The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　The exam lasts from 8:00 to 10:00, a full 120 minutes.

　However, the exam paper was much shorter than Dark had predicted.

　This may be because the world doesn't have a "three-year mock exam, five-year college entrance exam" system, nor a habit of frequent testing. Therefore, students lack exam experience, which limits their answering speed.

　Therefore, the professors designed the exam based on the answering speed of most people.

　But for Dak Dimon, who came from an exam-oriented education system, this was far from satisfying.

　He finished answering all the questions in just half an hour.

　Then, in order to get a high score, he began to examine the document very meticulously.

　In fact, he didn't have the good habit of checking his work after taking the exam in his previous life.

　But he is not the same person he used to be.

　Born into this world, and after his memories were awakened, his character and will were tempered, which translates into greater patience during exams.

　After checking it three times and correcting one careless mistake, Dak put down his pen and looked at Professor Sylph on the podium.

　Professor Sylph glanced at him and then pointed to the blackboard.

　One of the important points was clearly written on the blackboard: "You may not leave the examination room before the exam lasts for one hour."

　……

　Nine o'clock sharp.

　Dak packed up his paper and pen to hand in his paper, but just as he was about to sit up, he suddenly sat down again.

　"Since I've handed in my paper and have nowhere to go, I might as well just wait here."

　Thinking this, he turned his head and looked out the window, which was as clear as glass, and his thoughts began to churn again.

　"The extra time in the examination room" is probably one of the quietest and most carefree periods of time in the world.

　When I calmed down and thought about it carefully, the report from the "Great Sage Daily" that I saw this morning came to mind again.

　Judge it using the logic of a normal person.

　There is a 90% chance that the report was deliberately published by an outsider by the Church.

　Surely the purpose of doing this isn't really to carry out a belated "execution" of the Demon King?

　……

　After the exam, perhaps I can discuss it with Professor Sylph.

　……

　[2-in-1 4000+]

Chapter 449 Darkdemon watches with amusement (4k)

　Since it was the first final exam, very few people handed in their papers early.

　Even after finishing writing, they would just wait obediently in the classroom.

　It wasn't until the bell rang that everyone was forced to stop writing and hand in their exam papers one by one.

　At this time, one can often see all aspects of life.

　Some were full of confidence, some were anxious, some were rushing to finish the last stroke, and some were secretly glancing at other people's exam papers...

　It's interesting.

　After handing in his exam paper, Dark let Diana and Rose go first, while he waited until everyone had left before coming to the podium, picking up his exam paper and walking with Professor Sylph.

　"Is there something you need, Dark?" Professor Sylph asked with a smile.

　Dak then asked, "Professor, have you read today's morning paper?"

　Professor Sylph said as she walked, "I've been a bit busy today."

　Dak thought for a moment and said, "I saw a report in the Daily Wise Man that I'm a little confused about."

　Professor Sylph asked, "What does it relate to?"

　Dark whispered, "The Demon King."

　Professor Sylph's heart skipped a beat, and she said, "Let's talk about it in my office."

　……

　Not long after, Dark arrived at Professor Sylph's office.

　He carried the exam papers to his desk and placed them there. When he turned around, Professor Sylph had already locked the door.

　"Wait a moment." Professor Sylph walked to the reception table and picked up a roll of newspaper directly from it.

　She actually subscribes to the newspaper, but hasn't had a chance to read it yet.

　As soon as Dak saw her sit down on the sofa, he naturally started making tea.

　Professor Sylph looked at the newspaper, sometimes frowning, lost in thought.

　After Dak finished brewing the tea, she had almost finished reading the report and couldn't help but look up and say, "Two months have passed."

　Dark: "Hmm?"

　Professor Sylph said, "It has been almost two months since the Demon King escaped the seal and was reborn, and the Holy Church has finally begun to take action."

　Dark suddenly realized: "So it really was the Holy Church that took the lead? Then they didn't do anything in the past two months?"

　Professor Sylph put down the newspaper and said seriously, "That's impossible, but it must have been a covert operation. Since they chose this method, it's probably because they didn't find the Demon King's reincarnation vessel, or they found it but let it escape. That's why they're trying to reduce the consequences. Why do you think they would fabricate such a report?"

　Dark frowned slightly and said, "Professor, this is not easy to come up with."

　Professor Sylph then said, "You can try to think from their perspective."

　Dark pondered for a moment and said, "If it were my Holy Church, we wouldn't know how the Demon King escaped by suicide while he was sealed. So, upon discovering it, we would immediately start to investigate this issue and search for external or internal factors. I think it's unlikely that they would be able to find external factors."

　Professor Sylph nodded slightly: "That's how it is."

　Dark then added, "Then they might need to purge their own ranks, which will likely waste some of their time. Of course, the most important thing is still finding the vessel for the Demon King's reincarnation. In this process, they'll definitely use some divination-like methods. But since the Demon King has always been called 'immortal,' he must have ways to counter divination. Perhaps his reincarnation is special and leaves no trace."

　Professor Sylph said, "That's true. If we can easily find the vessel for the Demon King's reincarnation, even if there are thousands or thousands of vessels, even if it takes ten or twenty years, the Holy Church will definitely eliminate all of them."

　After verifying the information, Dark pondered, "If they can't find a vessel for the Demon King's reincarnation, they must find a way to deal with the subsequent problems, such as the impact the Demon King's sudden appearance would have on the Holy Church, or the influence it would have on the Society... They need to maintain stability!"

　Professor Sylph nodded and said, "The word 'stability maintenance' is quite apt. The Holy Church is different from us; they don't know that the Demon King's reincarnation this time will impact the soul and consciousness. Therefore, they will consider the Demon King in his prime as their hypothetical enemy."

　Dark asked curiously, "How powerful is the Demon King in his prime?"

　"Well..." Professor Sylph took a sip of tea and said slowly, "It's probably about the same level as me now."

　Dak frowned.

　Although he didn't know exactly how powerful Professor Sylph was, since she was the vice-principal of St. Marian Academy, even if she wasn't as powerful as Principal Art, she should still be one of the strongest people in the world.

　Ten years of rapid development in magical technology is enough for an already powerful mage to undergo a complete transformation.

　And yet, the Demon King, who had a full ten-year hiatus, is still comparable to Professor Sylph now... Just how strong was it back then?

　"No wonder the hero Bright sacrificed himself in the battle against the Demon King."

　Dark took a deep breath and then said, "But since he no longer has the power he once had, why should we fear it?"

　Professor Sylph shook her head slightly: "Perhaps it's because the existence of the Demon King is itself a kind of faith. The remnants of the demon race scattered throughout the world and those fanatical heretical orders would easily gather around it." (Full text available for free online.)

　This could create a formidable force. Or perhaps it's because the Demon King possesses the technology to massively multiply the demon race, potentially leading to its revival. Furthermore…”

　Professor Sylph looked up at him and said, "While past magical techniques enabled us to defeat the demons, they were not actually systematized or significantly simplified. Modern magical techniques, however, have not only been greatly enhanced in depth but have also formed a system with systematic learning methods. Those with sufficient talent, especially those with a strong foundation in magic, will find it easy to learn."

　Dark couldn't help but exclaim, "Like Vlad?"

　Professor Sylph nodded and said, "Just like Vlad."

　Dark pondered, “That is indeed a problem. The Holy Church believes the Demon King will become a great threat, and if things really get worse, they will become sinners in history for allowing the Demon King to escape from his seal. So, whether it's for the sake of stability or for their own protection, they need to extricate themselves from this vortex. I think I understand!”

　Professor Sylph's expression shifted slightly, and she asked, "What have you realized?"

　Dark said with slight excitement, "The Holy Church today undoubtedly possesses one of the greatest authority in the world, as evidenced by the publication of its books. Suppose one day they suddenly announce that the Demon King has been completely killed, some people will not believe it, but not many will. However, as long as they establish the established fact that the Demon King is dead before he announces his return, they can completely kill him in the public eye..."

　"In other words, even if the Demon King appears in the world, as long as no one believes it, it is not the Demon King and will not cause worldwide panic."

　"As long as the Holy Church handles the situation quickly enough, the returning Demon King could be either a remnant of the demon race in disguise or an incognito cult. The outcome depends entirely on the Holy Church itself."

　"Whoever controls the voice of the people controls the 'truth' of the world."

　"And this report was the initial publicity stunt!"

　……

　Sylph's lips parted slightly, her heart filled with surprise.

　She did have this idea, but she didn't expect that Dak's insights were even more detailed than she had thought.

　If the Holy Church is truly acting as Duck claims, then it is undoubtedly fabricating a lie for the entire world.

　Between admitting defeat and deceiving the world, they chose to deceive the world!

　If successful, it would be truly remarkable.

　But this seemingly "brilliant" strategy actually carries a greater risk than "admitting defeat".

　If the Demon King gains power and this matter is exposed, the Holy Church will be doomed.

　"Who came up with this idea?"

　Professor Sylph couldn't help but ponder.

　Are there such crazy people in the Holy Church?

　Aren't they afraid that other forces will find evidence of their deception and overthrow them?

　However, if the royal family possessed the evidence, they would probably just keep quiet.

　From the perspective of St. Mary's College, they wouldn't say much.

　Because the royal family and the Holy Church are not actually opposed, and even have some influence on each other.

　They are all pillars for maintaining social stability.

　Overthrowing the Church would not benefit the monarchy, the academy, or the people.

　Perhaps things would be different in a different era.

　But that's just how times are.

　Humanity cannot withstand internal wars any longer.

　A ten-year recovery period is far too short.

　The same applies to other sub-human races.

　That's why St. Mary's College, which has always been neutral, made an exception and showed a tendency to support the doves.

　……

　Just as she was pondering this, Darke stood up and said, "Then, Professor, I'll head back now."

　Professor Sylph nodded, without trying to stop her: "I should also start grading the papers."

　So Dak left the office.

　His and Professor Sylph's perspectives on things are actually somewhat different.

　Because he never felt that the Demon King would pose any significant threat, and he didn't care much about the Holy Church itself, he didn't think about it too deeply.

　This incident, however, made him suddenly realize that the world is moving towards "informatization".

　The Holy Church is playing, or may be playing, a trick that is nothing more than manipulating public opinion and information.

　vertical.

　With the promotion of basic education and the development of the times, the dissemination of information through media such as newspapers will become increasingly important.

　But the true symbol of "informatization"—the computer—had already existed long before.

　The St. Mary's College zoning card and the access card in Dak's hand both possess some of the functions of a computer. They are even many times more convenient than the original computers.

　However, no one has focused on this aspect and further developed the technology of the branch card.

　Furthermore, the dissemination of information through the college card is based on the college's boundaries, thus lacking widespread applicability.