Chapter 165

There’s something called ‘reversal therapy.’

It’s a method that mixes two completely unrelated elements to evoke an unsettling feeling.

Let me give you an example. If a mass murderer who slaughters dozens of people drinks blood from a cup, we wouldn’t be surprised.

But if it turns out that this same murderer elegantly drinks milk every morning, people would gape in astonishment.

What the heck! Who cares about drinking milk?! Why drink tasteless blood when you can have milk?!

Here’s another example. People don’t really mind finding blood at a slaughterhouse, probably assuming it’s animal blood, right?

But if that blood is on a playground, people scream in horror.

Hilarious, isn’t it? People remain calm about human blood at a slaughterhouse but panic over animal blood at a playground.

Anyway, I enjoy the moment when the audience’s expectations are shattered. That’s why I find it so entertaining. Peaceful Eden Academy has now become the scene of a murder.

Is there anything more straightforward yet extreme than this?

“Wh-what? Is that… a real corpse? Someone really died?”

“Kyaaaah! Mommy, mommy!”

“Shut up already! What lunatic… Ugh! Bleh!”

Even though this academy trains combatants, most students here have never seen a dead body. The third-years, who might’ve encountered some animal carcasses during field assignments, are trying hard to keep their cool.

“…Isn’t that Veronica?”

With that small question, one by one, they start losing their composure. Of course, the person who asked that question was me.

Veronica, the top dog among the third-years. While Heavenly Hero Stella reigns as the queen outside the academy, Veronica rules within its walls. And now she’s dead—just yesterday, she was alive and well.

To make things worse, her body was hung on the wall of the main building. The students couldn’t hide their shock. Those with pale faces step back cautiously.

“Geez! She’s dead!”

“Yeah, she’s dead.”

“Can I eat her? It’s a corpse!”

“No way. You’re a dog. Besides, humans aren’t exactly your thing. You’re a student, remember?”

“It’s fine! This doesn’t taste good anyway!”

“…When did you ever try eating a person? How do you know it tastes bad?”

“Woof woof! Raw meat? No thanks! Grilled meat is better! Beef is tastier!”

The only cheerful voice amidst all this chaos came from Aru. The students, who were stepping back, now turned to glare at Aru with disturbed expressions. Looks like Aru’s reputation is about to hit rock bottom after today.

“Good thing the continent is ruled by humans. Eating humans would be catastrophic. Wait until cows take over the world, then you can eat humans.”

“Is that even possible? Woof? Won’t we lose our chance to eat cows by then?”

“Don’t worry. It won’t happen for at least a million years. After that… who knows?”

I casually crossed my arms behind my head and observed the crowd’s reactions. As expected, most people were fixated on the corpse.

Maria was no exception.

Maria, encountering a corpse for the first time, collapsed onto the ground. Several teachers rushed over to shield her eyes.

They’re treating Maria, the Saintess, with special care. It makes sense. If anything happens to Maria physically or mentally, it could escalate into diplomatic issues with the Holy Order.

Wait… Did I already steal a kiss from Maria?

Ahahaha, your Saintess’ lips were quite tasty. I’ll have to sneak another tonight!

But… why?

“Huh, weird.”

“Wha?”

“Weird. I get why you’re calm, Aru.”

Some people remained unfazed even when faced with a corpse.

That’s impossible for ordinary people.

Langwang Yohan.

The gym teacher stood there with a whistle in his mouth, his cold gaze fixed on the corpse.

Holy Knight Beatrix Constantino.

She was looking at me with an expression that said, “This is such a headache.” Like, what, what’s wrong with me?

These two make sense. Alongside Aru, they’ve spent hundreds of years living in the wild. Freaking out over a single human corpse would be stranger.

Third Princess Albrecht also maintained her composure, watching indifferently as Veronica’s body was taken down by the teachers. She didn’t seem particularly moved.

Albrecht… she’s Albrecht, so it’s understandable. She’s just that extraordinary. Her thoughts are unpredictable.

Yeah, these three are explainable. But why…

Why is the Hero so detached?

Frey looked up at the corpse. Her sun-kissed blonde hair carried a slightly desolate aura. Let’s skip the romantic musings and focus on her facial expression.

She’s completely unfazed.

As if she’s experienced countless similar situations before.

It’s the face of a seasoned veteran soldier, not an academy student.

She seems slightly surprised, but that’s because there’s a corpse in the academy, not because of the corpse itself.

I can’t wrap my head around it.

Has Frey ever seen a corpse before? Maybe her training as a Hero included such education from the Empire, but how could someone her age possess such unshakable calmness?

I suspected she wasn’t ordinary when she invoked her right to remain silent after getting punched by me. But I didn’t expect it to reach this level.

Maria said there was no need to doubt, but naturally, questions arise. How did someone with such mental fortitude end up kneeling to the Demon King? Did she have a private meeting with him or something?

“Telekinesis.”

Woooom-

Just as doubts piled upon doubts, the corpse being carefully transported by the teachers suddenly floated into the sky.

Cold and lifeless Veronica soared through the air. Students screamed in terror.

Veronica landed in the arms of a young man. Whether calling this ‘mage’ a youth is debatable.

“Pro, Principal!”

“Principal Merlin!”

Merlin Gregory. The strongest mage in history, a superhuman who reached the 9th circle while still human.

The arrival of the academy’s highest authority.

In my subjective opinion, Merlin ranks among the top five strongest beings across all races in this era. Even gods and dragons combined.

If, in my previous life, when I absorbed Dragonlord and fought Merlin here at the academy without taking the students hostage, what would’ve happened?

Whatever. I still would’ve won. And if things got rough, I could’ve used my Joker Card.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

Merlin, holding Veronica in a princess carry, unleashed a powerful shout imbued with mana.

The entire courtyard echoed. The ground trembled as if the earth itself was shaking. The tilted playing field.

Crazy old man.

Do you know what Merlin just did? He cast a spell while speaking. On everyone—students and faculty alike.

A binding spell that froze everyone in place.

Its power wasn’t weak either. Even me—I felt a tingling sensation throughout my body. Others must feel like they’re crushed under Mount Tai.

“Haha… seriously, what a monstrous old geezer.”

“Kiiiing! Wh-what is this?!”

“Aru, you absolutely must not fight that guy. Seriously, you’ll die.”

“Kiiaaa! My body feels strange!”

Thus, all personnel in the academy were bound. We stood still for quite some time.

Though skipping class was concerning, being restrained directly by the principal, what could go wrong?

Soon after, the imperial police arrived with loud sirens. They quickly took control of the situation, preserved the crime scene, and visited Veronica’s room.

An investigation began. With everyone in the academy potentially a suspect, we remained motionless under Merlin’s binding spell.

Three air rifle bullets were found in Veronica’s body. The surveillance cameras showed nothing. The police speculated that someone had killed Veronica through the window.

Correct.

However…

“…No matter how thoroughly we search, we haven’t found any weapon resembling an air rifle. There are no fingerprints or similar traces on the windowsill either.”

They only got that much right.

Can’t help it. I flew, leaving no footprints, used telekinesis to open the window, and currently have the air rifle and shotgun tucked away in the ‘Arachne’s Bag.’

Spider Queen Arachne manipulates space. This bag made from her webs can hide objects of any size, provided they can fit through the bag’s opening.

“What nonsense is this?! Are you saying a ghost came and murdered Miss Veronica?!”

The case was heading towards becoming unsolved.

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