Chapter 40
In academy stories, terror and raids are everyday occurrences.
Despite claiming to be the world's top educational institution, attacks happen suspiciously often. From Demonkin to secret organization spies, it's a gathering place for infiltrators of all kinds.
Therefore, being a fictional world, I had expected there would be quite a few spies hiding their true identities here.
I was certainly expecting it, but...
'Why did it have to come out like THIS of all ways?'
I deliberately left obvious evidence of embezzlement, but there was a chance the staff would cover it up. The one who seized that possibility was this man named Jagan.
Of all the many administrative staff members, running into an actual demon - talk about the worst possible bad luck.
I felt like I was about to go crazy from the unfairness, but things proceeded smoothly without any regard for my mental state.
"A grave oversight. The moment he insulted my junior, I should have cut off his head, evidence be damned."
I had confessed to my crimes with my own mouth.
The man beside me had simply proven my embezzlement logically with clear evidence.
No matter how you looked at it, I was clearly the criminal, yet here was this old man declaring he should have beheaded him first just for insulting me.
The Iron-Blood Duke ground his teeth as he made this declaration.
I desperately hoped he was the only one having such crazy thoughts, but the students were trembling with clenched fists, their faces stained with regret.
Their expressions clearly showed they could never forgive themselves for doubting Professor Ryan, even for a moment.
All that resentment and anger was directed at the demon.
Jagan shouted at me with an utterly wronged expression.
"Was this your plan from the start when you dragged me here?!"
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
Even though his identity was exposed, he clearly wasn't trying to reveal his true form and resist - probably because of me.
A demon hiding as an Academy staff member.
Having seen up close what I was capable of, he probably saw me as the crazy genius professor who could spam Meteors while using Heart-Sword.
"You unbelievably cruel bastard... Acting like you knew nothing, spouting nonsense about kleptomania... Were you just toying with me for your own amusement?"
I don't recall stringing him along.
I only said that crazy stuff about kleptomania because I figured the more insane I sounded, the higher my chances of getting fired.
But there was no point explaining that now - no one would believe me.
Between me embezzling funds due to sudden kleptomania, versus me finding a demon and publicly teabagging him, it was obvious which story sounded more plausible.
"Just how far do you plan to mock me?!"
The demon shouted fiercely at me.
Should I try explaining even though they won't believe me, or just stay quiet and watch?
My deliberation didn't last long.
"There are limits to shamelessness, demon."
With a swishing sound, the Saintess who had swiftly crawled across the floor blocked my path as she spoke those words.
The madness in her eyes sent chills down my spine.
With a sinister smile that made it hard to tell who was the demon and who was the saint, the girl spoke to the demon.
"Your very existence is a sin. How dare such repulsive filth expect civilized treatment? You must have completely lost your mind."
The Saintess gazed at the demon with eyes full of contempt.
She exposed every bit of his vileness.
"It was surely you who manipulated students into becoming Demonkin and orchestrated the bomb plot, wasn't it?"
Jagan was struck speechless at those words.
Apparently that really was his doing.
"I know it was you who controlled Lady Primordial Dragon to make her act shamefully, who cooperated with the fake Director to brainwash the board members, who framed the Professor for embezzlement."
However, his expression that seemed struck at the truth quickly reverted to his previous wronged look.
No wonder, since all three accusations were false.
I was the only one here who knew Jagan's innocence.
"You've managed to slip away until now. But you ruined everything with a stupid mistake. To think you'd try to target him of all people. That's when it was all over."
Professor Ryan committing embezzlement?
Just how lacking in intelligence would you have to be to think such a ridiculous lie would actually work?
It was a stupidity worthy not just of regret, but contempt.
The demon shouted that he knew that much too, stung by the Saintess's words. But no one paid any attention to Jagan's protests.
With the Primordial Dragon, Iron-Blood Duke, and other professors all here.
With all forces gathered here, the demon was subdued without being able to lift a finger.
"Did you set this trap because you wanted to see me cry out like this?! You're more evil than any demon!"
The demon shouted at me with his hands bound.
Treating those desperate cries as mere white noise, the Saintess asked me a question on everyone's behalf.
"How should we deal with this criminal, Professor?"
Seeing him still so shamelessly lying, everyone agreed that simply killing him would be too lenient.
My mind naturally went blank.
I finally spoke with a face of enlightenment.
"...Just do whatever you want."
I gave up on thinking altogether.
*****
In a dark room.
Jagan was imprisoned here with his hands and feet bound.
By all appearances, his death was certain.
But while he felt wronged, he felt no fear.
Though he was near the bottom of the hierarchy and physically the weakest of his kind due to specializing in disguise magic, he had lived for nearly an eternity.
He had been through every trial and tribulation.
He wouldn't be shaken by ordinary threats.
"To think you'd entrust his torture to me, Professor must have been quite enraged by your misdeeds."
So even when the prison door suddenly opened, when the Saintess's voice came through the open door, Jagan's face remained as composed as ever.
"For someone as kind as him to choose such methods, it must be because he couldn't forgive you for endangering the students. How devout he truly is."
Though madness tinged her voice, he had seen dozens of madmen in his lifetime.
He clearly remembered his mission.
His loyalty to Lord Getia remained unchanged.
"Oh Heavenly God, please grant your humble servant the strength to repay the devotion he has shown."
No matter what they did to him, he truly believed he just had to keep his mouth shut and calmly accept his death.
"...Time for repentance, demon."
Until the girl pulled out that strange device.
A woman who smiled more demonically than any demon.
In her hand was an oddly-shaped rod.
A long instrument that seemed designed to be inserted somewhere. When she pressed a button to test it, it spread wide open like an umbrella.
...Just where was that meant to be inserted?
Why did it spread so wide open like that?
Cold sweat ran down Jagan's back.
No matter how he tried to deny the reality that something that long couldn't possibly fit, that even if it did fit no one could withstand such a thing.
Nothing changed no matter how much he denied reality.
The Saintess slowly approached him.
Soon screams echoed through the prison cell. For the first time in his life, the demon made sounds like a little girl crying.
Indescribable pain. The humiliation of having every part of his being violated. The horrific time continued for what felt like forever.
A cruel torture lasting 21 hours.
Though even she was still human enough to be unable to continue torturing beyond that, the pain didn't end.
"You can't hog all that time to yourself! Think about the people waiting behind you!"
The people who took over from the Saintess.
Dozens of students burst in.
They smiled and grinned with inexplicable joy.
Those smiles terrified Jagan.
Many had come at him with revenge in their hearts, claiming to avenge their families. He had lost count of those who had attacked him with hatred in their eyes.
But none of them had ever smiled so happily.
Let's compete to see who can make him scream the most.
Let's see who can best complete the task Professor entrusted to us. They laughed and joked together cheerfully as they said such things.
A sight that defied common sense.
Fear of the unknown broke Jagan's spirit.
Collective madness directed at a single person. Finally unable to withstand the bizarreness, the demon forgot even his loyalty to his master and tearfully spilled every piece of information.
A feat that even the Holy Empire's Inquisitors couldn't achieve.
The impossible task of torturing a demon into confession was accomplished by mere Academy students.
The list of contracted Demonkin and weaknesses in the security barriers.
Thanks to Jagan's confession, the Academy became incomparably safer than before.
...Surely this too was Professor Ryan's blessing.