Rowan, the Executioner, is the first demon race player encounters in Legend of Academy.
Of course, most players don’t actually meet him first since he only appears when you’re on the Demon King route.
And because he only appears on the Demon King route, he feels more like a “tutorial” character.
It’s like the developer is kindly saying, “On the Demon King route, you’ll meet a lot of demons like this~”
Anyway, Rowan isn’t your average demon. Just like Colette Bloodberry is part of the “Silver Dawn,” Rowan belongs to “Primeordial Rex.”
Primeordial Rex is the group that constantly attacks the Academy and holds the answer to why humans and demons can’t easily achieve peace.
Simply put, if the “Silver Dawn” is a radical human group that believes all demons on earth must be eradicated, “Primeordial Rex” is the exact opposite.
They are demons who despise humans and believe they should naturally “dominate” them.
“Murmur-sama…”
“It’s okay, Citrine. Murmur is here.”
After a long thought, the conclusion is surprisingly simple.
Rowan, a demon who looks taller and scarier than Murmur, is actually easier to defeat than you’d think.
So there’s no need to be scared. No need to tremble in front of Citrine, whose pretty face is now a mess.
Honestly, whether the Demon King route has started or not isn’t important right now.
Citrine is about to die, and you’re still debating? Isn’t that too much?
“Know your place, disgusting traitor!”
Rowan charged at me quickly. He must be in a hurry too.
I’ve faced Primeordial Rex so many times in the game that it’s giving me a headache. Even Rowan, who feels like a tutorial character? Not someone to be scared of.
“Spirit of Water! Child of Bubbles! Naiara! Help Murmur!”
I summoned Naiara between Rowan and me. At the same time, I cast a basic healing spell on Citrine.
“Stupid… thing!”
Rowan’s attack pattern is simple. He basically swings a “Magic Sword” to pressure me, and if I get too far, he shoots a “Laser” from his palm to deal critical damage.
Here, beginners often make the mistake of not understanding the nature of the “Magic Sword.” The Magic Sword is a spell that uses the overflowing magic power of demons. It’s just pure magic power shaped into a sword and swung.
What does that mean? It’s a “sword,” but it’s a magic attack, not a physical one!
— Splash!
“Is summoning a weak spirit all you can do?!”
Rowan taunted me, but his Magic Sword only managed to destroy one water spirit, Naiara. Plus, the steam rising between us obscured our vision.
“Don’t underestimate summoning magic.”
“Stop yapping…”
I cast a fireball with my left hand and a lightning arrow with my right, hitting Rowan square in the face. Even if it’s a level 1, beginner-level elemental magic, it still packs a punch, right?
“Ugh…!”
Rowan staggered and roughly grabbed the mask covering most of his face. All demons in “Primeordial Rex” wear that mask.
It’s kind of a weak point, so I didn’t expect him to be so persistent.
“Pathetic… tricks! Repeating them, traitor!”
Enraged, Rowan charged at me again. His speed was quite fast, so I dodged the first attack by throwing a Jack Frost, and then summoned Naiara again to throw at his face.
Unlike him, who can only make one move, I, Murmur, can always make two moves thanks to Dual Casting. Can’t overcome that difference, can you?
Originally, the water spirit Naiara is a pure mass of magic power, so Rowan’s Magic Sword can’t effectively destroy it. It’s like trying to cut water with a sword—what’s the point?
“Citrine!”
If I save Citrine here, the Demon King route will start.
But it doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter.
I’m going to save the person I can save right now.
Isn’t that what a hero does?
If I let Citrine die here because I’m scared of the Demon King route, is that what a hero would do?
“Yes, yes! Murmur-sama!”
“‘Thunder Breaker’!”
Citrine’s eyes widened as she looked up at me.
What’s with that expression? Why?
“Murmur-sama, how did you…?”
“Now…! Busy!”
At the worst timing, Rowan charged at me again.
I blocked his attack by summoning Naiara twice, but since “Summoning Magic” is still “Magic,” it consumed my magic power.
Citrine! I’m really sorry! I just fought Black Mudman, so my stamina and magic aren’t at full capacity!
“… Catch!”
Citrine, who understood my intention, quickly threw me a large gun the size of my torso.
As expected! Having fewer party members doesn’t matter now!
‘Thunder Breaker’
This cool-sounding item is a very handy one that gets added to your deck after the first turn if Citrine is in your party.
Its effect is simple.
‘Deals catastrophic damage to the enemy.’
“As expected of a traitor…! Relying on human weapons…!”
Rowan foolishly charged at me, and I pulled the trigger of Thunder Breaker without hesitation.
— Boom!
“Ugh…! I’m glad I summoned it…!”
As expected, this isn’t a level of destruction a 5th grader can handle. Thanks to the softness of Naiara I summoned earlier, I didn’t dangerously fall on my butt.
“Gasp… Cough…”
On the other hand, Rowan, clutching his chest with both hands, coughed up red blood from behind his mask, taking significant damage.
“How…?”
“You didn’t know, did you?”
“You… bastard…”
“Thunder Breaker deals both physical and magical damage. It’s not something your shield can easily block.”
Rowan looked at me in shock.
What? Didn’t you know? Demons can use their overflowing magic power to create a “shield” to protect themselves. Unfortunately, player demons have to learn it separately.
“You… filthy traitor…!!!”
“Citrine! Lightbringer!”
“Here, here! Murmur-sama!”
Citrine once again pulled out exactly what I wanted from her chest pocket and threw it to me.
As expected, she has all the basic items, right?
I summoned the earth spirit, Talorin, towards the charging Rowan and attached the “Lightbringer” Citrine threw to his soft, squishy, and cute chocolate-like body.
This is a “Magic Scroll,” you know? It’s not just a cute sticker on chocolate!
— Zap!
“Ugh…!”
Rowan’s reckless charge and swing of his Magic Sword sliced through Talorin like a moist chocolate cake.
But his abundant magic power triggered the “Lightbringer.”
A bright white flash exploded in front of Rowan, and his reckless body slam and Magic Sword were all deflected by the shield created by Lightbringer.
“Stone Ball!”
It’s time to finish this.
With a heavy boulder created at my fingertips, I swung my right arm and smashed Rowan’s head.
“Guh…!”
Rowan’s body spun three times in the air before crashing to the ground. The mask on his face was completely shattered, lying like trash between us.
“Murmur-sama…! Murmur-sama!”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes! Citrine is fine!”
Citrine’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me. I guess she’s okay.
“Ugh… Grr…”
Rowan coughed up blood and looked up at me.
Is it any different from the game? Honestly, I hope it is.
I want to hear this guy apologize for attacking Citrine.
If his end is different, it could be proof that the Demon King route won’t proceed.
“Why… do you live among those worms… with such power?”
“Murmur has friends.”
“You… will never understand. Traitor…”
Rowan sneered and grabbed the ground with both hands.
“You… made the wrong choice! Know that worms can never understand humans!!!”
With those words, bat wings that sent chills down my spine appeared on Rowan’s back.
Ah, it’s just like the game.
I took out something I’ve been keeping since last time from my waist and gripped it tightly.
“Citrine. Step back.”
Rowan, who started emitting a dangerous purple light, eventually began to spew magic power from his eyes and face like crazy.
“We are the first of this world!”
“Don’t you want to talk?”
“We have the right to purify the filth that occupies this land!”
Rowan, who had even created a sharp tail, glared at me.
Since his eyes were emitting light, I couldn’t exactly read his gaze, but since it’s following the game, his next move is obvious.
“Disappear, filth!”
Rowan charged at me to self-destruct. The heat that felt like my eyeballs were drying up was dangerously intense.
I swung the dagger in my hand, “Bloodberry’s Heirloom,” at him. I didn’t even need to swing it precisely.
“Now…! Stop it!”
Esme didn’t take this dagger.
Colette forced it on her, and it became quite a trauma, so she gave it to me, saying she didn’t want to see it for a while. Thanks to that, I can use it now.
Using a weapon made to kill demons to kill a demon. A bit ironic, huh?
“Ugh… Ha…”
Rowan, stabbed by “Bloodberry’s Heirloom,” spewed a white light from his mouth and collapsed.
The magic power in his body disappeared instantly, so he couldn’t hug me and self-destruct as he wanted.
This is the end for Rowan. He used every cell in his body as fuel for self-destruction.
“Murmur-sama! Are you okay?”
“Yes, Murmur is fine. But…”
Rowan, collapsed on the ground, looked up at me and Citrine with a faint sneer.
“You… will regret… it.”
“Aren’t you going to apologize to Citrine?”
From his legs to his arms and chest, Rowan’s entire body turned into a light and disappeared. He looked at Citrine with a sneer.
“Humans… will never… accept you…”
Rowan couldn’t even finish his sentence before turning into light and disappearing.
This is just as headache-inducing as the game. All demons in Primeordial Rex self-destruct when their health drops.
So if you really want to save an enemy, you need to prepare various troublesome spells or tools. Rowan wasn’t worth it, and I didn’t even have time to prepare such means.
“… Sorry. Murmur should have warned you more clearly.”
“No, no! It was Citrine’s decision to ignore Murmur-sama’s precious warning!”
Citrine fidgeted with her hands and looked at me.
“Murmur-sama, there’s something Citrine needs to tell you.”
Finally, Citrine spoke the predetermined line.
It was the line that signaled the start of the Demon King route.
Should I regret this?
“… Murmur-sama, you probably already know, but Citrine is a changeling.”
Citrine’s lips trembled as she closed her eyes tightly and spoke.
Changling.
A term for demons who use the forbidden and criminal “Transformation Magic” to disguise themselves as non-demons and live in human society.
In short, it means criminal.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“… Huh?”
For someone like Murmur, who lives openly as a demon, “changelings” are quite despicable.
But not for me. It doesn’t matter. Citrine has a reason for living as a changeling.
“Murmur doesn’t care about that.”
“Then… why did you save me?”
Citrine looked at me with eyes full of questions.
“… Is it because I’m the adopted daughter of the Crimsonbrand Duchess?”
There was definitely an option like that.
“Or… is it for money?”
Citrine clenched her fists with a bitter expression.
“… Do you need me as a sacrifice for the Demon God?”
I could have done that too.
But no.
I, Murmur, absolutely don’t want to proceed with such a terrible Demon King route.
So let me put it differently.
I want to give Citrine, who has lived in the stiffness of adults, the assurance that she can be comfortable and soft here.
“We shared cake, didn’t we?”
“… Huh?”
“Citrine invited Murmur to a tea party. We ate delicious things together.”
“But… that was just… but… I already warned…!”
I took Citrine’s trembling hand.
“Citrine and Murmur have been friends since then. It’s only natural to save a friend in danger.”
“Mur… Murmur-sama…!!!”
Citrine suddenly burst into tears and hugged me tightly.
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! Citrine…! Citrine…! I thought I would become Murmur-sama’s bride…! I doubted and couldn’t trust you!”
“It’s… okay. Citrine. It’s okay. We’re not that close yet, so it’s understandable.”
“From now on, Citrine will listen to and follow whatever Murmur-sama says! Citrine is the lady who will become Murmur-sama’s bride!”
While patting Citrine’s back, who was crying but smiling brightly, I had to say it.
“Murmur and Citrine are both girls. You can’t become a bride.”
“Huhuhu! What are you talking about? It’s totally possible!”
“… It’s not possible, okay?”
“It’s possible~!”
“… Didn’t you just say you’d listen to whatever I say?!”
Did I choose the wrong option…?!
What bride?! Between two girls!
* * *
“Murmur-sama~ Citrine is always ready to become the Demon King’s bride!”
“Then please… let’s wake up our sleeping friends first. We also need to clean up the carriage. Professor Marea will scold us if she finds out.”
“Understood. Just tell me what to do! Murmur-sama!”
“Ugh…”
Citrine, smiling brightly and wagging her non-existent tail, and Murmur, already thinking of running away.
Their scene would make anyone smile warmly.
“Lies…”
Unfortunately, there was a girl watching them with her hands covering her mouth, her face pale.
“Citrine… is a changeling…?”
Nicasia Holimpia, covering her mouth with both hands, couldn’t withstand the dizziness and collapsed on the spot.
“… Murmur, are you planning to hide that fact…?”
Nicasia recalled the unease she didn’t want to remember.
The faint scent that tickled her nose.
The evil aura she felt from Murmur.
This time, she befriended a changeling, whose very existence is taboo.
“Get a grip… Nicasia. You know Murmur isn’t the flesh of the Demon God. You know that, so why are you like this?”
Nicasia muttered to herself, tears streaming down her face unknowingly.
