School Uniform
After saying goodbye to Bella, who had scooped up the octopus like a prize, we headed for the Academy on our own.
“Three days to get here, three more to forge the sword….”
That made six days total.
Much faster than I’d expected. We had walked at a brisk pace, and Ksael had pushed himself to finish the blade in record time.
“Eleven days until the Academy entrance ceremony….”
Even allowing a generous week for travel, we still had four days to spare.
…What am I supposed to do with these two until then?
Honestly, Bella’s presence had kept things comfortable. Leona and Yong-bagi still felt awkward to be around.
I’m not great with new people, okay?
I kept my expression neutral and pretended to admire the scenery as we walked. Soon a relay station appeared ahead—we had reached a nearby village.
Leona glanced at me. “Shall we take a carriage?”
“Is it necessary? It costs money….”
“I have funds the bishop provided.”
“Let’s take one.”
No matter how tireless my body was, walking nonstop eventually grew boring. In a carriage I could stare blankly at the passing landscape or nap if I felt like it. And if the ride was free, there was no reason to refuse.
When I left the Demon King’s castle I hadn’t brought any money, assuming Bella would handle it.
But Bella isn’t here now, is she?
That left me with no choice but to rely on Leona.
While she headed to the station to negotiate with the driver, I stood awkwardly beside Yong-bagi. The silence felt suffocating to me, yet his face suggested he was perfectly content.
…He really does look brainless.
His expression was that of someone whose head contained nothing but air.
Come to think of it, why was he even traveling with us? I had handled all the fighting, Leona knew the route to Cheonseongro, and Bella had carried the luggage and done the chores.
The only thing Yong-bagi had contributed was outing himself as a dragon-fucker. He had even thrown in the fact that he was a Scott chung for good measure.
A Holy Knight from the Holy Church—the largest religious organization in the world—had followed us all this way just to confess his depraved tastes?
Please tell me that’s a lie.
Actually, maybe he was the scariest one here. The more I thought about it, Yong-bagi seemed even stranger than Bella.
Perhaps sensing my stare, he tilted his head with a visible question mark floating above it.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why are you alive?”
“Pardon?”
“You shouldn’t live like that.”
“What are you suddenly—?”
When I asked what exactly he had done while traveling with us, Rian’s face shifted from confusion to smug confidence.
“I opened the barrier for you, didn’t I?”
“Leona could have done that. She did it the first time.”
“But when we went after the Abyss Star Cult, I was the one who opened it, right?”
“It’s Abyss Star Cult, not Abyss Church.”
As I bickered with Yong-bagi, Leona approached wearing an expression that said she pitied us both.
“Negotiation’s finished. They won’t accept payment. Having two Holy Knights as escorts is more reassuring than anything else, apparently.”
“Ohh.”
People seemed to hold Holy Knights in very high regard.
“However, we’ll be joining a merchant caravan heading to the capital, so the journey will take longer than if we traveled alone.”
“How long?”
“A week to the capital.”
“Perfect.”
The Academy was in the capital, so we would essentially arrive in one week. Besides, merchant caravans always attracted bandits from places like Nokrim, right?
If that happens, I’ll step in and wipe them all out.
The merchants would shower me with admiration and rewards. I might even gain a powerful sponsor.
No more money worries!
With that happy future in mind, I climbed into the carriage.
Exactly one week later we reached the capital. Nothing had happened the entire way.
“What about the green-forest bandits?”
“Pardon?”
“Why didn’t anyone attack us?”
“A merchant group this large always travels with appropriate escorts. Smart bandits don’t risk poking a beehive that size.”
“Now what do I do with the remaining time….”
“Don’t you need to buy a school uniform?”
“Oh, right.”
Yong-bagi’s reminder snapped me out of my thoughts. I had been so focused on reaching the Academy that I’d completely forgotten about the uniform.
Was I actually an idiot?
“Then shall we all go pick out uniforms together?”
“We don’t need them.”
“Why not? You two are enrolling too.”
“Those affiliated with the Holy Church may wear their order’s uniform.”
Where was that rule written? So only I had to spend money on an expensive Academy uniform?
“I don’t have any money.”
“I’ll cover it.”
Leona stepped forward without hesitation, opened the pouch at her waist, and scooped out a generous handful of gold coins. She pressed them into my hands and walked away with cool indifference.
“So cool.”
It felt like watching a rich older cousin appear out of nowhere, hand over a massive allowance, and vanish again.
Yong-bagi waved at me as he hurried after her. “Once you’ve got your uniform, we’ll secure lodging and come find you! If you have time left over, feel free to explore the area!”
“Unbelievable.”
Did they think I was some country bumpkin who had just arrived in the big city? The sheer nerve.
“…….”
Truthfully, they weren’t wrong. I had spent nearly my entire life inside the mansion.
It had been a long time since I’d seen so many towering, magnificent buildings. My body instinctively stiffened.
“…Where am I even supposed to go?”
Those two had left without telling me where to buy the uniform. It was clearly a malicious prank meant to torment me.
Sweating nervously, I wandered aimlessly until I reached a wide plaza. A large fountain stood at its center, surrounded by countless food stalls.
Watching children run and play warmed something inside my chest.
“…Who should I ask?”
I, Regina—though this was my first time in a major city—was a cool, independent girl who could handle herself.
I couldn’t rely on Leona and Yong-bagi for everything, so I resolved to buy the uniform on my own.
After wandering the plaza for a while, I finally spotted two people wearing Academy uniforms.
They must know where to go.
With bold, confident steps I marched forward and blocked their path.
The chatting couple flinched and stared at me.
“…Who are you?”
“You’re Academy students, right?”
“We are, but….”
First conversations with strangers always made me nervous. But I was a martial-arts genius. I had reached a realm where I could consciously suppress even the slightest tremor in my body.
Without showing fear, I continued. “I need to buy a uniform. Where can I purchase an Academy uniform?”
“Ah~ A new student?”
The male student gave a friendly smile, his eyes scanning me up and down like a scanner. His gaze lingered on my face for a moment, then drifted lower and turned unpleasant.
The female student clinging to his arm, however, had her eyes locked on my horns. Her face twisted with clear irritation.
“A demon?”
“Huh? Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Filthy….”
Oh…
After dealing only with soft racists like Leona, encountering a genuine one left me stunned.
It seemed the girl harbored a deep grudge against demons. I couldn’t exactly blame her. The war between humans and demons had ended not long ago, and even that truce had been forced by the common threat of the Outer Gods rather than any genuine reconciliation.
In Dust Saga, plenty of humans and demons still hated and discriminated against each other.
This girl clearly belonged to that group.
The boy, on the other hand, seemed flustered and without any particular prejudice.
“Come on, honey. Even so, saying that to someone you just met is a bit much….”
“Are you taking her side right in front of me?”
“That’s not what I—”
When she glared, the boy floundered for a moment before his expression hardened with resolve. He had chosen his girlfriend’s side.
“You were just ogling my body with those perverted eyes….”
“What?”
“I-I never did anything like that! As expected of a wicked demon—immediately trying to sow discord!”
The boy vehemently denied it, as if he had glimpsed a future in which his girlfriend murdered him, and instead began hurling vicious insults at me.
All of this just because I’m a demon….
I had never experienced curses this harsh before. The venom of these early-twenties youths was far stronger than I’d anticipated.
These bastards…! Should I just wipe them all out? Slaughter them so thoroughly they can never speak again?
But I had to endure. Regina was not a bad person.
Time for a different approach. Objectively speaking, I was beautiful. Extremely, ridiculously, overwhelmingly beautiful.
I had never felt like trying it before, but if I set my mind to seduction, I was confident I could charm anyone—man or woman.
If they hate demons… then I simply need to stop being one, right?
Time to show the adorable charm of a new student.
I cutely hunched my shoulders and tilted my head. At a speed too fast for them to notice, I used Morph to hide my horns, wings, and tail completely.
“A demon? What are you talking about? You must have seen wrong.”
“What…! But you definitely had horns just a second ago!”
“I have no idea what you’re saying~”
Unfortunately it didn’t work on the girl, who had been hostile from the start. She continued raging about how she had clearly seen demonic horns.
But the boy was completely hooked. My secret ultimate technique had worked perfectly; he stared at me with a dazed, captivated expression.
And of course, his girlfriend noticed immediately.
“What the hell are you doing right now?”
“…N-no! Honey! It’s a misunderstanding!”
“What fucking misunderstanding?! You like that demon bitch more than me?”
Whoa.
I definitely shouldn’t stay here any longer. Everyone knew better than to get involved in a lovers’ quarrel.
“I-I don’t know anything~!”
I bolted from the scene. Thanks to my extreme use of stealth techniques, I put a huge distance between us in the blink of an eye.
Yet when I focused magi into my eyes to enhance my vision, I could still see the pair standing there in a stupor, as if possessed.
…I probably shouldn’t go back and ask them again, right?
If I didn’t ask them, I would have to stop a random passerby, and I wasn’t confident I could do that.
Just then, a voice came from behind me.
“Hehehe… Little one. It looks like you’re lost.”
“Hup….”
I turned to see an old man with snowy-white hair and a long beard stroking his chin. I hadn’t sensed any hostility from him.
I had simply assumed he was another ordinary pedestrian and paid him no mind—until he suddenly spoke to me.