I Became a Demon Who Can Never Be Headpatted in the Academy?!

“If Murmur-nim hadn’t told us her story, this scene would look a little different, I think.”

Sitri said, twirling her red hair with her index finger and resting her chin on her hand.

Mrs. Zepar’s ‘Piglet House.’

The ‘dessert shop,’ whose name alone conjures up images of plump and adorable baby pigs, was bustling with an enormous crowd of Academy students.

From the cute, soft elementary school students to the high school students who looked like they could gracefully dance at a social party in their dresses.

Seeing them gathered there, regardless of their age, Sitri was subtly disturbed by the constant thought of Murmur’s words.

‘Logically speaking…’

Sitri naturally began to weigh the information, common sense, wisdom, and stories she held in her mind.

‘I can’t believe Mrs. Zepar is plotting some evil scheme. But…’

Sitri, remembering Murmur’s earnest eyes and confident voice, couldn’t help but feel the scales in her heart tilting wildly to one side.

There was no basis, no evidence.

Murmur’s story only had ‘plausibility.’ If Mrs. Zepar were truly planning such a terrible and unforgivable scheme, the members of the merchant guild would have already excitedly asked for information.

“…Oh dear, I’m such a fool. Since I’ve decided to become Murmur-nim’s bride, I should heed every single word of hers.”

Sitri finally made up her mind and took out two gold coins from the pouch on her waist, handing them to Balkan, the butler who was waiting by her side.

“Balkan? Could you make a deal with the children who are coming out of the Piglet House with desserts… anyone will do, but as many as possible?”

“Should I pay attention to the types as well?”

“It’s just needed as evidence, so don’t worry too much about it.”

Balkan nodded and stepped back, while Sitri made a flower cup with her hands and sighed.

“As expected, there’s nothing that money can’t buy.”

The bustling students.

Even without Sitri calculating the exact number, it would take at least two hours of waiting in line to get free desserts.

* * *

『Murmur』

【HP 100 MP 100 Hunger 0 Stress 79】

【Race : Demon race】

『Stats』

【Strength 6 Agility 6 Constitution 6 Intelligence 10 Wisdom 10 Charm 10】

『Knowledge』

【Demon Language, Common Language, Ancient demon language New!!!】

『Inventory』

【Old Sword】

【Old Bracelet】

【Bloodberry Family Heirloom】

『Advantages』

[The Saved Child, ■■’s Path, Dual Casting]

『Disadvantages』

[Affectionate, Genetic Defect, Often Hungry, Torn Pocket]

『Skills』

【Summoning Magic Lv. 1】

【Elemental Magic Lv. 1】

【Gentle Release】

【Black Magic Lv. 1 New!!!】

【Magic Theory Lv. 2 New!!!】

【Healing Magic Lv. 1 New!!!】

It’s worth the hard work I’ve put in for the past few days! Good job! Murmur. I should pat your soft butt.

Starting with the black magic, a reward from the Executioner Rowan, I went around the library learning healing magic and leveled up magic theory!

At this rate, I seem to be well-prepared to fight Mrs. Zepar. I’m glad I grabbed Armonia’s skirt and diligently begged her to teach me Ancient demon language.

“Oh my? Isn’t that the rumored Piglet House dessert?”

Esme, who had appeared while I was looking at the status window, smiled brightly and sat down on the white table.

The ‘Piglet House dessert’ placed on a plate with a pretty flower painting was incredibly cute.

The ‘cream puff,’ about the size of my palm, smelled so sweet that even I, who wasn’t very interested in desserts, was salivating. It smelled a bit like a deli manju.

If you call it a ‘cream puff,’ it sounds quite fancy, but to be more direct, it’s like a very high-end version of a Homerun Ball?

Of course, how can you compare the soft choux pastry shell hiding the fluffy, light, flavorful cream filling and the sweet, sparkling powdered sugar sprinkled on the shell to a mass-produced factory snack? It’s just a general feeling.

“It seems there were quite a few other desserts besides this one.”

“I heard there are pies and cakes too! But I heard this cream puff has a sweetness that you can’t escape once you try it.”

Esme swallowed hard, but politely didn’t reach for the dessert.

“First of all, thank you for your hard work, Sitri. Thanks to you, we have evidence to prove Murmur’s story.”

“Oh~ Hohohot! This is a piece of cake for me, who is going to be Murmur-nim’s bride!”

“Good job, Sitri. Good job. Murmur will praise you.”

Since praise makes even whales dance, I gently stroked Sitri’s head, which she had slightly extended.

I didn’t expect to get this dessert within a day. You can’t even get this in the game.

The Piglet House is always crowded with students lining up for free desserts, so to get this ‘item,’ you have to clear a side quest.

《Prevent Mrs. Zepar’s Conspiracy》

《Time Remaining: 7 days》

The time remaining, which was revealed by the annoying status window that popped up belatedly, was quite tight, but it’s really fortunate that evidence to convince everyone appeared so quickly.

“Everyone, listen to Murmur’s story.”

I said, clapping my little hands together diligently.

“There’s ‘Lunarine’ hidden inside this dessert.”

“You mean it’s hidden in the form of food ingredients? Lunarine is also a potion ingredient, isn’t it?”

“That’s correct. According to the Imperial law, Lunarine is also a potion ingredient, and trading it itself is a crime.”

I remember the name was quite unique, anyway, players could make it later, right?

For now, I don’t have the tools, so that’s a story for the distant future.

“The important thing is that Lunarine is contained in the dessert like a secret ingredient.”

“Then I’ll try eating one. I’m a member of the Royal family, so it’s okay even if there’s a deadly poison hidden inside.”

Nikea reached for the dessert, but I stopped her by pressing her hand.

“Nikea shouldn’t eat it.”

“Is there a reason? Murmur?”

“Yeah, if Nikea eats it, she won’t be able to show us that her mana has become stronger.”

I’m really sorry to say this, but Nikea can’t use magic. It would be ambiguous for her to feel the fact that her mana has increased accurately.

“Certainly… it would be meaningless for me to eat it. Then, how about Sitri?”

“I think it’s better for Esme to eat it than Sitri.”

I pointed at Esme with my finger.

“Esme is a great mage. Murmur believes she will be able to immediately notice that her mana has become stronger and that she can use higher-level magic.”

I can’t say this in front of everyone, but after seeing the effect of Lunarine, there will definitely be a penalty.

Realistically, it’s probably a feeling of lethargy, but I think the chance of that happening is 0%, but I don’t want to make Sitri’s condition worse for no reason.

If her transformation magic is undone in front of Nikea… honestly, I don’t have the confidence to deal with the aftermath. I’d desperately explain the situation, but Sitri would also wonder how I knew that.

“Hehe! Then I’ll eat it right away!”

“Don’t eat it all, Esme?”

“I, I didn’t intend to eat it all from the beginning!”

Esme said shyly, grabbing the dessert with her thumb and index finger and throwing it into her mouth.

“Munch munch… munch munch… hmm?”

Esme wiggled her mouth and cheeks cutely, waving her right hand around.

— Whoosh!

Esme lightly created a flame on her palm and then used magic based on wind, water, and earth elements.

“…It’s definitely Lunarine.”

“Are you sure, Esme?”

“Yes, Princess Nikea. The taste was really soft, sweet, and fluffy, so it didn’t feel like I drank a potion, but the effect is certain.”

“Can’t you see such an effect from other foods?”

“What you say is not wrong, Princess. But I can feel a strange fatigue when I receive the effects of Lunarine, so I’m sure.”

Even though she’s a fifth grader in elementary school, she can definitely tell right away. That just shows how good Esme’s sense as a mage is.

“And also… it feels subtly different from normal Lunarine.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, um… I’ve been neglecting my studies in this area, so I can’t say my feeling is definitely correct.”

Esme was struggling.

“…It feels like mana lingers in my body more. Um, this unpleasant feeling is hard to describe.”

It’s not for nothing that I thought I was fattening a baby pig.

Esme’s sensation was exactly consistent with the reason why Mrs. Zepar’s terrifying plan, which I knew, could be realized.

“As Murmur-nim said, it seems Mrs. Zepar was really putting Lunarine in the desserts.”

“For the Chronicle House Merchant Guild to do something like this…”

Nikea pondered for a moment, then met my eyes.

“By the way, how did Murmur know about this story?”

“I heard my friends talking.”

“…You heard a rumor?”

“Yeah, there’s no way you can suddenly use magic well just from eating delicious desserts.”

Nikea nodded.

“Thank you for telling me, Murmur. But it’s hard to connect the fact that Piglet House is giving out desserts containing Lunarine to the Academy students and the fact that the Chronicle House Merchant Guild is smuggling Lunarine into the Academy.”

Nikea pointed at herself.

“Of course, I believe Murmur’s story. Unlike her good reputation, there’s no way a descendant of Nectar, someone like her, uhm! wouldn’t know that the desserts contain Lunarine.”

“Can’t you search?”

Normally, I could do that after defeating Mrs. Zepar.

“I don’t think so. The vice-headmaster of the middle school wants me to investigate something else. I can’t act alone without the help of professors or faculty members. And I shouldn’t.”

“Is it because you’re busy with the New Helheim Club?”

“Huh? Uh…? How did you know… no, hah. Sorry. That was a stupid thing to say.”

Nikea sighed, looking full of self-reproach.

The ‘New Helheim Club’ where demons attending Cosmos Academy gather and live.

The New Helheim Club’s clubhouse was so large that it could be called a small village, but it was also extremely closed off. It was so closed off that I, Murmur, couldn’t even enter now. Even though I’m a demon myself.

In fact, it was a place full of lazy, decadent, and rebellious demons who skipped all the Academy’s classes, so ordinary students blatantly thought, ‘Please, just stay there and don’t come out.’

Anyway, that’s the kind of place it is, so if an incident that shakes the Academy occurs, it’s always the ‘New Helheim’ club that is investigated.

The middle school vice-headmaster’s demon-hating hysteria was also obvious information to me, so it’s nothing to be surprised about.

“Murmur is okay.”

“Thank you for understanding, Murmur. I want to say that we should investigate the Piglet House right now, but… they won’t allow it. Not until we have convincing, accurate evidence.”

“Um, but isn’t Mrs. Zepar a demon too?”

At Sitri’s words, Nikea nodded.

“That’s right. She’s a descendant of Nectar who has been living a life of giving back all the profits she’s earned from running the Chronicle House Merchant Guild at Cosmos Academy to the students of the Academy since losing her daughter 50 years ago.”

The story of ‘Mrs. Zepar’ provides several important clues to understanding the world.

First. Even in this situation where the ‘Alliance’ made up of the Empire, the Kingdom, and the Holy Kingdom and the Demon King’s ‘Demon Army’ are constantly fighting, the ‘Demon Race’ can surprisingly live as a member of the Alliance society.

Second. Although they can live as members of society, the general view of demons is so bad that they must have a ‘heaven-sent angel’ level of character like Mrs. Zepar, who has contributed so much to society for ’50 years’, to gain a ‘good reputation’.

The important settings of the world that the player can know now are roughly these two, but even with just this, the perspective on the world changes a little.

Why did the ‘failed hero’ save Murmur?

Why can Murmur become a hero?

How can Murmur attend Cosmos Academy, which selects heroes?

It’s going to be quite a roundabout story, but if you don’t understand Mrs. Zepar’s story, it’s hard to understand the secrets of this world.

“Changing the subject… I want to believe that, as Murmur said, Mrs. Zepar is actively smuggling Lunarine into the Academy and that the Lunarine found in other merchant guilds is also part of her conspiracy.”

“But you don’t have evidence?”

“That’s right. I’m really sorry. Adults like evidence. Unlike my belief… I can’t convince them.”

I expected this part.

Originally, the player can’t know that Mrs. Zepar is plotting a conspiracy at this timing.

You can only get evidence that Mrs. Zepar has a secret after clearing a side quest.

The problem is the NPC that gives that quest.

The changeling who is disguised as a ‘worker’ of the merchant guild was like ‘It’s me! It’s me!! Quest NPC!’ in the game, proudly displaying a name tag, but his face looked just like a worker.

I have to find that kind of person among the hundreds of workers coming in and out of the Academy and start the quest now. Is that even possible?

It’s impossible. It’s crazy. It’s absolutely impossible to do in a week.

“It would be nice if there was evidence that Mrs. Zepar was spreading Lunarine… or evidence that she was intentionally putting Lunarine in the desserts…”

“If she could show such evidence, wouldn’t Murmur-nim have done it?”

“Sitri… I’m also worried about this because I want to help Murmur. Unlike us, adults won’t understand Murmur’s sincerity.”

“Hmph! If other merchant guilds are truly innocent, it’s easy to fabricate a testimony.”

“You can’t create evidence like that, Sitri!”

“The answer is already decided!”

Neither Nikea’s heart nor Sitri’s heart was wrong.

Everyone wants to help me with all their might.

For the past three weeks, they have been desperately helping me.

“Everyone, listen. Murmur doesn’t have any evidence.”

Let’s be honest.

For the past three weeks, I’ve been keeping quiet because I was worried that the main story would get twisted like the Colette Bloodberry incident, but in the end, I have to ask Nikea, Sitri, and Esme for help.

The status window is already telling me that I’ve entered an event, so there’s no need to hide the future any longer.

“But, I know another terrible story.”

“A terrible… story?”

“Yeah, Murmur knows the proof of that story.”

Nikea pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“Is that story the reason why Mrs. Zepar put Lunarine in the desserts?”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean.”

“Then will you tell us?”

I took a deep breath. Everyone’s going to be shocked.

“Mrs. Zepar is planning to summon a demon.”