I Become a Secret Police Officer of The Imperial Academy

Chapter 16

What should I say to them? Should I smile awkwardly and offer a handshake?

“This is my first time visiting Ellen’s house.”

“Oh, yeah. Right.”

The awkwardness spilled into my response.

“Are you okay?”

The question carried multiple layers of meaning.

I really disliked such questions. If anyone other than Ethel had said it, I would’ve definitely hated it. But now, uneasiness, fear, or maybe guilt, began to surge inside me.

“Yeah.”

Still, I didn’t let any of it show on my face.

“I’m hungry. Let’s head inside already.”

Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d had a friend visit my house since I was born.

I had permission from the owner of the house, so there was no issue, but it still felt burdensome somehow.

Once inside the mansion, the kids gawked at the interior as if they were amazed.

Looking at it now, if I measured wealth, I was probably the richest among us.

Even though most of the greedy, bloated parasites had been dealt with and their assets returned to the state treasury, it wasn’t like I wouldn’t get some scraps falling my way—legally or illegally.

Of course, it was about carefully skimming off without crossing the line.

“This house is… enormous,” one of them remarked.

“Didn’t I tell you before? I might look like this, but I’m a big deal.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, you did.”

You know those overused settings in games or novels, where everyone is supposedly equal in the academy? That nonsense.

Here, though, they actually adhered to it better than I expected. Lodgings, food, clothing, and most supplies were provided by the school, and they weren’t of bad quality. So, there was little need to go out of one’s way.

That’s why, whether you were a crown prince or a street urchin from the slums, everyone seemed equal once they entered the academy.

At least within its grounds, everyone wore the same clothes and used the same items.

That’s probably why no one, except Ethel, knew the scale of my family’s influence, even if they had heard of my name or lineage.

I guess they might’ve realized something from the fact that I could just take a noble heir and lock them up at will. But even Ethel didn’t know everything.

Anyway, I was just as hungry as the others, so I led them to the dining room.

To my surprise, there was only one person setting the table: Marco.

Marco, wearing a suit, was placing dishes and utensils on the table.

Not that I liked his face much, but I didn’t want to prepare food for others with my own hands. I always handled dirty things, after all.

That must be why Marco was wearing gloves, too.

“Marco? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, miss. I heard you were dining with friends. The chef was whining about how overworked he was, so I thought I’d lend a hand.”

“Ah, I see.”

Marco brought out the last dish and placed it on the table, setting a large pair of scissors and four tongs beside it.

“All your friends are so handsome and beautiful.”

“No one’s going to fall for that flattery of yours.”

“Haha, true enough. Well, I’ll leave you to it and get back to work.”

“Alright. Thanks for your help.”

After taking one last dish from the kitchen and placing it on the table, Marco left the room, bowing slightly to me.

The kids, meanwhile, were staring at me with a mix of confusion and surprise.

“Let’s eat. Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“Oh, right. We came to eat.”

If not to eat, what else could we have come here for?

“By the way, you seem really close to that guy just now.”

“Yeah, he’s my boyfriend.”

Theo promptly spit out the appetizer he was eating.

Well, it must mean my joke was that funny. He must’ve laughed because it was genuinely hilarious.

“I’m joking.”

“…Haha.”

By the way, had Ethel told them everything that happened to her?

Unfortunately, I had no intention of shoving Theo, Isabel, and Ethel back into the parlor to talk about it.

Even if Ethel said I hit or bullied her, I’d just accept it and move on.

It wasn’t like Theo was going to take the lead in tormenting me anyway.

This time, it was Ethel who spoke up.

“By the way, Ellen. Soon, we’ll all be back at the academy together.”

“Yeah, we will.”

“Not sure if things will be like before, though.”

When Theo asked what she meant, Ethel vaguely replied that, after everything that happened, how could things go back to the way they were?

She hasn’t shared the full story yet, has she?

I could sense Ethel trying to steer the conversation, as if she wanted to take control and act as if she were in charge.

It’s a bit dangerous for a counselor to lose control of the conversation.

While she might be right about my moral debt, this was still my house.

And all the while, the others’ gazes were fixed on me.

Ethel would be disappointed, but I couldn’t show weakness.

Come to think of it, Marco brought the dishes and utensils but forgot the most basic thing: water.

“Why are you getting up?”

“To get some water.”

Ethel flinched.

I grabbed four cups and placed one in front of each person. Then I filled each cup with water.

For Theo, for Isabel, for myself, and finally for Ethel.

I kept pouring water into Ethel’s glass until it slightly overflowed.

“Oh, I was distracted and accidentally poured too much.”

It was my way of saying, Shut up and stay quiet.

Following someone else’s lead rarely led to anything good.

“…Y-Yeah, it happens.”

I glanced around.

As expected, the atmosphere was a little bleak.

If they knew what kind of person I was, should I lock them all up?

Or would they attack me right here, demanding how I could do such things?

Well, it didn’t really matter.

In the end, I was the protagonist of this mess, so I’d figure it out somehow.

Even if every single person in this mansion charged at us, Theo would win.

This is why strength is crucial.

For someone weak like me, the choices are so limited.

No, wait—it’s too early to make such judgments.

My friends aren’t demons, after all. They wouldn’t treat me recklessly.

Especially since Ethel, who had hidden so many demons herself, still walked out of the parlor with all her limbs intact.

I smiled faintly, tore a drumstick from the chicken, placed it on my plate, and asked Theo, “So, why did you come here?”

“We haven’t seen each other for a while, and I just thought of you.”

“I see. The semester’s starting soon, though. Wouldn’t seeing me at school have been enough?”

“Well, yeah, but… Meeting outside the academy feels a bit different, doesn’t it?”

The drumstick meat was quite tasty. Was it because I hadn’t had it in so long?

While I was busy satiating my hunger, Isabel pointed at one of the dishes and asked, “Ellen, how do you eat this?”

It was a crayfish.

“I’ll cut it up for you. You can eat the meat inside.”

Had she never encountered it in school meals or nearby restaurants?

Maybe her upbringing emphasized faith so much that they avoided luxurious seafood like this.

Isabel cautiously snipped at the claws and the part connecting the body and tail, nibbling carefully. 

It was amusing when she bit into the shell itself, made a weird face, and realized it wasn’t edible.

In the slightly static atmosphere, we chatted about this and that as we diligently ate.

They seemed to be eating well, despite looking like they’d been nibbling on bread all day. At this rate, I wondered if they might clear out the entire kitchen.

“By the way, Ellen, your mansion is enormous.”

“You already mentioned that earlier.”

“No, I just… Houses this big seem like they’d have lots of secret rooms or something.”

So they did know something.

But they didn’t know the full picture.

If they had realized I was gathering demons in one place, placing spells on their necks, and executing most of them, they wouldn’t be sitting here laughing and eating with me.

The same would go if they were aware of the coercive conversations and less-than-enjoyable water-based antics I’d had with Ethel.

This person, Theo, wore his emotions and thoughts plainly on his face.

Overly nosy, emotional, and self-righteous—a dangerous combination.

If he decided to stop me from executing demons, he’d do it. Even if it meant killing my brother.

After all, given the same value for lives, two lives would outweigh one.

I really hoped things wouldn’t escalate to that point.

“Senior Theo, I’ll stop asking why you came or what brought you here. I doubt you’d answer anyway, and I don’t want to leave you with a bad impression.”

“…Fair enough. But can I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

“If you answer honestly, I won’t pester you further.”

“In that case, go ahead.”

“What do you think of demons?”

Did he already know everything?

Or was he here to stop me?

Maybe he saw a carriage entering the mansion?

Or perhaps someone else had tipped him off?

“The dining table isn’t the place for heightened emotions. So I’ll answer calmly.”

I cast a meaningful look at Ethel.

Understanding my intent, she shook her head.

Well, if she hadn’t said anything, then she hadn’t.

“Except for those who have gone through appropriate education and re-socialization processes to rehabilitate them, I think all demons should be disposed of.”

“…I see.”

His expression shifted. My words seemed to have confirmed something for him.

“His Majesty issued an imperial decree, after all.”

A puppet fool, nearly killed by a succubus that wasn’t even particularly strong.

And that succubus was equally foolish. Did she think she wouldn’t get caught if she fled while everything outside was burning?

Anyway, this meant Theo didn’t know the full details.

“If you’ve all finished eating, should I call for dessert?”

Isabel’s face lit up, but Theo shook his head.

“No, it’d be rude to stay too late. I’ll get going now. See you next time.”

Rude? Lying down in front of someone’s gate is what’s rude.

“Alright. See you next time.”