NOVEL NEXT WORLD Pastel looked downstream. Melissa’s hem was no longer visible.
“Is she going to be okay?”
『Do you think the next great mage hasn’t learned to swim?』
“True.”
The demon sighed.
『That’s a rash judgment.』
“No, no!”
Pastel shook her index finger back and forth.
“Friends don’t do that to each other.”
『You don’t understand the consequences of a Demon King.』
“No! I know well!”
She pointed to herself.
“A child who was starving in plenty will be able to eat!”
Can she duplicate gems in bulk, right? Hehe.
Pastel cheerfully skipped down the ancient ruins’ stairs.
A dimly lit straight hallway caught her eye. Magical light sources flickered continuously on both sides, brightening the hall beyond.
Ooh.
There was a rumbling noise from behind.
Turning around, the entrance closed.
Eht.
Eh?
Eeeh?
“Uwaah!”
Pastel clutched her pink hair.
『It’s just a precaution for the heir. You won’t die.』
Ah, right.
Thinking about it, that made sense. She removed her hands from her head and calmed down.
“Hehe, alright. Shall we explore the ruins?”
At the end of the hallway stood a gigantic stone door.
Next to it were walls engraved with various magical patterns. Below the wall, there was a puzzle-like stick device and a magic book.
Magic?
Finally, a chance for me, lacking magical talent, to go boom boom bzz bzz?
An adventure in another world with an automatic rifle?
She read the title of the magic book.
“Dictionary of Magical Knowledge.”
No way.
『As an heir, this means you should at least know the basics of magic. This is a magical knowledge puzzle.』
She opened the book, disappointed.
『Humans actually cannot use magic. Except for gem engineering, all magic borrows strength from other beings. If you borrow from gods, you’re a priest; if from nature, you’re a magician.』
Oh my.
『Thus, magic is subordinate to the world, and the world is subservient to nature. Humans exist within nature.』
Pastel shot her hand up.
“I can get along well with that friend! I even know how to greet the wildflowers I pass by! So maybe I can do magic well too?”
『You have no talent. I’ve checked several times. Just accept that you are unrelated to magic. It’s your fate.』
So firm.
『Looks like there’s some preserved food in the corner. Maybe it was made for you to indulge. You don’t need to do that; I’ll tell you the answer, just move the stick puzzle.』
Oh yeah.
She dashed over and grabbed the stick. It was a puzzle where you had to move it up, down, left, and right in the correct order.
“It’s time to show the dignity of the top student!”
『First to the left.』
“This is the brain of the top student!”
Hooyt.
A clattering sound rang out. It felt stuck inside; something must have jammed the stick.
“Uh, hang on. It looks like there’s some dust. Let me use some strength.”
She got into position and gripped the stick.
One, two, three.
“Uraht!”
Crash.
Huh?
A broken stick was in her hand.
Pastel’s eyes widened.
Oh my.
Did I use too much force?
The broken stick puzzle made a noise. A strange light began to seep out from inside.
“Uwaaah!”
Kaboom.
The stone door opened.
As Pastel was about to throw herself to the ground, she paused and turned back.
Oh?
『…It’s meant for the heir, so if it breaks, it was probably designed to just open.』
Her mouth dropped.
Did I just solve the puzzle with a flick of my hand?
Am I this smart?
Oh yeah.
She raised both arms high. The broken stick flew away.
“This is the top student!”
Tremble in fear, marvel at this genius!
Hooray.
『…To the next room.』
“Oh, okay.”
A long hallway with suspicious black holes scattered on either side.
“Oh! I know this! It’s a dart trap!”
If you walk, darts go pow pow.
The ground of the hallway started to rumble and moved like a conveyor belt. If you stand still, you’d get pushed back.
『Hmm, if that were the case, it would be harder to implement. If you get hit by a dart and fall, you’ll return to the starting point. You have to break through in one go.』
She could see an open door beyond. A vast space lay beyond it.
Is it the ruins boss?
Pastel approached the dart trap cautiously, reaching out.
A dart flew straight for her hand. She lowered her palm, then raised it again, catching the passing dart. The dart made a rough noise as it was squeezed in her grip. The wood broke under her grip.
“It’s a wooden dart.”
The dart tip was blunt wood.
『There must be paralysis poison.』
“Oh, so I have to dodge all of them to get through?”
She inspected the wall filled with dart holes.
“Demon Lord, you taught me that weapons are limited by the structure of the hands and arms. That’s why a long sword can only block one defense zone at a time.”
『Correct. Good memorization.』
“Then how do I block darts coming from both sides at a 180-degree angle? I have one sword, and it will take time to block both sides.”
『It’s neither simultaneous nor 180 degrees. Combat is an interaction between you and your opponent. If you change, the opponent will change as well.』
“Interaction, huh.”
『Run closely to one side. It won’t be simultaneous. After blocking one side, you can block the other.』
Pastel stepped sideways.
『You don’t need a precise stance to deflect the darts. Twist your body along the sword’s path. You aren’t blocking with the sword; you’re moving close to the sword.』
She nodded.
『In the first place, you don’t need to overthink it. You can just do it. And you already know you can.』
Oops, caught me.
Hehe.
Pastel took a nonchalant stance. The sword tip aimed straight ahead.
『Feel the wind. The darts are slower than sound.』
The ground trembled. The sound of a dart was heard. The quantity, trajectory, and speed of the darts were conveyed through sound.
A three-dimensional space formed in her mind.
The waltz of the darts and the sword.
Darts crashed from left and right. The blade sparkled. The sword path curved. A cascade of silver enveloped the girl. Her pink hair fluttered. A dart grazed her neck as the sword cleaved through the next dart.
Her steps raced across the ground. The sword path rippled. The remnants of the darts poured down.
The girl ran without pause, even when the path ended and a wide space opened up.
In the center of the space, a small black sphere began to rise. The stones on the ground floated, surrounding the sphere.
『The golem—』
The girl charged in. She stomped the ground. The pink figure stepped repeatedly on the floating stones. The silhouette rose.
The stones formed into the shape of hands and slowly enveloped the black core. The girl’s hand plunged into that moment. Her palm struck the black core, swallowing it. A sound of great force erupted. The sound of breaking followed in succession.
The atmosphere throbbed. The floating stones lost strength and crashed down.
The girl spun in mid-air. She regained her balance and lightly landed on the ground.
The stones collided with the ground, making a huge noise. Dust swirled, and the wind blew. Her pink hair flared.
In the chaos, Pastel regained her senses.
Eh.
She heard the demon’s voice.
『Well done. Excellent battle sense. The golem’s core isn’t usually destroyed by hand, but if you have great strength, it doesn’t matter.』
Opening her palm, she found black powder.
Uh-oh.
『However, you should be careful not to get swept away by hormones. The immersion in killing may give you a double-edged experience.』
Pastel licked her palm with her tongue. A small pink tongue peeked out.
『Wait a minute.』
She paused.
『That’s synthetic gem powder. You shouldn’t eat it.』
Eh.
Disappointment.
Shaking her hand, she looked around, still groggy.
There was an elegant box in the corner.
Oh?
Wow.
“Demon Lord! Demon Lord! It’s a treasure chest! Treasure chest! This means treasure is inside! It’s sparkling! Totally sparkling!”
『Whoa, settle down.』
She dashed over.
The treasure chest filled her vision.
Wow.
This brilliant light.
With trembling hands, she grabbed the lid.
Creak.
Brilliant light poured out.
Wow.
Pastel squinted, her body twisting.
Treasure, treasure is blinding me.
But then she found it strange and paused to look again.
Inside the large box was just a single compass, rattling around.
What a tremendous waste of space.
Ugh.
Pastel’s face turned sour.
My life is too easy, really.
No gold bars or gems.
『Is it a destiny compass? If you open the top, something else will be inside.』
She opened the top where the compass was attached.
A small jewel box structure was revealed inside.
One jewel was embedded, and the other spots were empty.
『I see.』
“What? Am I the only one who doesn’t know?”
『The compass will guide you to where the legacy is. It doesn’t react now, but when your fate connects, it will point the way.』
The demon spoke in a complicated but calm voice.
『The jewel that is there is, of course, the legacy. It allows the consumption of gem powder.』
Eh.
“I don’t need that; please give me gold bars.”
『It’s for the purpose of enhancing your body with gem powder. While you will revert it into energy, originally the waste expelled from breathing would be utilized to enhance your body. Efficient and effective.』
Oh?
She pulled a small pepper shaker from her pocket.
Holding it like a palm, she shook it.
The gem powder landed on her palm.
Sweetness of a bad candy.
Was consciousness sparking?
“Oh?! Demon Lord! Suddenly I’m filled with power! Waaah!”
Is this the Demon King’s awakening?
『…That can’t possibly have an effect.』
Oops.
Hehe, caught again.
Teasing the master is too difficult.
Calmly, she put the shaker back in her pocket.
The compass-slash-jewel box also fit perfectly.
She looked around.
“Shall we find the secret room?”
『They wouldn’t have elaborately made a place for the heir to use unnecessarily. More importantly, we need to leave now. I might have forgotten, but you’re in the middle of a practical exam.』
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Ah?! Let’s hurry! Hurry! Where’s the exit, huh? Where’s the exit?!”
『It’s been around so long that it might be completely broken. Just wait. We can get out. It will take some time.』
After a long struggle, Pastel was finally able to leave the ruins. Quite some time had passed.
In the assembly area, she made eye contact with the professor.
The practical results were out.
“Pastel Love Craft.”
Combat practical.
Zero points.
Uwaah!
Uwaah…!
Failed, oink oink squawk!
“But since you’re the top student, you pass. Congratulations on becoming a student of this school. I expect you to keep working hard.”
Oh?
Pastel raised her arms in triumph.
Oh yeah, I passed.
Even though I got zero in combat, I still passed.
Because I’m the top student.
Oh?
No way.
Duh-duh.
Pastel was just a smart kid.
A shocking truth.
“I’m the top student!”
The entrance ceremony ended.
“I’m smart, but I can’t fight well.”
She also apologized to Melissa. It was shouted at her fleeing back, so she wasn’t sure how much got through.
“But even with a zero in combat, I managed to enter the dorm!”
Pastel rolled around on her personal dorm sofa.
“I’m the top student Pastel!”
Hooray.
『Oh dear.』
The demon folded a towel at the opposite table and gave her a look. The red eyes looked somewhat displeased.
『Your clothes are going to get wrinkled. You’re not going to iron them yourself, are you?』
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Clothes? That’s right! Clothes! I don’t have clothes! It’s spring and I’m still in a winter dress! I’m going to freeze to death soon!”
She mumbled while rolling on the sofa.
“When will they give me my uniform? They should have given it before the entrance ceremony, right?”
『What uniform?』
Their eyes met.
“You mean there’s no uniform?”
『Why would a noble family make things uncomfortable with a uniform? It’s free dress.』
“Whaaat?”
Pastel clutched her heart.
“No way. There’s no uniform at the academy?”
Are we really not middle or high school?
Ugh.
“I’m going to rebel! I’m going to be a rebel!”
She thrashed around on the sofa, waving her arms.
“I’ll dress all pink even though I look all pink!”
A subtle gaze fell.
『Do as you like.』
The demon stood up, holding a stack of towels.
Whoa.
No one sympathizes with me.
Her body sagged.
Ugh.
“Is the money from trade still alright? I need to buy at least decent clothes.”
『That might be a good idea. Good thinking.』
She sprang up.
“Alright! Let’s go right away! Demon Lord, Demon Sword!”
『What?』
She grabbed the transformed Demon Sword and dashed off.
I want to be all pink.
“Before the cherry blossoms bloom, I’ll become everyone’s cherry blossom!”
Leaving the dorm, she ran outside.
I’m, oh?
Pastel stopped in her tracks. Her feet screeched against the ground.
She raised one hand high.
“Elly!”
The demon girl turned back, her black hair swaying. Her slightly pointed ears came into view.
“Pas—”
“We’re meant to be friends!”
She grabbed Elly.
“Just in time, I was going to suggest you join the student council!”
I should hit the clothing store tomorrow.
“Huh?”
Dragging the bewildered Elly, she moved toward the student council room.
La la la.
“If you join now, I’ll give you my best friend spot. Of course, I have lots of spots prepared, so don’t feel too bad.”
“…What will I have to do if I join?”
“Um, secretary? Pick anything!”
Pastel beamed.
“I’m the Vice Student Council President, Treasurer, Planning Director, Promotion Director, Volunteer Director, and Discipline Director!”
Elly stared blankly. Her face was filled with question marks.
“Ah! Just turn this corner and it’s the student council room!”
Turning the corner.
In front of the locked student council room stood the professor.
Huh?
The professor turned around.
That stiff, rigid face could only belong to the professor from the written exam, right?
What was his name again…?
Professor Carlo opened his mouth.
“Is this the student council?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll open it now. Would you prefer tea or coffee?”
“That’s alright. I’ve come to inform you of a decision.”
A decision?
His calm gaze bore into her.
“The student council system is abolished.”
What did you say?
“If you want to revert it, bring the support of all faculties.”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Are you saying I have to take down all faculty members?”
Doom.
『Why does your mind drift to that?』