Early Education (1)
A girl with blood rushing to her head. Red Teeth Akasha. The terrifying monster that would come for you if you didn’t stop crying. These were just a few of the labels that would soon cling to her. In the original story, she was the character the protagonists feared most. Spotting her on the battlefield meant scrambling to avoid her at all costs. You couldn’t reason with her, and fighting her was pointless—she simply refused to die, racking up casualties until everyone else broke first. As an enemy, she was an absolute nightmare.
“What’s your name?”
“Akasha… ”
I’d asked just to be sure, but her appearance, and now her name, matched perfectly. No doubt about it. This girl would grow up to become a commander in the Demon King’s Army, the one destined to bring humanity to its knees.
“…Ugh… It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts…”
Yet right now that future calamity was writhing in agony, pleading for mercy. The sight was so pitiful it hurt to watch. She looked like a candle flame flickering on the verge of going out, withered and fragile.
If I just leave her like this…
Maybe the future where she rose to become a Demon King’s Army Commander would never arrive. The thought crossed my mind. Especially since she’d played a part in killing my favorite character in the original novel—if she exited the stage here, I’d be thrilled.
Still, one thing held me back.
I haven’t done my daily shot yet…!
I hadn’t used magic even once today. I’d been so frantic to reach the Holy Land of Marleryung that I hadn’t had the time or mental bandwidth. And now look at this situation. What a perfectly prepared feast. That skin, caked in scabs and dried blood—it was grotesque. But! The sheer catharsis of watching it melt away under healing magic, turning smooth and clean… Just imagining it made my heart race. Every place my hand touched would be wiped pristine. Could I really pass this up? This was the kind of satisfying video that would dominate YouTube rankings.
Should I do one shot? Should I go for it? Should I just do it?
“Heal—!”
Heal
“Uh… It doesn’t hurt!”
The moment the healing magic wrapped around the girl’s entire body, the change was instantaneous. The bumpy, inflamed skin smoothed out like the pure white flesh of a fresh fish. Vitality flooded back into her. Life returned to her face, and a bright smile bloomed across it. Seeing that, I secretly felt I’d made the right choice.
Thanks to that, I feel refreshed too.
The result was more exhilarating than I’d expected. It felt like finally releasing a burden I’d been holding in for far too long. Being able to use magic really was wonderful! If her body hadn’t been completely healed, I would’ve been tempted to cast it again. But another check confirmed it was perfect, so there was no need. The only strange part was that the thorn-like tattoo—practically her trademark—had vanished.
…Is it okay for that to be gone?
Since she wasn’t in pain anymore, it should be fine.
“Th-thank you!”
“There, there.”
At the shy girl’s gratitude, my hand naturally drifted to her head. I stroked her hair gently. The real reason was that I’d been dying to touch those fox ears that twitched according to her emotions.
“Are you perhaps Shin-nim?”
“Shin-nim?”
“Yes! I prayed to Shin-nim and I really got better! So Shin-nim really does exist. Wow…”
The girl’s eyes sparkled with pure wonder. I was at a loss for how to respond. I could tell her the truth, but a selfish part of me didn’t want to shatter her innocent belief.
“No… I’m just…”
Even so, I chose honesty. If a misunderstanding took root here, who knew what kind of trouble it would cause. I slowly began to explain—right as three rough-looking women approached.
“Hey, young master over there. What do you think you’re doing in our territory?”
Each of them gripped a knife. Their bodies were covered in scars, heads shaved bald so their scalps gleamed. Robbers…? The question didn’t last long. They spoke with arrogant swagger.
“This is our turf. Who gave you permission to stroll around?”
“That’s right! That’s right! Don’t you know the rules? Women pay money to pass. Men have to give us a good time!”
“Don’t worry, young master. We know how to work our hips just fine. Slurp.”
Disgusting eyes crawled all over my body. Even though they were biologically female, those lust-filled stares made my skin crawl.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”
“You should have some fun before you leave, right?”
As I slowly backed away, they encircled me. Knives raised, there was nowhere left to run.
“Grrrr!!”
Akasha’s tail shot straight up as she growled, baring her teeth and extending her claws in warning. The robbers simply laughed as if it were adorable.
“Hahaha, what the hell is this little brat?”
“She’s a beastman. A fox one, too—the fiercest kind. If we sell her, we’ll get a fortune. Fuck, today’s our lucky day. We can fuck the pretty boy and sell the kid. Jackpot.”
“Grrrr!!”
Even under their mockery, Akasha refused to yield. She straightened her posture, raised her tail higher, and lifted her claws even more. It looked like she was ready to fight to the death.
As expected.
No matter how young she looked, Akasha was still Akasha. A crazy bitch with blood rushing to her head. The girl destined to become a Demon King’s Army Commander. I gave her a single line of encouragement.
“Akasha, you’re strong.”
Becoming a Demon King’s Army Commander wasn’t something just anyone could do. On battlefields where mountains split and castle walls crumbled, in hells where thousands died screaming, they were the ones who displayed overwhelming might.
“Those guys are trash. Don’t get scared.”
To someone like her, these back-alley robbers who couldn’t survive a real battlefield were nothing.
“What the hell is this crazy bastard saying? Heatstroke?”
“Nah, it actually turns me on. Guys like him are the most fun to break. Let’s cut his tendons and tie him up…”
The robbers’ faces flushed with rage as they charged. In that instant—
Swoosh—!
“Uaaagh—!”
“Fuck!”
Akasha’s claws tore through them. Limbs fell helplessly. Hearts were pierced. It was over in the blink of an eye. By the time the robbers lay crumpled on the ground, Akasha was standing among them with a bright smile, looking straight at me.
“Hehehe, Shin-nim, are you okay?”
“Uh… yeah.”
At her worried question, I gave a slow nod.
“Heal—!”
Heal
It was a truly warm light. The moment Sieg’s hand touched her, the pain that felt like knives carving through every inch of her body vanished like a lie. The smooth skin on her arms proved it—the monstrous appearance was gone.
“Uh… It doesn’t hurt!”
It was unbelievable. The agony that had tormented her for so long had disappeared in an instant. That was when Akasha realized—this was a miracle. It was the divine grace her mother had always spoken of. If you prayed to Shin-nim with all your heart, your wish would be granted. That was why you had to live honestly. Even though she had parted from her mother and traveled alone to the Holy Land of Marleryung, she had truly met Shin-nim here!
After expressing her gratitude, Akasha asked the question burning in her mind with pure, innocent curiosity.
“Are you perhaps Shin-nim?”
“Shin-nim?”
“Yes! I prayed to Shin-nim and I really got better! So Shin-nim really does exist. Wow…”
She had never seen a man use magic before. She had actually planned to ask him to take her somewhere that could heal her. But the miracle he had performed despite being a man—this could only be the work of a god.
Perhaps Akasha’s guess had been right. Sieg smiled. Just as he opened his mouth to speak—
“This is our turf. Who said you could walk around here?”
Uninvited guests had arrived. Akasha felt a surge of irritation. Who were these people to interrupt? Their vulgar gazes and tone toward Shin-nim pissed her off even more.
“Grrrr!”
Honestly, she was scared. She raised her tail and stood guard, but she was still just a novice—a young beastman girl who hadn’t yet awakened her clan’s power. Especially after all those years of suffering, being persecuted and treated like filth everywhere she went. Remembering how powerless she had been made her doubt herself. Could she really protect Shin-nim from them? Fear flooded her heart. She tried not to show it, but she couldn’t stop her body from trembling. That was when she heard it.
“Akasha, you’re strong. Those guys are trash. Don’t get scared.”
The moment Shin-nim’s voice reached her, strength surged through her body. Power she had never felt before overflowed inside her, and she became certain she could tear the bastards before her to shreds. The instant she surrendered to that power—swoosh—the world was dyed red. She could deliver heavenly punishment to the filth that had dared look at Shin-nim with such disgusting eyes.
“Hehehe.”
A laugh slipped out on its own.
“Shin-nim, are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
Fortunately, Shin-nim looked pleased as well.
After committing thorough slaughter, we quickly fled the scene. No matter how much of a fantasy world this was, we couldn’t just stroll around proudly after killing people. I used what money I had to wash the blood off Akasha and buy her new clothes. I couldn’t just abandon a child half my height while she was still covered in gore.
But there was one problem.
“Shin-nim! Thank you for the clothes. It’s the first present I’ve ever received.”
Even when I bought her new clothes.
“It’s so yummy!! I’ve never eaten anything this delicious in my whole life. Shin-nim, thank you so much!”
Even while eating.
No matter what she did.
“Shin-nim!”
“Shin-nim!”
“Shin-nim!!”
She kept calling me “Shin-nim.” It was nice that the future Red Teeth Akasha followed me so well, but—
“God? What kind of blasphemous nonsense is that?”
Eyes were starting to gather around us. At first I’d been too busy dealing with the aftermath to notice, but this place—Marleryung, the Holy Land—was the headquarters of the church that worshipped the one true God. Words involving “god” were an extremely sensitive subject here. If this continued, the heretic inquisitors might drag us away and do who-knows-what.
“Akasha, I’m not the god you believe in.”
So I took the chance to explain it clearly. I was just an ordinary human who happened to use healing magic. But—
“Then you are Shin-nim… but you’ve descended into a human body? Wow!”
It looked like early education was going to be necessary.