Chapter 32: Dekan's Entrapment
As long as the price is right, even demons can sell their souls for you. Of course, if the deception is good enough, you might not need to pay any price at all.
-- Dekan
Dekan's gaze made the music teacher's scalp tingle.
"I, I will assist your excellency to the best of my ability," the music teacher said, knowing he had no room for bargaining.
Dekan nodded in satisfaction and said, "Our operation this time has a key suspect - Miss Olive. She not only secretly hides humans in her laboratory for abuse but is also suspected of repeatedly violating the school rules. If you have any information about her, please assist us in our investigation. If there are more surprise inspections in the future, I will alert you within my capabilities."
After hearing Dekan's words, the music teacher's mind was in turmoil. Have they already investigated everything thoroughly? Perhaps they already knew about his previous violations but lacked evidence for enforcement. It seemed that their primary target was still Miss Olive.
To catch the violations in Miss Olive's actions, they were willing to provide him with a layer of protection. The music teacher took a deep breath and said, "Please don't let anyone know that I provided this information."
"Of course, you can trust me; I am known for keeping secrets," Dekan replied with a reassuring tone.
"Indeed, Miss Olive engaged in misconduct. She often disregards the rules and forcibly abducts passing demons into her laboratory. Demons with good looks might be spared, while the less attractive ones are tortured and then killed. Additionally, she is a sadist with masochistic tendencies. Compared to killing, she enjoys the pursuit of extreme thrills."
The music teacher spoke slowly, revealing disturbing details.Dekan asked, "How do you know about all this?"
The music teacher replied, "I was taken into her laboratory."
Dekan fell silent for a moment. This music teacher was indeed more attractive than the other demon teachers he had seen before.
"Do you have any other information?" Dekan inquired.
The music teacher continued, "The only other things I know would be what happened between her and I in the demon laboratory that day..."
"Wait," Dekan interrupted hastily, realizing that he was still live streaming.
He temporarily cut off the broadcast function of the Shadow World Viewing Program.
"Please continue."
...
"So that’s how demons like to play," Dekan thought to himself.
But he dared not mock the demons too much in his thoughts, fearing that his master might pick up on his thoughts. Even though his master never mingled with her own kind and had stated clearly that she would remain dormant, she had an eerie way of knowing things. Dekan had been bullied by her in the past.
Dekan patted the music teacher's shoulder and said, "Thank you for your cooperation. My promise to you will always stand."
The music teacher nodded and expressed his gratitude.
"By the way," Dekan suddenly remembered something, which sent a shiver down the music teacher's spine.
"Could you please deliver this instrument to the entrance of the principal's office? It's getting old and affecting the quality of your teaching. I will ask the principal to provide you with a new one."
Dekan pointed to the piano.
"Of course! Thank you!" The music teacher replied eagerly. Anything that wasn't a problem was welcome.
He then courteously escorted Dekan out of the music room and promised to deliver the piano to the principal's office promptly.
Cornelia watched from not far away, observing the music teacher's flattering behavior as he saw Dekan off. She had many criticisms but didn't know where to start. But, considering it was her good teammate Dekan, it didn't seem so strange after all.
Dekan soon reunited with Cornelia and they proceeded to their next destination.
"Cornelia, let's pay a visit to Miss Olive. I've noticed that these demons are particularly easy to deal with because they tend to follow their desires and instincts, which makes their weaknesses quite apparent. Although Miss Olive may seem the most chaotic and difficult to handle, in reality... she might be the easiest to resolve."
"All right, what should I do?"
"Your task this time is crucial..."
The two of them whispered and plotted along the way, occasionally using their unique language.
Following the map's markings, they arrived near the Demon Laboratory.
"Cornelia, please wait here," Dekan said.
Knowing that Miss Olive might directly grab students near the Demon Laboratory, this was probably the safest distance.
"Understood."
Cornelia nodded.
Once again, as they had planned before entering the music room, Dekan would challenge the room while Cornelia remained on standby.
...
In the observation hall of Hevenlit Magic Academy, many senior students had gathered to watch Dekan and Cornelia's progress.
"Judging from their route, they're planning to go straight to the final room?"
The broadcast had recorded Dekan's map from earlier and displayed it in the bottom right corner of the screen to provide a better viewing experience for all spectators.
"That shouldn't be the case; they haven't gathered enough information!"
A senior student exclaimed, clearly concerned.
Although Dekan had used unconventional methods to clear the regular rooms, the final room in an exploration-type Shadow World was an entirely different concept. Underestimating it could lead to dire consequences, even permanent suspension of his live streaming career.
"Hasn't he already collected enough information?" a junior student asked, puzzled.
However, nearby senior students shook their heads.
"Miss Olive might not follow the rules and she possesses high combat capabilities."
"In other words, the Demon Laboratory is challenging to clear, both in terms of decryption and brute force."
"Logically, the only way for a tier 4 challenger to defeat Miss Olive is by using the principal."
"So, they would need to gather information about when the principal appears at the school, control the timing, lure Miss Olive into breaking the rules, and let the principal deal with her."
Many senior students patiently explained.
This made the junior students suddenly realize the complexity of the situation.
"But have these two… ever followed the normal route?"
"..."
Someone's question left everyone in silence.
Their concerns gradually shifted from Dekan to Miss Olive.
...
Dekan stood in front of the Demon Laboratory's door, taking a deep breath.
If there was any room in this tier 4 Shadow World that could be considered slightly dangerous, it would undoubtedly be this Demon Laboratory. However, what Dekan referred to as "danger" was not what it meant conventionally. For him, the danger was that if he took one wrong step, his live streaming career could be permanently terminated. After all, his appearance might be quite appealing to Miss Olive and his current race probably had charm bonuses.