I Swear I'm Not a Demon Masquerading as a Human

At the far end of the black mist permeating the botanical garden stood a blurred figure, looming like a sovereign atop a dark reef. The only distinct features were the brilliant radiance from his body and his eyes, flickering like eerie emerald flames amid the gloom.

He sighed softly, and his gentle voice drifted through the air. "Why must you make the headmaster work overtime?"

He held a book in his hand, looking for all the world like a substitute teacher arriving for class.

Lillete no longer cared about Hyperion. An intense sense of danger crept from the tips of her toes to envelop her entirely, making the very air in the botanical garden feel crushing. Logically speaking, even if someone violated classroom rules, nothing would go wrong as long as the headmaster didn't catch them during his rounds.

In addition, the headmaster of this academy rarely inspected classrooms of such a low difficulty level. Unless, of course, a specific mechanism had been triggered to summon him. However, the mission objectives for this Shadow Realm challenge had already been completed. According to the mechanics governing the vast majority of Shadow Realm dungeons, a Great Demon of his caliber shouldn't be taking any further action!

In that instant, Lillete realized that Hyperion wasn't the only one who needed to escape. To survive and return to the real world, challengers had to outlast the final countdown of this Shadow Realm instance while being hunted by the headmaster!

The silver, alien entity known as Immortal Quicksilver, which had originally blocked the doorway, was now locked in fierce combat with a department-head-level demon teacher who had blasted the doors open moments ago.

Meanwhile, two Rank 5 teachers flanked the headmaster. Lillete was confident she could break past those two Rank 5 demons. However, the true terror was the inscrutable demon headmaster, who was someone who could make even high-ranking instructors grovel at his feet!

His mana control was absolutely exquisite. It was so faint and steady that she could barely sense it at all. Such a situation usually implied one of two possibilities: either the opponent's mana power was genuinely weak, or they were a master of mana control and vastly more powerful than the sensor.

Clearly, the headmaster fell into the latter category. That radiant yet eerie, shadowy figure standing before the doorway loomed like an insurmountable wall, blocking off any hope of escape. Just as Lillete was wondering how to respond, Hyperion was already sprinting at full speed toward the Headmaster.

"Foolish..." Lillete certainly wasn't about to stop such a suicidal, desperate move.

Originally, she had intended to prioritize returning to the real world alive and temporarily abandon the plan to kill the young heiress to the dukedom. But now, Hyperion was practically begging for death, playing right into her hands.

A demon wielding such absolute power and authority wouldn't care which student had caused the carnage in the botanical garden. All three "students" present showed clear signs of having been involved in the fight.

However, just as Lillete expected the headmaster or the demon teacher beside him to step in and obliterate her target immediately, she watched in astonishment as the headmaster simply let Hyperion run right up to him, making no move to stop her!

Lillete cast a startled glance at that Radiant Demon in the black mist. She remembered this headmaster. He had exuded that same non-aggressive aura back in his office, and that was precisely what made him so unsettling to her. The more a demon appeared kind, rational, and serene, the more likely they were to be an extreme psychopath whose mindset was utterly beyond human comprehension.

In the distance, seeing that Hyperion was out of danger, Lance finally reopened the book in his hands and resumed reading. His nonchalant demeanor suggested he didn't consider the Rank 5 female assassin in the botanical garden an enemy worthy of serious attention.

Without looking up from his book, Lance spoke gently to Hyperion, who was standing nearby. "Student, please describe what happened in this classroom."

Hyperion hesitated for a moment, seemingly grasping his intent. She glanced at Lillete and the black-mist-wreathed hex caster accompanying her, then looked toward Lance with a hint of fear, her voice trembling as she reported, "The two of them killed the demon teacher and all the students in the classroom."

Lance didn’t even lift his head, instead keeping his eyes on his book and turning the page gently as he asked the two cultists, "Do you two have anything to say for yourselves?"

Realizing the headmaster’s stance appeared neutral, Lillete hurriedly suppressed the urge to risk her life in a desperate attempt to break through. "No!"

Sure enough, logic and reason always held sway in the Shadow Realm. Even if the headmaster were to show up, there would be established procedures to follow, meaning there was still a chance to turn the situation around. Her goal now had shifted to simply holding out for the final minutes of the Shadow Realm challenge and making it back to the real world alive.

Even if the formal procedures failed, simply dragging out the encounter by engaging the headmaster in conversation for a few extra minutes would vastly increase her chances of survival!

Lillete argued back, her voice laced with anger, "After violating classroom rules, that person behind you summoned a silver creature to kill the teacher, blocked the door, and tried to wipe us all out to steal our credit coins!"

She clearly couldn't stand seeing Hyperion feign frailty and innocence while twisting the truth.

"I see..." Lance’s voice sounded distinctly absent-minded. It was as if the book in front of him was the only thing that truly mattered.

From the moment he arrived, judging by their positioning and the standoff taking place, it certainly looked like a two-on-two fight: Hyperion and the silver monstrosity against Lillete and the hex caster.

Lance asked Hyperion calmly, "Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Hyperion put on a tearful, dramatic act as she pouted, "They're lying. That silver summon isn't mine at all. I-I couldn't possibly do something like that."

Even though she knew this wasn't the sort of thing she would normally do, to play along with Lance, she had to learn how to be "bad." Hyperion understood that Lance hadn't been able to gather more teachers in his rush to get here. A large number of instructors were likely still on their way to the classroom.

Lance’s relaxed demeanor, as if his mind were entirely on that book, was actually a calculated performance. It was a natural act designed to stall for time.

In the background, Lillete had already been secretly manipulating her summons, making it attempt to break through and charge at her, thereby staging a scene where she and the Immortal Quicksilver appeared to be enemies. Seeing Hyperion’s flustered, incoherent state, she felt even more confident that her ruse would succeed.

"Headmaster, you could simply have the department head stop holding back the silver familiar. Just watch who it attacks automatically when it isn't receiving any orders!"

Lillete knew she might not be able to fool the headmaster completely. However, compared to Hyperion, she held absolute control over the situation in the classroom, giving her plenty of ways to stage a scene and frame her assassination target for the incident.

Lance stated in a leisurely, unhurried manner, "Looks like both sides are sticking to their own stories, and there is indeed no hard evidence available here. However, based on what I’ve heard so far, I’m inclined to believe the latter version. It really does look like a two-on-two standoff that dragged on for quite a while."

He seemed to have grown weary of the situation and just wanted to get back to his book. "How about this? I don’t want to waste any more time. Whoever steps up to help the department head deal with that silver familiar... I’ll accept their account as the truth."

Upon hearing this, Hyperion was momentarily stunned. So, the true agenda was finally revealed. She knew that bastard Lance was messing with people's heads again!

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