The Demon
The military academy in the royal capital.
As the war against the Demon King's Army intensified, every nation was pouring everything it had into raising exceptional officers.
I had once taken a post as an instructor there, just to make some money. I'd never taught anyone besides Reyna, if I was being honest, but I applied anyway — the thought of helping the heroes of the future was enough.
At first I was only helping the newly enrolled students settle in, and strangely enough, every last one of them was already quite skilled. As if they had prepared before they even walked through the gates.
The truth was this: as battles against the Demon King's Army grew more frequent, opportunities to earn military merit paradoxically multiplied. People who had been preparing themselves, hunting for a chance to rise in the world, had enrolled at the academy. Every one of them was desperate to graduate with outstanding marks.
But even among them, one girl stood out.
Her name was Amelia.
Those eyes...
The ambition burning in her gaze was just like looking at Reyna. She's just like her.
On top of that, she was outstanding in every field. I'd heard she was already famous even before she entered the academy — a young lady from a prestigious Count's house, raised on expensive elite education, called a genius since she was a child. Every instructor praised her as an exceptional student, and they weren't wrong. Perhaps because of that, she was the most popular girl in the school, with a swarm of kids who idolized her.
But she had an incredibly arrogant personality. Amelia always led around a clique of high-achievers, and she would look down on anyone whose abilities fell short. She judged people strictly by talent and sorted them into ranks.
When she found out I came from a fallen noble house, she started looking down on me and playing rude little pranks.
"Teacher."
"Hm?"
"I heard you trained mainly in defensive arts. Is that true?"
"That's right."
"Why?"
"Well... there are people I want to protect."
Back then I was still in the thick of building up my defensive skills, so that one day I could protect them.
"Pfft. What, you're just scared of actually fighting, aren't you?"
"What I'm afraid of is losing the people I care about. If I can stop that from happening, I don't care if my body gets broken."
"Hmph... That's a pretty convincing excuse."
Amelia was always hovering around, needling me.
Then came one particular class, out on the outdoor training grounds. I was teaching the students about defensive skills, and of course Amelia started picking a fight.
"Can this kind of defensive skill even actually stop an attack?"
She commandeered the mood of the class as she pleased.
"The other kids say they want to see it in a real fight."
The look on her face said she wanted to put me through the wringer.
"Show us once. I want to see. The other students want to see too, don't they?"
She started inciting the others, backing me into a corner. Worn down by her persistence, I had no choice but to demonstrate it myself.
"Fine. Attack me with that wooden sword."
But Amelia drew a live blade with a ringing shing.
"Surely you didn't become a teacher with skills that can't even stop a student's attack?"
"W-wait! That's dangerous!"
She unleashed a barrage of fast, powerful strikes. But they were stopped cold — a sharp clang rang out as my defensive skill caught her without the slightest effort.
The students were all astonished.
"Whoa... she didn't even come close."
"No matter how good Amelia is, I guess she's no match for the teacher."
Hearing that, Amelia suddenly started attacking even more fiercely.
"Tsk...! Cheap tricks."
"Wait... calm down!"
A clang. Then another. She poured on the attacks with mounting ferocity, and that was when I felt it — something strange.
What is this feeling?
Furious, Amelia was starting to go more and more berserk. Her mana is amplifying. This... doesn't feel like human power.
A suspicious current of mana was rising off her. Even her pupils were starting to look like something other than human.
......?
And on her hip, glimpsed for a moment, there was a highly suspicious tattoo.
That's...
When her rampage grew too severe, I had no choice. I shoved her back hard with my shield and knocked her down with a heavy bang.
"Kyaah—!"
Only then did she seem to come back to her senses. And sensing her friends' eyes on her, she started teasing me for no reason at all, clutching her rumpled short skirt.
"You just became a teacher because you wanted to look at schoolgirls, didn't you? Be honest."
"N-no, that's not—! What are you even saying!?"
"Hmph!"
The sudden incident was finally over, but I couldn't stop worrying about her condition.
This feeling... I'm sure of it...
That night, in a lavish mansion, in Amelia's bedchamber.
Amelia, looking nothing like her usual self, was staring at a piece of paper with a gloomy expression. As the young lady of a splendid Count's house she had an extravagantly luxurious room, and yet her face was somehow full of worry and melancholy.
Then Amelia's mother, Isabelle, burst through the door. She snatched the paper Amelia had been looking at with a sharp whoosh.
"Your report card came!? Why didn't you tell me!?"
"......"
Overall Standing: Near the top of the class
Isabelle scanned the report card with a venomous look.
"Almost all first place, but a few are second!? Second!? Why can you only manage second!?"
Amelia, thoroughly cowed, answered in a weak voice.
"I'm sorry..."
But Isabelle only grew angrier.
"You don't want to be first so you're not even trying!?"
"That's not it..."
"Then why can't you take first!? Think about how much I've done for you all this time!"
"I'm sorry..."
"How many times have I told you that you have to graduate at the top of your class for our family's sake!?"
Isabelle kept scolding her with a look of madness in her eyes.
"What is it that you're lacking!? I've given you everything! I really can't live like this — I'm so upset!!"
"......"
Even the usually lively Amelia just hung her head, tears welling in her eyes.
"You weren't like this before. You've been called number one since you were little! Why are you like this. Do you want to watch your mother die of heartbreak!? Do you want to watch our family go completely under!?"
Amelia's childhood talent had come back around as the blade of a curse.
Amelia had been born with outstanding swordsmanship and mana, and from a young age the family had placed enormous expectations on her. She had been showered with love by her father, the head of the house, and praise from everyone around her had been a daily occurrence.
But when her father poured everything into earning military merit, lost the battle against the Demon King's Army, and died, everything started to go wrong. The overspending of Isabelle and the rest of the family never stopped; if anything, they refused to cut back out of aristocratic pride. The house began to decline, and everyone started pinning their hopes on Amelia. She was ten years old.
As the family declined, Isabelle was terrified of losing the luxurious life she had.
No... I can't...!!
So she latched onto Amelia, who at least showed some prospect of rising in the world, and poured everything she had into her. For ten years, Amelia had to endure training that was indistinguishable from abuse. Because she had to become the best — for their sake.
Isabelle in particular began to obsess over her daughter pathologically. She didn't hesitate at any harsh discipline if it was for the sake of training. Thanks to that, Amelia entered the academy with outstanding grades... but her character had been warped.
She classified everyone she met by ability and treated them accordingly, to the point of wondering why people without talent even needed to exist.
Hmph. Why even live with that kind of ability? A miserable life. A truly worthless existence.
But meeting Dale, in particular, started raising questions she couldn't quite put away.
That teacher — his family is falling apart, so why is he so at ease!?
Dale believed that sacrificing for the people he cared about was a happier thing than anything he possessed himself. That side of him only made Amelia angrier.
But... her true feelings were in turmoil. She didn't clearly recognize it herself, but a feeling of envy had begun to take root. She always hid the pressure tightening around her throat and tried to live a perfect life, but the pain never went away.
I want to give up everything and be free...
She thought it, however briefly. But Isabelle would never leave her alone.
"Ordinary training isn't going to cut it. We'll have to use some unorthodox methods."
Through dark channels, Isabelle was able to meet a very dangerous demon. The demon she met was none other than Evelyn, a female executive of the Demon King's Army.
"I heard you can make humans even stronger. I'll do anything in exchange."
Evelyn smiled at Isabelle's words.
"Anything?"
"Yes. If it's money, as much as you want."
"Money? I don't need that. I need the power of life."
"The power of life...?"
"Well, simply put, something like lifespan."
"......"
Isabelle hesitated for a moment... but the woman who could never give up her luxurious life answered her.
"I don't care. If you can make our Amelia strong, I'll do anything."
"Hmmm? Not yourself?"
"That's right. If my daughter Amelia becomes strong, she'll be able to achieve great success."
Evelyn looked as if she didn't understand.
"If it's that good... why don't you do it yourself?"
Isabelle, flustered by the question, stumbled over her words.
"Th-that's...! It's all for my daughter! Yes, because I love her. Because I love my daughter."
"Hmmm..."
Evelyn seemed intrigued.