I Became a Demon Who Can Never Be Headpatted in the Academy?!

If you receive Sitri’s gold coin pouch, the Demon King route will eventually begin.

This information is something that the player naturally learns, but what about it from a narrative perspective?

The fact that receiving the gold coin pouch puts you in the same group as Sitri, and defeating the executioner Rowan starts the Demon King route, is, to be honest, only a story from the player’s point of view.

The Hero route and the Demon King route.

The fundamental split between the two routes lies in a slightly different place. And, unfortunately, that split was about to happen right before my eyes.

『Stress increased by 10!』

“I didn’t know Sitri would come out to greet us like this.”

Nikea Hollimpia, who was happily playing card games in the afternoon, stood before us with a completely different atmosphere than before.

Three maids stood quietly behind her, and her casually arranged hair was neatly braided.

There was a strange charisma emanating from her, which made it strongly felt that she was doing something ‘important’, even though she was only a fifth-grader in the Elementary School Division.

“As it is a matter of the Crimson Nexus Trading Company, I also need to hear the story and make a judgment.”

“Please don’t be so nervous. It’s nothing big. There was just a bad rumor going around, so we’re just checking the truth.”

“If it was really such a story, you could have told me in advance today.”

Nikea slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

“The people who spread bad rumors want the truth to be told by a trustworthy ‘Princess’, not by someone from the Crimson Nexus Trading Company confirming the truth.”

“Are you saying that they can’t believe me if I confirm it?”

“Unfortunately, that’s how they perceive it.”

Could it be that we couldn’t get close after all?

In fact, I know that Nikea and Sitri can never have a good ending in this event.

So, while I hoped they would get along, I didn’t expect a good result in this event either.

Anyway, the situation that will unfold from now on is obvious.

Nikea is forced to move to confirm the truth of the ‘rumor’ that something that should not be brought into the Academy is circulating.

And Sitri, for her part, is displeased by the fact that she and her company are the target of such rumors.

“Is everything that is going into the Academy this month here? Or are there other means?”

Nikea turned her head and spoke to a place where more than 20 carts were placed.

It must be full of everything from food ingredients used in the Academy’s cafeteria to magical materials that will be used in Professor Aiaie’s magic class.

“That is… as you see. Princess Nikea.”

“We have been delivering goods to the Academy by land for a long time.”

It wasn’t Sitri who answered, but the people from the Crimson Nexus Trading Company.

There was one person who looked like a coachman, and one person who managed the ledger.

In addition to these people, there were dozens of workers by the carts who suddenly had time on their hands.

And finally, there is one person from the Academy, a faculty member, here.

“It’s as I’ve confirmed.”

“If you’ve heard the answer you wanted, please check the goods quickly.”

Sitri looked up at Nikea with a dissatisfied expression.

The story has progressed so far according to what I know, so the next part will be the same.

Nikea will check some of the items loaded on the carts and find something that shouldn’t be there. At that moment, the changeling who was watching the situation will reveal its true form and attack Nikea.

After that, in a rather tense atmosphere, when the player receives Sitri’s gold coin pouch, they will defend her. From here, there is a very small change, but the Hero route and the Demon King route diverge.

“Ugh…”

The changeling’s attack doesn’t matter.

Because no one will get hurt. The problem is what comes next.

“I’ll check the items on this side first. Could you open the boxes?”

“Of course. Of course.”

The man wearing seemingly expensive clothes smiled awkwardly and opened the boxes one by one that Nikea pointed to.

Under the moonlit sky, Nikea continued to check the items.

“The items match exactly with the documents we have…”

“I’ll check a little more.”

It was ‘Sylvia’ who spoke to Nikea while looking at the book in her right hand. Wasn’t she the secretary of that elf Headmaster Cosmos?

As the situation requires Nikea, who can distinguish the truth, to be here to resolve the rumor that suspicious items are being brought into the Academy, and Sylvia to defend the Academy’s position, and Sitri to defend the Crimson Nexus Trading Company’s position.

“The food is fine… this side is training equipment. And this side is materials used in Professor Aiaie’s magic class… What is this side?”

“These are items used in art classes. Haha, you know, expensive paints?”

Nikea nodded and reached for a box.

“Nikea. Surely you don’t intend to open and check each and every one of those paints, do you?”

“Don’t worry, Sitri. I’m not that ignorant.”

Sitri clenched her fist tightly as Nikea picked up one of the paints from the box.

Nikea might break or damage the incredibly expensive paints she is about to inspect, so this reaction might be natural.

“… As expected.”

Even under such a piercing gaze, Nikea raised the glass bottle containing the paint high and muttered while looking at it in the moonlight.

“The rumor was—”

Before she could finish the sentence, Nikea quickly moved her left arm while holding the paint in her right hand.

“Cough…!”

What Nikea grabbed with her left hand was a ‘worker’ who was emitting purple smoke from his whole body.

Nikea lightly lifted an adult, who was about two heads taller than her, with her left hand and slammed him to the ground without a moment’s hesitation.

—Crack!

Nikea, who had created a new pattern on the Academy’s street, put down the glass bottle in her right hand and sighed.

“Princess of the insects! You shall die here!”

“We are the beginning of this world!”

One, two, three.

Three changelings, who had been disguised as workers, revealed their true forms and slowly approached Nikea.

They didn’t even glance at Sitri and Sylvia, who were trembling with pale faces, or the other people from the trading company.

“How amusing.”

Nikea said a word and moved her body. Even though the Princess didn’t even have a weapon in her hand, it was no problem.

It’s not like I didn’t say ‘There’s a changeling among those workers!’ for no reason, right?

The changelings, who charged at her with mana swords, couldn’t inflict any damage on Nikea, which was ridiculous, or perhaps too obvious.

Or rather, what should I say.

“Cough…!”

She dodges the mana sword of a changeling who charged at her bravely, grabs his arm, and lightly folds it in half.

“You! How dare you!”

She throws down a changeling who tried to capture Nikea by hugging her from behind with an overhand throw.

“Th… This is how it… Hup!”

She grabs the chin of a changeling who was trying to cast a spell, closes his mouth, and throws him to the ground, showing a refreshing scene.

“A… As expected! She’s the Princess.”

“St… Stupid changelings! You should have stayed hidden!”

“Sh… Damn it… We’re done for! Our trading company is ruined!”

The changelings’ sudden attack was resolved in vain, but the situation was not.

The rumor that suspicious items were being brought in turned out to be true. The story that ‘changelings’ were behind it was also proven in front of Sylvia and Nikea.

“Liora.”

Nikea said, lightly arranging her slightly disheveled bangs.

At that moment, I unknowingly took a step forward and tightly grabbed Nikea’s skirt.

“Nikea, no.”

I said it. I was just going to stay quiet.

“… Huh? What do you mean?”

“Don’t kill them.”

The subtle difference between the Hero route and the Demon King route.

That is Nikea’s personality.

Now that the Demon King route has begun, Nikea will show a rather cruel and efficient judgment here.

Now that the ‘changelings’, who can transform into other people at any time, have been subdued, there is no reason to keep them alive. The moment Nikea called for her head maid, Liora, it wasconfirmed.

She will ask for a weapon, and Nikea, who is only a ‘fifth-grader in elementary school’, will wield it.

People surprisingly want to see that side of Nikea.

Because she is a princess.

Because she is of the Royal race.

They want to see her protect the people from the evil Demon race.

They want to see her kill the changelings, just as they would want to see a beast that escaped from the zoo killed.

Hoping that their day will be peaceful with their blood today.

“Murmur, you say strange things sometimes.”

“H, huh?”

“Liora, make sure to restrain the changelings here securely. They have committed a crime, so they should prepare to be punished forever in ‘Tartaros’.”

Huh?

Isn’t that line from the Hero route?

“Sitri, contrary to your wishes, items that shouldn’t have been brought in have been found. Now that it’s been confirmed, I think we need to check all the remaining items in the carts.”

“… I understand. Since you can no longer trust our trading company’s people, I will recommend new people to you.”

Sitri’s expression was dark. This is also subtle.

If it were Sitri on the Demon King route, she would shout in a rather venomous voice because she has me, Murmur, a reliable ally.

Since she believes that anything can be done with money, it is only natural for her to react venomously in this situation where all the trading company’s goods may be confiscated.

“No. There’s no need for that. Where are you going to find people in the middle of the night? Let’s search together. I don’t intend to confiscate anything, so don’t worry.”

Sitri looked at me and Nikea with a bewildered expression. To be honest, I’m also bewildered. Isn’t this the time to fight?

“Ah, and…”

Nikea glanced at me and then gave me a faint smile.

“I don’t think the Crimson Nexus Trading Company was plotting this incident, so please convey that to the Duchess as well.”

“Y, yes…?”

“The changelings were just disguised as workers who pull carts and carry luggage, right? They transformed into beings whose identities are difficult to verify, so saying that there is a problem with the trading company’s system is just nitpicking.”

“Why are you being so… generous to us?”

“There might not even be a witch, right? Ahem… And keep in mind that no other trading company except for the Crimson Nexus Trading Company even cooperated.”

『Nikea Hollimpia’s Wisdom has increased by 1!!!』

Luckily, it was meaningful?

Sitri looked at Nikea with a surprised expression and fidgeted with her fingers.

“… Embarrassingly, if you start talking like that, it will be said that there is a problem with our Cosmos Academy as well. We receive help from the Holy Kingdom and conduct inspections every six months, but these kinds of things always happen.”

Sylvia’s words were not wrong either.

Those who try to catch and those who hide.

It goes without saying who has the advantage.

From the start, thinking that you can catch a ‘changeling’ that can transform into another person at any time is more unreasonable than finding a needle in a haystack.

Saying that the trading company is at fault because a changeling transformed into a ‘worker’ of the Crimson Nexus Trading Company is as foolish as burning down an entire forest to catch a flea.

“Thank… you.”

“There’s no need to thank me, Sitri. From now on, we need to check together to see if there are any more problems with the items brought in from the trading company.”

Nikea suddenly stroked my head.

“And Murmur, you know you have to work too, right?”

“M, Murmur?”

“Yes, because Sitri is Murmur’s friend. You wouldn’t abandon a friend’s problem, would you?”

A subtly different line.

The line that showed hostility towards me on the Demon King route had changed in a really subtle way to be more gentle.

『Murmur is Sitri’s friend. Don’t get involved in this matter like that. Especially since you’re of the Demon race.』

That line that drew a line with a sharp gaze had changed to be this cute.

“… Murmur will help too.”

“O~hohoho! As expected of Murmur-nim!”

Sitri, who had been very tense, smiled brightly and clung to me, and Nikea watched this and suddenly lifted me up and dropped me on Sitri.

“W, we’re friends, right? Clinging like that is a bit…”

“Princess Nikea, are you perhaps jealous?”

“W, who said I’m jealous? No, it’s a misunderstanding.”

* * *

Under the shining moon, we spent about two hours checking all the items in the carts.

Fortunately, contrary to Nikea’s worries, items that shouldn’t have been brought in were cleverly mixed in with the items used for art classes and magic classes.

So, it ended up like this. It seems like it started a little earlier than I thought, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

“It’s… quite a lot more than I thought. And to think they hid it so cleverly.”

“It seems that Esme’s summoning of the Nightmare was not a coincidence.”

“Ugh, in that case, we’ll have to check all the items brought in from other trading companies as well.”

Nikea and Sitri looked at the items gathered in one place and sighed.

“So, this is ‘Lunarine’.”

I held up one of the glass bottles containing paint toward the moon and said.

The golden shimmer emanating from the black paint was clear evidence that it contained ‘Lunarine’.

“Murmur seems to know about ‘Lunarine’ after all?”

“Yeah, because Murmur is of the Demon race.”

‘Lunarine’

The name of a mineral that greatly amplifies the mana used by the Demon race.

At the same time, I can’t not know the name of an important item for the upcoming ‘Super Event’.

Nikea understood Sitri’s situation, and Sitri also purely accepted Nikea’s kindness.

So, I have to say the promised line here.

“Nikea, Sitri. Help Murmur.”

Help me stop the tragedy that is coming with me.