High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1067: Chapter 129: Choice

For wizards, ”Painted Skin” has two meanings.

One is a rare magical tool, and the other is a mysterious magical creature.

The former is made from human skin, beast skin, and so on, with the skin intact, including hair and facial features no different from a living being. When used, one need only wrap it around their body, roll on the ground, and they can transform into the creature represented by the Painted Skin—very few wizards can distinguish it.

The latter is a kind of ghastly demon with emerald faces and jagged teeth like a saw, their cries resembling pig squeals, fond of eating children’s hearts. They can peel off the skin of their victims to take on their appearance. Because they are too ferocious, they have been hunted to near extinction by wizards; even students from First University can only see their remnants in specimen form in the specimen room.

Now, the snake molt hidden in the grass nest was at first glance plainly unrelated to the ghastly demon, so the ”Painted Skin” that Doctor Xiao mentioned could only be of the first kind.

Upon hearing Xiao Xiao’s judgement, Nicholas’s complexion drastically changed.

”Painted Skin? Impossible,” he murmured, his tone strained, ”Could there be some misunderstanding here? Should we take another look ...”

His anxiety was naturally justified.

If the snake molt was indeed a Painted Skin as Xiao Xiao said, then who used this Painted Skin? Why would they disguise themselves as a pet snake at First University? Most crucially, was the owner of the pet snake, Liu Feifei, aware of this? If she was unaware, does she bear the primary responsibility for this incident?

Just by pondering this briefly, numerous terrifying thoughts emerged in Nicholas’s head, sparking panic and unease. His only hope was that Xiao Xiao had made a mistake and the snake molt was simply an ordinary snake molt. Or perhaps Xiao Xiao was just playing a joke on him.

But Nicholas also knew that Xiao Xiao was not one to jest, and with such a serious matter at hand, he wouldn’t casually mention an impossibility.

Compared to the anxious veteran, Xiao Xiao clearly thought about much more—for instance, why the Absolution Hunting Team and others searching for the Faceless Monster had not found any trace of it for so long; and likewise, why Liu Feifei’s large snake seemed impossible to find.

A reasonable explanation would be that the Faceless Monster had been wearing the pet snake’s skin all along, hiding itself as an ’In the Dark Under the Lamp’ kind of presence out of sight from everyone.

However, what the Faceless Monster’s true identity was, when it had put on the pet snake’s skin, its purpose for coming to the school, and other such deeper levels of information could not be deduced from the present scant clues.

If Xiao Xiao could consider all this, then so could Zheng Qing and Jiang Yu.

This was not a good outcome.

For a moment, a heavy silence descended upon the scene. Xiao Xiao’s discovery had cast a thick shadow in the hearts of all present. Perhaps only the somewhat naïve Li Meng had not fully grasped the tangle behind the Painted Skin, appearing slightly more spirited.

”Painted Skin?!” Li Meng suddenly tightened her grip on the plush bear’s arm—since arriving at this patch of grass, Xiao Bai the cat had already struggled out of the young wizard’s arms, so Li Meng had to pick up the plush bear again.

Fortunately, the plush bear seemed to take it in stride and didn’t mind being abandoned by the little witch, happily returning to her embrace. Of course, before being picked up again, it had to endure a Cleaning Charm to wash off the mud and dust it had just accumulated.

”Where did this Painted Skin come from? Whose Painted Skin is it? Isn’t this the skin of Feifei’s pet snake?” The little witch was dizzy with the abruptly revealed reality, but it did not affect her shrewdness: ”This Painted Skin was never reported to the school, was it? If we hand it over to the School Works Committee, wouldn’t there be a reward in credits?”

The black cat and the white cat looked at each other, and Xiao Xiao exchanged a glance with Nicholas as well.

This was the biggest problem at hand—whether or not to report this discovery to the school.

Theoretically speaking, reporting to the school was the best solution.

Firstly, the reasons to report were sufficient: an identity-unknown Faceless Monster had snuck into First University, certainly harboring some unspeakable purpose; moreover, this monster was hidden on campus, posing a tremendous threat to all students at First University, including those present—who knew if the monster had other painted skins or might lurk nearby to bite someone.

Secondly, the school’s rewards for reporting such discoveries were very generous: academic credits were a given, and sometimes there might even be a good deal of material rewards, which was an undeniable temptation for financially strapped young wizards.

Lastly, as required by both the school’s regulations and the universally accepted Codex in the wizard world, wizards had the obligation to assist in investigating such incidents. For a world filled with magic, one couldn’t just pretend to overlook the issue and expect to get away with it.

From any standpoint of greater good or angle of justice, it would be right for everyone to hand over the snake molt.

But on the other hand, there seemed to be reasons not to report it.

Besides, what would happen after reporting?—The School Works Committee would get the snake molt, the school would throw a fit, and a campus-wide hunt would ensue, likely even banning student activities like hunting or balls in the name of safety; if the school quickly captured the monster, all would be well; but if not, it would turn into another hassle.

Zheng Qing still vividly remembered the ruckus those Small Sand Time Worms caused last semester.

Just because of a few magical creatures drained of time, the whole school was thrown into chaos, and the bigwigs at the school were thoroughly criticized by journalists from Beta Town Post.

And those were just some minor pests.

What was hidden in the school now was a Faceless Monster of unknown strength, which was not like those Sand Time Worms that only stole a bit of wizard time, but was a real monster that could eat people and slaughter!

More importantly, the snake molt belonged to Liu Feifei’s pet.

Not to mention the potential uproar that might ensue after the discovery that Liu Feifei’s pet, a public-funded student of Jiuyou Academy, was a monster. Just the ownership alone would bring her tremendous trouble, and she might even have to undergo inspection by Danghag.

It wasn’t just her, but a series of departments with supervisory duties, including the Pet Garden and the School Works Committee, would also bear joint responsibility in this matter.

Zheng Qing could almost foresee how Jiuyou Academy would be in a sorry state for a while. It was truly disheartening to have such an incident arise amidst disputes with Alpha Academy and the Fishman Tribe.

”The snake molt belongs to Fifi, and ultimately, the choice is hers. Let’s take the snake molt back and let her decide,” Xiao Xiao finally offered a somewhat tactful suggestion that lacked a sense of responsibility.

Nicholas looked somewhat dejected, saying nothing as he let Xiao Xiao gather up the snake molt, put it into a deer skin pouch, and stuff it into his arms.