Chaos Mid-Exam
Why are the Devil Possessed so feared by people? There are many reasons, but the greatest is simply that they are dangerous.
A companion who was laughing and chatting with you just an hour ago could have their body seized by a devil at any moment, sending them into a wild, murderous frenzy. The only thing left of them would be the possessing entity. Who in their right mind would want to be near someone like that? It is only natural that very few would willingly keep a time bomb with an unknown countdown by their side.
Their sheer lethality is far beyond what any ordinary person can withstand; rumors even circulate of a ten-year-old child who didn't even know how to fight slicing a trained knight to ribbons.
Devil possession does not discriminate. It can strike anyone, even those with loving families. Well, you can probably guess the rest. The families of the Devil Possessed rarely meet a good end. Those who do manage to escape harm are usually just lucky enough to have been elsewhere when the awakening occurred.
Countless tragedies have occurred because someone refused to abandon a dear friend who had become possessed, only to pay with their life. Once you witness that endless, abyssal malice, there are only two possible outcomes: either the Devil Possessed dies, or the witness does. In most cases, it is the latter.
But sheer danger is not the only reason the Devil Possessed are shunned.
"Argh! Ow, my bone! You hit my bone, you crazy tin can! Why are you so damn hard?!"
"Orca! Evacuate immediately! You've done enough!"
"Hey! Are you sure this thing can even be broken?!"
"...It is practically impossible. The scarecrows are artificial lifeforms sustained by the professors' mana. They will not stop as long as mana remains inside them. Furthermore, as a safety measure, they are designed to operate if even a single person remains connected."
"Then can't we just cut all the connections?!"
"Everyone who was supposed to cut them already did! There is a traitor among the faculty! So run! Once enough time passes, it will run out of mana and shut down on its own!"
Ah, damn it. They're completely useless. I actually liked the counselor, though. Why is it that I can't stand a single teacher here? ...Except for the counselor.
And they want me to run after I charged in looking all cool? I'd rather die.
"...So it's being kept active by magic. Then it's simple. I just have to smash it."
"Are you insane?! You saw how solid it is! These were built with the goal of being unbreakable by anyone except the Principal! And the Principal is away on a business trip right now! No one can break it!"
"You people always whisper behind my back like you know everything about me. Did you suddenly lose your memory? Fuck, I'm a Devil Possessed."
"What does that have to do with... Ah."
"Dumbass."
The second reason the Devil Possessed are shunned: their absolute resistance to magic.
There have been countless attempts to use magic to suppress the seizures that plague the Devil Possessed. They tried everything from binding spells to sleep magic and other status ailments. ...If those attempts had actually worked, the Devil Possessed wouldn't be nearly as feared. They could simply be subdued by force whenever a seizure occurred.
But there is nothing more foolish than trying to cast magic on a devil. Unless a devil willingly accepts it, attacks utilizing mana cannot affect them. This rule is no exception for the Devil Possessed, who host these entities and can wield their demonic power.
"Don't bill me if the facilities get wrecked, okay?"
"...Fine. I will take full responsibility."
"Now that's what I like to hear."
Orca had always been forced to hold back whenever a fight broke out within the Academy. If she accidentally damaged the surrounding facilities or broke something important with her demonic hand, she would have to pay for it all.
The woman who had dragged her to the Academy by force—Veronica, was it? Although that woman had promised to cover her entire tuition... she had never said anything about covering property damage. So, Orca had been careful until now.
...But now? Since she had been given permission to go wild, she could beat this tin can to a pulp without a single worry.
"Bring it on, tin can. Brawling is my specialty. This time, I'm going to cave that stupid face of yours in. Two minutes is all I need."
Orca cracked her knuckles and took a leisurely step toward the tin can, only to freeze mid-stride.
"What is it?"
"...What the fuck? Why isn't it coming out?"
"?"
Orca stared blankly at her hand. ...Why isn't the hand manifesting? It always came out so easily before. Her mind went completely blank at this unprecedented situation.
"Are you kidding me?! Why won't it come out?! It was working perfectly just a second ago! T-Tin can! Hold on a second!"
But the rampaging scarecrow, of course, did not listen. As Orca panicked in the face of this unexpected turn of events, the scarecrow swung its massive arm. The blow struck her squarely, folding her waist backward like a drawn bow.
"Kaaah...! You piece of shit...! What the hell is going on all of a sudden...!"
"...You must not do bad things. That is the contract."
"What? What the fuck does that... Wait, did that just come out of my own mouth...?"
The teacher who had been watching her earlier might have thought she was a total lunatic. But Orca couldn't even spare a thought for that, utterly horrified by the voice slipping from her own lips.
"Stupid girl. To think you wouldn't even recognize who is speaking."
"...Are you the devil? Holy shit."
"Who else would it be?"
She had always believed it was impossible for the devil to strike up a conversation. Weren't they supposed to just quietly gather strength to hijack her body? ...Well, she could ask about that later. For now, Orca decided to address the most pressing issue.
"S-So? What is this absolute bullshit about not doing 'bad things'?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Breaking other people's things is a bad thing. You mustn't do it."
"...I don't understand you at all."
A devil caring about something like that? What a joke. Orca vehemently rejected the absurd notion.
"Did you forget? Did you forget what you did using my body?!"
"I know. It was fun. But we can't do that now. That is the contract."
"I have no fucking clue what you're talking about. Just give me the arm right now, you parasite."
"I told you, no bad things."
"That crazy tin can is trying to kill me! Is defending myself a bad thing, you stupid parasite?!"
"...Ah, then it is fine. You should have just said so."
Along with the understanding voice, the demonic arm that had refused to budge just moments ago suddenly burst into the air as if the previous struggle had been a lie. It was a familiar, blazing limb.
"I was sleeping when you suddenly woke me up, so I wondered what was going on. There, happy?"
"You motherf—"
"Are you going to hit me? Go ahead. It'll only hurt you, though. Since this is your body, after all."
"AAAAAAARGH!!"
"Oh, I love that voice filled with rage. As expected of the host I handpicked."
Orca charged at the scarecrow like a madwoman. She felt like she would explode if she didn't beat something to vent this indescribable fury.
"Ugh, this is maddening! They show absolutely no sign of stopping!"
"Y-Your Highness! Are you alright?!"
"You are..."
Was his name Leo? She recognized his face, as he was a student she occasionally saw when she visited the Counseling Room. He seemed fairly well-known among the other students, and when she had briefly watched him take his exam, he had seemed capable of producing something akin to Sword Qi. ...He was worth answering.
"To be frank, not great. There are too many scarecrows, and our attacks aren't even leaving a scratch."
Although the number of scarecrows was far fewer than the number of students, their quality was on a different level. Their bodies were designed to easily withstand the onslaught of dozens of students, and even Stella lacked the confidence to break them.
"It seems the targets of this bizarre incident are myself and the proctor."
"I-Is that so?"
"Just look around. Compared to the other students, there are far too many here."
While it was common to see dozens of students being targeted by a single scarecrow, the area around the proctor and Stella was a different story. There were at least three of them in plain sight. ...They had clearly come with the sole intention of killing them.
"Hey, Pawn."
"M-Me?"
"Who else is here besides you?"
He had no particularly outstanding features—the very definition of a foot soldier. Though he possessed some potential, judging by how he swung that mimicry of Sword Qi... he still fell short of Stella's standards. After all, that power didn't stem from true Sword Qi, but rather from the performance of the artifact bound to his body.
Frankly, he wasn't impressive enough to warrant her buffs. However, he wasn't so utterly useless that she couldn't work with him, so she would make do for now.
"It seems that wild card of a Knight has destroyed a scarecrow. The Bishop is also drawing their attention, so our goal is simple: we hold the line."
She didn't know the exact details, but seeing the Devil Possessed destroy a scarecrow confirmed that their durability was indeed magical in nature. If they wanted to deal with them, they would need her power. After all, she would be the one best suited to shattering these needlessly sturdy scarecrows.
"Can you do it?"
"...I don't particularly like being called a foot soldier, but yes. I can do it."
"Good."
She would have to raise her estimation of this student a bit higher than she initially thought. She quite liked his confidence.
"Why don't you stop hiding and help out too, Aileen?"
"Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden..."
"I can understand a Rook staying in reserve... but now that most of the Pawns have stepped forward, isn't it about time you made your move?"
"...It's been a while since I last heard those incomprehensible metaphors of yours."
"Ah, you are..."
"Hi. Long time no see."
Recalling their encounter during the friendly match, Leo bowed his head to greet the girl who had emerged from the rubble. Aileen. The girl who had been camping in the forest. Was she acquainted with the Princess?
"I don't want to."
"It is an imperial decree from your Princess. You've slacked off enough, so it's time to put in some effort."
"..."
...I guess they don't get along very well. Leo's eyes darted back and forth in the awkward silence. He found himself wishing the rampaging scarecrow would just attack them already...