Case 107: Upon the heroine’s turmoil.

''The demon queen wasn't always the demon queen, and by that, I mean the title itself isn't consistent.''

Pointing to a portrait of a rather seductive woman, the professor explained, ''The term 'demons' includes countless species, and each one of them is eligible to sit on their throne so long as they can prove their strength. There had been many demon kings and queens in the past, even one special case that I'm sure you already know, but we are living in a demon queens' era.''

It was a sunny morning at the Syrus Academy.

Warm rays of sunlight peeked through the classrooms' clear windows, illuminating the space. Sat orderly within were young adults who, in many cases, had just come of age. For their first time at the prestigious academy, the mood was enthusiastic, and their concentrated faces held firm as they took in the professor's teachings.

Among them were three prominent ladies, who settled near the lecture hall's back, seemingly inconspicuous yet irresistibly noticeable thanks to their standings.

Ludinia stared boredly at the drawn figure on the display board, feeling a faint sense of familiarity somewhere. She couldn't help but be drawn to that face—the demon queen's face. Something was definitely amiss, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Not far away, Hye-rin nodded excitedly to every word uttered by the professor, her eyes practically sparkling.

And right between them... was Lyra de Orleans, whose dim gaze could easily paralyze a person. Her head was full of turmoil, and the demon within her heart was ready to explode, ready to consume the whole world into a chaotic mess.

'How... where did she go...?'

A few days prior, her big sister vanished without a trace.

Even with a letter explaining her supposed purposes and telling everyone not to worry, Cecilia's disappearance caused violent ripples in the young heroine's mind. She couldn't eat properly, couldn't sleep properly, and without her sister, she wasn't sure she could live properly from this moment onward.

Nothing mattered to her anymore.

She tried searching everywhere, but Cecilia was just... gone.

Two days was the time Lyra spent running frantically across to city to hope for any traces of that woman. She had also skipped the first two days of school... not that those lessons meant anything.

She even requested a meeting with Lily, Cecilia's biological mother, to inquire about her big sister's whereabouts, but it ended in vain.

'She'll be fine. More than that, shouldn't you go to school?'

So, Lyra dragged her soulless self to school this morning, unsure of any purpose in her actions.

Perhaps unaware of this crisis, the professor eagerly continued her teaching.

''These past few cycles, the demon throne has been held by high-succubi.'' She pondered. ''Although we're still unsure how it happened, the succubi nobles overthrew the past werewolf regime some seventy years ago and became royals since. As you may know, with the current demon queen still missing after more than a decade, we might soon have another species taking on the reign.''

The stories of demons always fascinated young students. Those beings are violent and unpredictable, so the tales they produced were even more exhilarating than genuine fictions.

One student raised his hand, clearly unable to confine his curiosity, ''Professor, I've heard that the demon queen is strong, but how is she actually?''

Such questions might have seemed pointless, seeing that many documentaries had scrutinized the demon queen's power before, but here in this academy, that wasn't the case.

To this day, only the former hero party had faced her directly, and since their presence was frequent at the academy, many thought they could get true, first-hand accounts of the battle.

''Good question, student.''

And, coincidentally, the professor had had the honor of speaking with Jeanne, the former heroine herself.

Wiggling her finger, she grinned, ''The current demon Queen, Lilith, is a primal succubus. It is said that her blood is the purest, and her powers are some of the most deadly we've seen so far, which makes the hero party's achievements even more impressive.''

The students' gaze fell onto the portrait as the professor continued, ''You might think Lilith excels at seduction, and while that is true, she is also unfairly competent in combat, both magically and physically. Those are the words by your professor Jeanne herself, by the way.''

Little gasps escaped everyone's mouths when the last sentence rolled out. The professor, as skilled as a storyteller, drew her students into the old tales of demons.

It was the demon ecology course, after all.

''Wow... that sounds so cool...'' Kang Hye-rin muttered. ''Hey, Lyra, Ludinia, will we also be like them in the future?''

The girl's voice wasn't loud, but in this immersed classroom, it might as well have been. 'Arrogant' was the phrase many instinctively thought of, yet when those words came out of Hye-rin's mouth... no one could refute them.

They just had a sense—a faint sense that these three would become legends of their own somewhere down the line.

''...''

Amidst the stares, Lyra remained cold.

Her eyes only reflected Lilith's portrait, bold and with a gentle smile, that deeply resembled someone she knew.

'Big sis... where are you?'

''A curse?''

''Mhm.''

Walking along the flower-tinted path, Cecilia clutched her hat, feeling the wind grazing her skin. Yuria's curious gaze followed her, so obvious it felt ticklish.

The unknown lands, contrary to popular beliefs, weren't desolate and lifeless. If anything, without the prominent traces of civilizations, they were more natural and green. Not counting the demonic presence, of course.

''Not many realize this, but the demon royals are bound by a curse.'' Cecilia stared into the distance. ''The curse fuels their cruelty, inflates their demonic instincts, and forces them onto the path of destruction.''

''That's... new. Where did it come from?''

The feline princess was taken aback by the sudden information, one that would surely stir the whole human world if it were ever confirmed. Outrageous, yet Yuria couldn't help but feel as though this woman was speaking the truth.

Perhaps noticing the reluctance, Cecilia smiled, ''The progenitor.'''

''The... progenitor?''

''Yes. The first ever demon, the ancestor of every walking, crawling, flying demon on this planet—he cursed those who bear the weight of the crown so that his dying wish would persist through them.''

''...You know a lot, huh?''

Yuria had been an adventurer for many years, so she had heard many things. Especially when it came to demons, she was a certified expert. Although one could say she wasn't familiar with the demonic hierarchy—no one really was—this kind of information sounded... excessive.

''I don't know everything. I only know what I know.'' Cecilia replied, chuckling.

''But what does that have to do with...''

Yuria trailed off as she watched the girl skipping steps ahead, falling into deep thoughts. Her seasoned adventurer instincts were screaming—this person was anything but ordinary.

'Whether I can trust her...'

''...''

In the end, nothing came out of it.

She had too little information. Usually, this was where she would retreat, but her curious self said otherwise.

'...I guess this is also exploring the unknown.'