Ch.183183. Untying the Knot (4)

As a mere student, it was a clear criminal act that violated the law.

But while the first time was difficult, the second wasn’t.

And it wasn’t just one or two.

Having already taken down well over 10 creatures, there should have been no chance of being seen by human eyes.

That was precisely why he had infiltrated the Dube Building before its completion.

But he was caught.

He hadn’t expected the task he’d assigned to those two would be completed so quickly.

For Demian, nothing was more dangerous than human eyes, and nothing more troublesome than this news spreading.

Especially if he wanted to lure Junon.

However, there was something to keep in mind.

To recall the dangerous situation: he simply needed to ensure there was no possibility of being seen by human eyes.

So, wouldn’t it work to just eliminate the watching eyes?

“You… you crazy bastard… Are you really… insane?!”

“What’s the problem?”

“You’re asking… as if you don’t know…!”

Miki and Leon’s eyes looked ready to pop out of their heads. Their fierce pupils radiated fury at Demian, who had injected the ampoules into their bodies.

They looked ready to jump up and hit him if only they could move properly.

But they couldn’t. That was the reality.

“”Ugh…!””

Demian lifted their chins with his fingers. Unable to move, they were humiliatingly forced to look up at him.

“You must have thought about it too. The desire to become stronger, to possess power. I just honestly acted on that instinct.”

The two ground their teeth, as if what he said was absurd.

To them, Demian was no longer a friend.

‘But we know! These ampoules are just for paralysis, and the real thing is injected separately by the Holy Emperor when we close our eyes and pray!’

‘Just wait until this wears off. Then Miki and I will beat you to a pulp.’

They thought that if they turned Demian in to Dean Mirpark for his reckless actions that had escalated the situation, they might avoid punishment themselves.

So the two waited for the paralysis to wear off, running happy scenarios in their minds.

‘What…! Why is my body…’

‘Damn it, why is the mana turning my insides out?!’

Seeing his former friends twitch, Demian smoothly replied:

“Ah, I forgot. I should have told you this too.”

Forgot? Should have told them?

Told them what?

“That thing the Holy Emperor puts in after the paralysis ampoule… I was too lazy, so I just poured it in and shook it around to mix it together.”

At those words, anxiety swirled in Miki and Leon’s minds.

They had clearly seen Demian licking his lips earlier. They recalled what he had said after inserting the ampoules.

That meaningful comment about wanting to become stronger, about acting honestly on instinct.

‘No way, does that mean…’

‘He’s going to…’

He was already grinning like a predator.

“I didn’t tell you this separately, but apparently it works better when they’re alive rather than dead?”

Like a predator before its prey.

Twitch, twitch.

As if seeing their lives flash before their eyes, the two struggled desperately.

They tried to forcibly pull their mana to break the paralysis, but their bodies were already reacting.

“Guherk…”

“Aghhk…”

Their bodies sent danger signals of pain. The circulating mana was forcibly concentrated in one organ.

Into a small pouch, their mana was packed tightly against their will, until their limbs twisted.

-Pop.

“Ohhh…!”

Demian exclaimed in delight.

As if he couldn’t care less whether his former friends lived or died, he thrust his hand, now filled with mana, into the bloody pouch.

A large hole appeared in their chests.

The two who had been Demian’s friends until recently had their eyes roll back, unable even to beg.

Miki and Leon were no longer of this world.

‘My God…’

As an observer, one wouldn’t even have the strength to scream. It was enough to make one’s breath stop.

Hena and Adel, who had just been captured, had to witness this horrifying scene with their limbs bound by ropes.

-Riiip. Crack, snap!

Tissues and muscle chunks being torn apart. Red liquid spraying like a fountain. Ribs breaking like candy sticks.

An organ that constitutes the human body emerged, thoroughly soaked.

“Indeed, He was right…!”

He was insane. Consumed by madness, unable to distinguish right from wrong.

‘To kill his friend by ripping out his heart…!’

Demian, ecstatic at the sight of a human heart filled with mana, was no longer human.

And then he did something even worse.

Crunch, munch, munch.

Disgusting sounds began coming from his mouth.

It was like watching a predator during a meal. He resembled a ferocious beast from nature.

A chunk of meat was torn off and went straight into his mouth.

“Ohhh. This really is different from the dead ones. Completely different from just absorbing the mana.”

He muttered after chewing on the heart where mana had been concentrated in the largest magical circuit.

He even offered a critique, saying it was quite tough and had a strong metallic taste.

After devouring the entire heart, he clearly licked the blood from his lips and said:

‘Thank you for the meal… seriously?’

“Let’s quickly eat the other one too. I’m looking forward to it.”

As he was about to extract the other heart, the smell of urine began to fill the air. It came from a terrified female student.

Noticing the yellow liquid soaking the ground amidst the bloody scene, Demian smirked and placed the heart on a platform.

“Ah. I just realized you two saw everything as well.”

Blood dripped down his mouth. Eerily, a small piece of muscle slipped out and fell to the floor with a thud.

“Don’t worry. I only have one ampoule left, so I’ll only use it on one person.”

Did that mean one of them would not escape that fate?

That wasn’t the case.

Step, step.

Thud, thud. Plop.

The ropes fell away, and the gag on her mouth dropped. Even with her restraints removed, she knew she couldn’t match him in strength.

That’s why she could only tremble, even as Demian approached.

“H-hic…!”

“Hena. Can I ask you a favor? Adel definitely wouldn’t listen.”

Having chosen the suitable candidate, Demian waved the ampoule in front of the terrified Hena, who had wet herself in fear.

“If you just listen to me, you two can live. Those over there are too weak to be worth eating. So you just need to do what I tell you.”

Backed against the wall, Hena looked back and forth between the ampoule and Adel, sobbing as if she might pass out.

Having successfully instilled fear in her, Demian brought his face close to Hena’s ear and whispered:

“Bring Junon. Alone. If you bring anyone else, this girl dies. Understand?”

Hena couldn’t refuse.

***

I could fend off people who knew my name and wanted to recruit me for teams or guilds.

No matter how persistent they were, if I used my status as an academy student well, I could push away even the most tenacious visitors.

So while it was annoying, it wasn’t a problem.

‘But why is a truly problematic situation happening now?’

Flame-red hair.

That ponytail, tied up neatly, was like someone’s signature.

Having that red ponytail right in front of me was a troublesome situation.

Since she was going to ask anyway, I took the initiative.

“Let me say this first: I only participated because Demian crossed the line. Originally, I was going to forfeit like in the individual matches, or just participate to fill the numbers.”

It was strange that he hadn’t come directly. So he must have sent someone instead, like last time.

“So if Aris sent you, just go back. Tell her to remember what happened in Central Irobe, and she’ll understand.”

I also have a debt she owes me. I could use that to silence her.

“I heard you were absent for a few days without permission, but that wasn’t my doing. And the faction battle is over now, right?”

The important thing is that it’s all in the past.

The faction battle ended with Sirah’s victory, and looking at the match scores, it’s clear I didn’t hold anyone back. The only thing damaged was my individual match score.

So even among the people I met today who wanted to recruit me after seeing my performance, there was zero evidence against me.

There was nothing more to be interrogated about regarding Aris.

But Michelle tilted her head and questioned me:

“I already know all that…?”

What? Isn’t that why she came?

Then why did she stop me while I was walking alone?

The only other thing…

‘…Unless Michelle noticed something, there shouldn’t be anything else.’

Mysteris. And the Shit Extermination Campaign.

If there was one thing she had caught me doing, it was only that.

But it seemed that wasn’t it either.

“Junon. I didn’t come to interrogate you. I came because I thought you might know something.”

Michelle was calm as always.

Not sharp like Senia, nor unable to control her temper and lashing out like Aris.

Did Michelle bring up something related to Aris?

Did she suspect me in the process?

Did she mention the past with a resentful tone?

No. The person in front of me is still the Michelle I know.

The one who first reached out to me, who awakened her blue flame in anger at injustice, and mercilessly judged and punished the wicked.

The one who invited me to join Tembris. The first to become my friend and create a new starting point in my life.

Even now, she was no different from before.

‘I’m not paranoid, but I don’t know why I reacted that way.’

It was entirely my fault. My thoughts had run ahead and jumped to conclusions. I was afraid she might react like Erika.

I took a sip of water and briefly scolded my moments-ago self.

“What did you come to ask about?”

It was the minimum courtesy for my mistake. In return, I needed to find out what she was curious about.

“Well…”

Michelle hesitated after starting to speak.

Why? Until just now, she seemed determined to ask something, but now she was greatly troubled.

She was contemplating.

Whether it was okay to ask me this.

‘But if it’s Michelle.’

It might be okay.

If it’s her, who believed in me in any situation.

If it’s her, who took my side until the very end.

“You can ask.”

“Junon…”

“I made a wrong assumption. So it’s fine.”

At that, Michelle finally looked at me firmly, renewing her determination to ask.

She took a deep breath, preparing to state her business. I was about to learn what she wanted.

“Is it possible that Erika…”

“Junon…!!! Huff, huff.”

At that moment, another female student came looking for me from behind.

When I turned my head, my brow immediately furrowed.

“Hena? What’s this…”

Hena had found me in a complete mess, covered in dirt as if she had bumped into things everywhere.

“It’s… terrible…”

“Tell me slowly. What happened?”

“Only you… only you should hear this… so…”

Only me? I glanced at Michelle, who thankfully nodded and rose from her seat.

As Michelle left and there were fewer ears to hear, Hena immediately burst into tears.

“Adel has been… kidnapped at the Dube Building…!”

…What? Kidnapped?