I Become a Secret Police Officer of The Imperial Academy

Chapter 18

As I walked down the hallway after leaving the door, I noticed Julian standing there, his expression grim.

I tried to step around him, but he shifted slightly to block my way.

“Have I been working you too hard?”

“No, this is something I wanted to do.”

“Take a break. Don’t even think about stepping into the parlor.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“I don’t. A counselor can’t afford to lose themselves in personal feelings.”

Julian grabbed my injured right hand and began reciting a spell.

My last remaining family member looked at my hand with a complicated expression.

In a world where injuries could be healed with a few simple incantations, did it really matter whether one got hurt or not?

“Hey, Julian.”

“You know, you could just call me ‘brother.’ No need to use my name…”

“I’m not the bad one here, right?”

Julian didn’t answer.

So, I changed the question slightly.

“…I’m doing all this because of the demons, aren’t I?”

“Yes, it’s all because of the demons.”

“By the way, did you really talk to that friend of yours? For someone who supposedly argued with you, she seemed awfully concerned about your injury.”

I didn’t expect to hear that here, of all places.

Just as Alicia had once said, I seemed to embody someone who had lost all dreams, innocence, and sentimentality.

“So, you heard the whole conversation in there?”

“You’re the one who put a spell on the guest room, remember?”

“Oh, right. I did.”

“From a young age, you always came up with ideas like that—delicate and focused ways of managing conversations, especially when dealing with people’s minds.”

Perhaps I needed to reflect on whether my methods were too brutal, even if the term “delicate” was an ironic description of something like water torture.

Even if healing magic could fix everything, I’d been far too rough with people.

I let out a dry laugh at the irony.

“You call that ‘comforting’?”

“Why, is there a problem?”

“If you’d said something like that to someone you were dating, they’d seriously wonder if you were fit to be in a relationship.”

“…That bad?”

“Yeah.”

Looking at my right hand, the trembling had stopped, whether from pain or irritation, and the flesh had slowly started to heal.

I watched my mending hand and muttered quietly, avoiding looking at Julian’s face. I didn’t know what expression I might be wearing.

“Anyway, whoever it is, I think I’ve been half-exposed. You must’ve seen the traces on the stairs and noticed how the flies buzzing around here have increased.”

“I caught a couple of those ‘flies’ and had a little chat. Turns out they were just idiots snooping around for some spare change.”

“When did you even catch them?”

“Regardless, if it’s your friends, you can just gag them for now and let them go later.”

“I doubt we can hold them. Even if thirty of you came, Theo would easily take you all on.”

“…That strong?”

Julian’s face grew serious.

It was an absurd claim, but Julian always took my words at face value. Everything I’d said or done so far had proven right, after all.

Theo really was a troublesome individual. Strong enough to pose a problem yet caught in that liminal space between boyhood and adulthood.

Adults are bound by duties and responsibilities, but boys aren’t.

“If that wasn’t the case, I’d have just locked him in the parlor and fed him water through his nose.”

“We should proceed quickly, then.”

“What if something goes wrong?”

“Things are already going wrong, and we’re managing, aren’t we?”

That’s the limit of our current pace.

If we try to go faster and push harder, something is bound to break.

A mass escape of demons, another loss of a precious mage, or the nullification of the spells implanted in their necks.

We’re already doing our best.

It’s better to move slowly and keep things under wraps than to speed up and risk total failure.

But Julian seemed oddly impatient.

“Anyway, take a break for now. I’ll handle everything.”

“How?”

“Somehow.”

And if all else fails, maybe I’ll host an underwater wedding. Put them all on a boat, sail them into the open sea, tie their legs, and let them loose in the water.

At least we’d have dealt with the problem.

Where could I even get a boat? The family we were once allied with has fallen apart after losing not only their daughter but also their heir.

“…Alright.”

Julian said no more and returned to his office.

It’ll all be over soon. In a few days, I’ll go back to attending the academy as usual, keeping a close eye on Theo. That’ll be enough.

I glanced at my right hand. Only faint traces remained where the injury had been.

Returning to my room, I lay on the bed and closed my eyes.

I must’ve been more tired than I thought because I fell asleep quickly.

Though it didn’t last. Nightmares woke me before long.

Still, an hour of rest was better than none.

As the morning sun rose, I sent a servant to deliver breakfast to Ethel. Today, I decided to follow Julian’s advice and take a break.

But what does “resting” even mean?

Was staring out the window and watching the scenery supposed to count as rest?

Looking out, I felt an urge to go out and capture some demons.

Or maybe gather intel in the area.

What does it mean to rest?

Thinking about it, I realized I’d never truly rested since I first learned to walk.

As a child, I dedicated myself to learning how to live as a member of this household. 

After that, I studied how to shoot a gun and picked up basic self-defense skills.

Even in my spare time, I constantly read books. Once I entered the academy, I always smiled and laughed with the other kids while endlessly observing them.

Watching for anything suspicious, anything dangerous.

Now, when told to take a break and left to do nothing…

I leaned back in my chair and took a sip of bitter tea. Not for its taste or aroma, but for the caffeine.

Ethel had stopped by my room earlier, but I sent her away—I didn’t want to see her face. I suppose the next time we’ll meet will be at the academy.

If only I could at least sleep. An hour of rest was rare, and I’d usually drift in and out of consciousness every ten minutes or so.

I sat and stared into the void, endlessly, constantly.

It was all I could do while not dealing with demons.

And so, a week passed with me doing absolutely nothing.

***

The day to resume classes arrived.

Wearing the crisp white uniform, which felt unfamiliar after so long, I headed to school.

The classroom, which had felt empty before, was now slowly filling up as students trickled in.

Enough time had passed since that day for the shadows on their faces to disappear.

Instead, there were only tired expressions from wanting more vacation, or fleeting glances here and there.

Once all the students had arrived, a figure who appeared to be our teacher entered the classroom.

It seemed our previous homeroom teacher had died or been injured.

“Hello, students. I’m your new teacher starting today.”

Apparently, the old teacher—a mage—had died, and she was here to fill the vacancy.

Most students showed little interest in the curvy woman’s self-introduction. Her face gradually twisted with disappointment at their lack of response.

Class began.

Since I already knew the material, there was no need to pay attention. I simply pretended to listen while seated.

At the academy, I was quiet, reserved, and model behavior incarnate.

Being too active would make me stand out and keep me from moving around unnoticed.

I spent a good while scribbling notes and brainstorming more efficient ways to handle demons until lunchtime arrived.

Feeling queasy, I intended to skip lunch, but Theo came to fetch me with his usual entourage.

“It’s been a while, Ellen.”

“It’s only been a week.”

“That still counts as a while.”

“‘A while’ is more fitting for Miss Diana over there. Long time no see, Diana.”

A useless mage.

Her magical power and talent surpassed anyone’s, but she had no solid will or goal to speak of.

Not someone I needed to be close to, but not someone I needed to avoid either.

Her family probably hadn’t suffered any casualties during the recent chaos. Her father had died when she was young, and her mother, a mage of similar caliber, was still alive.

“How long are you going to keep calling me ‘Miss Diana’?”

“Haha, it still feels a bit awkward to call you by just your name.”

Closing the book I’d been reading, I stood up and spoke with a slightly brazen tone as I joined Ethel by Theo’s side.

“Let’s just go eat.”

Lunch consisted of a simple stew and bread at a restaurant near the academy.

Perhaps because it had been a while, the students inside were laughing and chatting, their sorrows seemingly left behind.

I understood the notion of moving forward, leaving grief, hatred, and resentment behind.

But I was too weak to let go of the years I’d endured.

Instead, twisted thoughts filled my mind, resenting those who laughed and ate as though nothing had happened.

I forced bread into my mouth and chewed mechanically.

At some point, I realized the conversation had stopped.

Looking up, I saw everyone staring at me—silent, unmoving.

Theo, Ethel, Petra the half-demon, Isabel, and Diana.

Their gazes were fixed on me. Their eyes bulged unnaturally from their sockets, and their necks twisted at odd angles.

They smiled eerily, whispering in unison.

“You should just die already.”

“You should’ve died instead of Alicia.”

***

“I know… I know,” I muttered as I stood up.

My legs gave way, and I stumbled backward, falling.

Apparently, it was still the middle of class.

The teacher, my classmates, and Ethel were staring at me in shock.

I muttered an excuse.

“…It was just a dream.”