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

Lunarine.

A mysterious ore said to contain the light of the moon.

This item, which is quite important in the elementary school chapter of Legend of Academy, is treated as a pretty good doping item among the experienced players, but it was completely different in the eyes of the people living in this world.

【Lunarine】

【Increases mana by 50% for 2 turns. Then decreases mana by 50% for 2 turns.】

Lunarine, which has the effect of amplifying mana in the body, is a very dangerous object. There is even a setting that it causes addiction symptoms.

If you think about it at this point, it’s no coincidence that Esme summoned a nightmare during art class.

There was a secret reason why a small 5th grader in elementary school with great mana and an unstable mind suddenly summoned a dangerous spirit.

Nikea naturally came to check the items brought in by the Crimson Nexus Merchant Guild because, while investigating the nightmare that Esme summoned, she discovered something suspicious.

In any case, Lunarine is a very dangerous object in the worldview of Legend of Academy. As soon as its ingredients were discovered, the academy asked Nikea to be a witness that a fair investigation was being conducted, so there is no need to say more.

“Thank you for your hard work, Balkan. Murmur-nim? The results of the investigation are out, please check them.”

Receiving a hefty stack of papers from Balkan, the white-haired butler, Sitri, took a chair and sat beside me, speaking as he did.

It had already been about three weeks since I asked Nikea and Sitri for help. It would be strange if the results of the investigation didn’t come out.

“Yes, Murmur is looking at it now.”

“Murmur-nim seems to already know, but would it be okay if I explain it to you?”

It wouldn’t be bad to organize the situation once and move on, right?

And it’s also important to know how the incident is being evaluated from the perspective of someone living in this world.

“Yes, please.”

“Ahem…! There are currently four merchant guilds that trade with Cosmos Academy. Our ‘Crimson Nexus’ Merchant Guild, ‘Astral Emporium’, ‘Chronicle House’, and ‘Sapphire Concord’.”

Sitri said, holding up four fingers.

“You’ve heard of the name Astral Emporium, Murmur-nim, haven’t you? It’s a huge merchant guild created by a union of many small and large merchant guilds. They supply more than 50% of the items needed by the academy.”

I also know how great Astral Emporium is. There were even wars close to small and large civil wars to create that huge union of merchant guilds.

“Chronicle House is a merchant guild that belongs to the stores in Starlight Alley. Although it’s a small amount, they definitely sell items that only they can supply to the academy.”

“Sapphire Concord is the merchant guild that belongs to the stores on Dragon Tail Street, right? The stores that sell weapons and potions.”

“Oh, ho ho ho! That’s right! As expected, Murmur-nim knows everything!”

Sitri, smiling brightly, flipped through the papers.

“Finally, there is our Crimson Nexus Merchant Guild. Our guild has only recently started trading with the academy.”

“So that’s why the old man who was holding that book last time shouted that he was ruined.”

“If Lunarine had only come from our guild’s items, the academy would have had no choice but to cut off trade with us.”

But the investigation results are not like that.

Sitri didn’t say it, but I knew the information because I knew how the main story was going.

“Fortunately, Lunarine was not only found in our guild’s items. Although not a single one was found in the case of Sapphire Concord, Lunarine was also found in the items of Astral Emporium and Chronicle House.”

“And there are also people who suddenly ran away?”

“Yes, it seems that the story has spread that Nikea is protecting the academy staff and going around the merchant guilds as a witness. Some of the workers whose identities were ambiguous… an uncountable number of people suddenly disappeared.”

Changelings are always like this.

They disappear when they feel like they’re about to get caught. They use transformation magic to become someone else.

That’s why I don’t go around saying things like, “XX is a changeling! We need to lock them up in prison in advance!”

If I do that, they will run away, and if they become someone else, the information about who will cause an accident in the future will become useless.

“Which merchant guild had the most Lunarine?”

“That is, unfortunately, our Crimson Nexus Merchant Guild.”

Of course, it would be. It’s a relief.

I know who is spreading ‘Lunarine’ in the academy and which merchant guild is plotting a conspiracy. This question was to confirm if the event was progressing according to the information I knew.

“What’s next?”

“It’s Astral Emporium, and then Chronicle House.”

It’s the same as I know.

After confirming the information up to this point, the player must freely roam the academy grounds, talk to the faculty, or talk to the people of the merchant guilds to find the answer to the question, ‘Who is spreading Lunarine?’

And the information Sitri just gave me can be heard from Sitri in the Demon King route and from Nikea in the Hero route. And this information has an obvious trap set in it.

“Which merchant guild do you think is the most suspicious, Sitri?”

“Are you asking for my opinion?”

Sitri blinked.

“In my opinion, Astral Emporium seems the most suspicious.”

It’s the wrong answer, but Sitri didn’t fall into the obvious trap.

Most players would think that ‘Sapphire Concord’ is suspicious in the same situation.

The reason is simple.

Among the four situations where the academy is competing, there is only one place where Lunarine has not been found, Sapphire Concord.

The culprit hiding at the murder scene would not have blood on his hands.

“I’m curious why you think so, Sitri.”

“It’s because Astral Emporium would benefit the most if our Crimson Nexus Merchant Guild was unable to trade with the academy.”

“I see. It’s because Sitri’s guild was trading with the academy at a lower price than Astral Emporium, right?”

“Oh my? You know?”

Sitri blinked, but isn’t this too obvious?

“Sitri said it herself. You started trading recently. If you bring expensive items and sell them at a high price, they wouldn’t agree to trade with us, would they?”

“Hehehe, that’s right! That’s why I chose Astral Emporium. Also…”

Sitri quickly flipped through the bundle of papers and pointed to the scribbled letters.

“Although the exact number of people has not been identified… the merchant guild with the most missing workers is Astral Emporium.”

“You can roughly know even if the exact number hasn’t been identified?”

“If about 10 or 20 people disappear, you can feel that many people have disappeared.”

This is a bit unfair to Astral Emporium.

The reason why there were many changelings hiding there is actually simple. Since it was a ‘united’ merchant guild, there were many rat holes to poke and enter.

Anyway, Sitri has been investigating diligently, so should I start telling the truth?

I can’t tell them everything, including the fact that ‘Mrs. Zepar’ is the one who is spreading Lunarine in the academy.

I need evidence and grounds, but I have nothing right now. Even if Sitri is on my side, considering Mrs. Zepar’s good reputation, only Sitri will be on my side, and the rest will likely treat it as the nonsense of a ‘5th grader in elementary school.’

“Murmur thinks ‘Chronicle House’ is the most suspicious.”

“Chronicle House?”

Sitri blinked and flipped through the bundle of papers.

No matter how much you look at it, you won’t be able to find the answer.

To know that Mrs. Zepar is the real culprit, you have to clear 4 sub-quests, and the truth will barely be visible.

That’s why most players encounter a super event as a feeling of ‘time over’.

On the other hand, since it’s difficult to find the real culprit, the event itself is not that difficult, so if you somehow beat it with combat, you can clear it somehow…

I don’t want Nikea, Sitri, Esme, and the other heroines I haven’t met yet to get hurt, so I want to handle this event quite cleanly.

“Hmm… I don’t know why Murmur-nim thinks that’s suspicious.”

“Yeah, it’s not something you can know by looking at that.”

“Huh…?”

Sitri looked at me with a blank expression.

“Sitri, think about it. Sneaking Lunarine into the academy is a very dangerous thing, right?”

“Yes, even if you don’t study hard, anyone can know that Lubalin is very, very dangerous, and if you use it anywhere other than the Mage’s Tower, you’d be called crazy.”

Sitri looked around and covered her mouth with her hand.

“…I think it’s an obvious secret, but there’s also a rumor that our Nectar’s descendants like it because of its mana amplifying effect, so no one would bother to trade this dangerous ore.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Why would they take such a risk and bring so much Lunarine into the academy?”

“Well… isn’t it because it sells well? The mana amplification is certain as much as it is dangerous.”

“No, Sitri. They got caught.”

Sitri blinked.

“Huh? Huh huh?”

Then she touched her mouth with her right hand and tilted her head.

“That’s… right? Although Esme-yang accidentally summoned a nightmare… Lunarine wasn’t only discovered because of that incident. The ingredients were discovered so obviously that we asked Nikea to investigate.”

“Then there’s no point in sneaking it in and selling it, right? And it’s not like someone was discovered to have a lot of Lunarine in the first place, right?”

“…That’s right. In the first place, they didn’t even sell it? The Lunarine that was soaked into the paint was used as it is.”

Sitri had a look of disbelief.

“It doesn’t make sense. Lunarine is a dangerous mineral, so the places where it’s mined are really rare, so there’s no fool who would trade it like this.”

“Right? If you change your thinking, wouldn’t it be that the person who brought this Lunarine into the academy intended to get caught from the beginning?”

“…Is there such a foolish idiot?”

I nodded.

“Sitri, think about it. A demon appears at a party. What’s the easiest way not to get noticed?”

“Um, hmm… I think it’s to transform into a human?”

“There’s an easier way.”

Sitri tilted her head.

“Go to a party where there are many demons.”

“Ah? Then, well, of course, you won’t get noticed. Because there are already demons at the party…”

When she said that, Sitri, who is smart and has a clear calculation, covered her mouth with her hand.

“No, way…! Did they intentionally spread Lunarine? To make it look like a minor incident when they get caught?”

“Yeah, that’s right. And…”

I took out an advertisement that I had folded about three times and kept in my pocket and showed it to her.

“Free dessert…? First 100 people… for a month.”

“Have you tried this dessert?”

“I have a personal store that I trade with, so I only eat desserts from there.”

“This store is also affiliated with the Chronicle House merchant guild.”

Sitri stared at me. Are you starting to see the connection?

“And… Murmur heard a rumor…”

I’m telling you information that you can only get by clearing two sub-quests in a row.

“…They say that if you eat the cake here, you can suddenly use magic well.”

From the ingredients used in magic class to the food in the cafeteria, the paint in art class, and even the uniforms that the children wear.

The real reason why Lunarine, which is starting to be found so commonly, is scattered everywhere.

It’s to feed the desserts soaked in Lunarine to the students of the academy.

“No way… but Mrs. Zepar has a very good reputation… I, I’ll check it out first! Murmur-nim!”

Sitri hasn’t read many fairy tales, has she?

What’s the purpose of creating a piglet filled with magical power?