Chapter 73
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<73> The Daughter of the Hero and the Demon King
When the students left Dunaise Academy and worked together in mixed groups in a nearby field, a peculiar atmosphere
formed among them.
During the illusion and mental manipulation classes, they had practiced inside the academy’s classrooms, so forming
groups and carrying out exercises was nothing special.
Of course, meeting peers of the opposite sex was still a unique experience, but the children of high-status families
were strictly educated in etiquette and well aware of their positions.
Pure love, unaffected by family lineage or background, was simply called fleeting passion by them.
And they also knew well what kind of treatment awaited them at home if they were swept away by such passion, so the
students kept their emotions in check and maintained distance from one another.
But things were different now.
Although they were still on the same island as Dunaise Academy, they had stepped outside its walls and were exposed to
an unfamiliar environment filled with insects, field mice, and the grumbling of an unfriendly farm owner.
In such a new setting, young men and women who shared the common ground of being academy peers were naturally drawn to
one another as they worked together.
“Ah, yes. This is it, this is it! If we took them to something like a dimensional dungeon, the suspension bridge
effect would make things even better. It’s a shame we can’t do that since they’re only first-years.”
Sadia read the subtle atmosphere among the students and rejoiced.
Her words are frightening. She is the kind of person who would not hesitate to throw all the students into a dangerous
place for the sake of her own desires.
Idnia felt fear as she watched Sadia’s delighted expression, but separate from that, she diligently learned the magic
Sadia taught.
Sadia enthusiastically taught spells for exterminating pests, removing weeds, and other similar magic. All of these
spells were highly versatile in their applications.
Balancing physical labor while simultaneously attending magic theory classes was quite taxing, and the other students
were losing their composure, but Idnia, thanks to her outstanding physical abilities, was able to handle both without
difficulty.
Because she could focus fully on Sadia’s magic theory lectures, even if her innate aptitude was somewhat lacking, she
was still able to achieve better results than the others.
However, Idnia’s aptitude was not actually poor. In fact, as someone originally set as a villainess, she possessed
top-class abilities.
“Ah, good. Today’s lesson was very satisfying. Sometimes it’s nice to take on labor like this. Shall we end the class
here? It should be lunchtime soon, yes?”
As Sadia spoke, the farm owner appeared carrying food along with his son, daughter, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law.
“Hmph. Well, it didn’t help much, but work is work. We’ve prepared a snack.”
Everyone had already tried the food from this place at the academy and had low expectations for its quality.
But surprisingly, the food was far better than anything they had eaten before.
There were rolls made with amaranth flour, stew filled with generous portions of meat, and plates overflowing with
fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Uh, what is this?” the students asked in confusion.
“It’s food. Is this your first time eating it?”
“No, that’s not what we mean. It’s better than what we’ve been eating at the academy.”
“Ah, the food sent to the academy? It’s made according to the money we receive.
In any case, you’re workers here and also guests, so how could we serve you something like that?”
“….”
Idnia clicked her tongue as she tried the amaranth roll.
It was a rough bread made with amaranth oil instead of butter and amaranth flour used as a spice, but it tasted far
better than what she had been eating at the academy.
The soup also had a strong flavor, packed with chicken and seasoned with paprika and sansho powder.
It was so strong that some students found it spicy, but for Idnia, who had the spirit of a Korean soul, the
long-missed spicy and refreshing flavor was delightful.
She had expected something like a stew made from moles or field mice given how they had been killing those creatures,
but the food clearly showed great care and effort.
A somewhat eccentric old man, indeed. But at least…
In truth, Idnia had not felt any sympathy for this old man until now.
He fed the academy students terrible food and constantly suspected and treated those who came to help poorly.
However, despite that eccentricity, he had his own principles and honor, and seeing that he provided good food to his
guests and workers naturally inspired respect.
At least he is a man with his own principles. But if that’s the case, doesn’t that mean the academy is the one at
fault for paying too little and resulting in such food?
If so, perhaps the real villain is the academy, which gives this old man a pittance and forces the students to eat
subpar food while profiting from the cafeteria.
Idnia fell into serious contemplation.
---
After finishing lunch and wrapping up their work, the students returned to the academy.
Since they had performed physical labor outside, they were given time to rest after lunch.
Idnia used a purification spell to cleanse her clothes of dirt and headed toward the professor’s building garden.
A thick fog blanketed the path, but as Idnia approached, a human silhouette appeared beyond the mist.
“Idnia Kache Betelgeuse… Entry permitted.”
“Authorized by, Lifetime Professor Buremhaide.”
After the figures in the fog spoke and vanished, the mist parted.
“My word. Those just now… they looked like monsters. Even if it’s the academy’s security system, is that really
alright?”
Idnia clicked her tongue as she recognized the humanoid shadows within the fog as powerful spirits known as “Arctic
Wraiths.”
These were vengeful spirits of those who froze to death in frigid regions, dreadful apparitions that freeze their
victims with icy breath. They were ready to eliminate intruders within the fog, but when Idnia approached, they
verified her authority and allowed her passage.
As the fog dissipated, the sun poured down brightly, revealing the professor building’s rear garden.
It truly looked like a place where anything planted would grow well.
The soil was fertile enough, guarded by the spirits, but that also meant weeds had grown wildly and densely.
“Ah, if I had to do this by hand without magic, it would have been quite difficult. But…”
Idnia cast the spell she had just learned in class.
“Dig the earth!”
With a swing of her wand, she cast the spell, and the entire field was overturned in a single, decisive motion far
more efficiently than before.
As Idnia cultivated the field, insects began pouring out from within.
And then…
A red worm as thick as a human torso appeared.
It was a monstrous creature called a Blood Worm. In truth, it was a massive leech that, given its size, could drain
even a bear dry once it latched on.
Of course, due to its large size, it was slow, so it could not easily prey on a bear. In fact, once it surfaced, it
would normally become prey itself. However, this Blood Worm hid underground and dropped its prey into its tunnels when
they passed above, causing the ground to collapse suddenly.
Its hunting method was to cause its prey to fall into the sinkhole and then drain their blood while they were
disoriented. But since Idnia had unearthed the ground with excavation magic, the Blood Worm that suddenly emerged
charged straight at her.
“Oh my? How adorable.”
Idnia released her suppressed Overlord technique and immediately grabbed a nearby tree.
With a crack, she uprooted it.
It was not a very large tree, but it stood about 2.5 meters tall. Idnia effortlessly lifted it and swung it down onto
the Blood Worm.
In an instant, the creature’s body burst apart, scattering into countless pieces of flesh.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Someone called out to Idnia at that moment.
Startled, she turned around to see Rakias, the fallen angel professor.
“Oh?! Ah, um, well…”
“I heard that a human authorized by Buremhaide had arrived and came to check. Ah, it’s you. It’s fine. I’m in decent
condition today, so I won’t be committing any discourtesies.”
“And I’m here as well.”
Behind Rakias stood Ludwig, the vampire principal, holding an umbrella to block the sunlight.
“I-I see. That’s a relief.”
“But you still release the Overlord technique so casually, even though you were told not to.”
“Well, there’s no way I’d expect a fragile young girl to handle something like that when creatures like this are
appearing, would you?”
“A fragile young girl… I believe you currently hold the number one ranking in the personal shop rankings?”
“Technically, Karl Gustav holds first place. My personal shop is tied for second with Isolde.”
“Don’t you receive allocation points as a dormitory leader?”
“That’s not something I can give away. So, are you alright?”
“Yes. I’ve had enough blood drained over the past few days, so my vitality has been sufficiently reduced. I only just
received permission to go outside, so I cannot afford to ruin that. And in your case… hmm. A half-demon.”
Rakias saw through Idnia’s identity as a half-demon. Up until now, the five professors of the empire had all seemed to
know that Idnia was a half-demon, but Rakias was the first to say it outright.
“You carry the blood of Overlord Yurik. And yet, a half-demon… how fascinating.”
“Pardon? I carry the blood of Overlord Yurik?”
Idnia was surprised by this revelation.
Until now, she had believed she was the daughter of Saint Flora and the Demon King.
She respected Draken, the Duke of Betelgeuse, as the father who raised her, but she had assumed her biological father
was the Demon King.
But Rakias was certain.
“As a fallen angel of blood, I consider myself something of an expert on human lineage.
And I believe the other five professors of the academy already know your true nature as well.”
“But… then why am I a half-demon?”
“Most likely…”
Rakias hesitated to continue.
But Ludwig spoke without hesitation.
“Because your mother fell into the hands of demons while she was pregnant.”
It was a shocking revelation.
It was enough to explain why Rakias had hesitated.
But Idnia’s reaction was enough to astonish even Ludwig and Rakias, who had seen countless things.
“Then does that mean I can participate in the Wizard Ball? If my half-demon identity is discovered…”
“You’re worried about that right now?”
Ludwig and Rakias were taken aback, realizing that Idnia was more concerned about the Wizard Ball than her shocking
origins.
Idnia quickly clarified their misunderstanding.
“No, the Wizard Ball divides teams by race.
Which means participants undergo a species examination.
Wouldn’t my half-demon identity be exposed then?”
“Oh, so that’s what you were worried about.”
“Yes. I’m already quite shocked by my origins.
But at the same time, I feel relieved.
It confirms that I am indeed my father’s daughter.”
Idnia had always felt guilty toward Duke Betelgeuse, who had treated her as his daughter.
But now that she was truly his biological daughter, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from her heart.
“Father never once spoke ill of my mother, but in the original story, Flora really was a terrible villainess.”
As Idnia maintained her firm stance, Rakias and Ludwig exchanged glances.
Rakias sent a telepathic message first.
If she thinks that way, then we can be relieved. But Ludwig, how could you speak so bluntly in front of a girl?
I at least chose my words carefully.
Saying that Flora herself chose the Demon King and betrayed humanity would have been worse, wouldn’t it?
Flora, Idnia’s mother, had used her position as a saint of the Trinity Order to approach the Demon King and become his
consort.
This fact was already confirmed by Ludwig’s intelligence network and was undeniable.
But they could not tell Idnia:
“You are the result of Flora betraying humanity and aligning with the Demon King.”
“Your body came from Duke Betelgeuse, but your soul was influenced by the Demon King, making you a half-demon.”
They could not say such things to her.