In the spacious bathroom, Ian locked eyes with the demon spy.
The demon had short, dark brown hair, a delicate nose, and a cherry-like mouth. Her features were refined and beautiful, her dark purple eyes reflecting Ian’s flustered expression.
Yet, there was an odd dissonance—she was dressed in the male uniform of Saint Roland Magic Academy.
Facing her, Ian felt a twinge of nervousness. This was, after all, a demon spy.
Though he knew her goal at Saint Roland was to steal back the Demon Dragon Pillar and that she’d likely avoid exposing herself before achieving it, he was terrified she’d detect the demonic aura on him.
If she mistook him for a fellow demon and dragged him into her plan to steal the pillar, he’d be in deep trouble.
If she discovered his demonic aura, she’d have leverage over him.
When Ethelrina eventually purged the demons, Ian would surely be caught in the crossfire. He absolutely couldn’t let her sense his aura.
He didn’t know why she just stood there, staring at him, which made him too nervous to move.
The two stood frozen in the bathroom, neither willing to make the first move.
Logically, two strangers shouldn’t lock eyes for so long, but the demon spy showed no intention of leaving, her gaze fixed intently on Ian.
Her stare sent chills down his spine, his mind racing with wild thoughts.
Has she noticed something? As time dragged on with no sign of her leaving, Ian grew increasingly panicked.
Could demons really have some method I don’t know about to sense their own kind? Has she already detected the demonic aura from my activated bloodline?
How else do I explain why she’s staring at me like this?
Waiting for her to leave first feels unrealistic. “Maybe I should just go,” Ian thought.
Just as he took his first step to leave, the demon spy suddenly moved.
Ian saw her quickly approach, as if she’d discovered something.
His heart leaped into his throat, nerves fraying. She hasn’t actually figured something out, has she? he thought, dread pooling in his stomach.
Ian felt helpless. He desperately wanted to avoid any entanglement with demons. His life was perfect as it was—attending classes, helping Lillian win Ethelrina’s heart.
He had no desire to ruin that by getting involved in shady demon schemes.
As he stood frozen, too scared to move, the demon spy reached him.
She was about his height, her dark purple eyes brimming with curiosity, like a child who’d found a new toy.
Before Ian could react, she leaned in, her small nose sniffing at him.
What is she doing? Ian couldn’t believe this demon was smelling him like some kind of puppy.
This spy—is she from the Demon Dragon Clan or the Demon Dog Clan? he silently quipped.
Too nervous to move, Ian let her sniff his scent.
Moments later, her eyes seemed to gleam with golden light, as if she’d found a long-lost treasure. “Do you know my Princess?” she asked.
Princess? Ian was clueless about who she meant. Was it Flora, the Elven Princess, or Sophia, the Kingdom’s Princess?
In his memory, he’d only met those two princesses, and since he hadn’t interacted much with Sophia, he doubted he carried her scent.
Could she mean Flora? But he quickly dismissed the idea. Flora was an elf—how could she be linked to demons?
Then he recalled the chat group, where the spy mentioned a Princess of the Demon Dragon Clan.
Was she referring to her clan’s Princess?
But that was impossible. Ian had never met anyone from the Demon Dragon Clan, let alone their Princess.
If he had to pick, the only “Demon Dragon” he’d encountered was the spy in front of him.
Could she mean me, as Iana, after my bloodline activation?
But she’d mentioned in the chat that her Princess saved her, and Ian had no memory of such an event.
The idea that Iana was the Demon Dragon Princess was absurd.
Maybe I met the Demon Dragon Princess before, but her disguise was so perfect I didn’t notice?
After mulling it over, Ian decided this was the most plausible explanation. If even this spy had a Senro Breath Pearl to hide her identity, the Princess’s disguise would likely be even more sophisticated, making it reasonable that Ian hadn’t noticed.
Seeing Ian lost in thought, not answering her question, the spy seemed to realize she was still undercover.
Her excitement from detecting her Princess’s scent had gotten the better of her—she wouldn’t normally act so impulsively.
Cough cough cough. She coughed twice to ease the awkwardness.
“It seems I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Sephiroth, a second-year student.” Sephiroth looked at Ian with uncontained excitement, her eyes burning so intensely they seemed to sear him.
“I’m Ian, also a second-year,” Ian replied curtly, wanting to keep contact with Sephiroth to a minimum.
“Oh, we’re in the same year!” Sephiroth enthusiastically tried to bond with Ian, then shifted gears. “So, have you met anyone special? Like, someone incredibly beautiful with an unmatched aura?”
As she spoke, a dreamy expression crossed her face.
Hearing her question, Ian felt a wave of relief. If she was asking this, she likely hadn’t uncovered his identity.
“No, I haven’t,” Ian answered calmly.
Though Ethelrina and the heroines fit her description, he knew she wasn’t referring to them, so there was no need to mention them.
Sephiroth’s eyes locked onto Ian’s, searching for any sign of deceit, but all she met was his earnest gaze.
“That’s odd,” Sephiroth muttered, propping her chin with her hand.
Though she couldn’t spot any lies on Ian’s face, she felt an unshakable certainty that he was connected to her Princess.
If her Princess hadn’t forbidden conflict with this world’s natives, she’d have grabbed this Ian guy and interrogated him.
The demon clans were split into two factions: one advocating total war to conquer this world, the other favoring peaceful coexistence with its natives.
Despite the instinctive discomfort demons felt around this world’s inhabitants, peaceful coexistence was possible if each stayed in their own territory.
The Demon Dragon Clan belonged to the latter, advocating peace.
This faction was even researching treasures to hide their demonic aura, aiming for true harmony with the natives.
The Senro Breath Pearl was one such result, though it wasn’t perfect.
Those with immense power could still see through their disguise.
Sephiroth studied Ian thoughtfully, her gaze giving him goosebumps.
Ian said weakly, “Can I go? My friend’s waiting for me to eat.”
Sephiroth didn’t press him further, stepping aside. “Let’s walk out together then.”
Though Ian wanted minimal contact with Sephiroth, leaving the bathroom together was fine.
So, they walked side by side out of the restroom.
Eager to return to Flora’s side, Ian hurried forward.
To his shock, his seat was already taken.
And the one occupying it was none other than the other roommate of Chiye’s who’d been sitting at their table earlier.
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