I Become a Secret Police Officer of The Imperial Academy – Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Now that I think about it, my tone changing wildly depending on my mood has always been one of my chronic issues.

Just look at Marco—he maintains his manners and keeps the conversation going no matter who he’s speaking with.

“So, have you changed your mind a little?”

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down before looking down at it again.

Maybe it was because I had the target for disposal right in front of me, but the dizziness I felt just moments ago had already faded.

“…Yeah.”

“Already giving up on formal speech just because you’re a little full? Guess you weren’t starving that much after all.”

“S-Sorry.”

“Whatever. You know why I came, right?”

“…I don’t.”

“Honestly, I don’t really care whether your village orchestrated what happened that night or not.

After dealing with so many demons, I came to realize—it was bound to happen eventually anyway.

Unfortunate that I got caught up in it, though.”

It must have been starving.

It was diligently scraping the flour off the rim of the cup with its fingers and sucking on them.

The only reason this conversation was still going was probably that it hadn’t started gnawing on its own fingers yet.

If even a little flesh had been torn, I might’ve lost my temper without realizing it.

“Just answer. Are there any hidden demons or concealed villages?”

“…….”

Silence was an excellent answer.

It meant there was more to say, but it couldn’t bring itself to speak.

And figuring out where they were was ridiculously easy.

“Hmm, then how about this? I’ll offer you a condition.

You called the ones with horns and animal ears ‘vile creatures,’ didn’t you? I’ll only dispose of those friends for you!”

“…You’re saying, you’ll let us live? No, you’ll graciously let us live?”

Obedient, small-framed, weak. They just live long, that’s all.

I could keep it alive for now and kill it later when I got annoyed.

“Of course, you’d have to come under our control. But if you want to live, that’s a small price to pay, isn’t it?”

“You’re basically telling us to become slaves….”

For fuck’s sake, why is it so bad at understanding words?

“Hmm, slaves? I’m not asking for anything that grand.”

I stood up mid-sentence.

Was there still a potion left in the drawer?

Unlocking it to check, I found five bottles neatly stocked—probably refilled by my subordinates.

I pulled out several long ropes and kicked its bewildered face before slowly tying its legs together.

After binding its arms forward, I fashioned a noose and secured it to the hook protruding from the ceiling.

It had been a while since I last made one, but since I’d done it so often, the knot came together beautifully in an instant.

Since letting it die now would be a waste, I adjusted the length so it could still breathe if it struggled.

Then, grabbing its hair, I shoved its head through the noose as it let out a faint scream.

“The thing about starving them is, it makes things so much easier.

They’re already too weak to struggle, so there’s no need to waste any effort.”

Then, I lifted its bound arms and tied them to the rope connected to the noose, making it raise them as if in surrender.

It really did have a pretty face.

If I left it with Marco, he might actually end up having a kid with it.

Maybe that’s why they left it to me.

I could just break its spirit and sell it on the black market. Would make for some nice pocket change, at least.

“Wh-Why only me…!”

“Hmm, you’re probably getting the least painful treatment out of everyone.

That one who got caught with you—the one you serve? We turned their skin into wings, stretched their organs here and there, and are keeping them alive with potions.”

I struck a match.

“Honestly, it stinks, it’s messy, and it’s exhausting. I don’t really want to do this.”

“T-This is exactly why we ran! Why did we fled underground!

You humans always hide behind noble words, but in the end, you treat us like this!

Demons or not, all you want is to enslave us again!

Just because we live long and happen to look pretty—ugh, uuaaagh! Aaaaaaaah!!”

I told it not to be mistaken.

I shoved my hand into its mouth to keep it from biting its tongue, then transferred the flame from the match to a small piece of wood before pressing it under its armpit.

It screamed, biting down on my hand, but all it did was graze my skin.

“That hurts.”

It was infuriating to see it sobbing, mucus running down its face, as if it actually wanted to be treated like a slave.

Slaves were at least treated as property.

And officially, in this just and equal Empire, there was no such thing as slavery.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to be mistaken?

I don’t need slaves. Just tell me where the demons are.

They’ll be found eventually anyway, so isn’t it better to think about the future instead of dying meaninglessly?”

Ah, I just realized—I hadn’t removed my hand.

I pulled my hand out of its mouth, washed it with water, and wiped it roughly with a towel in the room.

Still, it felt like the smell lingered.

Maybe I should add “terrible breath” to the list of characteristics for its kind.

Then again, when humans starve, their stomachs empty out and make them smell too. So, I guess it’s the same.

We’re somewhat alike, in a way.

“Pain is unpleasant, isn’t it?”

“…You’re monsters.”

“You should be calling us angels, if anything.

All your kind is being studied for how mysterious your bodies are, but we’re at least keeping you alive.

As a demon, you should be grateful for that.”

Even as it looked at me like I was insane.

Still, it didn’t seem like it was going to talk.

Amazing how it was willing to endure this much pain for its kind.

Was it because it had lived too long, or was it just naturally like this?

I wasn’t sure.

Well, even the noblest humans eventually beg when they’re burned.

I fetched a gag with a soft ball just big enough to fit its mouth and fastened it on. Then, I took out a hollow iron rod from the drawer.

I sprinkled some bliss-inducing powder into its nostrils, doused it in potions, then stuffed a few wooden chips inside the rod, poured in some oil, and set it alight.

Now, all I had to do was bring it near the sensitive spots.

Armpits, groin, ribs—sometimes, even the eyes or the philtrum worked well.

It was a bit tedious, but directly pressing fire onto flesh was too troublesome.

Smoke, stench, and the risk of accidentally killing it made it more hassle than it was worth.

Just like how, when having fun with water games, you put a towel over the person’s face first.

Pouring water in directly could flood their lungs and kill them too soon.

To block out its screams, I tore a white handkerchief, rolled it up, dampened it, and stuffed it into its ears.

“Ah, how unpleasant.”

I could still hear it faintly.

When its eyes fluttered shut, I doused it with more potion.

Judging by instinct, this was usually the point where breathing slowed, and the body went limp—as death approached.

By the time I had used three out of the five bottles, the iron rod had cooled completely.

I shot the noose’s rope with a gun, watching as the frayed strands sizzled and snapped.

It collapsed, utterly powerless.

I removed the gag from its mouth and resumed our conversation.

“…Guh… St-Stop… please… hhic, uuugh, hhk….”

“If you built such a large village in the underground waterways, doesn’t that mean other demons must be living the same way?”

I opened the cleaning compartment beside the drawer, wiped the floor with a rag, and aired out the room.

I had no desire to keep smelling burning flesh.

“Are you going to talk now?”

Still no nod.

So devoted to its kind, yet so weak to pain.

Come to think of it, it might actually be useful.

Maybe I should try persuasion next.

“How about this? If you help us capture all the demons and assist in disposing of them, we’ll exile your kind—just the long-lived ones—into the forests beyond the Empire when this is all over.”

“…Help? With what?”

“I told you, disposal.

By tomorrow—no, maybe in two days—the building will be complete.

If you help us as instructed, we’ll release you once it’s all over.

For someone with all the time in the world, it’s not a bad deal, is it?”

There was only one door leading in and out, and the windows were too small for a face to fit through, tightly secured with iron bars.

Even if they worked inside, there was no way they could escape.

Well, I could turn the empty space into living quarters for them.

“How… how can I trust you…?”

There it goes again, dropping formal speech.

Should I just kill it now?

No, no.

This was a creative idea I hadn’t come up with in a while.

I couldn’t let my emotions get the best of me and ruin it.

“There’s no proof I can give you.

But would you rather stay trapped in this miserable place, only to die a horrific death?

I went easy on you today since you haven’t eaten in a while.”

I gently stroked its cheek, whispering by its ear.

My fingers brushed against the severed tip.

Right, I could use that to categorize them.

Cutting the ear tips would make it easier to distinguish the obedient from the defiant.

“If you refuse to eat, we’ll force-feed you—mixing it with potions if necessary.

And everything you just went through? You’ll experience it over and over in new, creative ways until you die.

By the way, we have more potions than your kind could use in a lifetime.”

The mages were working hard to produce them, after all.

Terrified, it hiccupped and finally gave in.

“Hic… I-I have… a condition.”

Pathetic, but I decided to humor it.

“I’ll do my best to accommodate!”

“Don’t treat us cruelly… and provide proper meals….”

That was much more modest than I expected.

I smiled.

“As much as you’d like.”

Julian would handle it somehow.

He was always the one who turned my ideas into reality.