I Become a Secret Police Officer of The Imperial Academy

Chapter 14

A lot of time had passed.

It had already been over a week since Ethel and her family were released.

I didn’t bother going to see Ethel.

On the contrary, Ethel came to see me several times.

Each time, I sent a servant to turn her away.

The next time, she brought Theo and Isabel with her.

Of course, I sent them away too.

How did they even figure out where I lived?

They’d been coming by for days now, so I figured they’d show up again today.

I downed the coffee I’d forgotten to drink yesterday after setting it aside.

The aroma was gone, and it was ice cold, so it just tasted like bitter water.

Still, it woke me up completely.

I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror.

The person smiling back at me was still beautiful.

Not a single wrinkle, skin so pale it almost looked translucent, crimson lips, silver-white hair like flowing silk, and eyes as red as rubies.

I’m still fine. At least, for now.

When a person is under stress or gets beaten up, the first thing to break down is their appearance.

I threw off my clothes and stood in front of the full-length mirror.

Why do I look like this?

If I had a strong body like Theo, or if I’d been blessed with holy power and magic like Isabel, or if I had magical talent like Joanna, things might have been different.

At the very least, I wouldn’t have had to run around carrying my dying sibling, desperately searching for safety.

Instead of this toy-like pistol I keep tucked under my skirt, I would have had the power to cut down demons with a single stroke.

I pulled out the pistol I had tied to the belt under my skirt.

I unloaded all but one bullet from the chamber and let them fall to the ground.

Then, I spun the chamber, letting it whirl with a sharp click, click, click.

Looking into the mirror, I stared into my crimson eyes.

Even without pulling the trigger, it felt like blood was already pouring out of my head.

I pulled the trigger once.

Nothing happened.

A strange sense of deflation washed over me.

Empty again.

Not just the chamber, but me as well.

The idea of treasuring myself, the sense of humanity—both of those had vanished.

I’m not saying something childish like, “The world is so cruel, so I’ll become a villain!”

No, it’s not like that.

It’s more like…

When you feel utterly exhausted with life, it’s as if a hollow void opens up inside your chest.

If you’re on a tall building, you feel the urge to jump.

If you see a rope with a knot, you want to dangle from it.

If a gun is in your hand, you feel the desire to blow your head off.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door.

Looks like something’s happened again.

I started toward the door but stopped halfway, realizing I was still naked.

I went back to the mirror and put on my clothes before answering.

When I opened the door, Marco was standing there, his expression faintly awkward as he glanced at my face.

“What is it?”

“The demons caused a disturbance in the underground, but they’ve been subdued.

One of our precious mages died in the process. How should we handle it?”

“…Did they die while engraving a spell, or did the demons kill them?”

“Judging from how their throat was torn to shreds, it looks like the demons did it.”

What a headache.

At least it happened during the day, not in the middle of the night. I suppose I should be grateful for that.

We’re already short on people, and now we’ve lost a mage on top of that.

It’s frustrating, but it is what it is.

The fewer people we have, the harder it is to maintain control. If the demons killed one of our people, it’s only right that they be dealt with accordingly.

“Do we have enough oil and firewood?”

“Already prepared.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Burn them.”

The demons stationed near the mages are already half-dead.

We couldn’t even send them to the mines, so we’d planned to send them to the farm on the island.

They were also part of an experiment, being the first to have spells engraved on them.

I guess they wanted to show us that even if they’re on the brink of death, a demon is still strong enough to rip apart a human with one hand.

But Marco isn’t the type to report something like this just for the sake of it.

He probably used this as an excuse to bring up something else.

After all, Marco is the kind of man who treats people the same way he treats demons.

He wouldn’t come all this way just to get permission for a routine culling of unruly livestock.

“By the way, your friends came to visit again today.”

“…Send them away.”

“I tried, but the one named Theo is literally lying down in front of the main gate.”

“Then just leave him there.”

“That’s pretty cold of you, especially toward a man.”

“What else am I supposed to do? On days like this, when we have to cull a large number, I don’t want any outsiders here.”

“Always quick with an excuse, aren’t you?

Anyway, young miss, I understand you’re dedicated to your work, but I think you should rest from time to time.”

“Rest? With how short-staffed we are? You must be joking.”

“That’s true. We are shorthanded.

Well, I’ll be on my way. I’ve got work to do.”

Marco turned and walked away.

I closed the door, leaning my back against it.

Rest?

With everything that’s going on, who has the time to rest?

“Oh, before you go, how’s that young lady doing? You know, the one locked up right below the mansion.”

Maybe it was because the students from the Academy had come by, leaving me feeling uneasy.

On any other day, I wouldn’t have asked such a pointless question.

“Are you talking about the one who ‘borrowed’ a finger from you last time?”

Borrowed? That wasn’t the right word. It’d be more accurate to say she forcibly took it and then gave it back.

“Yeah, her.”

I had told them to treat her as “gently” as possible.

But “gentle” here only meant to avoid doing anything that would leave permanent physical damage.

In other words, it didn’t matter if her mind broke or if she went insane.

I only asked because I’d feel a little uneasy if she ended up like one of those lunatics who smears filth on the walls.

Not that my sleep wasn’t already terrible.

“Since you told us to be gentle, we’ve been handling her with care. We keep it simple — a little scolding here and there and plenty of disheartening conversations.

Lately, though, she’s been clinging to me, kneeling and begging me to let her go.”

“And what did you say?”

“I told her to ask you herself.

But I’d advise against meeting her. Things have gotten… complicated.”

“…Did you touch her?”

Marco’s face twisted in discomfort, as if insulted by the question.

“No, I didn’t.

You’ll understand if you go see her yourself.”

If he says he didn’t, then I guess he didn’t.

“Alright.”

“By the way, young miss, I think I’d be really sad if you died.”

“…If you died, I’d probably cry for a whole day.”

“That’s quite the honor. Well then, I’ll be off. Take care, young miss.”

I waved my hand, signaling for him to leave.

After hearing Marco’s report, it felt like my eyes were rolling around in a furnace.

The back of my neck stiffened with pain, and my lower back felt as if it had been strained somehow.

For some reason, my knees began to ache too.

My vision blurred, and a wave of nausea hit me.

The problem is that every treatment and painkiller in this world is basically a drug.

Even potions are addictive, and if you want painkillers, your only options are opium or cannabis.

Alicia used to tell me not to smoke.

Alicia used to tell me not to take drugs.

Alicia used to tell me to get along with my friends.

Alicia used to tell me to love and live a fun, happy life.

Or maybe she’s still telling me those things, even now.

Her voice still echoes in my ears, the same soft voice she used to whisper to me as she stroked my cheek.

“Ellen! It’s been a while! Come on out so we can see your face!”

I heard Theo’s voice yelling from outside.

Where does he get all that energy?

“Ethel said she had something important to talk to you about!”

I don’t have anyone to force them out.

There aren’t many people who can beat Theo, even at the Academy.

There’s no way anyone here could take him on.

Even if someone could, they’d be down in the basement, working hard.

If I leave him alone, he’ll probably get hungry and leave on his own.

But when I glanced out the window, I saw that crazy idiot eating bread in front of the gate.

Should I go out there?

I didn’t see Ethel or Isabel with him.

“Why is he just lying around out there?”

I couldn’t understand it.

I watched him for a while through the window.

Then, Theo looked up and spotted me.

He waved at me.

I pretended not to see him, closing the window and drawing the curtains shut.

I pulled a random novel from the bookshelf and started reading it.

But I didn’t read it properly.

I didn’t trace each word. I didn’t let myself remember anything about the story.

I just skimmed the pages, letting them blur together.

It wasn’t fun.

I tossed the book onto the bed and headed toward the basement.

When people hear “the mansion’s basement,” they probably think it’s one connected space.

But there’s the basement directly beneath the mansion and a separate underground area beneath the clearing in front of the mansion.

They’re connected by a narrow corridor, but they’re still two different spaces.

Even when I walked into the conversation room, I didn’t hear any screams.

Well, we’d already captured most of the troublesome ones.

I made my way to the room where the librarian sister was being held.

The room was much cleaner than I expected.

Marco had made it sound like a whole group of people had taken turns tormenting her.

“I-Is that you, Ellen..?”

“Who else would it be?”

“…I thought I was hallucinating.”

“Hallucinating, huh?”

“Heehee, that guy Marco said if I met you, I’d get a potion!

I’ve been a good girl, sitting quietly and waiting right here.

I even told you where the demons are hiding, so please, give me a potion. No, I beg you, please give me one.”

I’d told them to “handle her gently” — to avoid physical harm and just extract information on where the demons were hiding.

But those bastards turned her into a drug addict.

Her eyes were unfocused, darting in different directions.

If I didn’t give her a potion now, she’d probably lunge at me.

I didn’t bring my pistol with me.

Dealing with someone whose reason has crumbled is dangerous without a weapon.

I unlocked the drawer and pulled out a potion.

The moment she saw it, she moved to lunge at me.

“…If you don’t stop, I’ll pour it down the drain.”

“I-I’m sorry! No, I’m really sorry! I’ll be good, I’ll be good! So please, please give me that….”

“Damn it. How the hell am I supposed to send you back like this? Ah.”

I realized.

I was never planning to send her back, was I?

I opened the potion’s cap and poured its contents onto the ground.

Her eyes widened with desperation.

Without hesitation, she crawled off the bed on all fours and began licking the floor.

She didn’t care if it was dirty or clean.

She even licked the single drop that had splashed onto my shoe.

I don’t have a foot fetish.

“Disgusting.”

The words slipped out of my mouth before I realized it.

There was a trace of contempt in my voice.