As it happened, mine was an outdoor class…
“Er, I’ll demonstrate with my Pawn ability.”
After I transformed, I started showcasing my Pawn ability to the children, mixing in a few promotions along the way.
First I became a Knight, darting around quickly, then a fire-breathing Bishop, and at last, a Rook capable of smashing gigantic boulders into fine gravel.
The children couldn’t have been more excited, applauding and even cheering at times.
“Thank you, Breast Dragon,” the instructor said, after I wrapped up my demonstration. “As you can see, the traits of a Pawn piece can be influenced by Promotions, and so…”
The instructor resumed their lecture, while I deactivated my transformation, waved goodbye to the children, and prepared to leave.
Well, that was another support job finished. Honestly, all I was doing was giving demonstrations as requested by the various instructors. My role was to move from room to room and activate my Balance Breaker. Apparently, incorporating characters like me into the lessons made it easier for the children to learn—and they did seem to be intently following the explanations.
Now that was out of the way, my next task was… Just as I was looking over my schedule, a figure came into view.
“Got it, everyone? Some humans and half-humans have these special abilities, different to full-blooded demons. We call them called Sacred Gears.”
“Understood!”
Saji was teaching a group of students at the edge of the grounds while conjuring up a mass of black snakes around his right arm using his own Sacred Gear.
After his demonstration, the instructor (the swordsman Liban Crocell of the Bael Familia) began his lecture. So Saji was also here to showcase his Sacred Gear?
Saji, having finished, raised a hand in a wave and came running over.
“Good job,” I called out.
“You too,” he laughed.
Chatting, we set off for the main school building together.
“…Hey, Hyoudou?” Saji murmured as he proudly took in the building.
“Hmm?”
He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “You know, the kids call me Mr. Saji… They’re always smiling when they say it, too… And I’m still just starting out…,” he said, looking immensely pleased with himself.
Saji’s dream was to become a teacher at the chairwoman’s Rating Game school. He didn’t have a teaching license yet, but he couldn’t have been more enthusiastic about getting one someday.
Assisting with the trial lessons had helped him to reaffirm his dreams. His eyes were brimming with determination.
“Working with all these kids, I’ve come to realize something,” he continued. “I’m definitely going to make it as a teacher. I’ve got to get promoted to a mid-level demon first, but I’ll do it, no matter how many years it takes. I’ll make it happen.”
“Yeah. I believe in you,” I answered truthfully, prompting him to scratch shyly at his cheek.
A moment later, a chorus of cheerful voices rang in my ears. I glanced over to see a group of children gathered around our Church Trio.
“Bring out the golden dragon! Bring out the golden dragon!” the children shouted.
“Yes, all right,” Asia said, before casting the summoning spell.
A golden aura appeared around us—and a moment later, a massive dragon with shimmering golden scales materialized. The children erupted with excitement.
“Fafnir,” Asia said. “Would you mind playing with the children?”
“All right. But I’m low on PP,” that big-mouthed pervert answered.
…That good-for-nothing dragon had recently set up some kind of energy metric he called PP—Panties Points. It relied on panties energy he took from Asia, and when it ran low, he lost all strength. It was plain ridiculous!
Asia was taken aback by Fafnir’s complaint.
“Y-your PP…?”
Blushing, she fished around in her bag. Oh no! I felt so sorry for her, being forced into this humiliating situation, and in public, no less! I ran over—but before I could stop her, she pulled out a pair of panties and handed them to the dragon.
She was doing this for the children. Such dedication!
Fafnir took the panties—and stuffed them into his mouth.
That was enough to leave the kids bursting out in laughter.
“Whoa! He’s awesome! He’s eating the panties!”
“A-ha-ha! Mighty panties! Yum!”
Eeehhh?! Asia looked like she was about to faint! Xenovia and Irina had to reach out to catch her!
“…Ugh. I’ve been feeling terribly tired lately,” she murmured, her voice so distant it might be carried off by the wind.
“Asia!” Xenovia shouted. “You’re doing great! Don’t worry about a thing!”
“Th-that’s right!” Irina added. “This is a great way for the children to get hands-on experience with panties-loving dragons!”
The kids seemed to be having a lot of fun riding on Fafnir’s back. Indeed, the dragon might have been the perfect play buddy for them, if not for his weird quirks… Those eccentricities meant he caused Asia nothing but worry…
“…Vritra often tells me Fafnir has changed,” Saji mumbled.
…Yeah, Ddraig had said something similar, too.
W-well, Xenovia and Irina would probably be able to look after Asia, so Saji and I headed into the school building. One of the classrooms, we noticed, was so packed that children were spilling out into the hallway. Even the parents were standing about trying to look in.
“Ah, that’s the magic class,” Saji muttered. “It’s one of the most popular subjects, right up there with the Rating Game ones. We got so many applicants wanting to sit in on the trial classes we had to increase the number of sessions and instructors. The beginner’s subject in particular has been a huge hit.”
A magic class, huh? Curious, I peeked inside.
“Ms. Rossweisse!”
“Show us more, Ms. Rossweisse!”
The children were all but swarming around her.
“Fire! A flame! It was small, but I cast a flame!”
It looked like the children were learning simple spells, and some had successfully managed to cast them.
All at once, a thought flashed through my mind—something Sairaorg had said in front of Rossweisse right after we formed Team DxD.
“I know you’re Rias’s Rook, Rossweisse, but I’d like you to think about working at the school we’re setting up in the underworld.”
Yes, he had come out with an invitation. Chairwoman Sona had already asked her before that, but it turned out Sairaorg was courting her, too.
“You don’t need to respond right away. But we could really use your help down the line.”
“…Teaching magic to demons?” she had asked.
“It probably sounds strange, huh?” Sairaorg had continued. “Magic originally comes from demons, so why would demons want to learn it? But not all demons are good at wielding demonic energy. There are people like me who can’t use it at all. I want to teach them the basics of magic. They might not be able to use demon powers, but maybe they can learn magic. And even if they can’t master it, knowledge itself can be a powerful weapon. If you want to wait a few years before making up your mind, that’s okay. But would you consider taking up a teaching role?”
Rossweisse couldn’t give an immediate answer.
“You don’t have to answer right away. I’d appreciate it if you could think it over.”
That was the last Sairaorg said about it.
She might not have committed herself, but Rossweisse didn’t turn him down either. Fortunately, neither Sairaorg nor Chairwoman Sona needed an urgent response, so Rossweisse would probably have a few years to think about it while working at Kuou Academy.
Behind a group of excited children stood a boy off to one side, desperately holding out his hands in intense concentration. He was trying to cast a magic spell…but nothing was happening. In fact, I recognized him—he was the kid who broke down in tears at one of my Breast Dragon events in the underworld because he couldn’t get into the venue. Right, his name…was Lirenkus. Wow, so he wanted to put down his name for this school? From the looks of it, he was struggling to conjure up any magic. If this kept up, he might break down in tears all over again.
“What a coincidence.”
I glanced over my shoulder—and spotted the silver-haired Gondul! She was standing right behind me, sneaking up without so much as making a sound. It was just like Rossweisse’s grandmother to pull off a move like that.
Rossweisse, perhaps sensing her grandmother’s presence, glanced over at us—and let out a surprised shout. “G-Granny…? Ahem. Grandmother. You were here?”
Gondul strode into the classroom. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m here as a special guest lecturer. This is a nice change of pace before tomorrow’s meeting.”
Ah, right. The mages’ conference was tomorrow, and she was delivering a lecture here beforehand.
Without warning, a small fairylike creature with a green aura appeared in the classroom, fluttering its wings and zipping around the children before landing on a corner of the teacher’s desk.
Meanwhile, Gondul appeared at the podium, reaching out to gently pat the small fairy. Just like that, she had caught everyone’s attention. Then, with a warm smile, she began to speak. “The origins of magic—where did magic come from? Does anyone know?”
One child’s hand shot up into the air. “I heard it was fortunetellers and witchcraft!”
Gondul nodded, flashing the child a warm smile. “That’s right. Magic was born from fortune-telling and charms—from people who wanted to know more about the world, who wanted to shift events a certain way, or to perform a miracle for someone… It was created because people wanted a way to help others.”
Gondul’s delivery was so affable that everyone—children and adults alike—were completely absorbed in it.
“There is certainly a hierarchy in modern magic, with some forms being more potent than others. But I want you to remember one thing first and foremost—whatever type of magic you use, it will always have a use for you, as it will for someone else. There is no such thing in this world as pointless magic.”
That cheerful, loving smile was something I never would have imagined seeing coming from the stern Gondul.
…So there was no such thing as pointless magic? That was a nice thought.
I glanced over at Rossweisse—who looked to be wearing a faint smile… How had she taken Gondul’s remarks? I wanted to ask, but her grandmother resumed her lecture.
“Let’s finish on this note for today. How many of you would like to befriend a fairy?”
“Me! Me! Me!”
The children raised their hands into the air all at once. I almost did so, too, but Saji gave me a light tap on the shoulder.
“I’d like to stay, too, Hyoudou, but there’s somewhere we’ve got to go.”
Ah, right. I totally forgot.
As much as I wanted to hear the rest of Gondul’s lecture, we still had work to do. And so, reluctantly, Saji and I headed off to the next classroom.