The Narrow-Eyed Villain of the Demon Academy

“Is he alive?”

“Shouldn’t we finish him off?”

“That’s a bit much, even for us.”

“Alright, let's just tear off one arm.”

“That’s not enough. We have to at least cut off a leg.”

I cautiously opened my eyes at the terrifying sounds ringing in my ears.

And I gasped at the sight before me.

A group of young children with blue hair were huddled together, staring down at me.

First, play dead, play dead.

Judging by the horrific things they were saying, it wouldn't be good if they found out I was awake.

As I swallowed nervously, I heard them say:

“Hey, didn’t he just open his eyes?”

“Are you stupid? How could you tell with eyes that small?”

“That’s true. If his eyes were open, they wouldn’t be that small.”

“Yeah, you usually see the pupils, but you can’t see his, right?”

“Right, he didn’t open his eyes!”

I can hear you all, you little brats.

I let out a silent groan and lay still for a while longer.

At that moment, someone poked my cheek.

“Open your eyes.”

What’s with this arrogant tone?

A little kid, speaking so arrogantly?

Is there something wrong with my ears?

I was dumbfounded but unable to do anything, I stayed put.

Perhaps my lack of reaction was frustrating because the owner of the voice sighed and spoke again.

“Get up. We all know you’re not asleep.”

“…….”

Damn it, they’ve seen through my act.

I felt annoyed, but I decided to get up.

There was nothing to gain by continuing to lie down, and who knows what these kids would do to me while I pretended to sleep.

*Shuffling sound*

Scratching the back of my head, I sat up.

And there she was, the girl who had been looking down at me, now standing with her arms crossed triumphantly.

Wait, this girl is…?

The moment I saw her, my shoulders slumped.

“Lady Fron, is that you?”

“……!”

The girl, who looked exactly like Fron, flinched.

To be precise, this is what Fron would have looked like as a child.

She looked so much like Fron that it was easy to overlap her image with the real Fron in reality.

Right, that arrogant tone.

It had to be Fron.

It was the same tone as Fron before her personality took a strange turn.

Figures.

A rotten apple from a young age.

Slandering Fron internally, I casually extended my left hand.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise. My name is Adel.”

“Get your filthy hand away from me.”

“……Excuse me?”

*Slap*

Fron swatted my hand away.

What was that?

Why is she being so hostile?

More surprised than hurt, I stared blankly at Fron.

She glared at me and threatened,

“How dare you try to shake my hand, you villain who came here to kill me?”

“……?”

Kill who?

What does she mean I came to kill her?

Fron spoke in a firm voice, as if to say there was no room for excuses.

“You foolish boy, you underestimate me! You must have been sent from the neighboring territory to assassinate me!”

“That’s right, Fron. We were on guard duty, but he appeared here without a sound.”

No.

What in the world is going on?

My face must have been a picture of bewilderment.

I couldn't adjust to this situation and was utterly confused.

What is happening right now?

And what was this about assassins being sent from the neighboring territory to kill Fron?

Why would they want to kill her?

And more importantly, who are these kids from the neighboring territory?

Is this some kind of noir film set?

My head throbbed.

These kids knocked me down without a second thought, and now they're acting out a gangster movie.

Well, to be fair, I did let them get the better of me on purpose.

I didn’t want to risk hurting them by using my full strength when I had no idea what was going on.

But still.

What in the world is going on?

I decided to try and defuse the situation and spoke to Fron.

“I’m not an assassin sent from the neighboring territory.”

“Don’t lie! Judging by your shady appearance, you’re the perfect assassin!”

“Hey, don’t you know it’s not nice to criticize someone’s looks?”

Seriously, her upbringing must have been terrible!

Someone bring Fron’s mother here!

Actually, on second thought, if I brought her mother here, I'd probably be killed for trespassing.

I'll hold off on that for now and try talking to Fron again.

“I’m not an assassin. And I’m not from the neighboring territory either. I hope you’ll believe me.”

“Hmph, you’re still denying it even though I have clear evidence that you’re an assassin.”

“Excuse me?”

Evidence that I'm an assassin?

Oh no, could it be that this body I possessed actually had a past like that?

I should clear up this misunderstanding as soon as possible. But just as I thought that…

“Look at this child!”

“Huh?”

I stared blankly at the teary-eyed girl Fron pulled forward.

This was the girl who had burst into tears the moment I spoke earlier.

“Do you see the tears of this child?”

“Yes, I see them, but…”

The girl was still crying.

Every time our eyes met, tears welled up in her eyes.

This made me feel like I was truly in the wrong…

But even so, this wasn’t evidence that I was an assassin.

“Are you saying this girl crying is evidence?”

“Hmph, what more needs to be said?”

“No, maybe she’s just crying because I look scary.”

“Silence! You just admitted that you look shady like an assassin!”

“I never admitted to that.”

Why would I ever admit to something like that?

I might look a little intimidating to kids, but it wasn't to that extent.

I was innocent, completely innocent.

In fact, I was here to save Fron.

There was no reason for me to feel guilty.

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