The trip back to the academy was uneventful.

Sure, I ran into a few bandit dens, but those were quickly dealt with.

For the most part.

I left alone the ones that followed the rules of the so-called honorable thieves.

They were the ones only trying to survive, and only taking what was needed.

I had no problem with those types, but the ones that crossed that line and started downright raping and pillaging, those are the ones I take umbrage to.

And, with my new strength, I was able to easily wipe them out.

I was even able to test my new〖Demon Lord’s Transformation〗on them.

My gods, it ended up being far more effective than I would have thought. Opposition practically melted before me in that form.

It looked sufficiently domineering as well.

Actually, there were a few things that changed after my ascension as a Demon Lord.

For one, those little flecks of green that had been in my golden eyes had turned into little motes of electric blue. My hair also seems to have completely turned a healthy looking white. Not like a shade of light blonde, but white. It didn’t look too different from the silvery hair I’d had earlier, but under certain light, my hair seems to glow like a freshly fallen coat of snow.

It was in stack contrast to my horns, which had turned completely black. They didn’t grow or anything, though they did seem to become sharper, and harder.

They did, however, grow when under the influence of〖Demon Lord’s Transformation〗.

In fact, there are a few things that change when I activate that skill.

Unfortunately for me, no—I don’t grow any taller.

I do grow much stronger though, so it sort of balances out.

As was mentioned before, my horns grow.

More than one pair, too.

The ones that I have now double in length, hooking around to the front of my face like a pair of goat horns, while a second pair appears, and grow swept to the back, like antlers.

My hair gains a red hue, like it’s being viewed through a red mist, and it grows in length a little. Those tribal like markings that had appeared before now had some changes to them. For one, they were much more intricate, with the large black thick lines being composed of smaller, thinner patterns that drew the eye. They were still only on my arms and down my back, but seemed vaguely reminiscent of scales.

Particularly, there was an open space on my back. Well, two open spaces, right by my shoulder blades. Like it was leaving space for two good-sized wings.

On a side note, all my stats triple while in that form.

Yeah. It’s a little overkill.

My mana stays the same though, mostly because the amount I have is already completely ridiculous. Normally, the amount of mana I have would only be found among those mages who have reached levels four hundred to five hundred.

But the other stat increases were just monstrous.

I flicked a bandit once, and he just liquefied. Terribly messy, but what with the thing I had caught him doing, he deserved it. Besides, since the clothes were from Ascension Island, of course they came with an auto-clean function. It was like nothing even happened afterwards.

When I finally made it back to the academy, I went straight to Flavius’s office.

Then, I went to my bed after finding out he wasn’t at the school for the moment, and neither was Niten. I asked about it, and all anyone would say is that they had been called to find someone, by both their respective Kingdoms.

So, they were probably tied up searching for Jasper at the moment.

After a good sleep, which erased the rest of any tension caused by becoming a Demon Lord, and going through some of my worst memories, I went to the forge.

There were a few things I wanted to go ahead and finish, though I only brought them halfway to completion this time. I might be able to finish this little project the next time I visit the forge.

Then, I just spent quite a bit of time lazing about.

I did ask, but apparently the heroes had also left, Niten having given them permission to enter the academy dungeon before he had gone. By my guess, they would be in there for at least another week or so.

That left me with nothing to do.

I did spend some time in the library, but quickly got bored. I’m not really a book person. I mean, I can learn what I have to, but the little random tidbits of knowledge that most bookworms love to seek out annoy me. I’ll read a book to get the general gist of it, and delve no further into it’s narrative. I prefer more straightforward methods of learning, and simple subjects, like how to fight. And, some of the things that people would need to read about to learn, like math, I already know.

In fact, when I was back on Earth, math was my best subject, simply because I understood the number better than even the teachers. It wasn’t something I learned, though, but rather something I simply had. Similarly, physics was a walk in the park.

That was it though. Other things that actually required hard-core memorization or large amounts of effort eluded me. I’m just an instinctive learner, I guess.

Of course, some worlds had books meant for shallow entertainment, and I greatly enjoyed such books, but they are somewhat uncommon here, especially in a place meant for learning.

Supremely bored, I decided to go to the training grounds, and just work on my forms. It was something to waste time, since I couldn’t really improve them anymore without a better teacher than I had, or unless I comprehend something as of yet vastly outside of my realm of knowledge. And, that seems a little unlikely at the moment.

I chose one of the less frequented training areas, and spent a few hours simply going through the forms, letting all my thoughts go.

It was rather therapeutic, actually. 

But, like all things, it had to end. I could see that students were beginning to gather around the field, likely for a practical lesson. I went ahead and stopped, savoring the warm burn in my muscles as I walked away.

Is there anything else for me to do?

I’m soooo bored.

Ah well. I’ll find something.

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I found something.

And now I have a small hangover from it.

Ugh. Never trust seedy taverns to have good drinks. As a rule, they try and get the cheapest and most powerful stuff. And this stuff tends to mess you up.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Though, with the amount I can remember drinking, I suppose a normal human, or even elf, would be dead ten times over due to the alcohol poisoning.

While, I only have a slight hangover attesting to the deed, and an empty coin-purse.

I wasn’t even drunk though. Just a little tipsy. I somehow felt a little sad about this, since it now meant that I would have to spend ludicrous amounts of money before the alcohol even began to kick in.

At least I can now drink just about anyone under the table. Maybe not dragons, though. Oh well.

It elevated my boredom somewhat, especially after I started that bar fight. Of course, nobody knew that it had been my doing, but that was the point. I just wanted to watch an all out brawl where people do their best to brain others with a less than stable chair. They figured it out the second time, though.

What can I say? I just enjoy watching chaos happen.

On some level as well, I enjoy causing it.

Maybe it has something to do with the lack of control I’d always had across all my lives, but to actively change things around me like that just let me feel like I was truly living for once. It also brought me great pleasure to think about the results of chaos like the bar fights. I mean, on a lesser level, I at least messed up the night of a group of people, and if I’m thinking extremely optimistically, the grand plan of some god might have just been derailed. How, you might wonder? I have no idea myself, but there’s always the possibility. I’ve messed up a vengeful god’s plans by accident once before.

Well, I paid the price for it that time, but that had mainly happened due to my own stupidity, and insistence on meddling with things I still don’t understand. If the plan’s of a god are broken just by me starting a little bar-room brawl, then the god has no reason to complain. I still want to think optimistically, though.

Oh well.

Lucky, I was saved from further boredom by the arrival of Niten and Flavius.

They had come back the very night I was visiting those taverns, and I only found out about it after happening upon Niten on my way to check and see if Flavius was back.

They both seemed tired, and I could understand why.

Jasper had apparently gone through his ascension a few days before me, and the larger kingdoms and empires in the continents had way to identify when and where a Demon Lord rises, so that they might be able to send people to contain, or outright destroy the threat.

Flavius and Niten were called to help with this, and they both went to try and make sure that Jasper wouldn’t be hurt, or so that they could convince the others on this mission that Jasper was more a merit than a detriment. They actually convinced quite a few people to see things this way, but there are always those who would deny the reality staring them in the face, and continue on in the old ways.

So, while the majority of those on the Demon Lord subjugation mission were convinced of Jasper’s necessity, the others wanted to take him down anyway, either by killing or capturing him, and making him their loyal puppet.

Or, that had been the plan. What had ended up happening was mostly my fault.

They had actually managed to corner Jasper, and were about to put the finishing touches on a spell that would be powerful enough to render him unconscious, when they became distracted.

They had discovered at that moment that another Demon Lord had ascended, across the continents. And, that the new one had given what ever system used to suss out those who become Demon Lords a much stronger response than Jasper had.

That little moment of distraction had been enough to let Jasper escape. While Flavius and Niten were happy about him getting away, of course some of the others would be rather…angry.

There’s still more to the story, but that’s the general gist of it.

Though, it meant that I wasn’t able to surprise Niten with the news of my ascension.

Since it was obvious to him who the second Demon Lord would be.

He brought me to Flavius’s office.

I waited there while he went to go fetch Flavius, who had likely gone to bed. 

When they got back, Niten towing behind him a school headmaster who had obviously just been pulled out of bed, I had seated myself in Flavius’s chair again.

He looked shocked to see me, then a wry grin appeared on his face.

“Ah— you’re back already. It didn’t take too long for you to find my chair again.” (Flavius)

I smiled.

“Well, what can I say? It’s the best chair in the school.” (Kai)

“And don’t I know it. Go on, shoo, shoo.” (Flavius)

He got me out of the chair, and I sat opposite him.

The atmosphere of the room had turned serious in the time it took for me to move.

“So, what do you plan to do now, since you could be one of the most powerful players on the continents in the future?” (Niten)

“I’m planning on lying fairly low. I want to continue as I have been, though I’m increasingly getting the feeling that this won’t be possible.” (Kai)

Niten nodded.

“You would be right. People would find out about you sooner or later, and draw you into whatever conflict they wish to. It would be better for you to simply accept that things have now changed, and dictate how you want to be treated in the future.” (Niten)

I sighed. There was much wisdom in Niten’s words.

I’ve had the same thought’s myself, and arrived at much the same conclusion.

I need to appear into the political scene of my own volition, and establish my image before others found me, and made their own judgments. I need to present myself before all the powerful players on the continents, and give them the best impression I can.

Basically, I need to go to the summit.

Preferably with my Aunt, who would be able to smooth over any difficult details, and introduce me in a way that wouldn’t have everybody drawing their weapons on me as soon as I enter.

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