Volume 3, Chapter 3-2 – Where Is the Real Pale Daughter?

“…?”

A huge question mark seemed to pop up above Stella’s head.

For a moment, she wondered whether she had somehow beaten Lainia’s brain into malfunctioning.

Everything about her behavior left Stella completely baffled.

‘Forget it.’

‘At least her problem had been solved…’

Stella looked around.

She looked at the huge craters she had smashed into the surroundings and fell into thought.

‘Mm… apparently not.’

Not long ago, the training ground had merely been a little messy. Now, it looked as though it had just endured a meteor shower.

The pitted ground, the shattered stone pillars, and the fissure stretching across half the field…

Her destructive power seemed to be several times greater than Lainia’s.

‘Damn.’

It seemed she had demolished the training ground.

‘If Principal Gehenna found out that the first thing I had done after waking up was tear apart the school…’

Stella instinctively shrank her neck. The shadow beneath her feet immediately curled up as well.

Just then, a chaotic rush of footsteps came from the entrance.

A group of demons hurried over. At their head was a tall female demon.

She had long dark-golden hair, a pair of rugged dragon horns curving backward from either side of her forehead, and a thick, scale-covered tail trailing behind her.

Lavinia Samael.

The observer left behind by the investigation team, a higher demon of the Samael family, and the school’s current Administrator.

Lavinia stopped. Her slit pupils swept across the devastated scene before finally settling on Lainia.

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“Looks lively.”

“Just look at this.” Lavinia sneered. “A human, arrogant enough to set up a private challenge arena on Lilith’s territory.”

“Take that human away. Under Article 73 of the Abyssal Code, a slave who defies her betters and provokes a higher species is to be publicly executed.”

Two demons immediately stepped forward, preparing to drag Lainia away.

“No need for you to do it,” Lainia said calmly. “I… accept the punishment.”

“I set up the arena. I fought the battles. I wrote the provocative words.” She spoke one word at a time. “Whatever the punishment is, I’ll accept it.”

“Master… has already done enough for me.”

After saying that, she lowered her head and stepped forward.

Then…

A hand grabbed the back of her collar.

“Wait. She’s my slave.” Stella stepped sideways and blocked Lainia’s path. “How she’s dealt with is my business. I’ll make her pay the price, and I’ll compensate the school for the damage. But no one else gets to interfere.”

“B-But…”

Lainia froze.

“But what?” Stella did not even turn around. “I’ll settle this with you after we get back.”

“I already said she’s mine. If someone has to be punished, come to me.”

Lavinia narrowed her eyes.

In the past, perhaps she would not have shown any consideration toward some so-called genius freshman.

But now, the other party was the heir of Valentine.

She could no longer afford to provoke her.

Although Samael and Valentine, two Elector families, had struggled against one another across the political landscape of the Abyss for thousands of years, to the point that even watching the other side breathe felt like a provocation.

As a mere higher demon, she absolutely could not afford to offend someone of this standing.

“Valentine brat, you don’t seem to understand the situation. This is Lilith School. I’m the new Administrator, and your slave just attacked our students. Under the Abyssal Code, even if she’s your property, we’re still required to punish her.”

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“But our school rules don’t say anything like that.”

A childish yet authoritative voice rang out.

The petite figure who had been following at the very back of the group stepped forward.

Gehenna Jelansika.

The Principal, short in stature but great in authority, walked expressionlessly between the two of them and looked up at the towering Lavinia. Then she instinctively took a few steps backward and moved to a slightly higher position.

“At Lilith School, everyone must obey the school rules. And if you go through every regulation established since Lilith was founded, there isn’t a single one stating that ‘humans are forbidden from setting up challenge arenas against demons.'”

“Since it was a challenge arena, it was fair competition. Any succubus who lost can only blame herself for lacking skill and making a fool of herself.”

“Principal!” Lavinia raised her voice several degrees. “You’re protecting her!”

“I’m stating the facts.” Gehenna gave her a faint glance. “Also, Ms. Lavinia. Although the Nexus Council sent you here to keep an eye on me, this is still my school. If you want to lay a hand on my student, or on a student’s rather valuable private property…”

Gehenna paused. A dangerous glint flashed through her pale-golden eyes.

“You’d best ask whether the school board agrees first.”

Lavinia looked at Gehenna, who was fiercely protecting her own, then at Stella, who was also fiercely protecting her own, and finally gave a cold snort.

“I hope you can keep acting this tough forever, Principal Gehenna.” As she passed Gehenna, she lowered her voice. “The matter with Mara has already left the Nexus Council dissatisfied with you. If I find any evidence that you may be colluding with the Ash Drinkers, or evidence that you’re sheltering heretics, or even some indirect connection between you and the Pale Lord… I’m afraid you won’t be sitting in that position much longer.”

With that, she led the group of demons away from the training ground without looking back.

Gehenna watched her disappear into the distance and let out a long sigh.

Stella also breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Good thing I have a reliable Mentor.’

‘This whole mess has finally been brushed as—’

“You don’t actually think you’ve brushed this aside already, do you?”

Gehenna turned around. Blazing fury burned in her pale-golden eyes.

“Look at what you just did. You haven’t even been awake for one watch, and you’ve already demolished my training ground.”

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Gehenna pointed at the surrounding field, which had been reduced to ruins, her tone eerie.

“Was wrecking my courtyard last month not enough? Now you’ve demolished my training ground too. Do you know how expensive the floor beneath your feet is? Do you know where those pillars were shipped from?”

“Do you think the school’s maintenance budget just blows in on the wind? Do you know how difficult it was for me to trick… to find a way to obtain funding from your mother?”

Stella said nothing.

She shrank her neck. The shadow beneath her feet also very sensibly closed all of its eyes, shrank into a tiny lump, and hid behind her heels.

“And as for your shadow…”

“Very interesting…”

“Now, come with me!”

The moment the words left her mouth, the tip of the petite Principal’s boot kicked Stella hard in the shin.

—————

The corridor was long.

The lamplight no longer flickered. The Gothic window frames filtered the moonlight into neat patches that were clearly imprinted across the floor.

Stella silently followed behind Gehenna without raising her head. By chance, she noticed that she was stepping on the patches of light the little Principal ahead had already walked across.

At first, Stella had thought Gehenna was taking her to the principal’s office, where she would use Stella’s status as the Valentine heir to extort a hefty sum from her.

But now, it seemed that kick just now had already vented the Principal’s anger.

Gehenna stopped before an iron gate covered in climbing rose vines. She turned around, her pale-golden eyes calmly watching Stella.

“I called you here because there’s something important.” Gehenna paused. “For the next little while, absolutely do not leave the school.”

Stella blinked.

“Why?” She tilted her head, somewhat confused. “I wasn’t planning to drop out… and it isn’t some kind of holiday right now, is it?”

Gehenna looked Stella up and down strangely.

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

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“This is Lilith School’s once-a-month recess period.” Gehenna sighed. “For three days, all classes are suspended, the barriers are opened, and the curfew is lifted. Students are free to go out and visit places that are normally forbidden so they can vent their excess energy. As long as they don’t die outside, the school won’t interfere with their movements.”

“For example, Nightmare Street.”

Gehenna pointed in the direction of Nightmare Street.

“Nightmare Street has the Bewitching Cauldron Bar, which stays open all night, a black market selling all kinds of prohibited items, and supposedly even the Cloudtop Manor specially established by the Belphegor family, where demons can experience all manner of incomparable dreams and fantasies. For a bunch of little brats, it’s practically paradise.”

Stella suddenly understood.

Her eyes lit up.

No wonder Remedios had been dressed so casually. So she had been getting ready to go shopping.

Come to think of it, the Blood Demon Manor that her bargain-bin mother Vivian had given her was listed on the deed as being located at the third intersection of Nightmare Street.

Since it was recess, this would be the perfect opportunity to take possession of the property and see whether that so-called manor could be rented out to recoup some money.

It was, after all, an antique mansion with its own private garden and several centuries of history.

“Forget it.” Gehenna coldly interrupted her fantasy. “Don’t even think about it. This is exactly why I called you here. You’re forbidden from going to Nightmare Street.”

“Why?” Stella protested. “No matter how much trouble I cause, it’s not like I’d demolish the entirety of Nightmare Street.”

“Being famous… isn’t always a good thing. For you, the outside world is very dangerous right now.”

Gehenna crossed her arms, her expression serious.

“The night before last, a disturbance broke out in the black market on Nightmare Street. The news was sealed off, but witnesses claimed that a Class-A criminal wanted by the Abyss Nexus appeared there.”

“Who?”

“Bone Dragon, Aetlana Samael.”

Gehenna met Stella’s eyes and spoke each word distinctly.

“A fanatical follower of the former Pale Lord.”

“A high-ranking demon with a name and reputation.”