Selian abruptly grabbed me and threw me backward as she swung the sword she was holding to deflect an incoming black projectile. At the same time, a sharp sound resonated, akin to that of metal clashing.
“Hmph… I didn’t expect an Academy student to be able to block this. Even a Professor would have difficulty countering my strike…”
His words suggested surprise, but his tone was eerily calm. It wasn’t one of anxiety but rather amusement.
“Judging by the counterforce, this is no ordinary feat… Could it be that you’re hiding your identity as a Sword Master while being a student? This is quite amusing. To possess such skill and remain hidden, you’ve certainly exceeded my expectations.”
Even after realizing Selian was a Sword Master, he continued to address us with an extremely composed attitude and a relaxed voice. There had to be a substantial reason behind his confidence, and it wasn’t good news for us.
Or rather, what exactly is this…?
However, the professor quickly regained his posture and stood up. His appearance was drastically different from the one I used to know.
His face remained unchanged aside from a slight paleness. It was still the same face I’d seen every day.
His arms and legs looked like those of any ordinary person.
But extending from his back were eight sharp, elongated limbs that resembled something akin to a spider’s legs.
“Professor… Sir?”
“This is the first time I’ve revealed this form to anyone. How do you like it? Truly a magnificent body, wouldn’t you say? It took the sacrifice of two Upper Demons to acquire this body. Of course, since Demons aren’t exactly known for their cooperative spirit, a bit of coercion was involved.”
Behind him, the eight legs wriggled around as if boasting, their joints flexing. Their tips were sharp claws, identical to the ones that had flown toward my face.
“Exactly what is this…”
“Haha. Ideally, given the friendship we’ve shared over the years, I had planned to send you off quickly and painlessly. Your unexpected interference has thrown a wrench into my plans, Miss Alicia. How very saddening.”
“Snap out of it, El! That’s not a professor—it’s a Demon!”
The sound of Selian’s voice shouting to me.
“Still, it seems Miss Selian, who was once a candidate for Hero, has a sharper intuition than Miss Alicia.”
Indeed. The dense Magical energy that sent a chill through my skin was a clear indicator that this creature in front of us was a Demon. My shock from the sudden turn of events had momentarily disoriented me.
“Hmm, it seems you have many questions, Miss Alicia. Though you’re not one of my students, out of respect for the bond we’ve shared, I’ll make an exception and answer them.”
Clang!
Without even waiting to hear what he had to say, Selian charged forward, swinging her sword but he effortlessly blocked it with one of his spider-like legs, which was wrapped in the Aura of a Sword Master.
“Originally, there was no need for such a risky invasion. With a little time, I could collapse Pelches with significantly fewer casualties. Even I, a Demon, know the value of efficiency…”
His demeanor suggested that Selian’s attack wasn’t even something worth his attention. In fact, the spider legs seemed to act independently of his will, moving with incredible freedom.
“Unfortunately, a certain overzealous new professor decided to seal a critical gap that was meant to serve as the basis of our plan. It was a minor inconvenience, but since my involvement was never going to be exposed, I didn’t worry too much about it.”
…The breach in the boundary in the slums. Based on the investigation, as I understood, there was no evidence of external tampering, resulting in only the previous supervisor being penalized. But it seems the person responsible was none other than the professor standing before me.
“And thanks to that incident, I learned a couple of things while handling the reception desk: that someone related to that breach exists, and that person was Miss Alicia. Moreover, that Miss Alicia was close to that overzealous young professor, though she wasn’t a Hero back then.”
“Of course, due to the initial plan being disrupted, it became necessary to come up with a new one. When I heard the news of the Saint leaving Pelches for the capital, I privately informed the Demon side… Hehehe…”
He laughed in a bright tone that was incongruous with the situation.
“Who would have expected that Miss Alicia, not the individual originally expected to become the Hero, but the other person beside her, would become the Hero instead? Thanks to you, Miss Alicia, our second plan also failed!”
It certainly was a mystery, how the Demons were able to invade, piercing through the concealed barriers despite all the secrecy. Never did I imagine it was because of betrayal by someone I knew—the very professor in front of me.
“To be fair, the recent suspicions against my mentor were advantageous to me. Though this hastily devised plan had more flaws, it managed to draw two unexpected pests towards me.”
As he spoke, he glanced to the side. Following his gaze, I spotted two people running from a distance.
“Hold it right there! Idon! You’re under arrest as the main suspect in the Saint attack… No, never mind. Stella, change of objectives. From capturing suspects to exterminating Demons.”
“…Even a blind man could see you’re the main culprit here, Supervisor.”
Idon. His name, which I hadn’t known, was now revealed to me.
Two figures finally came into view: Erin and Stella. They were the investigators who had been busy running around during the festival, inquiring about the Saint attack. As I remember, I had encountered Idon at the administrative building where I’d gone for questioning about the Saint’s incident.
“Hohoho… You two are surprisingly good at sniffing things out. I was even worried if we’d make it in time for the originally planned event.”
While I hadn’t noticed anything strange back then, thinking about it now, every word he’d said revealed that he too had gone through an investigation.
“But… you’re not the ones I’ll be dealing with. Beatrice, I’ll leave these two to you.”
“…Already annoyed because my spells in the city are being blocked. Now you’re telling me to deal with these strays?”
The source of the voice was above us. Looking up, we saw a female Demon slowly descending with her wings flapping.
“Do you have any objections?”
“Not exactly. Listening to you, who was once human, is irritating, but even I know the value of my own life. So, for now, I’ll follow your orders.”
Recalling the meteor spell from earlier, it must be true she is an Upper Demon Mage, yet she was under the control of Idon.
She aimed her gaze at Erin and Stella and smirked, sending chills down our spines.
“Well, smashing ants can be somewhat entertaining… but please don’t die too easily.”
“Stella! Given the danger level, I’m authorizing the use of Level 1 equipment under my discretion. Position D!”
“Understood!”
The two swiftly engaged in battle. Despite the new battlefield forming beside us, Idon calmly gestured for us to move away, continuing our conversation.
“Come, come. We have more talking to do and we should head somewhere quieter. Oh, don’t try anything foolish or I might do something unpredictable.”
“Hmph…”
He walked away, turning his back on us, but the four sets of legs behind him moved unnervingly, making it impossible for us to take a shot at his back.
And helping Erin and Stella would leave our backs exposed. Trying something risky with an unknown threat looming nearby was dangerous for our lives.
Thus, we had no choice but to follow him.
While moving, we witnessed the townsfolk being slaughtered, Academy students and professors fiercely fighting back, along with other festival participants trying their best. We were unable to help them, and all I could do was grit my teeth in anger, suppressing my frustration.
“Hmm… There’s really nowhere quiet around here. Although, this situation is of my making, it’s awfully loud, isn’t it? But what can I do?”
Snap! He flicked his finger and a change in the air around him was perceptible. The surrounding noise was now gone.
Surely, he had cast a barrier spell in an instant.
Even through the barrier, we could see the distant flames flickering, suggesting it might even affect the time axis.
Definitely a proof of his extraordinary power.
“Well, now that we’ve found a quieter spot, let’s continue our conversation?”
Of course, the screams and sounds of collapsing buildings were still audible, but “quiet” must mean quiet from his perspective.
“Miss Alicia, and Miss Selian. Ordinarily, I should kill both of you, but given this situation, I’d like to offer a special proposal, keeping in mind my acquaintance with Miss Alicia.”
He threw something down in front of the two of us, who had our swords drawn.
Naturally, we looked down to see what it was.
On the floor lay a heart, still vigorously beating even after being cut off.
“It’s a Demon’s heart. Take it. One of you will live. To be more precise, one of you can survive as a Demon and the other as a human.”
