I Become a Secret Police Officer of The Imperial Academy

Chapter 38

It seemed even Ethel didn’t have the audacity to ask me to stay at the mansion after what had happened there.

I, on the other hand, kept the truth about what happened in the basement neatly buried, pretending everything was fine.

It’s clear now—being moderately kind just makes life harder.

Ethel, who had stayed by my side all day with a guilty look, eventually left, avoiding me like a guilty puppy after I told her to give me some space.

Maybe she didn’t want to hear me express resentment or hatred toward demons.

If two close friends fought to the death with utensils in their own home, anyone would be unsettled.

When Ethel woke up in Isabel’s room and saw me, she cried and apologized profusely. Her gaunt, sorrowful face looked so miserable that it was hard to even look at her.

What had I said to her then? Something like, “We’ve been spending too much time together. Let’s take a little break.”

It sounded like the kind of thing a couple on the verge of breaking up might say.

Her reaction to that was priceless. I thought about it now while staring at the teacher drawing something on the board during class.

Ding. Ding.

The bell rang, and class ended.

It was lunchtime.

Ethel looked like she wanted to approach me but hesitated. I deliberately turned my head away.

It was true—we had spent too much time together.

Still, there were benefits to having stuck with her every day.

After all, the person by my side was a girl destined for a high position in the church, a brilliant mage from a renowned family, and a beautiful magician at that.

Not that mages or church officials were untouchable, but getting involved with them always came with unforeseen complications.

I was living proof of that.

If I hadn’t gotten involved with Ethel, my life wouldn’t be this exhausting.

And yet, even if I could go back, I wouldn’t kill her.

I’m too weak for that.

So in the end, with my support system gone, my meager power, and no backing, I’m just the perfect target for harassment.

***

“Looks like that girl doesn’t even want to lay a finger on me today.”

Thanks to that, I was being dragged to a secluded spot by some classmates and getting beaten up.

In the past, I might’ve thought, I’ve got a gun tucked away—if it comes to it, I could shoot them. The kind of juvenile idea a middle schooler might entertain.

But now, all I could do was raise my guard and take the hits.

It’s infuriating, really.

Why are my choices always so limited?

“…What’s it to you if Olga acts like this?”

One of them grabbed my hair, another stomped on my shoulder, and my once-white clothes were stained with dirt.

Feeling a surge of anger, I decided to tell them something Olga might find upsetting.

“Wonder what happened to that stray beast in the back alley. Heard it went missing.”

The moment I said that, Olga, who had been idly fiddling with her hair in the background, froze and rushed over, her eyes wide.

“How… how do you know that?”

As she came closer, I spat in her face.

Blood mixed with saliva; I must’ve bitten the inside of my cheek.

I grinned slyly.

“Why would I tell you?”

“She—she’s the one who killed it! Just like what she did to my brother… to my father!”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

It was odd to hear the truth come out so suddenly, but I suppose she was just guessing.

After all, her brother was Julian.

It wasn’t a bad assumption.

“Probably killed it and burned the body after. Your dad? He didn’t even make it to a proper grave. Just tossed out like garbage. But hey, given what his daughter turned out to be, maybe it wasn’t so far off.”

What followed was more kicks and slaps.

Honestly, taking a beating like this was almost helpful—it gave me time to sort through my thoughts.

It didn’t even hurt that much. These kids didn’t even know how to hit someone properly. They were just venting their emotions.

Still, the intensity of the violence had grown too obvious to ignore.

If I went to Ethel crying about how I’d been beaten, her esteemed mage friends would probably deal with these kids for me.

A little pain? I was used to it.

After all, my parents had done far worse to me growing up.

I used to hate it, thinking it was madness, but moments like this made me realize how it had its uses.

As I was lost in thought, I noticed a familiar silhouette in the corner of my vision.

A crazy student wandering into this secluded spot? No, it was Theo.

Had he come looking for me? But why would he?

We greeted each other when we crossed paths, but it was always a brief nod before he moved on.

It wasn’t like him to suddenly show interest.

The others stopped hitting me and turned their attention to Theo.

Not that I could treat him coldly.

Even if he’d shattered my wrist, ruined my mission, spewed cruel words, and killed my brother, he was still the protagonist of this story.

I had to treat him with respect.

Breaking the awkward silence, I was the first to speak.

My body was battered, but my mouth still worked fine.

“Ah, long time no see, Theo.”

“I heard you got hurt. What’s going on here?”

I shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant.

I answered in a way that I knew would provoke.

“Olga here is just mourning the death of a dog she grew up with. It’s tragic, really… mmph!”

Before I could finish, Olga, unable to control her emotions, screamed at me to shut up and kicked me in the face.

I felt my head collide lightly with the wall.

It was starting to feel like I had some kind of curse where Theo’s presence meant I’d end up slammed against a wall.

I bit my tongue mid-sentence, too. Lovely.

Once again, my mouth filled with the taste of blood.

My tongue hadn’t been severed, just badly mangled.

Theo, seeing this, ground his teeth audibly before landing a punch on Olga and the other kids who had been tormenting me.

Though my head was still buzzing, muffling their words, I could tell Theo was saying something to them.

How could his punches send them flying like that?

“Ugh, my head… Thanks for the rescue, Theo.”

“…You’re not the type to just sit there and take it, though.”

Leaning against the wall, I allowed Theo to help me walk, his arm supporting me.

We made our way to a quiet bench, and I sat down.

“I’ve already told you before. I’m not strong like you, nor do I have the magical talent of the others. Even my gun is gone—Ethel took it. What am I supposed to do?”

“And yet, I can’t picture you just staying still and letting this happen…”

Did he really believe I was some indomitable, proactive person?

“This life I’m living now—it’s what you wanted for me, Theo. No matter how ruined things around me became, no matter how Alicia’s story was reduced to nothing, you’re the one who told me to live like this. Well, I guess it’s better to be a powerless girl who gets beaten up by classmates than a young lady exterminating demons.”

It wasn’t a lie, but showing that side of myself to Theo wasn’t an option.

If he discovered that I hadn’t given up entirely, I wouldn’t be able to continue my work.

So I dug deeper, throwing out words designed to hurt him.

I wasn’t even sure if he had a heart to wound, but I’d try.

“It doesn’t bother me. Your punches hurt more than this. So if you’re here to offer pity, then leave. Who would want to sit around smiling with the person who killed their brother?”

If a slap or two and a little demon-hunting could smooth things over, I’d happily sit and smile with him. But that wasn’t going to happen, was it?

“…Even so, I don’t think stopping you and your family that day was a mistake.”

“Then stop paying attention to me and go find another girl. What about that Petra I saved? You could hang out with her. She’s from one of those easy-going species—get close enough, and she’ll spread her legs for you.”

“…Do you still hate demons that much? Even after killing so many of them?”

“Of course I do. I told you—they shouldn’t exist. But don’t worry. There’s nothing I can do anymore. Instead of you taking action, those delinquent classmates will corner me and beat me up as punishment.”

“…Ethel told me. She told me what happened.”

She must’ve told him I’d personally shot her parents, locked them in cages, and done all the rest.

“And? Are you going to lecture me about karma?”

Theo shook his head.

“I don’t know. The world I thought I knew—it wasn’t like this.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Same for me. The world I knew wasn’t like this either.”

“You should stick with me—or at least with some of the others. You never know when they’ll try something again.”

“If it’s necessary.”

“Do you think we could ever… reconcile?”

If this were a game or a novel, maybe a heartfelt embrace would solve everything.

“Wow, you’re asking for a lot.”

“I guess I am.”

“So, what have you been up to lately?”

“I took down a criminal ring kidnapping kids to sell, and killed a monster that was eating people.”

“How are things with the others?”

“That Petra you hate confessed to me. Said if it didn’t work out, I should at least take her as a concubine. Ethel and Isabel, though? Thanks to you, they’ve been a mess.”

“Succubi are loyal enough. You might as well raise her well.”

He didn’t respond.

“You must hate me.”

“I don’t know. You did what you had to, just like I did what I had to.”

Resolution through understanding and conversation rarely happens in real life.

“We just have different perspectives. If you think the other side is wrong, you kill them and bury them. That’s all there is to it.”

That’s why demons are inherently wrong—their very existence is a mistake.