Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy

“What did you just say?”

The hand holding Erestika’s magical tool trembled. Her eyes widened, and her nails dug into her palm. However, she had no time to worry about such trivial matters. She could only quietly ask the person on the other end of the tool if she had heard correctly.

“If you’re reporting about that guy, you better be prepared to take responsibility for your words.”

“Of course. You betrayed the demons and decided to fight alongside us humans. I would never lie to you.”

After a brief pause, Sword Saint replied in a calm, subdued tone.

“The explosive dragon, Mahbat, has appeared in the eastern contact area with the Demon World.”

Erestika’s eyes filled with hatred and joy at these words. The hatred was, of course, directed at Mahbat, and the joy was because she finally had the chance to tear that damn guy to shreds.

“It seems the Imperial Palace wants me to take action.”

“Tell that fool that if any human other than me dares to touch the dragon, the empire will be engulfed in my wrath. I swear this on my name, not as Erestika or Meligor, but as myself. It is my right, and mine alone, to deal with him from start to finish.”

“I understand. Don’t worry. I’ve already informed them that a dragon will be dispatched, so go with peace of mind.”

The fact that Sword Saint had informed them that a dragon, not Erestika, Meligor, or even the principal of Bellum Academy, would be dispatched, meant that she had anticipated what was about to unfold.

“I wish you good luck.”

As these words were spoken, the light on the magical tool faded, and Erestika slowly put it down. Then, she exhaled sharply to calm her anger.

“Has that heavy dragon finally decided to make a move?”

However, her anger did not subside. It overflowed and turned into a cold, hateful voice as Erestika muttered coldly.

This was a chance for revenge that had come after 130 years. She must not let it slip away.

Erestika took to the skies after double-checking the magic barrier surrounding the Academy and leaving a brief note saying she would be out for a while.

As her body soared higher than the clouds, a mountain-like presence appeared.

.

.

.

“Have you been well, Mira Crate?”

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

I reluctantly received the greeting of the crown prince, who was still arrogant and condescending as ever. The only noticeable change was a slightly more pronounced feminine curve. It seemed he had been hoping to get entangled with me during this time apart.

“May I ask why you summoned me?”

“Take a seat first. What I have to tell you is not something I can share while you’re standing.”

As if expecting me to sit there, a chair had been prepared, but I paused when I noticed something on it.

“What’s this?”

“There’s something here.”

I picked up a white compression bandage of considerable length from the chair.

The crown prince, upon seeing the bandage in my hand, trembled. Then, with hurried hands, he patted his pockets, his face turning slightly pale as he bit his lip.

I had never seen the crown prince react like this before. Was this something that shouldn’t be discovered? I decided to probe further.

“It’s quite peculiar. It still feels warm, so it must have been placed here recently. There’s no blood or pus on it, so it wasn’t used to wrap an injury. Yet, there are signs of use. Do you have any idea what it might have been used for?”

As I pointed out my observations one by one, the crown prince fidgeted and looked flustered. His reaction surprised me as well, as I wondered what this was all about. It wasn’t like the crown prince to be rattled by trivial matters.

“I don’t have a clue. It might belong to someone from the student council, so I shouldn’t touch it. I’ll leave it to Your Highness to decide what to do with it.”

After some hesitation, I decided to play dumb. I could probably guess the answer if I thought about it a little more, but it didn’t seem wise to dig deeper into something that was making the crown prince so uncomfortable.

I could sense a faint fragrance coming from the bandage, but I didn’t mention it and placed it on the chair next to me. Then, I sat down and asked, “What did you want to talk to me about?”

The crown prince looked very disturbed and couldn’t seem to compose himself. He alternated between looking at me and the bandage, biting his lip for several minutes before finally regaining his usual haughty demeanor.

“I heard an interesting story from the Imperial Palace. It seems that my brother, who has long been a deposed crown prince, is gathering forces again.”

“What?”

I had known about the crown prince’s siblings for a long time. I couldn’t remember if there was one or two, but the rest had been expelled from the power structure, so there was no need to remember them.

Common sense dictated that no one would pay attention to a deposed crown prince who had barely saved himself and was exiled to the outskirts. If they did, they would surely be caught by William.

“Surprisingly, the number of nobles supporting that man is quite substantial. According to calculations, if this rate of increase continues, it will surpass my own forces within a month at most. It might even be sooner if more and more traitors join his side.”

However, the crown prince’s words contradicted common sense. I was so astonished that my confusion showed on my face, and the crown prince smirked.

“You think it’s absurd, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“So do I. It’s completely incomprehensible. The speed of their gathering is unprecedented in the empire’s thousand-year history, and the parade of traitors defies rational understanding. I can’t fathom what these idiots see in that good-for-nothing brother of mine. It’s as if all my common sense is being denied.”

The crown prince glared with anger and gritted his teeth. He seemed unable to accept the current situation.

‘…Could it be them?’

While it might be absurd to the crown prince, I had a hunch about what was going on. Priscilla’s older sister had desperately shared information about the nobles entangled with the succubi.

“So, I ask you, Mira Crate.”

The crown prince rested his elbows on the table, placed his chin on his fingertips, and looked at me.

“Are you on my side?”

“…”

“Are you one of those traitors who will switch sides at the drop of a hat, or are you a loyal existence that will eternally devote yourself to me and only me?”

“…”

“Before I hear your answer, let me add that I sincerely hope you are on my side. If you’re not, I will be very, very sad. The more people on my side, the more there will be for you to take, and I will have to redistribute the spoils accordingly.”

I knew I had to side with the crown prince here, but I hesitated because of what he had done to me in the past. The crown prince seemed to realize something and leaned forward with a smile.

“I understand why you’re hesitating to answer. Just as that old man advised, I need to be more straightforward. I’ve taken too long for no good reason.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you promise to devote your eternal loyalty to me, I will also share with you my biggest secret and weakness. As the secret and weakness of the next emperor, it’s certainly not a bad deal for you.”

I was intrigued by the offer of the biggest secret, but there was something I needed to clarify first. I took out a piece of paper and jotted down the names of a few families, showing them to the crown prince.

“I have a question. Are these families also on the list of nobles supporting the deposed crown prince?”

The crown prince looked at the paper and was genuinely surprised.

“How did you know? You’re right. I didn’t know you had a talent for intelligence as well.”

‘As I thought.’

The list included all the families that Gloria had mentioned as being under the influence of the succubi. Even the Astriere family, which I had added just in case, was on the list.

With this confirmation, I was certain that the Succubus Queen was involved in the current situation. The fact that they were using the Astriere family meant that they were also risking everything on this move.

“You’re growing on me more and more. I truly want to keep you by my side. Now, I’d like to hear your answer.”

The crown prince’s red eyes shone with desire, and his gaze at me was filled with greed. I felt uncomfortable, but I had no choice.

With the confirmation that the supporters of the deposed crown prince were connected to the demons, the option to side with them was essentially gone.

“Of course, I am on Your Highness’ side.”

“Forever?”

“As long as Your Highness does not stray from the right path.”

The crown prince’s face lit up with satisfaction at my answer.

“Don’t worry about that. Now that I have gained an ally worth a thousand troops, I must keep my promise and share my biggest secret and weakness with you.”

I focused intently, knowing that this was probably information that even Priscilla or Rosalia didn’t know. If they had known, they would have shared it already.

The crown prince’s face showed a hint of embarrassment, and his already feminine features became even more alluring.

“The truth is…”

At that moment, the sunlight streaming through the window disappeared, plunging the room into darkness. We both sensed something amiss and looked out the window.

“It seems we’ll have to postpone the fulfillment of the contract for now. I apologize, my dear.”

The crown prince murmured in a subdued voice, his eyes gazing upwards.

The magic barrier surrounding the Academy was rippling uncontrollably, like a violent typhoon at sea. Beyond the barrier, a veil had enveloped the Academy in darkness, and a portal of ominous colors was about to open. Whatever it was, it was definitely a bad omen.

‘I knew something was going to happen. I just didn’t expect it to be this big.’

I had anticipated that something would happen when the Pope’s guards showed up and the Pope himself made an appearance, even if it was a fake one.

‘I need to act quickly to minimize the damage.’

I knew what this situation meant.

It was the Academy Assault Incident, the event that marked the finale of the first volume of the original novel.