Chapter 163: Setting the Trap
After finishing the meeting in the Student Council room, I returned to my prison cell once again.
The others didn't strongly object to the search for Baek Hyun-joong.
It wasn't that there had been no objections at all, but things somehow worked out in the end.
Thinking about it carefully, there were only a handful of people who could participate in the search for Baek Hyun-joong.
The instructors couldn't spare the time because of their teaching duties.
More importantly, they had to prepare for a Demon assault.
The same applied to Yoo Iseo and Seo Da-hee.
Among the Student Council Executives, those two carried the heaviest responsibilities.
Just like the instructors, they had to watch over the areas the instructors couldn't cover and protect the Academy.
Because they understood that, they only showed a hint of disappointment and didn't argue.
Helena, however, seemed to feel differently.
She simply couldn't understand why she had been excluded from the search party.
On top of that, the fact that Eun-ha—who couldn't even communicate properly—had been included only made her protest even stronger.
Helena wasn't the only one who couldn't understand why Eun-ha had been added to the search team.
Park Siwoo and Dan Chun-woo also couldn't understand why Helena had been left out in favor of Eun-ha.
Somehow, while I wasn't around, the three of them had become surprisingly close.
It was nice to see.
Even so, I had no intention of changing my decision.
Naturally, there was a reason I had chosen Eun-ha over Helena.
The biggest reason was, of course, that Eun-ha was a Playable Character.
To reach the Gate, we had to clear three Fragments.
Those Fragments served as trials and level restrictions designed specifically for the Playable Characters.
Naturally, each trial had been prepared to match the concept of each Playable Character.
Most importantly, the Fragments had a party limit.
To be precise, if more than five people entered a Fragment, its difficulty would increase.
Based on countless playthroughs, the optimal number had always been exactly five.
Three Playable Characters.
And two supporting members.
Back when I was a player, I usually entered the Fragments with the three Playable Characters, Helena, and one other companion.
This time, however, things were different.
There were already the three main Playable Characters, including myself.
And on top of that...
The Association's watcher.
Using my surveillance and the cadets' safety as justification, he had strongly insisted on joining the search team.
Naturally, I had no right to refuse.
That had also been one of the conditions for granting me limited freedom.
Besides, Eun-ha was much more useful than people realized.
To begin with, her combat ability alone was already exceptional.
An Authority that absorbed the stats and Traits of those she killed through Predation.
That was Eun-ha's ability.
Furthermore, seeing her for the first time since the battle against Lord Biden, I immediately noticed that she had changed.
The most obvious change was that her hair, once close to ash gray, had become as black as pitch.
Even the color of her murky golden eyes had become much clearer.
Thanks to that, she resembled me even more, to the point that no one doubted we were siblings.
Of course, those were only outward changes.
The real transformation lay elsewhere.
The Authority of Predation implanted within Eun-ha.
The moment I saw her, I understood.
The Authority of Predation was far stronger than I had expected.
I hadn't seen her actually use it yet, so I couldn't know the details.
But I was certain it had already surpassed what it had been in the game.
The reason for that change was probably Lord Biden's experiment.
His attempt to steal Eun-ha's body and become something beyond a Demon had instead become a blessing in disguise, strengthening her power.
That wasn't all.
Her Aura Sense and instincts were second to none.
She could instantly assess her opponent's strength and choose the most optimal course of action.
Of course, that was only because every opponent she had encountered until now had been absurdly powerful.
In battle, her abilities would greatly assist everyone else's judgment.
Most of the choices selected by Eun-ha's instincts would almost certainly be the correct ones.
I also suspected that she might know who I really was.
That I had been the researcher who had taken care of her.
Of course, I couldn't be certain.
She had merely stared at me for a long time without showing any particular reaction.
Still, if she truly knew who I was, perhaps the reason she hadn't shown it was because the bond between us had always been so shallow.
After all, even back in the laboratory, when I took care of her, all I had really done was talk to myself.
And finally...
The Fragments of the Gate were the greatest opportunity for Eun-ha to become stronger.
By overcoming the trials through Predation, she could awaken abilities that belonged solely to her.
There was no way I could pass up an opportunity like that.
Anyway...
I quietly turned my head toward the outside of the prison.
I wanted to check whether the Association's watcher was there.
If I could use mana, this would have been much easier.
Unfortunately, the restraint collar made that impossible.
That really was inconvenient.
So I slowly walked closer to the prison door.
Bang!
"What do you think you're doing?"
A rough voice came from outside the cell.
Through the small inspection window in the door, I could see a pair of narrowed eyes.
At the same time, I felt an intense killing intent that seemed to pierce my skin.
The aura was so overwhelming that every hair on my body stood on end, as if my survival instincts had been awakened.
"Step away from the door immediately.
Otherwise, I'll consider it an escape attempt."
"Come on, don't be so harsh.
Where else would I even go?"
"You could be trying to send the information you've gathered here back to Pandemonium."
Even after hearing everything I had done for the Academy during the meeting in the Student Council room, the Association's watcher still seemed just as hostile toward me.
Was that hostility truly the hatred of a Hero toward a Demon?
Or was it the contempt reserved for a traitor?
Just then, I heard someone's faint voice.
It wasn't the watcher's.
"Hero Kim Tae-woo?
Is something wrong?"
Although it was my first time hearing that voice, I immediately knew who it belonged to.
Apparently, he was reporting everything that had happened today to the Association's executives.
"If you don't step away from the door immediately, I'll subdue you."
"Alright, alright."
"I distinctly told you to answer only once... Tch!"
He was about to say something else, but perhaps because he was still on the call, he simply turned away after confirming that I had stepped back from the door.
A moment later, every sound from outside disappeared.
Apparently, he had blocked the sound with mana.
Lying back on the bed, I smiled faintly.
Just as I expected.
The Association's watcher would undoubtedly report everything that had happened today to the Association's senior officials.
Soon enough, those growing desperate would begin to react.
The board had been set.
The stage was perfectly prepared.
To lure them out, I had accepted every demand the Association made.
I allowed the watcher to accompany me.
I agreed to wear the electronic ankle monitor.
I even accepted the Mana Restraint Collar.
Right now, I was completely defenseless.
And this was precisely the perfect opportunity for Pandemonium's collaborators to target me.
That was why I had even refused the protection offered by Instructor Mabel and Kang Jae-seok.
The easier it was for them to target me, the more likely they would make their move.
Tomorrow...
Or perhaps even from this very moment...
Their hands would begin reaching toward me.
The watcher himself might even open the door and try to abduct me.
No matter how strong I was, without mana, I couldn't resist an upper-ranking Hero like the Association's watcher.
Of course, the chances of that actually happening were slim.
No matter what, neither Pandemonium nor the Association's executives could possibly be that foolish.
If the watcher truly was one of Pandemonium's collaborators, he would surely be kept as a last resort.
For now, there was still no way to determine whether he was one of Pandemonium's spies.
This really was troublesome.
Because of my current status, having my freedom restricted came with countless inconveniences.
If I could simply use mana, I would immediately know whether the Association's watcher was a Demon through the power of the 【Lamb】.
The 【Lamb】 also possessed the ability to detect Demonic Energy, allowing me to determine with certainty whether someone was a Demon.
Still...
There was no helping it.
For the sake of everything that lay ahead, enduring this temporary inconvenience was necessary.
With that thought, I closed my eyes.
Kim Tae-woo, the upper-ranking Hero dispatched by the Association to monitor Yoo Sung-woo, ended the call from his master.
His face remained cold and expressionless.
As though he had completely cast aside his emotions.
Everything the Devil Knight had discussed with the people inside the Academy had been relayed to the Association—
No.
To his master.
His master wielded immense power.
A single word from him could overturn the decisions of the Association's executives.
A mere gesture of his hand could cost Association employees their lives.
Though he wasn't a Demon, he was consumed by greed.
And he never let go of what he possessed.
Just as Kim Tae-woo himself was being used like a slave, with his daughter's life held hostage.
His master manipulated the Association however he pleased.
He eliminated those he disliked.
He blinded those around him and corrupted them with the same greed that consumed himself.
And now...
His master wanted the Devil Knight eliminated.
As well as the reappearance of Baek Hyun-joong.
He claimed everything was for the sake of the Association.
For justice.
But Kim Tae-woo knew the truth.
It wasn't justice.
It was nothing more than a pathetic struggle to preserve his own position and authority.
What his master desired was simple.
To maintain the current status quo.
After Hell Manifestation, the Academy's influence—which had always been a thorn in his side—had weakened.
At the same time, Pandemonium had shown no signs of making a move.
The Academy had lost the public's trust.
People, anxious over what Pandemonium might do next, had begun relying on the Association.
But...
The appearance of the Devil Knight.
And the return of Baek Hyun-joong.
Both were more than enough to overturn that situation.
And his master absolutely did not want that to happen.
Kim Tae-woo let out a deep sigh and squeezed his eyes shut.
He hated Demons.
A Demon had taken the life of the woman he loved.
His daughter had been corrupted by Demonic Energy and could no longer survive without mana transfusions.
More than anything...
Because of Demons, he himself—
Once a Hero who believed in justice—
Had become nothing more than a slave.
That was why he despised Yoo Sung-woo.
If he followed his true feelings, he wanted to tear him apart with his own hands.
Yet after learning that Yoo Sung-woo was completely different from every other Demon...
His hostility only deepened for another reason.
Yoo Sung-woo was more heroic than he himself, an upper-ranking Hero, could ever hope to be.
Meanwhile, Kim Tae-woo...
Though called a Hero...
Was no different from a Demon.
Whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not, the truth had become impossible to ignore.
The Sword Emperor, the strongest Hero alive, had acknowledged him.
Kang Jae-seok—
The Hero known as Yaksha, considered the closest to becoming a top-ranking Hero—
Had bowed his head before him.
The Academy's cadets didn't care in the slightest that he was a Demon.
At first, Kim Tae-woo had even suspected that Yoo Sung-woo was using Demonic Authority to hypnotize them.
No...
He wanted to believe that was the case.
His expressionless face twisted into a vicious grimace.
Yoo Sung-woo's very existence seemed to deny everything Kim Tae-woo was.
He hated him.
Yet at the same time...
He envied him.
And respected him.
Perhaps...
If he confessed everything the Association's executives were plotting, even now...
Perhaps he, too, could become someone like that.
Even so...
He turned his back on justice.
He chose to ignore the truth.
Because before he was a Hero...
He was a father who loved his daughter more than anyone else.