Chapter 67: Lance Has Not Yet Realized the Magnitude of the Problem

Time slipped quietly by. Bathed in the night, the restaurant glowed with a dreamlike, ethereal light, exuding a noble and unique magical aura. To the accompaniment of delicate instrumental melodies, Lance and Hyperion finished their meal.

They left the restaurant with a lingering reluctance, as if they were stepping out of a dream and back into reality. Even though Hyperion had found herself momentarily captivated by the luxurious atmosphere, stepping through the glass doors made her realize with a start that the signs of her bloodline awakening were making her a step further removed from humanity.

In the spacious corridor, Lance walked ahead, strolling leisurely. Hyperion followed behind, dragging a gift box that resembled a coffin. Inside, the corpse of the silver-haired demon lay in quiet repose.

Magnificent skylights lined both sides of the slightly inclined corridor, offering a clear view of every star in the Demon Kingdom's firmament. Illuminated by both artificial light and starlight, the corridor’s surface gleamed with a mirror-like, serene radiance, making it resemble a crystal bridge connecting the heavens to the earth. It was a beautiful sight, though the two figures within it cut a rather bizarre sight.

The corridor stretched all the way to the academic zone, which was their next destination. Although they would have to wait a while for the corridor to reconnect with the academic zone, that very wait was a rare pleasure for them. Here, they could leisurely admire the starry sky of the Demon Kingdom, which was a sight unseen in the real world.

Lance and Hyperion had no immediate plans to explore the corridors leading to other functional zones. Wandering off might mean that Bakar, their demon guide, wouldn't be able to find them when the break ended.

Hyperion placed the silver-haired demon's coffin at the far end of the corridor. Compared to the rest of the hallway, this spot was exceptionally quiet, bathed only in the gentle, silvery glow of the Demon Kingdom's stars. The two sat down side by side and began to tally their spoils. A simple round of looting yielded a hefty handful of credit coins.

Brimming with delight, Lance said, "What a massive haul! Good deeds really do get rewarded!"

They would have to make sure to properly enjoy the facility's amenities before returning to the real world.

"Yeah, sure." Hyperion responded softly, a look of resigned amusement playing at the corners of her mouth. Sometimes, she felt that tagging along with Lance was a bit like babysitting.

After thoroughly looting the silver-haired demon's belongings, both of their expressions shifted to one of surprise. "Wait a minute. This guy is absolutely loaded!"

It was only after closely examining the looted coins that they realized the truth. The credits found on the silver-haired demon were all denominated in units of ten! Marked with a special symbol, the black-gold coins shimmered in the starlight. Each one could be exchanged for ten standard credit coins or spent directly as ten credits.

In other words, the demon possessed ten times the amount of credits Lance had initially estimated. He then shifted to another item recovered from the demon's inner pocket. It was a black seal etched with intricate patterns. Its casing was smooth and cold to the touch, and resembled a jet-black gemstone.

Lance tried to determine if it was a magical artifact, but even he struggled to discern its actual purpose. Finally, he examined the identification card found on the demon, his eyes filling with growing bewilderment. "Why doesn't he have a student ID? Instead, he has... an ID from the Demon King's Castle?"

His voice echoed through the empty corridor, sending ripples through the still air.

***

Meanwhile, in a conference room on the top floor of the Purgatory Corridor Academy, the walls were a deep, profound purple, and intricate, ancient carvings evoked a heavy, mythic atmosphere. Faint starlight filtered down from the soaring vaulted ceiling, casting shadows of the moon and stardust into every corner of the room.

A massive circular table occupied the center, surrounded by several senior faculty members. Each of them looked gravely concerned. Their figures flickered in and out of visibility amid the dim starlight. An oppressive tension hung in the air, so thick it felt frozen solid. Making even the slightest sound reverberated with intense force.

The deputy headmaster sat at the head of the table, frowning in silence. He swept his gaze across the teachers before speaking in a low, serious voice. "Colleagues, the special envoy dispatched from the Demon King's City is expected to arrive at our academy any day now."

The other professors nodded in silent agreement as the deputy headmaster continued, "However, the headmaster has informed us that this envoy is a master of disguise and infiltration. They might well pose as a student or a teacher to enter the school and conduct a preliminary investigation. While the headmaster is away, we must strictly adhere to the rules. We cannot afford to inadvertently offend the Demon King's envoy."

However, everyone present knew that the true source of the deputy headmaster's burning anxiety wasn’t the envoy from the Demon King's City. It was someone else, an even more troublesome figure set to arrive at the academy: the Vampire Envoy.

The deputy headmaster rubbed his forehead, looking utterly exhausted. His breath misted in the air like a winter fog before vanishing instantly.

He raised his head and stared ahead, his voice weak as if he were speaking to himself, or perhaps seeking an answer from the others. "The pressure from the Department of Education is immense. The Vampire Envoy will soon reach Purgatory City. If they discover that a human has indeed infiltrated our academy, we will be in serious trouble for violating the North-South Treaty."

The North-South Treaty was also known as the Treaty of Non-Interference between Vampires and Demons. In these turbulent times, the vampires held sway over the south, with the monarchs of many human kingdoms reduced to mere servants.

Meanwhile, the demons in the north were relatively weaker than the vampires, relying solely on the treacherous weather conditions of the far north as a natural barrier to keep them isolated. Therefore, demons were required to maintain neutrality regarding any conflict between vampires and humanity. In order for the vampires to leave them alone, they needed to meet this fundamental condition.

However, the situation had now changed. The vampires have begun to suspect that the demons were secretly attempting to upset this balance.

It all began with a preposterous rumor that circulated through the Demon Kingdom some time ago. It claimed that the vampires had discovered there were humans suspected of disguising themselves as demons in an attempt to infiltrate the Demon Kingdom to steal demonic knowledge.

At first, the demons didn’t believe it. Usually, it was only demons who attempted to disguise themselves as humans. Never before had humans tried to pose as demons.

That changed later on. A vampire Grand Duke had apparently extracted crucial intelligence through the brutal interrogation of a researcher's family members from the Empire's experimental facility.

He learned that a handful of the last surviving members of an elite Imperial covert unit were highly likely to be hiding within Purgatory Corridor Academy and had been there for quite some time.