Damn Academy - Chapter 209

Chapter 209

Host (6)

The remaining members watched in astonishment as the fake couple entered through the gate.
T h is w as co p ie d f ro m k in g m t l.or g

No one had expected such a method to work.

Everyone present had lived a comfortable life in well-maintained estates and had no understanding of the ways of the underworld.

And seeing Damian, who looked like he had been raised in the lap of luxury, handle the situation so adeptly left them speechless.

Second-year Art Department student Sierra spoke up.

“He can get into places even the Magic Society can’t.”

Cecil also chimed in.

“He looks like he’d be quite the smooth talker.”

“Hey, that’s rude to Damian. He’s really diligent.”

“By juggling time between all these women?”

“Do you want to get exiled from here too?”

“It’s just that the rumors and his actions don’t match.”

“He doesn’t like getting attention, so people make assumptions and spread rumors.”

“…Really?”

Cecil lit a cigarette with a magic stone and continued.

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“Where is Damian from?”

“Weisel, but he’s never talked about his past. No explanation of his relationship with Professor Silveryn, no surname known, and he doesn’t seem to be from a noble family. No one knows his background.”

Cecil exhaled smoke and muttered suspiciously.

“…The more I see, the stranger it seems.”

“What’s strange? He’s reliable.”

“After getting beaten by that northern savage, Gale, he doesn’t seem that reliable. Honestly, to fight on equal footing, we need a leader as ruthless as Gale.”

“Hey, Hubert. What do you think as a fellow Combat Department member?”
Th i s w a s c opi e d f r o m k i ng mt l .o rg

“…What do you mean?”

“Do you think Damian has any fatal weaknesses that would make him unable to face Gale?”

“Everyone has weaknesses.”

“Hmm, really?”

“He doesn’t have strong family ties and is quite closed off. He’s not from a wealthy family and doesn’t rely on others. Even if he seems tough, guys like him can easily crumble under maternal instincts.”

All the female students, except Cecil, looked at Hubert with wide eyes at his unexpected comment.

“…?”

“…?”

Hubert made a playful face and shrugged his shoulders.

Only Cecil looked at him with disgust.

“This is why I hate you. Even in this situation, you’re still fixated on mating dynamics.”

“You couldn’t do it, so you got dumped by a guy…!”

Cecil threw the magic stone in her hand at Hubert, ending the conversation abruptly.

***

As night fell, a chilly wind blew through the canyon. It felt like early winter, making our noses cold. This area was under the influence of Eternia’s seasonal magic, but the canyon beyond was not. It seemed the frosty wind was coming over the mountains.

Pavela continued to clutch her belly and struggle on.

“Damian, still…”

Pavela reached out towards me, signaling that we were still being watched.

We had come here as a married couple. Even though we had passed the gate, we couldn’t stop acting.

I had no choice but to extend my arm and hold her hand again.

“Let’s find an inn first.”

“Okay.”
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It was evening, and few people could be seen. Dingy grey stone buildings were densely packed along the steep slopes of the canyon.

The sound of hammering echoed from a workshop somewhere.

The smell of iron dust tickled our noses, carried by the wind. The air was thick and the village was as drab as a lump of metal, fitting for a blacksmith village.

I found myself contemplating. If I were truly a husband wandering with a pregnant wife, this desolate scenery might have intimidated me.

If I had stayed and built a family in a place like this instead of going to Eternia.

I shook my head before the thought grew deeper.
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I was an immature being who couldn’t even take care of my own life. Escaping here would have only led to a predictable end.

Even if Liza’s family didn’t find us, we would have slowly been crushed by the weight of life, unable to hold on for long.

We headed towards a shabby inn that emitted a faint light. At the door, I spoke to Pavela.

“You can remove the belly wrap now.”

We were about to start our investigation. The gatekeeper wasn’t going to follow and watch us, so there was no need to keep up the act.

Pavela stroked her belly and shook her head.
T his wa s c o p i e d f r o m k in g mt l . or g

“No, this can still be useful.”

“…Do you really need to?”

“Yes.”

“You’re even more thorough than I am.”

She laughed softly.

“I have my own plans.”

As we entered the inn, several travelers glanced at us briefly before returning to their meals.

A bent old woman greeted us.

“How long will you be staying?”

“Just for one night.”

The old woman gave Pavela’s belly a serious look before gesturing us to follow.

She led us upstairs to a triangular attic room.

There was only one bed. I hadn’t considered that. It was natural for a couple to share a room.

“Have you eaten?”

“Could you bring the food to this room?”

“I can’t come up twice with this body, so come down in ten minutes to get it.”

After the old woman left, Pavela awkwardly looked around.

“So, what’s your plan?”

“Nothing special. I’ll act like a naive pregnant woman and gather information. People tend to lower their guard around pregnant women. What about you?”

“I plan to investigate the houses where the missing people stayed.”

“Good idea. Well then…”

Pavela glanced at the bed and quickly looked away, embarrassed.

“What if your fiancé finds out?”

“…He’d be very upset.”

“…”

“No one we meet here will remember us. Let’s get started before it gets too late.”

***

Pavela quietly looked out the attic window, watching Damian leave in his robe into the dark streets.

Damian had gone straight to investigate after their discussion. Pavela also planned to investigate while pretending to be pregnant.

But first, she had something to do.

She shifted her gaze to the roof of a building opposite.

A silver crow was perched there, watching Damian.

No one entering or leaving the inn noticed the suspicious spirit. Damian hadn’t noticed the white crow following him since Rigved either.

The faint magic power on its feathers indicated it was a spirit.

Caw, caw—

Pavela opened the attic window.

She had sensed the spirit’s presence for a long time.

She extended her arm forward.

“…I’ll tolerate you no further.”

T h i s w a s c op i e d f r om ki n g mtl . or g
As she clenched her fist, the air began to tremble. The crow’s form distorted and then vanished instantly.

***

In a temporary campsite in the forest, the Drama Club members gathered around a campfire.

Lilyke, the head of the Drama Club investigation team, continued explaining.

“The Art Department will be pressed for time moving from Luden Village to their next destination. They’ll realize it’s too tight to finish in four days and change plans.”

Like other rival groups, the Drama Club had skipped Luden Village for a reason.

Lilyke pointed to a spot on the map.

“For the Art Department to complete their investigation without being looted, they’ll have to split here where the mountains divide.”

The plan was to ambush the divided Art Department, steal their Luden Village investigation data, and escape.

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“Do you have an idea of how the Art Department will split?”

Lilyke, the top second-year student in the Magic Department, was quite the strategist.

“They’ll have to choose between a rough cliff path that’s always foggy, even in the daytime, and a comfortable paved road. According to Luna, Damian prefers to handle the tough tasks himself. He wouldn’t send the delicate ladies down the hard path. Damian will likely take the cliff path alone.”

Icarus nodded.

“So, how should we divide our forces?”

Louis, who had been listening quietly, spoke up eagerly.

“Let the Magic Department handle the Magic Department, and the Combat Department handle the Combat Department.”

First-year Magic Department student Icarus said.

“I want to face Damian.”

“Alright, I’ll handle Pavela and Lilith. Actually… we don’t necessarily need Luna. Luna, where do you want to go?”

Luna wasn’t paying attention and was looking up at the empty sky with a serious expression.

Everyone’s eyes turned to her.

“Luna?”

Second-year Drama Club senior Louis asked kindly.

“Luna, is something wrong?”

Luna finally turned her head back and pretended nothing was amiss.

“…It’s nothing.”

“What’s bothering you?”

Luna curtly said.

“No, nothing.”

Louis, thinking he understood, said.

“You’re worried about going against your friend Damian, but it’s common to be separated from friends during team activities in Eternia.”

“…”

“You may feel awkward now, but someone better may fill the void.”

Luna completely ignored Louis’s intrusive gaze.

Lilyke asked again.

“Luna, who do you want to be with?”

“I…”

“Since you’re both first-years, would you like to go against Lilith…”

“No, I’ll take on Pavela.”

There was no hesitation. Luna’s voice was unusually firm, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

***

Damian opened the door to the inn room, covered in wood shavings.

Pavela sat at the table to greet him.

The table was set with a whole roasted duck, potato stew, and thick slices of rye bread. It was quite a spread for a shabby inn.

“Welcome.”

“What’s all this food?”

“I was a bit hungry, so I ordered some. The old lady just gave me the duck.”

“…She didn’t seem well-off enough to give such a thing for free.”

“I offered to pay, but she insisted on giving it for free.”

“Maybe she wants something from you?”

“I looked at another table’s food longingly, and she said the regret of not eating while pregnant lasts a lifetime, so she served me too.”

“…”

“She also scolded my husband for wandering around when I’m pregnant.”

“Lesson learned. I’ll be careful when I get a wife.”

Pavela chuckled.

“But why didn’t you start eating?”

“How could I eat without you?”

Damian sat opposite her and said.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“Let’s eat. Did you find any useful information?”

“Yes, I found a note left by the missing family.”

“Where did you find it?”

“I snuck into the house. Almost got caught by a guard… Did you find anything?”

Pavela nodded.

“Yes. Acting like I knew nothing made people drop their guard and talk.”

She cut a duck leg and placed it on Damian’s plate.

“…Let’s compile the information when we reunite with the others.”

“…Good idea.”

Damian hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Thanks for waiting to eat with me.”

Pavela smiled softly in response.

***

The noise from downstairs had quieted.

The creaking of the floorboards from people going up and down the stairs had also faded.

Night deepened, and silence settled in the attic room.

Damian lay on a blanket on the floor, far from the bed, attempting to sleep.

“I could sleep on the floor.”

Damian firmly replied.

“If a pregnant woman sleeps on the floor, that sorrow will last a lifetime too.”

Pavela chuckled from the bed.

“…You’re right.”

She closed her eyes. Damian, seemingly ready to sleep, didn’t respond further.

Silence filled the room.

Time passed, and the moonlight cast a blue glow through the attic window.

Under the moonlight, Pavela slowly opened her eyes. She sat up and looked at Damian sleeping on the floor.
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His breathing was steady.

She knew the sound of his deep sleep.

So she hesitated not.

Even when the bed creaked as she got up.

Even when the floorboards groaned as she approached him.

Even as she knelt beside him and watched his sleeping face for a long time.

Damian didn’t wake. Just as she remembered.

Pavela gently took his wrist.

She carefully brought his palm to her cheek.

Her blue hair, cascading to her shoulders, reflected the moonlight, turning silver and growing until it brushed the floor.

She closed her eyes as if deeply asleep.

Feeling the warmth, she reminisced about the past.

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End of Chapter