The Hero Who Became a Monster Girl Will Never Fall to Evil

“One hundred million—that really is an astonishing number.”

Vieya took another small sip of tea, her gaze drifting seemingly without intention toward Hua Shiyu. She paused, then asked:

“So you came this time... to investigate traces of the Ghost organization as well?”

“Correct.”

Hua Shiyu raised one finger. Her eyes, as she looked at Vieya, gradually darkened and deepened. “To be precise, I heard that the one ranked Third in that organization was taken care of by you. So I used this opportunity to come see you in person.”

“To see me in person? Are you here privately, or in an official capacity?” Vieya propped her chin on her hand.

“Do you look down on me that much?”

Hua Shiyu’s tone showed dissatisfaction. “A perfectly heartwarming reunion between old friends—yet you, White Hair, managed to turn it into a suffocating interrogation room scene! These past years, the Ghost organization has become the number one enemy resisting the Alliance’s leadership. On the frontlines, they’ve even formed a notorious decapitation squad.”

“In a certain sense, whether personally or by my official duty, I’m standing on the same side as you right now.”

“Decapitation squad?” That term genuinely startled Vieya.

“I know what you’re about to ask, but your two friends are fine for now. Her Holiness the Saint was indeed assassinated once, but she was only stabbed in the shoulder and recovered after two days of rest.”

Hua Shiyu continued, “This time, I also came to remind you to be cautious. That so-called Alliance Resistance is colluding with monsters. Given the current situation, it’s only a matter of time before they target you. You’re not only the Swordmaster—you completely opposed them in the last incident, and now you even came here to take the position of Dean.”

“All of these actions, in their eyes, clearly show where you stand. And...”

Hua Shiyu narrowed her eyes, staring straight at Vieya. “According to their habits, they must have tried recruiting you the last time, right? Under normal logic, they should have been able to offer conditions tempting enough for you to accept. But judging from the outcome, not only were you not recruited—you ended up completely pushed to the opposite side? Hm, I’m very curious how that discussion fell apart.”

“They never sincerely intended to recruit me. And I have principles—don’t worry.” Vieya replied calmly.

“That’s exactly why I am worried!”

Hua Shiyu abruptly raised her voice. “Having principles is not a good thing. If you had no principles, that would actually be better! Then the enemy wouldn’t try to eliminate you at the first opportunity, and I could use the Alliance’s name to win you over with benefits!”

“...”

Vieya fell silent.

“Hehe, Little White, you still have a lot to learn.” Hua Shiyu laughed lightly, letting the topic pass. “Next, we’re going to discuss the origin and secrets of the Ghost organization. Because you’re an old friend, I’ll give you this information for free. But you’d better be ready.”

“I’m ready.” Vieya shot her a sideways look.

Hua Shiyu stared at her suspiciously. “Are you really ready?”

“Hurry up already...” Vieya sighed silently.

— “Ahem, Dean, since you two are really friends, we’ll stop disturbing your conversation. We’ll wait outside.” Bonai suddenly interjected.

After finishing, seeing that their new Dean remained silent, he and the others saluted and turned to leave.

“Xiao Mo, you all wait outside too. I have things to discuss with my old friend.” Hua Shiyu said to the Inspectors beside her.

“Then... Boss Hua, we’ll be right outside. Call us if you need anything.”

“Sure~ And I’ll treat you all to a big feast at noon. Order anything you want—as long as you can finish it.”

Hearing this, the Inspectors hurried out as well. A moment later, the huge reception hall held only two people.

“Was it really necessary to make it this serious...” Vieya held her teacup.

Hua Shiyu exhaled and spoke earnestly: “Do you know why Her Majesty the Empress has been able to live this long? From the Alliance’s founding six hundred years ago all the way until now. As a human.”

“Divine blessing?” Vieya voiced the guess she had always held.

Ever since being summoned to this world as a Hero, she knew the summoner’s status couldn’t be simple.

After all, she had watched many isekai adventure anime. Summoners were almost always gods.

But Her Majesty had clearly said she wasn’t a god—only a leader wishing to save her people, merely a straightforward swordswoman.

Given her swordsmanship, it made sense that she might be favored by some deity.

“Nope.”

Hua Shiyu denied her guess, her voice carrying a different tone. “It’s a curse.”

“...A curse?”

“That’s right.”

“How did the curse come about?”

“That’s exactly why this can’t be casually told to outsiders. Little White.”

Hua Shiyu lifted her head slightly. Her deep eyes locked onto Vieya. “Can you promise not to tell a single other person what you hear here?”

As she asked that, every trace of joking disappeared from her face. All frivolity melted away, and the atmosphere of the reception room solidified.

This wasn’t the artificial tension she could create through conversational tactics—this was real, heavy pressure.

She was serious.

Vieya realized this. She slowly set down her teacup and whispered, “I won’t sign anything with you. All I can give is a verbal promise. Whether you choose to say it or not is up to your own judgment.”

“I trust Little White. A verbal promise is enough.”

Hua Shiyu sighed softly and continued: “The curse on Her Majesty comes from the founder of the Ghost organization...”

“...They lived in the same era.”

...

Noon.

The bell marking the end of class echoed through the entire Magic Academy.

Jasmine closed the magic book on her desk, getting ready to go to the cafeteria for lunch.

Ever since she found out that her mother was serving as the Dean of this academy, her feelings had been extremely complicated.

Her two little companions—or rather, her two teammates—had far too high an opinion of her mother.

This made Jasmine uneasy. So she often tried saying things like how her mom wasn’t as perfect as she ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ looked: a disaster in the kitchen, terrible at self-care... hoping to lower their affection for her mother. But unexpectedly, the effect was the exact opposite.

“Heyy, Captain Jasmine! How did the two of you do last night, huh? Did Rorina end up sleeping in the same bed as your mom? Did she fight you for her?”

Maixi leaned over with that annoying grin, making a strange gesture.

“Kekeke—Captain Jasmine, I’m going to kidnap your mom too!”

“Stop making those dirty jokes!” Jasmine snapped. “If you keep this up, I won’t be your friend anymore!”

“Waaaah, I was wrong, Captain Jasmine! Forgive me!”

Maixi’s expression flipped from joy to tragedy in an instant, but she still followed behind Jasmine with little bouncing steps as they headed toward the cafeteria.

“Captain Jasmine, why do you think that Rorina girl got suddenly summoned by the magic instructor during class?”

“I don’t know! Don’t ask me, and stop following me!”