"We should talk somewhere more private," I say, gncing around the library at the scattered students.

  "We are doing well here," Mika replies calmly, adjusting her gsses. "I've erected a sound barrier around this table, so that our conversation remains private."

  "You can do that?"

  "I'm a keeper demon. Information security is, I would say, my area of expertise." She points to the air around us. "Anyone looking this direction will see two students having a quiet study discussion. It seems unlikely that they will be receptive to our message."

  That's actually impressive and useful and… wait.

  “Oh, so you can do that. Does that mean you also installed a sound barrier during yesterday's meeting?”

  "We did have some barriers. Multiple yers, actually. General Bel is extremely thorough about operational security."

  "Hm, I see. Um, then how did Enid just walk in?"

  Mika looks at me like I'm missing something obvious.

  "Um, I apologize, Lord Nyx, but you were the st person to enter that room. We assumed you left the door unlocked on purpose."

  Oh.

  Oh shit.

  I did leave the door unlocked. I was the st one to arrive, got distracted by the whole "meeting the demon council" situation, and completely forgot to secure the entrance because I was too busy processing the fact that I'd accidentally become the figurehead of a conspiracy…

  …and why does she assume I'm like some kind of mastermind?!

  "R-Right," I say quickly. "Let's talk about something else. Like why you told Enid we're running a secret underground resistance instead of anything else."

  Mika pulls out a small notebook, of course she has documentation!, and flips to a marked page. "I discussed the situation with Professor Bel immediately after Miss Fairfax's intrusion. We had about thirty minutes to construct a pusible narrative before she came to find me with questions."

  "Alright, now tell me, why'd you decide to go with rebellion path?"

  “We decided on the most believable expnation given the observed facts.” She taps her notebook. “If we look at the situation, Enid walked in and saw the Academy staff, myself as librarian, Professor Moonwhisper as Vice Headmaster, and Sebas the gardener, all of whom were positioned around you in what looked like a hierarchical arrangement. We were clearly deferring to you despite your student status.”

  "Ah."

  "So she needed an expnation for why staff would show deference to a transfer student. The answer we provided was political backing." Mika's voice has that lecturer vibe. "It is my understanding that you are sponsored by House Montcir, a noble family that is both wealthy and politically active. I mentioned that the staff present were agents or sympathizers who show deference to you as the representative of your financial sponsor. The meeting itself was framed as coordination between students and sympathetic staff working to oppose Traditionalist faction dominance."

  "Hmm... Well, I hate to admit it, but that's actually a pretty good cover story."

  "For us, it is an excellent cover story. It expins the observed hierarchy, provides motivation for secrecy, and aligns with Enid's existing understanding of Academy politics." She makes a note in her book. "It also creates opportunities we can exploit."

  "Huh? Exploit how?"

  "Consider the strategic positioning." She quickly sketches a diagram on a scrap piece of paper. "General Diablo controls Duke Andras, which gives him influence over the Traditionalist faction. You have intentionally positioned yourself as a leader figure among Independent students through your sponsorship. And now, with Enid requesting to join your 'resistance,' we have potential access to the Royalist faction through her connection to Prince Matthias."

  I stare at the diagram. "So, because of that accident, you're saying we can control all three major factions?"

  "I believe that is correct. Though we believe it was not just a simple accident. I've heard that my lord is interested in Enid, and Enid, assuming we can welcome her into the group, could be a valuable connection to the Royalists, given her association with the Prince. That seems like a very good pn."

  Ugh, that does sound like a good pn.

  "But I don't think they're connected like that. Enid and the Prince, I mean. They just talk sometimes."

  "Agreed, but they talk regurly enough that Penelope Ashworth views her as a threat to a political engagement… and that is significant leverage." Mika leans forward, looking intense behind her gsses. "Lord Nyx, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your strategic maneuvering that has led to a highly advantageous position. In less than two weeks, you've successfully established political backing, caught the attention of key pyers, and now positioned yourself to potentially influence all three major student factions."

  "Believe me, Mika, I didn't do anything."

  …These things just keep happening to me!

  "The results are the same regardless of intention." She's actually smiling now, which is rare and makes her look almost excited. "This is really brilliant strategy. Appearing to stumble into positions of influence while actually being extremely calcuted about every move. It's exactly beffting your title."

  "Hey! That's not what I'm doing—"

  "Of course not, my lord. You're just 'surviving' and 'trying to pass your csses' while coincidentally establishing yourself as the most politically significant student in the fourth year." The smile widens slightly. "It's masterful misdirection."

  This is getting away from me. I need to redirect.

  "What about Enid specifically?" I ask. "You said we can use her as a pawn. But how?"

  "Miss Fairfax is ideal for our purposes. As I previously mentioned, she has a close retionship with Prince Matthias, which provides us with valuable insight into his activities and the potential influence he may have on his decision-making. It is my understanding that she does not share the values of the Traditionalist faction, which has led to some tension between them. This naturally leads her to be in opposition to General Diablo's political stance. This allows us to maintain an appearance of factional opposition while effectively controlling both sides. And she is eager to have an agency in her situation, which makes her receptive to recruitment and likely to be loyal to whoever provides her with purpose."

  U-uh. Does all keeper demon talk like this?!

  “Yea I already know all that, but how exactly do we use her?”

  "We have no malicious intentions in using her." Mika's tone doesn't change. "The resistance she thinks she's joining will actually be working to oppose Penelope's faction, which is something she genuinely wants. She'll feel like she's achieving her goals while we benefit from the political positioning her involvement provides."

  "And the fact that we're lying to her about what this actually is doesn't bother you?"

  "Why would it? It seems that she is able to achieve her desired outcomes, which include having an agency, a sense of purpose, and opposing the faction that has been causing her distress. And we are able to access Royalist faction intelligence and have the opportunity to potentially influence the future Hero. It is my understanding that everyone benefits from the arrangement."

  I can't stop thinking about Enid in the café, looking at me with this desperate hope.

  And I think about what Mika doesn't know... that Enid is the destined Saintess! She's going to be trained in holy magic and positioned to support the Hero against demon threats, and recruiting her into a demon conspiracy is possibly the worst idea in the history of terrible ideas.

  "Hm, but there are complications," I say carefully.

  "Such as?"

  "Enid has... connections. Factors that might make her involvement more problematic than you're accounting for."

  "The Church?" Mika asks, and I must look surprised because she continues. "I've had the opportunity to observe her reading patterns in the library. There is a notable interest in religious texts and divine magic theory, which extends beyond the usual curriculum. In addition, her frequent visits from Church officials, which, while not readily apparent to most, I meticulously track, may indicate a particur interest on the part of the Church in her."

  "You're scary observant."

  "Observation is fundamental to my purpose." She makes another note. "Is the Church connection the complication you're referring to?"

  I could tell her… but something stops me.

  Maybe it's the way Mika is looking at me with that expression of respect and admiration, like I'm actually the strategic genius she thinks I am. Maybe it's the realization that revealing the Saintess thing would require expining how I know, which leads to questions about my conversation with Enid and why she trusted me with that information.

  Or maybe it's just that I'm not ready to deal with the fallout of that revetion yet.

  "The Church connection is part of it," I say instead. "But there are other factors. Personal things that make her situation more complex than standard political maneuvering."

  "Understood. We will proceed with her integration in a thoughtful manner." Mika closes her notebook. "For the time being, the cover story remains in pce. It seems she is under the impression that she is joining a student resistance movement. We are working to provide her with opportunities to act against the Traditionalists, which she genuinely wants, while gathering intelligence on Royalist faction activities."

  "And when she eventually figures out that this is actually a demon conspiracy?"

  "By that point, she will have invested enough in the retionships and the work that the revetion will become manageable rather than catastrophic. People rarely abandon causes they've committed to just because the underlying structure was different than they initially believed."

  “I don't believe I could ever be maniputive like this.”

  "That's how all political organizations function. Recruit based on surface-level alignment, build investment and loyalty, and reveal deeper truths gradually as trust develops." She adjusts her gsses. "Ah! I would like to mention that Professor Bel has expressed interest in meeting with you soon to discuss our overall strategy, now that we have potential access to all three factions. She has expressed her admiration for the progress you have made."

  "Everyone keeps saying I'm making progress when I'm just trying not to die."

  "And yet you keep 'accidentally' achieving strategic victories. Remarkable how that works."

  I slump in my chair and try to figure out how I ended up here.

  "Is there anything else I should know?" I ask tiredly.

  "Just that you've done excellent work positioning yourself, my lord. The other demons are very encouraged by your leadership so far."

  "Hey! Stop with that leadership shi—"

  "But of course, my Lord, you're just surviving." That slight smile again. "We all understand your preference for appearing non-threatening while actually establishing dominance. It's quite effective."

  I fucking give up.

  "Never mind. Is that everything?"

  "For now, yes. If I may offer a suggestion, it would be to prepare for Bel's meeting. She'll want a detailed discussion of how to leverage our new factional access points."

  "Great. Looking forward to it." I stand up. "Thanks for handling the Enid situation. Even if I think this is going to explode spectacurly at some point."

  "All good strategies have risks, my lord. The key is managing when and how the explosion occurs. We must manage everything so that our first operation soon runs safely."

  …

  Huh? Operation?

  a/n. I'm going to post daily after this (until chapter 27) around this time!