School Hours A familiar face appeared in the audience chamber for Boar Kingdom’s King Tortoise IV. “It has been a while, Mr. Manju.” “Indeed, Your Majesty.” The middle-aged merchant, accompanied by his beautiful blue-haired maid, bowed his head. Tortoise IV thought back to their first encounter more than half a year ago. It had been around the time when the demons had appeared in Dog Valley, Bishop Hube had twisted his arm to launch an attack against them, and the Demon King had annihilated six thousand of his soldiers. For a long time, the Kingdom had been consumed by fear and chaos. Then this merchant came, suggesting they trade with the demons. At the time, it had seemed ludicrous, but now the king could see Manju had been ahead of the game. King Tortoise IV was wary and excited about his latest visit, but he remained calm and collected. “I’ve heard rumors of you purchasing food from villages near Dog Valley and selling it to the demons. Is this true?” asked the King. “Yes.” The ministers and knights started to murmur among themselves. It wasn’t in disbelief, but more along the lines of having their assumptions proven right. Rumor had already reached Boar Kingdom that Tigris had formed relations with the demons, developing a strange new substance called “gunpowder.” If that was true, that meant the demons weren’t the evil beings of legend but entities capable of negotiating with humans. Manju’s statement was just more proof of that. It was the church that decided demons were enemies to humankind in the first place. As it turned out, the object of their worship was a fiend. The priests desperately tried to convince everyone that this evilness in Elazonia was totally divorced from her, but no one was buying their drivel. In fact, the legends portraying demons as evil were simply slanderous stories created by the church. Not that we can totally lower our guard, thought the King. Even if demons weren’t evil, they were still strong enough to destroy Elazonia. He couldn’t just put his faith in entities with enough power to destroy Boar Kingdom in half a day. While Tortoise IV gathered himself, Manju was steering the conversation forward. “What business have you today?” asked the King. “I’ve been entrusted with a letter directly from the Blue Demon King Ludabite himself.” “What?!” Tortoise IV reacted in shock along with every other person in the audience chamber. Even when Boar Kingdom had done the most—sending in their troops and heroes—the demons had not acted (on the surface) other than in self-defense. This was the first time they’d made a move. The room was tense as a minister accepted Manju’s scroll and passed it to King Tortoise IV. “For your inspection, Your Majesty.” “…Hmm.” King Tortoise IV broke the wax seal with stiff hands and unrolled the parchment. Inside was a simple request written in large letters. “‘In an effort to improve relations between humans and demons, I wish to invite ambassadors to our castle…’ What is the meaning of this?” “Exactly as it says,” Manju assured him. “The Demon King is hoping to build friendly relations not just with Tigris but with Boar Kingdom as well. I understand it might be difficult to trust the demons immediately.” “I regret to inform you that is true.” “That is why he is inviting ambassadors of Boar Kingdom to live in his castle with the demons for two months. It will help facilitate a deeper understanding between the two parties, and then you may decide whether it is worth your time and effort moving forward.” “Hmm…” King Tortoise IV stroked his chin in thought. He was aware that the entirety of Boar Kingdom didn’t stand a chance against the Demon King. Though they couldn’t do anything to prevent the demons from overtaking the country, the demons wanted to form a friendship with the humans on equal footing. There wasn’t a single reason why they should decline that offer. But for people to go to the Demon King’s lair…, he thought. In his mind flashed the image of three thousand soldiers struck down in a single instant by a rain of magic arrows. He hesitated, fear lingering in his heart. “Of course,” Manju added with a big smile, “it would be boring for the ambassadors to do nothing in the Demon King’s castle. That was why they’ll be offered an opportunity to learn from the demons.” “Learn what?” “Things like…how to make gunpowder.” “What?!” King Tortoise IV jumped up from his throne, and the ministers started to buzz. “Gunpowder is that powdery substance spreading across Tigris—the one that erupts in fire!” “Yes. The demons offered it to the Kingdom of Tigris as a sign of friendship.” “I-interesting…” The King gulped. He wasn’t entirely sure of gunpowder’s value, but he did understand that the demons knew something that could be incredible and very useful. If they could get even a small portion of it, it would be a blessing to Boar Kingdom. I don’t imagine many would happily spend time with the demons even if the rewards were great… Manju saw the King’s uncertain state and cracked a little joke. “I hope you are not concerned the demons will eat the ambassadors or anything.” “Of course not…” “Have no fear. If demons ate humans, I would have been in their stomach long ago.” “A demon would get food poisoning if they ate someone as rotten as you,” snapped the maid, and the audience burst into laughter. Manju shrugged. “Anyway, I understand you might be uncomfortable sending your people to stay with the demons.” As if on cue, a single girl walked through the doors, head held high. Her red hair brushed against her shoulders. Every single person in the room knew her. “Arian the Red Hero?!” “It’s been a long time, Your Majesty.” Arian knelt politely in front of King Tortoise IV, who appeared shocked but happy. “I apologize for suddenly disappearing from Boar Kingdom and, more importantly, for hiding my true identity as a half dragon. I hope you can forgive me.” “No need to apologize. You defeated evil and saved this world. No one could find fault with you!” cried the aging knight captain. He had been standing by his king’s side in silence until that moment. His face turned red once he realized he’d stepped out of line, and he hurriedly bowed his head in apology, but King Tortoise IV smiled and let it slide. “Have no fear. I feel the same. Arian, it does not matter who you are. There is not a single person in this country who hates you with all you have accomplished.” “…Thank you, Your Majesty, Captain.” Arian looked down for a moment like she was holding back tears but then looked up with a bright smile. Manju watched the exchange and looked as happy as Arian before urging her to tell them the real reason for her visit. “I worked with the demons to defeat Elazonia, and I’m now living at the Demon King’s castle.” “I thought that might be the case when I saw the battle displayed in the sky…” said the king. “Please have no fear,” declared Arian, like she was trying to cut through the disappointment that a hero had become friends with the enemy. “If the demons hurt any innocent people, including the ambassadors, I will execute them. Even if it is the Blue Demon King himself.” “What?!” King Tortoise IV stood from his throne again for the nth time today. Arian drew her sword from its scabbard at her waist and held it aloft for everyone to see. “I swear on the dragon sword given to me by my father.” “……” The king was at a loss for words, gazing up at her sword. Her dragon power had awakened. If she was to wield the blade that had cut Elazonia in two, she would be able to defeat anyone, even the dreadful king of demons himself. Of course, this whole thing was an act. The Demon King and Arian were coconspirators. There was no real proof that they wouldn’t attack the Boar Kingdom. Even so, King Tortoise IV believed her. Her noble eyes hadn’t changed from their first meeting. “Arian, I will leave the lives of the ambassadors in your hands,” he said. “Thank you for trusting me!” She stood briskly, like a proud hero, showered with applause from the surrounding people. Once the three—Manju, the maid, and Arian—had left, the King unfurled the scroll again and blinked at it in confusion. “About this condition… ‘Ambassadors must be under the age of twelve and may include girls.’ What is that about?” “Maybe because older people are stuck in their ways, making their prejudices toward the demons too ingrained? Or maybe they believe the youth would be better for learning because they pick up things more quickly,” offered a minister. King Tortoise IV nodded as if he agreed that must be the reason. He now had a new problem: How would they select the children who would act as ambassadors? About three weeks before Shinichi went to Boar Kingdom, Rino had been practicing magic in front of the castle, an audience around her. “Ummm… Ball of fire—shoot down my enemies, Fireball!” A baseball-sized sphere materialized from Rino’s palm when she recited the unfamiliar incantation. It hit the snowman sixty feet away from her, resulting in a small explosion. “Hmm, fantastic!” hooted the Demon King, clapping ecstatically. “Amazing job, Lady Rino!” cooed Sanctina. “You know, it sounds sarcastic when you go overboard.” Shinichi looked unimpressed. Half of the snowman’s torso had been blown away by Rino’s fireball, but it was still standing. With her magic, it should have been simple for her to vaporize an entire swath of land. She seemed to be aware this was pretty sad. She glumly hung her head. “It doesn’t go as well as when Daddy does it…” “Pardon my intrusion. Maybe you’re not making a clear enough image in your mind?” Celes offered hesitantly. Spells required magic and a clear mental picture to serve as a blueprint. It wouldn’t be very effective if either of those was lacking. As an example, Celes’s body hosted incredible magic, but she couldn’t imagine atomic structures, making her unable to use Shinichi’s Element Conversion spell. On the other hand, Shinichi didn’t have much magic, which meant he couldn’t Fly like Celes. Rino had enough magic to cast Resurrection, but she couldn’t form a clear image of a fireball, which explained why it was so weak. At the root of it all was her angelic disposition. “Did you feel bad about hitting the snowman, Rino?” Shinichi asked. “…Uh-huh.” “I think that’s barricading you from imagining a fireball that can kill an opponent.” “…I’m really sorry.” Rino hung her head. Shinichi patted her on the shoulder to try and cheer her up. “You don’t need to apologize. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. You don’t need to force yourself to learn attack magic.” “He’s right. You can leave the fighting to us,” Arian assured her, but Rino stubbornly shook her head. “I have to get stronger to protect everyone from monsters.” Up until now, she had withdrawn from battles, leaving it to her father, Shinichi, and the rest of their crew to get their hands dirty—with blood. She was ashamed of herself. Guilty. There must have been a part of her that felt horrible for getting captured by Elazonia. She needed to be strong…but there was a strong instinct preventing her from hurting others. Shinichi gently stroked her hair. “Your strength is in not wanting to hurt anyone. You don’t have to force yourself to change.” “But…” “You just need to learn spells that suppress your enemies without hurting them.” “Huh?” Rino seemed confused. He slowly explained it to her. “You can keep them from moving with Photon Bind and make them unconscious with Paralyze or Sleep. You can stop them from fighting back without hurting them.” “Okay…” “After that, you might be able to persuade them, and if that doesn’t work, you can—” “Kill them?” “I guess if it’s a monster, since we can’t talk to them. But there’s need for them to needlessly suffer. You could use Euthanasia, so they go peacefully to sleep.” “I’ve never heard of that spell.” “You can make one.” Just as Shinichi created Element Conversion, it was possible to make new spells a reality with enough magic and imagination. “If they’re willing to talk, you can control them with Geas instead of killing them. You can keep them from doing evil by limiting them from using magic or hurting others.” “I didn’t know I could do that!” Rino was over the moon to find a way to avoid killing people, but Arian looked a little upset as she listened from the side. “Isn’t that crueler than just killing outright?” Arian asked quietly. “Who knows?” Shinichi feigned ignorance. If Rino cast Geas, only the Demon King or Regina would be able to Dispel it. If their daughter was willing to cast such a spell, the parents weren’t likely to show mercy to that captor. In other words, their actions would be limited for the rest of their life. “For Rino to register someone as an enemy… Ha-ha-ha. It isn’t hard to imagine what the public would do to them.” “I knew it was horrible…” “What? It’s compassionate; it gives them the opportunity to reform their ways.” It was the difference between a direct flight to hell or a local train ride through a living hell. Which was better? It depended on the person. “I’m still worried,” whispered Arian, watching the Demon King’s daughter take to practicing Photon Bind. “I don’t think she’ll use her powers for evil, but binding your enemies’ bodies and minds to force them to surrender is something I’d expect from…” “A Demon King ruling over the world? What do you expect from his daughter?” Shinichi joked, but there was a serious glint in his eyes. “It’s impossible for Rino to demand more land or wage war or be consumed by bigotry and try to destroy humanity.” Well, it wasn’t impossible that she’d light the embers of war. “I know I told her kindness is her strength, but it’s also her weakness. She won’t be able to disregard people begging for help.” “I wouldn’t call that a weakness…” Arian looked away, but she understood what Shinichi was saying. Rino was kind—so kind, in fact, that she couldn’t even desert Elazonia. If enough people begged her to create a world without war, she would try to help them…but that would mean a blood-soaked path of military conquest until she ruled the world. “There’s no way to eliminate war between countries other than to conquer the world and create a single united country,” whispered Shinichi. War couldn’t break out without other countries to fight. As he’d said in an earlier conversation with Sieg, Rino had what it took to conquer the world. “Now that Elazonia and her horde of heroes pose no threat, there’s no one who could stop the Demon King.” If Rino asked her idiot father to conquer the world, he would happily oblige. The followers of her religion would jump to join in such a campaign, and Sanctina would lead it. “The ruling class might resist—since they wouldn’t want to lose their titles—and the bigots would be hard to sway, but they’d have no chance of winning.” With an army of tens of thousands from the demon world, the Demon King and Regina would make soldiers in the human armies look like paper dolls. Once the continent of Uropeh was under a single rule, under Goddess Rino, there would be no more war. “But that world would be about as twisted as the one controlled by Elazonia.” “Really…?” Arian couldn’t answer immediately, thinking over this statement. Elazonia had weaponized her immortal heroes to force people to worship her and annihilate the demons and the dragons. In contrast, a world unified under Rino wouldn’t see any discrimination based on species. It would be a peaceful one. It was obviously impossible to eradicate all problems, since darkness remained in people’s hearts, but Arian could get down with this method if it led to peace. However, Shinichi knew enough from history to know that there would be problems ahead. “She might be able to make an ideal society during her lifetime. But what do you think would happen after she died?” “Oh, right!” Unlike Elazonia who had become a ghost, Rino would age and one day die. They knew demons lived to be two hundred. Seeing that Rino was slow to develop compared with humans, it was safe to assume she would live longer than that. However, her life would someday come to an end, like a flame burning out. All that would remain among the people would be despair. That and a fight for the right to take her position of authority. “It’s one of the major flaws of an absolute monarchy. Everything works as long as a good monarch is alive, but it falls into chaos once they die. Plus, there’s no guarantee the next ruler will be as good as the first.” That’s why the low-risk democratic system was popular on Earth, but Shinichi wasn’t convinced that would function well in this world, considering a single Demon King had more power than tens of thousands of people put together. “Either way, if something as massive as a single united country was to fracture, it’d result in unparalleled chaos and a bloodbath.” Shinichi could see clearly how the countries would continue to break into smaller and smaller countries, eventually returning the land to micro-nations that jumbled together in war. “Well, we’d be dead by the time that happened anyway. That’s none of my business.” “As irresponsible as always.” Arian elbowed him in the ribs for being so heartless. She didn’t feel responsible for things that would happen after her death, but it did weigh on her conscience to ignore an oncoming disaster. “Anyway, that means we can prevent wars in the future by making sure Rino doesn’t take over the world!” “Yep.” Shinichi nodded as Arian squeezed her fists tight. He didn’t care if a stranger went through hell after he died, but he did want to avoid a future where Rino would find herself standing atop a hill of corpses, no longer able to smile. “But what can we actually do?” asked Arian. “I already have a few precautions underway,” whispered Shinichi with an evil smile. “I talked about selling guns to the countries in the south and instigating a war, right? Having a small-scale battle will make the people averse to fighting. We want to prevent full-blown world wars in the future.” As the Holy Mother Vermeita had said, now that the church wasn’t overseeing things, their repressed desires and dissatisfaction were coming through. Sooner or later, war would break out, and the longer it took, the more they would be teeming with gunpowder and greed, meaning the battle would become too large-scale and would all come crashing down. “It would be bad if war isn’t contained in the south. If it spreads further and becomes a world war, the tired people of the world will glorify Rino.” To prevent that, they would start a war to let off some steam early on. If this were Earth, where the dead couldn’t be brought back to life, even Shinichi would hesitate to take such a dramatic measure, but this was Obum. Resurrection was a reality here. This was a far more intelligent choice than dissolving into a world war. If the latter happened, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with casting the spell to bring people back, and the bodies would start to rot. “Also, I have my reasons for arming humans with guns and leaving the church intact. They’ll deter the demons from going on a full-on rampage for world domination.” Shinichi’s voice got even lower. What he was explaining was virtually treason, because he was the Demon King’s advisor. “I don’t think it’ll happen, and I’ll do everything I can to keep it from coming to that, but if the worst was to happen—” His face clouded over. “Leave it to me. I am a ‘hero,’ after all.” Arian nodded, flashing him a winner’s smile. She respected the Demon King’s strength and thought of Rino as a little sister, which was exactly why she would have to stop them from going down the path of evil…even if it meant cutting them down. Shinichi smiled back. “If that was to happen, the only problem would be the religion under Goddess Rino.” While it had been useful in reducing faith in Elazonia and deepening friendship between demons and humans, overzealous followers could try to conquer the world under the guise of spreading the word. “Which is a problem, since that pervy Saint doesn’t know how to rein herself in.” “Yeah…,” Arian grumbled. “Oh, Rino, you’re magnificent!” Sanctina cried. “Please bind me with your chains!” “Please be quiet. You are interrupting her focus,” Celes snapped. Shinichi looked at Sanctina coldly, but Celes had already managed to shut her up. “Well, if it comes down to it, we can basically throw a damper on things,” Shinichi started to whisper again. “Any good ideas?” asked Arian. “…Hear me out, okay?” Shinichi emphasized. “The people don’t just worship Rino for her healing powers. She’s heralded as an idol. They want to support someone undefiled, innocent, and sweet.” “Case in point: Sanctina.” “Like any idol, her popularity will plummet if she’s wrapped up in some trouble.” “What are we talking here?” “Like…a scandal with her lover or a secret pregnancy.” She clawed at his shoulder. “Shinichi?” “I never said it would be with me!” “Who else is there?” Her eyes turned golden, and his shoulder blade started to creak. He tried desperately to explain himself, as a set of tanned fingers gripped his head. “Are you having fun plotting a pregnancy scandal for an underage idol?” asked Celes. “You were listening?!” Celes must have been eavesdropping with magic. An angry vein throbbed in her temple as she tried to crack his skull. With all the noise they were making, even Rino noticed and came running over. “How could you play without me?!” She pouted unhappily. “We’re not playing! They’re trying to kill me!” Shinichi cried out. Once he had been freed from Arian’s and Celes’s death grips, he changed the subject to steer away the heavy air hanging around them. “If you’re done practicing magic, I’d like to chat with you for a little bit. Is that all right?” “Yep!” Rino said. “Let’s go somewhere else. It’s freezing outside.” They moved back into the Demon King’s castle and gathered in the dining hall—their usual hangout spot. They drank some tea prepared by Celes and took a short break. Once Shinichi saw that they were rested, he finally brought up the topic in question. “I’ve been thinking of starting a school here.” “Sch…ool?” Rino was confused by the strange new word. “Yeah. A place for kids to study together. Have you heard of it?” Rino shook her head. “We didn’t have any in the demon world.” “I have seen some dojos that teach battle arts. Is it the same thing?” asked Celes, slightly off the mark. Sanctina watched them, then quietly raised her hand. “It’s a center of learning where you learn how to read, write, and do arithmetic. There are some schools in the larger cities, like the Holy City. I assume that’s what you mean?” “Yeah, that’s it.” Shinichi was relieved to hear they existed in human society. “I plan to build one by the castle for the neighboring human and demon children to study together.” “I think it’s a good idea, but what’s your end goal?” asked Arian, looking at Shinichi with eyes that said she was certain he wasn’t just doing it out of the goodness of his heart. Shinichi grinned broadly. “The first goal is to improve human education as a whole and encourage scientific advancement. We also want to bait people with new knowledge and forge friendships with them.” At present, Rino was popular to a worrying degree, and the Blue Demon King had become an object of fear and admiration for eliminating Elazonia. However, that didn’t mean it changed hatred toward demons as a collective. “There’s no way to remove the prejudices ingrained by the Goddess’s church and make people like demons other than to have them come around and understand them. But no sane person is going to volunteer to wander into the lion’s den without incentive.” “Very true.” Sanctina agreed. Even she got something out of betraying the church and joining the demons, and that was to be with Rino, her one true love. “We don’t want to act unless we have something to gain. In reverse, that means you only need to give someone incentive to make them act. In this case, it’s a school where they can learn.” “Will the humans really take that bait?” asked Celes. Shinichi had an evil grin. “Maybe not in the beginning, but they will in the future. Once they know they can learn to create gunpowder and guns.” “…I see.” Celes was both scared and proud that Shinichi had considered every angle. Right now, rumors about gunpowder had only spread as far as Boar Kingdom, where they still didn’t know its true value. Once the snow melted and Tigris started selling guns, the world would come to know its power, proving that “demon knowledge” was valuable. Once that happened, potential students would be rushing to learn at the school, even if they incurred massive fees to do so. “Human and demon children will live and learn together. There will be conflicts, but it’s way better than now. As it is, no one knows anything about one another and they just hate one another because of prejudice,” said Shinichi. Even in the ancient civilization, there was a huge rift between the demons and humans. Shinichi wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he could completely heal that divide, but the world would never change if he didn’t do anything. “If they continue to learn together, friendships and even romantic relationships will bridge that divide. I want to slowly keep increasing the circle of friendship.” “Wow! That sounds amazing!” exclaimed Rino. “By the way, I want to have you attend, too. Does that sound good?” “Really? Yay!” Rino hopped up and down, knowing she could be making human friends. Shinichi smiled, then turned to the Demon King. “So I’d like to build a school. What do you think?” The Blue Demon King had been silent until now. “You can build your school or what have you,” he managed to say, “but I am opposed to Rino attending.” “Why is that?” “What would I do if Rino was negatively influenced by her friends and went rogue?!” He clenched his fist. “Okaaaaay. Just the usual father stuff.” Shinichi was exasperated, but he sent the Demon King a telepathic message so that Rino couldn’t hear them talking. “I thought I told you. It’s not good to be overprotective. It’s better for her to have friends her own age. And now is our chance.” “Hmph. Why do you have to remember such an old conversation…?” They’d had this conversation right around the time Sanctina had come to attack. It made Shinichi feel a little nostalgic, but he pressed the hesitant father. “Rino is growing up quickly. Soon, she’ll even learn to Teleport. You can’t keep her locked in a cage forever. Isn’t it better for her to learn interpersonal skills in plain view than to have her go out on her own and get tricked by some stranger?” “Urgggh… Then…it should be a girls’ school. I cannot allow boys to look at Rino with romantic intentions!” “No. It’s especially important for her to talk to boys.” Besides, she was most in danger with the pervy Saint. “We’ll eliminate those with ulterior motives in the application phase, and we’re starting with children under the age of twelve. They shouldn’t really be interested in girls at that age,” Shinichi assured him. “But I’m worried…” The Demon King continued to hesitate. Rino tugged on his arm, looking up with puppy-dog eyes. “Daddy, please. I want to go to school and make friends.” “Urgh, I want to grant as many of your wishes as I can, but…” “If you won’t allow it…I’ll go on another trip.” “School it is!” The Blue Demon King immediately caved under her threats to run away from home. “Yaaaaay, I love you, Daddy!” Rino hugged her father, all smiles that her wish had been granted. Arian let out a small sigh. “And what if she starts saying, ‘I want the world’? You’re the one who taught her how to whine, Shinichi.” She glared at him. “…I know…” Shinichi looked away uncomfortably before looking at Rino, who was jumping around in excitement about school. I can finally get Rino some friends her own age, he thought. Shinichi hid his sad smile from Rino, then delegated jobs to his team so they could prepare everything they needed for the school. A week after the letter had been delivered to Boar Kingdom, Arian and Celes went to visit the kingdom again to pick up the ambassadors—the new students for the school. “Arian, these are the diplomats for our country,” said the knight captain, introducing three boys and two girls. All of them were outfitted in fine clothing, and their faces looked like they were well-fed. They were clearly nobility. They must have been scared to head off to the demon lair, even though they’d been promised that the hero who had killed the evil god would protect them. Arian smiled gently at the children, who were desperately trying to hide their trembling. “I look forward to spending the next two months with all of you.” “““Thank you!””” The children were all nervous, but they managed to reply. “Captain, thank you for trusting your precious children to our care,” said Arian. “They’re still young, but I hope they can become a bridge of friendship between our two countries.” Arian and the captain exchanged good-byes, then she invited the children to huddle close. Celes cast Teleport. They were surrounded by blinding light and disappeared from Boar Kingdom, arriving a moment later in the Demon King’s castle. “Is this the demons’ castle?” They all seemed curious as they looked around the stone room, not all that different from a human castle other than the magic circle drawn on the floor. While they were looking around, the space beside them started to illuminate, materializing Saint Sanctina with five other boys and girls. “Wait! Wh-who are they?” “The same as you, but invited from Tigris,” explained Arian to the startled noble children. Then she looked at the kids accompanying Sanctina. They wore quality clothing, though it wasn’t as flashy as the aristocratic children. They appeared to be children from merchant families. Looking at their faces, Arian creased her brow. “One boy and four girls…” They were all adorable. If the one boy hadn’t been wearing trousers, he would have blended in with the girls. Arian glared at the Saint, but her smile didn’t waver in the slightest. “I simply selected them according to Shinichi’s orders. There was no ulterior motive whatsoever,” said Sanctina. “It’s true there was no requirement about their appearance, but…” Celes glared, knowing the Saint had selected the children completely based on her own preferences. Arian realized that the children were still there, trying to piece together the adults’ conversation, and she rushed to change the topic. “Everyone, follow me, please.” She left the room and walked down the corridors of the Demon King’s castle. The group from Boar Kingdom was still scared, but those from Tigris seemed to teem with curiosity as they trotted after her. They passed through a connecting corridor that led them out of the castle into a mansion so extravagant it was hard to imagine it was thrown together with magic. That was the first time they set foot in Demon King’s Academy. “I’ll show you your rooms.” Arian led them up the stairs from the entrance hall to the second floor. It looked like any normal corridor with rows of rooms on either side. “Boys are on the right, and girls are on the left.” “They’re doubles, but we have enough space for each of you to have your own room.” Sanctina urged them to choose whichever one they wanted. The children were still somewhat thrown for a loop, but they consulted their group and picked rooms near one another. The dorm rooms themselves were a decent size. Each was furnished with two beds, two desks, and two wardrobes. The children placed their things on the desks and took a moment to rest before turning to the clothing hung in the wardrobes. “What’s this?” The outfits supplied in the boys’ rooms had black blazers with standing band collars and black trousers. The girls’ rooms had navy jackets and skirts. Each room had three sets of sizes in small, medium, and large. Arian called through the doors to explain, since none of the children had heard of school uniforms before. “Please change into the clothing in your room. Let us know if the sizes don’t fit. We can adjust them for you.” “…Weird.” Even though the children found it strange, they obliged, donning the unfamiliar clothing. They came out of their rooms with stupefied faces, and Sanctina beamed at them. “A sliver of knee peeking out between navy skirts and socks… Fine art!” “Let’s reel it in,” Arian warned. Sanctina had turned from Rino lover to all-around pervert. Arian could see the effect of the uniforms. With the same clothes, you can’t tell if they’re a commoner or aristocrat… “Clothing is a symbol of status,” Shinichi had said when he had the arachnes start making these outfits. “One glance is all it takes to determine their social standing, hometown, and class. To form friendships on equal footing, we want to foster a feeling of belonging—hence, these uniforms.” She had wondered why he would do such a thing, but she understood now that she could see the results for herself. Once the students wore their new outfits, they started to feel a sense of unity, allowing them to warm up to one another—even though they had been complete strangers from different backgrounds. “All right, let’s head to the classroom.” Now that they were changed, Arian led the students back down the stairs to the first floor and opened the door on the main wall of the entrance hall. Before them was a large classroom with twenty desks and chairs arranged in rows. The homeroom teacher, Shinichi, was standing with his back to the blackboard on the right-hand side of the room, waiting for the students. “Good morning. Can I have the Tigris group sit in the middle seats and the Boar group in the seats closest to the entrance hall?” “Y-yes!” The children were balls of nerves, listening to the man who landed the killing blow on Elazonia. As soon as they stepped into the room, they noticed something. There were already five desks occupied near the sunlit window. As soon as the Boar group saw them, they tensed up. “Demons…!” There was a dark elf with tanned skin and pointed ears, a dvergr who was short but a ball of muscle, a Wampus cat with triangle ears poking from her head and a furry tail swaying behind her, and a green dryad with leaflike hair. They wore the same uniforms as the rest of the students. They were human-shaped but clearly different. The children from the Boar Kingdom were frozen in place with fear. The Tigris group rushed in to talk to the demon sitting at the head of the group—a little girl with black hair who looked exactly like a human. “Rino!” “I only came because I heard I’d be able to see you again!” Many of them had already met her during one of her healing sessions or postconcert meet and greets. They were undeterred by the demons around them, clustering around Rino. “I’m so happy I can study with you, Elma, and everyone else!” Rino took their hands, jumping up and down. Shinichi smiled wryly at the children from Boar Kingdom, standing with their jaws slack, openly staring. He raised his voice. “Quiet down. Everyone, take your seats.” “Yes.” Rino and the Tigris group obediently followed their teacher’s orders and took their seats. The others saw this and rushed into their seats as well. “Welcome to Demon King’s Academy. As you’re aware, you’ve been invited to build friendly relationships between humans and demons. I want you all to learn, play, and talk together to understand one another during the coming two months until the end of winter.” Shinichi stopped speaking for a moment to slowly look around at the faces of the nervous children from Boar Kingdom, the excited kids from Tigris, and the demons sitting quietly but growing impatient. “Let’s go around and introduce ourselves. I’m Shinichi Sotoyama, I will be your instructor. Please call me ‘Mr. Sotoyama.’ Next. You there. What is your name?” “Norman, third son of Baron Siamese.” The boy from Boar Kingdom managed to introduce himself properly despite his nerves. They went around the room, introducing themselves in turn, until it came to Rino. “My name is Rinoladell Krolow Petrara, daughter of Da—I mean, daughter of the Blue Demon King Ludabite. Please call me Rino.” She bowed her head politely, and the demons and children from Tigris clapped. The others seemed curious and cautious of her, since they only knew her from rumors and the broadcast of the final battle against Elazonia. “Is that the Superstar Goddess, the one who delivers salvation to all people with her infinite love and songs…?” “You perv!” Shinichi whirled around to glare at the culprit inching closer to the wall. “Didn’t I warn you not to stir up any more religious fervor?” “It’s out of my control!” The misandrist desperately tried to explain, sweat beading on her face, as he reached out to punish her. He’d recounted his conversation with Arian on world domination to Sanctina, instructing her to hold off on her religious activities, but it appeared the name “Superstar Goddess” was already picking up speed. “I knew Lady Rino’s fame would be known throughout the human world, meow!” “I’m a member of her church, too!” The demons seemed proud, and the children of Tigris were gleeful. Rino was red from shyness, shrinking in size like she would have crawled into a hole if there had been one. “Okay. It shouldn’t matter if someone’s a superstar or a princess. Here, you’re all equals. Don’t be weird and lift others up or put them down,” Shinichi warned. “Huh…?” The students blinked in confusion. I guess it’s asking too much of them to completely forget status and race and cross divides right away. That’s why he’d brought them here—to experience the joys and sorrows of life and friendship. Shinichi had assumed the role of teacher to prevent their preparations from going to waste. “Make sure you remember your classmates’ names. Now on to the lesson.” Shinichi snapped his fingers, and Celes came in from where she’d been waiting outside. She pushed a cart full of writing supplies and started handing them out to the students. “Please handle them with care. It’s not a big deal if you break them—we have extras.” The students were so surprised by the supplies that Celes’s warning didn’t even register. “You have so much pure-white paper… Are you sure we can use it?!” “This pen is amazing! It doesn’t make your hands dusty like chalk, and the letters don’t bleed like with a quill pen!” “That’s called a pencil. You can erase your lines with this white eraser.”
Chapter 80
34 min read