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“There’s a murder case inside the academy.”

A low mutter escaped.

Sehee immediately countered.

“It’s not murder. It’s a demon, not a human.”

“Hmm…”

“There are definitive pieces of evidence, aren’t there?”

Her sister’s prepared transcript.

It contained a conversation where the subject confessed to being a demon under leading questions.

“However, it’s true that many questions arise about the case.”

“What do you mean?”

“How could an academy student uncover information that no one else knew? Especially about how to distinguish demons?”

“Well, that’s…”

In that moment of hesitation, another voice replied.

“The name from the transcript. Wasn’t it the name of the student who went missing this time?”

“…That’s right.”

“Did that kid provide the information?”

“Yes.”

“Then that means that kid is a traitor among demons. Essentially, they’re the same demon.”

“······.”

It’s true that Sophie is a demon.

That’s something she personally revealed.

But that kid stood with the academy.

More accurately, they were trying to stay by Hana’s side.

“That kid isn’t just like the others. They helped us!”

“How can you be so sure?”

Things were starting to take a turn for the worse.

“I’ll admit he was a demon. He confessed it himself. But what if there’s a hidden agenda? What if his strategy was to give a little flesh and take the bone? What if he was trying to win our trust and waiting for a decisive opportunity?”

“…If that were the case, he wouldn’t have been in conflict with the Black Goat.”

Another voice chimed in.

“Did you witness that conflict yourself?”

“…No.”

“Of course not. In the end, we only have the testimony of one survivor who was mentally unstable at the time.”

It’s true that Hana isn’t in a good state.

But why should we be so suspicious and guarded?

Is there really a reason for that?

“Don’t misunderstand. We’re just trying to approach this as cautiously as possible.”

“······.”

“And regardless of whether he’s a demon, his methods were too crude. Don’t forget he was a teacher at this academy.”

“He killed a demon! Isn’t it something worthy of praise?”

What returned was a cold question.

“What if he wasn’t?”

“Is that really important?”

“Attacking a teacher, not even sure if they are a demon just based on the words of a girl who called herself a demon. Do you understand how reckless that was?”

Ongoing bickering.

“Or did you overlook it simply because he’s your brother?”

“······.”

“Han Si-hyun. That kid caused quite a stir not long ago. If there had been a witness to this incident, it could have created a huge uproar, beyond what happened last time.”

I don’t think my brother’s actions were wrong.

But these conservative old men seem to consider even that a terribly dangerous act.

“A demon infiltrated the academy. Can you imagine what repercussions could follow if this news somehow got out?”

Ultimately, it was for their own safety.

“I hope you manage your brother properly. Student council president.”

“…Yes. I’ll take my leave now.”

Concluding that there was no need for further discussion, Sehee immediately bowed her head and stepped away.

But here, you can’t just turn your back and leave casually.

Such rudeness would surely irritate the old men’s tempers.

“I heard that the injury from the last fight was quite serious.”

Sehee flinched slightly, frowning as she clutched her abdomen.

“Thank you for your concern. I’m much better now.”

“Is that so? That’s good to hear. We can’t afford to lose a talent like you.”

“…Thank you.”

“You’re free to go.”

She left the room without looking back.

At the heart of the academy.

The board of elders composed of twelve members.

Politicians, heroes, entrepreneurs — all with various professions, yet all possess immense power recognized worldwide.

“…Damn old men.”

I don’t know why they are so invested in just running the academy, but it’s incredibly displeasing.

Bang!

Sehee slammed her fist against the wall and left the main building.

Meanwhile, the elders on the top floor began discussing among themselves.

“It has finally begun.”

“The Black Goat is also targeting.”

“Did they really notice the existence of the Messiah?”

“I never expected they would infiltrate demons without us knowing.”

“What will we do about the missing child?”

“If they’re a demon, then it’s a different story. They’re unnecessary in the academy.”

*

“…They’re dead?”

“Yeah. They just reported the results of the investigation.”

Shin Woo bit his lip.

He had a bad feeling, but ultimately, they’re dead…?

“Then they found the body, right?”

“I don’t know. My sister said she couldn’t disclose that either.”

Shin Woo sighed, feeling something strange in the way she spoke.

“She couldn’t say? You asked her, and that was her response?”

“Yeah.”

That’s definitely strange.

What could be confidential about the discovery of a body?

“The condition of the body is unusual, or maybe…?”

“They probably couldn’t find the body.”

“But if they couldn’t find the body, they wouldn’t have announced the death.”

“Well, you never know.”

No matter how much he thought about it, unease lingered.

But there was no room for deeper digging.

There was too little information.

“What about Hana? Has she heard anything?”

“I doubt she has. I just found out from my sister.”

“…Should I inform her?”

How would Hana react upon hearing the news about Sophie?

“She might be apathetic. It seems like Hana is already convinced Sophie is dead.”

“…The person who knows the situation best is Hana. If she believes Sophie is dead, there must be a reason.”

Shihyun nodded silently.

She was the only one who hadn’t been at the scene.

All she had were stories of what happened.

“I’m more worried about the aftermath of the murder than that.”

“It’s unclear to call it murder, but you might be right.”

The direct cause of death for the guidance counselor was shock.

But the term shock itself is rather vague.

It could be from choking, leading to a lack of blood flow causing shock.

Or it could be shock from excessive blood loss over a short time.

So it was hard to determine who bore the greater responsibility, Shihyun or Hana.

“I killed her.”

In that situation, Shihyun took full responsibility upon herself.

She might be able to brush it off easily, but Hana wouldn’t.

In reality, she didn’t feel much guilt.

Fortunately, this incident was brushed off as a simple warning from the board.

Perhaps they didn’t want the news to spread.

The face of the student council president conveying that news was dark.

“By the way, what about the other kid?”

“The other kid?”

“I heard that you and your sister weren’t the only ones there.”

“Ah…”

Shin Woo recalled the girl with a complicated expression.

*

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The sound of strikes filled the training room.

All eyes turned toward her.

With fear in their gazes.

Bang!

Bang!!

“Yeon Hwa.”

At that moment, someone approached her and called her name.

Yeon Hwa ignored the words and continued to swing her fists.

“Yeon Hwa!”

Only when her shoulder was grabbed and the voice raised did she finally stop her training.

No, it was more akin to self-harm than training.

Sweat poured down like a waterfall.

Without calming her heavy breaths, Yeon Hwa turned her head.

“What?”

“When do you plan to come to class? You’ve been skipping for days…”

“Enough. I don’t need that crap.”

Yeon Hwa immediately tried to continue her training.

“This isn’t about what you need! At this rate, you won’t be able to meet your attendance requirements and will get held back!”

“So what?”

“…Why are you acting like this? Seriously?”

Eventually, as Yeon Hwa turned her head again, her sharp gaze spoke.

“Hey, glasses nerd. I’ve realized something. Want to hear it?”

“Huh?”

“You can never get stronger with this pathetic academy class.”

“······.”

“You’re so weak. I’m still incredibly weak. To beat that guy, I need to be much stronger. And for that, this stupid class isn’t enough.”

Yeon Hwa immersed herself in training immediately.

Kyung Ah couldn’t say anything more.

She hit the wall, but the image of the enemy in her mind was different.

An overwhelmingly strong opponent who had crumbled too easily.

Speed. Strength. Skill. Ability.

There wasn’t a single thing she could beat.

She recalled those movements and adjusted accordingly.

“This is how I do it here.”

“And like this at that moment.”

“If only I’d done it this way…”

“If only I hadn’t used my abilities.”

“If only I’d swung my fists properly.”

Bang!

“······.”

“If I hadn’t used the escape device.”

“If I had stayed by their side.”

Bang!

“At least…”

“If only I’d returned just a little bit earlier.”

Bang!

Bang!

‘Do you want revenge?’

I want revenge.

I want to break that mask and kill them.

Bang!

‘Get stronger. Much stronger than now.’

Boom!!!

Huff. Huff…

Blood dripped down to the ground from her fists.

Kyung Ah watched in shock the broken wall.

Drip. Drip.

What fell to the ground wasn’t bright red blood.

But the clear tears of a weak girl who couldn’t even protect a single friend.

“…Damn it.”