Chapter 23: Demon King’s Training Method (1)

That night.

“Wha aye ya shubbenly wulling my chweegs wike this?’ (Why are you suddenly pulling my cheeks like this?)”

Mana found herself receiving a peculiar punishment, her cheeks stretched by Sion who had stormed into the principal’s office. She had no idea why she was doing this.

On the other hand, Sion wore a very serious expression.

“Mana, strictly speaking, I know this isn’t really your fault. I know, but…”

“Wuh? (But?)”

“I’m still so angry!!!”

Squeeeeze.

Sion pulled on Mana’s cheeks even harder.

“Ow, ow,” she groaned.

“Ahhh, that hurts. Please stop.”

“…Phew, fine.”

With a snap, Sion released her grip.

With a springy sound, Mana’s cheeks returned to their original position, now reddened and swollen where Sion had pinched her.

She rubbed her cheek with her right hand and asked.

“So, what’s this all about? Did something happen that upset you?”

“It’s not so much that I’m upset… No, let’s just say I am upset. Anyway, it’s definitely something that bothers me.”

Sion dropped herself onto a nearby sofa.

“It seems like you’ve documented and published every single thing that happened over our three-year journey. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“…Isn’t it a bit too detailed and precise? You could have omitted or altered certain parts.”

“? Isn’t it good to be thorough?”

“No, it’s just that…”

Sion massaged her temples. How should she even begin to explain this?

“You recorded everything in such detail that two girls I’ve never even met know every little thing about my past actions.

It was enough to make my skin crawl, knowing that every trivial remark has been passed down for 500 years.”

“So what? Isn’t it nice to be remembered by many people, even after such a long time?”

“There should be a limit to it.”

Sion crossed her arms behind her head.

“What’s more, those girls were fantasizing as if I were romantically involved with every party member! They were going on about things like Sien X Exia and Sien X Lier… Ugh, just thinking about it again makes my head spin.”

“…”

For a moment, Mana swallowed nervously.

It was a very brief, almost imperceptible disturbance. So fleeting that even Sion failed to notice it, and she quickly composed herself again.

Clearing her throat softly, Mana spoke.

“Indeed, such things do happen. But we can’t exactly stop them forcefully, right? Human desire is endless. Even if you try to suppress it, they’ll just create similar things in secret.”

“…Yes, I do know that… I know, but still…”

Sion sighed deeply.

“If I had known it would come to this, I should have forced you all to become demons and initiated world conquest. Then this wouldn’t have happened.”

“What a horrible thought.”

Mana chuckled softly. Then, as if trying to change the subject, she shifted her gaze slightly and asked.

“So, how’s life at the academy? Are you finding it enjoyable?”

“Ha, don’t even get me started.”

Sion shook her head in exasperation.

“The lessons are mostly things I already know, and their level is absurdly low. Considering these classes are designed for 15-year-olds, that’s to be expected.

Even if I wanted to broaden my social circle, the topics that interest kids my age are completely beyond me.

To be honest, just enduring this place feels like torture. The thought of being stuck here for three years is dreadful.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“If I base my judgment solely on my experiences so far, yes.”

Sion leaned against the armrest of the sofa, resting her chin on her hand.

“The only thing that feels even remotely worthwhile is the swordsmanship class. There’s a promising student, so I’ve been spending my time guiding him. For some reason, the swordsmanship instructor doesn’t interfere with me much.”

“Hmm…”

Mana fidgeted with her fingers, lost in thought.

The reason she had brought Sion to the academy was quite simple. She believed that the minor human relationships one could build at school were precisely what she needed the most.

Sion, who valued relationships with others more than anyone else, would naturally find this important.

If there was a mistake in the plan, it might have been not considering the difference in mental age.

To Sion, her current classmates would appear like mere nephews or nieces, making it difficult for her to open up and become close.

‘Even though Sion has a childlike side, once she starts mingling, she can enjoy herself…’

Maybe it’s just her pride that’s making it hard right now. This might get better with time.

The real issue seemed to be with the classes…

“…Hmm…”

After pondering for a moment, Mana looked at Sion and spoke.

“As for the classes, I might have a way to help. Want to hear it?”

“Hmm? Help me, you say? How?”

“It’s simple. I’ll help you minimize the time you’re wasting.

The basic courses can’t be skipped, but you can replace elective courses with something called ‘optional tasks.’”

“Optional tasks…?”

Was there such a thing?

“That’s a term I’ve never heard before. What kind of system is that?”

“It’s simple. If you successfully complete a school-mediated request and submit a report on it, you’ll earn credits for it.

Remember the quests from the Hunter Guild? It’s a similar system.”

“Oh…”

Sion’s eyes widened with interest.

She knew about quests — a system where the guild commissions individuals to undertake tasks like regional investigations or procuring rare biological materials that are hard to find.

She hadn’t expected a similar system to exist here.

“It sounds interesting, but why does the school have such a system? Is it a consideration for those like me who find the classes unengaging?”

“That’s part of it, but… it’s mainly a system to help students who find it difficult to earn a living.”

“You mean commoners?”

“Yes.”

Mana nodded.

As mentioned before, Anatolia allows both nobles and commoners to enroll, ensuring equal educational opportunities for all.

However, this is easier said than done. Just having the door open doesn’t mean everyone can walk through.

Since Anatolia is a school, it has to pay salaries to its teachers and staff, maintain facilities, and purchase teaching materials. And obviously, this money doesn’t just fall from the sky. While there are donations, most of the funds come from the students’ pockets.

In other words, tuition fees — and given that this is a school attended mainly by nobles, these fees are, of course, exorbitant. They are not sums that commoners can easily afford.

Even if they somehow manage to scrape together the lump sum needed for tuition, living expenses come next.

The cost of living in the city of Anatolia is exceptionally high.

This is naturally due to the fact that it is packed with the children of high-ranking noble families. Unless one is a dryad who can survive through photosynthesis alone, one has to invest a certain amount of money in food, clothing, and shelter.

And when you add these living expenses to the tuition fees, it becomes a cost that is difficult to bear for anyone who is not wealthy.

“I’ve been aware of this issue for a long time. But since I’m not running a charity, I can’t just hand out unconditional support to the poor kids.

So, I’ve been constantly looking for alternative solutions. For example, awarding scholarships to high-achieving students.

And one of the ideas I came up with was the ‘optional tasks’ system.”

Optional tasks — a system where students earn credits by successfully completing school-assigned missions and submitting a report.

The key point of this system is that, because there’s a client, money is paid separately. In other words, for the students, this is like a “part-time job that gives credits.”

Getting credit while also earning money for living expenses was a win-win choice. Anyone struggling financially wouldn’t have a reason to refuse.

“Of course, there are risks involved. As these are official requests, we can’t guarantee 100% safety. Depending on the request, there’s even the possibility of losing your life. And if you fail, all the time you invested would be wasted.

But for you, Sion, that shouldn’t be much of a concern, right?”

“That’s right.”

Sion nodded.

If there was something that could threaten the Demon King himself, it wouldn’t be a simple request but a global catastrophe. No ordinary student could handle that.

“It’s good to know there’s such a system. If I can reduce the number of elective courses, that means less time wasted on boredom. And if I donate the rewards to some orphanage, it will also help with my public image.”

“Public image… I didn’t think you’d care about something like that. That’s surprising.”

“I can’t tarnish the name of the Hero, can I?”

Sion smiled brightly.

“So, what sort of optional tasks are available? Could you recommend any? Preferably something with low rewards but high difficulty, to project an image of leading by example.”

“Hmm, there aren’t many that fit that description…”

Mana rummaged through a stack of documents piled nearby. Then she found something and let out a small “Ah.”

“…Actually, there is one. Surprisingly.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

Mana nodded and muttered quietly as she looked down at the document.

“Maybe, just maybe, this is something only you could handle.”

The Twilight Unicorn, Jian-Buun, had his pride.

Most unicorns fixate on physical virginity. As long as the woman approaching them hasn’t had relations with another man, they willingly surrender both body and soul.

Some even accept that a certain kind of intimacy doesn’t count as losing virginity, adopting a compromising attitude. How ridiculous.

Jian-Buun, however, was different from such trash. He was a Twilight Unicorn, considered the noblest and most mysterious among unicorns.

Naturally, his master had to be an entirely pure and untainted maiden.

“Easy there… Calm down and take this carrot.”

Thump!!!

“Ahhhhhhh!!!”

The short-haired girl who had approached him was kicked back with a single strike of his hoof.

Although she suffered no physical injury thanks to her protective magic, her pride was undeniably shattered.

“W-Why…? Aren’t unicorns supposed to be gentle with virgins?

I swear, I’ve never been with another man…?”

The girl cried out, filled with frustration and resentment.

To her desperate plea, Jian-Buun snorted in disdain.

“Neigh (Mind).”

If she had only one person in her heart, and it was assumed that she still loved them, Jian-Buun could have granted some leniency.

But two? If she had already switched to liking someone else, that was no different from being corrupted.

In other words, she was a spiritual non-virgin, and therefore, she was disqualified in spirit.

Watching from the side, a long-haired girl chuckled.

“Isn’t it because you switched from being a fan of Senior Elias to Senior Martin? Even I was baffled when I saw that.”

“What?! No way! But that has nothing to do with virginity, does it?!”

“Who knows? Maybe this guy is just that picky.”

The long-haired girl shrugged with a laugh.

“In that case, I have nothing to worry about. I’ve been devoted to Senior Elias with all my heart all this time!

Unlike someone who changes their favorites like a migratory bird!”

“Ugh…”

The short-haired girl bit her lip in frustration.

The long-haired girl, confident and smiling, stepped forward.

“Stay back and watch, okay? I’ll be the first to conquer this impregnable sacred beast—”

Thump!!!

“Aghhhh!?!”

With another swift kick, the long-haired girl, too, was sent flying far, far away.

Jian-Buun spoke in a solemn tone.

“Neigh. (Purity.)”

Indeed, the girl in front of him had only ever loved one person in her life. There was no lie in that fact.

But while there was no lie, she had indulged in far too many dirty and vulgar fantasies about that one person.

Unacceptable. A true maiden should also seek love in a pure manner.

If a woman is at the point of imagining the pleasures of being a woman, then sooner or later, she is destined to become a non-virgin in spirit.

Thus, she fails the purity test.

The short-haired girl, who had been sprawled on the ground nearby, scoffed at the scene.

“What’s this? You’re not any different, are you? Acting all confident, but it’s pathetic~”

“S-Shut up! At least I didn’t get knocked out on the first try!”

“That’s only because you went first! Besides, you flew further than I did!”

“What does distance have to do with anything? For your information, your shield broke more than mine!”

“That just means it absorbed more impact! How stupid can you be!”

“What nonsense! Your magic skills are just subpar!”

The two continued bickering, claiming they were better than each other even though their situations were more or less the same.

Just as they were about to grab each other’s hair and start fighting—

“Excuse me, may I pass through?”

?!

At the sound of a clear, refined voice, the two girls hastily released their grip and stepped back.

A striking silver-haired figure stood before them, someone unforgettable after a single glance. Flawless, ivory-white skin, and a graceful presence that emanated even with the slightest movement.

There was no doubt. It was the Hero, Sion.

“H-Hero…? Why are you here in such a humble place…?”

“Oh, why do you ask? It’s for much the same reason as you, of course.”

“The same reason as us?”

“Yes.”

Sion answered while glancing toward the stables.

There, tied up, was the Twilight Unicorn, nearly twice as large and imposing as a typical unicorn.

“I heard that the noble sacred beast is practicing abstinence, so I thought I might be of some assistance.

As embarrassing as it is to say, I am quite confident in my own purity.”

Sion placed a hand on her chest and gave a small, slightly shy smile.

It was a genuinely innocent and pure smile.