Chapter 78


The ancient corridor was dimly lit, as if time itself had frozen still.


The demon soldiers, who only a moment ago had been looking around in confusion, suddenly turned panicked.


Their formation broke into chaotic arguments, voices rising in a jumble of disbelief.


But soon, every eye turned toward the Great Poet of Love.


Bathed in the spotlight of their attention, she became the sole leading actor on this stage.


“You… you’ve tricked our commander and the blood emissary!”


One of the Inspectorate’s guard demons, standing vigil outside, finally pieced the truth together and roared furiously at the Great Poet and the vice principal.


Yet—


The Great Poet merely rose from the ground with unhurried grace, regaining her delicate, elegant poise.

“You all saw it yourselves, didn’t you? I tried to persuade the blood emissary. I tried to stop him.”

“Every word I spoke was true. He simply refused to believe me. Isn’t that so?”


“What now—will you ignore reason and bully a frail lady like me?”


Her chin tilted up ever so slightly, her sweet voice laced with provocation as she questioned the Inspectorate’s guards.


“...!!”


The lead guard demon clenched his teeth, torn in turmoil, unable to respond.


For indeed, they had heard her try—more than once—to dissuade the emissary back in the upper corridor.


“You dare set a trap in this academy? Do you even realize the consequences?!”


Another officer seized upon a point, his expression stern, clearly intending to seize the headmistress by force.


“Trap? What nonsense. I don’t understand what you mean.”


The Great Poet narrowed her left eye, chuckling as she shook her head.


Before she could elaborate, the vice principal stepped forward, unleashing a crushing wave of demonic power that forced the Inspectorate troops back.


“The Demon King’s Granted Theater always broadcasts its performances through the Magic Eye to the great nobles!” his voice boomed, echoing down the darkened corridor. “Every one of them can testify that it was a perfectly normal show—not a trap. The blood emissary barged in of his own will!”


“!!”


The guards, ready to draw blades a moment before, faltered and backed away.


The school’s explanation was seamless.


The more they thought about it, the less ground the army had to stand on.


And even if they wanted to rush in and rescue their emissary and commander, who among them dared to open that ominous door? Whoever entered would never return.


“Seal the entrance immediately! We cannot allow such a tragedy to repeat itself!”


The Great Poet’s voice now rang with righteous authority, her expression sharp and commanding.


“Understood.”


The vice principal and senior professors took their posts before the theater’s massive door, sealing it off completely.


“You…!”


The guards gritted their teeth. They knew these shameless teachers were deliberately blocking any rescue attempt.


And yet, with her impeccable reasoning, the headmistress had claimed the moral high ground, leaving them powerless to refute her.


And so—


The two factions stood locked in a tense standoff, the corridor charged with silent hostility.


Gradually, the soldiers of the Inspectorate cooled down, their thoughts turning grim.


They realized a terrifying truth.


The Inspectorate and Ministry of Education had already conspired to weaken the academy, drawing away its strongest headmaster in advance.


Yet not only had a new acting headmistress appeared out of nowhere, she had also played the emissary and the entire Inspectorate like puppets.


Everything, though seemingly a series of coincidences, felt like the inevitable result of a greater will at work.


As if some vast hand was pulling strings from the shadows.


The academy must have powerful backing.


If they continued opposing it, none of them might leave alive—and none would be left to tell the tale.


Yet neither could they return empty-handed. Without the blood emissary, their fate back home would be no less grim.


Thus—


The Inspectorate soldiers suffered like prisoners under torture.


Uneasy. Agitated.


Helplessly trapped before Corridor 24’s sealed door.


Seeing their torment, the Great Poet smiled in satisfaction, as if savoring a fine meal.


“Vice Principal, I’ll leave the sealing of Corridor 24 to you.”


With a graceful flick of her silky gray hair, she turned away, her heart light at last.


She had done the heavy lifting. Now, it was time to relax.


“Rest assured.”


The vice principal bowed deeply to her retreating figure, gratitude shining in his eyes.


He knew that thanking this noble lady also meant his words would reach that other great lord.



The labyrinthine corridors stretched on, each with its own strange style.


Patrolling teachers glanced up as the gray-haired, red-dressed demon passed by, bowing respectfully.


Holding a map in hand, the Great Poet strode forward happily.


At last, Huperion emerged from stealth beside her.


Earlier, it had been Huperion who played bait inside the Demon King’s Granted Theater, luring the blood emissary.


With her partial resistance to music-based sorcery and layered protections, she had escaped unharmed once his fate was sealed.


After confirming the emissary and officers were fully trapped in the eternal chorus, she had slipped away unseen.


“You can tell Lan Qi not to worry,” Huperion sighed. “I’ve confirmed it—the emissary and the others have joined the choir.”


In less than twelve hours at this academy, the karmic merits she’d accumulated for over a decade were probably all gone.


But Huperion knew that through the Great Poet, she could reach Lan Qi, who was now buried in work inside the principal’s office.


The fool had fully embraced his role as headmaster.


“...”


The Great Poet nodded, relaying the message through their mental link.


“He says you’ve worked hard. And that you should take me out to have some fun.”


She smiled as she spoke.


Besides Lan Qi, the one she was most familiar with was this Huperion, whom she had met a handful of times.


And for some reason, the Great Poet always felt a faint sense of kinship with her—almost like a shared bloodline.


“Go wherever you like.”


Huperion opened her palm, revealing ten credit coins lying there.


She felt more and more like a babysitter.


Lan Qi’s final task for her was simple: keep the Great Poet company in the Academy’s recreational zones.


He called it “letting her play.” In truth, it was asking Huperion to keep a close watch on this unpredictable, dangerous demon.


“Haha! Then watch me spend all his mana and play to my heart’s content!”


The Great Poet twirled in place, leaping into a spontaneous ballet.


Lan Qi had promised her freedom, like the wind, once the job was done.


And he had kept his word.


Though, of course, he would never dare release her into the real world—so instead, he allowed her to wreak havoc in this conquered shadow-world.


“Where do you want to go?”


Huperion leaned closer, glancing at the map in her hands.


She knew that epic-tier summons had unique consciousness and personality.


But she had no idea what a twisted, pure-blooded demon like the Great Poet would enjoy most.


“Let’s go to the Demon King’s Dining Hall for some food first. Then—I want to see the Demon Botanical Garden!”


The Great Poet stepped forward with a spring in her stride, nearly skipping with excitement.


Huperion tilted her head in confusion.


So… this gray-haired succubus’s greatest joy was… flowers and plants?