"That's cheating. There was no way I could have won."
Uncle Demon King nodded firmly in response to the defeated Minotaur warrior's words.
"I know. I know all too well. But one cannot simply run away. Isn't that right?"
"D-Demon King..."
The one making a scene was the Marquis.
"Hey, isn't that a foul? That has to be a foul!" he shouted, clutching at Uncle Beezel, who was serving as the official witness of the duel.
"No. The agreement was only that the parties involved could not act as the warriors. Aside from that, anything goes, so there is no issue here."
"But still!"
"Marquis. The Demon King appearing personally is actually the peaceful option."
"What?"
"Your plan was this, was it not? You would win the duel, offer an apology afterward, and then quietly bury the incident your son caused while preserving your own standing and face."
"W-Well, yes..."
"The Demon King understands that. He also knows that, for someone in your position, that would have been the most peaceful resolution. The rule about keeping the principals out of the fight was partly to protect your son, but it was also out of consideration for the other side."
"Then—"
"Please understand that, despite knowing your plan, the Demon King had his own reasons for stepping onto the field himself."
"Could it be... would it have been problematic if I won?"
"That is enough of an understanding. You don't need to know anything more. Now, see this duel through to the end. I will ensure things don't go poorly for you."
"...I-I will trust you."
"Leave it to me."
Uncle Demon King achieved a staggering four consecutive victories. He even had the composure to offer advice to the losers. It was surprising—I never knew he was that strong. I mean, I never thought he was someone we could actually beat, but... honestly, he was cool. Sil and Bron, who were standing beside me, were equally captivated. He never showed us that side of himself back in the village.
Then came the match against the fifth opponent. After absorbing every single one of the enemy's attacks, he finished it with a single blow. It was our victory, but the crowd praised Uncle Demon King as if that fact didn't even matter.
The only people not cheering were the three standing next to us. One was the Royal Capital Security Team Captain sent by Uncle Randan.
"We didn't even get a turn," he muttered.
Next was the General sent by Uncle Gratz.
"No matter who stepped out, there was no way we would lose to those opponents... Once I lost the lottery for the turn order, I figured I wouldn't be needed."
The last was Big Sister Hou.
"And here I thought I’d finally get to relieve some stress."
I felt bad since they had gone through the trouble of gathering for us, but I was grateful. "Thank you anyway."
There was one more person—the curly-haired girl we met when we first arrived at the Academy. Before we knew it, she had joined our club and became the final member of our duel team. If she hadn't been there, we might have been forced to forfeit for lacking a fifth member. I was truly thankful for her.
After everything was said and done, the duel ended in our victory. However, before Uncle Beezel could officially declare it, Uncle Demon King took control of the situation.
"I wish to express my gratitude to both parties for providing a venue where I could demonstrate my power. However, wasn't the acting a bit transparent?"
The Marquis responded immediately. "So you saw through it. Hahaha! My deepest apologies. This duel was entirely born of my own selfishness, as I wished to see the Demon King's power for myself."
"Hmph. See that you do not bully the students too much. I shall grant rewards to both sides."
"Ha! It is the height of honor."
The Marquis bowed his head low. Uncle Demon King then looked toward us.
...Ah.
"Thank you very much," we said.
He was talking to us. Once we bowed, the gathering was dismissed. Then, before we even had a moment to breathe, we were marched straight to the Academy Director's Office. There, we were handed graduation certificates dated two days prior.
"As of two days ago, you three have graduated from this Academy. That is how we will proceed."
...Eh?
According to the Academy Director's explanation, it was problematic for us to maintain our status as students. While the duel itself was being glossed over, the fact that it occurred and that the Marquis's side lost was an unalterable reality. The duel was fair, but for mere students to defeat a Marquis would be disastrous. It would disrupt the social order of the Demon Kingdom.
Normally, such a duel wouldn't even be allowed to happen. Even if it did, a reconciliation would be forced before a conclusion was reached. Apparently, the Marquis intended to simply clean up the mess his son made. The Marquis would take a firm stance, we would back down, and then we would receive a "nuisance fee" disguised as a gift to settle the matter. We would technically be the losers, but we would gain the prestige of having stood our ground against a Marquis.
"The Marquis has spent too much time in court intrigue," the Academy Director sighed. "It is reckless to expect newly enrolled students to understand such a complex social dance."
We couldn't help but agree.
"I understand that you could not afford to lose because you represent the name of Village Five, but since your opponent was a Marquis, I wish you had been a bit more cautious."
"Umm..."
"Would it be easier to understand if I put it this way? If you are going to hunt troublesome prey, you must prepare meticulously beforehand."
"Ah, that's much easier to understand."
"At any rate, there were mistakes on both sides. The Marquis was wrong to instigate a duel against you, and you were wrong to accept it. For the sake of the Demon Kingdom's order, you have graduated. This is final."
"...Understood."
"With that settled, I have a proposal. Would you be willing to go along with the story that you were hired as teachers for this Academy starting yesterday?"
"Hoh." [Meaning: What exactly does that imply?]
"The Academy is currently short-staffed. I believe it would be a waste to let go of such excellent talent." [Meaning: I am personally unhappy with the decision to force your graduation. An academy's duty is to protect its students.]
"That's interesting." [Meaning: Wait, so this wasn't the Academy Director's own decision?]
"It would be troublesome if you found it too interesting." [Meaning: These are direct instructions from the Demon Kingdom government, so I cannot refuse them. However, I have found a loophole that allows you to remain at the Academy—by hiring you as teachers.]
"I apologize. If we were to accept that proposal... what exactly should we teach?" [Meaning: Business as usual?]
"I leave that to you. I expect you to bring a fresh wind to this Academy." [Meaning: Just turn your club activities into an actual class. That's more than enough. Also, even as teachers, you are free to attend classes held by other instructors.]
"We will strive to meet your expectations, Academy Director." [Meaning: I can't exactly report home that we were kicked out of school in less than a month... I guess we have to accept. We look forward to working with you.]
And so, we became teachers at the Academy.
"Instructor Gol."
It had a ticklish ring to it. Sil and Bron looked just as embarrassed as I felt. It was going to take some time to get used to this. However, there was one major problem. One of our main goals in coming to the Academy was to find wives. Now that we were teachers, the students were technically off-limits...
What a disaster.
"Is it really that big of a deal?" Sil asked lightheartedly, but I couldn't be so casual about it.
"The Village Head told us. He said that starting a relationship while in a teacher-student dynamic causes all sorts of problems, so we should avoid it."
"I-Is that so? I guess if we're going to propose, we'll have to wait until they graduate."
"Wait, what? Don't tell me you've already found someone?"
"Ah, haha... no, well, I'm just at the stage where I think she's nice. Hey, don't look at me like that! I'm not the only one. Bron has been getting really close to that administrative staff member..."
...
I was the only one lagging behind. I felt a surge of impatience.
"No, no, it's not like things are definitely going to work out for me or Bron yet. Let's just take it slow."
"Y-You're right. By the way, any word from the Academy Director? Did she find Uncle Michael's Shop?"
"She said she needs a little more time. She even whispered to me, asking if it actually exists."
"So it still hasn't been found? That's a shame. I want to send a letter home soon."
"We'll just have to rely on the caravan."
"That way isn't reliable, and it takes forever. They say you have to send at least three copies of the same letter—five if you want to be absolutely sure one arrives..."
"Then we should just send them, right? Are you worried about the cost?"
"I'm not worried about money. We still have plenty of what the Village Head gave us. Besides, we'll be receiving our teaching fees now."
"We really did go from the ones paying to the ones getting paid. Come to think of it, what about our tuition that Instructor Yuri paid for us?"
"It was fully refunded, but we can't spend that. we have to return it to Instructor Yuri properly."
"I know. When do the teaching fees come in again?"
"I heard it's in ten days."
"Then let's send the letters by caravan as soon as we get paid. If Uncle Michael's Shop is found before then, we'll use that instead."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's do that. Alright, let's get back to work on the house."
"Yeah!"
Our activities officially shifted from a club to a class, but the club itself continued to exist. Currently, in addition to our own house, we were rushing the construction of a large bathhouse and an outdoor cooking area.
"By the way, what happened to the negotiation to make the large bathhouse an official Academy facility?"
"Bron said that if every student in the school started using it, it would have to be unimaginably huge. Between the water supply and the fuel costs, he thinks it might be impossible."
"Doesn't that guy seem to have a lot of 'opportunities' to talk to that administrative lady?"
"...Now that you mention it, just who is this person you're interested in?"
"Alright, back to building the house!"
"Don't dodge the question! I want to use it as a reference! Come on!"
"Hahaha! Maybe next time."