252 Dekan’s Reputation is Undergoing Mysterious Damage
Dekan pressed his fingers into his dimples, controlled his expression, and then turned with a sorrowful look.
“Please accompany Ilene for her final journey. We’ll guard outside for a while; nobody knows when this prison will send a new warden or prison guard.”
Dekan patted Ryan’s shoulder and spoke softly.
“Uh-huh, thank you.”
Ryan nodded gratefully.
At the moment when everyone was immersed in the sorrow of bidding farewell to Ilene, Dekan quietly stepped back with Cornelia and Morion, leaving the camp.
Their purpose was clear; there was no need to waste time on this level anymore.
They headed towards the portal leading to the sixth level.
“Dekan, you’re really nice.”
Cornelia walked beside Dekan and said.
“Uh?”
Dekan looked at Cornelia with some confusion, then turned his gaze away, looking ahead.
“I mean, you’re very gentle.”
Cornelia moved a little closer to Dekan and whispered.
“I can’t hear you, can’t hear you.”
As he spoke, Dekan quickened his pace.
“Hehe.”
Cornelia didn’t say anything further and just covered her mouth, giggling.
“Meow!”
At that moment, Teacher Cat finally jumped out from Dekan’s clothes.
“Teacher Cat…”
Just as Cornelia was about to catch it, it nimbly hopped onto the head of Morion, who was walking behind.
“Huh?”
Cornelia turned back, somewhat stunned, looking at Teacher Cat and Morion.
Their relationship was rather inexplicable, just like last time.
It seemed unexpectedly good.
“Cornelia! Come find me later, you should praise Dekan more! He’s in a good mood!”
Teacher Cat waved its paw and shouted.
“Uh?”
Cornelia, though confused, quickly nodded and agreed, “Okay.”
Then she jogged to walk side by side with Dekan, linking her arm with his and started chatting beside him.
Dekan wore a helpless and speechless expression, looking up occasionally but unable to do anything about Cornelia.
For some reason, Cornelia felt that the current Dekan was very approachable, and she naturally drew closer to him.
It seemed there was no need to be cautious.
So along the way, Cornelia kept complimenting Dekan.
…
In the present world.
Due to Dekan’s prominent reputation, his challenges in the Shadow World received great attention.
From the outside, since Dekan returned from Randir Kingdom, he had been particularly low-key, showing no signs of activity.
It was as if he had vanished into Norton Kingdom.
Now that Dekan had finally entered the seventh-tier Shadow World, it naturally drew interest from all sides, including those who had come early to Norton Capital City to stake out.
At the entrance of Hewenlit Academy.
“Hello everyone, this is Ludwig, an official reporter for the Kingdom Union. I will present an interview regarding… no, I mean, it’s about the infamous… ah, no! Cut that out! It’s about Mr. Dekan, the pro elite card master, challenging the Shadow World!”
A girl with light blue hair and playful overalls spoke somewhat clumsily into the camera.
“We have arrived at Hewenlit Academy, where Mr. Dekan is located, and now we will head to the observation hall. Along the way, we will also randomly interview some students!”
After saying this, she began to walk through the campus with her filming partner.
Soon, a uniquely charming student caught her attention.
He looked to be in his teens yet bore a weariness that seemed uncharacteristic for his age.
Although he had the air of a young gentleman, his face was filled with untold stories.
It was hard to imagine what this student had gone through.
“Alright, let’s interview that classmate first!”
The light blue-haired reporter, Ludwig, quickly jogged over to the student and handed him the microphone.
“Hello there, do you know Dekan?”
“Dekan?!! No, I won’t trouble him! Don’t try to provoke me!”
The downcast student’s eyes widened as if triggered by some keyword, and he clutched his head in distress, fleeing in panic.
“Huh?”
Ludwig watched the student leave in confusion, standing there holding the microphone.
She then turned to the camera and shrugged with a perplexed expression.
“It seems Mr. Dekan’s reputation is beyond our imagination at school; the legend that his name can silence infants’ cries at midnight is indeed true.”
Ludwig continued on her way to the observation hall with her partner.
“It seems we can’t look for students that appear downcast; we need to find someone who definitely hasn’t been harmed by Dekan for a normal interview.”
Ludwig mumbled to herself.
Before long, she noticed two exceptionally charming girls walking side by side.
The glamorous blonde girl was the princess of this kingdom, while the black-haired girl possessed an extraordinary air.
They seemed to be walking towards the observation hall.
Ludwig decided she must interview them.
Quickly, she dashed in front of Alice.
“Princess Alice! May I interview you?”
“Sure, no problem!”
Alice readily agreed upon seeing Ludwig’s badge and then proudly flicked her hair, standing nonchalantly in front of the camera.
“Are you going to the observation hall to watch Dekan’s challenge in the Shadow World?” Ludwig asked.
“Of course! I’m going to see my dear friend Dekan’s performance! He even has a card made for him by this princess! By the way, he will be representing Norton Kingdom in the Hero Festival! It was my personal invitation that got him to agree. Of course, he has always been good to me…”
Alice began to talk incessantly in front of the camera.
Ludwig, feeling a bit awkward, seized the moment when Alice paused for breath to interrupt.
“Ah hahaha, thank you for your insights, Princess Alice! I will also participate in the Hero Festival as a staff member of the Kingdom Union! Looking forward to seeing you then!”
Before Alice could say anything else, Ludwig turned her gaze toward the black-haired girl.
“Mi… Mia! I know you! You’re also a member of the Beautiful Soul Squad! You provided crucial assistance to Dekan in Randir Kingdom, so why didn’t you join him in the Shadow World challenge?”
Mia first smiled, preparing to answer, but then appeared to realize something, her gaze towards Ludwig suddenly turning cold for a brief moment.
However, it was just an instant, barely noticeable by anyone.
Mia replied with her usual smile, “I’m just a filler for the team, and during the last assessment in Randir Kingdom, they passed because of me, so it doesn’t matter whether I’m there or not.”
“Oh! My apologies! I thought, compared with the prominently active Dekan and Chloix, you also provided a great deal of support from behind! Thank you, Miss Mia, see you at the observation hall later!”
Ludwig scratched her head and grinned.
Quickly, she led her team at a jog toward the observation hall.
Mia watched as Ludwig’s figure disappeared into the distance for a moment.
Then she shook her head and continued walking leisurely towards the observation hall with Alice.
…
After arriving at the observation hall, the scene being played was just at the moment Dekan was saving everyone, passionately delivering a speech.
“Wow, looks like my luck is great; I run into a moment of kindness from Classmate Dekan! Let’s hear what other students have to say.”
Ludwig glanced at the camera, a sweet smile on her lips, continuing to observe Dekan’s performance.
Ludwig wandered through the aisles, occasionally pointing the microphone at students to collect their opinions.
“He really… I totally die…”
“I saw him on the fifth level; this was the first time he genuinely did good deeds, but why does it always feel so heavy with his goodness?”
“Arkhan, why don’t you just do bad things? Seeing you do good deeds scares me…”
Ludwig: “…”
“Ah haha, it seems the students have a good relationship with Dekan; they must be joking, right?”
Ludwig chuckled awkwardly.
“Emmmm, let’s interview a teacher; surely they can provide a more objective evaluation!”
Ludwig’s voice quickly regained its energy.
Soon, she found a stern-looking middle-aged man dressed in Knight Academy’s faculty attire.
She believed this teacher, who looked like the vice-headmaster, would surely be reliable.
“Excuse me, sir, how do you evaluate Dekan’s performance in this Shadow World challenge?”
“Just a passerby, it’s hard to evaluate.”
Professor Arno’s pupils contracted as he saw the camera, waving his hand as he hurried off, seemingly afraid of the spotlight.
Ludwig tilted her head in confusion.
She then asked several other teachers from Knight Academy.
Their reactions were roughly the same upon seeing the camera.
“Why are they all just passersby… It seems I just happened to miss teachers who knew Dekan… Well, let’s shift to topics unrelated to the Shadow World.”
Not long after, Ludwig spotted her next target: the noticeable Judith and Ice Snow Princess in the audience.
She jubilantly jogged over to Judith, introduced herself, and asked:
“Lady Judith! As a member of the Happy Group, how do you view the relationship progress between Dekan and Cornelia?”
Ludwig believed this topic would pique the interest of many, as she remembered that the interactions between Dekan and Cornelia had elicited quite a bit of excitement from the students just earlier.
“Huh? Haven’t they always been that way? But I generally don’t like discussing other people’s relationships from behind the scenes; what with unexpected romances and childhood sweethearts, I don’t understand. I always just go by what Teacher Cat says, so please ask someone else about this.”
Judith shook her head helplessly and replied.
“Uh… is it possible you are…”
“What am I?”
“Nothing, nothing!”
Ludwig quickly turned her attention to Ice Snow Princess.
“Ice Snow Princess! Do you ship Dekan and Cornelia as a pair?”
“…”
Ice Snow Princess remained silent.
So, both sides fell into silence for a few seconds.
“Ice Snow Princess? Why are your eyes a bit red?”
“Huh? I-I’m just immersed in the situation from the fourth level; I keep feeling that Altice is too pitiful…”
“And you? Are you okay?”
Ludwig asked with concern.
“I have no issues.”
Ice Snow Princess turned her head away, seemingly not wanting Ludwig to see her face.
Ludwig felt somewhat puzzled as she touched her cheek.
“Did I say something wrong…”
Ludwig murmured.
“But that’s alright; once I publish this interview, Classmate Dekan will definitely thank me!”
“Uh, so our interview for today is temporarily concluded. I will stay in the capital, waiting for the end of the Shadow World to bring you a first-hand interview with Dekan himself!”
…
In the Shadow World.
“Achoo!”
Dekan rubbed his nose, his expression somewhat puzzled.
“Did I catch a cold on the fifth level?”
Cornelia looked at Dekan with concern and asked.
“No, I just feel like someone is undermining my good deeds from behind. But I must be overthinking it. Though I don’t care about my reputation anymore, after finishing the fifth level, my reputation should improve a lot, which wouldn’t be so bad.”
The three and one cat finally arrived at the sixth level.
【Heresy Prison】
【On this level, you cannot actively attack prisoners or other prison guards; otherwise, 75% of your accumulated Demon Points will be deducted each time, or 100 Demon Points, whichever is greater.】
【If the Demon Points become negative, you will face punishment from the warden.】
【Completing the challenge against the warden will grant you specific desired resources.】
【You can spend Demon Points to exchange for resources or sell resources to obtain Demon Points; Demon Points can be traded freely.】
【On the sixth level of the prison, 600 Demon Points will automatically be deducted every day.】
【To advance to the seventh level, you must pay 6000 Demon Points or possess the warden’s authority from the sixth level.】
“Mm… This level is quite similar to the first and third levels; it seems to have a warden that explains the rules, but…”
Dekan noticed that this level didn’t have any descriptions of jobs.
It seemed that there were no jobs to earn Demon Points on this level; rather, the challenges were aimed at defeating the warden.
It would likely be similar to his duel with Altice in the fourth level, challenging under fair rules, and winning would grant him special resources.
“Hopefully, the warden on this level won’t be too difficult.”
Dekan prayed.
“It should be pretty troublesome; just look at the name of this level, the warden is bound to have high status, and they probably won’t be as friendly as Altice. It’s highly unlikely they would let you off like in the second level, right?”
Morion immediately dampened Dekan’s hopes.
“Go, go, go!”
As they spoke, they stepped out from the confines of the portal’s barrier.
However, as soon as they stepped outside, they spotted a demon dressed in a dark green gown waiting for them.
He didn’t resemble the previous demons; there was no sense of threat from him.
His hair and beard were neatly groomed, and when he took off his top hat, which covered his demon horns, he appeared entirely like a refined human scholar.
“Good day, beautiful lady, welcome to my laboratory.”
He elegantly tipped his hat and offered a gentleman’s greeting to Dekan.
“I am the warden of this level—Fahlir of the Forbidden Arts.”
