Who told you I am an NPC

Chapter 30

The guards of the magic academy were, in a sense, even more relaxed than those at the Castellan's Manor.

A bunch of magic formations were set up for defense, but for Lilian, while breaking these magic formations would have been difficult, hiding her aura and sneaking in was very convenient.

Why else would elves be called top-tier healer supports?

Entrusting this kind of sneaky business to an elf is the most convenient!

Lilian, being used as a coolie for sneaky business: ...

"I think you're a bit like someone."

"Who?" Yan Yunqing asked absentmindedly, his gaze constantly scanning the various data shelves.

They had successfully infiltrated the magic academy's data room.

There wasn't much time left until dawn, so they had to find clues about Adelaide quickly.

"The Demon King." Lilian said.

"Cough cough—" Yan Yunqing choked on his own saliva and covered his mouth, coughing desperately, "You cough cough... why... are you suddenly saying this?"

Barely suppressing his itchy throat, Yan Yunqing turned his back, pretending to look at the labels on the data shelves, but in reality, it was just to hide the surprise that had appeared on his face from the sheer unexpectedness.

"Hmm?" Lilian didn't notice Yan Yunqing's abnormality, "Hmm... I just feel you're very similar, no particular reason... if I had to say, it would be your personality, I guess?"

"You look like a good person, but you're surprisingly ruthless."

When Lilian spoke of the Demon King, there was an inexplicable emotion in her voice, as if she was lost in some memories, "Did you know?

The Demon King is actually just a title. It was originally what the believers of the gods killed by the Demon King called him."

"Saying he was a ruthless fiend and the like... Later, this title spread more and more widely, and it became the Demon King's title.

The historical manuscripts also refer to the Demon King this way."

"In fact, the Demon King's retainers never called the Demon King that."

Yan Yunqing's gaze flickered for a moment. Of course, he knew what the Demon King's retainers called the Demon King.

"How do you know so much about this? Is this also your Inherited Memory?"

"Ah? Oh... yes, this is also my Inherited Memory."

Lilian said, "But they are rather fragmented pieces. I found most of the stories about the Demon King in the First Elf King's manuscripts."

"The Demon King in the manuscripts is a bit different from the Demon King in the historical records.

I can't quite put my finger on where the difference is, but seeing you today, I suddenly feel that you two are quite alike."

Yan Yunqing felt a bit numb. He was now very suspicious, "Your Inherited Memory, it couldn't be from Silf, could it?"

"How is that possible?" Lilian shrugged, "Before that person returned to the Mother Tree, he stored all his memories in a Memory Crystal, and it's still kept in the holy land of the elven race."

"He did not return to the Mother Tree with his memories, so it's impossible for any elf to inherit his memories."

"Is that so?" Yan Yunqing was puzzled, "Why would he do that?"

"How would I know?" Lilian shook her head, "There must be something important in those memories that he didn't want to pass on to other elves."

"Huh?" Lilian was about to say something more when her gaze swept over a label on a folder, and her attention was immediately captured. She flapped her wings and flew over, "Is this what you're looking for?"

Yan Yunqing immediately walked over and took out the book made of cowhide in front of Lilian. On the spine was written "Academy Magic Teacher Information Form".

Very good. He had been thinking that according to this world's setting, the academy staff might not have a unified registration.

It seems it was still a game setting, there had to be a way for players to learn about Adelaide.

Yan Yunqing opened the cowhide cover, and inside was a neatly stacked pile of parchment. It looked like a book, but it was actually a small box for documents.

Yan Yunqing quickly flipped through the thick parchments, trying to find the name Adelaide.

Lilian, on the other hand, flew to the data shelves behind them to search for similar information for Yan Yunqing.

The two of them worked together.

To make it easier for him to flip through the paper documents, Yan Yunqing even took off his gloves.

When he got to the eighth volume, Yan Yunqing finally saw what he was looking for.

"Na Adelaide, a high-level mage certified by the Mage's Association..."

"Six years ago, while leading a team for training, they were attacked by demonic beasts.

Ten people died, including the supervising teacher."

Yan Yunqing flipped through all the records related to the name Adelaide and found that the students she had taken in had also died one after another over the past six years or had disappeared without a trace after graduation.

The last one to lose contact was two years ago.

"Are they trying to wipe them all out?" Lilian was also looking at the records, incredulous, "Aren't they afraid of arousing the Mage's Association's suspicion?"

Yan Yunqing quickly scanned through the information again and confirmed:

"Just looking at these records, the deaths of Adelaide and her students are not special, because there are often mages from the academy who die from demonic beast attacks during their training trips."

"There are many death records over the past six years. Adelaide and her students being placed among them doesn't make them stand out."

Yan Yunqing judged, "And the point at which a large number of students and teachers started dying was not six years ago, but even earlier... so it's difficult to connect the two. Is this also why Dean and Feu are so fearless?"

"Speaking of which, ever since the third major Demonic Beast Tide, the frequency of demonic beast appearances has indeed increased a bit."

Lilian recalled, "So, you think they used this to make the deaths of Adelaide and her students seem like a coincidence?"

"Probably." Yan Yunqing wasn't very sure either.

It was just that Yan Yunqing was not sure why Dean and Feu had to be so ruthless, not only killing Adelaide but also all of her other students.

To achieve this was not a simple matter.

Otherwise, these students wouldn't have died or disappeared one after another over six years.

If they wanted to silence them, they could have just killed them all at once.

They must have considered the subsequent handling of the traces...

"What's next? It seems the clues have been cut off. All related insiders are gone."

Yan Yunqing's fingertip brushed past one name after another, finally stopping on one. It was an academy dormitory registration form.

"Brooke"

A person who had once applied to be Adelaide's student but was rejected for some unknown reason. He later became roommates with another of Adelaide's students.

Now, this student Brooke was still in the academy.

His dormitory was... Block E, 409.

"Do you think he knows something?"

On the way to the magic academy's dormitory, Lilian asked, "The person who could kill Adelaide and all her students together couldn't possibly let an insider go, right?

And it doesn't seem like this Brooke has any connection with Adelaide."

"Yes, I didn't see it at first either." Yan Yunqing spread his hands, "But when I was looking at the duty roster for the Magic Plant Garden from six years ago, I saw Brooke's signature.

He had volunteered at the Magic Plant Garden for a period of time."

"Is there any connection?" Lilian was at a loss.

"Adelaide was once in charge of the Magic Plant Garden, and the courses she taught at the school were also related to magic plants."

Yan Yunqing reminded, "From Lawson's description, we can see that this commoner-born Miss Adelaide took good care of students who were also commoners, and Brooke is also a commoner. It's just that compared to the talented Kalenna, his talent seems a bit mediocre."

In this world, it was easy to distinguish between commoners and nobles.

Nobles would have a surname as a symbol of their family's pride, while commoners rarely had a dedicated surname.

The few commoners who did have surnames basically had some connection to nobility in their ancestry.

Perhaps they were once a noble's personal slave, or perhaps they were a side branch of a noble family, many generations removed.

Brooke had no surname, so it was obvious he was a commoner.

Lilian had a sudden realization:

"Ah, you mean that although Brooke was not officially accepted as Adelaide's student, he might have been taught by her for a period of time before that?

Under the guise of a volunteer?"

"In the semester after he finished his volunteer work, Brooke got excellent grades in the magic plant and pharmacy-related courses—before that, Brooke's grades could only be said to be in the lower-middle range."

Yan Yunqing had even taken out Brooke's report cards and was carrying them in his backpack, "See."

Two report cards, one from before he became a volunteer, with a grade of C, barely passing; one from after he became a volunteer, with a grade of A, a very excellent result.

And Brooke's other grades also had a small improvement, just not as obvious as the improvement in the magic plant and pharmacy courses. "I see!"

Lilian's eyes lit up, "So this Brooke was likely guided by Adelaide for a period of time, but this matter was very secretive, under the guise of a volunteer, so much so that when Dean and Feu were killing to silence witnesses later, they missed this Brooke who was related to Adelaide!"

Yan Yunqing snapped his fingers, "Exactly."

Lilian pondered: "Hmm... that does make sense, but this is all your speculation, right? Are you so sure you're not mistaken?"

"So, aren't we on our way to confirm whether my speculation is correct?"

A corner of Yan Yunqing's mouth lifted.

He rubbed Lilian's cheeks with his thumb and forefinger, pinching her mouth until it pouted like a little duck's, "Have a little more faith in me. I'm very good at this kind of reasoning and puzzle-solving game."

"I used to be known as Edogawa Yunqing, you know!"

"Mmmph?!" Lilian struggled hard to break free from Yan Yunqing's hold and bit his finger hard, "You are so rude, to treat a lady like this!"

Yan Yunqing's smile fell, and he gasped, "Are you a crunchy shark? Your teeth are so sharp!"

Lilian bared her white teeth and snorted twice, "That's what you get for pinching my face!"

"But, Edogawa Yunqing? What a strange title?"

Yan Yunqing pouted: Because everyone with the surname Edogawa is very good at reasoning! Look at Edogawa 〇nan, Edogawa 〇ppo!

Unfortunately, there were no such anime works in this other world, so they couldn't get his reference at all.

Sigh, invincibility is so lonely~

"You just need to know that everyone named Edogawa is a god of reasoning." Yan Yunqing waved his hand, "You wouldn't understand the rest even if I explained it to you."

Lilian rested her chin on her hand and looked at the triumphant Yan Yunqing, lost in thought.

Hmm... in terms of talking to himself, he's also extraordinarily like the Demon King, isn't he?