A Sweet Girl Won't Be Fooled By The Villainess - [Vol. 2] Chapter 8

[Vol. 2] Chapter 8: Recruiting Interns, Short-Term

Upon hearing the word “internship,” Ifia let out a mysterious “Oh” immediately, wearing an expression that seemed to say, “Come and ask me about the reason.” This, as expected, piqued the curiosity of two companions.

The first to inquire was the super curious baby, Jessica. “Ifia, do you know any insider information?” Seeing Jessica’s eager expression, Ifia enjoyed the feeling of keeping someone in suspense. It turned out to be quite exciting!

However, to avoid Jessica getting too impatient and scratching her in frustration, Ifia didn’t pause for too long and continued, “It’s not exactly insider information, I just heard a freshly baked piece of news yesterday.”

“Because the king hasn’t ordered the release of relief funds to the church, the church is unable to assist the poor. These people might think that the church deliberately withholds the funds, leading to an attack on the clergy.”

“Now, they are recruiting student interns at Pulis Academy, probably because the church is short-handed at the moment.”

Ifia didn’t say the rest, but those who understood, understood. The church was here to recruit cheap labor from Pulis Academy. Up until now, most of the clergy in the church were either of noble origin or commoners who worked in the church for a few years, eventually obtaining the lowest baron title.

The clergy’s job is highly sought after, and despite the hardships, there are plenty of people competing for it. Some small families arrange for their average-aptitude children to enter the church, providing them with a secure job for the rest of their lives. In theory, such a coveted job should be out of reach for them. However, the crucial keyword now is… recruiting interns, short-term.

If they were to recruit ordinary commoners, there would be concerns about them not following the rules, causing trouble in the church. On the other hand, accepting noble offspring might result in difficulties when trying to get rid of them later. Thus, the advantages of Pulis Academy come into play. Just by informing the academy, they can immediately get a large number of cheap labor, and when things calm down on the church’s side, they can easily kick them out.

“Wow, the church kept this matter quite secretive. I had no idea!” Hearing Ifia’s words, Jessica clicked her tongue a couple of times and then sighed with a hint of admiration. This made Ifia smile, and she shrugged helplessly. “It’s just a coincidence. I heard it from someone who pays extreme attention to the church. It should be firsthand information… Oh, by the way, Jessica, you asked me to help you buy medicine before, and I’ve got it now.”

Speaking of this, Ifia almost forgot about it at the Black Clinic before. Fortunately, she remembered in time. Now, after being discovered by the burly John, there’s no way she can go back to the Black Clinic for a while!

“Lucy, I’ll bring you a bottle too. Keep it safe! If you encounter a bad person, don’t panic. Just sprinkle the powder, and they will fall unconscious. But be careful not to intoxicate yourself.”

Seeing that Lucy also had her share, Lucy joyfully accepted the sleeping powder, sincerely thanking Ifia. Although she has never encountered danger…

But being prepared is always better than having nothing. This is something that can save her in a critical moment.

Unlike Lucy, who curiously studied the bottle of sleeping powder, Jessica focused her attention on the belt. She curiously reached out to play with it. Afterward, her expression became excited. When she looked up at Ifia again, her eyes were full of ‘I want one too.’

In response, Ifia shook her head helplessly, indicating that she couldn’t help her get the belt now. “Jessica, if you want this belt, you’ll probably have to wait for a while.”

“No problem, I can buy it anytime. I just think this special belt is cool.”

As a rich and bold person, Jessica is extremely assertive. Whenever she encounters something she likes, she doesn’t ask about the price, she just buys it. After giving sleeping powder to her friends, they insist on paying, Ifia could only accept the original price. According to Lucy, even though it’s Ifia’s money, they still have to pay.

Even friends should not be treated like vampires. Of course, if it’s a gift, it’s a different story. After chatting for a while, the bell for class rang. With the dean entering the classroom, the once quiet class immediately became noisy, with hushed whispers and discussions.

“Why is the dean here? Is there something to announce?”

“I don’t know why, but every time I see the dean, I feel scared.”

“Are we still having class next? I want to study well!”

Unlike the students speaking in hushed tones, Ifia, upon seeing the dean, felt her eyelids twitching, immediately having a bad premonition. It felt like trouble!

“Dear students, sorry for the interruption. I have something to announce.”

“Today, Archbishop Leila Mirabeau of the Church has proposed to offer some students the opportunity to intern at the Church.”

“If they perform well, they may receive priority acceptance when graduation approaches.”

(-_-)

Familiar promises, Ifia quietly pursed her lips, thinking about the unfairness of it all! However, contrary to Ifia’s expectations, the commoner students in the class, upon hearing the words “Church,” immediately lit up with excitement, eagerly staring at the dean on the podium, eager to sign up.

That’s the Church! Even though it’s just an internship now, if they perform well, they might become Church clergy. Working for a while could grant them a noble title—a fantastic position indeed.

Despite being under the intense gaze of many students, the dean’s expression remained unchanged. He continued with a steady tone, “After careful consideration by the academy, the opportunity for Church internships will be limited to the top fifteen students based on their last exam scores.”

As the dean’s words fell, a disappointed sigh echoed through the classroom. If they had known about this opportunity earlier, they would have studied harder last month. Just being in the top fifteen would have sufficed!

However, unlike the other students expressing regret, Ifia felt her ominous premonition coming true. She didn’t want to become a scapegoat and work as a laborer! Instead of that, she could lie down and relax in her dorm. Getting more and more frustrated, Ifia boldly raised her hand. When the dean called on her, she immediately asked, “Can I not go, sir?”

Seemingly surprised by Ifia’s response, the dean raised an eyebrow in confusion. However, he quickly responded, “Student Ifia, this is an opportunity given to outstanding students by the academy. It cannot be refused.” While he didn’t understand why Ifia, a commoner student, would refuse. But considering that there are several nobles with high family titles among the top fifteen, the dean knew that he must not set this precedent.

After all, dispatching students to help at the church this time also serves to showcase the academy’s strength from another perspective. Not only do they need clever commoner students, but aristocratic students with knowledge of etiquette are also indispensable. If they perform well, after the graduation of the third-year students, they should be able to secure several positions at the church.

Upon receiving the answer and hearing the dean’s words that left no room for objection, Ifia knew she had no choice but to go. Although she could go to Amelia and playfully complain, recalling yesterday’s embarrassment after a major defeat, Ifia silently sighed. Going to the church at this time might serve as a distraction.

“Any other students have questions?” Seeing Ifia quiet down, the dean looked around, providing one last opportunity for questions. Seeing this, Jessica quickly asked, “Dean, when will we start the internship at the church? How many days will it last? Is it only for our first-year class?”

“We will arrive at the church tonight, so you can go back and pack your belongings now. As for the internship duration, it will be a total of ten days, and only your class will be going,” replied the dean.

After that, the dean finished the announcement and didn’t linger for long.

As Ifia and the others left the classroom, the subject teacher arrived at that moment. Ifia let out a light sigh, glancing back with some regret, thinking about temporarily bidding farewell to her leisurely class hours.

“Ifia, think more about things that make you happy, and your mood will improve,” Jessica quickly spoke up, noticing Ifia’s frustration. Then, she sneakily looked around, seeing that other students had already gone back to prepare their luggage. No one noticed this side, so she mysteriously addressed Ifia and Lucy, “Do you remember what I mentioned about Saint Tiffany before?”

“?”

“We’ll have the opportunity to explore the truth when we go to the church this time, to see if the church can really deal with demons!”

Getting excited, Jessica couldn’t help raising her hands and rubbing them together. Her reddish-brown eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, evidently having another purpose for this internship. This made Ifia raise her hand to her forehead in exasperation, hoping Jessica wouldn’t get into trouble with the church people.

On the other hand, Lucy wasn’t as excited as Jessica. She maintained her calm and rational demeanor, not fantasizing about staying and working at the church like other students. Instead, she believed in speaking through her capabilities. After graduation, she could secure a good job based on her academic performance. Therefore, going to the church this time was just a way to accumulate internship experience. She could understand Ifia’s perspective better, “Ifia, it’s okay. I heard that working at the church isn’t difficult or tiring.”

“I hope so!”

Ifia smiled helplessly at Lucy and, while packing her luggage in the dormitory, took the opportunity to write an explanatory letter. She had someone deliver it to Amelia’s villa. Time was pressing, and there wasn’t enough time to say goodbye in person. It’s not like she was too embarrassed to see Amelia!

Later, when Ifia arrived at the agreed-upon location with her suitcase, most of the others had already gathered. There were only two classes this year, and her class had more people. Besides Ifia, Lucy, and Jessica, there was the cool and handsome girl Arlan, the elegant noble Isabella who had bought bubble tea before, and some other familiar but unknown faces, along with students from the adjacent class.

“Ifia, over here! Let’s ride the carriage together!”

Ifia quickly joined Jessica and the others. In addition to the familiar faces, there was also a male student who looked unfamiliar. This piqued Ifia’s curiosity, and she looked at him. The young man was not tall, had delicate features, fair skin, and a pair of beautiful light pink eyes. Ifia had already gotten used to the various eye colors of the people in the Sith Empire.

However, it seemed like Ifia hadn’t seen eyes with a pure red color before. Most were similar to Jessica’s brownish-red iris color. Sensing Ifia’s gaze, the handsome young man smiled friendly at her. Then, he took the initiative to introduce himself, “Hello, I’m Antoine, Arlan’s boyfriend.”

Antoine didn’t mind showing affection in public. After introducing himself, he immediately stuck close to the cool and handsome girl Arlan, displaying an adorable and coquettish demeanor. This immediately brought a pained expression to Jessica’s face. Clearly, she hadn’t expected her longtime friend to find such a clingy and sweet boyfriend!

Seeing Ifia’s bewildered expression, Jessica quickly approached and whispered, “He’s the gossip king from the next class, known as the information hub of Pulis Academy.”

Jessica’s mention of gossip immediately caught Ifia’s attention, triggering a quick and successful recollection. It was him!

Later, with the lively atmosphere expert Jessica, their journey to the church on the carriage wasn’t boring. However, after a few hours of swaying back and forth, the passengers began to feel tired. Fortunately, they finally arrived!

Jessica, taking the lead, jumped off the carriage. Her reddish-brown eyes were as curious as a monkey’s as she looked around.

The carriage they were riding in drove directly into the interior area of the church, stopping in front of several two-story buildings that looked like their temporary residence. Contrary to their expectations of a welcoming reception by the church clergy, only a few casually dressed individuals were standing there with indifferent expressions.

As Jessica was the first to disembark from the carriage, one of the individuals waved at her, saying, “This is your temporary residence. Bring your own necessities for accommodation, and gather at the central chapel tonight.”

Without waiting to see if Jessica understood, they acted as if they had completed their task and left without much ceremony. Leaving Jessica with a puzzled expression, she rolled her eyes at them and turned to her companions, expressing her helplessness, “It seems like they’re not very welcoming to us!”

Humph! If it weren’t for the close exploration of Saint Tiffany and the demon, Jessica would have been too lazy to come and work as laborers!

However, before Ifia and the others could respond, laughter came from the side. When Jessica curiously followed the sound, she saw a woman wearing a black nun’s outfit, lazily standing in the shadow of the two-story building. If she hadn’t spoken suddenly, it would have been challenging to notice her.

At this moment, she had an interested expression on her face, and her emerald green eyes squinted slightly. She explained to the newcomers, “The church is currently dealing with a bunch of messes, and they are already overwhelmed!”

……