Tug, Tug: The First Lesson
Tug, tug. Someone was pulling on Nahen’s sleeve. When he turned his head slightly, he found an angel so lovable he wanted to bite her right then and there. Her adorable appearance was one thing, but the teddy bear she clutched tightly in her arms elevated her cuteness to an entirely new level. No one would ever guess from her looks alone, but this was Seere von Devata, a Demon King who proudly occupied one of the seventy-two seats.
She tugged and tugged at his sleeve as she called out to him.
“Teacher, Teacher.”
“Yes, Seere.”
“Kain is acting strange.”
“Mm… It’s all right. There’s no need to worry too much.”
The day after the letter arrived, Kain had been practically soulless. Ever since he read that Sitri, the 71st-ranked Demon King, would be visiting in person, he had thrown himself entirely into preparing the castle.
“But I heard someone is coming.”
“That’s right. It’s still a few days away anyway, and even on the day our guest arrives, we’ll hold class as usual.”
“Really?”
Seere’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. The sight of those eyes brimming with expectation and curiosity brought a smile to Nahen’s face before he could stop it.
“Today I plan to teach a theory class. In the afternoon you can do training you can handle on your own, Seere.”
“Okay!”
Nod, nod. The way she bobbed her head along with her answer seemed like the very definition of a child. Nahen brought over a desk and chair and sat her down.
“What we’re learning today is the fundamentals of mana operation.”
“Huh?” Seere blinked, then asked, “Aren’t we studying math and demon realm history?”
“Those things are completely useless right now.”
To the puzzled girl tilting her head, Nahen explained patiently.
“I’m not saying they’re worthless subjects. I’m saying they aren’t the top priority given your current situation, Seere.”
“But Kain said mana operation should only come after the other basic subjects.”
“That’s because Kain is an idiot.”
Kain remained completely out of it and showed no reaction to the jab. Seere shook her head vigorously.
“Kain isn’t a fool.”
“I meant his teaching method wasn’t very smart. Tell me, Seere—what do you think is the most necessary thing for a young child like you who must protect the forces that follow her?”
“Strength?”
It was a concise, textbook answer. Nahen didn’t deny it.
“Exactly. Strength. When you need to build power right now, do you really need math and demon realm history?”
“I guess not.”
“Right. So we’ll put those two on hold. Instead, I’ll teach the subjects that will help you grow stronger.”
Mana operation, mana utilization, martial arts, and even kingcraft—the essential study for any monarch who wishes to cultivate true power. Those would take priority. The other basic subjects were things Seere had already been learning before Nahen arrived, so she wasn’t starting from zero. What she urgently needed was kingcraft, a field she was far less familiar with.
When Nahen listed what he would teach first, Seere stared at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
“Do you not like the idea?”
“Ah, no. It’s just that I’ve already learned kingcraft.”
“You have?”
Nahen’s own eyes widened at the revelation. A Demon King who had already studied kingcraft… still carried a teddy bear everywhere? He felt a flicker of confusion.
In the game, Seere had carried the bear from the moment she met the player, but that was because she still lacked proper instruction in the qualities of a ruler. In fact, whether or not one mastered kingcraft was one of the most critical factors in determining the story’s branching routes.
She learned it?
Though momentarily thrown, Nahen soon accepted the idea more easily than expected. It made sense. This was no longer a game—it was reality.
Yes, that’s perfectly normal.
Realistically, the previous Demon King would never have neglected to teach kingcraft to his sole heir. He had probably begun the lessons the moment she could read. The teddy bear was simply something she genuinely loved.
“Then we’ll skip the kingcraft theory. Instead—”
“Instead?”
“That kind of study only has meaning when you put it into practice.”
Nahen began adding new entries to the Training Journal that recorded Seere’s daily progress. Once he finished, he showed the journal to her.
Kingcraft Practice Assignments
Complete daily quotas without fail.
If the required count is not met each day, no new doll will be purchased.
Additional unique tasks listed below.
“Teacher, what is this?”
“These are the assignments that will help you put kingcraft into practice.”
Seere blinked in bewilderment as she read what he had written. The items were so unusual that even a child her age found them strange.
“If you don’t meet the daily count, I won’t buy you a doll.”
“Y-yes…”
“Good. Then let’s begin with the fundamentals of mana operation.”
Nahen walked over to the blackboard he had set up outdoors. There was a proper classroom for lessons, but he had deliberately chosen the garden instead.
In the game, holding class like this raised concentration and granted ability bonuses.
This world that had become reality might differ slightly, but an open, spacious area was likely better for focus than a cramped indoor room.
The fundamentals of mana operation. In his previous modern life, Nahen would have known nothing about the subject, let alone taught it. But things were different now. He had not been reincarnated—he had been possessed. He had entered the body of the original character. As a result, he possessed not only that body’s memories but all of its knowledge as well.
It was a little confusing at first…
Thanks to sorting through his thoughts alone the previous night, he had been able to decide exactly what to teach Seere.
Nahen picked up a piece of chalk and began writing on the board.
Available Mana
Stored Mana
Circuit
“Will you read it for me, Seere?”
“‘Available Mana’ and ‘Stored Mana.’”
“Very good. Well done.”
When Nahen praised her, Seere hugged her teddy bear tightly in embarrassment and beamed.
“Ehehe.”
Watching her light up at the compliment, Nahen decided he would never be stingy with praise. He asked her another question.
“Do you know what both terms mean?”
“Stored Mana is the total amount of mana a person possesses. It gathers in the mana heart.”
“Correct. Then what is Available Mana?”
“It’s the amount of mana that person can actually use.”
Her clear, precise answers drew an impressed sound from Nahen. She was absorbing the material faster than he had expected. Smiling warmly, he continued.
“On what basis is Available Mana decided?”
“Umm…”
Seere tilted her head back and forth, thinking hard. Since she had never studied mana operation before, she apparently didn’t know this part.
“Uuu…”
“It’s perfectly fine to say you don’t know. No one will laugh at you for it.”
After a moment of hesitation, Seere answered carefully.
“I don’t know.”
“All right. Then we’ll start from there.”
Beside the words Available Mana on the blackboard, Nahen wrote another term: Circuit.
“Circuit. Have you heard of it?”
“Yes.”
“It is a special organ found in the bodies of us demonkind, demon hybrids, and mana-bearing creatures such as devils and dragons. What is its function?”
“It lets us use mana.”
“Exactly. More precisely, it is the pathway through which mana flows. If there are many of these circuit pathways inside the body, what happens?”
“More mana can flow through.”
“And what does that mean? With more paths for mana to travel, the amount I can use at once naturally increases, correct?”
Seere’s expression showed she had realized something. Without thinking, she lifted one of the teddy bear’s arms.
“Then Available Mana is decided by the number of circuits?”
“Very smart. You understand quickly.”
“Hehe…”
There was a reason people said praise was essential when teaching children. Seeing Seere so happy, Nahen smiled with satisfaction. He pointed at the words Stored Mana on the board.
“Stored Mana is fixed from the moment of birth.”
“Yes.”
“But circuits are different. The more you practice operating mana, the more circuits will form inside your body.”
Nahen set the chalk down and opened his palm toward Seere.
“If you possess sufficient stored mana and create enough circuits to raise your available mana…”
An overwhelming surge of mana erupted above Nahen’s palm. The power was so immense that even the distracted Kain flinched in shock.
“…you can wield this much mana at once.”
“Whoa~!”
Her sapphire eyes sparkled like stars. Seere asked with pure wonder.
“Can I do that too, Teacher?”
“Of course! All it takes is practice.”
“Amazing!”
Seere’s delight was completely genuine. Though the words might have seemed like simple encouragement for a child, Nahen meant every one. Young as she was, Seere was still a Demon King. The reason Demon Kings could stand above all demonkind was not merely political—above all else, it was the overwhelming difference in raw power. The bloodline of Demon Kings granted an amount of stored mana from birth that dwarfed that of ordinary demons. A thousand average demons combined could not match even the weakest Demon King in stored mana alone.
“So from now on, we will train to increase the number of your circuits.”
“How do we do that?”
“It will be easier to understand once you try it yourself, but I’ll explain first.”
Nahen pointed to the center of his chest.
“You must move the mana gathered here, in your mana heart.”
“How?”
“Mana responds to a person’s heart and will. If you decide to move it, it will move.”
To make it easier for her to grasp, Nahen kept gesturing to his own body as he spoke.
“When you will the mana to move, the power gathered in your chest will spread throughout your body. From that moment, controlling it becomes the most important part.”
Nod, nod. The earnest way she kept nodding showed just how intently she was listening. Nahen gently stroked her hair.
“I’ve written this training in the Training Journal as well, so once you finish everything today, I’ll give you delicious pudding.”
“…Pudding!”
Before class, Nahen had asked Kain about everything Seere liked—her favorite foods, favorite actions, favorite objects. He already knew she loved dolls from the day before, but he wanted to learn more. The results had been plentiful. Seere adored pudding and cake, loved receiving praise and having her head stroked, and was especially fond of anything soft and fluffy in addition to her beloved teddy bear.
Nahen intended to make full use of that knowledge. Of course he wanted her to follow the lessons well, but there was another reason.
I need to earn the Demon King’s favor.
In Evil Queen Maker, favorability was an extremely important factor. If it dropped too low, there was an ending in which the grown Seere dismissed the player entirely. And if it remained only average, there were endings where even if Seere achieved great success, the player could not.
Favorability must be MAX no matter what.
If Seere grew properly and succeeded, he would be able to live comfortably from then on. With that thought, Nahen smiled contentedly, unaware of what his choices would ultimately bring.