Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy

Igor let out a hearty laugh, realizing that he was being stared at as if he was crazy.

“I didn’t say anything wrong, so why are you looking at me like that? There’s no problem as long as I use You properly after taking you away from her  instead of throwing you away. You’re also the son of a merchant, so you must have some idea of what’s going on. But I want to make it clear that I’m not saying that my subordinates will use you too, so don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Being a member of the Crate family and what you’re saying are two different things.”

“Fundamentally, there’s no difference. So, what’s your answer?”

“It’s a no. I’m not the type to switch sides easily.”

The man scratched his head awkwardly. “Well, that’s too bad. I went as far as to argue with the Queen to try and bring you on board, and now I have to go back empty-handed. I’m going to get an earful.”

“What did you just say?” I asked, unsure if I had heard him correctly. But Igor remained calm.

“You don’t know about the Succubus Queen? Her name is Astaroth, and she’s the Seventh Legion Commander of the Demon King’s Army. That succubus wants you dead so badly.”

My mind couldn’t process the situation, and I stood there dumbfounded for a while, blinking a few times before I could finally gather my thoughts.

“Why are you so surprised? Do you think I can’t speak up about this?”

It was the first time I had met someone who openly admitted to colluding with demons.

“Because there’s no evidence,” he said nonchalantly.

“Didn’t you say that you can’t catch someone without hard evidence? If there’s no solid proof, how can you accuse me? If you go and tell on me, saying that this guy colluded with the demons, what evidence will you have to back it up? Just in case, I want to make it clear that I’m not going to be that stupid to admit it myself.”

“I could request the… no, the Crown Princess to investigate you.”

“Investigate? Ha, if the Sword saint and the Grand Mage couldn’t catch on, why do you think my little sister will be able to?”

His confidence seemed to come from the fact that he had already obtained assurance. Indeed, if he had gone unnoticed by the Sword saint and the Grand Mage, he had every right to be so self-assured.

Most of all, Astaroth must have been confident too, to allow him to speak so freely. It was unlikely that a human bewitched by a succubus would reveal the most crucial secret without her command.

“I got myself checked up, claiming that my body felt strange, but neither of them could tell. Even though I was told by the Queen that they would never find out, I was still scared inside. But that gave me confidence. Now, back to the topic. If they investigate me and find no evidence of my connection with the demons, can you handle the aftermath?”

“I guess it’s possible.”

Of course, the investigation wouldn’t find anything. Astaroth would have made sure that there were no traces to be found.

I had planned to frame them with false evidence anyway, so it didn’t matter to me. I wasn’t going after innocent people; I was only targeting those who had clearly sided with the enemy, so what did it matter?

‘Should I carry a recording magic tool from now on?’

If I had known that he would blatantly reveal secrets like this, I would have brought one. I hadn’t bothered carrying it around because it was too obvious when it was in use.

I thought about asking a workshop to customize it for me: one that wouldn’t show whether it was on or off, could be turned on and off with mana, and could be carried discreetly.

Since its purpose would be too obvious, I would have to find an artisan who was tight-lipped if I were to entrust this task to them.

“You? I doubt you’d do that.”

The man smirked, thinking that I was bluffing. I decided to let him believe that it was just an empty threat. It would be easier to deal with him later if he maintained this overconfident attitude.

“I’ll ask you again. Are you really not going to join me? If you team up with me, you can even have a taste of the succubus. Oh, I’ve had my fair share, and let me tell you, it’s nothing like being with a regular human. Once you’ve had a taste, there’s no going back.”

“I don’t need that.”

For the first time, Igor’s expression hardened slightly at my firm rejection.

“Why choose the difficult path when there’s an easier one? Think carefully.”

“If the easy path is covered in filth, I’d rather take the rocky road that’s clean.”

“……So that’s your answer.”

The man glared at me, his expression unchanged.

“It’s a shame. I thought we would’ve gotten along well.”

After a slight pause, he grinned.

“Shall we see what your master thinks about this?”

“……Master?”

.

.

.

“Igor, if you’re crazy, you should’ve said so earlier. I would’ve cut your head off before you became this pathetic.”

“I’m not crazy, little brother. It’s you two who are crazy. How dare you try to collude with demons?”

Igor snapped back at William, who was scolding him irritably, without backing down in the slightest. In his own way, he exuded the dignity of a royal family member.

As there were students and professors gathered nearby, Igor’s words about trying to collude with demons caused a great stir.

“Did you say that I tried to collude with demons? Me? I wonder where you’re getting these ridiculous rumors from.”

William smiled sarcastically; he had no choice. It was the former Crown Prince who had colluded with the demons, not William.

“Can you still say that after seeing this? Bring her here!”

A knight roughly threw something in front of us.

It was a succubus, and from the looks of it, she was clearly a high-ranking one. Just by standing there, her pheromones were overwhelming.

Next to her were four priests chanting healing spells. I doubted that it would do much to block the pheromones, but then again, it didn’t really matter since everyone here was already under her spell.

The succubus had her eyes covered with a holy cloth and her mouth gagged. Her appearance, combined with the seductive outfit typical of a succubus, made her look like she was engaging in some sort of BDSM play.

“What does this woman look like to you?”

“Do I really need to answer that myself?”

“She’s a succubus. A high-ranking one, at that. According to her, she’s qualified to sit next to the Queen at a banquet.”

“What are you trying to say, Igor?”

“This succubus was disguised as one of the maids by your side. Surely you didn’t think I wouldn’t know that, did you? There’s no way William Ercarencia Cresenne von Euperantis Bellium wouldn’t have noticed a succubus by his side.”

William’s face twisted into a frown for the first time. He had realized their intention.

If he said he didn’t know, he would be seen as an idiot who didn’t even know what was next to him. But if he admitted he knew, it would support the claim of collusion. Either way, it was an unacceptable choice for the proud William.

Based on my guess, William really didn’t know. After all, they could easily choose one of the maids, kill her, and then have the succubus disguise herself as that maid.

They were capable of doing such a thing.

“That’s nonsense. If that were the case, I would have noticed it a long time ago.”

“How can you call it nonsense when the Grand Mage himself caught you contacting the Queen?”

“……”

William fell silent and turned to look at the Sword Saint. She nodded. Her expression was not good. However, it didn’t seem to be because of William.

“Of course, you would say you don’t know. Because you’re colluding with the demons. How did I find out, William?”

“Such absurdity―”

“Because! She tried to bewitch me! Me, the Crown Prince of the Empire!”

His voice suddenly grew louder. Igor was now referring to himself as the Crown Prince. William’s expression darkened as he realized this.

The murmurs of the surrounding crowd grew louder as well. William opened his mouth as if to refute his claim, but Igor was quicker, taking advantage of the worsening atmosphere.

“Sword Saint!”

“……What is it?”

The Sword Saint, who seemed displeased with the situation, frowned and answered curtly, her left hand holding a bloodstained twig.

“You’ve also slain those bewitched by succubi in the past, so you must be able to distinguish them. Can you sense the aura of a succubus on me? Do I look like I’m bewitched by a succubus to you?”

The Sword Saint gave Igor a disdainful glance and reluctantly shook her head.

“……No, you don’t.”

“Then what about William! My brother! How does he feel to you! He dared to bring demons into the empire and tried to hand over this entire country to the Demon King! How does he feel to you!”

“What are you trying to say? Are you suggesting that he’s in the wrong?”

A chilling aura filled the air, causing even the succubus, the priests, and the knights to flinch. Undeterred, Igor shouted.

“I want to reveal the truth! The truth that has been hidden beneath lies and deception all this time! I want to bring it to light!”

At his words, the Sword Saint looked at William with a cold expression, then widened her eyes and shuddered. It was a reaction that was enough for everyone present to realize that something was wrong.

William’s signature cold and domineering expression cracked for the first time. He looked at the Sword Saint with bewilderment. The Sword Saint, too, seemed just as puzzled as if she couldn’t believe what was happening.

‘What’s going on?’

I quickly scanned the surroundings to understand the situation and soon realized the cause. It was the succubus lying on the ground, tied up.

Even I, if I didn’t focus, wouldn’t have noticed the faint pheromones flowing towards William.

‘So it was all an illusion.’

I thought it was strange that the succubus was so blatant in releasing her pheromones from the moment she was thrown in front of us. It was all a setup for this moment. If a sweet scent suddenly appeared, the Sword Saint would have become suspicious.

Moreover, the pheromones directed at William were the faintest of them all. It wasn’t enough to arouse a man, but it was just enough for the Sword Saint to sense something amiss.

“That’s enough, Sword Saint. Your reaction is answer enough.”

“……I don’t always give the right answer.”

“But you are the one who comes closest to the truth in this empire.”

Igor bowed as if respecting the Sword Saint until the end. However, the Sword Saint barely acknowledged the gesture as he was only concerned about William.

The Sword Saint clearly disliked Igor, but what had happened between them?

“How dare you bring your filthy feet into the empire and try to play your tricks! Confess with your own mouth! If there is even a little lie, I swear by my name and sword that I will not let you go!”

Igor shouted at the succubus, and I thought to myself, ‘What an acting performance.’ His body language and tone were full of arrogance.

A knight cautiously approached and removed the gag from the succubus’s mouth. Freed, the succubus let out a strange, panting moan before speaking in a disjointed manner.

“I… I was ordered by the Queen… to work with the Crown Princess… to invade the empire…”