The Demon's Love Advice
This guy, is he really insane? Druruk— The moment the back door of the classroom slid open and the figure stepped inside, the demon Dushik found himself drawing a sharp breath without meaning to. Who... who is that? That incredibly beautiful lady!
Of course, this was the Imperial Academy. Beautiful noble ladies were common enough that you could spot one every other step. But opportunities to observe one this closely were rare. Unfortunately, the Art Department was packed with burly men, and while the Saintess did attend classes, a demon like Dushik had no chance of meeting her eyes. So—
She really is beautiful.
Dushik couldn't help but admire her. Especially the dress she wore. It revealed just a hint of her shoulders while accentuating her waistline with a sleek, elegant cut. The design balanced practicality and sophistication, and though it might have looked plain on someone else, on her it fit like a custom-tailored masterpiece.
Kuh... I'm glad I volunteered as a human hostage!
But Dushik couldn't simply lose himself in admiration like an ordinary student gazing at a goddess of beauty. Something about the lady's face felt familiar.
...Wait a second. Isn't that Lena Youngstern?!
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Dushik's forehead. Even someone like him, holed up in the Art Department's remote building, knew her name well. The unprecedented mana outburst that had nearly flooded the entire Academy. At the center of that disaster stood the walking water calamity herself—Lena Youngstern!
Terrifying...
Dushik glanced between Ian Ash, who was yawning indifferently nearby, and Lena Youngstern standing at the doorway. The junior who had crushed a floating mana orb with pure physical force without even chanting. And the disaster maiden who had turned the Academy into a sea of water.
Birds of a feather really do flock together. So that's what they mean.
Dushik's shoulders trembled slightly. Yet even amid that terror, his sharp eyes caught something else—an odd atmosphere in the way Lena Youngstern carried herself as she entered the room. The moment she stepped inside, she walked straight toward Ian. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, her gaze shyly lowered, and her fingers fidgeted in an adorable manner.
That... for some reason, it looks like she's incredibly interested in our junior.
Wasn't this the classic look of a girl in love? According to rumors, Lena Youngstern had been confined to her dorm for five days after the incident. That meant she had rushed here the moment her punishment ended, dressed in her prettiest clothes just to see Ian!
This is definite. She's definitely interested!
Dushik cheered inwardly. One thing worth noting here was the common misconception about demons. They usually had horns, large builds, and sturdy bodies, with rather intimidating appearances to match. Yet contrary to their image, demons were surprisingly fascinated by human love stories. More precisely, they tended to view the complicated and sweet romantic entanglements of humans as highly entertaining content.
Kuh! The disaster maiden who flooded the Academy actually harbors feelings for a single boy!
His romance-obsessed brain began to overheat. Ah, this is it. If I'm going to be exiled all the way to this empire, this is the kind of content I need! Finally, some sweet entertainment has come my way.
Just as Dushik's heart began to race—
"Hold on, Lena. What's with that outfit?"
A voice poured cold water over the romantic atmosphere. "Isn't the debutante ball tomorrow? Can you even move properly in that?"
It was none other than the socially oblivious junior, Ian Ash.
This crazy junior! What kind of businesslike response is that? If her clothes changed, he should at least compliment them first!
While Dushik clutched his chest in frustration, Lena smiled brightly and replied, "This is just my everyday clothes. I'll wear a proper dress to the debutante ball."
Perfect! The angle is set! Dushik clenched his fists and shouted inwardly. Now's the timing, junior! Hurry up and say you're curious about her debutante dress! If possible, tell her you want to see it yourself! Ask her to be your partner!
Dushik gripped his fists tightly and held his breath. This was the perfect moment for the highlight of a youthful romance. However, Ian merely nodded with a blank expression.
"Anyway, thanks for enduring the confinement. With that, small talk is over. Shall we start the strategy meeting?"
......
A chilling silence fell over the classroom. Dushik stared at Ian Ash with an utterly dumbfounded expression. This bastard... is he serious?
This... this socially clueless idiot!
Unable to hold back any longer, Dushik shot to his feet. He strode over, grabbed Ian by the scruff of his neck with a rough hand, and dragged him out into the hallway like a sack of potatoes.
"What is it, senior?" Ian grumbled in an annoyed tone.
"Hey, you little punk! Are you out of your mind?! That girl sitting over there—isn't that Lena Youngstern? The disaster who nearly overturned the Academy! The lady who got five days of confinement because of it!"
"Why? Are you saying you can't be on the same team as Lena because you're scared? Did you chicken out? We still have to do the practical, you know? If you bail now, the dean will call for you."
"No, you crazy bastard, you keep threatening me with the dean every chance you get! I'm Dushik! A demon who keeps his word once given. I'm not like you humans!"
"Then just team up with us. What's the problem?"
"That's not what I mean!"
Dushik scratched furiously between his black horns in frustration. "Can't you read the atmosphere? That girl likes you, doesn't she? She came running here the moment her five days were up, and you're treating her like a business transaction!"
It was heartfelt romantic advice from the demon senior. Those without dating experience were often surprisingly well-versed in theory and quick to offer guidance. However, Ian fell silent for a moment before letting out a dry laugh.
"Senior. Do you like men?"
......What? What kind of nonsense is that?
"Lena is my childhood friend. There's no way she likes me."
Ian's gaze was firm and calm, without a single trace of doubt. Dushik froze with his mouth hanging open.
This socially clueless bastard......
Dushik swallowed a deep sigh inwardly. This frustrating romance between these two youths seemed far more treacherous than he had imagined.
◆ Two hours remained until the special practical for Introduction to Magic Studies.
"The content of the practical is simple," Ian began briefing from in front of the blackboard. The team that found and retrieved the special mana orbs hidden by the Magic Tower Master in the mountains behind the Academy would take first place.
"Above all, the most important rule is—"
"The most important rule is?"
Had they missed something? While Dushik tilted his head in confusion, Ian drew a thick underline on the blackboard.
"Each student in the first-place team will receive a massive scholarship of ten million Krone. Ten million Krone. That's the most important part."
...Sigh. Dushik, whose brief excitement had been instantly deflated, rubbed his chin. Ten million Krone was certainly a large sum to earn in just a few hours of effort.
Ian tapped the chalk lightly on the desk and began briefly briefing the team's strengths.
"As you all know, we have Lena, the Academy's disaster-level weapon."
At Ian's brutal briefing, Dushik jumped in alarm. "N-no, hey, Ian Ash! No matter what, calling a lady a disaster-level weapon of the Academy—that's such a terrifying thing to say...!"
Yet the person in question, Lena, showed no sign of displeasure. Instead, she cupped her cheeks with both hands and let out a silly giggle. Dushik sighed.
It's love. It's definitely love.
On the other hand, look at the guy. No matter how the girl looked at him, his mind was completely filled with thoughts of claiming those ten million Krone.
"Lena is our greatest hope and main firepower. By the way, Senior Dushik, what element of magic do you mainly use? I need to know your combat style so we can coordinate."
At Ian's question, Dushik scratched his head and mumbled, "Uh... we demons can only use fire elements by nature."
Ian lightly stroked his chin. "Why do you say that like you're ashamed?"
"Because you humans always criticize us as destroyers and terrorists because of it!"
"I see. Then please destroy and terrorize to your heart's content during this practical."
"That's not what I meant!"
This guy is really skilled at getting on a human's—no, a demon's nerves! Moreover, seeing him smirk made it clear he was joking, not serious. Haah. Fine. What's the point of getting angry at a junior?
"The problem is," Dushik continued with a sigh, furrowing his brows, "Lady Lena's main magic is water attribute. It's common sense in Introduction to Magic Studies that fire and water don't traditionally form teams. Their properties are extremely opposed, so they'll cancel each other out and the combination won't be great."
However, Ian casually tossed the chalk onto the desk and shook his head. "It doesn't matter."
"What?"
"You two don't need to force yourselves to coordinate. Just do what each of you does best from your respective positions—whether that's destroying or supporting. I'll handle the adjustments for the collisions and variables that arise in between."
It was the kind of statement that anyone hearing it would call baseless confidence. If things went according to Ian's words, humans wouldn't have struggled so much fighting monsters in the north. In that region, where only water-attribute mages and knights could operate due to local characteristics, they had to face fire-attribute monsters that were the worst matchup. Without the Northern Archduke's efforts, the empire might have already fallen—but regardless.
...For some reason, he seems reliable.
What Ian possessed wasn't baseless confidence, but the cool composure unique to someone who had already completed a solid solution in his mind. Dushik found himself nodding unconsciously at that strangely convincing attitude. After all, this was the guy who had demonstrated control by easily subduing a mana orb. He must have some method.
"But," Dushik raised another question, "our goal is first place, isn't it? No matter how powerful a weapon Lady Lena is, it still feels like something's missing."
Ian nodded quietly. "You're right. Objectively speaking, our team's pure firepower and search capabilities will fall short."
"You know that and you're still this calm? I don't know about your class, but this combined practical class has the Saintess and Lady Judith too! I even heard the princess has formed a decent team. Do you have some brilliant strategy to take first place against those monsters?"
At Dushik's urgent question, Ian drew a large circle on the blackboard and grinned. "Let's assume this is the strongest team."
Druruk. Ian then drew three small triangles in a row behind it, ominous red triangles as if representing enemies. Then he wrote names on them. Ian Ash. Lena. And Dushik.
...This bastard?
Before Dushik could even protest, a shocking statement came out of Ian's mouth.
"We'll tail the first-place team."
......What?
Dushik's mouth fell open stupidly.
"The moment they get their hands on the mana orb they worked so hard to find, we'll hit them from behind and steal it. How about it? Isn't it a perfect strategy?"
...This bastard. Is he really crazy?