Murmur was busy moving her hands, swaying her blood-red horns back and forth.
“♬”
In front of her was a table just high enough to barely touch her chest, and on it were piles of orange ‘tangerines.’
Murmur’s small hands carefully grabbed each tangerine, which were quite large for her, and stuffed them into her uniform pockets until they were bulging.
“What is that kid doing…?”
Esme Bloodberry frowned as she watched Murmur’s actions from a distance.
“Hmm… Maybe she likes them?”
“But who eats that many tangerines?”
“Don’t demons like them?”
The kids behind Esme each chimed in, but none of them had the right answer.
“I don’t get it! I don’t like it at all! Does eating tangerines make you better at magic? That can’t be it, right?! Right?!”
Esme stomped her tiny feet and shouted, but she couldn’t even begin to imagine the absurd things Murmur was about to do.
* * *
Meeting the ‘Demon God’ in Legend of Academy was quite a challenge.
In fact, it was so difficult that the Demon God’s ‘CG’ discovered after the game’s release was treated as dummy data. Rumors even spread that it was a teaser for future DLC, making the Demon God an entity that couldn’t be encountered through normal gameplay.
Of course, the Demon God existed. The method to meet her was just hidden in a dirty, sneaky, and ‘hidden’ way.
“Ugh… Did I take too much…?”
The Demon God could be met during after-school classes. Professor Aiaie would surely say something later, but if I said I ran away because I was scared of her, what could she do to me?
Who knows what kind of trouble I’d get into during remedial classes? Only a fool would attend!
My pockets were now stuffed with about seven ‘tangerines.’ These tangerines were essential to meet the Demon God. Honestly, when I first saw this strategy, I thought it was some ridiculous prank by someone with too much time on their hands.
“Later, I found out… the Demon God really loves tangerines.”
The seemingly fake strategy was actually metaphorically written in various books within the game. In fact, aside from the tangerines, the other methods to meet the Demon God were quite ordinary.
But, it’s taking longer than I thought. Is it because I’m just a tiny fifth-grader, wobbling around?
“Phew…”
I arrived at a secret underground space in a now-unused ‘club room’ in Cosmos Academy. The academy had several club rooms, and even I, Murmur, could join one if I wanted.
Clubs were like… if I were to compare it to martial arts, it’s like choosing whether to learn secret techniques from the Sichuan Tang Clan or swordsmanship from the Huashan Sect. Each club had its own history, and many were like miniature versions of various ‘factions’ outside the academy.
Talented mages were often scouted by clubs like ‘Strega,’ trained in various ways, and after graduating from the academy, they were prioritized for recruitment by the ‘Tower of Mages.’
So, in the game, ‘which club you joined’ was a major factor in determining the ending.
“In that sense, the ‘Curse of Knowledge’ club I’m visiting now must have had a glorious history…”
The ‘Curse of Knowledge’ club was now a ruined club. The once magnificent building had turned into a desolate ruin, hinting at its former glory.
Anyway! The Demon God is in the basement of this club room. To enter the hidden room, all you have to do is remove the sixth brick from the top and the fourth from the left.
— Swoosh
As I pulled out the large brick, a hidden door appeared just as I expected. Struggling to open the door with both hands, I entered and was greeted by a small garden bathed in warm sunlight, though I had no idea where it was coming from.
『Hidden event confirmed!』
《Cleaning the Demon God’s Garden》
《Time: After School》
— Splish splash!
The garden was overgrown with weeds, and colorful slimes were hopping around with soft, squishy sounds. Red, blue, yellow, sky blue… the garden was filled with slimes of all colors.
“Phew… I have to clean this up.”
The method to meet the Demon God was simple.
Originally, this garden was created for the Demon God, so cleaning it up neatly was the key. Clear out the slimes hopping around, pull out all the weeds, and complete the puzzle game on the broken altar.
Finally, place a perfectly peeled tangerine on a plate and offer it on the altar.
“Alright…! Let’s do this! I can do it, Murmur!”
After all, if I don’t meet the Demon God, I have no future.
* * *
“Yawn…”
The ‘Demon God,’ lying lazily on her throne, slowly opened her eyes at the noisy sound tickling her ears.
“It seems my minions are being noisy again…”
As the Demon God flipped over on her throne, her ample chest swayed provocatively, but there was no one in the world to see it. She thought the commotion was just part of her usual routine.
— Splish! Splish! Splish!
“Go away! You can’t eat this! Jiji! Jiji!”
But no. The Demon God, who had planned to nap in the garden forever, was startled by the clear voice of a ‘child’ and sat up.
In front of her eyes was Murmur, wearing a sky-blue apron, diligently cleaning.
“How did a descendant of Nectar get here…?”
The Demon God was genuinely surprised but noticed that little Murmur had pulled out all the weeds and cleaned up the garden.
‘This little kid… is cleaning my garden? The descendants of Nectar born these days shouldn’t know about me, right?’
The Demon God was, to be honest, moved. Unlike the arrogant demons born recently, this tiny kid, who looked younger than a fifth-grader, had meticulously cleaned her garden with great care.
To the Demon God, Murmur was an incredibly polite, spirited, and devout child.
‘Ugh…! I almost got so excited I could’ve bled… Calm down. It would be quite troublesome to suddenly bestow a great blessing on this little kid. Yes, yes. Let’s first decide how to make my grand and noble appearance…’
The Demon God had already made up her mind. The moment little Murmur cleaned her garden so neatly, Murmur had already ‘passed.’
— Splish!
“Hoh?”
As the Demon God pondered how to make her grand entrance, she smirked when Murmur lifted a slime with both hands.
“Well… it can’t be helped. Even as a descendant of Nectar, those creatures must look like dangerous monsters to your eyes.”
Of course. Demons born these days don’t learn to ‘coexist’ with monsters. That path was cut off long ago. It had been dismissed as an outdated method by the dusty old folks.
“Ugh… Tea!”
Murmur carried the slime to the wettest part of the garden and set it down. Then, with her small hand, she gently patted the slime’s head.
“Wait here for a bit, okay? I’ll make you a nice home. It’s painful when the mucus dries, right?”
“Huh?”
The Demon God was taken aback. Before she could dismiss it as a mistake, Murmur picked up colorful slime siblings one by one, cradling them in her arms, and carried them to a secluded spot.
Then, without minding the mud on her hands, she diligently patted the slimes and dug a hole in the ground to create a space where they could sleep comfortably.
‘She understands the slimes’ pain and knows how to handle them?’
The Demon God swallowed hard.
‘That can’t be… The descendants of Nectar born these days… That can’t be. It just can’t.’
The Demon God felt joy beyond mere感动. Murmur didn’t beat up the monsters that seemed like obstacles to cleaning but instead carried them to a wet spot and built them a home.
After that, she washed her hands clean and approached the broken altar.
“This cute kid…”
Murmur struggled to lift the shattered pieces of the altar with her tiny hands. Of course, it was impossible with her small strength.
“Let’s see how far you’ll move me. Yes, yes… That’s right!”
The Demon God finally couldn’t hold back and helped Murmur lift the heavy fragments.
“Hoh… This kid, did she read some ancient magic book somewhere? At her age, she should be more into playing.”
The Demon God smiled warmly as she carried the fragments to where Murmur wanted them. The position was precise. Murmur had perfectly memorized the altar’s shape and was carefully moving each broken piece.
“This won’t do… I must show this cute kid my noble and grand appearance right… now…”
The Demon God felt a slight dizziness and wiped her forehead, then looked down at Murmur in surprise. The little demon, covered in mud, suddenly washed her hands clean and sat in front of the altar, starting to peel a ‘tangerine.’
“… …”
The Demon God, who had been smiling brightly, was left speechless and stared blankly at the little softy.
Murmur peeled the tangerine with her small, delicate hands, carefully removing each piece of the white pith.
The Demon God, watching this, was reminded of a long-buried memory.
“Ugh… It’s harder than I thought… But the Demon God will like it, right…?”
Murmur kept moving her tiny hands without rest. She desperately wanted to meet the Demon God. She knew how harsh and dangerous the future ahead would be.
So, even as her hands turned red and swollen, she kept peeling the tangerine. She wanted to meet the Demon God. She hoped the Demon God would be pleased. With that in mind, she peeled the tangerine and carefully removed the white pith.
One tangerine.
Two tangerines.
Three tangerines.
“This kid…”
The Demon God watched as each tangerine was placed on the white plate, a loose smile forming on her face. The Demon God, now exuding maternal love as if she were a mother watching her daughter, silently observed her adorable ‘devotee’ preparing the offering.
“Descendant of Nectar. Do you know this? Long ago, I really hated eating such fruits. All I desired was fresh blood and flesh.”
Murmur placed the fourth tangerine.
“Yet, there was someone who shamelessly offered me tangerines. Someone who peeled them with great care and presented them as if they were precious treasures…”
Murmur placed the fifth and final tangerine.
The Demon God had made up her mind. She was moved and felt joy.
Murmur wasn’t some fool who brought evil magic books by the cartload or offered pure maidens as sacrifices, all in the name of the Demon God.
This little girl, this soft and cute child, was ready to serve her god.
“Descendant of Nectar.”
The Demon God gave up on a flashy entrance and instead picked up a tangerine from the altar, smiling as she placed a piece in her mouth.
“Demon… God?”
“Why so surprised? A great and noble being stands before you now. Worship me, and adore me.”
The Demon God, radiating a purple light, revealed herself before Murmur. With her right hand holding a tangerine and her left arm wrapping around Murmur, she sat the little girl on her lap.
“Descendant of Nectar, answer me.”
The Demon God’s heart raced. For a long time, no one had answered the question she was about to ask.
“Did you come here of your own free will? Or were you sent?”
Murmur swallowed and opened her tiny mouth.
“I came here with 75% free will and 65% compulsion. Demon God Armonia.”
The Demon God, hearing this unexpected answer, ended up with a nosebleed.
