The tournament event has been suspended.
Although the problem was eliminated by efficiently taking out the terrorists, it seemed impossible to resume.
Unfortunately, it became unclear who the strongest first-year student was, but the female student, Parthel, didn’t seem to care much about it.
Her hormonal friend had declared, “Junior knight level? Not scary,” and then proceeded to blast the demon terrorist Mr. Thmaut with a shotgun, BOOM BOOM.
Hmph.
Hormonal Friend!
I knew you could do it!
That’s why I faced the shotgun-wielding terrorist without an ounce of fear! Because I trusted my friend!
Yeah, yeah!
Having experienced the power of networking, Parthel decided to make more friends.
Immediately, the planets of the solar system.
Since she had defeated a junior knight level opponent, she figured she should consume “Essence” to grow stronger.
“Kind Parthel lives for her friends~.”
The magic stone knife perched on her pink hairhead trembled.
“Even though I’m super popular and busy, I help others without a hint of personal desire~.”
The devil in a suit had crossed his arms and silently stared at her. It was a look of disapproval.
Hmph.
Parthel’s eyes widened.
“Mr. Devil, why are you looking at me like that?”
It was the gaze one would give to a shameless delinquent.
It can’t be.
Could it be that Mr. Devil also believed the rumors of Mr. Thmaut (Deceased)?
But I neither incited terrorism nor coerced Alcyer into becoming my underling…
Hmph.
Could it be that consuming Essence looks dangerous?
Parthel remotely controlled the magic stone knife atop her head to spin.
The knife twirled.
The blade grazed her pink hair, a few strands falling gracefully.
Oh my.
Parthel caught the fallen hair, gazing silently at the pink strands before her mouth opened wide.
“Aaaaah!”
My hair!
My hair…!
“Mr. Devil! Mr. Devil!”
She held up the severed hair.
“Because of Mr. Devil, my hair got cut!”
The devil looked bewildered.
“Why is it my fault?”
“If Mr. Devil had properly combed my hair, my knife friend spinning around wouldn’t have cut my hair, would it?”
Shock.
Shoogaeek.
The poor Parthel, whose hair had been cut because of Mr. Devil, wobbled. Staggering a few steps to the side, she leaned her head against the bedroom wall.
She murmured as though reading a fairy tale.
“Once upon a time, there lived a good girl on a floaty island.”
“Good girls don’t talk like that.”
Parthel ignored it.
“Mr. Devil said that one shouldn’t eat Essence. It’s something very bad that can mess up your mind. Worse than sugar!”
Hmph.
Even worse than sugar…!
Parthel covered her mouth in astonishment.
Then suddenly became calm.
“But the good girl didn’t listen.”
Yes, yes.
“I knew that.”
The devil tapped his arm as if irritated.
“Why didn’t she listen?”
Parthel, detaching her head from the wall, beamed.
With an air of arrogance, she wagged a finger at her guardian.
“It’s because you shouldn’t listen to the Devil!”
She dashed to the bed and leapt on it. Her pink hair and white clothing fluttered.
“Uwaang!”
The bed groaned as she landed on it.
“Completely kind! Completely kind!”
Parthel rolled around on the bed. Then, loosely crumpled her clothes and sprawled out while fiddling with the magic stone knife.
Black goo seeped out from the knife’s blade, gathering and taking on a jelly-like form as it floated.
“Mr. Devil, look at this~.”
Pointing at the Essence.
“I’m Parthel, who can do well on my own now without Mr. Devil’s help!”
Since this is the growth that Mr. Devil occasionally talks about, isn’t it a splendid growth?
The devil walked over to the bedside.
Hoof.
Parthel, on guard, clutched the jelly in her hand.
A bad adult trying to snatch away her snacks. But with a million times more caution, Parthel won’t fall for it easily.
The devil with crossed arms looked down.
Pooh pooh.
“Young male.”
The devil’s hand reached out. Startled, Parthel moved her arm to evade the black jelly.
But it seemed he wasn’t trying to snatch it. Instead, his hand covered her forehead, its calloused warmth felt.
“Have you been feeling dizzy lately?”
It was a serious voice.
Parthel, calmed by the warmth of his hand, rolled her eyes.
“Is it because of consuming other people’s Essence?”
“That’s part of it, but your eating habits are more problematic now. You can’t eat food, so I understand that, but consuming magic stones continuously harms the brain. You wouldn’t believe that consuming magic stones which strengthen the body would have no effect on your mind, would you?”
Is that so?
She thought for a moment.
“Not really.”
The devil slightly furrowed his brows.
Parthel grabbed the devil’s hand and rubbed her forehead against it. Then with a smug smile, she said,
“Are you talking about something like rebellion or power?”
The devil didn’t say much, but it seemed to be related to such utterances.
“Mr. Devil, Mr. Devil.”
Parthel chuckled.
“That’s just because money and power come, and the true nature comes out.”
Yes, yes.
She popped the black jelly into her mouth.
An ill-tasting sweetness spread across her tongue.
The devil removed his hand from her forehead and looked down at her with a complex glint in his crimson eyes.
“But Mr. Devil.”
She swallowed the sweetness.
“How long will I remain a young male?”
Parthel pointed at herself.
“Isn’t it too much of a mismatch to put the label ‘young’ on someone with power?”
Right, right.
The devil sighed deeply. He silently pointed at her stomach with his finger.
Between the rolling and rumpling, her clothes had ridden up, exposing her stomach.
Oh my.
Parthel looked back and forth between her stomach and the devil.
“You’re giving too high standards…”
“Until where should I fall to satisfy you?”
Is this a responsibility of the powerful?
These hurdles are too high for Parthel!
Floating around in the inner-world’s universe, Parthel saw the searing black sun and the planetary friends. The black sun was ignoring the Mercury and Venus friends by looking at them.
She waved her arms.
“Mercury friend! Venus friend! Hi hi! Did you miss me? You probably did! Sorry sorry!”
Then she hesitated.
Eek.
We are in space, yet my voice can be heard.
Looking around and deciding it didn’t really matter since it wasn’t the real universe, she shrugged.
“Puh puh puh.”
Parthel wiped her hands.
“Mercury friend, Venus friend. Hmm, calling you like this makes the names too long.”
She pressed her fingers to her cheeks.
“Let’s shorten it…Mercury Venus friend…”
Hmph.
Mercury Venus friend?
Doesn’t attaching the word ‘money’ to a friend create a lot of misinterpretations?
Mercury Venus friend means money handover friend…
Realizing her mistake, Parthel flailed her arms.
“I didn’t say anything! I mean it! Truly!”
Believe me! Please!
“Anyway friends! It’s time to add Earth to the solar system family! Earth! Everyone, give applause! Clap clap clap!”
Parthel applauded.
Meanwhile, Mercury and Venus didn’t clap, they just continued orbiting around the sun.
Because…
They were planets.
The planets couldn’t clap.
Hmph.
Right!
Parthel’s mouth opened wide.
Then, pressing her hand to her chin, she looked around the universe.
Where might the consumed Essence be?
In the farthest reaches of the universe, a cluster of rock fragments appeared. It looked like there was enough to make even Mars.
Junior Knight level entities indeed were abundant.
Could this be enough to create even a Mars friend?
Parthel decided to first make Earth.
Earth Earth.
She moved her hand to control the rock fragments. The rocks collided and gathered to form a massive rocky planet.
Parthel pointed at the planet with both hands.
The most important planet in the solar system.
“Earth!”
You are Earth from now on.
She placed the planet on the third orbit after Venus. The rocky planet that had settled under the gravitational pull began to revolve around the sun.
“Earth friend, introduce yourself quickly! What are your hobbies? What can you do well? If you have anything, show it now!”
Mercury and Venus friends are waiting too!
Yay yay.
Parthel watched Earth intently with a thumping heart.
Silently orbiting, Earth reacted like a new student who suddenly had to show a special talent in front of everyone before a school trip.
The rocky planet started to crumble and disintegrated.
Rustle.
Rock fragments aimlessly scattered.
“Earth friend!”
Parthel clutched her head.
“I’m sorry! I knew this would happen since this is the third time the planet has collapsed. But I completely forgot and asked you to introduce yourself!”
Forgive me on such a day!
Earth: I forgive you!
Yes Yes! Thank you!
She gathered the fragments again. She made a rocky planet by colliding the rocks and observed it carefully.
But, why isn’t it working?
The fragments didn’t seem to be lacking. Perhaps it’s because there is nothing Earth-like about it.
The Venus friend is currently just a lump of gold, but it was accepted as VenusGolden Star because of the inner world.
Parthel thought about what Earth actually is.
Of course, it should have life.
Life, life.
External intelligent intervention. We can consider the current process as the divine being, Parthel in this inner universe, attempting a creationist approach to create life.
Huh.
This is too smart an idea!
Parthel quickly shook her head. Her pink hair waved.
She refocused her thoughts.
Life, life.
Considering the current world where magic exists, the theory of creation has a certain plausibility. But Earth has a higher possibility leaning towards the theory of evolution.
Then, if we adopt a dialectical compromise by choosing the evolutionary design theory, we can blend both perspectives without major contradictions.
If we apply the evolutionary research outcomes where lightning strikes the sea to synthesize inorganic compounds to organic compounds, leading them to evolve into living organisms over a long time, and if the divine being Parthel creates the sea and lightning to guide evolution then…
Hmph.
I snapped out of it.
This is really too smart an idea!
Uh uh uh!
Parthel clenched her eyes shut tightly.
“Everything was incorrect! You don’t make friends by reasoning!”
She tightly clenched her fists.
“The Earth friend, the Earth friend! You shouldn’t make friends like that!”
It won’t work like that.
Let me ask Mr. Devil!
She flailed her arms. The universe space blurred as if erasing a crayon drawing.
In a moment, Parthel suddenly woke up.
Still sleepy, she roughly wiped the drool flowing from the corner of her mouth.
Uh.
The devil who was drinking coffee with a complex expression approached.
“You woke up early. Did something not work out properly?”
Parthel abruptly sat up.
“Mr. Devil! Mr. Devil!”
Parthel looked pained.
“How does life come into being?!”
The coffee cup fell.
