I Became a Demon Professor at the Academy – Chapter 25

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“I’m not sure if it suits me…” Christine muttered.

The black dress Christine wore was quite revealing.

However, she wasn’t simply questioning whether it suited her, but rather commenting on the rings, bracelets, necklace, and tiara adorning her plump thighs and atop her head.

Since Christine originally preferred modesty, such adornments felt rather unnatural to her.

To her, the word “shackles” seemed more fitting than “ornaments.”

Yet Artel nodded tearfully, her eyes brimming.

“My Queen. You truly look beautiful… My Queen…”

“You cry too often. Are you aware of that?”

“Forgive me. This is just so overwhelming… To finally see you looking so stately, Queen Christine… Sniff…”

“You must remain composed. Composed.”

However, Christine didn’t entirely dislike Artel’s reaction.

At the same time, she felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders.

With followers who believed in and supported her like this, she had no choice but to persevere.

“…Jekkiel.”

A sudden thought crossed her mind, and Christine murmured his name.

She hadn’t even considered him attending, let alone expected it.

Yet he had revealed himself at the banquet.

She couldn’t understand the reason, nor did she want to admit it, but she had to acknowledge it.

He had undoubtedly revived Christine’s waning spirit when she was in crisis.

After his appearance, the disparaging gazes toward her at the banquet had noticeably diminished.

Swish- Swish-

Artel, who had been inspecting the ornaments and fit of Christine’s attire, immediately reacted to that name.

“Does that man concern you?”

Christine silently nodded.

Since she had carelessly uttered his name, she couldn’t lie and say he didn’t concern her.

“He didn’t exhibit any suspicious behavior.”

“I’d like to hear in detail what actions he took.”

Artel began recounting what she had observed.

Jekkiel’s behavior today had been strange, not in a crazy way, but simply too different from usual to be considered normal.

Fundamentally, Jekkiel exuded an imposing presence.

From his unreasonably tall stature to his ability to properly groom himself, his dignified aura was only natural.

Was the title ‘Sin of Pride’ merely an epithet? He still maintained his inherent grace.

He had met with the other Sins of the thrones in that manner, it wasn’t particularly strange for him to interact with others at the banquet, but…

‘It was strangely different.’

He responded earnestly to those who approached him, and he cautiously approached those who didn’t, as if intent on greeting everyone present.

Perhaps it was because the change was so drastic that Artel even forgot the question she had intended to ask, instead posing a different one.

“By the way, did you perhaps reconcile with King Jekkiel?”

“Hmm…?”

Christine’s brow furrowed slightly.

“He appeared wearing a ring today, and… He didn’t behave in any way that would offend the other banquet guests…”

‘Alright. In exchange, don’t involve Christine.’

‘Very well. I’ll repay the debt to Christine later.’

‘Go and express your gratitude to Christine.’

Those were the kinds of things Artel had overheard.

She didn’t voice this part aloud, though.

The discrepancy was so great that she couldn’t help but ask, in case there was something she had missed between King Jekkiel and Queen Christine.

She had to know, in order to fulfill her duties as a secretary more diligently.

“What in the world are you talking about?”

It wasn’t a loud voice, but it was distinctly clear – sharp like a blade.

Artel’s train of thought was severed by that resolute tone.

“Forgive me. In any case, Jekkiel did not behave in a way that would trouble Queen Christine at today’s banquet.”

She apologized deeply with a ninety-degree bow, but received no response from the queen.

She waited a bit longer.

Her impoliteness did warrant it.

However, strangely, no matter how long she waited, no answer came.

‘Is she dozing off…?’

Suddenly, Christine’s head began to nod unsteadily.

In all the time Artel had served her, Christine had never once dozed off.

And then, a moment later.

Thump-

Like a felled tree, Christine collapsed forward.

Artel’s eyes narrowed in utter shock.

“Ah, my Queen. My Queen?”

Kneeling beside the fallen Christine, Artel immediately checked her condition.

In the eerily silent space, an ominous feeling enveloped Artel.

“Ah… Ahh…”

Christine’s pale, trembling hands were stained with blood from her mouth. Artel’s body instantly became drenched in sweat.

“Queen Christine, Queen Christine!”

Artel’s cries echoed.

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Tstststs-

The white snake of the Demon Realm, the Sin of Envy, Vivian, flicked her forked tongue.

While carefully examining Christine’s condition with her hands, whenever she tilted her head in apparent confusion, Artel and Christine’s other followers clutched their chests tightly.

What if the worst happened? Their pounding hearts were beyond their control.

“Tsk.”

Vivian backed away from Christine.

“I don’t know what.”

Despite her prolonged observation, Vivian’s eventual response was a denial.

“Queen Christine is in this state… and you, a lamia, claim not to know?”

Artel had reason to press her like this.

Christine’s pale neck was swollen, with veins discolored to a purplish hue.

In a situation that suggested poisoning, weren’t the lamias practically the only ones in the Demon Realm who thoroughly dealt with poisons?

“The symptoms are blatantly those of poisoning, yet you speak so irresponsibly? Even for the sake of our future relationship…”

“I said I don’t know. Tststs… If it were poison, I would have done something about it.”

“Then that means…”

“It’s not poison.”

Haahh.

Artel’s sigh deepened.

“How can you say it’s not poison when the symptoms are like this?”

Tststststs.

Making the snake-like sound, Vivian picked up a vase of flowers nearby.

She then gently bit into a petal.

The white flower gradually turned purple before quickly withering.

Eventually, it turned ashen and dropped from the stem.

“Poison is known to spread endlessly once it takes root, right?”

“But isn’t Queen Christine’s condition exactly like that?”

“No. This isn’t something spreading… Rather, it looks like something is being depleted.”

“Then what in the world is being depleted?”

Vivian made a troubled tstststs sound.

Artel immediately apologized.

“Forgive me. My mind is too frantic… There’s only about an hour left until the coronation…”

“I understand your mindset. But this is an issue that needs to be examined by a fellow vampire.”

With those words, Vivian leisurely slithered out of the room, not even bothering to open the door and simply squeezing through a gap.

“A fellow vampire… But even for a vampire…”

Despite the examination by Artel and Christine’s capable followers, they couldn’t grasp the situation.

It was only natural.

As the highest-ranked being, Christine’s body differed from theirs, who were merely superior beings, it’s as different as the heavens are from the earth.

Artel scratched her cheek with her nail, failing to control her strength and leaving a bleeding wound.

However, such a thing was insignificant now.

With only an hour left until the coronation… When Christine would finally be able to bask in glory… Why did this have to happen?

It was certain that karma did not exist.

Seeing Christine, who had never once inconvenienced others in her entire life, suffering like this proved it.

It was unjust.

Artel felt utterly aggrieved and indignant.

At that moment, another of Christine’s followers spoke up resolutely from behind. It was Kiaru.

“It’s definitely a lie that it’s not poison. Vivian is playing tricks.”

“But she couldn’t outright lie like that as a Sin of the throne.”

“She’s the Sin of Envy. Lying comes as naturally as breathing to that Sin. And then some.”

Artel didn’t entirely dismiss the suspicion against Vivian either.

The Sin of Envy, Vivian.

She envied everything.

She took delight in twisting and ruining even the most promising situations.

But for now, they had no choice but to rely on her words.

“She said a fellow vampire needs to examine her condition. Let’s try that first.”

“It’s a delaying tactic. Frankly, where is there even a vampire of a higher rank than Queen Christine?”

“That’s…”

As Artel racked her brain, she suddenly recalled something.

“Oh…?”

There was one.

A single being who was equal to or superior to Queen Christine.

Ever since coming to the banquet, I had prided myself on making a connection with every named individual present.

I didn’t just make contact.

I had even secured a firm promise not to involve Christine.

Even if just an empty promise, it was necessary.

It was far more reassuring than having no such promise at all.

I had been stripped of the various assets, properties, and treasures in the Demon Realm, but so what?

I would be living in the human realm from now on, so those possessions were unnecessary.

Code for System Windows:

‘Is this the best I can do?’

‘But why isn’t it being fully achieved?’

There was only about an hour left until Christine’s coronation ceremony.

I felt I had done everything I could, yet the rating wouldn’t rise any further.

At that moment.

“Jekkiel. No, King Jekkiel…”

A voice hesitating whether to add the honorific ‘King.’

Regardless, it sounded extremely urgent.

Turning around, I saw Artel, who appeared highly agitated.

“What is it?”

“Do you have a moment, please?”

“I’m quite busy at the moment.”

A lie.

As soon as I casually mentioned being busy, Artel’s eyes widened greatly.

It meant she hadn’t come to see me for a simple matter, but rather, there was something only I could handle.

“However.”

Therefore, I was certain.

“I’ll make some time. A brief moment.”

That the event I would face by following this girl would be the key to filling the remaining percentage.

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