Chapter 8: The Puppet’s Secret

The disturbance had completely subsided by evening. The new students, having survived the ordeal, returned to their respective classrooms, preparing for their final lesson of the day.

Mo Ya was no exception. Having expended his Corrosive Energy, he was now walking down the academy corridor, with his classroom just a few turns away.

However, fate seemed to have a cruel joke in store for him. He collided with someone at the corner.

Something had crashed into his solid chest, piquing Mo Ya’s curiosity.

His curiosity was quickly shattered, however. For the person he had collided with was not a delicate, petite, easily-toppled cute girl, but Akuma, who now regarded him with a look of disdain.

‘How utterly dreadful,’ Mo Ya thought to himself, without any particular reason. ‘Why did I have to run into her?’

“Yo, straggler.”

Akuma brushed at her chest, as if to shake off some imaginary dander that had clung to her from the collision with Mo Ya.

Of course, the dander was merely her own delusion; her chest was perfectly clean.

Akuma made such a gesture as if to deliberately provoke Mo Ya, casually letting the insult of ‘straggler’ roll off her tongue. Yet, Mo Ya remained remarkably calm, simply acknowledging her words.

“Ah… hello.”

This was a very real problem. As a Corrosive being, one should, in principle, be unable to learn magic. Mo Ya, however, refused to believe this.

He had entered this academy without hesitation, becoming one of this year’s new students. In Mo Ya’s words, “No one would ever be troubled by great power. There is only one reason to learn magic: to become even stronger.”

Of course, the outcome was already known: Mo Ya had become the straggler among this cohort of new students, yet he himself remained blissfully unaware of this fact.

Mo Ya responded to Akuma’s words in his usual calm tone, slowly walking past her.

“Wait!” The voice suddenly rang out shortly after he had passed Akuma. Mo Ya instinctively stopped, turning his body slightly to focus his attention on Akuma.

“Are you not going to apologize, straggler?”

She appeared even more resentful than before.

“Ah… my apologies, I forgot. Well, I’m sorry.”

His voice was as calm as ever, though ‘languid’ might be a more accurate description. The use of Corrosive Energy had left a faint ache in Mo Ya’s chest, yet he felt nothing.

By all accounts, with the words exchanged and the apology offered, he should have been free to leave. After all, he still had a class to attend, and Mo Ya could not afford to waste any more time.

But… events rarely unfolded as expected, and this time was no exception.

“Are you truly human?”

From behind him, Akuma uttered a shocking statement. Mo Ya’s nerves, having just settled after the earlier chaos, tensed once more.

He formally turned his body this time, fixing Akuma with a stern, unwavering gaze.

If necessary, silencing her permanently wouldn’t be out of the question. After all, this person offered him nothing of interest. However, now was not the time.

First, he needed to ascertain whether she truly understood this fact. Mo Ya would find it quite troublesome to kill an innocent, as killing was never the prerequisite for solving a problem.

“Interesting. If I’m not human, then what am I? A Corrosive?”

“Huh? Why would you think that? Your brain circuit must be abnormal.”

Unexpectedly, Akuma’s expression shifted to one of astonishment. This did not escape Mo Ya’s keen eyes, and the stone in his heart lightened slightly.

However, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of her acting. With this in mind, Mo Ya decided to continue the conversation.

“Then, what do you mean by ‘not human’?”

Mo Ya felt a flicker of interest.

“Why should I tell you? Even if I told you the meaning of ‘Puppet,’ you wouldn’t understand its implications, would you?”

Akuma merely spread her hands casually, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

But Mo Ya did not agree. What was ‘Puppet’? He felt a surge of curiosity, even surpassing his interest in the woman before him. He strode forward, closing the distance to Akuma, his eyes now carrying a predatory glint.

A chilling aura emanated from him.

“Tell me, what is a Puppet?”

“I already said you, a straggler, wouldn’t understand. Class is about to start, I need to head back.”

With these words, Akuma put distance between herself and Mo Ya, intending to return to the classroom.

For some reason, her heart had been inexplicably racing ever since he spoke, as if she had encountered a Corrosive. An exhilarating sensation coursed through her body.

But there was no Corrosive present here, only this straggler before her. Akuma felt a flicker of panic.

“Hey, I didn’t give you permission to leave, did I?”

She had already pulled away from the man behind her, so why did his words still echo in her ears? Was he really just a straggler? This thought suddenly entered Akuma’s mind, a notion so wild she herself could barely believe it.

‘Perhaps this person is incredibly strong, always hiding his true power, merely pretending to be a straggler. Because the identity of a straggler allows him to act more freely, unconstrained by others.’

‘Then, after resolving matters, he simply walks away, leaving no trace of his achievements.’

‘What am I even thinking? Am I going mad? No matter what, if he isn’t a straggler, then no one is a straggler.’

Akuma felt an inexplicable sense of panic.

But it wasn’t over yet. What happened next further unsettled her, disturbing her composure.

Seeing that Akuma still hadn’t responded, Mo Ya intercepted her path with his hand, pressing her against the wall.

The majesty of a king erupted in that instant.

“Tell me, what is a Puppet?”

Akuma was now thoroughly flustered, her heart pounding past its limits, threatening to leap from her throat.

But her rationality ceaselessly reminded her that this wouldn’t do. ‘Calm down, Akuma, you’re disguised as a boy.

This man is only acting this way because he thinks you’re the same gender. No matter what, your only goal is to completely eradicate the Corrosive from this world. Don’t think about anything else! Yes, don’t think!’

Yet, human emotions were not so easily controlled. Akuma, pinned against the wall, averted Mo Ya’s gaze and took a long, deep breath. “I understand, I understand! You straggler, let me go first, and I’ll tell you!”

‘What misfortune, why did I have to encounter someone like this?’ Akuma was on the verge of tears.

“Then… my apologies for the previous offense. Please extend your guidance.”

“Enough…”