the curse you all are under?”

“It’s… the Curse of….” My father spoke, but the name of the curse was silenced. It was just like my case.

“You all know this isn’t an ordinary curse. Curses that strike without warning don’t exist in this world.”

Thus, it’s certainly been affecting us for a long time. Muto revealed that based on its firsthand experience… it seemed this curse had been ripening for about 300 years.

“3…300 years?”

Not just me, but my family gaped in surprise. I had known it wasn’t a simple curse, but I never expected it had been around for that long.

“300 years ago is before Amy and I were born, and even before Mom and Dad’s time.”

“That’s right. Even if we didn’t exist, the ancestors would have been around.”

Ancestors or progenitors.

Hearing that, everything clicked into place.

Considering that the curse of this liar spread to the entire family was entirely plausible.

“As I said, it’s a curse that’s been ongoing for as long as 300 years. Just because its effects didn’t manifest for such a long time, it lay dormant. That dormant curse suddenly began to awaken from your ancestors’ generation,” Muto explained, pointing its tail at my father.

The curse affecting the entire family didn’t originate from my father, but from a distant ancestor. Realizing this, my father sighed with relief.

“Then, is there any chance we could find out why the ancestor fell under this curse?”

“I don’t know about that. I only deduced the ripening level of the curse. In the worst case, the progenitor might have committed a crime that led to this curse.”

A wave of pity washed over my family’s faces, but it was not entirely impossible that Muto’s hypothesis was correct.

Typically, curses are assumed to originate from sins committed.

“Thank you for that information.”

“Thank me? You seem rather clueless for a wizard; I spoke without thinking,” replied Muto.

I wanted to smack that little snake with a spoon for its attitude but held back, not wanting to ruin the atmosphere.

My parents smiling at this little one’s ramblings only showed how broad-minded they were… truly admirable.

“It’s okay. Hearing a cute little pup like you scold me isn’t such a bad thing.”

“What? Huh?”

“So cute and adorable! Here, have this treat and enjoy it!”

My mother tossed some meat, claiming it was a dog treat. Muto’s face froze in shock, and I found myself equally stunned.

If they also had a system, their erosion rate must have dipped below 70%.

“Are you all crazy?”

“Don’t be so upset. How shall we name our little pup?”

“How about Shadow? Sounds cute, right?”

“Or Charcoal? Is that too funny?”

“That’s true.”

-Wahaha!

Seeing my family laughing uproariously made me realize once again that this family wasn’t ordinary.

Trying to keep a straight face was getting tough.

“….”

Muto was completely silent, simply staring blankly. I never imagined I would find some common ground with this fellow.

Of course, it probably knew roughly why we were exchanging such silly banter. Knowing that, Muto clicked its tongue in annoyance.

“Wait! I think an uninvited guest has arrived.”

My father suddenly ceased his chuckling and wore a serious expression. My mother reacted similarly to the mention of an uninvited guest.

“Did they notice the barrier?”

“Could be. They don’t seem like ordinary folks.”

Suddenly, the cheerful atmosphere shattered. As they hurried outside, I found myself following along.

*

“This is quite the formidable barrier.”

Soldiers had gathered in front of the cabin. They seemed unaware there was even a cabin in front of them.

The barrier before them obscured their perception of anything inside.

Thus, while the soldiers couldn’t see the cabin, they could never fool the keen eyes of a highly skilled knight.

“Stand back, Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

The knight retracted the sky-blue-haired girl standing in the front and drew his sword.

The gleam of his sword resembling a leader’s rank soared as he cut through the air, slashing the barrier cleanly in two.

As the barrier lost its power, it vanished as if the visuals they had seen until now were a mirage. And emerging from the hazy mist, the cabin appeared in front of the soldiers.

The girl, witnessing this scene, pouted her lips.

“Thank you for your hard work. If it weren’t for Sir Transh, we would have never found it.”

“It was just a matter of course. By the way, this doesn’t seem like a mere scammer. Judging by this level of barrier, it seems they’re at least 5th circle. This could possibly be a high-ranking member of a Demon Worship Clan.”

There was no way such a veteran mage would be hiding out in such a secluded area. Most mages who go underground are researching unethical experiments or dark magic.

“Come out, you scammer! We know you’re hiding here! If you beg for mercy now, we might let you off lightly!”

As the girl shouted with a piercing voice, the door of the cabin swung open. A man, a woman, and a boy a few years older than her stepped out.

Especially the moment she saw the man, the girl’s eyes widened in anger.

“Finally found you! You scammer!!”

“Oh my! Who is it now?”

Rotas Crawler was deeply dismayed upon seeing the girl.

Their family had established a business in the shopping district before moving. They sold various equipment and potions they made themselves. But… it was actually a scam.

Selling recovery potions as mana enhancement potions or passing off mid-tier equipment as high-tier was their game.

But the Crawler family had no choice but to survive like that. They thought maybe doing so could postpone the curse.

Then they sold equipment and potions to a girl who seemed like an adventurer, but Amy accidentally mislabelled the potion, and they ended up selling sleeping medication instead.

That disgruntled girl… had now returned, leading knights. As a noblewoman from a duke’s family.

“I thought it was a recovery potion and downed it, only to fall asleep amidst monsters? This can’t be overlooked! Brace yourselves!”

After almost falling victim to a scam, it’s rather surprising how she isn’t furious.

Seeing her roaming alone as an adventurer, she seemed to be the descendant of a prestigious knight family. It was somewhat a warrior’s training.

“Your Highness, please calm down… we also have our circumstances…”

“Our circumstances?”

Rotas hesitated before speaking.

“Yes, our family is under a curse that will kill us if we don’t commit fraud.”

“…What?”

“Yeah, if we don’t commit fraud, we’ll… tsk. I guess it’s no good after all.”

“Are you messing with me!”

The girl, unable to grasp his words, glared at him like a beast. At that, the knights aimed their swords at the couple.

Sir Transh, the captain of the knights, fixed his gaze on them as well.

It wasn’t merely about scamming a noble; they seemed incredibly suspicious. There was a need for a search and seizure due to the possibility of conducting inhumane experiments in such a remote location.

“Please surrender willingly. Then we can end this without anyone getting hurt.”

“I wish it could end that easily, but I doubt that girl would listen to me even if I said it a hundred times.”

“….”

Transh held his breath as soon as he laid eyes on the man. Though he suspected he was at 5th circle, seeing him in person appeared to transcend that.

He truly was no ordinary scammer. It was worth following the young lady.

“Be honest about what you’re doing here.”

“Just trying to lead a family life.”

“With you going so far as to set up a barrier?”

“….”

Rotas had no words to counter that.

A capable mage living in a remote area and establishing a barrier? That’s definitely a concealment tactic of criminals.

“If you refuse to comply, we will have to take you by force.”

“Hah… must we go that far?”

Before Rotas’s sigh was even complete, Transh rushed at him with terrifying speed. Without hesitation, he aimed to slash Rotas with his sword colored in a fierce aura.

It looked like the knight was about to cut down a civilian, but at Rotas’s gesture, a barrier emerged, blocking the attack.

Creating such a defense without a staff was indeed marvelous, but there was a flaw in his stance.

“Prepare yourself! You scammer!”

The girl lunged toward that exposed side.

She lifted the sword she was holding, increasing its weight, and aimed to use that weight against him.

His attention was on Sir Transh. This would be…

“Muto.”

…a finishing blow.

At the whisper of a name, something appeared to block her strike.

It was a black snake. A reptile that looked at least 20 times larger than an anaconda swung its tail, neutralizing the girl’s attack.

“C’mon, everyone just calm down! Let’s put down our weapons. We won’t be resisting much either.”

Having manifested Muto, I hoped to mediate this chaos.

What the heck is going on? I stepped outside the cabin in confusion… and saw a familiar face.

Realizing this battle was pointless.

“Who are you? Get out of the way!”

“That technique you just used, ‘Chain Silver Style – Hail’, right?”

“What?”

I spoke to the girl. She was a face I had seen many times in the game.

As she questioned who I was, I displayed a badge as I answered.

“I’m acquainted with your sister.”

A single line wasn’t enough to calm the situation. But with just that badge, all the soldiers fell silent.

The girl… Ray Chain Silver looked dazed as if she had been hit on the back of the head.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.