Cornelia Was Glad to Help

Dekan did need a patsy to test the mechanics.

So Dekan and Cornelia walked on either side of the Demon Student, escorting him toward the classroom at the end of the corridor.

It felt a lot like they were marching a condemned prisoner to the gallows.

They pushed open the classroom's sculpted doors, which were works of art in their own right.

A scene as splendid as a work of art instantly came into view.

Compared with a cooking classroom or kitchen, this room looked more like a banquet hall. Its style was much like that of the corridor outside, with the air of an elegant evening party.

Bright flames cast a warm, gentle glow. Silver candlesticks and crystal chandeliers glittered in the light.

The reliefs on the walls were magnificent, and a grand Baroque-style table stood in the center of the room.

"Welcome to the cooking classroom. I am your teacher, Baron Batchelor, and I sincerely invite you to join me for dinner!"

A deep voice echoed through the classroom, and the door slammed shut.

Dinner?

So the Demon Academy held classes at night?

Dekan followed the sound with his gaze.

At the far end of the classroom stood a gloomy-looking male demon dressed in an ornate black suit.

He bowed elegantly to his three guests. Then he turned his wrist until his palm faced upward and gestured toward the carved oak dining chairs beside the table, inviting them to sit.

He didn't seem to have an ounce of a teacher's usual airs.

Although the teacher's words and manner were quite friendly, Dekan knew it was all an act.

The killing intent in Baron Batchelor's eyes was impossible to hide.

The Demon Student Cornelia had brought along had already begun trembling uncontrollably, instinctively afraid of Baron Batchelor.

At Dekan's signal, Cornelia led the Demon Student to the left side of the table.

Dekan then sat on the right, directly across from Cornelia.

When he saw that the three students had taken their seats, Baron Batchelor smiled with satisfaction.

He turned and slowly wheeled a small silver serving cart out from the back of the classroom.

Three dishes sat on the cart, each covered with a silver cloche.

"Today's lesson is food appreciation."

"I've prepared your meals already. I hope you'll enjoy them."

Like a butler, Baron Batchelor wheeled the cart to the edge of the table and lifted one of the cloches.

"But..."

Baron Batchelor's voice suddenly rose, taking on the tone of a proud, slightly unhinged artist.

"After you've enjoyed your dinner, you'll need to tell me what ingredients and seasonings were used."

"That is today's cooking-class exam."

"An excellent chef can find common ground with a gourmet."

"If you get more than 80 percent right, that proves you're my honored guests and excellent students of the cooking classroom."

"But if you get everything horribly wrong, I'll be very sad."

"And I'll have no choice but to punish you accordingly..."

By now, Baron Batchelor could barely suppress his smile.

His bloodlust was practically written all over his face.

"..."

Listening to him, Dekan wanted to slap him twice!

So much for playing coy before revealing the knife.

If Dekan weren't still too weak to fight Baron Batchelor, he would've called Cornelia over to beat him up already.

"Well, which of you three would like to go first?"

Baron Batchelor looked around at the three students seated at the table, asking with a rather sinister smile.

The vast classroom fell silent.

After what they'd seen in the exam room, even Cornelia understood that all these demons' games were deadly traps...

This wasn't a cozy candlelit dinner. It was a slaughter feast on the edge of a cliff!

A few seconds of silence passed.

"Are none of you going to volunteer? Then I'll choose someone myself."

Baron Batchelor said impatiently, his brows furrowing.

But just as he finished speaking,

the Demon Student beside Cornelia slowly raised his hand.

Baron Batchelor's expression brightened with delight.

But the Demon Student's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Cornelia beside him.

His eyes were full of disbelief at his own fate.

Cornelia was gripping his elbow and forcing his hand into the air!

Cold sweat poured down his forehead as he glanced at Baron Batchelor.

Baron Batchelor's gaze had already locked onto him.

He was as good as dead.

Then the Demon Student looked at Dekan, seated diagonally across from him, his face full of grief and indignation.

If he had to die, he wanted to know why.

This girl was terrifying, but she didn't seem cruel enough to do something like this.

It had to be that rotten guy across the table who'd told her to do it!

Dekan looked away, pursed his lips, and pretended to whistle.

It had indeed been his idea. He'd glanced meaningfully back and forth between Cornelia and the Demon Student's elbow, and Cornelia had quickly caught on.

So it really was you, you bastard!

The Demon Student cried out in despair inwardly.

He was miserable and furious, but there was nothing he could do. All he had left was fear.

"Then you'll go first!"

Baron Batchelor was delighted that someone had finally volunteered.

He strode over to the Demon Student, set the dish in front of him, and lifted the cloche.

A stew of meat wafted with the scents of melon and lemon, with a hint of smokiness, and came with a small serving of vegetables. It appeared before the Demon Student.

"Go ahead. Enjoy your meal."

Baron Batchelor stepped back, leaving the Demon Student a relatively comfortable space.

At that,

the Demon Student's hands shook as he picked up his knife and fork. He cut the meat into tiny pieces, speared one, and slowly brought it to his mouth.

But the closer it got to his lips, the harder his hand trembled. He seemed unable to find his own mouth.

Baron Batchelor didn't hurry him at all.

He seemed to greatly enjoy watching the Demon Student.

The Demon Student kept stalling, occasionally glancing at Baron Batchelor.

Fifteen minutes passed. By then, he had eaten most of the small, exquisite, luxurious dish.

"All right. Time to answer the questions."

Baron Batchelor spoke with a smile, as if starting the Demon Student's countdown to death.

"..."

"There... there was onion, carrot, bay leaf, thyme, red wine, black pepper..."

The Demon Student answered in a trembling voice.

He struggled to recall the flavors he'd just tasted.

There were too many.

Every bite had been exquisite.

But this meal brought him no happiness at all, only endless despair and fear.

It was as if that was what Baron Batchelor truly wanted him to taste.

By the end, he was mostly guessing, but the more he guessed, the more he realized he was getting the answers wrong.

Baron Batchelor's smile grew more and more unrestrained, his lips curling into a terrifying arc.

"What a pity. You only got 37 percent right. You're no true gourmet."

His delighted verdict rang through the classroom.

As soon as the words fell, Baron Batchelor's neck suddenly stretched out.

His skin tore open as easily as a wrapper, revealing the green scales beneath, as if he'd reverted to his monstrous true form.

The well-dressed baron swung his eerie, elongated neck. With his now horrifying face, he sneered at the Demon Student, who had gone deathly pale.

At last, Baron Batchelor seemed satisfied with watching the Demon Student's despair.

His head grew enormous. He opened his gaping maw and lunged toward the Demon Student like lightning.

One bite!

Baron Batchelor swallowed the Demon Student whole!

He couldn't fight back at all.

"Crunch, crunch."

Baron Batchelor chewed a few times with relish, then swallowed his meal in one gulp.

After swallowing with obvious delight, Baron Batchelor seemed to reach the height of pleasure. His eyes rolled slightly upward until the whites showed, and he laughed as he reeled his neck back in.

He'd said it from the beginning.

This was his dinner party.

During the brief moment Baron Batchelor spent savoring his delicious meal,

Cornelia kept a poker face.

But a trace of anxiety began to stir within her.

She was fairly certain she couldn't beat Baron Batchelor.

If she couldn't identify the ingredients later, she didn't know whether she and Dekan could hold Baron Batchelor off together.

She glanced at Dekan.

Their eyes met.

He still wore the same expression, leaning back in his chair as calmly as a chess player.

That put Cornelia at ease.

Dekan probably already had a plan.