Chapter 47: The Truth About the Lesser Demon Academy
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: The Truth About the Lesser Demon Academy
"Heh..."
I spoke up without a shred of mercy. The person on the other end didn't even know where I was, yet they had the gall to start pressuring me the moment they opened their mouth. Who did they think they were?
But despite my disdain, I was still shaken to hear them mention my "Innate Spirit Vision." They actually knew!
As for my family—whether they had known all along or if the Lesser Demon Academy had told them recently—it didn't really matter to me anymore.
Regardless, the fact that the Lesser Demon Academy placed such high value on those with Innate Spirit Vision was unexpected.
"You don't know? Heh, where did a little bitch like you come from, not even knowing that? You'd better hurry up and ask your teacher. Don't go bringing trouble to your academy and end up getting yourself expelled. It wouldn't be worth it. It’ll be all too easy for us to track down where you went. Just you wait; I look forward to the day you're kicked out."
I listened to the dial tone echoing from the phone; the call had been disconnected.
My mood was anything but light. Could they really find out where I’d gone?
I hadn't exactly made a secret of it. Dammit... wasn't I just asking for trouble?
And to have someone stir up trouble for me out of nowhere naturally left me in a foul mood.
At this point, I began to look at the Lesser Demon Academy with a more serious eye. Regardless of its reputation, it was still a Transcendent Academy—that was an undeniable fact.
I just didn't know if the Witch Academy could withstand the pressure. Then again, the Witch Academy was an institution second only to the Three Great Academies; surely it wouldn't buckle under a provocation like this?
Not long ago, a Senior Sister from our academy had thrashed students from the Holy Angel Academy, including a few guys from the Wizard Academy.
A mere Lesser Demon Academy shouldn't dare to pick a fight.
Before I could dwell on it further, my train of thought was interrupted by a message from Sister Bai.
Sister Bai had messaged me again!
This time, it wasn't a question. She had directly forwarded a link to me.
Bai Yu: [Link]
Bai Yu: If you want to understand, take a look at this.
Bai Yu: Are you being harassed?
Bai Yu: The Academy Curtain Wall was breached. You didn't happen to get a call from your parents, did you?
Bai Yu: Just don't overthink it.
Yang Yuehan: Thank you for your concern, Sister Bai. I did just receive a call from home.
Yang Yuehan: At the end, some guy claiming to be from the Lesser Demon Academy snatched the phone and threatened me.
In the end, I decided to come clean to Sister Bai about the situation. Although I had already resolved to sever ties with my family, the Lesser Demon Academy remained a looming threat.
Naturally, I wanted to see Sister Bai's stance on the matter—and perhaps get a sense of the situation to put my mind at ease.
Bai Yu: What?
Bai Yu: How dare they?
Bai Yu: Don't worry. You can handle the relationship with your family however you see fit.
Bai Yu: But as for the Lesser Demon Academy, you have nothing to worry about. Even if you gave them ten thousand times the courage, they wouldn't dare come to the Witch Academy to look for trouble.
Yang Yuehan: Really?
Bai Yu: Of course.
Bai Yu: Have faith in the Witch Academy. We're an institution that dares to go toe-to-toe even with the Three Great Academies. We won't let this affect you.
Yang Yuehan: Mm, I believe you, Sister Bai. I'll leave it at that for now, then.
Yang Yuehan: Talk later?
Bai Yu: Mm.
After our brief chat, a massive weight was lifted from my heart. It seemed the power of the Witch Academy far exceeded my expectations.
However, that didn't stop me from wanting to take a proper look at the Lesser Demon Academy.
I scrolled back up to the link she had sent. I wanted to see exactly what kind of place this Lesser Demon Academy was.
It was time for its mysterious veil to be torn away.
I clicked the link and was surprised to find that the information was hosted on the Academy Network. It seemed the academy system really did contain everything.
As the page opened, I saw a detailed description of the Lesser Demon Academy, complete with extensive text and even images.
The further I read, the more ghastly my expression became.
The last shred of hope in my heart was extinguished.
Just as the Witch Academy turned people into Witches, and the Angel and Elf Academies turned people into Angels and Elves, every other academy had its own unique "teaching style."
The Lesser Demon Academy was no exception.
Starting with the physical appearance of a Lesser Demon, every organ in my body recoiled in disgust.
Lesser Demons didn't have many striking features. If I had to say anything, it was that they were terrifying to look at. The best way to describe them was "humanoid."
Beyond that, there wasn't much else to say.
Compared to that, I felt that becoming a Witch was better... no, it was infinitely better!
Next was the teaching method of the Lesser Demon Academy. The data showed that Lesser Demons were a branch of the broader Abyssal Demon category. Consequently, their teaching method was one of horrific, pure, natural slaughter—survival of the fittest.
Furthermore, the method of transforming into a Lesser Demon made me feel nauseous; it made my skin crawl.
Unlike Witchification, the process of Lesser Demonization involved dissolving a life form within a Flesh Furnace and then reshaping it into the life form of a Lesser Demon.
They treated living beings as raw materials to catalyze the birth of a Lesser Demon—or rather, a reshaping of life. Even those without the gift of Spirit Vision could serve as the flesh-and-blood material for shaping a Lesser Demon.
Beings with Spirit Vision would enter the Flesh Furnace to be molded into new Lesser Demons and then incubated...
Every year at the start of the school term, the shores of the Blood Pool would be lined with Lesser Demon eggs. Those recruited into the academy first would naturally be the first to hatch. They would emerge with fractured memories and a sense of self polluted by the memory fragments of others, instinctively cobbling together a worldview before engaging in the most primitive behaviors under the influence of the Lesser Demon bloodline.
Namely, feeding. Whether it was the flesh and nutrients within the Blood Pool or the eggs of their fellow Lesser Demons, everything was fair game to serve as supplements for their survival.
A newly hatched Lesser Demon could grow into a complete form within a single year, provided they had enough flesh to consume. They would eventually recognize themselves through their own memories, and after undergoing a process of mental collapse and eventual acceptance, they would either continue to survive within the Lesser Demon Academy or end their own lives to become a feast for another...
By this point, I was feeling severely unwell, especially since the text was accompanied by pictures!
It was absolutely unforgivable!
Why did such an academy even exist?
Was this the cruelty on the flip side of the Transcendent world?
Demons... this certainly fit my understanding of the race, even if this was just one branch—the Lesser Demons.
Just from the name alone, I could guess the status of this race within the demon hierarchy. They were undoubtedly cannon fodder.
I recalled that guy's obsession with my Innate Spirit Vision. If I had submitted to all of this, that would have been my fate.
Was Innate Spirit Vision really that important?
It wasn't hard to imagine that my memories would have been incomplete, mixed with the fragments of others. My identity would no longer be "me." I would have been forced to change, to adapt to that environment just to survive. And if I possessed a terrifying level of Spirit Vision on top of that, I would indeed be a formidable monster.
But I still wasn't entirely clear on what was so special about Spirit Vision. Wasn't it just a means to see the "Inner World" clearly?
Many people in this world—most people, in fact—possessed Spirit Vision; it was just that many didn't awaken it until they reached adulthood.
Or was it that having Innate Spirit Vision meant my upper limit after becoming Transcendent would be higher?
I had no way of knowing. I thought about asking Sister Bai, but on second thought, I decided not to disturb her further. Just like my unknown Talent, this was something beyond my current reach.
Delving into it now would only bring unnecessary worry.
All that remained in me now was a lingering, unshakable loathing for the Lesser Demon Academy.
I exited the link. I didn't want to look at anything else for the moment. Even though there were introductions for the Holy Angel Academy, the Elf Academy, and others, I was no longer in the mood to keep reading.