『Wisdom has increased by 2!』
『Stats』
【Strength 6, Agility 6, Health 6, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 10, Charm 10】
The moment I met the Demon God, Armonia, my stats went up just like in the game.
I was worried the event wasn’t working properly when I appeared sniffling and even had a nosebleed, but thankfully, it seems fine.
“Descendant of Nectar, if you have any wish for the Demon God, speak it now.”
This line is exactly the same.
“Murmur wants to learn magic from the Demon God, Armonia-sama.”
“You wish to learn magic from this noble being?”
“Yes!! Because the Demon God is a great being who knows all magic.”
“And what do you wish to do with that magic?”
The Demon God gently hugged me, holding me close to her chest. Demon God-sama? Do you know how soft your chest feels against Murmur’s cheek?
The sweet scent wafting from her body is strangely soothing, making me feel sleepy.
『Stress has decreased by 50!』
『Murmur』
【HP 100, MP 100, Hunger 0, Stress 0】
I’m glad the Demon God’s head pats are just as effective, and if I answer the choices diligently, I should get the same rewards.
“I want to become stronger.”
“If you seek strength, I shall grant you my blessing.”
“If I become strong overnight with the Demon God’s blessing, people will see me as a monster.”
“Human understanding holds no meaning for the descendants of Nectar.”
This was a pretty important question, so I remember it well.
This story is quite touching. It shows that Murmur, who is hated by everyone, is actually more upright than anyone else in her heart.
“Demon God-sama, Murmur… was saved by the Hero. The Hero, who is destined to kill every single member of the Demon Race without leaving a single one alive.”
“Indeed… Unlike the prophecy given to the Saintess, the humans on the surface understand the Hero as a cruel slaughterer. That is why I speak.”
The Demon God stroked my cheek.
“I shall grant you power. Overwhelming power to dominate and command them.”
“Murmur doesn’t want to dominate. I want to play more with my friends. I wish everyone wouldn’t look at me with bad eyes. I don’t want the Hero who saved me to hear the words ‘you failed.'”
“Descendant of Nectar…”
I held the Demon God’s hand as tightly as I could.
“I want to make those who say the Demon Race can only do evil things feel ashamed.”
“That path will be very painful…”
“But the Hero who saved Murmur did it. Murmur can do it too.”
“That person was a Hero chosen by human hands, and his end was very lonely.”
“If Murmur doesn’t walk that path, the Hero’s efforts and actions will all be in vain. I don’t want that. That would be very bad.”
The Demon God gave a faint, bitter smile.
“You speak of gaining power that humans can understand, to make them acknowledge you.”
The Demon God caressed my cheek.
“A duck born among swans can never become a swan no matter how hard it tries, descendant of Nectar. Do not strive to become a being so beautiful that even the swans are moved.”
“Because the Demon God will help Murmur. I can do it.”
“I thought you were a naive and soft creature, but the light within you is surprisingly bright.”
The Demon God extended her pinky and thumb as if to make a promise.
“Descendant of Nectar, the Demon God Armonia promises.”
“Yes, Murmur promises too.”
“I shall impart any wisdom and knowledge to help you achieve your dreams.”
“Murmur can overcome any adversity or trial for the sake of her dreams. I promise.”
The day I made a promise with the Demon God by linking pinkies and rubbing thumbs… Maybe life at Cosmos Academy isn’t so bad after all.
* * *
『A new event has been confirmed!』
《Secret Meeting with the Demon God》
《Time: After School》
The magic I could learn from the Demon God was unfortunately random.
So sometimes, when she taught me a completely useless spell, I had to hold back tears and reload my save.
But! I am Murmur. Can’t I just pester the Demon God Armonia to teach me the magic I want?
“Demon God-sama, Demon God-sama.”
Holding the hem of my dress with one hand, I tugged at it insistently.
“Speak, descendant of Nectar.”
“Murmur wants to learn summoning magic.”
Summoning magic.
In Legend of Academy, it’s classified as a ‘Tier 0’ magic, the most basic of the basics.
The reason it’s Tier 0 is simple: the summoned creatures are strong. Since they aren’t affected by stats other than intelligence, the faster you learn it, the easier it is to exploit.
If the monster I summon is level 3 and the opponent is level 2, I can win just by the monster’s stats! In Reoa, where skills are often learned randomly, this is a sweet deal. Even used alone, it consistently performs well, something beginners wouldn’t appreciate!
But can I really learn this? Normally, it’s a magic taught in the middle school section, not elementary. And don’t I need to steal a magic book from Professor Aiaie Hekati’s event?
“Summoning magic… Hoh, I see. Considering your talent, it’s a perfect fit.”
The Demon God, Armonia, clasped her hands together and created a purple light, forming a ‘magic book.’ Wait, is this how skills are usually taught?
Anyway, success. A middle school magic learned by an elementary 5th grader!! Even if Esme or other characters pick a fight, I can definitely win now!
“I have infused my wisdom on summoning magic here. Read it calmly.”
The magic book was more ordinary than I expected. For something made by the terrifying Demon God, it wasn’t even made of human skin.
“Won’t people be surprised?”
“Do not underestimate this one’s wisdom. I have tailored it to match the latest trends in the Mage’s Tower, so if anyone picks on you, hit them with the book.”
But then I’d get caught. Silly Demon God-sama.
“Thank you. I’ll read it diligently.”
Flipping through the surprisingly thick magic book, it felt like reading Namu Wiki with densely packed text.
This feels like a setting guide, but can I really learn magic by reading this?
There’s a magic circle here, so let’s try drawing it.
“Eighth…!”
I didn’t have a crayon, but I drew the magic circle in the air with my fingertip.
─ Crackle!
“Answer my call, Wisp!”
The magic circle split, and a white, sparking orb plopped out from within.
“Demon God-sama! Demon God-sama! I did it!”
“Even if it’s a low-level spirit, succeeding in summoning right away… You have quite the talent.”
The Demon God gently patted my head.
“Well done, descendant of Nectar. But do not forget. The more spirits you summon, the more fragmented your consciousness will become.”
So there’s a limit to how many spirits I can summon? In the game, it just showed ‘Spirits you can summon: 2 left,’ but she explained it like this?
“Yes! Demon God-sama. I’ll remember and be careful not to get hurt.”
The Demon God, Armonia, looked at me with eyes full of affection.
I hope that affection is real.
I was just following Murmur’s lines.
That feeling might change if I show my true actions.
『Stress has increased by 5!』
* * *
Nicasia Holimpia narrowed her eyes.
‘This sweet smell… Am I imagining it?’
Nicasia, who was enjoying breakfast with Murmur as promised, was startled as soon as she sat down. She could instinctively sense the ‘evil aura of the Demon Race.’
As a member of the ‘Imperial Family,’ she had a duty to protect the empire’s people from evil demons, so she had been trained since childhood to detect such auras. That’s why she couldn’t help but be surprised by the strong, eyebrow-raising scent that reached her nose.
‘But Murmur isn’t like other descendants of Nectar. She’s not delinquent and attends classes diligently, right?’
She hadn’t investigated, but Nicasia Holimpia knew.
“Nicasia… Are you not eating because of Murmur?”
“No? That can’t be. I just had something on my mind.”
Nicasia forced a business smile, then covered her mouth with her right hand and turned her head to the side. A maid kneeling beside her leaned in to whisper.
“Did something special happen to her yesterday?”
“I heard she refused Professor Aiaie Hekati’s private lesson.”
“Isn’t that a great honor? It’s the first time I’ve heard of Professor Hekati offering private lessons to anyone.”
Professor Aiaie Hekati, being a genius, had little interest in teaching the academy’s children.
Her perspective on magic was so different from ordinary beings that students always struggled. Eventually, Aiaie compromised with the world and stuck to teaching from textbooks.
“And the reason she refused?”
“That… she said she wanted to play after school…”
“Huh? That’s… really?”
Nicasia was startled and looked at Murmur. Murmur was cutting a well-done steak with a knife and fork. Holding the knife backward made her look a bit cute.
“Put another way, she secured her after-school time…”
“But I can understand wanting to play.”
Nicasia cut a bell pepper and put it in her mouth.
‘A demon like Murmur, who is quiet, polite, and cultured, is a first for me. I thought she could prove that Abamama and I weren’t wrong…’
Nicasia twitched her nose. The strong, eyebrow-raising scent still vibrated from Murmur. It was natural for Nicasia to sense this aura from Murmur, who was deeply loved by the Demon God. If she couldn’t sense it, she wouldn’t be fit to be a princess.
“Nicasia, you seem to be deep in thought. Are you okay?”
“We said we’d have breakfast together, but there’s been little conversation. Sorry, Murmur.”
“You seemed to have a big worry.”
“I can’t say there isn’t. As a princess, saying everything is peaceful would be an insult to Abamama, who is always struggling.”
Nicasia brought her knife to a potato.
“I thought Nicasia was worried about the magic class after breakfast.”
“Cough…!”
“Princess!”
Nicasia, who had choked, quickly drank a glass of cold water.
“Me… gulp, how could that be?”
Murmur knew. Nicasia was famous for skipping every magic class. She even knew the reason.
“But Nicasia… you didn’t attend magic class yesterday either, right?”
“I had to talk to an adult who came from afar. It couldn’t be helped.”
“If you skip every day, you won’t be able to keep up, right?”
“Ugh…”
Nicasia clenched her teeth. For a princess who always wanted to appear ‘perfect,’ magic class was an insurmountable wall.
The reason was simple.
Nicasia couldn’t use magic.
As a member of the Imperial Family, it was natural. So she had no interest in magic. Like children who hate bell peppers, she thought learning magic was a waste of time.
“Murmur… I don’t think it’s your place to interfere.”
Though her body looked like a middle schooler with a developed chest, Nicasia’s inner self was that of a 5th grader. Unknowingly, she spoke a bit coldly, and Murmur looked very tense.
“… Murmur will help you a little.”
Murmur was confident. She had the magic book gifted by the Demon God, and the textbook she saw was as easy as basic arithmetic.
“You’ll help me?”
Just like choosing the magic she wanted to learn from the Demon God, Murmur was trying to choose an event she could enjoy with Nicasia.
“I think Nicasia is struggling because Professor Aiaie Hekati’s class is hard. And since the class is done in groups, if you take it with me, you can get good grades.”
Nicasia recalled her report card with a clean failing grade. She also remembered her disgrace of staying silent at social parties whenever magic was discussed.
‘… She must want something.’
Bitterly, Nicasia had a slightly twisted thought.
“I can’t let Nicasia lie every day and run away from magic class.”
“… Is that the reason?”
“And… we’re friends who have breakfast together like this, right?”
Nicasia blinked. Her hand had completely stopped moving.
“Not because I’m a princess?”
“If it’s because Nicasia is a princess, then Murmur, being a demon, should run away.”
“Alright, Murmur. I’ll accept your help for now.”
Nicasia spoke with a slightly dazed expression and swallowed hard.
‘Calling me a friend all of a sudden… She’s a demon, so why does she feel so cute?’
Feeling an inexplicable emotion rising, Nicasia unconsciously stroked her lower abdomen.
