I Became a Murderer in the Academy.-Chapter 123

“...What do you want?”

“It’s strange indeed. That Seir would fall to such a small girl.”

“Are you looking for a fight?”

I could send him to join his friends quickly.

Serthia, who had been the strongest being on the continent after the Demon Lord’s death, was defeated by me. Though cursed and unable to fight properly, I had no doubt she was the strongest.

Among humans, demons, and all living things. I’d realized that after our fight.

But since I had managed to kill even Serthia, I wasn’t afraid of anyone anymore.

A member of the Demon Lord’s army?

A mere underling, perhaps?

“I misspoke. I apologize.”

The demon backed down, showing a bit of demonic energy.

Since I could easily hide the demonic energy within me, no one would know my true nature unless I revealed it.

Now that he understood I was stronger, I trusted he wouldn’t be foolish enough to attack.

And so—

“...”

I looked at him, signaling that he should answer my question. I had asked why he had come here.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“If you were there, you must remember what happened last time.”

“You mean when you unleashed monsters in the academy?”

“Yes. Why did you help the humans back then? If you hadn’t interfered, the Empire would have fallen. In fact, if you had helped, you could have killed Serthia, your greatest enemy.”

“...”

“Have you started to think you’re human just because you’ve been living among them? Even as you killed the few remaining members of the Demon Lord’s army? How are you any different from us?”

Did they not know yet that Serthia was dead?

There was no reason for me to tell him.

I focused on the essence of his question.

Maybe, deep down, I did wish to blend in with the humans around me. I wouldn’t deny that.

But I had never mistaken myself for human. I realized that before I could even entertain the thought. Since that day, the emptiness inside me had never been filled.

And how was I different from them?

Hmm.

“...”

I wasn’t in the right state of mind to come to any conclusions.

I killed people just like demons, had demonic energy instead of mana, and couldn’t feel human emotions.

We had so many similarities. So what was different?

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I didn’t know.

Since I didn’t know, I remained silent.

“See? You can’t answer. There’s no reason for us to be enemies. I didn’t come here to fight you. Surely, you’re smart enough to understand that much.”

“Don’t lie.”

“What?”

“You were planning to kill me until I showed you my demonic energy. Did I seem that easy to you?”

I might not be entirely sane, but I wasn’t so dull that I couldn’t sense his killing intent from that distance.

“State your purpose clearly. I don’t intend to drag this conversation out.”

Lying to me was impossible.

If he tried to waste my time, I would cut him down immediately.

I had the power to do so, and more importantly, I was in a hurry. My fangs ached to sink into something.

I was starving, and my throat was parched.

I hoped he wouldn’t test my patience. If he pushed me too far, I might kill him and devour the human he held.

“Be mindful of who’s in charge here…”

He should have understood by now.

The demon hesitated before speaking. Knowing that lying wouldn’t work on me, his next words would be the truth.

“I originally came to retrieve the Demon Lord’s fragments. I intended to take back what we’d spread throughout the academy. But the fragments were nowhere to be found. It was as if someone had taken them already.”

The demon looked at me, suspicion clear in his eyes.

I saw no reason to deny it, so I nodded.

“Yes, I took them.”

“I see. I came to collect the fragments from you. Initially, I planned to kill you and take them by force, but now that’s not an option.”

“...”

“If you have them, return them. They’re needed for the birth of a new king. I’ll leave once I have them.”

The birth of a new king.

So the Demon Lord’s army intended to create a new Demon Lord from the fragments of the old one.

His words helped piece together the fragments of information I’d gathered. His explanation had filled in a few gaps.

But I didn’t think further conversation would be necessary. Judging by his words, he wasn’t very high-ranking within the Demon Lord’s army.

He probably didn’t know much more than I did. I likely knew more than he did.

So I decided there was no point in further discussion. I responded curtly.

“I can’t give you the fragments.”

And then—

I waved goodbye to the now-useless member of the Demon Lord’s army.

“Goodnight.”

Even if he asked for the fragments back, I couldn’t return something I’d already consumed.

Besides, he was a demon who had tried to kill me. His presence in my territory, the back alley, was unwelcome.

So I drew my red sword and killed him.

A considerable amount of blood flowed in the back alley that night.

Tonight’s meal took a bit longer.

I ate the humans killed by the demon. There were quite a few of them. I wondered why they were here and why they had been killed, but I didn’t care.

Perhaps something had happened while I was away. It didn’t matter.

This place lay outside the patrol range of the knights, making it easy for criminals to gather.

One by one, I devoured them.

‘...A bit less fresh than I’d prefer.’

Still, it felt good to finally sate my hunger.

My heart, usually quiet and still, beat rapidly when I drank blood.

Regaining my usual state, I looked at the dead demon from the Demon Lord’s army and thought.

‘So their goal is to create a new Demon Lord?’

The Demon Lord’s army, having lost their leader, was considerably weakened. They’d been preparing for a long time to make a new leader.

And—

‘In Iria’s memories, the Demon Lord’s army was with her.’

If I’m right, they must have been trying to make Iria the new Demon Lord in the past.

She was the most suitable vessel for such a role.

In the memories, they had been feeding Iria something that seemed like a fragment of the Demon Lord.

For some reason, I had ended up in that body instead.

‘The demon I saw earlier didn’t recognize me.’

If they’d been there, they should have recognized me.

The fact that he didn’t know me meant he wasn’t high-ranking within the Demon Lord’s army. When I scanned my memories after regaining my senses, I didn’t find much information.

It seemed that only a select few within the Demon Lord’s army might know the truth about Iria’s body.

The Demon Lord’s army...

“...”

In the end, were they the true culprits?

I recalled the demon’s words.

If I encounter them again, will they be my enemies? Or are they truly, as he said, not a group I need to fight?

I don’t know yet.

Today, too, I was lost in thought.

I returned to the academy as usual, my body much healthier than it had been the day before.

I wasn’t hungry, and my head was clear. No hallucinations, no voices.

With my body in good shape, the world looked different from how it did yesterday.

I felt somewhat conflicted.

Being free from hunger was refreshing, but it was like admitting that I truly couldn’t live without human blood.

It felt like an acknowledgment that I would never escape life as a back-alley murderer.

So I walked with a somewhat gloomy mood.

As I passed through the halls, I saw familiar faces—Ariel, Sera, and Clana.

Since I’d gone home early yesterday, I hadn’t known that the three of them had grown quite close in my absence.

Maybe all my efforts hadn’t been for nothing. The original story’s progression seemed to be normalizing.

Watching them, I approached.

I intended to greet them as usual.

And then—

“Ah! The root of all evil!!”

“Iria! What have you been teaching Clana?!”

“It’s the root of all evil! She’s come to torment me again!”

“...”

I’d forgotten that Clana still held a grudge against me.