NOVPUBPurgatory Corridor Academy’s foundational layer.
A group of figures stood before the enormous Mithril gate.
This was the shortcut to the second layer of the corridor; ancient runes were engraved on the gate, seeming mysteriously inscrutable in the flickering candlelight.
With a gentle push from the vice-principal, a dull echo reverberated between the ancient stone walls, carrying with it a refreshing scent of candle wax.
Entering the grand transition corridor, on both sides were several meter tall demonic statues standing like a dark forest, their shadowy, golden silhouette seeming to narrate the academy’s lengthy history.
The footsteps and whispers of the Blood Clan Messenger, the Guard Squad, and the academy’s higher-ups were interwoven in the corridor, producing resonating echoes.
"Stop."
Suddenly, at the front of the procession, the Blood Clan Messenger Baron Sanchez halted.
What came next was the gradual deceleration of the entire team, all attention turning toward him.
"What’s wrong?"
The Great Love Poet at the front turned his head, a puzzled expression on his face as he addressed the Blood Clan Messenger Baron Sanchez.
"Miss Lan Fu, why are we skipping Corridor 24?"
Baron Sanchez raised his hand, signaling a Demon Race officer behind him to hand him a map.
Once he opened the map, confirming his suspicion, his expression gradually turned cold as he stared at the Great Love Poet and vice-principal challengingly.
Despite the academy’s complex layout, with the corridor connections constantly shifting.
Baron Sanchez had managed to memorize the overall structure of the academy beforehand.
In the foundational layer, they’d passed by many classrooms, yet had never entered Corridor 24 despite all their meandering.
Baron Sanchez, the possessor of the Blood True Eyes, also had an exceptionally insightful gaze. Just by walking through once, he had clearly memorized the entire structure of the foundational floor’s connecting corridors.
Even though the demon leading the way was seamless.
However, there were clearly several points where they could have entered Corridor 24 at a fork in the road but both the acting principal and vice-principal cleverly avoided it with their route planning, leading Sanchez into another entirely new corridor.
Such navigation ensured Sanchez wouldn’t acquire the uncomfortable sensation he was being led in circles with repetitive corridor routes!
"You’ve misunderstood, Corridor 24 is currently sealed off, and I can assure you that it contains none of the students you are looking for."
The Great Love Poet replied unhurriedly.
This caused Sanchez to unintentionally glance at her a few more times, seemingly wanting to peer deeply into her eyes.
"Take me there."
Sanchez’s voice again broke the temporary silence, a sharp perception flashing across his bloodshot eyes.
Although the Great Love Poet maintained her composure on the surface, her soul rippled subtly for some reason.
"I suggest you accompany us to the other corridors first..."
The Great Love Poet’s voice was calm, and her expression remained unperturbed.
"Immediately, straight away, take me there."
Sanchez’s voice gradually intensified, a hint of annoyance audible. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
His patience was nearly depleted by the Great Love Poet’s meaningless equivocation.
The more the acting principal didn’t want him to go there, the more an intense intuition surfaced in his heart that something was definitely amiss there!
"..."
The Great Love Poet pursed her lips, remaining silent, and no one knew what she was thinking.
But anyone could see that she became somewhat uneasy after being seen through by Baron Sanchez.
"If you won’t lead the way, then we’ll proceed by ourselves."
The officer from the Demon Race behind Baron Sanchez seemed to sense the hostility coming from the academy’s higher-ups. He advanced a step, an increasingly tense atmosphere arising between the teachers and the troops.
"I’ll lead the way."
Ultimately, the Great Love Poet’s voice carried a faint tremor of resignation, as if he had realized the consequences and no longer wished to escalate the situation.
The vice-principal and other demon teachers had hesitant and worried looks in their eyes, seemingly wanting to persuade the Great Love Poet, but unsure how to do so under the circumstances.
Baron Sanchez maintained a poker face, but he had already scoffed inwardly. The petty trickery displayed by the female demon in front of him seemed laughable to him. Under his penetrating gaze, any minor flaws would be instantly exposed.
Consequently...
The entire group changed direction and hurriedly returned to the basic level corridor.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a corridor they had never reached before without taking a detour.
On the wall ahead stood a wide door, like a silent giant shielding the interAX.
Leading the Blood Clan Messenger to this door protected by a soundproof magic barrier, the Great Love Poet and the vice-principal walked ahead, appearing to want to push open the door and go in first.
"Wait."
Sanchez stopped them.
Upon reaching this point, he had a preliminary sense that there were many demon students taking classes in the classroom, and among them seemed to be a soul potentially human!
Baron Sanchez was now convinced that this classroom, which appeared to be in the midst of an ordinary lesson, indeed harbored a significant suspicion of concealing a human!
No wonder the academy was able to remain so composed at the start. They had been employing the tactic of circumventing through a maze.
"Let them leave."
Sanchez commanded coldly.
"You, stand back! Before the review is completed, do not approach this classroom one step closer!"
After receiving Baron Sanchez’s instructions, the demon officer unceremoniously dismissed the Great Love Poet, who was attempting to make a last ditch effort to struggle, and commanded his elite squad to enter the classroom with him for the capture.
Then Baron Sanchez, accompanied by his officers, entered the classroom.
Since the classroom was equipped with a soundproof barrier, the corridor was silent, with only the sound of tense heartbeats and faint breathing.
And so, ten seconds passed.
Then thirty seconds.
Then two minutes.
No one knew what was happening in the classroom.
Perhaps they had successfully captured a hidden human criminal, and the school’s leadership would face a crisis. Or perhaps Baron Sanchez would come back empty-handed this time.
However...
There was still no movement!
The Viscount Sanchez who went in and the officers showed no sign of coming out.
The guards of the demon world inspection hall waiting outside were all baffled, not knowing what was happening inside.
Just as the corridor was gradually becoming noisy from the discussions...
"Heh heh..."
The Great Love Poet, who had originally been hanging her head low with vacant eyes and a sense of defeat, suddenly clenched her teeth and let out a chuckle.
Finally, she couldn’t contain herself, fell to the ground as if her feet were sore, and burst into laughter while holding her belly.
"This, this isn’t my fault, right? He wanted to rush into this classroom on his own, and I couldn’t stop him!"
Wiping away tears of schadenfreude from the corner of her eyes with her fingertip, the Great Love Poet joyfully told all the demons, her face full of victorious delight.
The classroom in the G24 corridor...
Was the disaster area where Lanci had previously unleashed Hell’s Sonic Nuclear Fusion – the Devil’s Royal Grant Theater!
At this moment, it was still in constant loop, going back and forth.
Apart from the music department head who had an exceptionally high Melody Magic Resistance...
Any other creature would not be able to leave on its own once they entered!
