The Queen's Two Faces

The interrogation room inside the inspection bureau was cold and dark, with a faint metallic tang of blood hanging in the air. At its center sat an iron desk and a chair fitted with restraints on the armrests.

"Sit."

Logan gave the order. Neria hesitated for a moment. That chair was meant for criminals. She was the queen of the inspection bureau. For someone like her to sit in that chair…

"Sit down."

At Logan's firm command, she finally lowered herself into the criminal's seat. Logan secured her wrists and ankles, then took the chair opposite her and activated the recording crystal orb on the desk.

The moment Neria saw the orb, her body stiffened. Logan began the questioning in a calm, authoritative tone.

"We'll start the interrogation. What is your name?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Neria… Neria Crowin."

She answered mechanically.

"Your position?"

"Instructor at Lumen Academy."

"You look quite tall. Exactly how tall are you?"

"One hundred and seventy-four centimeters."

"Impressively tall. Anyone you look down on would feel intimidated, even criminals."

Logan's questions gradually grew more brazen.

"Very well, Instructor Neria. What are your three sizes? Be precise."

"Th-that kind of question is…"

"If you don't answer, we'll stay here until someone comes."

"Bust is one hundred and eight… waist is sixty, hips are one hundred and two…"

Neria's voice grew smaller and smaller.

"No wonder your uniform always looks like it's about to burst at the seams," Logan said with a chuckle, continuing his questions. "What color panties are you wearing right now?"

"White…"

"If I check and you're lying, I'll rip every button off your uniform."

"They really are white…"

The increasingly explicit questions continued until Logan finally reached the last one.

"Then tell me, Instructor Neria. Do you want to masturbate right now?"

"N… no…"

"Hmm… looks like I'll have to rip those buttons after all. I'll give you one more chance. Do you want to?"

"……"

Neria faltered. The moment Logan stood up, a young man's voice called from outside.

"Senior Inspector Neria! Are you in there?"

The inspection bureau's interrogation rooms were deliberately not perfectly soundproofed. The design allowed the screams of those being questioned to leak into adjacent rooms, adding psychological pressure.

Logan slowly deactivated the crystal orb and released the metal cuffs from Neria's wrists and ankles. When she opened the door and stepped out, a baby-faced young inspector was standing there with a bright expression.

"Senior! It really is you! Why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?"

Neria had completely reverted to her usual cold expression, but she couldn't hide the flush in her cheeks.

"It's been a while. However, I no longer belong to the inspection bureau. Do not call me senior."

The junior flinched at her icy tone.

"Ah… I'm sorry. Then… may I ask where you're headed now, Lady Neria?"

She snapped back sharply.

"Why would that be any of your concern? Instead of wasting time on matters that aren't your business, review your documents again."

The junior awkwardly bowed his head at her sharp, merciless words. Neria turned to look at Logan. Her eyes were as cold as they had been when she looked at her former subordinate, but her voice softened slightly.

"Dean. Shall we go?"

Logan followed behind her with a satisfied smile.

Hard to believe that ice queen belongs to me now.

She had performed two completely different personas perfectly in her old workplace. The sight filled Logan with unmatched excitement and a deep sense of dominance.

By the time night had fully settled over the capital of Alderan, Logan and Neria entered the main branch of the adventurers' guild located in the city's bustling district. Inside the guild hall, the raucous shouts of drunkards and the constant clinking of beer mugs already echoed loudly.

Logan headed straight for the central counter. The guild master, spotting him, came bounding down from the second floor.

"Logan! You son of a bitch! You finally showed up!"

He pulled out a massive chunk of a wooden pillar wrapped in rope from beneath the counter and slammed it onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Remember this?"

Logan frowned at the piece of wood.

"What the hell is that? Part of a wooden chair?"

"This is the main support pillar of the guild that you sliced clean through eight years ago while drunk, yelling 'Let me show you how sturdy my new ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sword is!'"

Logan shrugged shamelessly.

"That? The pillar was already rotting anyway. I just helped with the demolition. If I hadn't done it, the whole thing would've collapsed eventually and crushed everyone."

"Demolition? You crazy bastard… Pay up!!!"

Logan pulled a thick leather pouch from his coat and tossed it over.

"I added interest on top, so shut up about it already."

"Whoa! Becoming dean of the academy sure made you generous with the coin. Haha! Break as many guild pillars as you want!"

The guild master laughed heartily as he carried the pouch back upstairs.

From that point on, adventurers scattered throughout the hall recognized Logan and swarmed toward him.

"Logan! You bastard! Why've you been hiding? Is the academy that busy?"

"Hey, did the Demon King really hit that hard?"

"Is it true you blocked the Demon King's attack with just one arm?"

"Now that you're a dean, you can't drink this kind of beer anymore, right?"

Logan ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠handled their rough jokes and questions naturally, without dodging any of them. For this brief moment, he felt like the adventurer Logan once more.

"Who's the woman next to you? Isn't that the inspector lady? Why are you two together?"

One adventurer pointed at Neria and shouted loudly.

"Looks like his girlfriend, huh?"

Neria maintained her composure under the adventurers' gazes and waited for Logan's answer. He casually took a swig of beer and replied without missing a beat.

"Girlfriend? She's an academy instructor. If you want to send your kids to our academy later, make sure you raise them right!"

Another adventurer raised his mug high and yelled at Logan.

"Hey! We've been dying to hear your stories all night, so buy us a round!"

The surrounding adventurers whistled and clinked their mugs in agreement.

"There's no way I could tell everything in one night. I'll cover all the drinks until tomorrow, so don't you dare run off."

The guild hall erupted in cheers and excitement. Logan spent the entire night surrounded by the adventurers, raising his glass again and again.

"Ugh…"

His head throbbed from drinking all night. Neria had already returned to the royal quarters, while Logan had passed out in a room on the guild's second floor and slept until sunlight pierced through the window.

"Feeling a bit better now."

After washing his face with cold water and heading downstairs, he found the first-floor lobby bustling. Adventurers had gathered in front of the request board, murmuring among themselves.

"Oh, this request looks good. Pays well."

"Dude, that's dangerous. You better know what you're getting into."

"Looking for a vanguard to party with."

Logan approached the board. He was thinking of taking a simple request for old times' sake before heading back.

Let's see if there's anything interesting.

—Cleaning the quarry near the capital. A kobold pack has multiplied rapidly in the eastern quarry and is interfering with operations.

—Escort for medicinal herb gathering. A herbalist seeking guards for collecting rare herbs. Dangerous monsters inhabit the forest.

—Exterminate monsters in the hot spring village (women only). Eliminate the 'Seductive Slime' that appears only at night in a hot spring village near the capital. The slime seduces and kidnaps female bathers.

—Investigate village disappearances. Young men from the village have begun vanishing suddenly.

None of the requests particularly caught his interest. Before he knew it, Neria had appeared and stood beside him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd take a request, but nothing looks good. The only ones on the way back are escort missions, and I don't feel like it."

"Then let's just return to the academy."

"Yeah. We'll say our goodbyes and head out."

They stopped by the royal palace to pay their respects to the king and only left the capital as the sun began to set. The carriage raced nonstop toward the academy.

However, on the evening of the third day, a sudden and violent downpour began without warning. Thick sheets of rain hammered the ground as if trying to pierce it, turning the roads into a muddy mess that made the carriage wheels jolt and slip.

The driver hurriedly opened the carriage door to report the situation.

"Dean! We have a problem. The wheel is stuck and we can't move forward. There's a small village nearby. It looks like we'll have to take shelter there until the weather clears!"

Logan looked out the window and nodded.

"Understood."

The carriage splashed through puddles as it entered the small village. Because of the heavy rain, the streets were nearly deserted, wrapped in an uneasy silence. Logan stepped out, sought out the village chief, handed over a generous sum, and arranged for carriage repairs and lodging. He rented the best accommodation in the village and took separate rooms for himself and Neria.

He lit a fire in the fireplace and sat down to rest for a moment when a pungent, sticky odor crept into his nose. It was a revolting, unpleasant stench, like an old corpse rotting away.

"Neria, don't you smell something?"

He went to the room right next door and asked.

"I only smell wet wood."

Logan's expression hardened. Of course she wouldn't recognize it. This was the distinct scent of demons. It was the most hated smell in the world, one he had been forced to endure countless times in the past.

Logan stepped outside and scanned the village. The sound of rain drowned out every other noise. At that moment, a well-built man staggered through the downpour, heading toward the forested hill behind the village.

Logan grabbed the equipment he'd left by the hearth and dashed out into the rain.

"Fucking hell. I hate those rotting demon bastards more than anything."

Following the demon's trail, he reached the entrance to the rear mountain. Even in the darkness and pouring rain, the demon's rotten stench was unmistakable, and he located it quickly.

A low-ranking demon. Must have forced its way across the front lines and weakened itself.

Long, emaciated limbs, a hunched back, and an overall frail appearance. Logan slid across the rain-soaked mud and closed in on the demon.

The creature noticed him and tried to flee, but Logan's speed was far beyond what a lesser demon could escape. With a savage cry, Logan swung his sword. The blade pierced cleanly through the demon's neck, splitting its body in two from top to bottom. Dark crimson blood sprayed upward, mixing with the rain as the creature collapsed.

Logan took out a small vial and poured its contents onto the corpse. The holy water made the flesh and bones melt away instantly, leaving no trace behind. He then had the now-conscious man retrieve the demon's head before returning to their lodgings.

Logan stripped off his wet clothes and lit the fireplace. The crackling of flames filled the quiet room. His gaze remained fixed on the fire.

Logan snapped out of the recollection. He was still sitting by the fire, and the room had long since filled with warmth. So much time had passed that the firewood in the hearth had nearly burned away and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flames were on the verge of dying.

Ten years ago or now, the stench of demons remained just as repulsive. Logan stood up and added fresh wood to the fire. The logs crackled as red light once again filled the room. He lay down and closed his eyes.