Chapter 30: Academy Scandal Part 2

“Finally, the long weekend is over!”

Professor Philderim’s laboratory.

A doppelgänger, identical to Philderim, hummed a tune as he gazed out the window.

He watched the sunrise, standing openly in the sunlight without suffering any harm.

The skin he wore matched Philderim’s perfectly, copying not only his memories and abilities but even his tiniest habits.

The song he was humming was also one of Philderim’s favorites.

‘What decision will the Journalism Club make?’

Unable to suppress the twitching at the corners of his mouth, the doppelgänger formed a vicious grin.

He skimmed through the petition he had written alongside the other professors.

The petition listed acts of fraud and misconduct so severe that even the most infamous criminals would pale in comparison.

There was a reason, however, why he had exaggerated Tao’s misconduct to such an extent.

‘Even if they try to defend the Saint, it doesn’t matter. The Journalism Club was already trapped the moment they accepted the petition.’

The doppelgänger planned to fabricate parts of the misconduct to make them appear as undeniable facts.

Moreover, when drafting the petition, he had used a magical tool containing evaporating ink.

The letters could be erased whenever he wished, meaning he could frame the Journalism Club as accomplices if necessary.

His aim was to blow the situation wide open by accusing them of disregarding the truth to protect someone.

“Foolish humans! Blinded by greed, desperate to bring about their own downfall—how pathetic!”

Smirking as he watched the sunrise, the doppelgänger prepared to celebrate the beginning of chaos.

He intended to toast with the wine Philderim had cherished so dearly.

After completing his mission, he planned to leave the academy quietly, so he had no qualms about indulging in luxury.

Just as he reached for the most expensive bottle in the wine rack—

***

“Hold it right there!”

Bang!

The laboratory door burst open with a crash, and Tao shouted.

Startled by Tao’s sudden appearance, the doppelgänger dropped the wine bottle.

The rare wine shattered upon impact, the liquid spilling and staining the floor.

Though he had lost the precious wine, the doppelgänger felt no regret.

Wine, after all, was a trivial luxury to him.

But to Philderim—the man he was impersonating—the wine had held more value than life itself.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

The doppelgänger, slipping into Philderim’s perspective, erupted in furious outrage.

However, Tao simply stared at the nameplate sitting on the desk, ignoring the outburst entirely.

After confirming the name, Tao casually picked up a stack of papers.

“Philderim Yohan. Three counts of embezzlement through private contracting and sexual assault of commoner female students. You sure made the most of your position as a Wellton professor, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about…!”

Panic and confusion clouded the doppelgänger’s expression.

The crimes Tao mentioned were indeed part of the memories he had copied.

Although he had tried to erase as much evidence as possible, there were some things even he could not manipulate.

Victims and accomplices—their testimonies were beyond his reach.

Killing witnesses would only create even bigger problems.

‘It’s not over yet! There’s no way the Saint has already gathered testimonies about the misconduct!’

If he could expose Tao’s supposed crimes first, he could still turn the situation in his favor.

Even though rumors would not spread quickly this early in the morning, there was no time to hesitate.

Just as the doppelgänger prepared to strike back, he found himself speechless.

The knights who had followed Tao into the room surrounded him.

“The Order of Judgment?!”

One of the Imperial Orders, tasked with exposing corruption and purging criminals throughout the Empire.

They had been granted special authority by the Emperor to freely use force when dealing with crimes.

Although such powers could be seen as excessive, the Order of Judgment was composed solely of fair and upright individuals, earning the unwavering support of the people.

They would only act once a crime had been fully confirmed—meaning escape was no longer possible.

“The evidence has already been secured. We have captured your accomplices and obtained the testimonies of the victims.”

“Ugh…! How did you find out?!”

“You should have been more careful about your behavior. Your infamy spread further than you realized.”

***

As Tao signaled, the knights swiftly moved in, grabbing the doppelgänger and locking his arms securely.

Realizing he had no way out, the doppelgänger desperately shouted.

“Wait! I won’t deny my crimes! But that man has committed just as many vile acts! You must arrest him as well!”

“Pfft!”

Instead of a serious reply, Tao burst into mocking laughter.

He pulled out the petition the doppelgänger had submitted to the Journalism Club and waved it in front of him.

“All the crimes you and the other professors fabricated against me? Every single one was dismissed due to lack of evidence. Oh, and by the way—I’m adding false accusation to your list of charges.”

Tao taunted him with an irritating smirk.

The doppelgänger’s forehead furrowed deeply in rage, three vertical lines appearing between his brows, but there was nothing he could do.

The moment the knights restrained him, any chance of escape had vanished.

“These knights wouldn’t act unless the situation was serious. How did you manage to summon the Order of Judgment?”

“I used my students’ connections. One had the influence, and the other had the credibility. Thanks to them, things went smoothly.”

After gathering information through Miriam, Tao had called upon Erin and Lucia once again.

He explained the situation to his students and gained their assistance.

“First, I used the Saintess to spread the news throughout the Holy Nation.”

Lucia, as the saint of the church, possessed a crystal ball that allowed her to maintain constant contact with the church. Through this, she relayed information about the rampant corruption within Wellton to the church.

The people of the church, longing for the saint, wanted to hear updates about her well-being.

However, when news about the saint was finally delivered, much of it revolved around the corruption at Wellton Academy.

This angered the people of the church, and they rose up, demanding that the academy the saint attended be purified.

The church, mindful of public sentiment, decided to send an envoy to Wellton.

“The news of the church’s intervention must have already reached His Majesty the Emperor,” someone remarked.

The emperor did not want foreign involvement but found himself powerless to stop it, as the justification was clear.

Just when the envoy’s investigation was about to begin, an unexpected figure became involved.

“The hero has learned that his precious only daughter is receiving a terrible education!”

Through Erin, Wilhelm Muthertz was pulled into the case.

When the hero himself showed his intent to take action, it became a matter the emperor could not simply dismiss.

The emperor, quick-witted and decisive, sent the Order of Punishment Knights to resolve the matter.

“The knights were truly remarkable, finding all the evidence and uncovering the crimes within just one day.”

“One day? Does that mean the Order of Punishment Knights were active just yesterday?”

“Yes! They came to work on their day off to spend a quiet day with their families!”

The knights of the Order of Punishment could not refuse the emperor’s direct order.

They had no choice but to give up their day off, infiltrate the academy, and search for evidence.

Their frustration required a target for release, and naturally, the criminals became their focus.

The knights doggedly pursued every minor detail, gathering evidence relentlessly.

‘To think the press office would easily side with the saint…’

Their petition to destroy the press office ended up being their downfall.

Quick to recognize the intention behind this move, Tao quickly formulated a countermeasure.

Though the Doppelganger had been a concern, no one had expected Tao to drag the church, the empire, and even the hero into such a reckless scheme.

That became the decisive factor in their defeat.

“Ugh! Heh heh! Hahaha!”

The Doppelganger suddenly burst into laughter.

He melted the shell of Philderim, revealing his true form.

As the human figure in front of them turned into a black shadow, the knights were horrified, while Tao remained calm.

“Saint! I acknowledge that you are an intellectual skilled in the art of strategy!”

“I don’t really feel proud of being praised by a demon.”

“But you haven’t completely foiled my plan!”

“That’s just something losers always say to comfort themselves.”

“It’s not mental victory. The seed I planted when everything was falling apart will soon blossom!”

The Doppelganger laughed wildly, speaking cryptic words.

Tao, who had been expressionless the whole time, flinched slightly at the mention of a seed.

He knew from the novel what the seed referred to.

“The time for it to bloom has come! A flower bloomed on the opposite side of the continent, and through it, the demon army will cross into this land, trampling on humanity’s young sprouts and covering the human world in the flames of war!”

“By the way you’re speaking, I guess you planted a portal flower at the academy?”

“You know about the portal flower? But knowing about it doesn’t change anything!”

“Why doesn’t it matter? We can just find it and burn it before it blooms.”

“The flower has already bloomed. Soon, countless demons will cross over!”

Upon hearing the Doppelganger’s words, Tao closed his eyes for a moment.

He then opened them again and voiced his reasoning.

“In order for the demons to cross all at once, there needs to be a large enough space. But I don’t see any portal flowers in the arena. Could it be that the flower was planted there?”

“You figured it out, but what difference does it make? Even if you head out now, it’s already too late!”

Tao said nothing and gave the Doppelganger a thumbs up.

The Doppelganger responded with a puzzled look, unsure of what Tao was doing.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t mind me. I didn’t give you a thumbs up to praise you. Consider it a trigger.”

“A trigger?”

“Yeah, it’s the trigger to a fun fireworks display.”

Tao lowered his thumb and pressed his index finger, causing a massive burst of light to erupt from the direction of the arena.