The Reincarnated Villainous Young Master's Guide to HappinessCh11 - Professor

Edited by: bafflinghaze

The rumors had spread like wildfire, from the front gates of the school to all four corners of the Academy. Soon, every student who cared for the actions of the Odum Family knew. u3WXGJ

Nazareth Odum had cut his hair and was acting strangely.

“He… He smiled…” A female student who had witnessed the entire scene at the entrance of the school spoke with disbelief clouding her voice.

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“Impossible!” someone hissed. “Odums don’t smile!”

“You weren’t there!” The first gossiper sneered, and then added in a lowered voice, “I think he snapped.” s4kwTn

In another classroom, there was a group of First Year Seniors huddled in the very back of the room. Anyone with a good set of ears could hear them as they whispered to one another.

“You know, he looks disturbingly similar to the other two Odums without all that hair covering his face…” one of them commented, before looking over his shoulder, as if paranoid that the notorious Scummy Troublemaker would be standing right behind him.

His friend grimaced at this statement. “I was hoping he was adopted…”

“He’s a bastard,” a female student pointed out. She’d been passing by their desks and felt the need to repeat this well-known information as if they were hearing it for the first time.

The friend scowled. “I assumed it was just an excuse to put him here!”

—

The moment Neo entered the classroom with his companions, he could feel the gazes of his classmates scrutinizing him like a wild and rabid animal.

The looks were discreet, of course. No one looked at him directly or had the courage to. They were peeking at him from the side and mumbling under their breaths. The atmosphere was strangely quiet, a buzzing tension heightening with each second. XFT8oN

Neo’s face distorted slightly. He didn’t think words would travel so quickly.

The shift in his expression had unknowingly made him appear even more unapproachable and frightening, but the youth was oblivious as he made his way over to his seat.

Tybalt and Finneas followed after him closely, each boy standing on each side of him.

It suddenly occurred to him that this formation was rather similar to a certain trio of children consisting of two goons and a blonde brat from a book he read about some wizard boy going to some wizard school. jwV7g6

The book had been filled with numerous irresponsible adults. They were the primary reasons why many of the students in the story had to bear arms. The main villain was a megalomaniac who wanted to take over the world—and children were the ultimate obstacles that got in his way.

The book had so many adults failing at being adults.

Adults in an educational setting.

It was incompetence at its finest. fUgOIy

Neo didn’t acknowledge the whispers growing louder as he passed the other students. It was a bold move, but they were clearly testing the waters.

If this had happened before, he might have snapped and threatened bodily harm.

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In the past, he had always kept his classmates in check. From the way he held himself, like a starved beast awaiting a meal, his presence had terrified them into submission, in fear that he could make them disappear.

Cutting his hair might not be a big deal in the modern world, or even to the commoners, but for the realm of the aristocracy, everything must be done carefully and with consideration. 0y2GTU

The rumors forced the other students to act, to confirm the changes and how they would affect future prospects.

There were courtly dramas where nobles didn’t know their place and questioned every action, being bumbling fools for the sake of being bumbling fools.

But reality was not fiction and acting the role of the bumbling fool required both awareness and careful planning.

It was not that nobles were unable to keep themselves in check. Rather, they must continue to toe the lines and move with the tides of change if they ever wish to survive. Neo allowed his classmates to fill the classroom with their voices. They grew bolder, testing his limits. Each of them had his name on their lips. k587E6

Would he react, or would he continue to remain ignorant of their words? Where did they stand in terms of the changing hierarchy?

And what were the odds they won’t be caught in the crossfire?

The world of the aristocracy was stressful when one had to play a constant game of chicken.

Some thrived in this world, while others could only fall due to their own carelessness. m MtVg

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Neo saw the way Tybalt raised a brow. Perhaps the boy expected him to do something about the whispers. The current situation was quite unprecedented.

“—His hair? He must have gone crazy-“

“—A new appearance won’t change anything-“

For Nazareth, who had always worn his hair long, the significance of cutting his hair would have meant something. x0SapU

He didn’t bother reacting to the comments regarding his looks. If he was still Nazareth, perhaps he might have done something to escalate the situation—perhaps threatened a few people and glared them down…

But now? He just wanted to sit down.

Seeing him unresponsive, some of his classmates changed tactics.

“I heard he was the one behind the poisoning incident with the Odum heir last month. Luckily the poison was discovered before anyone got hurt…” tmL6Mu

His reaction was immediate. His face froze into a scowl.

The classmate shut his mouth and became mute. The room fell silent.

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Neo made no effort to clarify as it would have been useless to even try, and quickly walked past the group.

He was not responsible for the poisoning incident. 8Qx9WR

As Nazareth, he preferred using other people to hurt his brother, either by ganging up on him or beating up the people he cared about.

Poison? He stopped poisoning Aurelion years ago.

Fists, knives, and anything that could bludgeon the body were the ways to go. He wasn’t sure why that was, but it was just the way he did things.

Physical assassination attempts were what he subscribed to, so he was quite loyal to the method. As a poison expert, he would not have wasted his resources and talent for the likes of his younger brother. 4yeXV0

Why?

Honestly, Neo had no recollections. Some of his decision-making skills were a bit of a blur once he started his life in the modern world. He likely repressed them into a little box inside his head and shoved them into the darkest depths of his mind, hoping to never see the light of day.

But for the poisoning incident that occurred a month ago in this world? He could certainly remember the event in detail.

As a matter of fact, the culprits should be suffering at this very moment, hopefully wishing they would die. PprqCw

Due to his violent rivalry with his brother, there were some people who would sometimes use his name to attack Aurelion. Since he had always been untouchable, it was easy to say they acted under Nazareth’s orders.

What a bunch of morons. These were the ones who were unable to survive the Aristocracy. Without even inspecting the situation, they touched his bottom line without understanding the consequences.

Right after Aurelion was nearly poisoned, Nazareth tracked down the people who caused the whole occurrence and began a siege on their reputation.

Exiled from their household and stripped of their nobility, they were forced to work in the grimiest places within the Red Light District. The brothel houses there didn’t even want them–and if there was no workplace… well… ever heard of a freelance streetwalker? mKdMzS

Karma worked in quick succession, one after another.

He had not taken well the news of these… interlopers getting in the way of his and his brother’s conflict. No one was allowed to harm his younger brother with the exception of himself.

Who gave those people the right to meddle in their rivalry?

They should be glad he hadn’t decided to poison them. They would have been undeserving of it, anyway. A hellish life would suffice as punishment for being troublesome and problematic. 24sbZy

Neo nearly snorted at the irony.

How did it feel when the school’s Scummy Troublemaker called you troublesome and problematic?

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Besides, no one in the Academy even liked them. He was sure one of the culprits had ties to the underground flesh trade.

Children flesh trade. DolVPM

So yeah. Fuck them.

One might think his actions had shown he had more depth, but the truth was, Nazareth crushed those people due to his own anger and spite.

He was irritated.

A bunch of fools almost killed his brother with second-rate, off-brand, mediocre poison while his assassins couldn’t do shit. LkpSIy

Not to mention, despite having grown up with him in the manor, Aurelion had no doubts about drinking something a random person gave him.

It was incredibly annoying!

Neo took his seat in the very back of the classroom and stiffly placed his school bag on the hook behind his chair.

In front of him, Tybalt and Finneas also took their respective seats. The two were deskmates. VRY6Pv

Speaking of deskmates, there was also the empty seat beside him, specially designated for his ever-loyal follower who bore Neo’s crimes and was sent onto a path of ruins.

There was never a man more loyal than him, but Neo had used him and tossed him away like ill-gotten goods.

He assumed he would be meeting him again, but class was about to start and there was still no sign of him showing up.

“Have either of you heard from Royce? Is he sick?” rdRVd

Tybalt tapped his cheek with thought. “Hmm, last I heard of him was through my oldest brother. Apparently, he had run his mouth wrong and made a fool of himself during a meeting with the crown prince. What say you, Finnie?”

Finneas shook his head. “My brother was also at the meeting and told me what had happened. Royce fell asleep halfway through and was out of it the entire time.” He was a fucking joke!

Neo thought back to the unfortunate tea party with Aurelion a few days ago and recalled Rainier mentioning a meeting with the Crown Prince.

Ever since the Crown Prince entered his first year of Senior High, he began holding meetings with the family heirs of all the households who supported him. NnpMdL

Despite the uncomfortable silence he and his brother sat in, Aurelion could be quite expressive when he was peeved. The entire tea party had consisted of him reading his brother like an open book since the other refused to say anything.

Neo was quite skilled in the language of the ice cube, even to this day.

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Someone managed to gain Aurelion’s ill-will during the meeting.

And the culprit was likely his last follower. 4RnX7h

Royce Benedick had always been ill-mannered, but not purposely so. The boy became the heir of his family only a few years ago after the death of his older brother. Before that, he was known as the debauched second son of the Benedick Family.

If his brother hadn’t died, he would have lived a cushy life supported by his family.

The door of the classroom swung open and in stormed the professor, cutting Neo from his thoughts.

He maintained his expression carefully as he witnessed the man of his nightmares appear once more in front of him, very much alive and well. LyMf7K

He once hated and respected this man, who looked like he would never age a day past mid-thirty.

Professor Erick Rickman. His literature and alchemy professor.

The silver-haired man scowled at them, looking at them like they were a bunch of disappointments to society.

“One of you snuck into the alchemy closet and drank the last of the Moonflower Serum—Peregrine, I am looking at you. What is wrong with you, you idiot child?” 9RPqoM

The mentioned student shrunk into their seat with a sheepish expression on their face.

“Sorry, Professor…” they quietly said, avoiding the judgemental gazes of the other students.

The Professor’s frown lightened. “I appreciate your apology, but I know you will do this again.” He turned to the rest of the class. “As you all know, the serum was supposed to be an important ingredient for your alchemy lessons today. Unfortunately, the class will be moved to the afternoon. I have ordered a new shipment, but it will arrive later in the day. For our morning lesson, we will start with literature first.”

There were a few groans from some of the students, but one glare from the professor silenced them. oF dWU

“Take out the book I assigned you all, quietly—that means you, Marcellus, keep your mouth shut. I don’t want to hear any sass, boy. I hope you all had a chance to flip through the book, as I had instructed before the break—No, Edinburgh, I said flip through it, not read the entire thing. No, I do not want to see your notes or opinions on how you feel about the book, I don’t care. If any of you have not noticed the obvious standard playwriting format of the content, then surprise, you will all be reading The Tragedy of Ohmlet. A classic, truly. None of you mindless half-wits will appreciate the finery of this literary piece, but the Academy has already established this book into the curriculum so we will read it and enjoy it. Am I clear?”

A few students protested but were quickly shut down.

“Now,” Professor Rickman gazed at all of them with his piercing stare. After all these years, Neo still felt himself taking a gulp. The hair on the back of his neck had arisen with apprehension. “We shall be reading this book aloud for the next few weeks. I will assign roles based on the quiz I am about to give you in the next three minutes. That is all. Chamberlain, pass these papers to your classmates.”

“Yes, sir.” IOxDGF

It came to Neo’s notice that the quiz consisted of questions on the materials they’d used so far in alchemy. There were some basic questions, such as recognizing the symbols and properties of certain elements in the periodic table and the types of chemical reactions one would get if they mixed certain materials together.

However, judging by the looks on everyone else’s faces, some questions were rather… out there…

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If you are not a part of the Peregrine Family, why should you not ingest arsenic? List out at least three effects of ingesting arsenic and why you idiots shouldn’t stick things into your mouth.

Why did desperate men and women of the noble class put mercury into their makeup products a hundred years ago despite knowing it would just make them die with an uglier face? Check all reasons that apply. dyeDLY

Lab Safety Question: Do you sniff the concoctions you brew? (If you get this question wrong, I will fail you immediately.)

Neo had always thought the professor preferred alchemy over literature. Despite his taste for “fine literature”, his personality wasn’t all that poetic. Rickman was a man who was stone-cold and factual.

“You all have half an hour–starting now,” the Professor reminded them, causing all the students to scramble for a pen.

Neo wrote his name on top of the paper and began working through the questions at a steady pace. TNs4D

The ones on the elements and symbols weren’t difficult since it was similar to the periodic table in the modern world.

The chances of him failing this quiz shouldn’t be too high. He remembered alchemy more clearly since it had been an area of interest for him.

On the other hand, this was probably the second time he’d heard of The Tragedy of Ohmlet and he didn’t remember the content of the story.

Professor Rickman called time and collected everyone’s papers. 1O5ag

As he passed him, Neo could feel the man’s burning stare boring into him. It automatically made him straighten up with a shiver crawling up his spine.

“There is something different about you, boy. Did you spend your holiday outside?” the professor asked.

“Yes, Sir.” He had spent a lot of time in his garden pavilion during the break.

“Hm,” Rickman trailed off. He narrowed his gaze at Neo. Finally, he grunted. “Must be your complexion. You look quite different with that new tan of yours.” yHXn0T

All eyes snapped to the professor in disbelief.

When Professor Rickman finished gathering the papers, he stood in front of the class once more, looking every bit of an intimidating figure.

With a hawkish glare, he spoke. “I expect none of you to do well on this quiz. However, I do expect that at the very least, you all get forty-five percent. I have gone over the chemical reactions of each element previously and it was demanded of all of you to at least retain at least some information from that particular lesson. Depending on your scores, I will be assigning you all to a role in the play. Expect the… ‘cast list’—as your fine arts professor might call it—to be put out by tomorrow morning. And no, Mcgregor, I don’t expect any of you to be able to act your way out of a paper bag. You are all nobles, not thespians. It will only end terribly if any of you try.“

Neo cringed as Professor Rickman continued to roast them. At mandatory parent meetings, he was always the one making the parents cry. Obviously, no consideration was taken of the fact that those parents happened to be of noble status. The man didn’t give two lards about others’ opinions and he was truly a no-nonsense type of man. 60k2y1

The man was both brilliant and terrifying.

The professor pulled out his own copy of the Tragedy of Ohmlet. The class followed along, bringing their books out from their tables.

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Neo shuffled through his desk and found his own book, lying beneath messy pieces of paper and other unidentifiable objects he desperately wanted to clean out.

“Open your books to the preface. We will be going over the history of the author and some background on this story. Margo, read the first paragraph.” BQItLo

“Yes, sir.”

Soon, the professor started his lecture.

“As you know, this story was written many centuries ago by the famous playwright…”

Neo spaced out twenty minutes into the lesson. 7FZONI

He couldn’t help but compare him to the version of him who died for his students.

Professor Rickman was a casualty to the last of his ploys.

One of the most terrible deeds Neo had done in this lifetime as Nazareth Odum was allowing intruders into the school.

The Royal Family had called the event: The Slaughtering Day. zmlZo9

Children died. He was the one responsible for their deaths.

When Royce died and Tybalt and Finneas left his side, Nazareth found himself all alone.

However, the Syndicate reached out to him, providing a helping hand in his darkest hours.

They introduced him to an underground organization hidden in the shadows. HS4 bC

They called themselves the Iron Lotus, a terrorist organization desiring the fall of the aristocracy.

Nazareth made a deal with them. His younger brother’s life in exchange for access into the Noble Academy, where little young lords and ladies ran amok, about to serve the country once they graduated.

When the group invaded, Professor Rickman fought well and protected his students. He was at the forefront of the fight, beating them back to the gates. His downfall was by a knife to the back and a few arrows to the chest.

The injuries wouldn’t have killed him, not with his abilities, but the weapons were laced with a deadly poison Nazareth created as an additional payment to the organization. 3nNdCy

One would think bullying Sutton Graham was what ultimately sealed his fate, but this wasn’t the world of fiction. He had been a dead man walking the moment he made the decision to let those terrorists into the school.

Nazareth would have been caught and executed the moment he graduated from the Academy if Aurelion hadn’t killed him. Finneas and Tybalt both procured evidence of his involvement, and the evidence was stacked up heavily against him.

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They were all waiting for him to walk to his death by himself.

He was a sinner through and through, and nothing could change that. His hands were stained with blood, and he would take every chance in order to repent. Repent forever, if he must. u1X fJ

—

Step 11. Go to class; you have a snarky teacher, so pay attention.