Something That Is Not Human
Something That Is Not Human
In some ways, Teacher Alex's class was overwhelming.
It wasn't just the muscles he flaunted behind the lectern. The pace at which he covered material was practically light-speed. Wasn't this a bit much for so early in the semester?
I never dozed off during his lectures. No, I couldn't sleep. Who could possibly lay their head down so brazenly while he was explaining things at the top of his lungs? It might have been morning, but listening to Teacher Alex's voice kept you razor-sharp no matter what.
So, even if you were sleepy, falling asleep was impossible.
"Zzz...."
Apparently, it wasn't impossible.
Even in this situation, Frey had her head brazenly planted on the desk. It seemed she paid attention in Magic Theory but had zero interest in practical subjects like this.
It wasn't that Teacher Alex didn't wake her. The problem was that she'd just plant her face right back down.
Even so, Frey was an honors student who had gotten into the Special Class. Teacher Alex seemed to think she wasn't doing it because she hated studying but rather because she'd worked too hard the night before and was exhausted. It was the same logic as when the top student sleeps in class and everyone assumes there must be a reason for it.
"Alright, moving on to the next chapter! Open your textbooks to page 46!"
A rustling sound of turning pages echoed through the classroom. From page 46 onward was material on humanoid-type demons.
"The most important thing for you lot is how to deal with humanoid-type demons! Recently, there's been a trend of the crafty and the bold ones just waltzing right into our ranks! Starting here, you'll learn methods to counter these infiltration-type demons!"
[In short, he's teaching us how to catch spies.]
"Fundamentally, humanoid-type demons are difficult to detect. That's why they're all classified as Calamity-class or higher. Just the act of their scheming is a sufficient threat to a nation!"
"Does that mean combat ability isn't relevant?"
"Hm, now that is a test question point! The classification of a demon is strictly based on the extent to which it harms a nation! Even if a humanoid-type demon is physically weak, it's cunning enough to inflict massive damage on the nation in some form!"
"Are there any demons that live ordinary lives?"
"Excellent question! Unfortunately, none of that sort have ever been discovered! And the reason is, if they were living ordinary lives like everyone else, we wouldn't be able to find them in the first place."
Meaning, they only investigated, caught, and killed the suspicious ones.
Since all demons carried a Magic Stone, you could verify whether something was a demon by cutting it open. Unfortunately, current technology didn't allow for non-destructive testing. You couldn't specifically confirm a demon without, say, slitting its throat or carving out its heart.
"Most humanoid-type demons are highly intelligent. Here, I'll categorize and explain the types most commonly used by those who have been exposed. First up is the honey-trap type!"
The most common one. The phrase "a face to ruin a kingdom" exists for a reason. It refers to a beauty or a handsome man worming their way close to a head of state to bring down the nation.
"Even though it's called a honey trap, it's hard to pin down. They could just be an exceptionally beautiful human woman. There are countless nations that have fallen to lust, even without demons being involved!"
"Then isn't it rather meaningless?"
"No, that's precisely why it has more meaning! Because the real threats exploit that very notion and blend into the cracks to destroy the nation! In any case, it's something we must be on guard against!"
Next, the second case.
"The second type is the ones who climb to the highest echelons of government and manage state affairs."
"You mean, like His Majesty the Emperor or the Four Great Dukes in our country's case?"
"Yes. In this case, they're far harder to catch than the honey-trap types. Demons in this category are usually proficient in administration and academics. They're smarter than the ones using seduction. Historically, there have only been two exposed cases over a thousand years."
Wow, shit. This was it. Professor Haspelt was definitely a demon.
Otherwise, there was no way she'd work me to the bone like that. So she really wasn't human...!
[Most of the nobles here are like that, though? It's standard for an Orthodox Faction noble not to recognize a slave as a fellow human being.]
Then all those nobles were demons. It seemed the Empire was fated for ruin.
"Then how do you catch demons in such high positions?"
It was a valid question. If a supreme authority like the Emperor was a demon, you couldn't ordinarily catch them. Even if someone noticed, they'd have to just twiddle their thumbs.
"Hm, a very good question!"
But it seemed the Empire wasn't so easygoing either.
"It's not as if we lack a response manual entirely. However, what you just asked is classified as a military secret! All of you should remember this one thing alone! There are people working tirelessly from the shadows to prepare for a crisis that may erupt one day!"
With that shout from Teacher Alex, today's class came to an end.
**
The Prince needed a bit more rest.
Because the Chairman was present, the related documents were drafted immediately. The Prince's sick leave would be processed normally.
"Then, I shall take my leave now. I have other business to attend to."
The first person to exit the bedchamber was Duke Blanton. Next, Duke Haspelt bowed his head to the Emperor and then headed for the door. The last ones to slip out were Professor Herlein and Chairman Robespierre.
Haspelt was walking far ahead of them. She didn't know what he was thinking, but he'd seemed busy lately. Professor Herlein deliberately refrained from asking about that.
"Puhi-hing."
Several carriages stood in a row in the main palace's front courtyard.
The distance between the Imperial Palace and the academy wasn't that far. It was walkable in twenty or thirty minutes. However, any noble was the type of person who found even that distance too bothersome to move their feet for.
At least, to maintain their dignity, they had to ride around on something with four legs. They considered it a waste of time to walk when a convenient mode of transportation was available.
Haspelt boarded his carriage, etched with his ducal crest, alone. In contrast, Herlein and Robespierre, whose ranks were at most Count and Marquis, rode in the same carriage.
The door of the carriage the two were in shut with a rattle. The air inside the carriage grew heavy in an instant. Herlein and the Chairman warily watched each other for a while, then finally let out sighs of relief as the carriage started moving.
The Chairman spoke.
"This should be far enough."
[Mid-grade Unique Magic Art — Willpower] → Deactivated
[High-grade Unique Magic Art — Resistance] → Deactivated
[High-grade Unique Magic Art — Strengthen] → Deactivated
[Supreme Unique Magic — Disobedience] → Deactivated
"Ugh-ha...! I thought I was going to die."
"You did well."
The Chairman gave a wry smile and offered a Mana Cigarette. With practiced ease, Herlein put it in her mouth and brought the lighter-laden Lightweight Scroll to the tip of the stick. A pungent mana fragrance filled the inside of the carriage.
The thick smoke blurred her vision slightly, but opening a window was out of the question. Even the residual mana dispersing into the air was precious to Professor Herlein right now. Every time her diaphragm lifted upward, she could supplement her mana through second-hand inhalation. It was a will to scrape up and inhale every last bit.
Once her mana had been replenished to some degree, Herlein's cognition returned.
"I got chills when he said he'd wipe out the Viscount Eliyev house without any physical evidence."
"I felt the same. A Duke rank manipulating the Imperial Household like that... he must think he's the regent."
"I don't suppose he actually is? Given the state of the country, it's at the level where you could entrust state affairs to someone else."
The two of them each replayed the prior situation in their heads.
The relationship between the Prince and the Emperor had been the best they'd ever seen or heard of. But at the end, when the Prince's attitude changed so abruptly, they couldn't help but feel a sense of wrongness. In Robespierre's case, since he'd known the Prince since childhood, he even felt déjà vu. It was as if the past had passed by like a panorama and then returned.
After a brief thought, it was Professor Herlein who spoke first.
"Mr. Chairman, it seems this confirms it."
Robespierre picked up the conversational thread Herlein had tossed out. He nodded and opened his mouth.
"Yes. It seems something of a non-human nature has coiled itself up there."
"Is the nation's fortune spent, I wonder?"
"We'll have to watch a while longer. As we are now, there's nothing we can do even if ruin is approaching the nation."
At that, Herlein inwardly snorted. It was out of sheer disbelief.
'So the thousand-year history of the Philiut Empire ends in this fashion.'
Thinking that way actually made her detached. It was because there wasn't much a person standing at a massive fork in history could do.
But─.
Nevertheless, it wasn't as if there were no means at all.
"In the end, isn't that the only method to overturn this political situation?"
To Herlein's question, Robespierre merely continued to nod.
"Indeed. Good culture exists precisely so it may be imported."