The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 78

Phais suddenly asked Kai a question, which made him tilt his head in confusion.

‘Where am I from?’

Where could the crown prince of the empire be from? Of course, he was from the empire.

Most of his childhood had been spent receiving education within the imperial palace. Once he grew older, he had no time to spare, learning statecraft to inherit the throne.

Now, with a little leisure time on his hands, he was at this academy trying to understand a man named Amon. The key point, however, was that he was a true imperial citizen who hadn’t set a foot outside the empire since birth.

“Uh…well, I’m from the empire,” he replied.

At that answer, Phais narrowed his eyes.

‘He says he’s from the empire? Most spies infiltrating another country wouldn’t identify themselves as citizens of the infiltrated nation. Against a real citizen, cracks in their facade would quickly emerge. Usually, they claim to be from an allied or neutral country instead…’

The thought that Kai might not be a spy briefly crossed his mind, but then he remembered the hostility Amon and Marion had displayed toward him. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

Unbeknownst to Phais, Amon’s hostility stemmed from two simple reasons: Kai’s self-imposed ban on drinking and a general sense of dislike. But how could Phais know that?

Thus, Phais couldn’t jump to conclusions.

‘Hmm, I’ll need to probe further.’

Phais straightforwardly asked, “Then, one thing I’ve always been curious about…His Majesty, Emperor Amonis XVIII, is renowned as a wise and virtuous ruler, isn’t he?”

Kai’s expression became peculiar at the question.

Hearing someone praise his father as a ‘wise and virtuous ruler’ right to his face was naturally awkward.

As an emperor, his father might be wise, but as a father, things were… different.

‘Kai, your teacher says you’ve been inattentive in class lately. No allowance for you this month.’

‘What? Father! Why—’

‘Hahaha! What are you looking at?’

‘…Nothing.’

Ah, childhood memories.

Phais, however, interpreted Kai’s change in expression differently.

‘Oh? Look at that. His expression shifted quite a bit.’

This reaction further solidified Phais’ suspicion that Kai might be a spy.

After all, if you were from a rival nation, it would feel unsettling to hear compliments about a potential enemy’s leader.

‘Haha, still so inexperienced. He can’t even hide his emotions properly.’

Phais decided to press further.

“I’m from the backwater kingdom of Osran, so I’ve only heard bits and pieces about His Majesty. Having recently defected here, there’s a lot I don’t know. Could you tell me about the Emperor’s achievements? As someone from the empire, you must know a lot about them, right?”

“Uh…” Kai scratched his cheek awkwardly before replying.

“Well…”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“This might take a while. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“…Excuse me?”

As he mentioned earlier, it did feel odd to hear praise about his father, the Emperor, in person.

However, as the crown prince, he believed his father’s achievements deserved respect!

There were tens, no, hundreds of reasons why the Emperor was hailed as a wise and virtuous ruler!

Several hours later, Kai sat slouched in a decrepit garden chair, giving an extensive speech to Phais about the achievements of Amonis XVIII.

That’s right—several hours straight!

“And what is the significance of His Majesty’s decision, you ask? It was the first step toward ending the Great War early!”

“Oh! So that’s why the war ended so swiftly…”

“Exactly! Thanks to His Majesty, the continent was freed from ten years of conflict. Ultimately, it was the beginning of…”

“The Battle of the Kaef Plateau!”

“Ah! You know about the Battle of the Kaef Plateau!”

Phais nodded enthusiastically as Kai spat out his words with fervor, showering the Emperor with praise.

Despite his outward enthusiasm, Phais’ inner thoughts were roiling.

‘This is so long! Why is this story so long?!’

Kai seemed almost desperate to extol the Emperor’s virtues.

And as Kai’s monologue dragged on, Phais’ suspicions about him grew just as lengthy.

‘Suspicious. Very suspicious. No matter how loyal one might be, would someone praise their Emperor nonstop for hours like this?’

Kai’s full name was Kai Stro.

The Stro family? Even as a spy, Phais had never heard of such a family.

‘A nobody’s family showing such exaggerated loyalty to the Emperor? It’s not like he’s from one of the prominent lineages, like the Pendorean’s.’

The implication was clear.

‘It must be one of two things. He’s either a fool mindlessly obsessed with the Emperor or a spy deliberately flaunting his loyalty for others to see.’

Phais concluded that Kai was the latter.

By now, Kai seemed to have run out of material, grasping for straws.

“And, uh, what else was there…?”

Realizing his own awkwardness, Kai let out a sheepish laugh and said, “Haha, maybe that’s enough about His Majesty’s achievements?”

Phais, who had been listening intently, smiled faintly.

“Haha, of course. I’ve learned so much.”

“Don’t mention it. But wow, look at the time. May I excuse myself?”

“Of course. Sorry for taking up so much of your time.”

“Oh no, it’s nothing.”

Kai quickly stood up and left the area.

Left alone, Phais crossed his arms and smirked.

‘Hah, deliberately showcasing such overt loyalty…’

The purpose, no doubt, was to deflect suspicion.

‘Haha, he might be a rookie spy just thrown into his first mission. And still so inexperienced…’

Thinking of Kai as a rival, Phais smirked maliciously.

‘He’ll be easy to handle. As long as I keep an eye on that brute Amon!’

Kai, now striding briskly, wore a cold expression.

‘So, a spy has infiltrated the academy.’

Though Kai respected the Emperor as a crown prince, even he wouldn’t sing his praises for hours on end.

And the reason Kai was sure Phais was a spy?

The fact that Phais listened to the tedious, long-winded story for hours without complaint wasn’t mere politeness or an attempt to save face.

‘He kept chiming in at just the right moments, smoothly transitioning the conversation. It felt like I was being entertained. His subtle prompts to keep the story going…’

Kai chuckled to himself.

‘That’s the speech technique of southern kingdom spies…was it Rifen? No, judging by the accent, he’s probably from the kingdom of Mardel.’

As he turned into an alleyway, Kai muttered to himself.

“Investigate the Osran Kingdom and the Piden family.”

No sooner had he spoken than the presence on the other side of the wall disappeared.

Moments later—

Whoosh!

A document was thrown over the wall.

It bore the seal of the crown prince’s intelligence network.

Upon reviewing the document, Kai smirked coldly.

“Hah, as expected.”

The Piden family of the Osran Kingdom was on the verge of ruin.

Though they had one surviving heir, the heir was a woman.

Phais Piden? The name belonged to a third son who had already been declared dead.

‘A spy dares to infiltrate Amonis Empire’s academy?’

Although Kai was aware of the precarious state of the empire due to the failed Velslime Wasteland reclamation project, he hadn’t expected a spy to sneak in here.

‘He must be eliminated immediately.’

In the Amonis Academy library, Phais furrowed his brows in frustration.

‘How much longer do I have to search before I find some hidden document?’

For a historic institution, the academy didn’t seem to have any hidden mechanisms or secret treasures.

‘Hmph, I guess I’ll have to extract information from people. But avoiding that brute Amon’s eyes won’t be easy…’

As Phais clicked his tongue and stepped out of the library—

“What brings you to the library?”

“…!”

Phais flinched at the voice beside him.

“K-Kai?”

“I asked what brings you to the library.”

“Well, isn’t it obvious? To learn about the academy’s history, of course! Hahaha.”

“Is that so? Impressive enthusiasm. But how did you know about this secluded part of the library? Did you get lost by any chance?”

“…”

Kai smiled, while Phais laughed awkwardly and stepped back.

His instincts as a spy were screaming.

‘This is dangerous.’

Phais glanced around, looking for an escape route, but armored knights from the Goliath Order were already blocking the way.

Kai’s grin widened.

“I won’t waste words. Come quietly.”

Escape was impossible.

Realizing this, Phais bit down on the poison hidden in his molar.

Crunch!

The poison coursed through his body instantly.

As his face turned black, Phais crumpled to the ground, muttering:

“Glory…to the Kingdom of Mardel…”

Even in his final moments, the resolve to sow confusion by betraying another kingdom’s information!

As soon as Phais collapsed to the floor—

“Poison Cure.”

The poisonous energy was swiftly dispelled by Kai’s detoxification spell!

Phais opened his mouth in shock.

“W-What…?!”

Kai’s voice, tinged with amusement, whispered into Phais’ ears as he stood dumbfounded.

“Don’t bother with any more tricks. Just come quietly.”

“Grr…Damn it…”

“Hoho, today’s going to be quite the long day.”

With that, Phais was dragged away by the knights.

“Hahahaha!”

“Ohohohoho!”

Amon and Anareel burst into laughter.

To the point where Anar’el’s eyes welled with tears.

“Finally! Finally, the day has come for our academy to reclaim its glory!”

Amon clenched his fist and muttered determinedly.

“At last, my road to success…”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing! I meant, the day for the academy’s revival is here!”

“Isn’t it?”

“Of course it is! Hahahaha!”

“Hahahahaha!”

The two were so overwhelmed with emotion that they embraced each other, bouncing with joy.

“Well then, shall we get started?”

“Huhu, indeed, Principal. I’ll make sure this reaches the entire continent.”

“Oh my! I was planning to use warp magic to do just that!”

“Well, we can split the work and do it together, can’t we?”

“That’s true.”

“Hahaha!”

“Ohohohoho!”

Just as the two were about to leave the principal’s office, their arms laden with stacks of papers—

“Principal! Senior Amon!”

Kai called out, opening the door and stepping inside.

Startled, Anar’el almost dropped her stack of flyers, but Amon quickly caught them, preventing any mishap.

“Kai! Can’t you knock before entering? Do you think the principal’s office is your bedroom?”

When Amon scolded him, Kai bowed his head apologetically.

“I-I’m sorry. I had urgent news to deliver…”

“News, you say?”

When Amon asked, Kai smiled broadly and announced:

“Teacher Phais Piden was a spy who infiltrated the academy!”

At those words, Amon and Anar’el froze in place.

“W-What?”

“I handed him over to the Goliath Knights. He confessed almost immediately.”

“…”

Amon looked down at the stack of papers in his arms.

[Enrollment Announcement for Amonis Academy!]

[Complete Imperial Standard Curriculum: Swordsmanship, Magic, History, Mathematics, Science!]

[Register by Imperial Year XXX, Month X, Day X for a 10% Discount! First 50 Applicants Only!]

[Raise Your Head and Look to Amonis Academy!]

Amon stared blankly at the promotional flyers in his hands. His jaw trembled as he muttered:

“K-Kai, please, tell me this is some kind of joke.”

“Why would I joke about something like this? It’s true.”

“L-Look behind you. Do you see that?”

“Oh, by the way, what’s with all those papers stacked up like a mountain?”

“Those are promotional flyers I had printed with extra money.”

“…Promotional flyers?”

Amon stiffly turned his neck, only to realize Anar’el, who should have been beside him, was nowhere to be found.

When he shifted his gaze slightly downward, he saw Anar’el had already fainted, foaming at the mouth.

Realizing the situation, Kai spoke up.

“Wait, hold on, don’t tell me…”

“…”

“You were about to officially distribute these promotional flyers because you’ve finally filled all the teaching positions in the Imperial standard curriculum?”

“…”

“But now a teaching spot’s open because a spy got caught?”

Kai kindly summarized the situation, stabbing Amon’s chest with verbal daggers.

Amon closed his eyes as a stiff sensation was climbing the back of his neck.

‘Ah, this feeling… Oh, right.’

Finally, overwhelmed by the sheer mental shock, Amon collapsed, scattering the stack of promotional flyers around him.