He locked the door behind me as Alexandra disappeared. It was just the two of us in what seemed to be his office. At least, that was my guess from looking around the room. There was an extremely large bookshelf filled with books that seemed quite interesting. For a moment, I wondered if his daughter had read most of them. But I had to dismiss this thought as he stared at me, dead in the eyes. He tapped a few times on his chair’s armrest, and I just waited.
I wasn’t sure if this was some sort of method to intimidate me, but it wasn’t working whatsoever.
“So… are you going to talk or?” I frowned. He was the one who had brought me here. Shouldn’t he be the one starting the conversation?
“Sure. I’m sure you know why I called you here, right?”
“I have an idea.”
He nodded. “Alright, let’s cut to the chase. Yes, the demons have infiltrated the human society, and the others. No one is safe.”
I shrugged. I already knew about those things. I wanted to know about my role as a spy, everything else was secondary.
“How long have you known about them infiltrating our cities, villages?”
“A few days ago, one of the nearby kingdoms discovered the existence of a hidden demon.”
“A few days, huh? I thought it would have been more. Why didn’t you inform me right away? Shouldn’t I be your spy? That’s what the letter said at least.”
He sighed. “It’s complicated. There was a change of plan considering your role. That’s why Alexandra didn’t talk to you about it just yet, we were waiting for the right time. But it seems we waited for too long, and they are already starting to make moves. I’m sorry about that, and it will never happen again.”
I frowned. “That didn’t answer my question. Why didn’t you inform me? Haven’t I proven my loyalty to you?”
“You did. However, no one can control you. You are an uncontrollable variable. Only a handful of people can fight against you on even grounds. We couldn’t take the chance of you deciding what to do on your own.”
I clicked my tongue. He was mostly right, but I didn’t want to admit it.
“Still, even if you can’t control me, haven’t I proved my hatred for the demons? I have killed them for as long as I can remember. Doesn’t that mean something?”
“That’s exactly why we didn’t tell you. Your hatred might be too intense for now. We don’t need the rest of the demons, who are hidden who knows where, to know that we know about them. It needs to stay a secret for now. That’s what the leaders of each race have decided.”
I nodded. But I still thought it was a missed opportunity to kill Derek when he could have given us a lot of information. Alas, it was too late to change what was done. Derek was dead and there was nothing that could change that.
“I see. Then, why did you want to speak to me?”
“I wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t tell anyone about this.”
I shrugged. “I won’t. But those parents will start talking. They aren’t stupid, they saw.”
He shook his head. “It’s fine. I can deal with them. It’s you I’m worried about.”
“I told you. I hate demons, and I understand why we need to keep their existence a secret.”
The Emperor nodded a few times. “Thank you, then. We will appreciate your help on this. In fact, since your role is now official, it would be best if you could report to me everything you find about demons every week. You can report what you know to Alexandra and she will transfer your intel to me.”
I simply nodded. However, the Emperor was being naive. I could clearly tell that he was wary of me even while asking me to become his spy. There was no real reason for me to give him all the intel that I would be finding out later. Nevertheless, I acted like I agreed to his request.
“Sure, I don’t mind. Now, it’s time for you to tell me everything you know about the return of those demons. Do you know anything else about them?” I asked. That was the last question I wanted an answer to. I knew he could lie, but it was worth trying to obtain more information.
The Emperor rubbed his chin for quite some time, thinking deeply about what he could tell me. After a few moments, he seemed ready as he leaned forward slightly.
“There is one thing you should know. The kingdom from where they found the demon have also figured out a code name for their organization, or at least, that’s what they think they have found.” He raised his hand. “Let me warn you that this is very new information and nothing is official. However, they told me that the demons are under an organization named Perdere. Have you ever heard of it?”
“Perdere… no. I’ve never heard of that name. But I’ll look out for it.” I bowed, thanking him for the information. “I’ll contact you if I find anything about it.”
He smiled. “Sure. In the meantime, act as if you know nothing. Even if some of the professors come to you for information.”
I nodded as I opened the door and headed out. The director was waiting on the right. It had been more than five minutes, which meant that everyone outside had already left, and it seemed that there had been no problem with getting rid of Derek as he didn’t even mention him, simply nodding at me as a sign of respect.
A maid was waiting for me a bit further and she guided me outside where the rest of the students and parents had been eagerly waiting to find out what had just happened. As soon as I crossed the gates of the Emperor’s Mansion, people started talking to me left and right.
“They let you out?”
“Wow, the Emperor has lost his touch, letting a killer loose.”
“Monster! You killed our Professor! You deserve death!”
I kept my calm hearing them judge me, but I was boiling inside until I heard Darla’s distinct touch and voice. I felt her cold figure hug me around the waist as she muttered, “I know you did nothing wrong. I trust you.”
It felt good. Having at least one person who wasn’t against me.
End of the First Volume.
~40k words
Hope you liked it! Plenty more to come
