– Mawang-nim! I missed you!
– Mawang-nim, come on, say “ah~!”
– Doesn’t it sound fun to act?
– I’m so happy, Mawang-nim!
“Mawang-nim, what are you thinking so deeply about?”
At Tyrus’s heavy voice, Arbes gently opened her red eyes.
What came into view was her gloomy castle. It was decorated with everything that reflected her taste, but for some reason, she felt no emotion at all.
“…..I don’t like it.”
Arbes muttered while tapping the throne with a finger.
She had no idea how long it had been since she parted ways with Hera.
At this moment, she regretted it deeply.
‘Why did I come back…’
Thinking back, she hadn’t decided anything about when or where to meet.
She should have made sure to come back with those details.
Because of this, Arbes, who was waiting indefinitely, couldn’t erase Hera’s voice that kept ringing in her head.
“When in the world will you come back… my patience is not long.”
“…Did I hear wrong?”
Tyrus’s voice came out filled with confusion, as if he did not understand Arbes’s words.
“You said you’d definitely come next time. It’s been a while and still no word?”
“…Yes? Are you talking about that woman?”
“Do I have to burn this entire world before she’ll come running to me?”
That’s right. She had been complacent.
She was the Demon King. A predator who dominates and reigns over all beings.
If she called someone over, they should just come.
The very idea of waiting for someone in the first place was absurd, wasn’t it?
‘I had shown mercy, yet it only brings forth anger.’
Just as Arbes was about to storm off.
“Mawang-nim… I am deeply sorry, but… it’s only been a day since you and that woman parted.”
“…..”
Upon hearing Tyrus’s words, the Demon King froze in place.
Then, with wide-open eyes, she looked at Tyrus and asked.
“A day? Not even a day has passed?”
“Yes… you returned last night, didn’t you?”
Though it felt like a week had passed.
The fact that it hadn’t even been a day left Arbes speechless.
“…I suppose I should wait until this week.”
Sitting back down on her throne, the Demon King quietly said with a fierce gaze.
“If she doesn’t come to see me by the end of this week… she’d better prepare herself.”
*
The bustling streets of the empire.
I was strolling alone through the lively streets, having temporarily pushed them away.
To be precise, I was not alone, but…
“YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING ME THIS WHOLE TIME?!”
As I screamed in the middle of the street, people around started to look at me one by one.
Embarrassment hit me late as my face turned red, and I tightened my cloak to hide my face.
[Yeah, I was a bit disappointed… If you’d gone a little further, I could have seen your wailing face… Ahem, no, I mean, that’s not it.]
Though my teacher’s words sounded quite suspicious, something far more concerning took precedence in my mind.
‘Why didn’t you help me!! I was in such a terrible situation back then…!’
[You didn’t seem to be in any danger… it was just about offering yourself to the Demon King, right?]
‘Th-That’s the exact situation!!’
I felt incredulous at my teacher’s nonchalant remarks.
I took a deep breath to calm my upset feelings and thought again.
‘The opponent is the Demon King! If I made even the slightest mistake, my head would have rolled!’
[Hahaha, worry is just your nature, my disciple. Don’t worry. No matter what you did back then, the Demon King couldn’t have killed you.]
‘How do you know that?’
[Just looking at it proves it.]
My teacher paused for a moment before continuing.
[The Demon King has already fallen hard for you. She would never think of harming you.]
‘…Huh? How do you know that, Teacher?’
When I asked, my teacher chuckled softly and quickly replied.
[Disciple, I’m a gumiho. The difference between a doe-eyed lover and a non-loving gaze is clear. No matter how much of a Demon King she is, she can’t hide that.]
‘Huh…?’
[She tried as hard as she could to hide it, but she’s completely captivated by you. Just like my disciple, you’re undeniably enchanted.]
‘Is that… really true? Or is it just your imagination, Teacher?’
[What do you mean by that!? Have you ever seen me lie to you?!]
‘Umm… well, not really…’
Still, it felt hard to believe.
I had just spent time with the Demon King for the first time, and she had already fallen for me?
Hmm.
When she told me to undress and suggested that… it didn’t seem like she had no feelings at all.
…Well.
I guess it doesn’t matter for now.
I wasn’t planning to enchant her any further anyway.
My daughter, Mari, my sister Lily, and Athena, all of them hated the idea. I had no will to continue.
Now, I needed to find a solution through calm and logical persuasion.
Talking to her, she didn’t really feel like that ruthless tyrant from the novels, so there was a chance.
[My disciple…]
‘Huh?’
At my teacher’s sudden call, I tilted my head, sensing a note of concern in her voice.
[I don’t really want to meddle, but… would it be a good idea to check on those kids at the academy? If left like this, the future is frightening.]
‘The academy?’
The academy…?
My teacher’s words stirred thoughts I had buried deep within me back to the surface.
“Ah..! Oh.. the Academi!!”
I hadn’t attended for nearly days.
I hoped that was okay…?
*
“…..You’re dropping out?”
The small fairy with green hair, Darkhan, scrunched her face as she spoke.
“Yes.”
After many thoughts crossed my mind.
To put it simply, I decided to end my fun life at the academy.
With Lily coming, there was really no need to stay any longer, and I felt like I wouldn’t be able to continue attending.
Now, it was time to devote myself solely to the Demon King.
In fact, being spotted by the Demon King while in the academy was a bigger risk.
“You’ve been absent without notice… and then you suddenly drop this bomb. Are you saying you didn’t enjoy your time at the academy?”
Darkhan fluttered above my hand, looking at me with the expression of a drenched puppy.
“Did someone bully you? Which teacher do you dislike? I’ll resolve it for you, just say the word.”
Her voice, filled with emotion, perplexed me.
Why was she getting so worked up?
“Ah… no, that’s not it… It’s just that I think I won’t be able to continue anymore. The situation just won’t allow it.”
“…Can you reconsider?”
Her earnest gaze weighed heavily on my heart, but I tightly closed my eyes and replied.
“I’m sorry, Isajang-nim… I’ll come back when I have the time.”
“….Hmph.”
Darkhan’s face held much disappointment, but soon she wiped away the sadness and looked at me.
“I don’t know what you’re planning, but I’ll support you. Just please don’t get hurt.”
“…Isajang-nim.”
“You’re not planning to do anything bad, right?”
Her comforting words filled with warmth made my heart swell.
The truth is, I hadn’t been able to help her at all… yet, she still treated me so kindly.
It’s understandable not to anticipate that the Demon King would barge in, but the sight of the academy being devastated made me feel immense guilt.
“I’m… I’m sorry… I promised to protect the academy, but I couldn’t help at all…”
I spoke to her, carrying the heavy weight of regret in my heart.
But Darkhan just flew in front of my face and stared at me seriously.
“Hera. I saw it all. You saved me from the Demon King, right? You also sent the Demon King back to her realm.”
“But so many students got hurt…”
“That’s not your fault. Why are you feeling guilty?”
To dissuade my bad thoughts, Darkhan poked my forehead with her little hand.
“Hera, you truly saved us. That’s an undeniable fact.”
“Isajang-nim….”
“As the representative of the academy, I want to thank you. If you need help, just let me know. I’ll repay you with my life.”
She bowed her head in acknowledgment and looked at me with sincerity in her eyes.
Her overwhelming words made it impossible not to smile.
“Then… could you do me one favor, Isajang-nim?”
Darkhan stared at me with wide eyes.
“Of course! Just tell me!”
I pulled out two carefully kept letters and placed them on Darkhan’s desk.
Darkhan flew to the desk and peered at the letters with a puzzled expression.
“What are these?”
“They’re letters. Could you deliver them to Iris and Ariel?”
“Huh? Wouldn’t it be better to deliver them yourself?”
“…No, Isajang-nim, please deliver them.”
It might be mean to exclude them, but I wanted to keep Iris and Ariel out of my plans.
It wasn’t that I disliked them or anything.
It was all about their growth.
Unlike Lily, who had already far surpassed the original story, they remained at the beginning of the tale.
Although this world cannot be completely compared to the original, they would still be insufficient to face the Demon King and her generals.
Unlike Athena, Mari, and Lily, who each possess overwhelming strength, Iris and Ariel had yet to fully bloom.
I didn’t want to see their growth stunted due to unnecessary involvement in my affairs.
I hoped Iris would understand my letters.
I had made a promise to come back after everything wrapped up, so there was no need for too much worry.
“Uh… if that’s what you want.”
Darkhan looked bewildered as she magically moved the letters to a corner.
Then she flew back to my face and
“I’ll always support you. Don’t worry, I’ll take great care of the academy students.”
Her warm heart almost brought tears to my eyes.
I smiled broadly at her, feeling filled with deep emotion.
“Yes! I’ll come back successful…!”
And thus, after Hera left the academy, Darkhan diligently vowed to raise her students well.
On the day a student named Sera dropped out, she received another three drop-out applications. It is said she didn’t emerge from her office for a while due to her overwhelming sadness.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.