Yes, the novel I was writing was a harem story.
It faithfully followed the concept of early 2000s Japanese light novels, featuring an oblivious, dense male protagonist who unknowingly attracts women. Of course, it was also influenced later by the academy and raid genres I read in web novels.
Nevertheless, even until the moment of my death, I diligently checked every anime released each year, ensuring to watch those with good ratings. I searched for new manga releases monthly and collected them from a specialty store near my home. Occasionally, I impulsively bought figures to decorate my computer with, living a life that I could never deny being a total nerd about. Thus, it was inevitable that the writing from my days of heavy fandom would have a strong influence.
I had never considered using a system window-like setting, and while it had some raiding elements, there were no levels or grades for the beasts. Rather, the story featured vampires lurking in the back alleys without anyone knowing, witches’ minions rotting people from the inside, and demons infiltrating human society, supporting harmful policies to bring about societal collapse.
The protagonist roamed around the back alleys with his comrades, catching these minions. The kind of story where adults didn’t believe them, but the protagonist’s efforts led to incidents being resolved and truths being revealed.
Of course, there were indeed direct confrontations with massive beasts or witches, but those were only found at the climaxes of various episodes.
Still, I was glad that I didn’t completely abandon the story after just introducing the characters in the early stages. At least I wrote up to the part where they fight and defeat the first raid boss, the Witch of Doubt, right?
The witch.
If a devout believer were to be influenced by demons and serve them instead of the gods, they would draw upon the power of the demons, not the gods. This was, of course, socially unacceptable, but from an ability standpoint, it had its pros and cons.
While most holy powers were utilized for healing and defense, the demons’ dark magic was advantageous for harming enemies. A curse could inflict pain or disabilities until removed, allow throwing fireballs, or create ice spears.
Well, holy power could also create and throw something like a spear, but the only one who could do it with complete faith in the gods would probably be a fairly staunch paladin.
Much more so, while these attacks became vulnerable to holy power, if they could wreak havoc to the utmost until paladins or heroes arrived, they could inflict a level of casualties and material damage that couldn’t be ignored.
Among these witches, there were particularly those who held strong beliefs in demons, akin to a cardinal in our society.
Of course, it’s a different story when you compare their societal statuses. While there are many cardinals, one for each region, the number of genuine higher-grade demons was only seven at most, none close to being on the same level as an actual cardinal in power.
Doubt, desire, lust, jealousy, hatred, animosity, resentment.
If you wonder why I chose to write about the seven deadly sins instead of the far easier ones—pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, sloth—
Well… it was just that I misinterpreted the seven deadly sins back then.
Ahem, anyway.
Returning to the original point, the essence of this novel was about a harem. Even though I was too cowardly to confidently write adult content in my notes, I planned for a heroine with whom the protagonist would eventually entwine bodily. Even though I hadn’t written in depth about them growing closer.
The protagonist, Lee Ji-An, had all sorts of girls getting tangled up with him. Like the tsundere heroine, Selena, or his childhood friend who was yet to appear from a different class, or the cool-headed class president, and Andrea and Aurora, who had backstories but never made it in, and Seo-A, who had not joined yet but was planned.
Amidst various heroines getting involved with the protagonist, there were of course those who had changed sides.
I mentioned the witch earlier, and that’s why I brought it up.
The witches diligently fulfilled their roles, actively using their domains to try and bring down society, spreading doubt, desire, lust, jealousy, hatred, animosity, and resentment among people.
Naturally, the witches had minions disguised as humans hiding all over society, and the academy was no exception.
And the protagonist would end up charming even those. Unknowingly at that.
What a frightening guy.
*
As I mentioned before, Linea, Aurora, and I arrive at the school quite early. Stifling a sigh while watching the two open the cleaning supply cabinet as if it were a given, we clean the classroom together, waiting for other students to arrive.
The first ones to arrive are Selena and Ji-An.
Though they never arrive at the same time, they show up with almost instantaneous timing. Usually, when Selena steps into the classroom, Ji-An arrives within 30 seconds.
Wouldn’t it be okay for them to meet halfway and come together?
In the original story, at the beginning of the semester, Selena unilaterally ignored Ji-An, who, naturally, couldn’t muster the strength to talk to her as she walked right by…
Seeing her again, however, her face seemed a bit red. She had her head slightly bowed upon entering, could it be that she felt shy about facing Ji-An and hurried over?
“…”
I squinted my eyes at Ji-An entering behind Selena. But that oblivious jerk just looked at me with a question mark floating over his head.
Yeah, what do I get from a battle of wit with that guy?
If I asked, “Does she like you?” he’d just say, “No way! We’re just friends,” and make her cry. He should die before he unknowingly builds a harem anyway. I had no intention of giving any help to someone I was already envious of.
After that, a diligent group of students comes in. Including the future class president (and sub-heroine), a small group that barely fit together. Though I called it a group, I did so just to classify them—there’s nothing unusual about them arriving separately. They just showed up roughly 20 to 30 minutes before the actual start time.
And among them, one girl stood out who didn’t seem to fit in with the rest.
Amidst the dull browns and blacks of ordinary hairstyles—though occasionally greens, blues, or purples—that stood out a shocking pink hair.
A short skirt, notably flashy and daring under the neat uniform, even her shirt clung tight enough to be revealing every time she moved. I was starting to doubt whether the buttons could even close.
Yes. Within those early arrivals, obviously, a delinquent mixed in.
A week after entering school.
As friendships began to form among students, the girl who sat alone, staring blankly at the blackboard before morning assembly, looked like someone isolated from the classroom.
And,
“Hey.”
Of course, this wasn’t the protagonist who would just sit and watch. True to the protagonist’s nature of actively exuding pheromones, he tried to extend a hand toward this character too.
“Do you know me?”
The return was a response like this.
“Uh? No, not yet—”
“Then quit being nosy and go play with your friends.”
After saying that, the delinquent—no, in this context, should I call her a ‘gyaru’? Regardless, she seemed very lively.
“…”
In the end, Ji-An couldn’t say anything and walked toward where Selena and I were. Yeah, most girls were generally warm and friendly; he must have been shocked by such a reaction. Actually, he hadn’t been too surprised, since he had dealt with Selena first before.
Thinking bitterly to myself, Ji-An scratched his cheek awkwardly, wearing an embarrassed expression.
“Am I looking really unpleasant?”
““““……””””
Including me, the four nearby girls merely stared at Ji-An in silence. Ji-An looked flustered, beads of sweat forming on his temples as he realized he might have misstepped.
“…Just in case,”
As the other girls remained silent, I spoke as the representative of our group.
“Be careful not to say that kind of thing in front of guys.”
Selena, Linea, and Aurora all nodded silently at my words.
And Ji-An, who didn’t fully grasp the meaning of what I said, just displayed a confusion sign above his head.
*
Well, to be honest, it wasn’t Ji-An’s fault.
Any guy would think after getting rejected by a girl, “What did I do wrong? Is it my clothes? Do they not like my face?” right?
Yet the reason she was sharp with Ji-An wasn’t for that.
And of course, I knew the reason. After all, I created the character.
That doesn’t mean I crafted every single character among the twenty or so in the class. The characters I created were mainly those who would guide the story, and most of them had unique hair colors.
Naturally, she, with her sakura-pink hair that reminded me of cherry blossoms, was also one of those I created.
However, she wasn’t a major heroine. No, that’s not what I mean. So…
How should I put it? She was a character meant to vanish as the story progressed.
As mentioned earlier, the demons and witches plotted to rot human society from within. And among them, of course, there were a few witches’ minions concealed inside the academy.
And what is there to hide? That pink-haired girl was one of those minions—specifically a succubus and moreover, not even a human.
Yet, as stated, it was also supposed that she was meant to be charmed by the protagonist.
And to make the story a tad more dramatic, she was set to be sacrificed and thus perish.
Of course, from my point of view as the author, such a development was rather disheartening. That’s why I decided this character would initially be seen sleeping openly in a corner during class, avoiding interactions with the protagonist until the moment when they might seem to develop a bond—but just when I deemed them close enough, I would swiftly eliminate her to numb the emotions.
In other words, she was a character that was created to die before establishing a deep connection with the protagonist.
That’s why in the early chapter, she was defined as a character who would be sharp toward the protagonist, leaving no room for emotional attachments.
“Hmm.”
I groaned as I watched that character.
But since that was merely a story in the novel, I could brush it aside. If such events transpired in reality, it could cause considerable discomfort, even resulting in lifelong trauma. Indeed, Ji-An felt such rage that he vowed to eliminate the Witch of Doubt who had planted her there.
In fact, she was also a victim caught in the schemes of the Witch of Doubt.
The ‘negative emotions’ that witches were assigned to handle were not truly one-sided.
While they worked hard to instill those feelings, the ones experiencing these emotions most intensely were the witches themselves and the minions born of them.
Undoubtedly, that gyaru was also a character overflowing with doubt.
Can I pull this off? Did they discover it? Why is that person talking to me? What do they want from me?
Why are those people being so nice to me?
Is it okay for me to accept their kindness?
Is it acceptable to like them?
What if I am the one who’s wrong?
What if they were the right ones?
In the beginning, such uncertainty wouldn’t progress to such extremes, but ultimately, the reason that character develops feelings for the protagonist stems from that very doubt.
In the end, she would be discovered by an invading witch, left in despair, and ultimately find faith following her doubts-
Drawing forth holy power to assist Ji-An.
Yet her demon-like body, not truly human, would be consumed by her own holy power until she would perish, stirring Ji-An and his party’s wrath against the witch of doubt.
Although her soul would ultimately find salvation with the Goddess—
-But still, isn’t that ending just too jarring?
And, for that matter, there’s no need for her to sacrifice herself here. I was present, capable of unleashing copious holy power. If I blocked for her, that would suffice.
Then, wouldn’t it just be simpler to become friends right from the start?
If one carries a tremendous sentiment of regret in life, won’t they refrain from contemplating death?
With those thoughts swirling in my head, I quietly observed her.
*
However, I found it hard to initiate a conversation.
The best way to clear up doubts was to simply open up and talk freely from the beginning. However, the challenge lay in how difficult that would be.
We were in the academy, which was filled with students and teachers brimming with a sense of justice.
To top it off, I was linked with an Inquisition subordinate from the Inquisitorial Office and a Gender-neutral Miracle Investigator.
Would a battle-hardened elite paladin belonging to the Inquisition, armed to the teeth with sacred swords, or a combat nun drenched from head to toe in holy water, wielding a consecrated morning star, let a succubus planted by the Witch of Doubt simply be allowed to go?
If they found out, I could easily picture them smashing her head!
The church teaches to avoid speaking with demons. After all, many who ended up serving witches were originally coerced into them through conversations.
But are all beings born evil destined to live in evil?
If we doubt our origins and our ways of life, striving to live righteously, those beings remain innocent regardless of race. If a world exists where simply being born into a certain situation becomes a sin, the fault lies not with the one born, but with that world. That’s how I was raised.
Yet, ironically, this flawed reality was one I’d created.
If there’s wrongdoing, then one must strive to rectify that wrongdoing.
And when individuals fall victim to that flaw, efforts alone are insufficient. Success is absolutely necessary.
Thus, I tentatively devised a plan.
“Ah—!”
Purposefully leaving just before school began, I shouted that as I rummaged through my nun outfit’s pocket.
“What’s the matter?”
“Is something wrong?”
Linea asked calmly, and Aurora widened her eyes as she usually did.
“I left my smartphone…”
To throw off any suspicion, I intentionally didn’t bring my smartphone today. Right now, it must be anxiously waiting for its owner in the church’s storage room.
“Then it would be fine to just go back and get it,” Linea pointed out in a very reasonable manner.
“But doing that would mean violating the church rules. I can’t make you all get scolded for my mistake.”
Truth is, based on Father Nguyen’s attitude, I didn’t think there was even a chance of getting scolded. Perhaps that’s why I did it carelessly.
“That’s not true! We’re friends, aren’t we? If one gets scolded, we all get scolded!”
Not that it was necessary to go so far. I felt a twinge of guilt at Aurora’s fully trusting words and replied.
“No, if I did that, then we wouldn’t be able to participate in our daily classroom cleaning, right? You just go ahead and clean, and I’ll be quick about retrieving it so we can join in together. How’s that?”
Linea gazed at me with immense virtue in her eyes. Ugh, my heart hurts…
“That works.”
She nodded as though satisfied.
“Aurora, let’s be off first. It would be a shame to waste these hours granted to us by the Goddess.”
“Is that so…?”
Aurora looked at me with worry clear in her eyes. Why, do I look like I’d vanish even within a mere ten-minute distance? This area is known for its great safety! After all, the church and the hero academy are both here; only demons or witches would dare commit a crime nearby.
Eventually, one would appear, but that’s really… ‘eventually.’
“Be back soon, okay?”
Aurora’s earnest gaze jabbed at my heart. Ugeh.
“I’ll be back quickly.”
It won’t actually take long at all.
I probably won’t even reach after they start cleaning.
Once I confirmed Linea and Aurora headed toward the elevator, I just stood waiting at the school gate.
That succubus sub-heroine was the type to arrive early, and venturing out to actually find my smartphone would surely make me miss her. Better to wait nearby and catch her.
Around ten minutes later, I spotted Selena and Ji-An arriving. Quickly hiding behind a nearby building to observe, as I expected, Ji-An was following behind Selena, perplexed as she walked at a brisk pace. They looked incredibly awkward but also youthful; it made me envious. But popping out now would defeat the point of waiting outside.
And shortly after, the pink-haired girl arrived alone.
I hurriedly leaped out, closing the distance as rapidly as I could to the pink-haired girl. I’d noticed while drop-kicking earlier; my reflexes seemed quite good. I managed to reach right behind her before she could even turn around.
I quickly grasped her wrist and said.
“Let’s talk.”
“What?”
With her face full of irritation as she attempted to shake off my hand, I could see her surprise at my strength. I’d got the same response when I pulled Linea and Aurora’s arms earlier. Did Ariel think I might soon join a combat team or something?
I shook that horrifying thought off as I moved her to a deserted corner away from others. She seemed to follow along in shock, thinking resistance might be pointless.
“So, what do you want to talk about?”
Once I released her arm, the girl immediately cupped the spot I had held and slipped into a defensive stance.
No, she’s not just a girl—
“Rina Hicks, right?”
That was indeed her name.
“Yeah, that’s me, but why? If you’d just let me go, that would be great. I prefer not to deal with religious officers like you.”
She regarded my black nun outfit with a hint of disdain. Others might see a young nun from the same school unable to refrain from lecturing about Rina’s delinquent attire. But that’s not the kind of talk I planned to have.
“You’re a succubus, aren’t you?”
I shot straight to the point!
Honestly, time was of the essence. The longer it dragged on, the more Linea and Aurora would start to suspect my absence; that’s why I’d left my smartphone behind—an item essential for a modern person!
At the very least, to lighten my impending sense of loss for the day, I had to achieve some outcome in this spot.
“What?”
Rina laughed incredulously, attempting to dismiss my words.
She surely would have tried to ignore it, but I noticed her pupils slightly waver and her voice tremble for just a flicker of a moment.
But there was no way proving my claim if she took the path of denial.
I unleashed a surge of holy power from my hand. If she was a demon or any similar entity, I could easily turn one of her limbs into ashes with the amount I was unleashing.
“Eek.”
The moment my divine flames ignited, capable of burning her whole head, Rina instinctively gasped, then promptly realized she was covering her mouth in surprise.
“Why are you startled? A normal person who believes in the gods wouldn’t be harmed by this level of holy power.”
It was the truth. The classic holy magic, ‘Heal,’ was merely a technique where an immense amount of holy energy could be concentrated and emitted at once. For believers, it could restore their skin, while for enemies of the gods, it could incinerate their bodies.
“…”
As I brandished the flames of holy light before her, as if to threaten her, Rina eventually seemed to relent, lowering her hands dejectedly.
“This is my mistake. I never thought a religious figure could spot me in my disguise right away.”
Well, if there were aspects I was unaware of, maybe she’d have remained undetected too. It’s because I knew her character inside out.
“Anyway, so what? Are you going to turn me over to the Inquisition?”
Completely giving up on her will to live, Rina addressed me hopelessly.
“Are you crazy? Why would I do that?”
I said, extinguishing the holy flames I was conjuring.
“Huh?”
“I’m not planning on reporting you! In fact, you haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Uh, excuse me, the fact that I’m a succubus is considered a crime, don’t you know?”
That’s true.
Even though a human could become a witch, a low-tier demon like a succubus wasn’t any better.
Rina studied me with an expression akin to a madwoman.
“Yeah, you’re right. But did you really do anything wrong?”
As I boldly posed that question, Rina was left dumbfounded.
“Uh…”
“Whether born evil or kind, if anyone chooses to live rightly, they remain good. If you’ve done nothing, there’s no one who can justly punish you.”
I began to ramble my twisted logic, and Rina’s expression morphed into one of anger.
“Is this a joke? If you plan to kill me, just do it already. Quit messing with me.”
Not that I had any intention of killing her. I intended to spare her life.
Though I cannot assert I could predict the future.
“You don’t seem to grasp your current situation. I didn’t come here aspiring to become a hero or anything. If you think so, it would be best to drop it right there, even thinking about it sickens me.”
I knew, from outset, she was planted by the witch as an internal threat.
“The Witch of Doubt planted you here as a spy to sabotage the academy from the inside, didn’t she?”
I spoiled it proudly, causing Rina’s face to turn pale as if the blood had drained from it.
“Y-You, how did…?”
You must be wondering how I figured that out.
I sighed, raising one finger in the air.
“Firstly, you are a succubus. Right?”
“…Yes.”
With a blank expression, Rina replied, showing she couldn’t comprehend what I was insinuating.
“Secondly, since you arrived here, you haven’t done a single thing yet. Right?”
“…”
While she didn’t answer, I remained resolute. She hadn’t yet done anything. It had only been a week since she infiltrated.
“Thirdly, therefore, you hold no sins. Am I right?”
Uncommitted sins aren’t sins at all. If they have none, there’s no authority to punish them.
“…What is it you’re trying to say?”
With a bewildered expression, Rina inquired.
Well, what could I possibly be trying to say?
In truth, I didn’t have a solid point to make.
At the core, I just didn’t want this Rina to perish.
“Just wanted to say that people like you exist.”
I shrugged casually.
“Even someone innocent who has committed no potential wrongdoing can have an ordinary person to defend them. Instead of smashing their heads simply because of a race difference, merely acknowledging their existence.”
I understood fully that I had been crammed into that corner by an episode architected to emerge from my writing.
Rina was indeed crafted as a character borne of the Witch’s making.
“Therefore, keep doubting. Doubt me, the world, yourself. Continue doubting so that one day you won’t have to doubt anything at all.”
Because that’s the kind of being you are.
“Isn’t doubting one of the seven deadly sins? Is that really something a priest should say?”
Rina quirked an eyebrow, raising it in skepticism.
“Who says doubt is one of the seven deadly sins?”
“What?”
I got that wrong; I simply wrote it that way. Not that I could say that. The goddess probably didn’t even know.
[Just realized that now.]
Ugh.
“Before we worship the gods we know now, the previous religions had seven deadly sins regarded as pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth. But now they changed to doubt, desire, lust, jealousy, hatred, animosity, and resentment. What’s up with that?”
“Uh…”
“Because, well, that’s simply how I interpreted it.”
It was true. At least in this world. Realizing I had misunderstood the seven deadly sins came only after the Witch of Doubt emerged. I didn’t want to rewrite, so I simply added that setting.
The seven deadly sins were deemed evil because they were modeled after the behaviors of witches.
“In the past, while anger was one of the seven sins, the church distinguished between righteous and unrighteous anger. Anger fueled by selfish reasons was deemed sinful, but if it aimed toward justice, it was acceptable.”
That’s a phrase from the Catholic dictionary.
“But why on earth would there be a reason to consider anger among the seven deadly sins? Anger is merely a neutral emotion. The distinction between good and evil rests in whoever wields it, don’t you think?”
I conjured a small orb of holy energy on my fingertip.
“Holy power is fatal to demons, right? But what about fire? Some demons were completely immune to fire. Yet for most people, fire remains fatal. But would they view fire as entirely evil?”
The conclusion is that it’s all up to usage.
“What ultimately decides is us—the ones who think. Deciding if doubt is good or bad rests solely upon us. Therefore, we cannot simply view doubt as a negative force. If we fail to doubt, we may not detect infiltrators, and the innocent may face unfounded guilt and the guilty may enjoy innocence.”
“…”
Rina had been gazing at me expressionlessly.
Did that actually resonate with her?
Honestly, I was starting to feel anxious.
“So, what I’m saying is, since you haven’t done anything yet, you might want to consider doubting once in a while.”
I pointed a finger at Rina.
“Consider if your beliefs are correct,”
Then I pointed at myself.
“Consider if our beliefs are correct.”
Or if both of us were entirely mistaken.
“…So, you’re not planning to kill me right now?”
Rina spouted coolly.
I pondered. Was there anything more I could say?
The answer came swiftly. I had no more words left. I couldn’t devise anything clever in my own head.
“Waste of time.”
Rina grumbled such as she stood to leave.
…This must have gone okay, right? I hope I didn’t make things worse?
To be honest, I lacked confidence.
*
Training in the Inquisition was harsh. That harrowing experience never varied, regardless of how young the trainees were.
Yet, there were advantages.
From early on, the content one trained became second nature. It would manifest in their body without needing to think.
That meant I could definitely camouflage my footsteps effortlessly without even trying.
Leaving Aurora alone in the classroom under the pretense of using the restroom, Linea swiftly located Clara.
Clara was comically struggling behind the car, trying to hide, then darting behind the building.
Physically trained to pull those of no concern easily, it seemed she didn’t excel in other aspects.
To be fair, physical abilities could also be innate.
Linea quietly observed and assessed Clara. Noticing Clara lying through her teeth earlier was easy. She’d never been good at hiding her feelings. While typically expressionless, panic would swiftly reflect on her face.
She was definitely hiding something.
Thus, it became Linea’s duty to spy and report on it.
After watching for a while, Clara would suddenly leap out at high speed. Observing from a distance, Linea admired Clara’s quick reflexes.
Clara had seized the wrist of Rina Hicks from the same class.
I noted her name. I couldn’t let potential harm come to observations or targets, so I stored that information as it came.
But why?
To Linea’s eyes, Rina Hicks was an ordinary girl. Sure, she’d have impressive abilities to gain admission to the academy, yet she didn’t seem to stand out.
Maintaining a distance, Linea continued to follow. She took position where their conversation would be audible.
…Demon, succubus, witch…
The conversation growing audible contained shocking content. A witch’s minion had infiltrated the academy. Not just any—it had done so unbeknownst to everyone.
Linea’s instincts rang alarm bells. This was something the Inquisition ought to know immediately. A thorough examination should expose the evil lurking beneath.
…But the story didn’t end there.
As Linea continued to listen, an odd sensation began to settle within her.
When fighting demons, heed not their words.
She’d heard that repeatedly. But the ongoing dialogue between them revealed Clara practically talking non-stop, while Rina was merely mumbling in surprise and disbelief.
What could this possibly mean…?
Clara’s words carried weight; they could very well be deemed heretical or deserving of immediate judgment.
However, it never felt wrong.
It was as if Clara fervently strove not to manipulate or tempt Rina. Instead, she resembled someone desperately saving a person who seemed prepared to take their life.
Fueled by luminous sincerity, she expounded on her beliefs without a trace of doubt.
Linea found Clara’s words to have a certain glow that was inspiring.
What on earth was going on?
Those remarks had to be erroneous. They needed to be; they sharply contrasted with everything she had learned.
Yet, simultaneously, they felt correct. They simply aligned too well with Linea’s teachings about love and belief.
Was Clara a demon? Was this the devil’s whisper? But the holy energy emanating from Clara was something no demon could properly radiate…
“…”
Soon enough, the conversation must have concluded, as someone appeared walking this way. Linea leaned against the wall, crossing her arms in silent anticipation. The footsteps did not belong to Clara; they carried a somewhat uneven rhythm—as if someone were trying to compose themselves, but the legs felt weak, a touch staggering.
Soon, Rina Hicks appeared from the alley.
“Hey!”
Out of reflex, Linea called out to Rina.
“…”
The expression of Rina Hicks, staring back at her, was one that made it hard to view her as a demon. Maybe it was the disguise; demons would find it difficult to contort their expressions like that. They should not be even able to show any.
That makes it easier to strike them down without a guilty conscience.
“Without saying a word, glaring at me like that. Clara is a good, pure person. Don’t try anything slick.”
“Ha.”
Rina chuckled in disbelief with scoffed laughter.
“Who’s trying to pull anything on who?”
She turned abruptly, heading out like she had said all there was to say.
“…”
But while turning, her expression betrayed that she hadn’t completely concealed how she felt. Linea’s reflexes caught the turmoil etched on Rina’s face.
The sign of inner torment.
Not an expression demons would dare wear.
“…”
Doubt isn’t solely something harmful, is it?
Linea did not suspect Clara was a demon. She hoped against hope that she wasn’t. She didn’t wish to doubt her first true friend.
Thus, she resolved not to doubt.
Everyone has different ways of living. Regardless of being a demon, if someone sought to coexist, Clara had said it was possible; she believed a demon could enter the academy and become a hero.
In that case, Linea set on being true to her belief and trusted Clara.
Of course, she had no intention of trusting Rina Hicks. She would remain vigilant from a distance and act if it appeared to escalate. After all, that was indeed the duty bestowed upon her.
She detected footsteps in the alley. This time, Clara was definitely approaching.
Linea quickly slipped away, employing her silent and speedy pace back to the academy.
“Where on earth have you been!”
And then, faced with an angry Aurora cleaning the classroom all alone…
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