No Half-Demons Allowed
"You enjoy doing that outside, huh?"
Marie finished her negotiations with Sharon and returned to her dormitory room. Unlike before the entrance ceremony, only students in uniform now wandered the halls.
There are upperclassmen here too...
Marie hugged the walls as she walked, doing everything she could to avoid bumping into anyone. Against her wishes, her long white hair cascading past her waist and the pair of horns on her head made her impossible to miss.
"Isn't that the top student?"
"There's no one else that tiny."
"Why's she glued to the wall like that?"
"Probably exhausted, right?"
"Yeah, if I had to give that speech I'd be drained too."
Even with her head down, eyes somehow found her. One remark in particular dug into her ears.
"Poor thing... of all people, she got stuck rooming with that brat..."
Unable to ignore it, Marie slowed her steps and eavesdropped on the group beside her.
"Ah, the second daughter of Baron Belus?"
"Exactly. She's already got a rotten personality, and she absolutely loathes demons."
"Whoa, for real? Why would they assign rooms like that... if it was random, that kid's just unlucky as hell..."
"What can you do? She'll just have to tough it out until next semester."
O-Oh no...! My roommate is like Professor Joruel...
Marie fretted over every possible injustice her roommate might inflict. Life in the back alleys had burned into her just how hard it was to live as a half-demon.
Baseless violence and mockery had been daily fare, and the people watching never stopped her attackers—they cheered them on instead.
Hah, if I can just survive one semester...!
She forced her trembling legs forward toward her room. Summoning every scrap of courage, she finally reached the door. A large sheet of paper with red lettering was stuck to it.
HALF-DEMONS PROHIBITED
Entry will be taken as a challenge to a duel
W-What is this...!
Marie's only luggage—two bags—had been dumped unceremoniously in a corner of the hallway.
T-Too cruel... the sun's about to set...
Sunset light streaming through the windows painted the corridor crimson. Curfew was almost here, and she had nowhere to sleep.
N-No... maybe this is actually lucky...
Remembering the worry that had just surfaced, she decided it might be better never to see her roommate's face. This was someone who wouldn't even let a half-demon into the room. From Marie's perspective, being driven out without major conflict was preferable to four months of endless torment.
O-Oh, where am I supposed to sleep tonight...
She gathered her bags and stepped outside the dormitory. The sun had already vanished; streetlamps along the paths flickered on one by one.
S-Somewhere without people...
She knew one secluded spot. She headed for the vast garden—almost a forest—she had stumbled into after bolting from the cafeteria on entrance exam day.
I-It's dark...
After sunset the woods held not a single light. Even the moonlight that might have helped was filtered thin by the trees.
Any big rocks around...?
Marie searched for a place that could block the wind. The weather was still cold; even if she piled every scrap of clothing over herself, she would never last against the chill breeze.
If she didn't want to be found as a corpse the next morning, she needed a proper campsite.
F-Found one!
After wandering the forest she discovered a decent spot. She set down her bags and quickly cleared the ground.
C-Cold...
To start a fire she arranged stones in a circle and filled it with dry leaves and twigs.
T-Thank you, Boss...
She pulled out the magitech tools the shop owner had packed for her at the end, intending to light a fire.
T-The heating circuit...!
The heating circuit that should have served as tinder was missing. Marie frantically searched her handbag. Even after dumping every tool onto the ground, it was nowhere.
W-Why...!
A memory from a few days earlier flashed through her mind.
"Hey~ Marie! You're not using your heating circuit, right?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Mind if I borrow it? I brought Magic Herb but forgot the lighter. Heh heh heh..."
"Y-You can just keep it!"
Realizing the truth, strength left her hands. The tools she held spilled across the dirt.
W-Why did I say that...!
Regret came far too late.
W-Why can I never... refuse anyone.
Whenever someone asked, Marie could never bring herself to refuse—even if the item was vital to her. That weak nature had finally bitten her.
She gathered the scattered magitech tools again, lost in thought.
S-Should I go back...?
Trying to camp while a perfectly good dorm room sat empty had been a mistake from the start. Her roommate was the one in the wrong, wasn't she? If she complained to the management office, the problem might be solved quickly.
B-But...
The events of the past few days rose in her mind. At the silk shop she had been berated simply for being Special Admission. Despite ranking first, the academy had never notified her, and the professor who prepared her for the entrance speech was a rabid half-demon hater.
M-Maybe every single one of these situations is unfolding inside someone's palm...?
Marie's brilliant mind arrived at the possibility that some vicious malice underlay it all.
S-Still, I can't freeze to death...
Just as she decided to return, the red lettering on the door flashed before her eyes.
Half-Demons Prohibited
"Hic—"
Marie still lacked the courage to confront the malice aimed at her. Whenever the violence she had suffered in the alleys as a child resurfaced, her throat closed and she could neither speak nor act. Tears simply welled up.
Her trembling body made her abandon the tools; she sank down and leaned her back against the stone wall.
C-Cold!!
She learned with her body that the shaded stone was far colder than the bare ground.
I-I have to light a fire! Or I'll really die!
Survival instinct flared. Her eyes fell on the magitech tools she had been sorting moments earlier.
Without a magic plate, no amount of tools would let her cast magic. Right now Marie had a brush but no canvas. Yet even that brush held a faint amount of mana that could serve as paint. She picked up a familiar tool.
Circuit tester... this should work...?
She disassembled the circuit tester and found the mana wire inside—the conduit that supplied mana from the mana stone. She stripped the grounding and held it toward the kindling.
This alone isn't enough...
If she activated the circuit tester as-is, a mana short would spark from the severed ground and throw sparks. She planned to use those as the ignition source for the tinder.
But the heat might stay too weak, or no sparks might fly at all. If the mana stone emptied first, she would be found frozen solid the next day.
I-Is there a way...
She pictured the internal structure of the circuit tester in her head.
Ah. What if I cut the safety circuit...?
Marie recalled the long safety notice posted in a corner of the workshop.
—Do not arbitrarily remove the safety circuit. Output limits exist not for the equipment, but for the user.
The shop owner's voice, insisting she read every safety rule carefully, echoed like a hallucination.
—Marie, every safety rule is written in blood, so you must follow them, okay?
Her mouth went dry. If she botched it the circuit would run wild. Losing a hand would be lucky. In the worst case, amplified mana could reverse-flow all the way to her heart.
I-I can do this...
She drew a slow breath. The trembling in her tense hands gradually stilled. The familiar feel of the magitech tool calmed her heart.
Marie gripped the safety circuit with her left hand. Removing it while the mana stone was inactive would prevent any mana discharge.
B-But... to create a short I have to cut the safety circuit of a running tool...
She was trapped in a dilemma. Leave it running too long and the removed safety circuit would let high-output mana surge and burn her. Fail to run it long enough and no sparks strong enough to catch would appear. She had to find the middle value between failure and danger herself.
C-Control...
Marie pressed the button and activated the circuit tester.
Crack—
She switched it off at once. Had she chickened out and given up?
Crack—
Crack—
She had devised a method for controlled shorts. Removing the safety circuit caused continuous output to run wild. But if she flipped it on and off in intervals shorter than a second, she could produce very brief shorts.
Average output stayed low enough to be relatively safe, yet plenty of sparks flew.
Crack—
Fwoosh—
After several repetitions, sparks that fell among the dry leaves began to catch.
I-It worked!
Marie pressed herself flat against the ground.
"Hoo— hoooo!"
Desperate effort to keep the ember alive. As if moved by her struggle, the flame gradually gained strength and burned brightly.
Crack— crack—
Waaarm...
Marie scooted close to the fire and thawed her chilled body. Once warm, she felt she could sleep well enough under the rock.
Where's my winter coat...
She dug through her bag and pulled out a thick coat. It was an old garment the shop owner had told her to throw away because she would never wear it at the academy.
Y-You saved me again...
It was the same coat that had kept her alive through freezing winters in unheated communal lodgings since childhood. She had grown too attached to discard it, and now the coat repaid her affection.
Mmnyaah...
She wrapped herself tightly in the coat and laid her head on the ground—then.
Rustle—
W-What!
An unidentified sound close by made her bolt upright. She scanned the surroundings in a panic, but the forest was nothing but darkness without a single light.
W-Wild animal...?
Marie frantically searched for anything usable as a weapon. The magitech tools were practical, but their output was too low to fight a beast.
T-The campfire...!
Even primitive humans had faced carnivores with nothing but torches. Marie intended to wield the fire wild animals feared most—yet.
H-How do I make a torch...?
No thick, long branches suitable for lighting lay near her. She almost set fire to the coat in her hands instead.
M-My coat...
The garment that had just cradled her. She couldn't bring herself to burn something she was so attached to. She settled for gripping the sharpest small object she could find.
I-If I aim the engraver at the carotid...!
It was a tool for etching Magic Circuits. The tip was sharp enough to pierce soft animal flesh easily. She kept the option of burning the coat as a last resort and readjusted her grip on the engraver.
Rustle— rustle—
The unknown presence drew closer. Yet though the sound came from nearby, no beast's shadow appeared.
W-Where is it!
Marie strained every nerve, scanning the area. In that tense moment, leaves rained down from the tree above.
"H-Hieeek!"
She screamed aloud and toppled backward. Thankfully her small stature kept her head from striking the rock.
"W-What is it!"
Fear crushed her. She tried to crawl away, but a massive boulder blocked her back.
"P-Please spare me..."
Marie covered her head with both hands and squeezed her eyes shut.
Thud—
A clean sound, and something dropped from the tree.
"Huh? A campfire...?"
At the human voice she cautiously opened her eyes.
"C-Charlotte-nim...?"
"It's Marie! Nice to see you!"
What had leapt down was not some unknown beast but Charlotte, leaves stuck all over her clothes. The moment she spotted Marie she charged straight at her.
"I saw you at the entrance ceremony today! You were so brave and cool...!"
"T-Thank you..."
Marie still hadn't processed the situation and remained frozen. Charlotte seized the opening and pressed right up against her.
"What are you doing here at this hour? I thought some bad guy had snuck into the academy!"
"W-Well..."
Marie hesitated, wondering whether it was safe to tell Charlotte the truth.
I-If I tell Char everything...
She could guess Charlotte's reaction from her conversation with Sharon.
—J-Just what did you smash...
—If it ended with just one mansion we'd be lucky...
T-The academy will be destroyed!
That thought left Marie staring blankly at Charlotte, still frozen.
"Hm? What's wrong, Marie? Were you doing something you shouldn't get caught at?"
"N-No...!"
"Then why light a campfire and sit in the forest?"
"I-I... um..."
Marie couldn't even meet Charlotte's eyes. She had to lie to the first person at the academy who had treated her kindly. The triangle of conscience in her heart spun and her chest ached.
I-If I tell the truth...
If she told Charlotte what happened in the dorm, she could reclaim her room. Even if the academy was supposed to be equal regardless of status, Charlotte was a princess.
Gaia Academy was a royal institution. If the royal family wished it, expelling one student who discriminated against half-demons would be trivial.
B-But... Char has been building a terrible reputation since childhood...
Charlotte already rampaged so much that rumors flooded noble society. The fact that Sharon, the heir to the throne, had come to Marie and asked her to get along with Charlotte showed just how bad it was.
Even now it was like this; if Charlotte learned Marie's situation and went berserk, people inside the academy might start avoiding her too.
N-No... I can't ruin Char's academy life because of me... I absolutely can't tell her...
Marie steeled herself inwardly.
"Hmm, so Marie's into that kind of thing too?"
"Y-Yes??"
Charlotte narrowed her eyes for some reason and leaned even closer.
"You enjoy doing 'that' outside, right?"
"T-That... w-what do you mean!"
"Come on. No need to be embarrassed! I do it outside sometimes too, secretly from my parents!"
"Yeees!?"
The hands that had been trembling with fear for the future now trembled for an entirely different reason.
T-The kingdom's future is dark...!
A princess of a nation speaking so casually about such things. For a moment she seriously considered emigrating.
"Hm? Marie, what are you thinking? Your face went weird!"
After dropping the bombshell, Charlotte simply smiled at her as if nothing were wrong.
T-This is... I promised Prince Sharon! As a friend I have to keep Char from going off the rails!
Marie firmed her resolve and looked straight into Charlotte's eyes.
"...?"
Her red irises, lit by the campfire, burned deeper than usual. Despite her pounding heart she spoke calmly.
"C-Charlotte-nim... y-you shouldn't do that kind of thing outdoors...!"
"Huh? Then where else are you supposed to do it if not outside?"
"W-Well... a-a bathroom or... an empty room...."
"Why would you camp indoors? That's just sleeping at home."
"Yeees!?"
"Wait, I thought Marie was someone who enjoyed camping too. Was I wrong?"
Charlotte looked a little dejected. An invisible tail seemed to droop.
I-It was camping...
Marie sighed in relief and patted her chest. Thankfully the kingdom's future brightened again.
"Then what were you doing out here, Marie?"
"I-I was actually camping too!"
I-I'm doomed...!
Still reeling from the mental attack of misunderstanding Charlotte's words, Marie had blurted out an absurd excuse without thinking.
"I knew it! Marie likes camping too! Same hobby as me—that's totally awesome!"
Contrary to Marie's anxiety, Charlotte seemed so happy to meet a friend who shared her interest that she never suspected it was a lie.
"Where do you like to camp, Marie?"
"I-I... um... i-in the mountains!"
"Heeh, I love camping in the mountains too! If you find a stream you can get water easily, and best of all you can forage food on-site—"
Charlotte's camping stories continued for about thirty minutes after that.
S-Save me...
Marie realized Sharon's talkative nature was hereditary. Charlotte likewise possessed the talent of pouring out information without pause.
I-If I become a bureaucrat I won't have to listen to speeches like this every day, right...?
The value of the extra points Sharon had promised dropped one rank in Marie's heart.
"—So I dragged a whole bear back and Father grounded me for a whole month. Completely ridiculous, right?"
"I-It does seem that way..."
"Huk, Marie, you know my dad is the king, right...?"
"Y-Yes..."
Charlotte suddenly cut the story short, her expression turning serious as she seized Marie's hands.
"H-Hyeek...! W-Why my hands..."
"Marie, the minimum penalty for lèse-majesté is cutting off both hands... Since you agreed that the king is ridiculous, you might even get beheaded..."
"I-I never said anything like that!"
"You agreed with me, didn't you?"
"T-Then Charlotte-nim also...!"
"I'm his daughter so I'm fine? One little bit of cuteness and he'll forgive me."
"I-I'm sorry... p-please spare me..."
Charlotte's merciless words made moisture gather in Marie's eyes. Just when she thought spring had finally come to her hard life, she had run into a crazy princess and now faced execution.
Resentment toward life, just like at the end of her previous existence, began to surface.
N-Next life, please let me be born during a revolution... so I can scatter noble blood on the guillotine...
"Marie? What did I say would happen if you said 'I'm sorry' one more time?"
"Y-You said you didn't know what you might do..."
"Hmm, so you knew and still said it?"
"P-Please spare me..."
"From now on 'please spare me' is banned too."
"H-Hieeek!"
Marie's face grew steadily paler.
"Hahahaha—"
Seeing that, Charlotte burst out laughing and ruffled Marie's hair.
"Just kidding, Marie~ It was a joke!"
"Uuu..."
Even after Charlotte's apology she kept her head bowed. Being betrayed by the Charlotte she had trusted left a deep wound in her heart.
E-Everyone's so mean...
"S-Sorry... are you really mad...?"
"N-No..."
"Marie, but the lèse-majesté part was serious."
"E-Eeh!"
"If you grant me one request I'll pretend I never heard it! Deal?"
"I-I'll do anything...!"
"Really anything?"
"Y-Yes..."
The corner of Charlotte's mouth lifted. It was the expression of a fisherman who had just landed a big catch.
"Hmm~ Marie, you shouldn't say things like that so casually... First clean this place up and follow me?"
"Y-Yes... I-I'll pack quickly..."
"I'll put out the fire, so you pack the bags!"
With Charlotte's help, breaking camp finished in an instant. As expected of someone who caused so much trouble, her cleanup speed was top-tier.
Marie was being dragged along by Charlotte's hand.
"W-Where are we going...?"
"A-dong."
Marie recalled the information about A-dong Dormitory from the guidebook.
T-The highest-grade dormitory...
It was a dormitory specially built for high nobles of marquis rank and above, those of lofty status. Its facilities were incomparably better than the E-dong where Marie stayed.
Located near the great hall, it offered the shortest commute, and from a distance its size looked like several mansions stuck together.
"W-Why there..."
"I'm taking you to my room."
"I-I can't go in there, can I..."
Because high-status students lived in A-dong, security was tight. Unlike E-dong, where any classmate with a student ID could come and go freely, this place was on another level—reserved solely for those of noble blood.
"If I throw a fit they should let one Marie in with me."
"Y-Yes..."
S-Scary...
Anxiety bloomed in her heart. It wasn't because of Charlotte's high-handed behavior. The hand holding hers wasn't forceful; it was simply sharing warmth with Marie, who had grown cold outdoors.
In fact, Charlotte—who normally raced around at high speed—was walking slowly to match Marie's pace.
W-What if Char gets hurt for daring to bring a half-demon into A-dong...?
The Magic Combat Department assistant had said most people at the academy didn't view half-demons negatively, but Marie had been through a lot today. Fear rose unbidden at the thought of more harsh words because of her horns.
"Marie, it's okay."
"Y-Yes?"
"Who am I? I'm a Gaia. There's no one in this academy who can stop me."
"Y-You can't smash people!"
"Why would I smash people...?"
"Y-You can't hit them!"
"I won't hit anyone, so don't worry..."
Marie had spoken out of concern for Charlotte, yet somehow the princess looked at her as if she were hearing nonsense.
Thus the pair arrived at the entrance of A-dong Dormitory. Without the slightest hesitation Charlotte took Marie's hand and walked inside.
"Halt— oh, Your Highness!"
"Yep~ it's me."
The guard who had moved to verify the identity of someone approaching the dormitory at night immediately lowered his hand upon seeing Charlotte's face.
"You've worked hard today!"
"You too, Sir Renold~"
"Might I ask who this student is?"
"My friend! She's the top-ranked freshman who just enrolled!"
Marie shrank as small as possible, hiding behind Charlotte. When Charlotte shifted slightly to show the knight Marie's face, their eyes met.
I-I have to hide the horns...!
At Charlotte's unexpected move Marie hurriedly tried to cover her head, but it was already too late.
"...!"
The knight looked startled for an instant upon seeing Marie's horns, yet quickly erased the surprise from his face.
"Identity confirmed! Please rest well, Your Highness!"
"Thanks~"
"T-Thank you for your hard work..."
Having safely passed the main gate, Marie followed Charlotte down a splendid corridor until they reached a large door. When Charlotte held her key to it, the door opened automatically.
A-Automatic door! Implementing that must cost a fortune...!
Amazed by the luxury of A-dong Dormitory, Marie stepped inside—only to be stunned by an even more spectacular sight.
"Ta-da~ How do you like my room?"
The room where Charlotte spread her arms in welcome was so vast that Marie's E-dong room looked like a doghouse. Four rooms connected to a living area. The interior decorations were the most lavish Marie had ever seen in her life.
A-A heater...!
Warm air blew from a heater—nicknamed a mana-stone-devouring monster for its poor efficiency. Thanks to it the air inside was wonderfully warm, unlike the still-chilly night outside.
"I-It's amazing!"
"Hmm... then shall we eat first? You haven't had dinner yet, right Marie?"
"Y-Yes..."
Come to think of it, she still hadn't eaten dinner. After the entrance ceremony that afternoon she had been kicked out of her room, wandered the forest for ages, and done every ridiculous thing imaginable just to light a fire.
"Anything you want?"
"S-Stew, anything is fine..."
"Tsk... isn't that too little?"
"I-I have a small appetite..."
"Well, if it's not enough you can share mine! Let's hurry to the dining hall!"
"W-Wow... so A-dong has its own dining hall too..."
Marie recalled the description of A-dong from the guidebook. It clearly stated that the dormitory dining hall operated only at set times. At this late hour it would long since have closed.
"C-Charlotte-nim... hasn't the dining hall already finished for the day...?"
"Ah! Right! They said something like that..."
Charlotte seemed to ponder for a moment, then pulled a terminal from her pocket.
"What was the head maid's number again..."
She dialed somewhere at once.
"Hello? Head maid! I couldn't eat dinner and I'm starving—can I come eat now?"
A deep sigh carried through the terminal all the way to Marie.
"You'll bring it to the room if I tell you the menu? Then one oil pasta, one veal steak, one snail stew—"
Charlotte ordered so many dishes it was hard to remember them all at once. After the call ended Marie voiced her doubt.
"E-Eating that much so late will give you a stomachache...!"
"I know."
"T-Then why..."
"If there's leftovers we just throw them away, right?"
"E-Eeh..."
Somehow today her revolutionary spirit seemed to be awakening.
"But throwing it away would be a waste, so Marie, let's both do our best and finish everything?"
"P-Please spare me! T-That much won't fit in my stomach!"
"Fighting!"
Before long the food was laid out in the room.
"Marie, eat lots!"
"C-Charlotte-nim, please enjoy your meal too..."
It was the most delicious meal Marie had ever tasted, yet she also set a new personal record for the most food eaten in a single sitting.
"Marie, about my request..."
After the meal, while they sipped tea with dessert, Charlotte spoke up.
W-What on earth is the rampaging princess Charlotte going to ask...?
Marie set down her teacup and waited for Charlotte's next words with a tense heart.
"Starting today, I'd like you to stay in the same room as me."
"Y-Yes!?"
"Hmm, more precisely I should say I'm hiring you? I didn't bring any attendants, so I was in a bit of a bind~"
The unexpected words made her pupils tremble wildly.
I-I can stay in a place this nice...?
There was a kind guard who didn't throw punches the moment he saw a half-demon, and the facilities were the best dormitory in the academy.
A zone where a commoner like Marie wouldn't even be allowed to set foot. She had been invited to live there together.
B-But... I promised Sharon I'd become Char's friend... this would make us employer and servant...
Marie recalled her promise with Sharon and prepared to refuse—until she heard the rest of Charlotte's words while she was still hesitating.
"Of course I'm not saying I'll work you like a maid! It's just... living alone in a strange place for the first time feels so lonely! When I get bored there's no big brother to bully— I mean, play with."
"I-Is that so..."
"Yep! So I came up with this method because I wanted to be roommates with Marie, the first friend I made at the academy. Doesn't it sound good to you too?"
"W-Well..."
Charlotte's intentions were pure goodwill. For Marie, who had nowhere to go, the offer was a lifeline dropped from heaven. Yet her worries did not stop.
I-I've already incurred so many debts to Char... I can't rely on her any more than this...
Marie remembered her previous life's parents, who had been saddled with enormous debt from a guarantee. After that she found it hard to trust people easily. She grew especially wary of such reasonless kindness. Of course the shop owner had helped her a great deal too, but that was within a level Marie could repay in the future.
C-Char's offer is too heavy...
Providing such luxurious lodging felt overwhelmingly burdensome. Just as Marie was about to gently refuse—
"Salary one gold, meals provided, overtime on holidays compensated with paid leave."
"I-I'll take it!"
The progressive working conditions, unbelievable for a monarchical nation, made acceptance tumble out of her mouth on its own.
"Then I'll be counting on you from now on, Marie?"
"Y-Yes... I-I'll work hard..."
Charlotte showed Marie to an empty room. There was a small fuss when Marie insisted on buying and using her own bedding instead of the blankets the maids brought, but citing dormitory regulations quickly settled it.
"Zzzz..."
Pressing an ear to the door confirmed Marie was already asleep.
"Hmm..."
Charlotte entered her own room and gazed at the moon hanging in the sky, lost in thought.
"Haa..."
She sighed, then placed a hand on the wall. The key for private conversations was a soundproof barrier—a basic magitech device installed in every royal room.
At that moment, beyond the wall, Marie—adrift in sleep—frowned slightly. She sensed an unfamiliar ripple of mana. But her body, exhausted from the entire day, sank back into sleep before it could grasp the sense of wrongness.
Preparations complete, Charlotte spoke into empty air.
"Sylphy, was what you said earlier really true?"
A transparent form gradually grew distinct in the air until a light-green-winged eagle appeared.
"It is true. The wind does not speak falsehoods."
"Haa..."
Hearing the words of the wind spirit Sylphy, her sigh deepened further. Charlotte had already known the moment Marie was driven from the dormitory.
It wasn't that she was obsessively stalking Marie; Sylphy had simply informed her after sensing that someone her contractor cherished was in trouble.
While searching for Marie, Charlotte had pondered a way to give her a room. Because she handled spirits she had brought no attendants, leaving that position vacant.
Marie insisted it was camping so I played along and pretended to be fooled... but I already knew she'd been kicked out and was shivering. No need to wound her pride by calling her out on it, right?
Charlotte had knowingly accepted the excuse Marie had desperately invented.
Anyway... I managed to get her to stay in my room under the pretext of being my attendant... but that doesn't erase the humiliation Marie suffered...
Charlotte also knew who Marie's roommate was. And she knew exactly why that girl hated half-demons so fiercely.
House Belus nearly went extinct during the Great Invasion... but that was thirty years ago! That second daughter wasn't even born yet!
Charlotte's eyes turned chilling.
"Baron Belus, huh... should I just wipe them out?"
"...Contractor, do not forget that you will soon be an adult. It is time to leave behind the recklessness of childhood—"
"Ugh, you old fogey! My head's already complicated enough without the lectures!"
"..."
At Charlotte's blunt rebuke, Sylphy pretended to preen its feathers and looked away. Just as she was about to sink back into thought, flames flickered beside her and a massive lizard appeared.
"Contractor! Are you planning to cause another incident by shielding one who carries demon blood!"
"Hah? Salamander, watch your mouth. Marie is a half-demon, you know."
"Hmph, I cannot understand why you coddle that half-demon wench so!"
"Because she's cute?"
"...House Belus stood on the very front lines against the demons during the Great Invasion! To abandon them for the sake of some half-demon girl you fancy is unbelievable!"
"I know... that's why I'm only thinking about it right now..."
"Then immediately cast that girl of foul blood out of my room and bring fresh mana—"
"Salamander, return to the spirit realm."
She dismissed the fire spirit that kept spouting irritating remarks. Charlotte then turned to Sylphy, who—despite a somewhat lecturing streak—always provided answers close to the truth.
"Sylphy, what do you think?"
"The lizard's words were somewhat rough, yet they are understandable—"
"Even you, Sylphy!"
"...Do not interrupt. However, directing hatred at that half-demon girl by dredging up responsibility for the Great Invasion is an action that does not accord with balance."
"Then I'll just take care of Baron Belus!"
"The contractor intervening is likewise an action that does not accord with balance."
"Why! Marie is just one powerless student! Do you think she can endure if a noble sets out to torment her?"
"I did not mean you should ignore the bullying either. When she faces injustice, you may become her shield. But do not intervene beyond that. For the sake of your elder brother's remaining hair, stay still. I know not why it dwindles every time I see him..."
"...I get it. This is between Marie and Belus, so don't interfere? And don't cause more incidents."
"That is correct."
Charlotte rose and approached the windowsill. She glared straight into the eagle's sharp eyes.
"But you know, Sylphy. Starting this year the academy rules added a clause: anyone who continues meaningless discrimination against half-demons after they began accepting them will face suspension or equivalent disciplinary action. So if this keeps going, I can step in a little from my side and teach them a lesson, right?"
"Is it a student's place to administer punishments according to the school rules?"
"They openly defied Father's decree that ordered the school rules created? How insolent. That's lèse-majesté."
"...Contractor."
Slightly unnerved by Charlotte's determination to thoroughly destroy House Belus, Sylphy spoke quietly.
"You do not know that half-demon girl well."
"W-What do you mean! Marie and I are super close! Even if we only met less than a month ago and I don't know her birthday or favorite dessert yet—"
"Cease the excuses and focus on my words."
"Fine..."
"As I sense it..."
Sylphy's eyes turned toward Marie beyond the wall.
"No mere academy student's petty schemes will ever bring that girl to her knees."
"Right? Marie is the top student, after all. She's going to be a talent of the kingdom someday, so you can't treat her carelessly."
"That is not what I mean. That child is..."
"Marie is?"
"I can say no more. It does not accord with balance."
"...?"
Charlotte snatched the leg of Sylphy, who was about to fly off casually after leaving those meaningful words.
"L-Let go, contractor!"
"You old fogey bird!! Spit it out to the end!!"
Unfortunately, even under Charlotte's rough handling, Sylphy refused to open its beak.
"Argh, seriously!!"
Thus Charlotte spent the late night in serious contemplation of the usefulness of spirits.
