Chapter 19: Scapegoat

Chapter 19: The Black Pot

Wen Ying couldn't figure out where to go after staring at the surroundings for a while. The academy was enormous, and just walking from one end of the square they entered to the other probably measured around eight hundred meters.

He wanted to ask the other demons, but they seemed to be searching for their own destinations as well. So, Wen Ying withdrew his gaze and found a map sign by himself. It displayed the layout of the entire academy and the usage of each area.

After studying the map for a while, Wen Ying felt puzzled. The location of Class 1 seemed isolated compared to the others, and it occupied the largest space. The classrooms for the other classes were not uniform in size, but their allocated areas were relatively consistent.

"I guess the class sizes aren't the same either," Wen Ying suddenly worried. If the Devil King could replicate human entertainment into an extreme challenge, how would he replicate a human school?

With concerns in mind, Wen Ying followed the map's directions. He navigated around several grand buildings and skirted a large lake. There were other map signs and road indicators along the way. Wen Ying wasn't very familiar with the human world and was quite directionally challenged. Relying on these markers, he barely managed to step into Class 1 before the bell rang.

Breathless from the rush, Wen Ying dashed in through the back door without looking and sat down at an empty seat to catch his breath.

A sinister voice came from his side, "You actually dare show your face in front of me?"

Wen Ying froze and turned his head. It was the demon with dragon-like horns on his head. Recalling that he had taken the demon's scorecard, Wen Ying gave Scarlet an apologetic smile. "Uh, I'm sorry for what happened during the entrance exam."

In Scarlet's eyes, Wen Ying was being smug after benefiting from him. The demon regarded him with contempt. Scarlet's expression darkened, and his golden eyes turned dull. They were no longer radiant gold but a dark shade, reflecting his anger.

"You'd better not leave the academy if you can't handle it. You're as good as dead once you step outside."

His Majesty the Devil King had decreed that no combat was allowed within Lucifer Academy except for instructional purposes.

Wen Ying was taken aback, his smile fading gradually as confusion flickered in his eyes. Did the Realm of Devils have no rule against hitting someone who's smiling at you? No wonder demons were such a headache.

The way Wen Ying retracted his smile and averted his gaze with a hint of disdain only further fueled Scarlet's determination to give him a sound beating once he left the academy. When had the young lord of the Dragon Serpent Clan ever endured such humiliation?

Despite his urge to act immediately, Scarlet suppressed his impulse, his gaze darkening with hostility as his hands clenched fiercely on the edge of the table, veins bulging on the back of his hands.

If this were their first encounter, Wen Ying might have been intimidated. But now, with his supplementary cards and Aruda's small cross-body bag, he didn't think he would necessarily lose to Scarlet in a fight, even if he wouldn't come out unscathed. At worst, he could throw a few cards and make a run for it, leaving the SR "Impregnable Fortress" card, usable only against Scarlet, unused.

Surveying his surroundings, Wen Ying was startled anew. Not only was the classroom lavishly decorated, but many of the demons were familiar faces: the succubus Essence, Cerberus Beros, the nine-tailed fox Levimo and his sister Lilith, the second prince with black goat horns, the tiger demon, and a beautiful yet perilous mermaid. There were also others he didn’t recognize.

Even though Wen Ying wasn't well-versed in the Realm of Devils, he sensed that most of the demons in this class weren't ordinary. The classroom pulsed with the clashing auras of various demons, an invisible battle of power that momentarily created a chilling atmosphere.

Suddenly, something felt off when Wen Ying caught sight of Levimo. He remembered vividly carrying Levimo out of the forest himself, absolutely certain that the fox demon hadn't had any score cards on him then. His Majesty had said that only the third round of the entrance exam mattered. How could Levimo, who ranked last, be in the same class as him, the top scorer?

He vaguely recalled Lilith and the second prince also having very few score cards on them when they emerged.

Let me tell you, no matter how loudly you cry for help later, it won't make a difference. No one dares to save you under my very nose.

"Merely a demonic mirror dares to disdain me, one possessing the bloodline of the Dragon Serpent Clan? Such audacity is truly born of a bear's heart and a leopard's gall."

"Don't think that just because you know Aruda, I won't dare to do anything to you. Anyway, you're probably just an experimental subject or a resource library. Aruda wouldn't bat an eye if I were to damage you."

Scarlet persistently intimidated Wen Ying, causing Wen Ying's fleeting thoughts to slip away amidst the incessant chatter. He turned his head, his face an emotionless mask as he gazed at Scarlet. Scarlet chuckled, propping his chin on one hand nonchalantly, and asked, "Angry? Want to hit me?" The tail swished behind him, while the veins on the back of the hand gripping the edge of the table were still prominent, indicating the struggle to suppress the urge to burst into violence.

As he spoke, his dark golden eyes narrowed, clearly displaying an aggressive inclination.

How could there be such an annoying demon? Wen Ying turned his head, ignoring Scarlet. With a cool exterior, this creature spouted endless nonsense. He regretted not having a potion in his sling bag that could temporarily silence people.

Just now, he had almost grasped the reason behind the class configuration. But Scarlet failed to seize that fleeting inspiration, so Wen Ying turned his chin to the other side, unwilling to bother with this irritating demon anymore.

The bell rang, but the teacher was yet to arrive. Conversations scattered throughout the classroom. With nothing else to do, Wen Ying reached into his desk and found something smooth, resembling a stone in shape.

Curious, he pulled out the object, but before he could identify it, his vision blurred, and the surroundings suddenly changed. He found himself back in his living room, facing a worried Wen Dingjue who was hastily unfolding a parchment scroll. The sound of knocking on the front door echoed continuously.

"Quickly, open the door!"

The knocking grew louder and louder until it seemed as if the person outside was banging on the door. Each thud echoed in Wen Ying's forehead, making his eyelids twitch with each impact.

It was even scarier than a ghost story.

What was going on? Wen Ying's mind felt dizzy. The demonic realm now felt like a dream compared to reality. Wen Dingjue said anxiously, "Little Yin, when the teleportation spell activates, we need to leave immediately. Otherwise, we'll be taken away and turned into specimens."

His parents were also extremely anxious. Their gazes flicked between the parchment scroll and the front door. The atmosphere was so tense that Wen Ying dared not even breathe loudly. His heartbeat pounded harder with each passing moment.

"Quickly, quickly," Wen Ying stared at Wen Dingjue's parchment scroll, where the magical patterns were spreading at a snail's pace. It made him wish he could grab a watercolor pen and draw them out himself.

"Bang!" A louder knock resounded, followed by a rush of footsteps drawing near. Within seconds, a crowd burst through the entrance and swarmed toward Wen Ying's room.

Upon seeing their appearance, Wen Ying was nearly frightened to death. The strong smell of disinfectant assailed his senses. Some of these people held large machetes, others carried scalpels, while still others toted buckets that seemed to contain formaldehyde. They also had scissors, pliers, and other tools typically seen in movie autopsies.

A group of burly men in suits led the way, followed by those in lab coats. At least twenty people rushed in hastily, and more seemed to be filling the living room.

"Shit..." Wen Ying murmured, trembling, as he looked to Wen Dingjue.

"A demon upfront, surrender unconditionally. You have violated the law by illegally entering. According to regulations, you shall be put to death," a stern man with a cold expression announced, raising his machete as he approached.

"Little Yin, Grandpa, run for it!"

Lin Tianbao and Wen Qinxue rushed forward to stop them, but despite managing to block a few, more continued to approach.

Seeing how they had easily subdued his great-grandfather and were now advancing on him with the gleaming scalpel reflecting an ominous chill in the light, Wen Ying felt as if the bedroom lamp was malfunctioning, flickering ominously. The white lab coats only added to the terror.

Wen Dingjue shouted, “Run!”

"I'm, I'm an innocent civilian, I've never done anything wrong..." Wen Ying stammered in explanation while backing away, but the room was small, and after a few steps, he found himself pressed against the wall.

Despite the August heat, a cold chill shot up from the soles of Wen Ying's feet, numbing him to the bone.

"The school laboratory could use one more specimen," said the lead figure in the lab coat, his masked face devoid of emotion as he moved closer.

"Help! Help! Help!"

Wen Ying's hair stood on end as he frantically fumbled for a card in his pocket, throwing it at the approaching figures.

The scorching temperature triggered a flurry of images in Wen Ying's mind – the monstrous face spewing flames towards his beloved doll cabinet, then, as he blinked, he found himself staring blankly at the unfamiliar demon standing on the lecture stage before him.

The fierce black flames surged forward, causing a few scattered screams of fear from the demons in the classroom. A surge of immense magical power transformed into a wind that engulfed the black flames. The flames were absorbed into a small vortex, dissipating like a tornado.

Although the black flames vanished, the desks and chairs in their path had suffered, bearing scorch marks. The lectern, a luxurious golden one, had a missing corner – melted by the intense heat of the black flames. A drop of "water" was dripping down.

The demon teacher standing on the lectern had a face as dark as the bottom of a pot. With a thud, he slammed the attendance book onto the lectern. Amidst Wen Ying’s terrified and bewildered tension, the teacher angrily reprimanded Beros, “Attacking a teacher on the first day of school, Beros! Do you think you can get away with it?!”

Beros: “…”

Wen Ying: "?" He seemed to have been the one who released that fire just now.

In this classroom filled with Flaming Souls, apart from himself, the only other entity was the Mirror Demon, Beros. The latter swiftly turned his head to glare at Wen Ying, his sharp fangs barely concealed under a fierce gaze.

"Help... Help!"

Wen Ying was still clueless about the situation. Why was he now here after being at home just moments ago? All he wanted was to vanish from this place.

Blaming Beros was out of the question; Beros would tear him apart. Trembling, Wen Ying raised his hand, but before he could lift it too high, the demon with indigo-violet wings sitting in front of him turned his head, tilting it with a flippant smile. He whispered mischievously, "What did the Stone of Fear show you? To have resorted to Flaming Souls, tsk tsk, look how pale your face has become."

Wen Ying looked at him. This demon had an effeminate and playful demeanor, grinning as he winked at Wen Ying. Intuition told Wen Ying that the incident just now was somehow connected to this demon before him.

"Muershi!" The demonic teacher had somehow appeared and, without hesitation, pinched the demon's ear to lift him up. "Tell me you didn't do anything."

Muershi put his hands behind his back, looking utterly innocent. "I don't have any Flaming Flames."

The aura was too intense – a great demon plus a teacher, it was like a fear debuff in full effect. Wen Ying managed to squeak out weakly, "Uh, Teacher, that fire just now was an accident on my part."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Ying promptly retrieved the object he had touched from under the desk, determined not to let this blame fall on him.

His gaze drifted towards the beautiful blue-purple bird’s wing, and suddenly, he recalled Aruda muttering in the morning about needing more powerful feathers for cooking.