Chapter 93
“Hey, did you see the news today?”
“You mean the Villain that got caught at the Gangnam club? They say the Student Council President was the one who caught him.”
“That too, but apparently the club was selling some weird drink and using it to kidnap people.”
“What, seriously?”
The plan to block the production of Essence supplied through the Honey Jack Club had been a major success.
With Yoo Iseo becoming involved in this incident, the massive organization known as the Association had begun digging deep into the case.
I knew Berid was starting to suspect me and Joo Sarang.
It would’ve been impossible not to notice with the way he was acting.
But that guy had neither solid evidence nor justification.
Knowing Berid’s personality, he would never move without definitive proof, so I judged that he wouldn’t be taking any action just yet.
More precisely, the most he could do at this point was to send someone like Seo Da-hee—someone with just enough strength to handle small matters.
Without concrete evidence, the highest-ranking Demon he could possibly mobilize was a mid-level one at best.
That’s why I thought Seo Da-hee’s level of power would be sufficient to handle whatever task she was given...
I never imagined she’d be lying in wait in collusion with a Villain instead of a Demon.
No—if we hadn’t gone there ourselves, the Villain would’ve wasted their resources for nothing. He really made quite the daring move.
Because of that, Seo Da-hee nearly got seriously injured.
If she had been captured and dragged to Berid, what would have happened then?
The dagger meant to bring Berid down would’ve turned into the guillotine that severed my own neck.
So, I shouldn’t let my guard down just because things went well.
What we’d accomplished so far was only cutting off the Essence supply that threatened the Academy.
The true culprits—the Demon of Indulgence and Berid—were still perfectly fine.
Therefore, my task wasn’t just to sever the flow of Essence, but to completely eliminate the source of the problem.
Well, I made it sound grand, but it didn’t seem like it would be that difficult.
After all, there was an unexpected ally—Yoo Iseo.
When class ended, Park Siwoo came up to me.
“Did you check your messages?”
“Messages?”
At his words, I checked my phone.
There was a text in the Student Council group chat from Yoo Iseo, telling everyone to gather.
“The entire Student Council? That’s rare.”
“It’s probably because of what happened yesterday.”
“What do you mean?”
As I looked at his innocent face, the image of him sipping that ‘delicious’ Essence-laced drink overlapped in my mind.
“Man, what am I going to do with you…”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
Hard to believe that this guy was one of the Protagonists of this world.
“It’s nothing. Let’s just head straight to the Student Council Room.”
I immediately headed there with Park Siwoo.
Inside the Student Council Room, Yoo Iseo tapped her finger on the desk.
Tok tok—the sound filled the quiet room.
Dark circles hung heavily under her eyes.
There were too many things weighing on her mind.
She looked down at the stack of documents laid out in front of her.
Among them was information about Hero Jung Hye-yeon from the Neo Guild.
Yesterday, she’d helped capture a Villain alongside her, and to express gratitude, Yoo Iseo had contacted Neo Guild.
But the reply she received said that Neo Guild had taken no action related to the Honey Jack Club incident.
Furthermore, Hero Jung Hye-yeon had never been dispatched there at all.
Then just who in the world had she met that night?
And why had that person mimicked Seo Da-hee’s exact fighting style and habits?
‘Don’t tell me…’
As she sank deeper into thought, the door to the Student Council Room opened.
Seeing this, Yoo Iseo hurriedly tucked away the files about Jung Hye-yeon into her drawer.
One by one, the Student Council Executives she had summoned began to arrive.
They greeted Yoo Iseo briefly before taking their seats.
They looked at her, curious about the reason for the sudden meeting.
After a short while, with Yoo Seongwoo and Park Siwoo taking their seats last, all thirteen Executives were now present.
Confirming this, Yoo Iseo stood up from her chair.
There was something even more important than finding out who Jung Hye-yeon truly was.
It was identifying and eliminating the traitor hidden among the Student Council Executives—the high-ranking Demons hiding within.
Until now, even though she’d known that traitors existed inside the Council, she hadn’t been able to openly suspect anyone.
If she began purging the Demons without knowing how many there were or without solid evidence, it would only lead to chaos—
everyone would end up distrusting one another and killing each other.
A Mafia game.
In that game, even doctors and police officers could be executed if the majority pointed fingers at them.
As the saying goes, “Three people make a tiger”—if enough people insisted on a lie, even she could fall for false information.
Rationalized irrationality.
That was a situation she refused to allow.
But the situation had changed now.
Because a crucial card had fallen into her hands.
Yoo Iseo rose from her seat and stood before the Executives.
“I can see everyone looks confused about this sudden assembly. Did you happen to see the news about yesterday’s Honey Jack Club incident?”
At her words, the Executives exchanged uncertain looks.
“It was quite a major event, so I’m sure you’re all aware of it.”
Saying that, she picked up the stack of documents from her desk and began distributing them among the Executives.
They contained an overview of the Honey Jack Club incident, details about the recent string of disappearances, and most importantly, materials about Essence.
“Please read through them. You’ll find the reason I called you all here today written inside.”
As she spoke, Yoo Iseo carefully studied their faces.
Shadows fell across the Executives’ expressions as they read through the investigation reports.
‘Are those gloomy faces reactions of shock at the truth revealed? Or are they the unease of those afraid their true identities might be discovered?’
“This is… shocking.”
“I can’t believe such a dangerous drink was being distributed.”
“But I don’t quite see how this connects to the Academy?”
Hearing the Executives’ remarks, she nodded.
Of course, she hadn’t expected the traitors among them to reveal themselves so easily just from this.
Yoo Iseo continued speaking.
“You think it has nothing to do with us? Do you really believe that?”
As she said that, she handed out another set of documents.
The Executives’ faces showed confusion.
“This is…?”
“This is an external activity proposal submitted last week by the Potion Crafting Club. As you can see, it states that they wish to sell semi-potion beverages made by their own club within the Academy.”
“……”
“But the ingredients and effects of those beverages perfectly match the Essence distributed by the Honey Jack Club.”
A wave of shock spread among the Executives.
Seeing this, Yoo Iseo went on.
“So, this morning, we detained all members of the Potion Crafting Club and seized every last bottle of that beverage.”
“At least it was seized in time. Otherwise, it could’ve been a catastrophe for the Academy.”
“They say drinking it causes a side effect of mana rampage—harmless for ordinary people perhaps, but lethal to cadets.”
Their words were routine, predictable—things anyone could have said.
That was when Yoo Seongwoo raised his hand.
“If the same drink that was distributed by the Honey Jack Club was also found here in the Academy, isn’t that extremely dangerous?”
“It is. In fact, the one who distributed the Essence could very well be part of the Demons’ inner circle hiding within the Academy.”
Now it was time to cast the bait to catch the traitors.
“However, this is also an opportunity. We’re currently interrogating the Villain who ran the Honey Jack Club. According to our investigation, he possesses information about the Demon who supplied the Essence.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It seems the Demon kept their identity hidden during the transaction, but the Villain appears to have collected information separately.”
Yoo Iseo’s gaze swept across the room.
The die had been cast.
Truth be told, she could have struck directly at the Demon of Indulgence here and now, but that would be the wrong move.
He was only a tail—an expendable piece.
Instead of pressing immediately, she would give them time.
Whether they fled… or panicked and lashed out…
Anyone who reacted would be caught in one swift sweep.
“He hasn’t confessed the Demon’s identity yet, but the Association continues the interrogation, and it’s only a matter of time before they obtain the information.”
“Then, when the investigation is complete…”
“We’ll finally be able to capture the Demons’ leadership hiding within the Academy.”
A fierce smile spread across Yoo Iseo’s face.
I couldn’t help but admire Yoo Iseo’s scheme.
With this, Berid and his underlings were bound to panic.
They couldn’t be sure whether her information was true or false.
If the intel was real, and the Villain actually revealed details about the subordinates—then Berid’s identity would be exposed in an instant, and their infiltration of the Academy would be completely ruined.
That’s why they had to confirm it.
And that was exactly the moment Yoo Iseo was aiming for.
In truth, this plan was even better than she realized.
Because Berid had already lost much of his trust and reputation within Pandemonium, and with the Honey Jack incident, he’d lost even more.
There was nothing left for him to lose.
He was probably having nightmares every night about losing his head.
And he couldn’t even ask anyone for help.
He suspected me—so he couldn’t come asking me for assistance.
Not that I’d help him even if he did.
I already had an excuse ready, since I’d cleaned up one of his messes before.
There was, however, one concern…
My gaze turned to Joo Sarang.
She wore a bored expression, clearly uninterested in anything Yoo Iseo was saying.
Joo Sarang.
She, too, was one of Berid’s underlings—and directly connected to this incident.
And if her superior, Berid, gave the order, she would have no choice but to obey.
To overcome this situation, Berid would have no option but to create a variable—to shake the board.
And he only had one variable left.
He would surely choose Joo Sarang as the sacrificial pawn to eliminate the Villain.
By dealing with the suspected traitor Joo Sarang, he could simultaneously rattle me.
Therefore, I needed to create a situation where Joo Sarang wouldn’t be chosen.
It seemed it was time to pull her out of Berid’s grasp.
Pandemonium was ruled by the iron-blooded law of the strong.
And Joo Sarang, like me, was someone favored by the High-ranking Executives.
Berid had called her a “parachute” who had been placed there by others rather than chosen by him, and even the Heavenly Demon had once called her a necromancer’s courtesan upon first meeting her.
So, I would persuade the High-ranking Executive who had placed her in the Academy as one of Berid’s subordinates, and bring her under my command instead.
All preparations for persuasion were already complete.
I couldn’t wait to see Berid’s face when he found himself confronting Joo Sarang—his subordinate—defying his orders.
I was truly looking forward to it.