The school on vacation was silent. As if waiting for tomorrow to stretch its limbs, the cradle of learning was fast asleep.
But not everywhere was asleep.
A presence was felt in the student council room. A pink-toned girl sat in a chair, looking over the reports from the knight corps.
“Is it the cult?”
A devil dressed in a suit frowned while looking at the reports together.
“It can’t be. Wouldn’t the investigation results be wrong? The cult has only recently fallen. There’s no way it could have been rebuilt already.”
“What exactly is the cult?”
“They are a group that denies the personal god and supports the evil god. They rapidly gained power during the blank period when the revelations of the personal god were cut off and threatened the temples.”
Pastel frowned, mimicking the devil.
“Is it a religious conflict?”
“That’s one way to perceive it. However, it’s different. The cult supports the evil god, but they’re closer to a self-interest organization than a religious group. They pursue personal wealth and fame by exchanging favors with the evil god, not shying away from murder or terrorism.”
“So they follow the secular contracts of the evil god rather than the ethical teachings of the divine. For their own wealth.”
“Exactly. It’s not a proper religion.”
“Ah.”
Pastel looked at the devil with a subtle expression. When her red eyes met his, she smiled oddly.
“The activities of the cult wouldn’t be much different from a devil’s contract. They grant what the devil demands while gaining evil power themselves.”
“Fairy-tale-like, yes.”
“Ah.”
Pastel poked the devil.
“Can’t you do something like that?”
“I want to gain evil power.”
“I want to break the scoff in one clean slice.”
The devil looked down at her, complex and contemplative.
“Don’t fall for unnecessary temptations. They will only lead to your ruin. True strength is obtained through diligent effort.”
Pastel’s expression quickly darkened.
“This isn’t very devil-like.”
“Shouldn’t you be suggesting a devil’s contract in moments like this?”
“Oh, it’s fine! I’ve always known you wouldn’t be much help in my life! It’s just like this again!”
“What?”
The devil was taken aback.
“Start with the habit of making your bed when you get up in the morning and then talk like that. Who do you think is going to fix the crumpled blanket?”
“It’s my bed! My bed friend likes me, so it tidies up the blanket! Didn’t you know? I knew! The dreary devil has no friends!”
She stuck her tongue out.
“Bleh.”
“Hmph!”
Pastel abruptly turned her head and scribbled with her quill.
“Cult, cult, cult, cult, cult.
The group that made my loyal retainers die.
And shamelessly toyed with me.
Her rough scrawl soiled the report. The ink smudged and tangled. The quill tore through the paper. She grabbed the torn report. The sound of tearing paper rang out continuously.
“Evil god worshippers.”
“I’ll definitely kill them.”
Pastel lowered her head deeply.
The air settled.
The devil seemed to want to say something but stopped and moved her hand. The hand pressed down on Pastel’s pink hair.
Time went by.
Pastel exhaled.
“I’m sorry. I know you tidy my blanket every morning.”
Her fingers fidgeted.
“I’m just so frustrated that I let my enemies go unscathed… I ended up venting my anger on you, devil.”
“What rudeness is this towards the devil who always helps?”
“It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
Pastel picked up one piece of torn paper after another and organized them.
“Was it right to fight back then? Should I have exacted revenge as the clan leader instead of suppressing my emotions like a coward?”
“You made a rational judgment.”
She shook her head.
“I don’t think I’m fit to be a clan leader. Why did those who died to protect someone like me—”
“Young Craft.”
A hand gently stroked her pink hair.
“Don’t lose yourself in life. The results aren’t only determined by your choices. Humans are powerless before the world to be self-reproachful. You did your best at that moment. It’s just that timing and luck didn’t follow. Aim for the next. There will be many opportunities.”
Ugh.
The devil’s kind advice.
Is this the devil’s whisper?
If I couldn’t make a devil’s contract, shouldn’t I rely on the devil’s whisper instead?
It seems so.
Pastel deliberately took a deep breath.
And shouted with all her might.
“I understand!”
She raised both arms high.
“Hormonal Friend! Let’s wait for revenge together! We’ll show that even the weak can take down the strong!”
Don’t run away alone!
Aja aja!
We can kill!
Adrenaline surged through her.
The hormonal friend responded in kind.
“Yeah! Next time, let’s chop up the opponent! Let’s cut off their limbs! Aja aja!”
Huh.
A reliable response.
Oh yeah.
Pastel slapped her cheeks.
“We can do this!”
She turned to look at the devil.
“Devil! Devil! Since we’ve come this far, let’s work hard on smuggling! Let’s gather loads of money, grow our influence, and take down that evil cult!”
The devil, who should have responded to match the atmosphere, hesitated for a moment. The awkward word had come up unexpectedly.
“Eh?”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Devil? You can’t take down that evil cult? Really?”
“Eh?”
Are you worse than the hormonal friend?
The devil quickly responded.
“Of course, we must take them down. You can do it.”
A hand patted her pink hair.
Pat pat.
Pastel felt the hand and nodded vigorously.
“Right! I can do smuggling well!”
“No.”
“Devil also positively agreed to smuggling! I’ll work hard!”
The devil seemed at a loss for words. She looked troubled.
Pastel felt proud seeing that expression.
Good.
It definitely made her feel better seeing the devil flustered. The gloom lifted away.
Is this the thrill of the mischievous girl?
Hehe.
The subtle sense of betrayal felt good.
Pastel laughed and picked up her quill.
She felt refreshed.
She took out a new paper and began to write.
Her tasks for the vacation were calmly listed.
The first thing to do is to take advantage of the dormitory construction to secure the demon lord’s legacy that might be underground.
Demon lord’s legacy?
She had desired magic stone replication until recently, but her mind had changed.
She hoped there would be something the hormonal friend would like more than magic stone replication.
For example.
A chainsaw!
“With the saw blade whoosh~!”
“An underground passage?”
She walked with the construction manager.
“There was a passage that wasn’t in the blueprints when we exposed the floor. It looked deep, so we didn’t enter for now.”
“Oh, that.”
Pastel pretended to know.
“As you know, this was once a military officer training school. There are military secrets. Please halt the construction for now. We, the student council, will take a look and notify you again.”
Activating her student council authority, she went to the dormitory construction site shortly after.
The existing dormitory had been demolished, leaving only the floor. The manager led the workers away from the site.
Pastel was left alone. She looked down the dark underground stairs that were left alone. A musty and cool air hit her. The smell of water and fish lingered.
“What kind of facility could it be?”
Throwing a small stone resulted in an echo.
“Whoa?”
It sounded spacious judging by the echo.
“It doesn’t seem to be a military facility.”
Pastel suddenly clasped her hands and shouted.
“Yay!”
The sound echoed back.
“Yay yay~.”
Wow.
She shouted again.
“Pastel is smart~!”
She listened swiftly.
A voice resounded.
“Pastel is smart~.”
Whew.
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Devil! Devil! That’s what they said!”
Pastel, completely smart.
Even the underground facility friend recognized it.
The devil momentarily fell silent before ignoring Pastel and resumed the conversation.
“It doesn’t seem to be a military facility. It was likely a sewer constructed before the officer training school was set up. They must have buried it and built the training school.”
Whoa.
Our friend is a sewer?
Sorry for the correction.
Underground facility friend → Sewer friend
Misunderstanding cleared up.
Clap clap clap.
“This place, strictly speaking, is a holy land for demons when viewed broadly. After humans plundered it, they intentionally established the officer training school as mockery. It’s ironic for a commander trained in the holy land of demons to invade the demon realm.”
Pastel, who had been half-listening, paused.
“Eh.”
What a malicious intent.
Humans are truly wicked.
“They likely set up the school even without properly filling in the sewage. I understand why the legacy is here. The demon lord probably hid it somewhere in the sewer during the Sky Island war.”
Pastel felt morally outraged.
“Humans are really bad! Even though I’m human, the idea of establishing an officer training school in a holy land is truly too much!”
Even if it was during a war, not returning it, and then rebuilding the academy, was just wrong.
“Bad people! Bad people! Long ago, while the bad people are probably in graves, if I happen to meet them, I’ll teach them a lesson!”
Swish swish!
The devil’s voice grew complicated.
“The driving force back then was Craft.”
Huh.
She learned the wicked history of the clan.
Pastel’s mouth dropped open.
She awkwardly looked away and whistled.
Oh, this is awkward.
She felt like she should bow and apologize.
100-degree bow Passtel.
“You should hurry and depart. Continuing to delay the construction isn’t good. It will draw unnecessary attention.”
“Ah, yes!”
Pastel rushed in. A dark and long passage continued. It was damp and humid, but the sewage itself seemed to have evaporated, as it wasn’t visible.
As she ventured deeper, the light from the stairs disappeared. It became hard to see right in front of her.
She crouched down and operated the oil lantern she had brought. The pink-toned girl fumbled with the lantern in the darkness, where she was hard to see.
Fiddling fiddling.
Eek.
“Oh! Found it!”
She found the flint and striker that had been stuck to the lantern. When they collided, sparks flew. After several attempts, she managed to transfer the flame to the oil-soaked wick.
The lantern lit up, illuminating the passage softly.
“Whoo.”
Pastel wiped her forehead for no reason.
Lighting the lantern is super hard.
It might not be suited for her.
“……Next time, light it in a bright place before coming in.”
Whoa, is she a genius?
No wonder it felt difficult.
Ahaha.
Pastel burst out laughing alone and then held the lantern forward.
“Darkness, retreat!”
The gentle light was powerful.
Wow wow.
She raised the sword like a hero.
“I’m not afraid as long as the light is with me!”
Bring anything on!
She’ll face it with her ultra amazing sword skill!
She explored the sewer, passing through intersections and twisting through the maze-like areas.
And according to her wish, she came across something.
On the dark side, unknown eyes densely filled the space.
Huh.
She raised the lantern. A scene unfolded before her eyes as knee-high rats filled the passage. Countless eyes stared at Pastel.
Wow.
Hello, squeaky friends?
I also squeak.
You also squeak.
We all squeak.
As if in response, a gigantic rat opened its mouth. Its bloodstained front teeth were visible.
Oh no.
Are you our friend…?
“Count the visible eyes, at least dozens. There must be hundreds. Run! A horde of rats is a natural disaster.”
A gigantic rat squeaked!
Oh no, that’s cute.
The sound echoed through the passage. Countless eyes turned to stare from deep down the dark corridor. Hundreds of eyes gazed at Pastel.
Oh no, that’s not cute.
Rat cries continued in rapid succession. The corridor shook. A black tidal wave surged toward her.
“Ahhh!”
Pastel turned and bolted away like the wind.
“There’s bound to be a ruins entrance somewhere. Surviving means finding it.”
A chase began.
Pastel must survive.
