A middle-aged man with a mustache shook the ash from his pipe, his eyes narrowing into slits as he stared at the woman kneeling before him.
“So, what you are saying is that you messed everything up and even let word reach the Cabinet?”
“Yes…”
“Yes, my foot!”
The man kicked the woman, sending her flying back until she slammed into the wall.
He grabbed the cane leaning against his seat and threw it at her in a fit of rage.
“I didn’t raise you to mess things up! I told you long ago to have your subordinates be discreet when collecting money. Low profile! But you just wouldn’t listen! Now look what happened. Do you have any idea how vengeful and stubborn that Seth is?!”
“I am sorry… Master Fals.”
This was a dim basement, a place perfectly suited for plotting conspiracies.
However, Fals was only staying here out of necessity.
He would have preferred to continue his arrogant behavior on the streets, but thanks to Sephine, he only dared to hide underground, only venturing out when the streets were empty.
“Tch.”
Fals took a sharp breath.
They would eventually have a showdown with these new rulers, but it absolutely could not be now.
“We have to leave. We can’t stay here long. You!” Fals pointed at the woman’s nose and hauled her up roughly.
“Go destroy all the evidence. Leave nothing behind.”
“The space there was sliced open. It’s impossible to completely destroy it.”
“That is not my problem! If you can’t erase it, then you might as well go die with it.”
Fals let out a cold sneer.
“Don’t forget who bought you when you were a slave. If you want to go be a slave to those Goblins, I don’t care.”
“Please, don’t sell me! Master Fals, I will complete the mission.”
“Very well. Do whatever it takes. The more students from the Academy who die, the better.”
There were almost no spies left inside the Magic Academy now, all thanks to the reforms Sephine had implemented.
If they hadn’t been unable to locate the Grand Chancellor’s position, they would have assassinated that meddlesome fellow long ago.
“Remember, Herya, our era is not over! A group of fools with nothing but ideals in their heads cannot hold onto the throne for long! One day, my feet will step upon that land again, and I will reclaim everything that belongs to me! I will use whips to lash those slaves and power to oppress those commoners! One day… one day!”
The woman known as Herya huddled in the corner, trembling as she watched the man whose eyes were filled with nothing but selfishness.
Suddenly, a sizzling sound of electricity echoed through the silent air.
Realizing something, Fals immediately dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead firmly against the floor.
“Greetings, Lord Bishop!”
“Rise, Mr. Fals.”
“Thank you, Lord Bishop!”
The man addressed as the Bishop looked toward Herya, who was cowering in the corner, his eyes filled with pity.
He reprimanded Fals, “How can you be so crude to a beautiful young lady?! Have you forgotten our Doctrine, Mr. Fals?”
“Treat people with kindness, pity the world!”
“Exactly! Treat people with kindness! Pity the world! Therefore, Miss Herya, there is no need to be afraid! We will overthrow the rule of this tyrannical Demon King and let love fill the world once more! Hahahaha!”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and kneel with me!”
Fals barked at Herya in the corner.
Herya was clever; she followed Fals’s movements and began reciting the Doctrine under her breath.
“A promising young talent. Now, let us speak of business. The person who discovered our laboratory has already been dealt with by me. I used High-level Spatial Magic, so it will not be traced.”
“Thank you, Lord Bishop! Thank you!”
“Thank you, Lord Bishop,” Herya echoed, though her heart was filled with an unspeakable bitterness.
‘Is that person dead? Did the one who said someone would come to save me fail to do anything in the end?’
She shouldn’t have told him about the laboratory’s existence.
She shouldn’t have told him the location.
She shouldn’t have let him continue his investigation…
She was the one who killed him, the only person who had ever shown her true kindness.
“The latest news is that the Demon King took action. The monster invasion in the south was resolved all at once. Her power has grown stronger again.”
“Should we still remain in the Kingdom of Magic, Lord Eubulos?”
“Hehehe, there is no need to fear, my friend. What can a beast that only knows brute force do? That Demon King is just a hotheaded brat; she won’t be jumping around for much longer.”
“The Bishop is wise!”
“The Bishop is wise,” Herya chimed in as well.
“You, Herya. Starting tomorrow, you will return to the Academy as an undercover agent. Everyone who knew you before is dead. This is your new identity; you don’t need to worry about being exposed.”
Eubulos tossed a card toward Herya. On it was written Herya’s new name.
“Herya Serafina…”
“I have already checked the Serafina family. They voluntarily handed over all their assets and are on the new Cabinet’s Whitelist. Their family only had close ties with nearby Old Nobles and commoners. Those nobles have been eliminated, and those commoners have no way of entering your class. Their daughter just failed the new test and was expelled. Using this identity is quite safe.”
“You have been placed in the most elite class. There won’t be any commoners in there unless that commoner is a once-in-a-thousand-years genius!”
“Do you understand, Miss Herya?”
“I understand.”
“You, you, you! Don’t screw up this time, or I’ll whip you to death!”
“Now, now, Mr. Fals. As I said, we must act according to the Doctrine. Don’t be so violent. We must use love to influence Miss Herya.”
“If you mess up this time, you’ll have to enter my Chamber of Loving Indoctrination.”
*Hiss —*
Fals drew in a sharp breath.
Eubulos spoke a few more words praising the Doctrine and then departed, leaving only Herya and Fals behind.
“I’m telling you! You better not screw up this time! That guy is a maniac! That Chamber of Loving Indoctrination of his isn’t some place of love. Everyone who comes out calls it hell! You absolutely cannot mess this up!”
“I understand…”
‘How much worse could it get? No one would care if I died anyway.’
Herya gripped the name tag tightly in her hand.
Tomorrow, she would have to go to school using this identity that did not belong to her.
No, to be precise, she was going as a spy.
To her, there were no such things as classmates.
They were nothing more than a group of strangers she would eventually betray.
“Scram back to your room! Don’t loiter in front of me!”
“But I haven’t eaten today…”
“Who cares?! Get lost!”
Herya was shoved toward her door.
Inside, there was only something that could barely be called a bed, and nothing else.
How was this any different from a cage?