I Become a Secret Police Officer of The Imperial Academy

Chapter 15

After a while, the librarian sister’s face turned bright red.

Maybe she’d regained her senses, or maybe the potion she licked off the floor had brought her back to reality.

Well, considering she’d just been licking spilled potion off the ground like a dog, it was no wonder she looked so ashamed.

“P-please forget about that just now.”

“And what if I forget to bring you another potion, too?”

“Ah, that’s….”

“I’m just joking. Anyway, sis, do you know who’s upstairs right now?”

“How would I know that?”

“It’s Theo. He’s probably here to rescue you, don’t you think?”

“…No, that’s impossible. No one even knows I’m being held here.”

Smart.

I like clever people.

Of course, being “clever” doesn’t necessarily mean being obedient, but you get the idea.

“So, I have a proposal for you.

The truth is, sis, you’re already a dead person.

Someone who could be killed right here and now without anyone batting an eye.”

Her face turned pale.

“I-I don’t want to die.”

If she doesn’t want to die, then that’s perfect for me.

They say that people addicted to potions feel a surge of vitality and overwhelming happiness whenever they drink one.

If you can still say, “I don’t want to die” after experiencing that feeling, then there’s definitely something wrong with you.

“It’s not like anyone wants to die… Well, I guess there are some exceptions.”

If I’d intended to kill her, I would’ve done it already.

Why would I bother being “gentle” with her?

Especially since she’s someone who’d hidden demons.

Calling my treatment of her “gentle” might be a stretch, especially considering I did borrow her finger for a while.

But since she hasn’t brought it up, maybe she convinced herself it was just a hallucination.

Or maybe she just doesn’t want to think about it.

My hands and mouth felt itchy.

Moments like this were when I used to light a cigarette.

Because of that habit, all my clothes—everything from my school uniform to my dresses—ended up reeking of cigarette smoke.

Alicia always hated that smell.

“Anyway, sis, while you were out of your mind, you told us where the demons were hiding.

So technically, there’s no longer any reason to keep you locked up.

And, you know, I’m not exactly some deranged lunatic who enjoys killing people for fun.”

“…Then can’t you just let me go?”

I came here to let her go, after all.

I could just release her.

But it’s better not to do things for free.

More importantly, she’s seen my face.

Even if she knows who I am, she can’t be allowed to speak of it.

No matter how many Academy students know my identity, it’s an unspoken rule that none of them can say it out loud.

“There’s a condition.

I’m your savior, after all! I’m the one letting you live.”

I know it sounds ridiculous, but what’s she going to do about it?

“Alright, tell me.”

“Just do me some favors. Be nice to me, and listen to what I say.

Don’t act all prickly like you used to when I was hanging around Theo.”

“Is that all you want..?”

“What else could I want?

If you’re not planning to spread your legs and make money as a prostitute, you’re honestly not that valuable.”

“…Once I graduate, I could be quite valuable.”

“Which one do you think earns more money: a charming, busty prostitute with sharp wit and a pretty face, or a pretty librarian with all those same qualities?”

“…….”

Even if it’s an obvious answer, people still hesitate to respond.

“Anyway, that’s not my taste.

Besides, it’s weird for students from the same Academy to do that kind of thing with each other, isn’t it?”

“Y-yeah, that’s true!”

“In a little while, Marco — you know Marco, right?”

She nodded.

“Marco is going to release you in the middle of the eastern district.

But of course, you won’t know where this place is because you’ll be asleep when it happens.”

I’m not worried about her using money or connections to protect or free demons again.

Most of the demons have already been captured.

The Emperor may be a fool, but the Security Bureau isn’t.

With people from the Imperial Guard and Imperial Castle working for them, they’re more than capable of handling things.

I’m just a small part of it.

All I do is help with consultations and round up the stragglers.

The head of the family, on the other hand, scoops them up in batches.

If he wanted to, he could probably overthrow the Emperor — that lazy fool who spends his days drinking and fooling around with women.

Not that there’s any reason to overthrow him, so they leave him be.

I left the librarian sister behind as she thanked me over and over.

Come to think of it, what was her name again?

Doesn’t matter.

I went back upstairs, returning to my room to change my outer clothes and shoes.

The distinct smell of potions had seeped into my clothes, and the stench was unbearable.

I opened the curtains and looked outside.

The sun was setting, and the sky was painted with shades of orange and purple.

Down below, Theo was still sitting there, eating bread like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I pinched the bridge of my nose as a sharp headache throbbed in my skull.

Is he really planning to keep this up?

Obsessive men are scary.

Then again, obsessive women like Ethel and Isabel are scary too.

Honestly, they’re all scary.

With the way things are going, I have a feeling Theo will camp out in front of the mansion all night.

We already have so many people coming and going, and there’s still so much work to do.

If he blocks the front gate, it’ll only cause trouble for the servants.

I should just feed them dinner and send them away.

That should do it.

I left the hallway and entered the office where my brother — no, where the head of the family was.

Was I supposed to call him that?

Anyway, I walked into Julian’s office.

The place was a mess.

Unidentifiable trash was scattered across the floor. Piles of papers cluttered his enormous desk.

The window hadn’t been opened even once, and cigarette smoke hung in the air like a thick fog.

In the middle of it all was Julian, gripping his head and staring at the paperwork as if he were trying to bore a hole into it with his eyes.

“I heard the front gate’s in chaos.”

“Yeah.”

“Is that your boyfriend?”

“Maybe.”

To that man, I’m probably just another “heroine” in his eyes.

If that’s the case, I’m more than willing to play the role of a tragic heroine.

If I’m going to be captured by the demons he’s released and die by being torn apart alive, then something in this twisted world should change, right?

Humanity’s “justice” would shift, even if just a little.

Unfortunately, even I used to think of demons as something like people.

At least, I did before I lost Alicia.

If I died this way, it wouldn’t be considered suicide, would it?

After all, it would be murder.

I’d get to listen to Alicia’s words one last time and kill a demon or two along the way. A double win.

“…Is he a commoner?”

“No, I think his father’s a low-ranking noble.”

“Then it’s fine, I guess.

How competent is he?”

“Useful enough.”

“So, why are you here? Ran out of money?”

“Money’s never an issue.

I just wanted to invite the people hanging around out front to dinner.”

“The cook’s down in the consultation room, and with all this going on, I’m not sure we can put out anything decent.”

“Tell them to take a break and cook something. They could use the rest, anyway.”

Julian shrugged and answered casually.

“If that’s what you want.

By the way, are you doing okay?”

“Why?”

“If you’re going to visit your friends with that ugly face, you might as well lock yourself in your room.”

“If I’m ugly, then that makes you ugly too, doesn’t it?”

“I wasn’t talking about looks.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

Julian glanced at me, his face expressionless as he picked up a long pipe from the desk and placed it in his mouth.

A small flame flickered from his fingertip, igniting the tobacco leaves, and the smoke rose slowly into the air.

The momentary silence wasn’t awkward — just a brief lull.

Then, Julian muttered softly.

“Ellen, I heard you were thinking about offing yourself.”

Out of nowhere, he dropped that on me.

“…What the hell are you talking about?”

“Marco came by whining about how you seemed mentally unstable.”

“That’s not it.”

The exhaustion that had been weighing down Julian’s face vanished in an instant.

His eyes sharpened, and he slammed his hands on the desk, springing to his feet.

He jabbed a finger at me, his voice booming like thunder.

“What the hell do you mean ‘that’s not it’?! Marco found a stray bullet on your bedroom floor!

Do I have to lock up my one and only little sister in the basement because she’s gone insane?!”

I wanted to say something in my defense.

But for some reason, whenever I’m in front of Julian, my words always get stuck.

“…I was just… I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

I stopped myself from saying that I just did it to shake off the lethargy.

If I’d said that, he would have thrown me into the basement.

“If I asked for your gun, you wouldn’t hand it over, would you?

If I asked, would you shoot me instead?”

“You’re my brother. I wouldn’t kill you.”

“Heh. I wouldn’t kill you either.”

He let out a hollow laugh and flopped back into his chair.

He glanced at the scattered papers on the floor and let out a breathy chuckle.

“I don’t care what you do, just don’t die.

You’re all I’ve got left.

The fiancée I’d barely gotten to know is dead, and you’re the only one left….”

“She’s dead?”

“Yeah. They ate her. Alive. Right in front of her parents.”

The air in the room suddenly felt thick and suffocating.

I walked over and opened the window.

The fresh air felt a little more refreshing.

“I’ll tell the cook, so have fun with your friends.”

“Hey, Julian.”

“I told you to call me ‘head of the family.’

Or just ‘brother,’ if you insist.”

“One of the people coming to dinner is someone I’ve ‘consulted’ with in the past.

Am I still her friend?”

“…Even if you ask me, how should I know? Did she figure it out?”

“We met face-to-face.”

“Then you should’ve dealt with her.”

“I’m not as heartless as you.”

Calling him “brother” is hard.

It just doesn’t roll off the tongue.

“Then ask her.

If you think it’s dangerous, tell me.

I’ll take care of it.

You’re my precious little sister, after all.”

“…I doubt it’ll come to that.”

Julian waved his hand, signaling for me to leave, then crouched down to pick up the fallen papers.

The sight of him like that — sitting on the floor, gathering papers — made me chuckle.

I left the room.

The smell of cigarette smoke clung to my body, and it seemed like the scent had seeped into my skin.

Even after leaving, I could still smell it.

I didn’t hate it, though.

When I reached the front gate, I saw Theo sitting there, looking as pathetic as ever.

When he saw me, his face lit up with a wide grin.

“Why are you sitting on the ground looking so pathetic?”

“Because someone looked me in the eye and still wouldn’t let me in.”

“That’s too bad.

But I didn’t see anyone like that today.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Come in. I’ll give you something to eat… ah.”

I spotted Ethel standing behind Theo.

Our eyes met.

My body froze.