“Suspicious person?”
Pastel, diligently working in the student council, welcomed a guest.
The upperclassman unfolded a map of the library and pointed to a section marked with a red circle.
“I heard there’s been some activity in the library at night, so we investigated and found a hidden passage. Turns out it’s the sewer. It’s quite deep, so we didn’t explore it, but I think there’s an external passage that might have allowed an outsider to sneak into the academy.”
Hmm.
Just when the tournament preparations were done, and now there’s an intruder.
“I know about that! They discovered the entrance while building the new dormitory. They say it’s remnants of the Demon Lord’s holy site. After some exploration, there seemed to be an ecosystem forming inside.”
Pastel traced mouse whiskers on her cheek with her finger.
“Squeaky~.”
Squeaky Friends.
The upperclassman, slightly taken aback by the mouse sound effect, asked, “What happened with Jochi?”
Pastel, crossing her arms with a serious expression, replied, “I consulted the professors, but since it’s too vast, complete sealing is impossible.”
Nod, nod.
“So we decided to block just the entrance. The professors will handle the external passage and the entrance…”
Pastel tilted her head mid-sentence.
But the entrance looks perfectly fine in the library. Have the professors not finished their measures? After all, it is pretty big.
“Got it! We’ll have the student council check it out!”
Pastel headed alone to the library where the suspicious outsider was said to be.
As she stepped into the large library building, the high ceiling and spacious area came into view. Bookshelves that reached the ceiling stretched all the way to the far end.
The pink girl gasped.
“Wow, the smell of studying! I’ve never smelled it since entering!”
『That’s nothing to brag about.』
A formally dressed demon remarked while looking around.
Pastel fanned herself. The smell of the library hit her.
“Mm~! The musty scent of book dust! Any guardian who makes me breathe this kind of air is surely a bad person!”
『Don’t say you don’t want to study in that way.』
The demon pressed down on her pink head with the palm of his hand.
“How did you know?!”
Pastel’s face lit up with surprise.
Then she flinched at the librarian’s piercing gaze passing by.
Oh, right!
You have to be quiet in the library!
Pressing her index finger to her lips, she suddenly raised her hand and pressed down on the demon’s lips.
Shh!
The demon’s lips squished together in surprise.
『Why do I have to—』
“Ah!”
Pastel shouted in frustration at the demon, who didn’t even know basic etiquette.
“Shh! Shh! Quiet! Quiet!”
The girl’s voice echoed through the space.
The departing librarian turned on her heel and looked back and forth between the girl and the demon.
“Please be quiet in the library.”
Uh-oh, got scolded!
Pastel’s mouth fell open. Once the librarian left, she turned back to the demon with an indignant expression.
Unfair! So unfair!
The demon seemed incredulous.
『Why are you getting upset?』
Pastel gestured for him to lower himself. The demon bent down. She leaned in and whispered in his ear.
“It’s because of you, Demon Lord, that I got scolded.”
The girl whispered.
『Why is that my fault?』
The demon seemed baffled.
“That is… that is….”
Pastel started explaining but went blank when she couldn’t think of a good reason.
Silence hung in the air.
Fidgeting, she swung her arms.
“I-I don’t know! I don’t know! Let’s go check the underground passage already!”
She grabbed the demon’s arm and ran off.
Of course, they got scolded by the librarian again and had to walk instead.
“Ugh, because of you, Demon Lord!”
Totally unfair!
『So why is that my fault?』
“Not realizing that is the problem!”
They passed through the general reading room, accessible to both outsiders and students, and went deeper inside.
Having secured the entry rights as members of the student council, they descended into the underground, arriving at a stockroom filled with numerous books.
Once the librarian who led them left, Pastel kept a watchful eye around. She scanned the various books with a sharp gaze.
“Is this the 0th-grade confidential stockroom containing the prohibited magical books?”
Ugh!
She felt a strong magical presence…!
The demon casually responded, with his hand in his pocket.
『It’s just an ordinary book storage. It’s a place for unpopular books that are rarely used.』
“Not a confidential stockroom?!”
『What are you expecting?』
Ugh.
There’s no sense of adventure at all.
Disappointed, she moved towards a corner where she spotted a hole in the tiled floor.
Peeking in, it looked like someone had dug a hole that went deep down, reaching the sewer floor. The smell of sewage wafted up.
“Looks like a perfect hole for an intruder to crawl through.”
Is the academy’s security really okay with this?
Why on earth would they build the academy above a perfectly good sewer without sealing it first?
There’s definitely some bad intention behind that. They were probably planning to use it as a secret passage for their own purposes. For various crimes and corruption.
As Pastel thought about this, the realization struck her that Craft was the one who didn’t seal the sewer.
The Craft Family, who sold the safety of future residents for their own crimes and corruption.
Ancestors……!
Ugh.
Just sitting here, my conscience is…!
The demon glanced at her.
『What’s wrong?』
“Oh, nothing. Just missing my Squeaky Friends too much.”
The demon nodded.
『Well, I’m sure the Squeaky Friends miss you too.』
Huh?
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Really?!”
The demon leaned in closer as if to scare her, his red eyes gleaming.
『They’re just waiting to feast on your blood and flesh.』
“Gasp, blood and flesh!”
Thinking about it, the Squeaky Friends could devour a giant snake in the blink of an eye. She would be gone in a heartbeat.
The girl trembled.
“W-Wait, you’re not still holding a grudge for the last time when Knife Friends massacred the Squeaky Friends, are you?”
『Maybe I could be.』
The demon chuckled.
Agh.
I’ll definitely apologize to my Squeaky Friends when we meet again…!
Pastel climbed down the hole to apologize. The hole was deep but had a groove, making it surprisingly easy to descend.
Once she was almost down the hole, she looked down at the sewer. Since the hole was in the ceiling of the sewer, she couldn’t see the condition of it very well.
Seems like there’s no one around, right?
Jumping down, she landed on the sewer floor. Turning on the magical gem lantern, its light illuminated the dim sewer.
Whispering towards her waist, where the demon sword rested, she said, “Seems like no one is here?”
『Lower the light. We haven’t even approached the corner yet, and it would be bad if someone from another corner notices our light.』
Adjusting the magical lantern and carefully scanning the surroundings, she discovered traces of people on the sticky floor due to the moisture of the sewer.
External intruders.
“There are many footprints. It seems like several people?”
What could their purpose be?
Reducing the light further, she quietly followed the traces. She intended to find their hideout. Surely, they wouldn’t dare to navigate these vast sewers carelessly.
Squeaky Friends are scary.
Nervous, Pastel pulled out her knife and clutched it tightly. If there were some scary people, she’d have to use the knife to dash away.
Not long after, she stumbled upon a hideout. It appeared to be a place meant for the sewer’s attendants, as there was a steel door along one side of the passage. The door, while rusty, still looked sturdy.
『The doorframe is damaged. It’s been left too long, so the work to open it has been attempted numerous times.』
Huh?
This really looks like a proper hideout!
She thought it would be a makeshift shelter in a cracked corner of the sewer, but it was utilizing actual facilities.
Pastel whispered, “It must be someone other than a typical intruder.”
『It could be a coincidence, but it’s highly likely there was prior research done.』
Totally suspicious and sinister.
Pastel narrowed her eyes, focusing on the steel door.
Suddenly, the steel door made a noise.
Huh?
Pastel quickly turned off the lantern.
Complete darkness enveloped the space, and the door opened. A bright light from inside slowly revealed itself.
The person holding the door spoke in an excited tone.
“Do you think it’s easy to grasp the Duke’s daughter’s security schedule?! Then you go check it if you’re so unhappy!”
They pointed towards the sewer. Just her luck, it pointed in Pastel’s direction, freezing her in place.
“If you bring something worse than what I’ve checked a few times, you’d better be prepared to die!”
“Hey, hey! I get it, so calm down! If you shout, the rats will come! Just close the door for now!”
As someone inside urged him, the man by the door paused, panting heavily. Then he closed the door roughly. The door slammed shut, then gently opened again, light seeping through the thin gap.
Huh?
Almost frozen, Pastel cautiously approached. She peeked through the gap.
Inside was a decently spacious square room with furniture, and about six individuals seemed to be gathered. All of them had pointed ears, clearly looking like demons.
Straining her ears, she could make out their conversation.
They were talking about poisoning the Academy’s water supply to kill human students along with assassinating Elshire. They urged each other not to stall in figuring out the Duke’s daughter’s security.
Assassination of the Duke’s daughter and indiscriminate slaughter.
Pastel’s eyes widened.
Whoa?
Th-They’re really scary people.
Her body shook.
Agh.
I have to run away first.
She hesitated to back away.
But is it really okay to just leave such dangerous people unchecked?
What if they fled and released indiscriminate toxic gas? Something like poison is usually the weapon of those who do such bad deeds.
Oh no.
I must fight to protect my friends.
Her mind spun.
I have to fight scary people like them?
Why is there such a trial for me……!
Agh.
Gripping her head, Pastel trembled as she pulled out a glass bottle filled with yellow liquid.
Closing her eyes tightly, she cried inside.
Demon Lord, give me courage!
Summoning all her focus, she threw open the door. The pink girl shined as she stepped into the light, all eyes turned toward her.
“B-Bad people who would release poison gas!”
Pastel yelled, still with her eyes shut tight.
“Justice will prevail!”
She threw the glass bottle with all her strength. The yellow liquid whirled and vaporized.
The bottle hit the ground and exploded, releasing paralysis gas and enveloping the room in an instant.
Startled by the sudden gas attack, the demons coughed and screamed. Some regained their senses and rushed to the door, grabbing weapons with fierce expressions.
Agh!
Pastel trembled in fear.
I have to fight?
Against people who think of indiscriminate slaughter as nothing?
“S-Someone help me!”
With shaking hands, she slammed the door closed. The door banged violently shut. The demons rushed, trying to open the door.
“Agh!”
Pastel screamed, pushing against the door. The door shook wildly as she managed to forcibly shut it.
“Sorry! Please don’t hurt me!”
As the demons pounded on the door, the heavy thuds boomed. Each time, gas and screams seeped through the gaps.
Agh!
In a panic, Pastel slammed the door shut again. A loud noise erupted. The demons, who were trying to force the door open, got bounced back as it closed.
Whoa!
“Help me! Help me!”
I’ll be good from now on!
No, I’ll be bad instead……!
I’ll live a life of nothing but bad deeds!
A chaotic time passed.
After a while, silence fell beyond the door.
Exhausted, Pastel collapsed onto the ground.
Haaah.
Totally bad people.
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