Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Since When Has Dean Alderson Been a Doll?
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When had Dean Alderson been a doll?
From the very first moment we met?
Or had something happened just in the last few days?
It was possible.
There might be personal circumstances I didn't know about.
For instance, if he'd prepared a doll that duplicated his memories for efficient division of labor, then I was making a historic fuss over nothing—
—My hope circuit just blew!
‘...Damn it.’
My mind snapped awake at the sudden stab from my third senior brother's voice.
I scrapped the hopeful speculation and faced reality head-on.
“Are you alright?”
Dean Alderson asked in a concerned tone.
At that moment, I felt I shouldn't reveal any of the information I'd gathered at the academy.
Especially not about the Demon King of the Blood Moon.
“Ruan, the heir?”
Dean Alderson's expression grew peculiar.
Did dolls copy the original's thought processes perfectly too?
If so, the person I had to fool right now was a grand archmage.
He already seemed to sense something off, so from here on, I'd have to choose my words carefully.
I opened my mouth in a somewhat sluggish tone.
“...I met Professor Alec.”
Thinking it over first and then speaking would be too slow.
I had to organize my thoughts while speaking, without any awkwardness in my demeanor.
I spun my brain at full speed, steam practically rising from my head, while keeping my outward tone calm.
“And I saw photos of Spirit Mountain.”
“Hmm... So Professor Alec was more compliant than expected.”
“He didn't seem entirely sane. His attitude and tone were calm, but his lecture was overflowing with madness. He even spoke of the empire's downfall. Dangerous ideas for a professor to hold—why hasn't he been dismissed?”
I shot back in a voice tinged with slight anger.
Sorry, Professor Alec, but I had no other excuse to bring up.
Alderson looked at me oddly and said,
“Is that why you called me?”
“Yes.”
“...Hmm. Then why did you ask for Leone?”
I figured he'd ask that.
Fortunately, I'd just thought of an excuse.
“The photos Professor Alec showed had a black sun. Eclipses are omens of the Demon King's descent, meaning the entire demon realm belongs to the Demon King. I thought Leone might know more details.”
Alderson glanced at Evan.
“What about this heir?”
It was like he was implying I hadn't brought him along because I suspected him of being a sub-cult leader.
I shook my head.
“Evan is a reliable colleague and friend. He showed excellent results in the training camp, and barring any issues, we'll be entering Heros together afterward.”
“I see... So you're coordinating in advance.”
I nodded.
I could feel Alderson's gaze sweeping over Leone and Evan.
But thankfully, these two were talents whose true intentions even I found hard to read.
Leone kept a smiling face, and Evan met his eyes with a perfectly natural bow.
Was he convinced?
Or had he decided to let it slide for now?
Alderson spoke in an ambiguous tone.
“As you said, Professor Alec's ideology does have some radical elements. But he's not mad, and certainly no dreamer. The academy needs talents with diverse values. In education, the most important thing is creating an environment that prevents biased viewpoints from forming.”
It didn't seem to mean using him as a negative example...
More like broadening horizons by observing various people.
“Won't that be dangerous? Forgive my rudeness, but couldn't he be a tendril of the Dark Cult?”
It would be weird not to mention the cult at all, so I brought it up myself.
At this point, I observed Alderson's expression closely, but there was no particular change.
According to Leone...
Dean Alderson was in a state of 'not knowing he's a doll himself.'
That raised one question.
Where was the real Alderson?
No way he was already dead.
Alderson Marburg, one of the empire's seven grand archmages?
“Unlikely. Alec is no cultist. I can guarantee that much.”
“......”
Normally, I'd accept those words or at least feel some trust.
Coming from a grand archmage, after all.
But now, they felt rather meaningful.
It suddenly occurred to me.
If Alderson had fallen to the Demon King, when would that have been?
‘......’
I realized I'd overlooked one crucial fact.
Come to think of it, I didn't even know.
Exactly when the Demon King had descended.
* * *
We talked as much as we could without arousing suspicion, then left the Tower of Trials.
Leone said nothing particular, but right before parting, he looked at me and said,
—Let's wrap everything up next time.
It was meaningful, but with so much on my mind, I decided to forget it.
I had no intention of meeting Leone for a while anyway.
I mulled over the current situation and agonized, but the conclusion didn't change.
‘This is really fucked.’
The more I thought, the worse it seemed than the training camp when the Nine had descended—definitely not better.
“Now do you get it?”
Evan, who'd been following silently, spoke up once we reached a less crowded area.
“Why the academy is already half-doomed.”
“You knew?”
“To some extent. I didn't expect even Dean Alderson to have fallen.”
“......”
“I told you, right? We can't escape the academy.”
I was pondering how to respond when I spotted a bench under a streetlamp.
“Wanna sit for a bit?”
“Sure.”
We sat on the bench.
Naturally, not side by side—we sat at opposite ends, like there was a wall between us.
It looked a bit comical...
But suddenly, it felt like this perfectly captured my current relationship with Evan.
We could sit on the same bench and talk, but it was a distance too far for friends.
I muttered,
“Is the real Dean Alderson really dead?”
“Who knows. I don't. But he's probably not in a state to act.”
“I never imagined the Violet Grand Archmage had already fallen to the Demon King.”
“The opponent's the Demon King. It's not outright impossible.”
“...Sacrifice.”
I murmured the word.
The biggest question: how had the Demon King been summoned without a sacrifice.
That too was resolved.
“He replaced the absent human sacrifice with a doll.”
Alderson's doll was indistinguishable from a real person.
It handled memories, habits, behavior, even mana—so in a way, a perfect imitation.
Evan replied with a slight smile.
“All academy students climb the [Tower of Trials]. In theory, Dean Alderson could make dolls of every student.”
Of course, the dean had said it took considerable time...
But for upperclassmen enrolled over three years, he might have just enough.
“Even so, it's no easy task. Some share rooms, and there'd be moments they'd sense something off.”
“Maybe that's why the ghost stories spread—to cover it up. You heard the nonsense going around the research labs, right?”
A chill ran down my spine.
If it could freely stir up mere rumors, what difference was there from the Demon King controlling the entire Cartel Academy?
A hollow laugh escaped me.
I'd come to investigate the demon realm, and it turned out this was it.
“Way too shitty for just the two of us to break.”
“Like throwing an egg at a rock. And finding allies isn't easy. Leaving the academy is impossible, and as far as I know, going out or contacting the outside requires professor approval.”
“And with the dean as a doll, we can't trust the professors either?”
“Exactly.”
Evan looked at me and said,
“...So, Ruan, why not just kill the prince and princess? Think about it. If two imperial bloodlines die, the palace will intervene without us calling. The surest way to summon reinforcements. Even without that, the chaos makes sneaking around easier.”
“......”
Was I starting to lose it?
Evan's insistence on assassinating royals was starting to sound plausible.
“No.”
Still, I shook my head.
“Let's secure reliable people one by one first.”
“How? You're not planning to check each one if they're dolls—that'd take too long, and our intentions might leak.”
I agreed.
I glanced at Evan and said,
“Of course the dean's doll is impressive, but I already confirmed it when I climbed the Tower of Trials.”
“What?”
“Something even that impressive doll can't imitate—our Great Family's specialty.”
“Uh......”
Evan said,
“Blessings?”
Then he tilted his head.
“So you're telling all the other heirs the full situation?”
“Hiding your part, but yeah, the rest. Not all at once—I'll pull them in one by one.”
“Risk of tails following us increases.”
“I know. But this situation is a speed race anyway.”
I looked up at the sky.
Just then, the moon emerged from behind the clouds.
A bit fuller than a half-moon.
“Eight days until the full moon. Let's settle it before then.”
* * *
I returned to the dorm room.
Hector was there when I opened the door, back earlier than usual.
His face looked much better than before.
I got straight to it.
“Brother, come with me for a sec.”
“What's up?”
Either way, Hector was prime combat material.
He didn't meet Evan's standards, but I saw it differently.
Hector and Karon were ready for immediate deployment.
“How many Blessings do you have again, brother?”
“Eight... Why the sudden question?”
“Could you show me one?”
“No problem.”
“Good.”
I'd planned to drag him out for sparring and force a look if he refused.
“......?”
Hector shuddered briefly, then looked at me and said,
“Most of my Blessings focus on physical training, so in this state, I can only show... this.”
Hector slightly drew his sword and tensed his palm on the hilt.
Ching!
For a moment, the number of blades increased.
“Cool. What Blessing is it?”
“Blessing of Duplication. Nothing fancy—just temporary replication of objects.”
“Seems plenty fancy.”
“Not really. Short duration, and durability's way lower than the original... Tricky to use in combat.”
“Still looks synergistic with your Afterimage Sword.”
Hector nodded.
“Yeah. Lately, I've been researching ways to incorporate it that way.”
“Ah.”
I nodded along while thinking.
Minimum verification complete.
He could use a Blessing, and I sensed his breathing—definitely not a doll.
“I have something to say.”
“What?”
“Brother, do you know what's happening at this academy?”
“......”
Hector looked at me in surprise, and seeing his face, I was a bit flustered too.
His expression wasn't 'What are you talking about?' but more 'How do you know...'
“You know something too?”
“Yeah, but... I want to hear your story first.”
I decided to go ahead.
The odd vibes at the academy, the suspicious royals, research lab rumors, Dean Alderson's true nature—I laid it all out.
I only hid Evan's identity, naturally omitting the info he'd given—that the Demon King was already summoned.
“...Hmm.”
As expected, Hector wasn't surprised.
But he seemed to grasp the severity more than I'd thought.
“I get what you're saying. I didn't realize it had progressed that far...”
“You knew too?”
“...That the academy's become a dangerous place.”
Hector looked at me seriously.
“Ruan, you're telling me this hoping for my help, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, can you come with me to meet someone right now? I stake my name on it—he's trustworthy and knows far more about this than we do.”
“Who?”
Excluding the heirs, I couldn't think of anyone reliable enough to help.
I was skeptical of Hector's words, but the name he dropped changed my mind instantly.
“Vatar Goodspring. That man can help us.”