I Become a Secret Police Officer of The Imperial Academy

Chapter 23

I walked out of the ordinary house in silence.

If I were Theo, I’d have taken advantage of the moment I left to ambush me—knock me out or kill me.

Letting me escape freely back to my base was the kind of mistake only an idiot would make.

But our righteous protagonist didn’t seem interested in detaining me, someone so deeply enmeshed in evil.

Perhaps he didn’t see me as a threat even if I were free.

Regardless, I walked back to the mansion on my own two feet and entered Julian’s office.

As always, Julian was buried in paperwork, stamping documents like a madman.

“You should really knock before coming in, Ellen.”

“It’s urgent.”

“What’s the issue?”

“We’ve been discovered. They’ve figured out everything we’ve been doing around the mansion over the past week.”

At this, Julian feigned surprise, like an actor in a play.

The sight made me want to smack him.

“Oh my, who found out?”

“Those people who came to the house last time.”

“They’re just students, aren’t they? Can’t you deal with them?”

“I told you before—thirty of us couldn’t take Theo-sunbae down.”

“So, you’re saying students were skulking around the mansion for a week, and no one noticed?”

Julian sighed and pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it up as if to steady himself.

At least he didn’t smoke opium. That would sap all his strength, leaving him unable to work—though, given his state, I wasn’t sure how much that mattered.

As the nicotine started to take effect, Julian rubbed his temples and offered a faintly optimistic comment.

“Maybe they want the demons eradicated as much as we do.”

“…You know that’s not even remotely true.”

“I don’t like how you only call me ‘brother’ when it suits you.”

Thud.

The sound of his stamp echoed through the room.

Hearing that we’d been discovered didn’t seem to faze him—he wasn’t even checking what he was stamping anymore.

“I refuse to believe a bunch of students could bring this place down.”

“Well, what are you going to do if they rally everyone in the mansion? And with the academy head backing them?

Not to mention their close friends are all people with powerful connections.”

This country isn’t normal.

It’s like a chimera, patched together by nobles surrounding the emperor.

If this were a proper nation, the army would have crushed any demonic uprisings long ago.

But even the military isn’t centralized; it’s fragmented and scattered.

The fact that Julian and I, mere upstarts with some money and influence, managed to round up and execute demons across the country without interference speaks volumes.

On paper, we’re loyal to a puppet emperor, but in practice, we’re a private organization, answerable to no one.

If someone decided to challenge us, Julian’s head could roll without much consequence—as long as they cleaned up the aftermath.

And if word of what we’ve done in the underground spreads, they wouldn’t even need to worry about the cleanup.

For us, it’s pest control.

But as I’ve said before, the world is full of demon sympathizers.

“So, we’re screwed?”

“Pretty much.”

“In three days, this would’ve all been over. What a shame.

Well, I’ll keep it in mind. Go rest in your room.”

With that, Julian resumed stamping papers, unconcerned by the possibility of an imminent attack.

Like a machine.

I stared at him for a long moment.

I hated the emptiness in his eyes, as if he had already resigned himself to everything.

Even if I pointed a gun at him, I doubted he’d blink.

“You don’t seem worried at all.”

“I knew this would happen.

The work was rushed and sloppy. If it succeeded, great. If not, oh well.

And you knew this too, Ellen.”

“Fair enough.”

“Want to help me decide?

This room has rope, a gun, and a bomb.

I’m leaning toward the bomb—seems dramatic.”

Julian spoke so calmly about something so extreme that I found myself walking toward him.

For a moment, I considered throwing the coffee cup on his desk, but the risk of ruining the surrounding documents stopped me.

Instead, I punched him square in the jaw.

I wasn’t sure if I’d gotten stronger or if Julian had gotten weaker, but he crumpled to the floor.

Even though I’d hit him because I didn’t like what he’d said, it didn’t feel satisfying.

If anything, the emptiness inside me felt even stronger.

What had Theo felt when he hit me?

Was it satisfying for him?

Probably. I wasn’t family to him—just a crazy girl.

Not that it matters.

“…You told me not to die, Julian.

Said I was the only one left.

If you were just going to give up and die, why did you spout that crap in the first place?”

Julian rubbed his jaw, which was already swelling, though he didn’t seem to be in much pain.

“Because you are the only one left.

So I don’t need to stick around anymore.

I hate just existing. I’d rather run away.”

If “running away” meant the afterlife, no one could stop him.

I hadn’t realized that’s what he’d meant by me being the only one left.

But I couldn’t bring myself to ask him not to die.

I wasn’t as shameless as he was.

Julian got up, dusted off his clothes, and sat back at his desk, resuming his stamping.

“You’re disgustingly irresponsible.”

“Apologies for that. If I get hit one more time, I think I’ll collapse, so let’s put the fists away for now.”

When will Theo come storming in?

Not that it matters—there’s nothing I can do to prepare anyway.

Julian is probably going to die. He’s the villain, after all.

“Ellen, from now on, capturing and dealing with demons wasn’t our work—it was my work.”

If the demons hadn’t caused this mess, our parents would likely have been killed anyway.

By Theo, or captured by someone else.

Our family was a perfect villainous side story, conveniently discarded once the narrative moved on.

“When I die, don’t cry your eyes out over me.”

“I’ll cry a little, at least.”

“…Sure.”

He didn’t seem interested in stopping me.

Our parents, for all their faults, deserved what they got.

Even if there was some faint familial bond, they had been excessively cruel.

When Theo arrives, will I die too?

The thought doesn’t bother me much.

After all, I have nothing left to lose.

But still, I didn’t want to see the people I knew die.

Especially not my family.

“Is it too late to run? I’ll help you. We’re family, after all.”

Julian rubbed the spot where I’d punched him earlier.

“What’s there to help with? If they take my head, you’ll survive just fine.

You’re not much of a threat, and if they marry you off to some bloated noble, they’ll likely seize the rest of the estate.”

“Julian, if I get married to some bloated noble, what are the odds I don’t hang myself?”

“Not a fan of riddles, but go on.”

“Zero. Because I’d put a gun to my temple and pull the trigger.”

“Fair point. Hanging does sound painful.”

We forced a laugh at our bleak jokes, as if this would somehow make our final conversation lighthearted.

“If this was all revenge, then sure, I’ve killed plenty. But it’s not satisfying.

It’s just disgusting. Killing off those idiotic bastards who think learning some fake martial arts makes them bulletproof isn’t even fun.”

“…Are you saying revenge feels hollow?”

“No, it’s not hollow—it’s fulfilling, in a way.

But it’s infuriating to think that the people I loved were killed by such trash.

That’s the disgusting part. And when I think about the people who’d leap to their defense, I want to puke.”

Julian stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

The faint smell of burnt tobacco lingered in the air.

“Tell the servants they can take tomorrow off.”

For a moment, he looked like he was trying to figure out what to do.

After muttering to himself for a while, he seemed to come to a decision, pulling a large key from his pocket and tossing it to me.

“Give them enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.”

“Even Marco and the old butler?”

“All of them. Even the apprentice maid who just sweeps the floors.”

Saying this, Julian rummaged through a drawer.

“They’ve all worked hard.”

Following his instructions, I opened the vault and retrieved a pile of gold coins to distribute among the staff.

I told them everything was over and they should return home with the money.

Even though we’d spent most of our fortune on this operation, there was still plenty left for the servants.

Marco accepted the coins with a smile, while the butler hesitated, likely worried about the family he supported. When I insisted, he finally pocketed them.

The rest of the staff seemed to have anticipated this outcome.

At least they appeared satisfied with the generous compensation.

The advisors and couriers who brought in clients were probably already hiding.

Once the family falls, who will take over the estate?

The world always revolves around the protagonist, so maybe the emperor will hand it over to Theo.

It’s absurd, but that’s just the kind of thing protagonists pull off.

The sun had set, and the moon hung in the sky.

From the hallway, I glanced out the window and saw familiar faces.

Instead of knocking, they drew their swords and sliced through the door.

The steel was over 10 cm thick, yet they cut through it with ease.

What a waste.

If this were a game, each turn would introduce new enemies, with Julian as the final boss.

I headed toward the mansion’s armory—not to fight Theo and his group, though.

There were still plenty of living things in the underground. Before Theo could free them, I needed to eliminate as many as possible.

Arming myself with as many bullets as I could carry, I descended into the basement.

There was work to be done.