The Poet of Great Love's Happy Moment

The dim yellow lights along the ancient corridor seemed to freeze time itself. The demons of the guard corps, who had initially been looking around in confusion, instantly fell into complete disarray. A flurry of chaotic arguments broke out among their ranks. In the end, every single gaze settled upon the Poet of Great Love. As if bathed in a spotlight, she became the sole protagonist of the stage. "You actually dared to harm our commander and the Blood Clan envoy!" shouted a demon posted outside from the Demon Realm Inspectorate guard corps, finally convinced of the truth. He roared in sheer disbelief at the Poet of Great Love and the Vice Headmaster. Yet the Poet of Great Love merely stood up from the floor without the slightest hurry, resuming her slender, elegant poise. "You all saw it earlier, didn't you? I tried to advise the Blood Clan envoy. I stopped him." "Every single word I spoke was the absolute truth, but he refused to believe me, didn't he?" "What, are you going to abandon all reason and bully a frail woman like me?" She tilted her chin slightly, questioning every demon in the guard corps in her crisp, provocatively sweet voice. "...!!" The demon leading the guard corps ground his teeth, his mind in complete turmoil, unable to find an answer for a long time. Indeed, earlier in the corridor leading to the second floor, they had heard this headmaster earnestly counsel the Blood Clan envoy several times! "You... you dared to lay a trap within the academy! Do you have any idea what the consequences will be?" Another adjutant immediately glared sternly at the Poet of Great Love, having seemingly found a pretext and looking ready to use force to arrest the headmaster. "A trap? What are you talking about? I don't understand at all." The Poet of Great Love narrowed her left eye slightly and shook her head with a sneer. Before she could say another word, the Vice Headmaster behind her stepped forward, radiating terrifying waves of magical power that forced back the insolent Inspectorate corps. "The public performance in the Demon King's Bestowed Theater has been broadcast to the great nobles via magic eyes the entire time! Every one of them can testify that this was nothing more than an entirely ordinary performance, by no means a trap laid by us! It was merely that Blood Clan envoy who insisted on barging in!" The Vice Headmaster's voice boomed like rolling thunder, echoing repeatedly down the dim corridor. "!!" The guard corps, which had been on the verge of drawing weapons, backed away several paces. The academy's explanation was airtight. The more words were exchanged, the more the military realized they had no legal or moral ground to stand on! Besides, even if they wanted to enter and rescue the Blood Clan envoy and their commander, none of them possessed the courage to charge through those massive doors from which there was almost certainly no return! "Strictly seal the entrance! We must never allow such a tragedy to repeat itself!" The Poet of Great Love commanded with a righteous, valiant expression. "Understood." Led by the Vice Headmaster, a group of senior professors positioned themselves firmly before the corridor's theater doors. "You lot...?!" The guard corps knew very well that the brazen actions of these wretched teachers were an open attempt to eliminate any possibility of rescuing the Blood Clan envoy and their commander. Yet this shameless headmaster had seized the moral high ground, completely shutting down their room for rebuttal! And so, the two sides stood at an impasse along the corridor for a long time, the boundary between them stark and unyielding. As the demons of the guard corps gradually calmed down and began to think, a horrifying realization dawned in their hearts. The Inspectorate and the Department of Education had already taken action against the academy in advance by transferring away its strongest headmaster. Yet not only had an Acting Headmaster mysteriously emerged, but she had also toyed with both the Blood Clan envoy and the Inspectorate with utter ease. Every single development seemed like a flawless coincidence, yet carried a palpable sense of inevitability! It felt as though a colossal hidden hand were pulling the strings behind the scenes. The academy very likely had an exceptionally powerful figure aiding it from the shadows! If they continued to oppose the school, not a single member of the Inspectorate corps present might escape alive, and their deaths would leave behind no evidence. Yet they could not possibly return in disgrace either; failing to safely escort the Blood Clan envoy back meant death all the same! Thus, the demons of the Inspectorate corps felt as though they were enduring torture. Sitting on pins and needles, they could only remain frozen outside Corridor 24, unable to advance or retreat. Watching their agonizing torment, the Poet of Great Love smiled with satisfaction, as if she had just enjoyed a sumptuous feast. "Vice Headmaster, I leave the task of sealing Corridor 24 to you." Brushing back her silky gray hair, the Poet of Great Love turned and walked away without looking back. After enduring so much hard labor, it was high time for her to relax. "Please rest assured, Your Ladyship," the Vice Headmaster replied, bowing deeply toward her retreating figure with immense gratitude. He knew that expressing his thanks to this noble demon lady would convey his sentiments to that great personage just the same. *** Along the labyrinthine corridors of diverse architectural styles, patrolling teachers bowed respectfully whenever they saw the gray-haired demon in her red dress pass by. Checking the map in her hand as she approached the next corridor, the Poet of Great Love watched as Hyperion finally revealed herself from stealth beside her. Hyperion had been the one acting as bait inside the Demon King's Bestowed Theater to lure the Blood Clan envoy. Having already developed some resistance to melody magic and taken precautions in advance, she was able to safely break free from the theater's control. Once she confirmed that the Blood Clan envoy was incapacitated, she slipped out unnoticed under the cover of stealth. "Tell Lanqi he can relax. I've confirmed that the Blood Clan envoy and the other Inspectorate officers have joined the grand chorus," Hyperion sighed. In just twelve short hours at this Demon Academy, the merit she had accumulated over more than a decade had probably been wiped out entirely. Hyperion knew that through the Poet of Great Love, she could contact Lanqi, who was currently hard at work in the Headmaster's Office. That guy had completely embraced the role of headmaster. "..." The Poet of Great Love nodded, communicating telepathically with Lanqi. "He says thank you for your hard work, and asked you, Hyperion, to take me out for some fun," the Poet of Great Love soon relayed to Hyperion with a grin. To the Poet of Great Love, aside from Lanqi, the person she was most familiar with was Hyperion, whom she had met a few times. Furthermore, for reasons unknown, the Poet of Great Love always felt an aura of closeness around Hyperion—as if a faint bloodline connection bound them together. "Go wherever you'd like." Hyperion opened her palm to reveal a handful of 10-credit coins. Hyperion felt as though she were gradually turning into a babysitter. The final task Lanqi had assigned her was to take the Poet of Great Love to the functional area on his behalf to reward her. On the surface, it was keeping the Poet company; in truth, he had entrusted Hyperion with keeping an eye on this far too volatile demon. "Haha, just watch me burn through all his mana and have a blast!" The Poet of Great Love danced a little pirouette on the spot with delight. Lanqi had promised that after she helped him settle this matter, he would grant her a period of wind-like freedom. And true to his word, Lanqi had fulfilled his promise. Then again, Lanqi probably didn't dare release her into the real world, so he was taking advantage of this already cleared Shadow World to let her run wild and let off some steam. "Where do you want to go?" Hyperion asked, stepping a bit closer to look at the map in the Poet's hands. She knew that an epic summon like the Poet of Great Love possessed her own distinct consciousness and personality. However, she had no idea what kind of creepy things a pure demon with such a vile temperament would actually fancy. "Let's head to the Demon King's Bestowed Restaurant to grab some food first, and then I want to check out the Demon Realm Plant Cultivation Garden." The Poet of Great Love stepped forward cheerfully, practically brimming with impatience. Hyperion tilted her head in utter bewilderment. Could it be that this gray-haired succubus's favorite things... were actually flowers and plants?