Demon King’s Academy

✦ Chapter 3 ✦

「Translator – Creator」

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

*WHOOSH!!!*

A radiant burst of light faded, leaving Rayze and Louis standing in its place.

*Stagger*

Rayze stumbled, losing her balance.

“This place…!”

A strange sensation constricted her entire being, awakening anew the terror deeply etched in her mind.

This was the Land of Chaos.

“Haah!”

Just as she was about to fall to her knees from that overwhelming, pulling sensation—

*Snap*

Louis snapped his fingers.

As the clear, resonant sound echoed in her ears, she miraculously regained her balance, as if the previous moment had been merely an illusion.

“…………..”

It was astounding.

A simple snap of his fingers and he could erase the influence of Chaos.

“Just who do you think I am?”

She blushed, her face flushing crimson at Louis’s question.

‘The Demon King of Chaos.’

She reminded herself that she was standing in the presence of the master of this domain, the very embodiment of Chaos itself.

“Why have you come here?”

She attempted to change the subject.

“You said you needed teachers, did you not?”

He was right.

The teachers who had fallen to Oh Henry, the Elder Lich who served as Terran’s new guard.

That void needed to be filled.

But the problem began long before that.

‘Terran’s teaching staff had been subpar to begin with.’

In the past, Terran had been a prestigious academy, renowned for producing legendary Heroes. Naturally, their teaching staff had been composed of the continent’s most esteemed individuals.

Retired masters of the Red Tower, the revered Knights Commander of the Imperial Knights, the legendary Mercenary King, the Alchemy Grandmaster… Heroes in their own right, they had dedicated themselves to shaping the minds of Terran’s students.

But then…

‘After the Teacher Hunt, Terran’s teaching staff dwindled into mediocrity…’

Following the emergence of the great hero, Kyle, Terran’s reputation had begun to decline.

And a pivotal event that contributed to this downfall was—

— The Terran Teacher Hunt.

The Demon King armies, enraged by the loss of their leaders at the hands of Terran-trained heroes, had retaliated, targeting Terran teachers specifically. Terran had fought back, of course, but the sheer number and stealth of their enemies made it an impossible battle to win.

New teachers would be appointed, only to be assassinated shortly after.

No matter how skilled or renowned, none were spared from the relentless pursuit of the Demon King armies.

This went on for over a decade.

Eventually, those who targeted Terran’s teachers were all hunted down by Heroes produced by Terran, but—

‘No one wanted to become a teacher at Terran anymore.’

As a result, Terran had to struggle desperately to find teachers, forced to accept even the most questionable candidates. And so, in the present day, Terran boasted the worst teaching staff in its long and illustrious history.

As a former student, Rayze knew this all too well.

‘Embezzlement, negligence, discrimination…’

These were people who made daily habits of countless things a teacher should never do.

But the greatest problem of all—

*Clench*

“…there was nothing to learn.”

They did not teach.

They merely pointed.

Do this, do that.

A constant barrage of orders and instructions; they shifted the burden of learning onto the students, providing no guidance, no mentorship.

Heroes are born from the guidance of great teachers.

At least, that’s what Rayze believed.

Which was why,

*Thump Thump.*

…she couldn’t understand why her heart was pounding in her chest.

*Step, Step*

The Demon King was about to choose new teachers, and she found herself feeling a strange mix of anxiety and anticipation. It didn’t make sense.

It was then—

“We’ve arrived.”

Louis’s words pulled Rayze from her thoughts.

Before they knew it, they stood before an enormous iron gate.

Countless dragons, monsters, and Heroes were etched into the black surface, their forms twisted and grotesque.

It was like—

“The Gates of Hell…?”

It evoked the very image of Hell’s entrance itself.

☩

“The Gates of Hell are, regrettably, not within my domain,”

Louis spoke to Rayze as they descended what seemed like an endless stairway.

“I handed them over to Beelzebub long ago.”

“Beelzebub, you mean…?”

The color drained from her face.

Among the ten Demon Kings who exist on the continent,

…among them, including Louis, the Demon King of Chaos, were three who were considered the most powerful, the ‘Three Supreme Seats.’

And Beelzebub was—

“The…Demon King of Death?”

“Indeed. He wanted the Gates of Hell. Well, I had no use for them anyway. They served no purpose and were just troublesome to maintain.”

“……………..”

Rayze found herself at a loss for words.

“Well, while I may not have the Gates of Hell…”

*Creeeeeeak!*

Another heavy iron gate swung open before them.

“…I do have some rather interesting things in my possession.”

One after another, after another

Three massive gates, intricately carved and reinforced with thick iron bars, swung open, revealing—

*Flash!*

A blinding light engulfed Rayze, stealing her vision.

They were deep underground, the depths unknown, the air thick with an unsettling energy.

She blinked, her vision slowly returning.

But when her vision returned and she beheld the sight before her—

“Wow…”

She forgot about the Land of Chaos, forgot about the Demon King standing beside her. She could only stare in awe and wonder.

A vast, sprawling meadow stretched as far as the eye could see.

A brilliant sun shone brightly in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over the lush greenery.

*Sniff*

The crisp scent of grass and birdsong filled the air.

Gates of Hell?

No, this place evoked Heaven itself.

“Follow me. It would be troublesome if you got lost.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

As they walked through the meadow, they came across something unusual.

A sword.

“……………”

It was ancient, its blade dull and worn, its hilt cracked and covered in moss.

Yet even through the ravages of time, its gleaming edge revealed just how extraordinary this weapon was.

“Crafted by dwarves,” Louis said.

“…………….!”

Another sword.

“The blade… I believe it was forged from dragon bone.”

And it wasn’t just swords.

Maces, staffs, flails, shields… every conceivable weapon was scattered throughout the meadow.

Each one a masterpiece,

*Gulp*

Any one of these weapons, if presented to a King, would be enough to elevate a commoner to nobility.

Yet here they were, abandoned, left to decay in this beautiful, sun-drenched meadow.

“What…what is this place…?”

Louis stopped, turning to face Rayze.

“A graveyard,” he said, his voice as cold and lifeless as the weapons that surrounded them.

“A graveyard…”

And then,

“……………!”

Rayze’s eyes widened in horror.

*Shiver*

A chill ran down her spine, making her whole body tremble like an aspen leaf.

For she realized what kind of grave he meant.

“A graveyard…of Heroes…”

“Indeed. This is…”

Louis’s words hung in the air.

“……the burial ground of Heroes who dared to challenge me.”

While Louis seemed unmoved, for her, it was different.

This place was nothing less than the Continent’s history itself.

Moreover, it was the burial ground of great Heroes who had dared to challenge the Demon King of Chaos.

“I’ve already taken what I needed, but I suppose there might be something left here that’s of use,” Louis said, extending his hand.

*Hum*

A purple orb materialized above his palm.

As Louis closed his hand around the orb,—

*Crash!*

It exploded, unleashing a wave of chaotic energy that washed over the meadow.

In that instant when the once-brilliant meadow began to bleed into darkness—

*Boom!*

And from their graves, the Heroes began to rise.

“I’m certain we’ll find something suitable.”

☩

A bespectacled woman nervously scanned her surroundings.

Her name was Orca Pandemishion.

She was known as a bit of an eccentric, even among Terran’s unusual teaching staff.

While she was considered a competent instructor in the otherwise abysmal educational environment that was Terran, her inability to connect with others and her frustration with her unmotivated students had rendered her largely invisible, a mere ghost haunting the hallowed halls of the academy.

“It’s alright. It’s alright, Orca…”

She struggled to calm herself, whispering words of self-assurance.

As a respected scholar, her decision to join the teaching staff of Terran, an institution now widely regarded as a failing school, had baffled many. But for Orca, a self-proclaimed hero fanatic, there was only one reason.

‘The essence of heroes.’

Because Terran held a history of being the continent’s finest academy, it was her dream — she who was famous for being obsessed with Heroes. Whether the teachers were trash, whether the students were trash, it mattered not to her.

All that mattered was—

“Terran… I will protect Terran.”

As long as the academy, the birthplace of the Heroes she admired, continued to exist, she would be content.

But now it seemed the end was approaching for the already faltering Terran.

‘A Demon King…’

A Demon King appointed as the new headmaster.

‘A Demon King as Terran’s headmaster!’

This was blasphemy against the sacred.

An unforgivable! An absolutely unacceptable sacrilege!

Half the teachers had already perished by his hand.

She didn’t care about that; they were nothing but parasites, leeches draining the life out of Terran.

But his appointment as principal was something she could not accept.

*Gulp*

And so today, she came prepared.

Her chest packed full of magic bombs, she stood here.

— A pleasure to meet you all. Forgive my late introduction. I am Rayze Arden, newly appointed as Terran’s vice principal.

Monday had arrived, marking the start of another week.

In the auditorium where all of Terran had gathered—

‘I’ve reduced the bombs’ impact. The students will be fine. As for me…’

Orca couldn’t hear Rayze’s voice.

‘I just need to send the Demon King away!’

As someone well-versed in Heroes, she knew better than most just how powerful the Demon King of Chaos was. Still, she clung to a sliver of hope, knowing that Demon Kings weakened outside their domains.

Once a Demon King became Headmaster, everyone would die anyway.

Just as it had been with the Elder Lich guard.

And so…

— As you all know, there were some unfortunate incidents following the entrance ceremony. Regrettably, we lost many of our fine teachers in these accidents.

Rayze’s voice echoed through the auditorium.

The tumult from the entrance ceremony was nowhere to be found in the auditorium now.

Everyone stared ahead, gripped by fear and resentment.

— Under normal circumstances, we would proceed with the aptitude and potential assessments, but I believe that would do little to restore your faith in this academy…

She spoke into the microphone.

— So I’d like to first introduce our new teaching staff.

*murmur murmur*

The mention of new teachers stirred whispers through the previously silent auditorium.

But this lasted only a moment.

As Louis appeared behind the podium, everyone fell silent, heads bowed low.

“Haa… Haa…”

Orca began taking slow, deep breaths.

One chance—that was all. Miss it, and Terran would plummet to depths unprecedented in its history.

“I’ll introduce the new teachers myself.”

Louis stepped onto the platform and extended his hand.

*Flinch*

The students cowered, expecting some sort of terrifying display of power, but nothing happened.

“I haven’t recruited a full staff yet, but I’ve managed to secure three instructors for now. Let’s start with the swordsmanship instructor.”

Louis’s hand closed around empty air, as if grasping at an invisible object—

*RIPPPPP*

—and with a sickening tear, he ripped open a hole in the fabric of reality.

“I-Insane…!”

“That’s—!”

Those who recognized his action were struck speechless with shock.

Spatial Transfer.

He had accomplished with a mere wave of his hand what was known as Teleport—an 8th Circle magic.

No.

“Th-That’s not Teleport…!”

One of the surviving magic instructors cried out. Professor Borgon, a once renowned 7-circle mage, his mind now clouded with age and dementia, had suddenly come alive, his eyes sparkling with a newfound clarity.

“Spatial… Severance!”

The act of cutting and rejoining two spaces.

Something even more difficult than Transfer.

“It’s… It’s 10th Circle!”

Ultimate magic had been cast.

Then—

*Creak*

From the gaping wound in space, something white and pristine began to emerge.

*Creak, creak… squeak*

The sound, unsettling and unnatural, sent a wave of unease through the auditorium, silencing both students and staff.

The newly appointed instructor,

“A… A skeleton?”

The first of the Demon King’s chosen was a Skeleton, its bones gleaming white in the dim light of the auditorium.

“He’s mad… He’s truly lost his mind…”

Hope, already flickering precariously, seemed to vanish entirely.

“EEEEEEK!”

Suddenly, Orca’s shriek pierced the stunned silence.

“Th-That necklace around the skeleton’s neck…”

She who taught hero history and was famous for her hero obsession—

“Kindeman’s necklace…!”

Kindeman, the great swordsman who once dominated the continent.

And then, Louis’s voice, cold and emotionless, echoed through the auditorium.

“Let me introduce you. This is Kindeman.”

END σϝ CHAPTER

☩

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