Damn Academy

250 – Shadow City (9)

“Senior Hailey.”

Damian was desperately calling out to Hailey from beyond the fence. To Hailey, it looked utterly bizarre. The usual black sword he carried was gone, and even his tone was strange. He was even dressed in the formal attire he wore the day before, not the clothes he had put on at dawn.

The art club members slowly emerged from the front door. Sensing the strangeness, they hesitated and did not approach readily.

“Don’t come any closer, everyone.”

Hailey shouted that and immediately descended the stairs to the entrance. Then, like encountering a wild animal, she cautiously took steps into the courtyard.

Damian’s gaze from beyond the wall was fixed on Hailey the entire time.

Zenia and Lilith came out of the entrance belatedly, following Hailey.

Rumble.

Thunderclouds hung in the sky, and the rain drizzled down. Damian, with raindrops falling on him, called out to Hailey.

“Senior Hailey, let’s go together. It seems we need to see the mayor.”

“Really? Where’s that sword you always carry around like your limb?”

“We need to see the mayor.”

Hailey’s complexion turned pale. Lilith also sensed an ominous aura and stepped back.

“That’s not Damian’s way of speaking.”

“Right? It doesn’t sound like him.”

“We need to see the mayor.”

Hailey drew her sword from her waist and tapped the courtyard floor as she spoke.

“Alright, Damian, why don’t you come inside?”

She wanted to see if he could pass through the rat-repelling magic circle laid out in the Silberin mansion. If he couldn’t pass or avoided it, it would be suspicious.

“There’s no time. We need to see the mayor.”

“If you come here, I’ll consider it.”

The rain grew heavier. Damian and those who had come out to the porch were quickly getting drenched.

Creak-

Damian opened the barred gate and stepped into the courtyard. Contrary to expectations, Damian was unharmed.

He extended his hand and said,

“Let’s go.”

Hailey whispered quietly to Xenia.

“Why is he alright?”

“Could it be… because of the rain?”

The problem was that Damian’s body was already soaked, leaving no chance for fire to catch.

“The rain… It makes it hard to distinguish clearly.”

That’s when it happened.

A stranger suddenly vaulted over the wall and charged into the mansion’s courtyard. Without warning, he thrust a sword into Damian’s back.

A blue blade burst forth from Damian’s abdomen, and screams echoed.

“Kyaaak!”

“Damian!”

Damian, impaled through the abdomen, let out a strange scream.

“Kiaaak! Kiak!”

Black blood poured from Damian’s body.

The assailant didn’t stop there; he grabbed Damian’s hair and pierced his throat with the sword.

All the schoolgirls watching covered their mouths in horror.

Soon after, a commotion arose as they realized the assailant also bore Damian’s appearance.

“Everyone, get inside!”

Hailey ordered the members to evacuate. Then, except for Xenia and Lilith, all the members entered the mansion and closed the door behind them.

“You, what are you?”

“I bow to you, senior.”

Damian caught his breath and replied calmly. This time, his appearance and tone were quite convincing. Although he was a mess now, he was wearing the same clothes as when he left the mansion at dawn, and he even had his magic sword. But having experienced a strange situation once, he couldn’t trust what he saw. He was also drenched from head to toe.

“The Damian you killed, what was that?”

“A doppelganger. I encountered a group of them while exploring the sewers. We can’t stay here. This city has been infested by doppelgangers. We must leave before they learn about us.”

Xenia wrapped her head in despair.

“Doppelganger. Doppelganger, you say? Yes, that all fits together. Oh, I’ve heard that such terrible creatures exist. But to actually face one…”

“Yes. I understand it’s a doppelganger, but I still can’t trust you.”

Hailey said that and then whispered to Xenia beside her.

“How do we know if he’s the real Damian?”

“We could ask him about memories only the newcomers and we share.”

“…Yes, that would work.”

“Senior.”

“Wait.”

Silence ensued. Xenia and Hailey wracked their brains, recalling the past. Beside them, Lilith, who had been staring at the ground, took a step forward as if she had made a big decision.

“I’ll try.”

Hailey’s eyes widened.

“…What? You will? But you’ve hardly interacted with Damian?”

“I can do it.”

The two stared at Lilith with wide eyes.

Lilith lifted the left hem of her skirt up to her hip. Then she drew a dagger hidden in her garter and pointed the tip at Damian.

And then, with an awkward stance, she threatened him.

“Turn… around.”

“…”

“Hurry!”

She shouted to intimidate him, but Lilith’s voice was as clear and soft as a nightingale, not very threatening.

Damian calmly read the anxious eyes of the art club members directed at him and obediently followed Lilith’s command.

As Damian turned his back, Lilith approached him stealthily like a cat. Then, after a brief deep breath, she embraced him tightly.

“…?”

“…?”

He leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Demián’s abdomen, his body pressed tightly against him for a few seconds. Then he began to caress Demián’s stomach with his hand.

“Ah…”

Lilith released her embrace and took a few steps back, her expression hidden behind a nod.

“Ah… Ah, yes, Demián.”

Zenia stared at Lilith and Demián with a betrayed expression, as if she had been betrayed.

“How could you…?”

“…?”

Lilith averted her gaze, her eyes lowering slightly as if trying to calm down.

Demián turned his body and spoke.

“Will you believe me now?”

Helaya shook her head. She raised her sword higher and said.

“What’s your color?”

“…?”

“What’s your uniform color?”

“Senior.”

“What’s the answer?”

“…White. But it doesn’t mean anything, even if Doppler witnessed it.”

Helaya nodded slightly, her eyes narrowing, and put down her sword.

“…Accurate. I’m just saying it’s accurate, right?”

Zenia stared at Helaya and Demián, her expression indicating she didn’t understand.

“What do you mean, newbie…?”

Blood dripped from Demián’s body. Helaya, who had noticed this, gave an order to Lilith.

“Let’s treat the newbie’s injuries first. His body is a mess. You bring a potion. I’ll bring some clothes.”

“Okay!”

The two of them left Zenia behind and hastily entered the mansion.

Zenia, who still couldn’t trust Demián, stood in front of her.

“Senior, we can’t delay any longer.”

“I still don’t trust you.”

Zhenia grasped the sword that Hayley had abandoned and aimed it at Damian.

As Damian ignored her and approached, she became even more menacing.

“What’s with the newcomer… it’s… it’s… about our beautiful memories, isn’t it?”

“…”.

Damian remained silent.

Zhenia’s anger seemed to boil over, and she shouted.

“Why can’t we have memories! Then, then, my skin, my skin, what a mess!”

“…it’s…”

“Answer me when I ask a question! I’m starting to doubt you now.”

“…sweat dripped…”

Zhenia’s eyes widened. Then, with a sigh of relief, she relaxed her shoulders.

However, her irritation suddenly flared up again, and she quickly spoke out.

“You’re a pervert who takes advantage of innocent people and corrupts them. You’re a devilish scoundrel.”

“…”

Just then, clothes flew from the second-floor window and covered Zhenia’s head. Hayley had thrown them down from upstairs.

“Get lost, newcomer! Stop bothering me!”

***

Hayley made a loud noise and ran down to the first floor, shouting.

“Where’s Damian?”

As she passed by a nurse carrying a stretcher in the corridor, Hayley suddenly stopped and turned around, startling the nurse.

“No one is allowed to enter!…”

Hayley ignored this and pushed open the door without knocking.

“Newcomer! Tell the captain to assemble everyone immediately and prepare for departure. And honestly, I’m not sure about this situation yet, so I’ll ask…”

Damian lay on the bed, his upper body exposed, with a bandage wrapped around his waist.

Hayley paused for a moment, gazing at her own body.

The scars left on her back had created a jarring sensation in her mind.

Damian turned to look at Hailey belatedly.

The scar on his back extended to his abdomen. It was a wonder he was alive.

The cruel traces of life that didn’t match Damian’s age or appearance.

She stood there, having forgotten what she was about to do, lost in a daze.

“Senior.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll help you with the bandages.”

Hailey approached him and took the bandages. Then, she silently wrapped Damian’s wounds.

Each time her fingertips brushed against his bare skin, Hailey swallowed nervously.

After a moment’s hesitation, Hailey spoke up.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to show it to others.”

“It’s okay if it’s you, senior. Just don’t tell anyone else.”

“I won’t. And just so you know, I don’t think it’s ugly at all. The women of the empire quite fancy these rugged marks.”

“Anyway, wasn’t there something you wanted to ask?”

“Yes. About the Doppelers you mentioned. Do you know why they were trying to find me?”

“I don’t know the reason. Maybe they wanted to take your place and advance to Eternia.”

“What if one of the crew or members has already been replaced by a Doppler… and we don’t know it?”

“It seems the professor’s mansion has protected us well. Fortunately, none of the members have been harmed.”

“How do you know that?”

Damian said, caressing the sword at his waist.

“My magic sword can distinguish Doppelers. It has been warning me all along, but I only realized it now.”

“A magic sword? Can we really trust it?”

“You have to trust it. There’s no other way.”