I Become a Secret Police Officer of The Imperial Academy

Chapter 29

I dragged the limp bodies one by one and moved them to the incinerator.

It took about two and a half hours to burn just one.

If the fire wasn’t strong enough, it could take even longer.

I stuffed the corpses into the metal drum and lit the fire.

The acrid stench mixed with the smoke as it rose through the chimney.

The birds eating the ashes today might as well be feeding on demons, albeit in powdered form.

Just thinking about adding firewood all day made me tired already.

But if I left them half-burned, even though this was underground, the stench of rot would climb up to the second floor in no time.

Everything costs money—firewood, oil, hammers, guns, syringes, drugs, wooden posts, shackles, and handcuffs.

Every single thing drains money.

While the small-scale work I was doing now didn’t strain my finances too much, eventually, the funds would run out.

Maybe I should rob Theo’s house.

Since he’s the protagonist, he must have it stocked with all kinds of valuable items.

While entertaining such foolish thoughts, I scrubbed the bloodstains off the floor with a rag and polished the shackles and chains until they gleamed, using oil-soaked black cloth.

I pulled out the wooden posts I had hung bodies on and tossed them carelessly into the yard.

The posts were all cracked, thanks to the struggles of the last ones who’d tried to lunge at me.

I could chop them up for firewood later.

God, it was exhausting.

For a week straight, I had to lure two or three people here every day.

I need a break for a few days.

My muscles were so sore that every move felt like my legs were being yanked painfully.

I couldn’t keep doing this work alone forever.

Maybe I should find a legitimate business to start.

Not that I had any wealth of knowledge to draw from.

The people who could provide information were all dead.

For now, I decided to handle things as quietly as possible.

I’d seen with my own eyes how Julian died.

Though it was basically an act of despair, if I rushed things, I’d end up with my neck in a noose thanks to Theo.

Wait a minute—did I even need to consider Theo such a threat?

If something poses a danger, the natural response is to eliminate it, whether with a gun or a blade.

Even as the Empire decayed, it still maintained enough of a military to crush its enemies.

If the opportunity arises, I should deal with Theo.

None of the demons I’d chained to the posts were weaker than me.

It was easy to approach them from behind and inject them with drugs.

I’d learned those skills from my parents in this very mansion.

The hard part came afterward.

With no one to help, I had to haul the large demon corpses up to the house on the hill by myself.

That meant using the underground passageway I’d dug.

To avoid suspicion while transporting them, I imitated the behavior of merchants stacking drugs and weapons at the gates.

But these demons were far too heavy to carry alone.

It was like hiking up a mountain with an 80-kilogram sack of meat.

The worst ones were the ones that woke up mid-transport and thrashed around.

Their bodies were annoyingly tough—beating them with the butt of a gun several times still left them writhing.

For those cases, I’d acquired a solid hammer.

Three or four good whacks, and they’d quiet down.

Still, I wasn’t sure if drugs would work on Theo.

If they didn’t, could I kill him?

“Hmmm~♫.”

Since I couldn’t go back and listen to music, I hummed melodies from memory as I worked.

Flipping over the burning corpses with a large stick while inhaling the smell of charred meat, I thought about this world’s music.

There were upbeat, lyrical, and sometimes moving songs here too, but to hear them properly, I’d have to visit a noble’s salon or café.

Since I couldn’t play an instrument, I just hummed along.

There was a piano in the house, but I couldn’t waste time playing it.

Time spent idling could be used to bring in one more demon to this mansion.

Right now, I carried a hammer in one pocket and a pistol in the other. Anyone seeing me would think I was an assassin.

“Hey, miss. I won’t tell anyone, so how about letting me go? Ah, who am I kidding—you won’t.”

As I worked, lost in idle thoughts, a voice called out from the pile of corpses.

“Ack! What are you doing alive?”

“Hell if I know.”

Was this what they meant when they said fathers with daughters are strong?

The demon touched the hole in its forehead, and sure enough, my finger barely reached the embedded bullet.

So this guy was alive, even with a bullet in his head.

I grabbed the hammer and began smashing his skull relentlessly.

Even after dozens of blows, the creature still had enough strength to raise an arm and block the hammer.

“S… stop. Just stop…”

When his arm finally gave out and fell limp to the floor, I decided to let him speak.

“Alright, talk. If it’s nonsense, I’ll toss you into the fire alive.”

Living demons were terrifying. Just the thought of being devoured sent shivers down my spine.

So I had to render them completely helpless before dealing with them.

“…This is insane.”

The demon stared blankly at the ceiling before speaking.

“I want to see my daughter.”

“No.”

“I don’t want to die.”

“That’s not happening either.”

“This is bullshit.”

“What can you do?”

The demon laughed, as if in disbelief, before coughing and giving its final words.

“I figured this life would end suddenly someday, but not like this. Damn it, at least give me one cigarette before I go.”

At his words, I pulled out one of my precious handmade herb cigarettes and placed it in his mouth, lighting it for him.

He took a deep drag, coughed a few times, then let out a bitter laugh.

“You know, miss, the thing is… you’re crazy because you smoke stuff like this.”

“Agreed.”

Still, Alicia told me never to smoke, didn’t she?

Even after hammering his face repeatedly, he only lost consciousness but refused to die. So, I went up to the second floor and fetched a rifle.

When I pressed the barrel against the crater in his skull and prepared to pull the trigger, he muttered.

“Olga…”

How predictable.

After pulling the trigger and leaving a gaping hole in his head, I dragged his body to the incinerator.

It didn’t burn well, probably because it was soaked in blood.

I checked my wristwatch—time to head to the Academy.

Thanks to these bastards, I hadn’t slept a wink.

Though it was a waste of oil, I tossed the remaining corpses into the incinerator, poured in two whole cans of oil, and added firewood before lighting it up.

If I’d been frugal, that much oil could have burned through thirty bodies. What a shame.

I went back upstairs, washed my body hastily with water, and changed into my white uniform.

Looking into the mirror, I wiped the bloodstains off my face with a handkerchief.

My fingers trembled, and for some reason, there were streaks of water under my eyes.

“Phew… hmm.”

After washing my face with some standing water mixed with rain, I headed to the Academy.

It took a long walk, but I eventually reached the classroom door, only to find Ethel blocking my way.

“…Ellen.”

“Ethel, move. I’m tired.”

“You look exhausted. Were you doing something at night…?”

Ethel cautiously asked.

“Yeah, I’ve been working in the back alleys lately… No, forget it. Just drop it.”

All I wanted was to collapse and sleep, so I pushed past her and flopped down at my desk.

I think I fell asleep the moment I closed my eyes.

When I woke up, Ethel, Isabel, and Diana were gathered around, talking.

I didn’t get up but kept my breathing steady to eavesdrop.

“Ellen seems to be struggling a lot since her brother… you know.”

“It’s unfortunate that the head of the family died, but wasn’t it his own fault to begin with? Ethel, you saw what happened there. Don’t you understand why no one’s saying anything, even though a duke was killed?”

Isabel started berating Ethel. Diana chimed in.

“People are staying quiet because they’re afraid they’ll be seen as lunatics too if they sympathize. But what’s the point of bringing this up? Are we supposed to comfort Ellen, even though we practically killed her brother ourselves?”

“It’s not about her feelings—it just seems like the situation itself is hard for her!  Would you two at least listen to what I’m saying for once? I think she keeps sleeping like this because she’s been working in the back alleys at night….”

Ah, I’ve never sold my body, for the record.

The food is awful, but I get by fine on three meals of rye bread and water.

Judging by the reddish hue of the sunlight, today’s a two-meal day since lunchtime must have already passed.

Still, I really need to use the bathroom. When are they going to leave?

“So, I was thinking we could let Ellen stay at my place for a while….”

“No matter how you put it, Ellen’s not going to listen to us.”

“That’s why I’m asking for your help with that part!”

“She still has that huge mansion, doesn’t she? There’s no way she’s poor if she’s living in a place like that.”

Ethel went quiet, then took a deep breath before responding.

“I don’t really know about that part myself.”

This was my cue to wake up.

It felt like these people were planning something I needed to avoid.

“Yaaawn… Ethel, what are you doing here?”

“E-Ellen!?”

“Isabel, Diana—it’s been a while. Nice to see you! Although, I doubt we’re exactly thrilled to see each other.”

I smiled brightly and extended my hand to Isabel and Diana for a handshake.

They hesitated before shaking my hand, their expressions a mix of reluctance and complexity.

“Anyway, I’ve got some errands to run. Sorry, but I have to go.”

Before they could stop me, I quickly walked away.

Something about this felt ominous.