After concluding my search in the Forbidden Library, I returned to my classes at the Academy for the first time in ages.
I was attending a Magic Theory Class. The instructor at the lectern lectured while sketching intricate diagrams across the chalkboard. Magic Theory was generally a popular subject, but this specific course dealt with such niche material that only a handful of students were in attendance.
I sat in the back of the classroom, silently taking notes—until someone slipped into the empty seat beside me.
Startled, I let my gaze drift toward the newcomer.
"You haven’t been at school for a while. Did something happen-nn?"
Purple eyes framed by deep dark circles stared back at me, her voice carrying that same viscous quality. She seemed to be smiling, but her expression looked more like a facial twitch than a grin.
I bit back a gasp of shock before it could escape.
Demon King Aristia—!?
"What do you want with me?" I hissed under my breath.
"Uhehehe. Is it so wrong to worry about a classmate?"
Ordinarily, having a beautiful girl worry about you would be a dream. And technically, if you looked past the mess, her features were quite well-proportioned. But between the unkempt hair and those haunting dark circles, she didn't give off that vibe at all. She just looked suspicious.
"I just had some personal business to attend to."
"Hmm..."
She leaned in close, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air around me.
"Somehow, I smell the scent of Ancient Magic..."
What kind of scent is that supposed to be?
And more importantly, she was sharp.
"We’re in the middle of a lecture. Be quiet," I said, turning my eyes back to the front.
"You’re so serious-ss."
Aristia flopped her head and arms onto the desk and immediately began doodling in her notebook.
Good grief. She was utterly devoid of motivation.
The teacher continued writing on the board, outlining a theory for efficiently converting magic power into energy under specific conditions. He finished the Third Stage Conversion Formula.
"Fuwaah... If you want, you can use my notebook as a reference."
Aristia slid her notebook toward me.
The blackboard’s theory had been scribbled out in a messy hand, interspersed with cat doodles and speech bubbles everywhere. Setting aside her genius, her handwriting was atrocious.
I was about to look away in annoyance, but my intuition flared, urging me to take a closer look.
As I realized the true nature of what was written in that notebook, a chill ran down my spine.
The idiotic cat doodles and the retorts written in the speech bubbles were actually critiques meant to refine the theory. By a rough estimate, her adjustments would increase the output efficiency by thirty percent.
But that wasn't all.
She had even written out the undiscovered Fourth Stage Conversion Formula...!
As I suspected, her theoretical grasp and instinct for magic were off the charts. She was a being who had reached the pinnacle of magic and now sought to challenge the Providence of the World. A true Demon King.
"Was it helpful-ll?"
"...Yeah."
"I thought you’d understand, Albert-kun. Uhehehe."
She sounded genuinely pleased.
In her day-to-day life, she didn't seem like a Demon King at all.
Once the class ended, I stood up to leave, and Aristia followed suit.
"Where are you going, Albert-kuuun?"
"The cafeteria. See you."
I left her behind and headed for lunch.
Twenty minutes later, while I was eating at a table, someone sat down across from me.
"Mind if I join you-uu?"
It was Aristia again.
"Why are you following me!?"
"Because I want to talk more-ee."
Aristia set a tray with a bowl of stew on the table and settled into the seat opposite mine.
...Well, this wasn't necessarily a bad turn of events. I had a mountain of questions for her. It would have been difficult to discuss sensitive topics in a quiet classroom, but in the noisy, bustling cafeteria, a secret conversation was much easier to hide.
As Aristia began eating her stew, I hit her with a direct question.
"Are you really the current Demon King?"
"Uhehe, seems so-oo."
I still found it hard to believe that this suspicious girl happily shoveling stew into her mouth was such a legendary threat.
"I’ve heard that a Demon King is born to unify with the Ancient Magic they created. Did you manifest the same way? What’s the actual mechanism?"
"The 'me' from when I was alive was from a long, long time ago. I don't remember much, but it seems I was definitely a Great Mage."
"I see."
"Then I died of old age. But since I had gotten a bit too close to the 'Truth of Magic,' I guess I earned the right to become magic itself?"
Such a system actually existed?
"Once you’re chosen, you eventually become a Demon King. I was reborn like this just a little while ago."
"I feel like this is incredibly sensitive information. Is it really okay to tell me all this?"
"Eh? Is it bad?"
"I’m the one asking, but come on!"
Since it wasn't a military secret of the Demon King's Army, I suppose it didn't matter. Besides, based on her tone, it didn't sound like Aristia had actually wanted to become a Demon King.
"When you’re resurrected, your intuition for Ancient Magic becomes incredibly sharp. That’s how I noticed there was an interesting boy using Ancient Magic through contracts with past Demon Kings."
Aristia stared intently at me before continuing.
"So, I came to see you."
"And now that you’re here, what do you plan to do? Kill me?"
"No."
She looked a bit bashful as she answered.
"I thought... maybe we could be friends."
For a moment, I was speechless.
Everything she said was so unlike a Demon King. Was she serious? Or was she trying to lower my guard?
"I can't be friends with someone destined to destroy the world."
"Hmm... I’m not really interested in that, though..."
Aristia looked down, stirring her stew with a spoon.
"I don't really intend to go so far as destroying the world just to become Ancient Magic, you know?"
That was unexpected. Given the aggressive personalities of people like Verdict and Shiunin, I had assumed everyone at that level was obsessed with mastering magic at any cost.
"If I destroy the world, I won't be able to eat delicious things anymore."
Aristia took a bite of the stew she had been stirring.
"Mmm, delicious."
"Is it really that good?"
I had eaten the cafeteria stew before; it was decent, but nothing special.
"Uhehe, try some."
She picked up my empty side plate and portioned out a bit of her stew.
"It’s my masterpiece."
A masterpiece? What a strange way to put it. Curious, I took a bite.
...Wh-What is this!?
I hadn't expected much, but the moment the flavors hit my tongue, I knew something was different. The velvety texture of the stew clung to my palate, blooming with a rich, fragrant depth. This wasn't the cafeteria stew I knew. It couldn't be.
Even the temperature was exquisite. A significant amount of time had passed since she’d sat down, yet it was at the perfect level of warmth. Had she discovered a new law of thermodynamics?
The beef she had shared was incredibly tender and juicy. While the Academy used high-quality ingredients for the nobility, the meat had never tasted this flavorful before. It was as if the dish had undergone some kind of awakening.
This is insane. It's too good. Absolutely insane. My vocabulary was failing me.
Seeing my shock, Aristia’s expression softened.
"Uhehe. It’s good, right?"
"...It’s amazing. What did you do?"
"I added the Demon King's Magic Power as a secret ingredient and made a few adjustments."
"Don't waste the Demon King's Magic Power on stuff like that!"
"It’s fine-ee. Food is better when it's delicious, after all."
While her methods were absurd, I had to admit it was a remarkably peaceful use of power.
I felt completely deflated. The tension I’d been carrying just evaporated. She might actually be a pacifist to her core. If she had no intention of destroying the world, perhaps I could simply leave her be.
"What’s wrong? Why the long face?"
"Things are complicated. Unlike you, I have a lot on my mind."
"That sounds tough."
Speaking as if it were someone else's problem, Aristia went back to her stew.
I felt a strange sense of calm wash over me, but it didn't last long.
Aristia stuck by my side even after we left the cafeteria. We were walking down the hallway, making idle conversation, when I felt a sudden, blade-like surge of killing intent from up ahead.
I caught my breath and looked toward the source.
There stood Klaus—no, Verdict—staring us down with a frigid gaze.