I Become a Secret Police Officer of The Imperial Academy – Chapter 60

Chapter 60

There were no problems.

Nothing had been left behind that could cause trouble.

The massive building behind the mansion continued to spew smoke from the burning corpses of the disposed demons. It was a little busy, but everything was running smoothly.

Julian had spouted some nonsense a few times, but that was nothing new.

Something about implanting spells in the throats of submissive demons and young ones.

As if we had the time and resources to recruit mages just to implant explosive spells in their necks before sending them off to work.

Of course, it was possible.

Money wasn’t an issue—we had more than enough.

But where would we find the people to do it? Where would we get the spells?

Everything costs money. If I were going to spend it, I’d rather buy more bullets to kill demons instead.

Did he not love his fiancée?

How could he be so soft when the person he loved had been slaughtered by a beast?

Just kill them all and let the farms collapse—who cares?

The price of bread would skyrocket to the point where people’s hands would tremble just buying a single loaf, but what did that have to do with me?

It didn’t matter if commoners starved to death.

I was wiping out the demons infesting the streets for their sake.

When I opened the conversation room door, a hand grabbed me by the collar.

And in an instant, I was hoisted into the air.

…This was unexpectedly scary.

My breath hitched slightly, but I didn’t let it show.

“Uh, wouldn’t it be better to put me down and have a proper conversation first?”

“…Ethel told me everything. You’re here to kill me, aren’t you?”

Ah. Maybe I shouldn’t have installed that communication hole.

I should have kept them separated.

“Haha, no, no way. I’d be the one dying first. Just put me down—it’s nothing like that.”

I lightly patted the hand holding me up.

“Hey, if you keep this up, you’re gonna flash me. Don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate for a grown man to be treating a girl the same age as his little sister like this?”

It was the same as before—tying this guy up was useless.

“…Shut up.”

He let go of my collar.

And at that exact moment, I collapsed onto the floor.

Not because I was being strangled—

But because a wave of nausea and dizziness slammed into me.

“Uweeegh.”

At this rate, my esophagus was going to corrode completely.

The retching wouldn’t stop.

It felt like I had been through this before.

Like I had been doing this for an unbearably long time.

I pushed myself up, dusting off the wrinkles in my dress where my collar had been grabbed.

“I sent your parents back to the mansion safely.

I came here to let you go, and the first thing you do is grab me by the throat? Come on, Julius!”

“Which means… they’re all dead.”

I didn’t bother responding. I just nodded.

His face remained expressionless, but his jaw trembled as he clenched his teeth.

Then, without hesitation, he slapped me.

Being lifted off my feet and sent flying wasn’t exactly a pleasant sensation.

I caught myself against the wall, barely managing to stay upright.

One of my subordinates aimed his gun at Julius and was about to pull the trigger when I yelled.

If he died now, what would that make of the words I had told Ethel?

“I’m the one letting him go, so don’t shoot, you idiot!”

Fortunately, my subordinate didn’t pull the trigger.

He simply glared at Julius for a long moment before finally lowering his gun.

“Ah, yes! My lady!”

Clearing my throat, I opened the door to the conversation room where Ethel was being held.

She sat there, looking dazed.

The moment our eyes met, her gaze began trembling violently.

I hadn’t cut off her fingers or toes, hadn’t electrocuted her nerves.

What was there to be so scared of?

The worst I did was twist her fingers. That wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

It was something anyone could experience at any time.

Or maybe she had just been raised more delicately than I thought.

Anyway, I clasped my hands behind my back and spoke in a light, breezy tone.

“Everything’s done now. This is my house anyway, so you can just head upstairs and go home.

Oh, but unfortunately, I can’t lend you a carriage. They’re all in use.”

Ethel’s trembling gaze flickered to the right.

Seeing Julius seemed to reassure her, and tears began pooling in the corners of her eyes.

“…Brother.”

Julius, trying his best not to show any emotion, stiffened.

I patted his back and flashed a friendly smile.

Wow, I was really letting them walk out of here just fine.

Too kind, if anything.

“Yeah, you can go back with Julius.

Your parents are already at the mansion, so don’t worry!”

Hurry up and get lost.

So I could stop pretending to be cheerful.

Smiling was exhausting.

“Ellen, were you always like this…?”

“What do you mean?”

“From the moment we first met at the academy—were you always like this?

Did you just pretend to be clueless, playing dumb like an actor in a play?”

I had just chosen a persona.

If I had shown people the real me—the person I was at home—I wouldn’t have been able to make friends with anyone.

Ethel being a “heroine” was just an excuse.

I needed a friend.

Someone I could talk to casually.

Someone I could discuss normal topics with.

And I had just erased that person with my own hands.

“Look, Ethel, if I were you, I’d be asking that question with Theo, Isabel, and Diana sitting next to me.

I let you live, so stop whining and just go home.

And don’t get involved in my business.”

If she got caught up in this, she’d die.

This wasn’t the kind of work that allowed for personal considerations.

If Ethel had, say, a nephew who had tried to assassinate the emperor and got captured, I could’ve arranged for a new identity and smuggled them into another country.

But this wasn’t that kind of situation.

The fact that I used the word “disposal” instead of “killing” already said enough.

“…What about all those times you said we’d always be friends?”

It was just a hope.

Just as Alicia was my only hope in life, Ethel had been my brief respite at the academy—a place to take a break from constantly watching Theo.

“…You know I like you, don’t you?

Ah, probably. Even if I hated you, I’d still like you.

But then, how am I supposed to look at you now? How am I supposed to treat you?”

The way she looked at me now, as if I had betrayed her—

I guess I never really deserved to have something like that in the first place.

Well, it is what it is.

Her words sounded like something out of a messy breakup between lovers who had been together for years.

We weren’t that deep… were we? Maybe we were.

She was the closest friend I had among my peers, after all.

“…At least call me crazy or something. Say something.”

But she wasn’t family.

If she was going to accept the consideration I had given her, she should do so quietly and leave.

I didn’t want to hurt Ethel any further.

I had already lost my little sister—I had no right to want anything more.

“Julius, Ethel seems a bit shaken. Make sure she gets home safely.

If you’re still here in thirty minutes, my men might start shooting, so be careful.”

I turned away to leave, but as soon as I took a step, a wave of dizziness hit me.

I stumbled slightly but forced myself forward, heading toward the room where the long-lived one was confined.

Before entering, I sat on a bench and stared at the floor for a while.

“There’s no time to rest. No time. No rest.”

I had no passion for anything.

Maybe that was why I sometimes envied people like Ethel, like Isabel from the church, and that so-called protagonist—people who had goals.

There were moments when I wished I could live like them, be like them.

But not anymore.

I didn’t need to think about such things.

I didn’t have a future that required them.

Whether Ethel was still watching my back or not, I escaped into the room where the long-lived one was kept.

By now, even though a week hadn’t passed yet, their mind should be starting to crumble.

I shut the heavy iron door behind me and turned my head.

Lying on the bed was a frail, doll-like figure, completely out of it.

They had their hand on their stomach—probably hungry.

But they still hadn’t noticed my presence?

“Get up.”

At the sound of my voice, their eyes barely flickered before they sluggishly sat up.

Tears welled up faintly in their eyes as they trembled and spoke.

“…Ah, ah… Haa, uh… Please, give me food…”

Their lips were cracked and dry, and they reeked—probably because their stomach was completely empty.

The fingers I had given them were scattered across the floor.

I guess they’d thrown them away in frustration.

I picked one up and handed it back.

“Here’s your food.”

They shook their heads.

I nearly slapped them on reflex but stopped myself.

At this point, if I so much as tapped them, they might actually drop dead.

Unlike other demons, the long-lived ones didn’t seem particularly sturdy—I had to handle this one carefully.

After watching them shake their head at the severed finger for a while, I left the room.

Upstairs, I went to the kitchen, scooped a handful of flour into a cup, and returned to the conversation room.

If they ate it raw, they’d probably get a stomachache at most.

Whether they lived or died wasn’t my problem.

“Eat it with water.”

They stared at the flour suspiciously.

“It’s just flour. Eat it before I take it away.”

Only then did they start grabbing handfuls, stuffing it into their mouth, and gulping down water in between.

This wasn’t out of pity.

It was just—

I wouldn’t be able to have a conversation with them otherwise.

If this didn’t work, I could always starve them longer.