Episode 234: Beyond Redemption (2)
“Missing? Outside the academy?”
Damian’s eyes widened in surprise as he repeated the news, and Jake nodded solemnly.
“Yes, and it’s not just near the academy. Students who went home for the holidays or due to family matters have disappeared.”
That explained the eerie calm at the academy. The incidents hadn’t occurred on its grounds.
“Could it be Slara’s doing?”
Jake asked, his voice tinged with concern. Damian paused, deep in thought.
In Salik’s memories, Slara had been within the academy. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have orchestrated the abductions of students who had left. She could have easily ordered her subordinates to do it.
Still, it was too early to pin the blame solely on Slara. The disappearances could have happened for various reasons.
“How many students are missing in total? Do we know who they are?”
“We haven’t been able to investigate everyone. From what I’ve heard, there are eight.”
The number was higher than Damian had anticipated.
“They’re all from noble families. The Philip Earldom, the Glader Barony, the Wools Viscountcy, and…”
Jake listed the families one by one. Each name made Damian furrow his brow. They sounded familiar, but he couldn’t immediately place them.
“Ah, the families I mentioned are all renowned within the empire. They all have inherited bloodlines.”
The mention of bloodlines made Damian’s eyes light up.
Some families were known to inherit mysterious abilities through their lineage. They could transform magical energy into unique attributes or absorb it to enhance their physical capabilities.
Such families were often referred to as having ‘special bloodlines.’
“Now that you mention it, I remember. Slara was once deeply involved in researching special bloodlines.”
Slara’s reputation as one of the most formidable villains was largely due to her extensive research.
Among her many studies was one focused on special bloodlines. She aimed to harness the powers of these families for herself.
“So that’s why Slara infiltrated the academy. To study bloodlines.”
The academy was a gathering place for all the empire’s nobility, including those with special bloodlines. It was the perfect setting for Slara’s research.
“Even within the same family, the strength of the bloodline varies. She likely identified students with strong bloodlines and had them abducted.”
This meant Slara was probably disguised as someone who could easily interact with the students.
“That rules out the staff.”
The staff were too busy with their duties to have much contact with the students.
“And the teachers, too.”
Different teachers handled different grades, which didn’t align with Slara’s goals.
“I need you to investigate the missing students more thoroughly.”
“What should I focus on?”
“Find out who they met before they disappeared. Who they were close to. Focus on their relationships.”
“Understood!”
Jake nodded, determination in his eyes.
Just before dawn, the students of Class 13 gathered in the dormitory lobby.
All academy students shared the same building, so it wasn’t difficult for Class 13 to assemble.
“Follow me, everyone.”
“Oliver, are you sure about this?”
“Trust me.”
Oliver led the students with a confident grin.
He guided them to a secluded corner of the lobby, where a wall stood.
“Just wait a moment.”
Oliver pulled out an old piece of paper from his pocket.
“I found this in the library. If you tap the wall as it says here…”
“Just open the door already.”
“Stop showing off.”
The students’ complaints rained down on Oliver, who quickly deflated.
“Alright… I’ll be quiet…”
Oliver tapped several bricks with his fingers. With a grinding sound, the wall began to rise.
“Whoa…”
“There really is a passage?”
The students were amazed. Oliver’s confidence returned.
“But… is this all it opens?”
“The opening is… pretty small.”
The revealed hole was tiny, barely large enough to crawl through.
“Do we really have to go through here?”
One boy asked hesitantly. Penelope turned to him.
“If you don’t want to, stay behind and train.”
“Well, that’s a bit…”
“Anyone else have complaints?”
The entire class shook their heads.
“Then let’s go. Oliver, you’re the expert, lead the way.”
Oliver crawled into the passage first, followed by the others. Penelope entered last.
As soon as she was inside, the wall descended, sealing the entrance. The sudden darkness startled the students.
“The door closed?”
“Is this okay?”
“Don’t worry. I went through last time, and it was fine.”
Oliver’s reassurance calmed the students.
“Let’s move.”
Oliver crawled through the passage, the others following.
After what felt like an eternity, Class 13 reached the exit.
Oliver pulled out the paper again and tapped the bricks as instructed.
The wall rose, flooding the passage with light. The students’ faces lit up with relief.
“Finally, we’re outside!”
“Freedom!”
“Damian Haxen! You miserable jerk! We’re out of here!”
Oliver chuckled as he poked his head out of the passage.
Only to find Damian Haxen standing there, blocking the exit.
”…”
Oliver froze instantly. With him stuck, the students behind couldn’t move forward.
“Hey! Oliver! Why aren’t you moving?”
“Get out of the way! You’re killing us here!”
Sweat trickled down Oliver’s face. Damian gestured for him to step aside.
Oliver quickly moved to where Damian pointed. The student behind him eagerly poked his head out.
“Damn it, why are you just standing…?”
The second student froze upon seeing Damian, trembling all over.
“Da-Da-Da-Da-Da…”
Damian mercilessly brought a club down on the second student’s head.
“Ugh!”
With a strange cry, the boy slumped. The student behind him grumbled.
“Why are you dawdling? Hurry up!”
Damian signaled to Oliver, who promptly dragged the unconscious boy out of the passage.
As each student emerged, Damian swung his club, and Oliver diligently moved them aside.
“Phew, I thought I’d suffocate.”
Penelope was the last to exit. Her eyes met Damian’s.
”…”
Too shocked to speak, Penelope stood frozen.
Ignoring her, Damian turned to Oliver.
“Is she the last one?”
“Y-Yes.”
As soon as he got the answer, Damian swung the club. Penelope blacked out from the searing pain.
A short while later, the students regained consciousness.
“I’m very disappointed in you.”
Damian had them all lined up, delivering a stern lecture.
“I warned you yesterday that I’d show you hell if you tried to escape training… and yet, you couldn’t even last a day.”
He clicked his tongue, shaking his head in disapproval.
“Why did this happen? I pondered deeply and came to one conclusion.”
Damian held up the club. The students recoiled in fear, but he didn’t strike them.
“This was the problem.”
The students exchanged confused glances, unsure of his meaning.
“Trying to control people with violence only breeds rebellion.”
His words left the students bewildered. After all the beatings, now he was blaming violence?
“The more you suppress, the more people want to break free. I failed to understand your hearts. I apologize.”
But his sincere apology stirred something in the students. They felt a shift in their hearts.
“Um… sir… we…”
“We’re… um…”
They hesitated, unsure how to express their remorse.
“No need to say anything. I’ve realized what you truly need.”
Damian raised the club high. The morning sun rose, casting its light on both the club and the students.
“You need greater violence.”
The students couldn’t believe their ears.
“Half-hearted violence only makes you laugh at me.”
A chilling gleam shone in Damian’s eyes. The students swallowed hard.
“S-Sir…? We’ve never thought of you lightly, not once.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t have tried to escape. I clearly warned you yesterday about the consequences of skipping training.”
Demian tapped the stick in his hand with a sharp, rhythmic motion.
“Let’s make sure this never happens again. A little discipline to start with.”
The students’ faces turned pale.
As the darkness that had cloaked the sky began to retreat, the sound of sticks striking echoed relentlessly from one corner of the academy.
After thoroughly disciplining the students, Demian dragged them to the training ground.
“Start running.”
As soon as they arrived, Demian ordered the students of Class 13 to run, just like the day before.
“The last ten to finish will have to answer to me.”
The difference today was that the punishment had intensified. The students of Class 13 had no choice but to run for their lives, trying to avoid Demian’s stick.
“Sir, I… I think I’m going to die! No, I feel half-dead already!”
“Stop whining and get up.”
Even collapsing from exhaustion was futile. Demian had planted a sacred relic in the training ground, periodically infusing it with divine energy.
Thanks to this, the students’ injuries and stamina were restored in real-time.
And so, they were pushed to their limits until lunchtime.
“It’s about time for a meal. We’ll stop the morning training here.”
At Demian’s words, the students collapsed onto the ground in unison. The floor was soaked with their sweat.
“Pathetic. You collapse after just this much running?”
Demian clicked his tongue in disapproval as he looked at the students. Just then, he sensed someone approaching the training ground entrance.
“My word…”
Blanca Roche, the captain of the White Blood Knights, stood there, shaking her head in disbelief.
“What brings you here?”
“I heard rumors that the students of Class 13 were actually training, so I came to see for myself. When I first heard it, I thought it was nonsense… but it’s true.”
Blanca looked at the students with a curious expression.
“What kind of magic did you use? How did you get these rebellious kids to listen to you?”
“I just spoke to them sincerely, and they understood.”
At this, the students glared at Demian, their eyes filled with a murderous intent.
“Truly impressive… No teacher at the academy has been able to handle these kids. They might actually score well on the exams at this rate.”
“We’re still far from that. Even with all this effort, I’m not sure what the outcome will be.”
“Do you need any training equipment? The knights recently got new gear, so we’re getting rid of the old stuff.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Listening to their conversation, the students couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. They were already struggling, and the thought of adding knight training equipment was terrifying.
As they talked, Demian discreetly observed Blanca.
‘She might be someone who can freely interact with the students.’
The White Blood Knights were responsible for the academy’s security. However, they didn’t stay confined to the academy. They dealt with external threats like bandits and monsters and sometimes escorted students on long journeys.
‘And she’s been approaching me with unnatural frequency.’
Since arriving at the academy, no one had sought out Demian. He wasn’t well-liked. Blanca Roche was the only one who did, which was suspicious in itself.
“Sir Demian, would you like to join me for lunch? I’ve found a nice place.”
Already suspicious of Blanca, Demian readily agreed.
“Sounds good. Let’s go.”
Before leaving the training ground, Demian addressed the students.
“Finish your meals and return here. We’ll be doing sword training in the afternoon.”
Later, Demian went to the restaurant Blanca had mentioned and had lunch with her.
Throughout the meal, he kept a close eye on Blanca but found nothing suspicious.
‘Perhaps I’ll have to resort to a more direct approach.’
The best way to uncover Slara’s disguise was through combat. No matter how perfect the disguise, it couldn’t replicate the movements of a master class.
But it wasn’t a method to be used lightly. If Blanca wasn’t Slara, Demian could end up in trouble.
‘I should look for an opportunity to challenge her to a duel.’
With that thought, Demian returned to the training ground, only to witness a strange scene.
“Even losers like you know how to put in some effort?”
“Why so quiet? Why don’t you say something?”
A group of unfamiliar students was mocking Class 13.