The Novel’s Antagonist: I walk the path of a Villain - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Mind Games

“No…” I began, my voice steady and unwavering. “With all due respect, sir, while I may have unintentionally broken some academy rules—rules I am not even aware of—by conducting an experiment in a class designed for experiments, I must remind you of something called the Alchemy Law. According to this law, I alone reserve the exclusive right to the recipe of my potion. Under no circumstances am I to be coerced or forced into revealing it, as that would be a clear infringement of my rights.”

I fixed him with a calculated glint in my eyes, my tone firm. It was time to make him understand he wasn’t dealing with some naive fool.

“I’m well aware of the Alchemy Law, Mr. Ryan,” he replied, his voice taking on a formal edge.

Oh, back to formality, are we? Interesting.

“However,” he continued, his gaze sharp and unyielding, “you must also recognize that experiments carried out in a classroom setting cannot pose a potential risk to the safety of the students present. That, without question, is a threat the academy cannot overlook.”

I raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. “But didn’t you just say yourself that the potion didn’t detonate because I was fully aware of the risks? By your own admission, no lives were ever in danger. This feels less like a genuine concern for safety and more like an elaborate scheme to pressure me into revealing the recipe of a potion that I rightfully own, as per the Alchemy Law.”

My tone was stern, my resolve unshakable. There was no way I was letting this bastard off.

I MUST GET COMPENSATION NO MATTER WHAT.

He sighed heavily, running a hand over his forehead, clearly realizing the situation wasn’t unfolding as he had hoped. “You’re misunderstanding the point, Mister Ryan,” he said at last, his tone softening slightly. “While it’s true the potion didn’t explode, its mere presence in a classroom full of students constitutes a potential hazard. That’s something the academy cannot ignore.”

I crossed my arms, my expression growing more serious. “And yet, I don’t recall any restrictions being placed on the types of potions we could create. According to the professor, we were instructed to craft our best potions for evaluation. If dangerous potions were prohibited, that should have been clearly stated beforehand. For all we know, I might not even be the only student who created such a potion.”

His rhythmic tapping of fingers on the desk betrayed his frustration.

“Mister Ryan…”

“Yes?”

“How about this,” he said after a pause, locking eyes with me. “We’ll consider both you and the school partially at fault. It seems there was a lack of clarity in the instructions, so let’s agree to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

Oh, now he wanted to take the easy way out. Not a chance. Not until you have fallen into my hands.

“Absolutely not,” I said firmly, my voice rising ever so slightly. “I refuse to accept any blame for this. The fault lies entirely with the school. I followed the professor’s instructions to the letter and was unfairly accused of endangering lives. Not only that, but my rights were infringed upon in the process. I demand a meeting with the principal. I will not let this matter slide.”

My eyes bored into his, and I noticed a faint sheen of sweat forming on his brow.

Yes. Take the bait, you bastard.

“Mister Ryan,” he emphasized, his tapping becoming more frantic. “I would advise you to stop this and return to your dorm,” he said.

“Oh, so now I’m also being threatened? It seems I’ll have to find a way to meet the principal myself,” I replied, attempting to stand.

“Sit,” he commanded.

The tension in the room was palpable, but I wasn’t giving in.

No, far from it.

The fact that they tried to play on my intelligence and took me for a fool was still pissing me off. I could tolerate Selena since she was literally my sponsor, but that’s it.

I HATE it when people play me for a fool.

“So, what will it be, Mister Vice Principal?” I asked. There was no smile on his face, and neither was there one on mine.

I wasn’t in the mood for any jokes, and he could see it.

“You are treading on dangerous ground, Mister Ryan. Or don’t you want to have a smooth experience in this Academy?” he asked, his threat clear.

Yeah, I was out of this fucking place come the end of the first semester, so I didn’t give two flying fucks about this place.

“I do. But that doesn’t mean I’ll sit still and watch people trample on me. I hate it when people play on my intelligence,” I said firmly.

“…What will it take for you to give me the recipe?” he asked, rubbing his forehead.

Smart move.

But not enough. I wanted full compensation.

I WILL MILK THIS BASTARD FOR SOME BENEFITS!

‘Ugh, despicable.’

Oh, so you finally decided to stop sulking.

‘…’

“I can’t sell you the recipe for that potion. It isn’t something I’d like in the hands of just… anyone,” I said, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Not that I even knew the fucking recipe anyway. Better not to get into more complicated situations.

“Then what will you give me?”

“I can provide the recipe for another potion that I’m sure will interest you.”

“And that is…?”

“I’ll tell you, but before that…” I trailed off, not needing to add words for him to catch my drift.

This bastard literally sent me to a rat hole in the name of a new dorm room.

It’s time I fixed that.

“What do you want?” he finally asked the big question I’d been waiting for from the moment I began this mind game.

“Nothing much, really. Just move me to a high-ranker’s dorm, give me access to the VR world, and completely cut off curfews for me.”

“…”

Okay, stop glaring so hard. You have no choice, so just fucking do it.

“Fine. But as for the curfew…”

“Just make it for only the first two semesters,” I said, making it sound more reasonable. Completely removing the curfew would probably be problematic for him. Asking for one semester might have made him suspicious of my motives, so I said two.

“Fine,” he conceded, leaning back in his chair.

“What about the potion—?”

“Well, I’ll be taking my leave if that’s all,” I smiled and walked out, leaving him to realize he’d just fallen into my trap.

I had no potions to sell. Well, except for that one I needed Celestina to make me, but no way in hell was I giving that to him.

Anyway, I hadn’t seen Selena around, so I guessed it was safe to remove this stupid getup.

It was making me look like a clown.

…

…

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