Chapter 114: Seeds of Evil

Academies were said to be equal on the surface—but in reality, they were not.

Though they outwardly claimed fairness, countless inequalities existed beneath that façade.

Was it truly possible to treat dukes and barons, nobles and commoners, as equals?

Even the teachers participated in the discrimination. Just being the daughter of a duke could grant someone tremendous influence within the academy.

‘“Is this what you’re asking for?”’

Stella frowned as she recalled Ian’s request. It wasn’t a favor he asked for himself—it was directed toward the Eritz family.

Once again, he kept quiet about the reason behind it.

‘“Only you can know this secret,”’ he had said.

Unsure how long she could carry the burden of that secrecy, Stella decided to visit a teacher she trusted.

And the next day—

“Sir, what is this?”

“It’s a psychology book.”

The Academy had conducted a psychological survey on all cadets. Literally, every single cadet participated.

The title of the survey revealed its intent: to evaluate the mental state of cadets who had grown slack after returning from vacation.

But was that all? No. Its real purpose was to detect whether any cadets had already been tainted by darkness.

Cadets who were marginalized, like Dinua, or those harboring dissatisfaction—identifying them required time, so the survey encouraged voluntary disclosure.

‘Of course, this alone isn’t enough…’

Cadet Ian had devised multiple strategies to uncover which cadets might have already sided with demons within the academy. And now, this survey was one of the results of those methods.

Upon reviewing it, Ian held his face in disbelief.

‘“No, what is this…?”’

Based on his research, around 30 cadets may have already fallen to the demons, and another 60 or so were at risk.

In other words, it was as if the academy had already been infiltrated.

‘Why didn’t I notice this until now?’

The academy’s name still carried weight. If the cadets had openly aligned themselves with demons, their numbers would have been noticed.

But the fact that these cadets were only now being identified meant they had been operating in deep secrecy—like cockroaches skittering in the dark.

‘How am I supposed to handle this…?’

With a pounding headache, Ian brought the list to the principal.

The principal, Catherine, shed tears upon seeing the names.

“…No, there’s no way it could be this many.”

“That’s the minimum,” Ian said. “Considering there may be cadets who’ve cleverly hidden their allegiance, the actual number could be higher.”

“Hm… yes, I see. I’ll find a way to deal with it.”

Thankfully, Catherine was a competent leader—though often unpredictable. It wasn’t unusual for her to suddenly implement something like a group prayer session for the entire student body.

Some cadets grumbled at the unexpected prayer meeting, while others rejoiced at the chance to skip class.

But a few reacted with uneasy anxiety.

Those few were summoned separately by the principal—and made to face a priest.

“—Be purified, brother.”

If demons sprouted from human evil, then God thrived on human goodwill. God was like light—brilliant enough to banish demons.

The demonic influence rooted in the cadets’ hearts was washed away as if rinsed from their very souls. The repentant cadets wept and confessed their sins.

“It’s all right. You’re still young, and you’ve repented. There’s always a path back.”

The priest gently comforted them, while also drawing out the identity of the person who had influenced them.

The name that surfaced—one Ian had heard more than once.

***

Caroline sat before her mirror, carefully curling her trademark ringlets.

If she didn’t tie them properly, they would unravel quickly. It took great effort to ensure the curls were even in number and length on both sides.

After skillfully completing her hairstyle, she applied her makeup and put on her academy uniform.

“Mm—looking beautiful again today!”

She smiled at the mirror, uttering words of affirmation. But inside, she felt hollow and decayed.

If she didn’t put on a show, she wouldn’t survive. Her signature hairstyle was part of that act.

Even a moment’s carelessness allowed the darkness to creep in—the suffocating gloom that made her question why she was even alive.

The forced smile would crack, and a deep melancholy would wash over her like the end of the world.

‘I want to die.’

She had beauty, a stunning figure, and came from a good family. She possessed what others envied—but those same things crushed her.

Beauty? Among nobles, it wasn’t special—it was expected.

A great body? That too, came with scorn—sometimes even insulted as vulgar.

A good family? That was the worst of it. Though she wasn’t born into a bad household, there were far too many girls trying to outshine her.

The fact was, her family left even their own successes to her and sat on the sidelines.

It drove her to despair.

Caroline looked in the mirror and patted her neck.

A very thin neck.

“If I cut my thr0at like this, wouldn’t it be easy to die?”

She gently wrapped her hands around her neck. After a while, her breathing began to falter, leaving bright red handprints on her nape.

But of course, it’s impossible to str@ngle y0urself to death. Long before the oxygen ran out, her hands had already let go.

‘I wish they were all dead.’

That darkness had taken root in her. At the same time, she possessed the talent to hide it from everyone.

She didn’t realize it, but it was the seed of a demon—a contagious, insidious thing that could hatch from the slightest shock.

“Woohoo~ Let’s work hard today!”

Caroline grinned wickedly. Even if she was drowning in despair behind her makeup, she always had to smile.

Because that was the duty of a noble. 

At least until today.

“Caroline.”

“Yes? You are…?”

In front of her dormitory stood a man with a face she knew all too well. He was so famous it would’ve been odd ‘not’ to recognize him.

Ian Clark.

Just like His Majesty the First Emperor, he was a multiple summoner—and the only cadet to possess a 4-star summon and the title of Marquis.

He had nothing to do with her. Or so she thought.

“What business does the Marquis have with me?”

“Do you have a moment to spare?”

“… A moment?”

“A date.”

“A—hey, a date?”

Yet, in that moment, Caroline felt a strange spark of interest flicker to life.

***

Once the seed of a demon is planted in a human heart, neither magic nor medicine can remove it.

It must be restrained through willpower alone. But how could someone with a broken heart summon such strength?

In most cases, it was quicker to simply destroy the seed along with the person.

‘You can’t do that in an all-ages game.’

In the game, it was simplified into a single line of text: ‘Became a demon.’ Or ‘remained human.’

Ian had opposed the teachers who insisted she be eliminated. He came to see her in person.

It was a simple matter. If her heart was broken and she couldn’t carry on—then he just had to fix it.

“Hm? What are you saying all of a sudden…”

Caroline tried to brush him off with feigned disinterest, but inside, her heart fluttered with joy.

Naturally so. Ian had many beauties around him—Stella, her rival among them.

If he ignored all of them to ask ‘her’ out, didn’t that mean her value as a woman had gone up?

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

“Ah, seriously… I’m really sorry…”

“Is that so? That’s unfortunate.”

With that, Ian gave a signal to Pink, the summon he’d brought with him. Her ability to manipulate brain chemistry activated, and Caroline’s eyes softened with sudden affection for the man before her.

“I wanted to get to know you a little better.”

“Ah…”

Letting out a faint sigh, Caroline began to fidget with her fingers—so much so that her fingerprints could have been worn away.

“It wouldn’t be polite to refuse both times. Fine, I’ll go. Where to?”

Ian observed her reaction and confirmed that Pink’s abilities had taken effect. The emotion was fake, conjured by a summon—but that didn’t matter.

The human brain is foolish. Once it feels something like love, even if fabricated, it begins to believe it’s real.

There’s a reason the swinging bridge effect exists.

“There’s a place I know.”

With that, he led her to a special café—prepared just for today. Though Caroline had wandered all over the academy, she had never discovered this place.

There were no customers. Only a priest and a store owner disguised as staff.

Ian led her confidently into a private room—a small, quiet space, just right for two people to talk.

Caroline felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as though she had seen this scene in a dream. With Ian by her side, it truly felt like a prince on a white horse had come for her.

She instinctively adopted a more delicate, feminine demeanor. It came so naturally that Ian didn’t even notice.

“So, why is the Marquis suddenly interested in me?”

“I just wanted you to shine, like you always do.”

“Really? What a coincidence. I’ve always been quite interested in the Marquis as well.”

‘What a coincidence,’ Ian thought, amused, as he looked at her.

He’d secured a meeting. He’d shaken her emotions.

Now, it was time to listen.

‘Sylphy, are you ready?’

[Master… are you really sure about this?]

‘I’ll take responsibility.’

Timid Sylphy hesitated to use her powers on a human, but in the end, she couldn’t defy Ian’s command. She unleashed her abilities on Caroline.

Moments later, Caroline’s eyes began to swirl, as if hypnotized.