With fond memories of early morning breakfasts in my heart, I partook of the dinner before me. I scarfed down enough for two demons, using it to fuel my strength to defeat the Demon King!
“You really eat a lot, don’t you, little one?” Even though she was used to witnessing me devour my food like this on a daily basis, Sophia still gave a sigh of equal parts admiration and exasperation. I always ate with the passion of a man fighting to avenge his parents, though in this case I suppose my “parents” were the target of my revenge.
“Where is mother today?”
“My lady has been dispatched for an emergency inspection.”
Normally we ate together, so that explained why I was eating in my room today. Not like it really mattered anyway. If I did see her she’d just nag me about studying, so this actually saved me a bit of trouble. Weren’t demons supposed to value strength above everything else?
“She did leave a message for you. ‘Devote yourself to becoming the Demon King,’” Sophia added almost sarcastically, but I just ignored her.
All right. Now that my stomach was full, I needed to gear up to explore the castle.
“Exercise is certainly important, little one, but while your mind is still soft, you should really be taking the opportunity to learn—”
I just had to ignore the nonstop gabbing devil behind me. It was clear Sophia saw me as nothing more than a mischievous little boy. My camouflage was perfect, if I did say so myself.
Every scrap of information about the demons and the way they lived was useful. Depending on how things played out, maybe I could relay this information to the Panhuman Alliance. Though really, in my current state, any contact with the Alliance would have been quite difficult. Figuring out how to make all of that happen was a different matter entirely. But until I earned that freedom, I’d need to tolerate my current everyday life.
I have no idea how many years that may take...so please, humanity, survive until then!
†††
“My lady! Sir Zilbagias is neglecting his studies!”
Tattletale.
I was sitting in a small chair made of bone before my mother. After spending all of my time exploring instead of studying, it seemed they had decided to take their scolding up a notch. The demons called this chair the “seat of reflection,” and it was about as comfortable as getting stabbed to death. It was a pain in the butt, literally.
It was apparently used when scolding children or reprimanding one’s subordinates. Its small size was perfect for a child like me. A much bigger (and much more proud) adult being forced into a seat like this would be incredibly more humiliating.
“Zilbagias,” my mother said while snapping her folding fan shut.
“Yes, mother?”
Calling this creature my mother still felt weird. I only had one mom, and it wasn’t her. In turn, her eyes glimmered with cruelty as they gazed at me, a look unfit for any mother looking at her own child. This demon, in all her spine-shiveringly cold beauty, was my “mother,” Pratifya. Her nickname was Prati, a cute nickname that clashed with her cold exterior, but only her superiors within her own family and the Demon King could call her that.
Did he really call her that in private? That guy? I couldn’t even begin to imagine it. He probably only called her that to act as though he was showing affection, right?
“I understand your desire to grow stronger. It’s quite pleasing actually,” Prati said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I also understand your distaste for studying. No one wants you to become a scholar.” Leaning forward on the sofa she was lying on, she peered into my eyes. “You will become the Demon King, Zilbagias.”
Her eyes were aglow with passion. The atmosphere suddenly shifted into something much heavier. Occasionally, Prati would talk like this, as if trying to imprint something on me. She then watched silently, waiting to see my reaction.
I don’t think I need to say it again, but I had no interest in becoming the Demon King. I just wanted to kill him. It was hard to find a response given how she was looking at me.
As I sat quietly waiting for the scolding to end, Prati sighed and leaned back. “My goodness, even for my own child, he is certainly quite willful, isn’t he? Don’t you think so, Sophia?”
“Absolutely, my lady. He is exceptionally obstinate...in many ways.” Sophia nodded emphatically.
“Come now, Zilbagias. Do you really hate studying that much?”
“Yes.”
“Not even a hint of hesitation. When I was little I hated studying too, so your feelings are understood,” Prati said, massaging her brow as if she was a mother worrying over how to raise her child. “To be serious, if you do not learn at least the basics of reading and writing, your future will be in question. Forget becoming the Demon King; simple tasks like reading the reports of your subordinates would be out of the question. And above all, everyone will view you as an imbecile. I can only imagine what the mothers of the other heirs would say...”
Her otherwise pleasant features twisted in disgust.
“First Prince Aiogias mastered reading, writing, and most of math by the time he was three years old. His mother has been high and mighty ever since. If you can’t accomplish more than him, it will be a problem for me!” As she talked, her mood was clearly deteriorating, ending with an expression far too hateful for the public eye. She clenched her fingers in anger, and the fan in her hand snapped.
So this was a vicarious battle between the mothers, was it? That said, her outburst had made me realize a misunderstanding I had.
I knew I could read and write to a limited degree, and math wasn’t too difficult. But these two thought I was totally illiterate, and couldn’t count past my fingers. No wonder they felt so pressured by my unwillingness to study. I had assumed time spent studying reading and writing was a waste, so I instead tried to investigate anywhere in the castle I was permitted to go. Maybe it would be better if I gave a bit of a concession here. That said, I had already declared how viciously I hated studying. It would be quite un-demonlike of me to suddenly switch gears and start following orders for no reason.
“Ah, there’s a good idea.” As I pondered the dilemma, Prati slapped the armrest of the sofa, apparently having found an answer herself. “Sophia?”
“Yes, my lady?”
“If Zilbagias hates studying so much, then by all means, let us test his abilities.”
Sophia’s face lit up. “Yes! So the next time he acts up, I can slug him right in the face, right?!”
I couldn’t help but do a double take at that. Was that much frustration really lurking behind all those exasperated sighs?! I mean, I know I was being a real punk, but come on!
“Yes, well...” Prati sank back into thought.
Wait, what do you need to think about here? The answer should be obvious! I’m a prince! Letting one of the servants hit me should be out of the question!
“I can’t allow that yet.”
Yet...?
“Avoid injuring him in any way that would require treatment. He will learn the pain of the battlefield when he’s older. We don’t want him to grow fearful and timid.”
“Then how far can I go?” Sophia asked.
“Nothing more than leaving bruises.”
“Yay!” Sophia was very clearly celebrating. That joyous look coupled with her fangs somehow made her look more devilish than usual.
“Of course, fighting without purpose is pointless,” Prati continued. “And if he’s too injured to actually study, then that defeats the purpose altogether. So let us set some rules for the contest.” Only upon attempting to open the fan did she realize she had broken it. Without missing a beat, a night elf maid standing in the corner of the room stepped forward to offer her a replacement.
“Zilbagias, if you hate studying so much, then you will fight Sophia,” Prati declared, hiding a haughty smile behind her fan. “You will fight unarmed. If you can land a single blow on her, you win. Once you do that, you are free to do as you wish for that day. Otherwise, if Sophia is able to knock you to the ground five times before you can land your blow, you lose, and must spend the next hour studying. After that hour and a short break, if you have no desire to continue studying, you will fight again.”
Those conditions were kind of...good?
“Do you not think Zilbagias has too much of an advantage with those rules, my lady?” Sophia remarked.
“You think so? I was trying to take your abilities into account.”
That said, as someone with the build of a five-year-old human child, I needed a considerable handicap. As small as Sophia was, she was still big enough to be an adult.
“Zilbagias, when it comes to demons like us, power is everything. The freedom you desire must be earned by force.”
Ah, that was exactly the kind of thing I would expect a demon to say. Kind of pissed me off.