"I should have called my guys from outside and I'm sure we had strength and connection to pull at least 100 [E-] rank awakner with varities of abilities and skills. In front of that number he would surely gone down."
No, he would not! There's hidden knight protecting him all time!
And she was at least [E+] rank around this time.
This guy is fucking delusional!
I stared at Jin in absolute disbelief.
Not metaphorical disbelief.
Real disbelief.
The kind where your brain genuinely stopped functioning for a second because it refused to process the insanity it just heard.
Meanwhile, Jin continued nodding confidently like he had just delivered revolutionary military strategy.
"...Jin."
"Yeah?"
"...Do you hear yourself when you speak?"
"Huh?"
I rubbed my forehead slowly.
No.
Forget catastrophic idiot.
This man was a national security threat.
Professional snipers?
One hundred awakened thugs?
What exactly did this lunatic think Imperial Academy was?
A gang war simulator?
And more importantly—
Why was he talking about assassinating the protagonist so casually in the middle of a crowded academy walkway?!
I immediately glanced around instinctively.
Thankfully, nearby students seemed too busy with their own conversations to pay attention to us.
Still—
Cold sweat formed down my back.
Because unlike Jin—
I knew exactly who Kevin really was.
The hidden Crown Prince.
The future monster capable of destroying small nations.
And most importantly—
A protagonist protected by enough plot armor to survive tactical warfare apparently.
Seriously.
Even if Damian somehow gathered one hundred awakened fighters and hired professional assassins—
Kevin still would've survived somehow.
Probably dramatically.
Probably while unlocking a new power-up mid-fight.
That's just how protagonists worked.
And Jin?
This oversized potato genuinely thought they could've solved everything through organized violence.
Unbelievable.
"No, seriously," Jin continued while lowering his voice further. "We were too soft."
Soft, Right.
Because public bullying, extortion, harassment, and attempted ambushes apparently weren't enough.
"You know what your problem was, Damian?"
Please don't say anything horrifying.
"You didn't finished this when you had chance."
Goddammit.
Jin crossed his arms confidently.
"If someone threatens noble authority, you crush them immediately before they grow."
I blinked slowly.
Then blinked again.
This man genuinely sounded like a low-budget villain advisor moments before getting executed by the protagonist.
How had Damian survived being around him this long?
Actually no—
He didn't survive.
That was the problem.
Meanwhile, Jin leaned closer again.
"Honestly, if you ask me, your father also handled this badly."
Please stop speaking.
"Instead of punishing you, House Valtor should've protected you publicly. Nobles are supposed to stand together."
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because the confidence behind his stupidity was mesmerizing.
Like watching someone confidently explain how fire wasn't hot.
"Jin," I interrupted carefully.
"Hm?"
"...Hypothetically speaking."
"Yeah?"
"If a person continuously gives terrible advice..." I began slowly, "...at what point does that become attempted murder?"
He frowned immediately.
"What?"
"Nothing."
I sighed quietly before glancing toward the massive academy building ahead.
Meanwhile—
"But don't you worry, Damian!" Jin declared proudly while slapping his chest. "Even if noble society abandoned you, you still have me! I'll help you crush that commoner eventually! When the opportunity comes, we'll hit him harder than before and get the last laugh! Hahaha!"
There it was.
The classic third-rate villain mindset.
Keep provoking the protagonist until he eventually exterminates your bloodline.
Honestly, hearing this in real life physically damaged my mental health.
I could already see the future.
Jin insults the protagonist.
The protagonist tolerates it briefly.
Jin escalates.
Then suddenly—
Boom.
Entire family erased from existence during a character development arc.
I almost snapped right there.
For one dangerous second, my fake smile twitched.
I genuinely wanted to grab this idiot by the shoulders and scream directly into his face:
"HE IS THE MAIN CHARACTER, YOU OBESE SUICIDE VICTIM."
But then—
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
…Wait.
I could use him.
My irritation vanished almost instantly.
Because while Jin lacked intelligence, self-awareness, combat ability, social grace, and probably cardiovascular stability—
He possessed one incredibly important quality.
Money.
A lot of money.
His family might've only been barons, but House Black specialized in trade businesses.
Shipping.
Luxury imports.
They were absurdly wealthy for a lower noble house.
And right now—
I desperately needed funding.
Meanwhile this idiot practically delivered himself directly into my hands willingly.
How convenient.
Slowly, I let my irritation disappear.
Then—
I smiled.
Not the fake polite smile from earlier.
A genuine one.
Jin immediately lit up with excitement after seeing it.
Poor bastard.
He had no idea he was currently volunteering himself as financial support for the apocalypse prevention project.
"Actually…" I said slowly.
Jin leaned closer immediately.
"That's not a bad idea."
His eyes widened instantly.
"RIGHT?!"
"But," I continued calmly, "if we're going to move against someone like him again… we need strategy."
Jin gasped dramatically.
Like I'd just revealed divine wisdom.
"Strategy…" he whispered.
"Exactly."
I placed a hand against my chin thoughtfully.
"We failed before because everyone acted emotionally."
Which was true.
Damian and his idiot squad basically bullied the protagonist like background NPCs asking to die early.
Truly inspirational villain behavior.
"But this time," I continued smoothly, "we observe first."
Jin nodded rapidly.
"Observe first…"
"We gather information."
"Information…"
"We identify weaknesses."
"Weaknesses…"
At this point he sounded like an overweight parrot.
Then I lowered my voice slightly.
"And most importantly…"
Jin leaned closer.
"We avoid acting recklessly until we're fully prepared."
Silence.
Then—
Jin's entire face brightened with admiration.
"Damian…" he said emotionally. "You've changed."
Oh, if only you knew.
"You sound smarter now."
That one hurt slightly.
I smiled calmly.
"Near-death experiences change people."
"That's true," Jin agreed solemnly. "My uncle almost died once and afterward he stopped gambling for like three weeks."
Incredible character growth.
Meanwhile, I was already mentally reorganizing my plans.
Step one:
Keep Jin away from the protagonist.
Step two:
Prevent him from doing anything catastrophically stupid that would drag me down with him.
Step three:
Carefully redirect his loyalty into becoming useful for me instead of suicidal revenge schemes.
Honestly?
Managing Jin felt less like friendship and more like handling unstable explosives.
Still—
Explosives had uses.
Suddenly, Jin snapped his fingers loudly.
"Oh right!"
"What now?"
"We should restart the group!"
I froze.
"...What group?"
"The Noble Society!"
...
Ah.
Right.
Damian's old bullying club.
The criminally unemployed side villains association.
How nostalgic.
I stared at Jin silently.
He smiled proudly.
"We still have members loyal to you! Well… probably."
"...Probably?"
"Okay maybe not loyal loyal," he admitted. "But some still fear you enough to answer messages."
Fantastic.
Nothing builds trustworthy allies like psychological intimidation.
I rubbed my forehead slowly.
"No," I said immediately.
Jin blinked.
"...No?"
"We're not rebuilding anything."
"But why?!"
Because every single member of that group statistically dies horribly later.
Because antagonizing the protagonist further is equivalent to speedrunning extinction.
Because I enjoy breathing.
Out loud, however—
"Because large groups attract attention," I answered calmly. "And right now, attention is the last thing we need."
Jin stared at me for several seconds.
Then his eyes widened again.
"...Damian."
What now?
"That's genius."
...
This guy would probably call boiling water genius if I explained it slowly enough.
Anyways, At least one death flag was out of my way.
Even if it's temporary.