Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Hunting (6)

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"…Captain Rebecca. Something feels off."

The weasel-like woman, who had returned from her search, scratched her head as if things had gone awry.

At that, the bald captain, Rebecca, twitched an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"Those brats… no, the cadets, not a single one is in sight?"

"...What?"

"I thought there'd be one or two nearby, but even after expanding the search radius considerably, I haven't found a single one of those rats."

The demons' original plan was to eliminate the cadets from the outskirts, as discreetly as possible.

Even if they were just newly admitted fledglings, the power of numbers couldn't be ignored. If those brats started to cooperate, it would take time to deal with them, and then there's no telling when the Demon Emperor might return.

"No, what is this? Wasn't the exam still a week away?"

The weasel-like woman gaped, as if dumbfounded.

She had clearly heard such talk from the cadets' voices outside the tunnel just the day before, so what could have happened?

As things weren't going as planned, Rebecca swallowed a groan.

"Is it possible the exam already ended and they returned?"

"Well, there were traces of them having moved, so I assigned one of our guys to track them..."

Just then.

"Captain! Vice-Captain!"

Just then, the subordinate she had ordered to track returned.

Gasp— Gasp—

She seemed to have run in a hurry, breathing heavily.

"Th-the center of the island! All the cadets are gathered there!"

"...The center of the island? What are they doing there?"

"They're brutally fighting each other! The entire student body is divided!"

"What? Are they playing war games?"

Rebecca, who had been organizing her thoughts for a moment, let out a chuckle.

"...Even better."

Although it was different from their initial plan of eliminating the cadets one by one, the current situation wasn't bad.

If the cadets were preoccupied fighting among themselves, they could seize the opportunity to attack. Perhaps they could eliminate a significant number of cadets in just one day.

"Is it a free-for-all?"

Rebecca asked to get a more detailed understanding of the situation.

"Yes! Well, some guys dressed like p-primitives, and others in armor, were fighting each other to the death...?"

"...Primitives?"

At the sudden appearance of the word, Rebecca's expression turned momentarily bewildered.

"What were their outfits like? Describe them in detail."

"Well..."

The subordinate who had just returned from patrol rolled her eyes around, and then, a look of realization dawned on her face.

"Ah! They're dressed just like us right now!"

"..."

"..."

The demons had been hiding in the tunnel for days, subsisting only on tree roots. Unable to even wash freely, they were quite a dirty sight.

"...In that case, there's no need for separate disguises. Prepare yourselves. We're deploying immediately."

Rebecca, who had been momentarily flustered, quickly regained her composure and commanded her subordinate demons.

*

Thwack—!

The demons ran towards the center of the island where the cadets were gathered.

No matter how long they had gone without proper food or rest, all of them were demons listed as national criminals.

With every powerful push of their feet, the scenery blurred past them, stretching out.

However.

Whooshhhhh—!

"Stop!!"

Thud!!!

A single arrow, imbued with formidable magical power, blocked their path. Rebecca's expression hardened as she scanned her surroundings.

"Show yourself."

She glared at the back of the tree and spoke in a low voice.

And from there, a young man emerged, a sword strapped to his back.

"Well, even a bald captain is still a captain, I suppose."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The demons, upon seeing him reveal himself so casually, were speechless, their eyes wide.

It was because the young man's appearance was far from ordinary.

"Slurp."

"...Damn. Insane."

"What the... is he?"

One of the women among them pointed at him and shouted.

"Huh!? Him! He's the one! The one who's supposed to be drop-dead gorgeous!"

Jin Yu-ha had appeared before those who had been starved of men for a long time, so it was no wonder they were stirred up.

"Everyone, shut up."

But Rebecca silenced her subordinates with a single word and glared at him.

"Brat, who are you?"

"What am I? An academy cadet, of course."

"Do you know who we are, blocking our path?"

"You're just a bunch of demons who've been hiding like moles until now, finally sticking your heads out."

Jin Yu-ha casually stretched both arms above his head, loosening up.

"What took you so long? I thought my neck would break from waiting. If I'd known, I could've watched the whole show before coming."

Jin Yu-ha added, going a step further.

"And your, uh, getup... do you guys happen to enjoy cosplaying as primitives and fighting?"

A complex mix of emotions flickered across Rebecca's face. Absurdity, tension, unfamiliarity, rage. Dumbfoundedness.

'What is this brat relying on to act like this? No, how did he even know about us?'

Pant— Pant—

"M-Master Jin Yu-ha! You're, you're too fast!"

"Ah, you're here, Sophia?"

Jin Yu-ha smiled brightly and turned around at the voice coming from behind him. And then bowed respectfully.

"And, has 'Demon Emperor' arrived as well? I've been waiting."

Behind Sophia's back, 'Director Lina' was being carried, looking annoyed.

"Damn it."

And the eyes of the demons, upon recognizing her, widened in terror.

"...It's, it's the Demon Emperor!!!"

"C-Captain! You said the Demon Emperor wasn't here!!!!"

"W-We're all g-going to die!!"

The demons were engulfed in panic at Lina's completely unexpected appearance. And Rebecca was no exception.

'Damn it, this is a blunder! The Demon Emperor! Things have gone wrong!!!!'

Rebecca bit her lip until it bled. Clearly, the Demon Council's directive stated that Lina's presence had been neutralized. But the being before her was clearly Demon Emperor Lina.

Even amidst her confusion, she made a snap judgment and cried out.

"Everyone, I'll handle this place! You all scatter and head to that location!"

"...C-Captain!"

"Obey orders! Get out of here!!!!"

"Y-Yes, understood!!!"

Thwack!

Thwack!

As Rebecca barked, her subordinates scattered in all directions.

Seeing this, Director Lina tilted her head.

"Hmm...? Didn't you say these were demons? But the captain stays behind alone, and the subordinates flee? Is there, perhaps, some loyalty left among these brutes?"

"Oh, come on, no way. What loyalty could demons possibly have?"

"Oh?"

"They're just scared their heads will explode. The guys in the Demon Council have bombs implanted in their heads that make them explode if they disobey orders. So, whether they die this way or that way, they might as well follow orders."

"Oh, is that so...?"

She let out an exclamation, as if she had just heard an interesting fact.

The one here now was, of course, not Director Lina. It was Reina, a homunculus resembling her.

This was precisely what I had personally asked Sophia to do while I was meeting Shin Se-hee. It was to bring Reina.

'That way, I could keep the captain from going to the others.'

It was an unavoidable measure to ensure 'zero' cadet casualties.

'Even if I fought this guy one-on-one, he has area-of-effect attacks, so I couldn't guarantee the safety of the other cadets behind me.'

But I also lacked the strength to face all the demons by myself. That's why I brought Reina, who looked exactly like Lina, to this spot.

And the plan worked splendidly.

"Reina, thank you. You can dispel the giant transformation now."

"Hmph, you damned brat."

"Still, thanks to you, we protected the cadets."

"...Tsk, anyway, can you do it? He looks like quite a formidable opponent at first glance."

Reina spoke in a curt tone, but couldn't hide the worry in her eyes.

"Hmm, normally, he'd be someone I couldn't handle alone, but..."

Shing—

I drew the sword from my waist.

"I ate something quite rare and good right before the exam."

'I really should get Instructor Baek Seol-hee a good gift.'

"And I have Sophia too."

I glanced back.

"So, just watch from up on that tree for a bit. I'll finish this quickly."

"...Don't die."

Whoosh—

Reina, now back to her mini size, patted her head lightly, then flitted through the air and settled onto a tree branch.

Rip.

Tear—

And then she tore open the popcorn she had brought.

Munch, munch.

'She just spoke with such a serious expression, and now she's tearing open popcorn?'

I wore a bewildered expression for a moment, but then...

There was someone else watching this situation with even greater bewilderment. That was none other than Rebecca.

'What, what is this...?'

She had thought she was finished the moment the Demon Emperor appeared. So she had to somehow hold her back, even for just a moment. She had desperately ordered her subordinates to flee.

But what in the world was happening?

The ridiculous skit unfolding before her eyes seemed to glitch in her mind for a moment, sputtering, and soon, the entire picture came together.

'That's not Lina, is it...?'

Rebecca's eyes instantly sharpened. And the mana surrounding her began to bubble and boil.

"...You, you dared, you dared to deceive me!!!"

"Who told you to be deceived? And deceiving a bald person is no big deal."

Grind—!

A sharp sound erupted from between her teeth as she couldn't contain her rage.

"...Alright, let's see if your skill is as great as your arrogant tongue."

"Alright. Well, my sword won't show any mercy either, so brace yourself. My master told me never to go easy on demons."

Jin Yu-ha scoffed and pointed his sword at Rebecca.

Soon enough,

Jin Yu-ha and Rebecca.

The representative of Velvet Hunter Academy and the demons' captain clashed.