Surviving as a Villain at the Academy - Surviving as a Villain at the Academy chapter 174

174 – A Demon Lives in the Tower. (1)

After the Pope’s summons, the inquisitors who left the Holy Kingdom felt utterly lost. Where were they to find traces of the demon?

Demons are typically cunning and meticulous beings. They rarely reveal themselves to humans, so it was foreseeable that the inquisitors’ search would face difficulties.

Even for inquisitors who could see the true form of their targets, finding a demon hiding among humans was a terribly difficult task.

Moreover, since demons don’t easily leave traces, one had to investigate the root of any incident or accident to find them.

It might be less burdensome to exorcise a demon once found… but that was a naive thought.

Would a demon let a human who recognized its existence go? The work of inquisitors was, in the end, a matter of risking their lives.

There were quite a few inquisitors dispatched to the Empire. The larger the nation, the better it was for demons to hide. Their first task was to collect rumors related to disappearances.

The more frequent the disappearances, the more likely they were connected to something sinister.

Of course, the Empire was vast, and law enforcement didn’t reach the outer fringes, so it could be considered the work of mere beasts… but even such minor rumors could be the links connecting to the seeds of evil.

“So, you’re saying people have been disappearing strangely lately?”

“That’s right. They just drop like flies in places without beasts. Thankfully, it hasn’t been happening to people with families?”

“People with families haven’t disappeared?”

“Yeah. It’s usually the homeless or the elderly without kin who vanish suddenly… It’s always too late when they’re found. That’s why village chiefs are having such headaches these days.”

There was something odd about it.

The frequent disappearances of vagrants and those without ties.

“Of course, the villagers are welcoming it, unknowingly. The burden of supporting people is decreasing… especially since the useless vagrants are disappearing. I feel the same way.”

From there, the inquisitors sensed that something unusual was happening.

When someone disappears, if it’s a simple accident, the target isn’t so clearly defined. In other words, it doesn’t matter whether they have a family, are wealthy or not.

But the current situation was clearly planned.

They were deliberately choosing people who wouldn’t make headlines if they disappeared. Those without families. The poor, so destitute that no one would even glance their way.

Or the vagrants, whom no one would miss if they vanished right then and there.

The continuous disappearance of such individuals was undoubtedly someone’s doing.

Had someone cherished gone missing, the village chief would have surely stepped in to report the situation to the lordship. But the villagers seemed to have no intention of doing so.

Instead, they were almost relieved that those better off gone had disappeared.

Of course, there was an underlying unease among them. They harbored fears of their own families or acquaintances being next.

However, after the vagrants and the unaffiliated had been wiped from the village, no further disappearances occurred. The searchers were certain of it.

Someone was orchestrating these disappearances.

Had the searchers not arrived, the villagers might not have even noticed the missing. The searchers were at a loss for words, dumbfounded by the situation.

But thereafter, there were no significant leads. The whereabouts of those who had vanished remained a mystery. Nevertheless, it was information worth sharing.

They continued to gather clues, intent on uncovering the mastermind behind the incidents. If humans were being abducted, it was surely the work of those sowing seeds of malice.

* * *

Asti closed her eyes and spread her magic around, but no one realized she was doing so.

Her mastery of magic was so advanced that even if one were a demon, they couldn’t detect her power.

A high-ranking demon, no. Even the elite demons of hell wouldn’t notice if she chose to conceal her magical presence. That’s why Asti could freely detect the presence of demons within the academy.

‘One, two, three… there seems to be more.’

Her method of finding demons was simple: trace the remnants of magic. Since humans couldn’t wield magic, any trace of it was a sure sign of a demon.

Praha, who had received her power, was perhaps the exception. Asti had converted her magic entirely into magical power to give to Praha, not wanting to get caught up in unnecessary commotion.

‘Why are there so many demons here?’

She tilted her head in puzzlement. There was no reason for so many demons to be at the academy.

Something was amiss.

Asti felt the need to investigate separately.

It was her first time seeing so many demons gathered in the human realm.

What were they targeting, and what were they plotting? And who was behind it all?

She bit her lower lip slightly.

* * *

“It looks like we need to start a formal investigation.”

Asti, sprawled on the bed, said to me.

“Really?”

“Yeah. The number of demons is increasing. And they’re quite powerful ones at that.”

“How many are there?”

“Roughly six high-ranking demons.”

Minor demons might be manageable, but each high-ranking demon is a force capable of turning the academy into chaos. And now there are already six of them. That’s quite a significant number.

“…That’s quite a lot.”

“I can’t figure out what they’re after. With six high-ranking ones, even I would struggle to eliminate them without any damage. And… this might not even be the end of it.”

“I see. Make sure to let me know if you find out anything.”

“Sure.”

Asti wore a grave expression. Indeed, even from my perspective, it was a serious matter. Six high-ranking demons? This was an even more dramatic development than in the original work.

Of course, in the original, the high demon Asti and I, her underling, were the main villains of the chapter. But with six high-ranking demons, it was almost a crisis of that magnitude.

It seemed that changes had occurred, perhaps unknowingly, because I hadn’t played the role of the villain. It was likely a consequence of the void left by Asti and me.

Anyway, nothing ever comes easy.

I covered my forehead with my hand and groaned. Whenever things seemed to be resolving smoothly, a new obstacle always stood firmly in the way.

When could I ever enjoy a comfortable and peaceful life?

What could possibly bring six high-ranking demons to the academy all of a sudden? What are they aiming for? But no matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to mind.

Are they targeting the saint?

It wasn’t entirely impossible, but it seemed too extreme. Perhaps their purpose was something even greater.

Various thoughts came to mind, but in the end, I couldn’t be certain of anything.

I stopped thinking. There was no need to rush. In time, Asti would find out. Asti, who played outside the demons’ surveillance, could surely discern their intentions.

It wouldn’t be too late to act once their intentions were discovered. It would be more problematic to act hastily out of impatience and fail to properly thwart their plans.

* * *

Life at the academy flowed quite peacefully. Contrary to what one might expect. The quiet tranquility only amplified the sense of unease.

Within such an atmosphere, Asti monitored every move of the demons. What exactly had they come here for?

She had laid a surveillance network over the entire academy. To observe the demons’ actions and understand their motives.

After all, she was confident. Silently dealing with six high-ranking demons was nearly impossible, but at least she could monitor them without being detected.

Her gaze spread across the academy, and soon she began to notice the six demons she was watching.

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And they were all looking at the same target.

Asti turned her eyes to see what they were observing.

The target was none other than the girl with the radiant platinum hair, Adrian Deus.

‘…Are they after the saint, perhaps?’

Asti couldn’t comprehend this unprecedented situation.

—

There was no reason for such high-ranking demons to specifically target the saintess. Frankly, accumulating evil deeds by harming the saintess wasn’t exactly a good strategy.

Of course, one could amass a great deal of evil deeds that way, but the risk was too great. The Holy Kingdom was a force not even the high demons could easily reckon with.

In truth, Nea’s attempt to attach Esthe’s remains to Adrian was a task fraught with immense risk.

It was only because she and Praha managed to do it without getting caught that they were safe. Had things gone awry, and the heresy inquisitors intervened, Nea would have been captured by the Holy Kingdom and burned at the stake in one way or another.

It was a desperate act driven by her need for evil deeds, but high-ranking demons don’t usually go to such lengths to gather them. They were apex predators even in hell, and as long as they didn’t provoke the higher demons, they could live comfortably for a lifetime.

Why then would such beings target the saintess?

Asti decided to report this matter to Praha. There was nothing to gain from brooding over it alone.