Chapter 38: Fake Freshman, Part 3

“Hmph…”

While it was amusing to see the demon who’d been preparing to invade the human realm so preoccupied with its affairs, the kingdom’s situation was a mess.

The Third Princess was a demon worshipper, there seemed to be another traitor within the kingdom,

and a demon was hiding within the Royal Academy, the kingdom’s most prestigious institution.

A rather troublesome demon, at that.

It was surprising the kingdom hadn’t collapsed yet.

Of course, from Leviathan’s perspective, this chaos was beneficial.

It would make conquering the kingdom easier.

Though if it were this easy, she questioned the necessity of her and the other demons’ elaborate plans.

But her main concern was the presence of a remnant from the past, an entity that should have ceased to exist.

A specter from the time before the current Seven Deadly Sins were established, a time when any demon could claim the title.

Perhaps his presence here was fitting, considering his former Sin:

Vanity.

A hollow shell, a meaningless imitation.

That was his essence.

However, while annoying, he wasn’t a threat.

A relic of the past like him wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

His vaunted Authority wouldn’t work on a higher-ranking demon.

Leviathan was more interested in the academy itself.

The architecture was so different from the rest of the kingdom.

Did they have different food here too?

It was a thought similar to that of the giant flies she despised, but Leviathan, driven by her pursuit of pleasure,

embarked on an exploration of the academy.

While she also needed to find a contact within the academy, that could wait.

Her main objective was to wait for Kayleen.

She could do as she pleased until then.

And that green-haired girl… why was she still following her?

Did she think Leviathan hadn’t noticed?

Intrigued, Leviathan quickened her pace, disappearing from the girl’s sight.

“She’s… fast…! Where is she—”

“…Don’t you think… Lucia’s been acting… strange lately…?”

“Eek…!”

“Ah… sorry. Were you… watching something…?”

Ciella, tailing Leviathan, was startled by Carmel’s sudden appearance and the loud whisper.

She stumbled and fell.

The noise attracted unwanted attention from the students crowding the hallway.

Feeling self-conscious, Ciella hid behind Carmel, who was taller.

“Lucia…? Ah… yes, it’s strange. She’s become… too open with people, perhaps…”

Carmel thought Ciella’s own guard seemed considerably lowered, but she held back her comment.

She didn’t want to revert to their awkward pre-exam relationship.

“Not that… but… she disappears after every class… And when she returns, she has this… strange smile…”

“…Yes, I’ve noticed it too.”

Did she get a boyfriend? Carmel wondered.

But with Lucia’s appearance, that seemed unlikely.

And with the numerous noble ladies practically treating Lucia as a pet, anyone approaching her with romantic intentions would face their wrath.

Most of those young noblewomen came from influential families.

“…I think… Levi and Professor Lily… are acting suspicious…”

“Professor Lily, I understand… but Levi…?”

Carmel, too, had her suspicions about Lily.

It was… unusual for an academy professor to dress so… provocatively.

And most students didn’t seem to react to her attire.

The men simply averted their gazes, while the women blushed.

No one questioned her clothing, as if it were perfectly normal.

Especially in this conservative academy, where most students were raised with extreme care.

But assuming Lily had her reasons, Carmel had kept her thoughts to herself.

But Levi?

She was just a shy, cute girl, wasn’t she?

Her frequent glances at Lucia suggested she simply wanted to befriend the similarly sized girl…

Of course, this was due to Carmel’s inability to perceive mana.

Ciella, while not able to see clearly, sensed something… familiar about them both.

That dark, murky mana she’d seen emanating from Kayleen’s bag.

While faint, Levi exuded a similar aura.

But her magic sight, the violet eyes inherited from an ancient dragon, was a secret shared only with her master.

Even Carmel, whom she considered a companion, couldn’t be privy to this information.

“…Something about them… feels… off…”

“Ciella, you shouldn’t judge people based on their appearances.”

“But…”

Seeing Ciella’s unwavering suspicion, Carmel made a suggestion.

“Then… let’s follow Levi today and see what she’s up to…!”

Their concern about Lucia’s behavior was forgotten.

So, Ciella and Carmel spent the day tailing Leviathan.

Second Period: Mana Infusion and Magic Circle Construction.

Leviathan sat in the middle of the classroom, staring at the crystal ball, the focus of today’s assignment, with a bored expression.

The task was to infuse the crystal ball with mana and create a simple image.

Leviathan casually placed her hand on the crystal ball and channeled her mana, a dark, murky energy.

“Ugh…”

Ciella winced, but it wasn’t as potent as Kayleen’s mana, so she endured it and continued observing.

The mana formed a vague, whale-like shape within the crystal, then the crystal cracked and shattered.

“See…! Suspicious…!”

“Hmm… but couldn’t that just be… a failed mana control exercise…? It happens to me sometimes…”

Carmel was more interested in Levi’s appearance.

Had she… shrunk slightly after channeling her mana?

Third Period: Combat Practice.

Levi’s opponent was a tall, imposing noblewoman.

“Levi, even if you’re small and cute… I won’t go easy on you…!”

Levi frowned, clearly annoyed, but her appearance made the threat seem less intimidating.

In fact, the noblewoman almost forfeited, thinking she couldn’t bring herself to attack such a cute girl.

But the match proceeded, and the result was… overwhelming.

The noblewoman’s punch, aimed at Levi’s face, somehow missed, passing harmlessly over her head, while Levi’s counter, a simple push to the abdomen,

sent the noblewoman flying several meters, ending the match with an anticlimactic ring-out.

“Didn’t you… go a little too easy on her…?”

“W-what…? I was trying my best… I was aiming for her head…”

Carmel hadn’t seen it, but Ciella had.

A dark cloud of mana had formed around Levi’s head just as the match began.

“See…! Isn’t that suspicious…?”

“Hmm… I think… she just fought well…?”

Carmel, oblivious, only felt that Levi seemed to have shrunk again.

And then came lunchtime.

“…!”

Carmel and Ciella watched as Levi stuffed her face with food, trying to maintain a neutral expression.

But the corners of her lips twitched upwards, betraying her enjoyment. A soft hum escaped her lips.

“Were we… wrong…?”

“Perhaps…”

Levi’s unguarded demeanor, a stark contrast to even Lucia’s usual reserved behavior, almost made them lower their guard.

Could such a carefree girl truly be manipulating Lucia?

But after classes ended…

“Hmm… perhaps Levi isn’t the cause…?”

“…Maybe…”

Ciella and Carmel, questioning their suspicions, followed Levi and saw her meet with a blonde girl behind the academy building.

“That’s… Lucia, isn’t it…?”

“Yes… let’s go…!”

Levi’s expression was still indifferent, but Lucia seemed nervous.

“…Believe… what I’m saying…”

“…Not… possible…!”

Their voices grew louder.

“What are they saying…?”

“Let’s get closer…!”

They’d been keeping their distance, unable to hear the conversation clearly.

As they approached, the situation escalated.

“I… I can’t take it anymore…!”

“Wait. Calm—”

Lucia’s hand trembled as she raised it, and her holy sword materialized.

“W-wait…! Lucia, calm down…!”

“Don’t… don’t insult… her… anymore…!”

And then… a slash.

Levi’s body was cleaved in two, blood spraying everywhere.

But instead of a clean cut, the wound was jagged and rough, unlike the usual effect of a holy sword.

Lucia, still agitated, her breath coming in ragged gasps, froze as her eyes met Carmel and Ciella’s.

“Th-this… I… I…”

“L-Lucia… calm down… let’s talk—”

“No… I’m… a murderer…!”

“Ah…”

While shocked, Carmel believed there had to be a reason for Lucia’s actions. She tried to stop her.

But Lucia, her face pale, ran away without a word.

Only Levi’s severed body, Ciella’s horrified expression, and Carmel’s stunned silence remained.

“What… what just happened…?”

Carmel seemed unable to comprehend the situation, but Ciella saw it.

A dark, repulsive mana emanating from Lucia, far more potent and unsettling than Kayleen’s.

Even the demon-worshipping cult leader hadn’t exuded such an aura.

“A demon… it’s a demon’s doing…”

“A… demon…? The… demons…?”

“I think… so…”

A power surpassing even that of the cult leader.

Ciella was certain. Lucia was being manipulated by a powerful, malevolent demon.

Footsteps.

“…Sigh. Humans… Never learning, even after being warned…”

“Huh…?”

A girl with short white hair appeared behind them.

“…Another outsider? This is troublesome…”

“Levi…? No… her… sister…?”

The girl looked exactly like the one Lucia had just killed, but smaller, much younger than Levi.

Too young to even be an academy student.

“Sister…? No. I’m the original.”