Chapter 22: Academy Heist Eve, Part 3

While chaos unfolded across the kingdom, I had only one thought:

I desperately needed a shower.

I knew hiding in the sewers was necessary to evade the Moonshadow, and it was the most effective hiding spot.

I could conjure food and water from my bag, so sustenance wasn’t a concern.

However…

For a modern human accustomed to daily showers, spending two days in the sewers was torture.

The darkness wasn’t the problem.

It was the dampness, the stench, the overall grime of the sewers.

I prided myself on maintaining good hygiene even in this world, and this situation was taking a toll on my mental well-being.

While I could mask the smell with scented pouches, the psychological distress was unavoidable.

I needed to reach one of the safe houses I’d established during the organization’s expansion and cleanse myself immediately.

Stepping out of the sewers, I was greeted by the still-bright sun.

The dim light filtering into the alley from the outside world made me squint.

Daylight could be both a disadvantage and an advantage.

While the crowds made it easier to be spotted, they could also hinder the Moonshadow’s pursuit.

I could threaten to unleash Leviathan’s area-of-effect fear or detonate mana stones, causing collateral damage.

Simply being surrounded by people could deter the Moonshadow, who preferred to operate discreetly.

I didn’t want to resort to violence unless absolutely necessary.

Especially against innocent bystanders.

I was currently a fugitive due to false accusations, but harming innocents would be adding insult to injury.

I stepped out of the alley, intending to blend into the crowd and avoid causing any harm.

People glanced at me momentarily, but the unspoken rule of “Don’t mess with the shabby-looking person emerging from the alley” seemed to be in effect, and their attention quickly shifted elsewhere.

I wrung out my damp clothes and merged into the crowd. A soft whisper reached my ears.

Where are you going?

“Home, obviously.”

Some people gave me strange looks for talking to thin air, but they quickly averted their gazes and moved away after meeting my eyes.

Naturally, I was talking to Leviathan.

If I released Leviathan, people would collapse left and right from its aura, so I kept it hidden.

Even its pet form was too conspicuous, so it had shrunk to a size slightly smaller than my fist.

As for where I was keeping it… well…

It’s cramped in here.

“Just bear with it. And stop moving. It tickles.”

There’s barely any room with all this… flesh.

Where I kept it wasn’t important. The issue was that Leviathan, this demon, had refused to cancel the contract and insisted on following me.

“My safe house is just up ahead.”

Why don’t we explore a little more?

Instead of quietly following, Leviathan poked its head out from the collar of my shirt, curiously observing its surroundings.

And whenever I mentioned we were almost at the safe house, it would say,

Just a little further… let’s see what’s around the next corner…

stalling for time.

I understood to some extent.

While I’d used money as compensation for Leviathan’s services, from its perspective, it had been subjected to unpaid labor.

And considering the demon and human realms had been separated for a considerable time since the last invasion, its curiosity about the human world was understandable.

What seemed ordinary to me, having lived here for years, would be fascinating compared to the desolate demon realm.

Leviathan had invaded the human realm out of envy, its namesake sin, believing it to be superior to the demon realm.

But my understanding had its limits.

We’d been wandering for over two hours.

The sun was beginning to set, and the scent pouches were losing their potency, allowing the sewer stench to seep through.

The heat, combined with my heavy hood, made my clothes stick to my skin, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

The tight-fitting clothes revealed my figure, attracting unwanted attention, which added to my discomfort.

So this was what it meant when people said women always knew where people were looking. I was surprisingly perceptive to gazes.

“Levi. Isn’t this enough? We won’t find anything new by exploring further.”

But if we don’t look now, we might miss something interesting later.

“Levi.”

“Levi” was a nickname I’d devised for situations where I needed to address Leviathan discreetly.

I couldn’t just shout “Leviathan” if I needed it to take its human form in public.

My firm tone silenced Leviathan’s protests.

“I’m not feeling very happy right now.”

…Fine.

Leviathan trembled slightly and finally relented.

I hadn’t expected the “I-statements” I’d learned in ethics class to be so effective. Back then, I’d thought politely expressing my feelings wouldn’t change anything.

Perhaps those ancient teachings had some merit after all.

I continued walking, recalling the proverb that had benefited me the most in this world.

Um, Kayleen.

“What?”

As we entered a main street, Leviathan spoke.

Had it not understood me? Or was I foolish to expect understanding from a demon?

If it suggested more sightseeing, I would terminate the contract and banish it back to the bag.

We’re being followed.

Fortunately, Leviathan avoided that fate.

Good, good.

“Followed?”

Yes. Two girls. Both possess divinity. They’re quite a distance away.

I glanced to the side and saw the high walls of the academy.

Near the academy, possessing divinity… they were most likely students.

Thankfully, we weren’t on academy grounds, so it wasn’t the dreaded student council.

That righteous and incredibly obtuse student council president wouldn’t tolerate my suspicious appearance.

In the original story, she’d mistaken Lucia, whose uniform was damaged during an incident, for an outsider and tried to expel her. That was to be expected.

But her tenacity was remarkable, making the student council one of the three untouchable factions in the kingdom, alongside the Moonshadow and the Magic Tower.

So, who were these girls?

Were they following me because I looked suspicious?

Even the most righteous student wouldn’t follow a random stranger outside academy grounds.

Had they recognized me? Recognized me from a distance despite my mask and hood?

Unlikely. But…

Ciella, with her magic sight, and Lucia, who would eventually acquire Insight, might be able to.

I sense… something watching us.

It seemed my assumption was correct.

The fact that Leviathan, despite suppressing its presence and shrinking its size, could still be sensed suggested magic sight.

Insight wasn’t an ability one acquired at this point in the story, so I ruled that out.

Can you lose them?

“I don’t know. The crowds are getting thicker.”

The closest safe house was located in a densely populated area.

I could try forcing my way through, but that might expose me to Ciella’s attacks.

And creating a disturbance to disperse the crowd would attract the Moonshadow.

This was problematic.

I’d tried explaining before, but perhaps it wasn’t enough.

I have an idea.

Oh? Was our little whale finally going to be useful?

“What is it?”

I’ll use my Authority.

“That should work.”

Leviathan’s Authority, unleashed as soon as I turned the corner, was incredibly effective.

It was the very ability that made Leviathan such a challenging boss.

I could definitely use this for my upcoming infiltration of the academy.

…You knew about my Authority. I suspected as much.

“Huh? Did you say something?”

Nothing.

I ignored Leviathan’s mumbling and focused on my upcoming shower.

Something felt ominous, but it would be fine.

I also needed to plan my academy infiltration, but I’d leave that for tomorrow. Today, I needed to rest.

Unfortunately, tomorrow would be too chaotic for planning.