Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy

“Elder Lich begged me to interrogate Astaroth immediately, so I wondered what was going on. Was that your plan?”

“The timing was good. I was lucky, too. It was a plan I came up with on the spot when I saw the barrier being deactivated. It turned out to be quite decent for an impromptu plan.”

“It’s more than decent. The other Legion Commanders are debating and are close to splitting into factions. They’re thoroughly convinced. It’s quite entertaining to watch.”

Elysier’s voice was filled with undeniable pleasure. She was practically laughing out loud, unable to contain his joy.

Having been the Demon King for so long, she seemed to have accumulated a lot of resentment towards the demon tribe, and she found great amusement in their current state of suspicion and interrogation.

“What should I do next? Please lend me your wisdom.”

“Just do whatever you feel like. Why do you need to ask me?”

“My indifference could lead to a threat to you and your surroundings. Just like this attack. I don’t want to hinder you, so I’m following your lead.”

A plan wouldn’t suddenly appear out of thin air just because she asked. But Elysier persisted.

Finally, I relented and gave her some advice, pretending to remain neutral while subtly encouraging division and suggesting that they bring Astaroth in. As I reached for the necklace to communicate with him, Elysier stopped me.

“I just received a report from the Fifth Legion Commander. Astaroth has fled.”

“……Fled? Where to?”

“That is something even I do not know. I didn’t know where she was hiding, so how could I know where she fled to?”

This time, even I was taken aback. It wasn’t just a matter of insubordination, but Astaroth had actually fled. How did she plan to deal with the aftermath?

It was also a problem for me. The more severe my actions, the larger the scale of the incident would have to be to atone for them and seek forgiveness.

“Thanks to this, the opinions are heavily skewed. Aside from the First Legion Commander, who wants to hear her side of the story first, everyone else is convinced that Astaroth has defected to the human side. They’re saying that she must be captured immediately, and that all the succubi should be interrogated harshly.”

Elysir chuckled.

“This further confirms your words. Those who don’t know the details would assume that Astaroth has defected to the human side after completing her mission.”

“That’s true. And I have a hunch about where she fled to.”

There was only one place she could go if she didn’t want to live in the wilderness, eating grass roots and hiding for the rest of her life. It was either the Starlight Sect, where she had already planted her flag, or the Astriere family, which had infiltrated the Empire.

“I got it. I’ll have the Sword Saint investigate the Astriere family first—”

“He’s there!”

Hearing a shout from somewhere, I quickly hid the necklace. It was always safer to hide something first rather than explain it later. I tucked the necklace into my uniform pocket and turned away.

A group of knights I had never seen before, not Royal Guards, were approaching me in perfect formation. They seemed to be well-equipped, wearing full plate armor, and there were quite a few of them.

‘Something’s not right here.’

The way they were approaching in perfect formation and the way they seemed to be pointing their weapons at me made it clear that they were not a rescue team looking for survivors.

I was ready to draw my sword at any moment as the distance between us closed.

“Are you Mira Crate?”

The knight at the front lowered the tip of his spear slightly and asked politely.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem like one of those crazy knights from a certain religious order who would start a confrontation by talking down to me.

“Yes, that’s me. What brings you here?”

I replied politely, while observing the knights. Although I couldn’t tell their affiliation due to their unfamiliar armor and weapons, one thing was certain—they were all bewitched by a succubus.

I could sense the distinctive aura that bewitched humans emitted, and I was 100% sure of it.

Despite their seemingly polite demeanor, it was clear that we would never be on good terms. True to my expectations, the knight at the front pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his waist and held them out to me.

“We are here to arrest you on charges of treason.”

“Did I hear that right? Treason?”

“Yes. We would prefer not to use force, so we kindly ask you to come with us.”

As soon as I realized that I hadn’t misheard, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. Astaroth was clearly desperate, resorting to such absurd accusations.

I wondered how she planned to deal with the consequences of making such a baseless claim. Was she so overwhelmed by all the bad things happening that she had lost her mind?

“Are you sure you can handle the consequences of making such an accusation? Treason is not a charge that can be made based on mere suspicion. First, bring me proper evidence. I refuse to go with you unless you have solid proof. If you’re just going to arrest me based on your hunch, I reject your request.”

Even if they brought evidence, it would undoubtedly be fabricated. My words made the knights exchange glances, and they pointed their spears at me.

“Let me say it again: we would prefer not to use force. Please come with us quietly. If you are innocent, the charges will be dropped.”

“I don’t think so. From where I stand, it looks like you’re going to do whatever it takes to get rid of me and my family. For example, by fabricating evidence and framing me for a crime I didn’t commit?”

What couldn’t Astaroth do? She seemed to be out of her mind already.

Twice rejected, the knights’ demeanor turned increasingly hostile.

“Do we have to use force to make you comply?”

“That’s what I was about to ask. Do you really need someone to be lying on the ground before you back off?”

“Very well. Everyone, arrest this man—Gaaah?!”

I grabbed the spear that was pointed at me, pulled it towards me, and stomped on it, breaking it in half. Then, I twisted the knight’s wrist, crushing his armor, and broke his ankles. Finally, I twisted his other shoulder joint to the limit, ready to snap it at any moment, and turned to face the rest of the knights.

The vanguard was quickly subdued and taken hostage, yet they all rushed in without a care in the world. They were well-trained.

“Hey, hey! Stop! That’s enough!”

As I was about to break the shoulder of the hostage I had taken and move on to the next knight, the knights froze in their tracks at the sound of a voice from somewhere.

“Why are you fighting as soon as you see each other? Can’t you just talk it out?”

A man, accompanied by two female knights on either side, was walking towards us. He had blond hair, and his looks seemed to be a mix of sleaziness and cheerfulness.

He wore sunglasses pushed up to his forehead, a floral necklace, and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, as if he belonged on a beach. That was my first impression of him.

“And you guys, I told you to wait for me to explain first, not to just drag him here. How would they feel if you just suddenly arrest them on charges of treason without any explanation? Right, handsome boy?”

The man smiled at me. He didn’t even spare a glance at the knight writhing at his feet with broken wrists, ankles, and shoulders.

“I’ve only heard about you, but this is the first time I’ve seen you in person… You’re even better-looking than I’ve heard. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you. Shall we introduce ourselves?”

He extended his right hand as if to shake mine. I stared at his hand and then spoke.

“Who are you, and why are you acting like you know me?”

My attitude seemed to have displeased the female knights, as they gasped in unison and took sharp intakes of breath. But I had no reason to be polite to them.

I could sense the same distinctive aura from this man as I did from the knights who had just tried to attack me—the aura of a human bewitched by a succubus.

Even this friendly approach could be Queen Astaroth’s order. Just like Alexander, the former pope’s son, who acted like a jerk to everyone else but tried to be friendly with me.

“Oh, should we introduce ourselves first? I thought you would know me already.”

Despite my sharp reaction, the man didn’t show any signs of anger and simply smiled awkwardly as he retracted his hand.

“Well, I guess the younger generation might not know me. Anyway, let me introduce myself. I am Igor Ercarencia Cresenne von Euperantis Bellium. As you can tell from my name—”

“Are you the deposed crown prince? The one who lost the power struggle and was exiled?”

“Hey, don’t bring up the past like that.”

Despite being openly mocked about his past, the deposed crown prince maintained his friendly smile. I wondered if that was his true personality or if Astaroth had instructed him to act that way.

“And soon, I won’t even be a deposed crown prince anymore. I now have a solid power base.”

A strong sense of confidence appeared on his face.

“I have enough support to challenge my audacious younger sister, who dared to overthrow me.”

“….”

Was he trying to draw me into his plans? This could make the situation a bit complicated. While I had experienced many wars and battles in my previous life, I had never engaged in power struggles.

In my previous life, I had only focused on fighting on the front lines, and after gaining the title of Savior, everyone had bowed down to me, even if they had harbored different intentions in their hearts.

It was the same in this life. The Crate family had traditionally been merchants, so they had rarely been involved in the power struggles of the royal family.

To be precise, there had been one instance where they almost got involved, but I had heard that my parents had handled the situation with great wisdom.

“Wait a minute.”

I paused my train of thought. I felt like I had just heard something that I shouldn’t have ignored.

“You have a sister? Who are you talking about?”

“What? You didn’t know?”

Igor feigned surprise.

“She’s a girl. She disguised herself so well that even I, who lived in the same imperial palace for over a decade, only found out recently. But I guess it’s a bit much to expect her to have told you. After all, you two were quite close, weren’t you?”

My mind was racing. Now it made sense why their already androgynous appearance had become even more feminine lately.

‘… So, all this time, it wasn’t because he was gay, but simply because she was a woman? ‘

It felt like a secret of the world had been revealed to me. My head was spinning.

‘Why didn’t they reveal their true gender earlier… Oh, maybe they didn’t because they didn’t want to fully bring me to their side yet?’

Come to think of it, the former crown prince, no, princess, had only shown their fondness for me but had never tried to bring me to their side. Their first attempt was right before the academy attack incident.

So, the secret they had offered to tell me if I joined their side might have been about their true gender. It seemed like a plausible explanation.

“I know your mind is racing with thoughts, but can you please step aside? Your victim here looks half-dead.”

Only then did I remember the knight whose ankle I was stepping on. I lifted my foot. Igor chuckled at the sight of the knight, who was bruised and battered inside his armor.

“Anyway, too much loyalty is a problem, too. Take him to a priest for treatment. All of you, go with him. I’ll handle things here. Oh, except for you two.”

As the male knights left and only the female knights remained, the smug smile on his face grew even wider.

“I’ve heard about you. In just six months since your enrollment, you’ve accomplished quite a lot, haven’t you? They say you declared that you’ll be the top student for all three years.”

“Cut the small talk and get to the point. What are you doing here? And what’s this about treason?”

Whatever this guy says, I have to keep in mind that Astaroth’s will is involved. So, I had no intention of complying with whatever they were suggesting.

“Oh, that? It means that eventually, I will ascend to the throne, and if you side with my sister, you’ll be charged with treason.”

“Is that even possible?”

“I like your straightforwardness. You seem to prefer directness, so let me be blunt. How about joining my side instead of hers?”

“You want me to join your side? Why?”

I frowned and asked, to which Igor responded by putting his arms around the shoulders of the female knights on either side of him and pulling them closer with a smirk.

“It’s always more special to take what belongs to others, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Especially if it belongs to that arrogant little sister of mine, who threw me into the gutter.”

This guy was crazy, too.