Chapter 20: “A Ruff Morning (6)”

‘This is a disaster.’

Celestia’s crimson eyes swept across the training grounds, watching the carnage and chaos unfold. Students were scattered across the campus, their screams echoing in the distance. The pleasant tour had transformed into a nightmare in a matter of seconds.

And somewhere around her, invisible to the naked eye, a demon was after lives.

Celestia had a vague idea of what kind of demon she was dealing with. Among the many types of demons that existed in this world, there were different classifications and ranks. The original novel had gone into surprising detail about demon taxonomy, likely because they spanned through multiple arcs.

Demons of the disguise and stealth variety were among the lowest-ranked. They relied on invisibility and ambush tactics rather than raw power. In the grand hierarchy the Demon Race, they were essentially even less than foot soldiers.

That didn’t make them harmless, though. Two academy staff members were dead proof of that.

‘Why was this happening? Wasn’t there just supposed to be one dem—’

Celestia’s thoughts cut off when she remembered the severity of the situation. Her hand moved instinctively to the elegant fan she always carried.

With ease, she inserted her fingernail into a hidden ridge along the guard. There was a soft click, and the fan’s decorative leaves fell away, along with the outer guard, revealing a sleek metal baton beneath.

Another quick motion, and the baton extended with a sharp snap, transforming into a makeshift spear. The weapon felt light and durable in her hands since the metal was crafted from something that only existed in this world, a type of alloy that balanced weight with durability.

It was still a prototype, one of several designs she’d commissioned from House Reingarde’s blacksmiths. The craftsmen had been skeptical at first; a collapsible spear disguised as a fan? It seemed like an impractical vanity project. But Celestia had been insistent, and the Reingarde coin had a way of making skepticism disappear.

Now, she was glad she’d pushed for it.

Among the many rules within Summit Academy, there were quite a few that barred the carrying or brandishing of weapons. It was a safety measure meant to prevent accidents and discourage duels outside of supervised training areas. With a bunch of prideful nobles and commoners seeking to make a name for themselves, there were bound to be problems. This fan-spear hybrid was obviously illegal since it was technically a fashion accessory until it wasn’t. And right now, with demons attacking the campus, Celestia doubted anyone would complain about the technicality.

The situation was still dire. Even with a weapon in hand, Celestia was far from safe. She snapped her head behind her and realized that the stuttering Anna had fallen to the ground, trembling and deathly afraid at what was happening. The academy’s elite guards and the archmage principals would respond eventually, but for now, Celestia had to do her duty as a noble.

Protect the commoner behind her.

Celestia’s eyes focused on the area around her, noting every detail. The blood splattered across the ground…

Huh.

In one swift motion, Celestia pivoted and thrust her spear to her right side.

The spear met resistance when there shouldn’t have been any in empty air.

Squelch.

The sound was sickening, the feeling of metal piercing through flesh unmistakable.

“H-how…?!”

The voice came from directly in front of her spear, choked and gurgling.

The demon materialized where Celestia had struck, revealing the creature in full. It was humanoid in shape, roughly the size of an adult man. In fact, it could be easily mistaken as one, if not for the two curved horns protruding from its forehead.

But what struck Celestia most was its complexion.

The demon’s skin was pale. It was paler even than Celestia’s own fair complexion, which was already notable among nobles.

‘How enviable,’ Celestia couldn’t help but think, even as blood bubbled from the demon’s mouth and dripped down its chin. ‘That sort of complexion is on the level of jade beauties from the xianxia novels I read in my previous life.’

Celestia’s gaze dropped to the ground around the demon’s feet. There were faint footprints in blood leading back to one of the academy staff’s bodies. ‘Careless and moronic,’ Celestia thought. ‘How did something this sloppy make it this far into the academy grounds?’

A trail of blood negated the entire advantage of stealth. Even a child could follow such obvious tracks.

Even with the spear impaled through the demon’s chest, she knew the demon wasn’t dead yet. According to the books she’d read in the library of her family’s estate, and more importantly, according to what she remembered from the original novel, demons could only be completely killed by destroying their hearts.

It was one of those convenient fantasy rules that was repeatedly shown throughout Tower of the End. Demons were resilient creatures. They could survive grievous wounds that would kill a human instantly. Decapitation would slow them down. Dismemberment would incapacitate them temporarily. But only destroying the heart would ensure permanent death.

Celestia adjusted her grip on the spear and she pulled the weapon back with a sharp motion. The blade slid free from the demon’s chest with another wet sound, and the creature stumbled forward, clutching at the gaping wound.

Then, Celestia thrust forward again.

Noblesse Oblitère.

This time, the spear didn’t just pierce through the demon’s chest. It punched through with devastating force, obliterating everything in its path. The demon’s ribcage shattered like brittle wood as its heart exploded into fragments of blackened tissue.

A massive hole erupted through the demon’s upper body, so large that Celestia could see clear through to the other side. Blood sprayed in a wide arc, splattering across the ground behind the creature.

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The demon’s body convulsed once, its limbs twitching in a final spasm. Then twice, more weakly. Then it crumpled to the ground, landing motionlessly at Celestia’s feet.

“Haaah…” Celestia let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Her eyes drifted down to the demon’s corpse at her feet, and a strange impulse rose in Celestia’s chest as she stared at the remains. A part of her really really wanted to step on the demon’s face. Just plant her foot right on that annoyingly perfect pale complexion and grind it into the ground.

‘It would serve it right for having better skin than me,’ The corner of her mouth twitched upward, the beginning of a smile forming on her face. Her right foot lifted slightly, angling toward the demon’s head…

“M-Miss Celestia…?”

Anna’s voice cut through the moment like a bucket of cold water.

Celestia’s foot froze mid-motion. Her eyes snapped toward the commoner girl, who had somehow managed to stand up despite her obvious terror. Anna was staring at Celestia with wide eyes, her face still pale and streaked with tears.

‘Fuck! I didn’t realize…’

Celestia lowered her foot as if she’d simply been adjusting her stance. She fixed her expression back into something more appropriate, concern mixed with alert vigilance, rather than the vindictive satisfaction that was about to show.

The original personality was still creeping in her psyche, if she weren’t careful, she’d sink into its depths.

Celestia turned fully toward Anna. The girl looked like she might collapse again at any moment. Her hands were shaking, and she kept glancing at the demon’s corpse with horrified fascination.

“Are you alright?” Celestia asked.

It wasn’t that she particularly cared about Anna’s wellbeing on an emotional level. But only that she had successfully done her duties as a noble.

Anna nodded jerkily, though her eyes were still fixed on the demon’s corpse. “T-thank you for saving me…” The commoner was still trembling like a shivering leaf in a storm, tearmarks down her face, but she was at least capable of standing and speaking.

“Thank you…” Anna repeated, her voice still shaky. She wiped at her face with her sleeve, smearing tears and dirt across her cheeks. “I thought… I thought I was going to die.”