episode_0082

Today, while receiving an award for resolving the terrorist incident and questioning Governor Do, Ian asked various questions about Lea.

Although she only showed a cool smile and didn’t answer any questions about Lea.

She did give one word in response.

“She hasn’t graduated for long.”

-Bark bark bark!

-Woof!

-Heh heh heh heh!!

So, Lea came to the classroom where she had stayed until the end and put the dog on the empty desk.

Only a few days had passed since graduation, but the child’s desk was already filled with various messages.

-“Let’s meet again even if we move!”

-“I’ll miss you!”

-“Come over to our house if you’re not far away!”

-“I had a crush on you!”

-“ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”

-“Don’t go ㅠ”

-“Thanks to the class president, I had fun for 3 years!”

-“Don’t forget us.”

-“Be the class president at another school too!”

-“Lea, fighting!”

-“Don’t fight with the new mom again!”

There were many other heartfelt messages from the children.

Perhaps the reason the desk was still left untouched was because the demon teacher saw this.

“It seems like the child has grown up well.”

Well, in this environment, how could they not grow up well.

Aside from being selected for “graduation” and becoming a demon if they mature too much, it is an endlessly happy environment.

-Bark bark!

-Bark bark bark bark!!

Remembering the scent, they barked to start.

One female demon bit the hem of my clothes and led the way, while the others remembered the scent they were assigned and took the lead.

“I wonder how long this will take. If I’m unlucky, I’ll be walking around here with the dog in tow.”

Before leaving, I searched the desk and found a hair tie, which I collected.

I thought I might use this to assign the scent again if I forget it, so I carefully put it in a separate bag to prevent my scent from sticking to it.

-Bark bark bark bark!

-Cough!

-Wow!

“I also need some semen for a late-night snack… kidding!?”

As we were leaving, a demon on duty crawled over on all fours, so I kicked it away.

In the meantime, our female demons had no intention of going far and were wandering around the classroom on the floor below.

“This is the faculty room.”

I thought it smelled like a child inside the school, so I turned back.

-Scrape! Scrape!

-Whiiiiine!

-Bark! Bark!

Surprisingly, they stubbornly scratched this side with their claws.

It was an attitude of certainty that there was something here.

“The lights are on at this hour.”

I wondered if they were still on because of the terrorist incident in the morning.

There was a demon on duty just now, and there was one at the entrance, so surprisingly, there were quite a few left.

“Wait here.”

Bark bark!

The dogs barked and sniffed each other while in heat, as I boldly entered.

“…Who are you!?”

A startled scream was heard.

A demon with striking red hair, known as the demon with black eyes and pale yellow eyes, looked at me with a thud on the desk.

“You are….”

-Except for the goat horns on the temples, the demon was just like a human in ordinary attire without any suggestive feeling.

-Aside from the horn-rimmed glasses, the teacher had an image of following rules rather than being intellectual.

“If you remember, you saved us in the morning…? What are you doing here at this hour?”

Fortunately, it wasn’t a hostile tone, but rather a surprised atmosphere as I suddenly approached.

Naturally, I also calmed down and waved my hands playfully.

“I’m just looking around nearby and will leave, so don’t be too wary. I’m also looking for a girl like those guys in the morning….”

“I see. As I said before, there’s nothing useful in this school. I’m worried that you might be going in the wrong direction.

“That being said, the child’s desk is still here. Don’t you know anything about it? I need some information, even just a little, because it’s a crucial time.”

“Well, I’m not in charge of that area, so I don’t know-”

She cautiously took a seat.

Despite tapping away at the computer, she was an awkward typist, unlike her appearance.

“What have you been doing here until this time, teacher?”

“We had some things to do in the morning. I had to update the website and inform each household about the school closure schedule…”

The conversation continued with ordinary and diligent responses.

Is this really the right track?

“Thank you for this morning. Thanks to you, the kids weren’t hurt, and my colleagues returned safely.”

“What about the injured teacher?”

“He’s recovering after receiving treatment. He should be back within a week, so you don’t need to worry.”

They had trimmed their hair and were recovering for a week.

As expected, they looked around the office, thinking of them as different creatures.

Despite the complaints, there was no concrete information.

“Maybe it’s just because the kids smell bad?”

They said he was a well-behaved student.

He must have interacted frequently with the teacher and visited the office often, so it wasn’t strange.

Or…

“……”

No… or…

Is the teacher here… Leah?

…with red hair.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

She brushed her hair back awkwardly as I continued to stare.

“No, it’s because you faced them in the morning. It was impressive, so I was watching.”

“The kids were on the rooftop too. It was just something a teacher should do.”

“Because of the prejudice against demons, I was more surprised.”

“That’s not prejudice. They seduce men, suck their energy, and go into heat when they see kids. It’s reasonable to think they’re a crazy tribe.”

But judging by the way she spoke, she didn’t seem like a 6th grader.

Even if she temporarily inhabited a demon’s body, her mind remained the same.

Surely a teacher wouldn’t be working at this hour… right?

“…?”

She looked at me with a puzzled expression as I sat at a nearby desk without leaving.

She interpreted it as a good idea to stay here because it was late and she might be attacked if she found an unfamiliar place to stay.

“Right? Ugh, I’m scared of the girls here. They may be beautiful, but I don’t feel like doing that.”

“Even if they seem fine on the outside, they’re still demons. Continuing this conversation could lead to intentionally becoming friends.”

She smoothly explained as if she knew well.

I don’t know if it’s a sense of discomfort… I’m not sure.

I only stuck around because the bitches confirmed it by saying, ‘It’s this one!’

“It’s fortunate that we could continue this conversation at this late hour. I don’t know much about the child you’re looking for, but I’m interested in your story.”

Fortunately, she continued the conversation, so I casually asked without showing any intention to approach.

“What are you curious about?”

“About the outside of this place. Or you can tell me about the child you’re looking for. I don’t know where he’s from, but thanks to you, we were even terrorized, so I’m curious.”

She asked about the child from a remarkable household.

It was a reasonable question.

I explained that we had a connection on the ground and described her as the precious daughter of one of the prominent guilds, the Mechanic Guild.

“The precious daughter.”

In response, she asked again in a serious tone.

“I heard from my colleagues that the child spent three years in this tower. What exactly happened?”

Since there was no need to hide this, I talked about the Tower Master.

The 6 guilds made a mistake and angered the Tower Master, closing off the levels from 50 to 10, trapping important people in the tower.

“It’s said that you barely made it back after investing 3 years.”

“That’s right. Our senior who barely made it through the gate is now begging the Tower Master to find her daughter who was taken by the Tower. I came all the way here after hearing that.”

“Your senior…”

She chuckled and casually made a guess.

“Judging by the fact that you call her ‘senior,’ you didn’t come here on a quest like others, did you?”

“You catch on quickly, teacher.”

“You two are close friends, then?”

“We drink together, chat, and we’re just acquaintances. That’s about it.”

“There’s no hierarchy or money involved in your relationship?”

“I came here out of concern for my senior. I was worried when she left a day late, but seeing her today, I think she made it up here just fine.”

Looking around the office, books, trophies, and certificates were scattered around, despite someone trying to tidy up.

“It was really chaotic. People barged in yesterday and caused a scene. This morning, they barged in during class…”

“You won’t experience something like this even if you live ten lifetimes.”

“That’s true. Who would’ve thought we’d be kidnapped by terrorists during class?”

The typing stopped.

She seemed intrigued by me.

“So, did you fight with your compatriots because of your friend?”

“It’s a special situation. Since the teacher is trying to save the kids, we also have to cooperate to avoid trouble with the 15th floor.”

“You’re acting like a lover. Are you aiming for a new husband while trying to save her daughter?”

“Oh, please. I’m not interested in my senior. She jokes around a lot and has expectations, but she’s struggling because she doesn’t have children. She’ll be back to her senses once she brings her child back.”

“Normally, people wouldn’t entrust their daughter to a foreign man. Is there any hidden motive?”

“I don’t know why the teacher is like that. When people are struggling, they can rely on their comrades.”

“Hmm…”

She chuckled and changed the subject.

It was surprising how smoothly she transitioned to talking about relationships.

“If you’re relying on a man after losing your daughter, you must be going through a tough time emotionally.”

“Forget about the man… Yes, it’s tough.”

“Since you came all this way, take something with you for comfort, even if it’s empty-handed.”

She gestured towards the desk.

“You said there are still things left on the desk, so take them. We don’t need them, so we’ll just throw them away.”

“Oh, really? Over there?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

…

…

…The speculation that started with a slight gesture turned into suspicion.

“Why are you doing this?”

Although she claimed not to know much about Leia, she accurately pinpointed the location of the classroom.

In addition, there were more hints between the lines of the conversation, which made me blurt out without realizing.

“I’m cursed to have no sense of tact except for being a perfectly normal person.”

“A curse? Why are you suddenly talking about this?”

“It’s related to this side, but what did you say to me while talking about relationships earlier?”

I stood up.

Was it the aftermath of the terrorist attack, the lights suddenly went out, and the surroundings darkened.

The amber eyes glared at me.

“I don’t remember, so what did I say?”

“You asked if I was aiming for a new husband.”

“I did.”

“That’s strange. I didn’t mention anything about my senior’s husband passing away or getting divorced, so why did you say that?”

“Well…”

No time to answer.

There was no hint of confusion on her face.

She spoke as if it was nothing, as if it was just a slip of the tongue.

“During our conversation just now.”

……….

“When you were explaining just now-”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“But why did you suddenly come closer?”

It’s eerie how her expression remains unchanged.

She’s quite something.

“You remember the exact location of the class where she is, even though you’re not her homeroom teacher. Most people wouldn’t be able to pinpoint it so accurately and would get confused.”

“That’s a stretch. I don’t know what you’re misunderstanding, but I-”

“I don’t even know what you mean by a stretch. I never explained the reason why I’m angry at you for coming to find Leia. But what exactly got under your skin?”

“I got scared when you came closer.”

“Hmm? That’s strange. The spirits I saw in the morning would get scared if a child was nearby, but they would act naturally if they were alone.”

“Just because they’re spirits doesn’t mean they’re all the same.”

“That’s funny too. You’re the one who told me, ‘That’s not a prejudice. It’s okay to think that way because they’re that kind of people.’”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Lastly. You claim not to know Leia well, but how did you know there were items on the desk? You could have just guessed, but you knew about the remaining items on the desk even though you’re not the homeroom teacher.”

“She’s just famous.”

“If you twist this into being famous, most of what you said would contradict each other.”

“I thought you were a good person, but in the end, you’re a hunter. Everyone dislikes you because you act rudely and barbarically.”

“Oh, the last one is gaslighting~?”

She stepped back.

She stood up, and I headed towards the entrance.

“Are you leaving?”

“No, just one more thing.”

I opened the door to the faculty room.

The sound of barking dogs filled the air.

-Woof! Woof woof!

-Ruff ruff!

-Bark! Bark!

-Woof woof!

-Yip!

“…Dogs!?”

The dogs immediately rushed in, causing chaos in the room and sticking to her.

About 50 dogs, all targeting one person, and nowhere else.

“If you have no connection with her, why do you smell so strongly of her?”

“……….”

At this point, there was no excuse or confusion.

If I had explained the reason for coming to the faculty room from the beginning, she would have been deceived.

For example, ‘I was Leia’s homeroom teacher, so I know her scent and the location of the classroom.’

She’s shamelessly cunning like a little rascal.

I was sincerely relieved that the sequence wasn’t messed up.

“Ian speaks highly of you. He says the child is smart and well-behaved.”

“Do you think so too?”

“I didn’t know before meeting you, but now I do. You’re definitely not her niece.”

“You know that much?”

“Yeah. I only know up to this point.”

“…Unbelievable.”

My voice faltered in response, and a light emanated from my body, diminishing my stature.

The mask of the spirit had been lifted.