The horse whips into action. “You! You…”

She wipes the blood off her nose with the sleeve of her tunic and swipes her eyes across me.

“You promised not to kill me! You promised not to harass me!”

“You are a terrible liar, no? Yet you ask me not to lie?! What a hypocrite!”

I may be a strong demon, but I doubt even some hypothetical Demon King has enough energy to bicker with a girl in her teenage years.

“I…” I whisper with hatred. With hatred toward myself.

“I’m… sorry…” I say, but in my heart, third heart, I'm becoming less and less sorry, sorry just for the sake of being sorry. “I didn’t kill you, for one.”

“As for the second promise, it’s not established yet. I’ve promised not to harass you, but that’s my part of the deal. I still haven’t said what’s required of you.”

This is quite a pathetic sight, isn’t it? I can’t control my body, or the words that come off my mouth, or even my thoughts, for that matter.

Mira— no, Mari, looks at me with a staggered expression. She sighs, bringing her hands up and infusing them in blue glows.

Heal |F+|

I laugh emptily. “Seems to me you’ve lied. Who was it, saying that they have no mana? A sly little fox.”

“I didn’t lie…” she bickers. “Healing doesn’t require much mana, since it’s a gift of mine.”

“Look,”

Marisella |Wizard |F+||

Mana |F+|

Aura |F|

Wise |F+|

Life |F|

Gifts:

—Heal |F+|

Title:

—Apprentice |F+|

“I’ve acquired Heal after consuming a skillbook,” she says tiredly, licking the blood flowing down her nose all the same. “My father was a merchant. Long story short, he was beheaded for disrespecting a noble. My mother followed soon after.”

How is that of any relevance? Shit is sad and all, but do I look like I give a fuck?

“I took whatever assets were left, and escaped to the corners of the empire. I spent everything I had and bought the said skillbook and a basic grimoire, bribing a corrupt official from the magic tower for a membership,” Mari says, pointing toward the book in the far corner. “The grimoire has many more skills, yet although of low rank, they demand high mana.”

“Why join the magic tower?” I ask, brushing my chin thinkingly.

“To receive the Apprentice title,” she says, standing and closing in on me. “Take a look at this,”

Apprentice |F+|

+10% Mana Efficiency

“It may not seem a lot, but it is a lot,” she insists, massaging her nose. “But even without it, just having the membership gives you a backing, irregardless of what skills you truly possess. You become a full-fledged wizard, not just a nobody with a class.”

Oh, so it’s like a university degree? Even if one’s a moron, as long as they have the paper, people regard their dumbass like a scholar.

“When I first escaped the capital, I wanted revenge, I wanted blood,” she tells sternly, raising a hand halfly, then forming a fist. “Yet corrupted aren’t the nobles only, corrupted is human nature as a whole. Let me ask you this,”

“What do you think humanity is?”

Girl, I’m a demon. How the fuck am I supposed to know?

“Humanity is not just about moral righteousness and upholding ethical standards. People generally see values such as honesty, altruism, and compassion as cornerstones of what it means to be human. That perspective is too limiting and shallow,” she immediately follows.

“The belief in moral righteousness often serves as a facade where the weak justify their actions through moral reasoning while ignoring or straight up downplaying the selfish motives that they themselves oftentimes are unaware of.”

“Those selfish motives, in turn, are the other side of the coin. It is humanity also.”

That’s some twisted logic right there. She’s as bad as a demon.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Philanthropy is motivated by a desire for social recognition. Political decisions are influenced by personal ambition, whereas establishments engage in socially responsible activities to enhance reputation.” Mari walks in circles, her head hung low.

“It’s all about benefits—increasing profits, avoiding regulatory penalties, reducing tax liabilities, or establishing a positive public image. No matter the era, the strong have always controlled the weak. Sometimes, they use swords predominantly, and other times, they opt for words. Oftentimes, both, but with the right balance. It’s too easy to gain the adoration and admiration of the weak hearts,” she finishes, looking at me with curious eyes.

I smile. Youth is good. So many ambitions. So much inspiration. But what bullshit. Like a teenager who just read Nietzsche and thinks she’s cracked the code of existence.

Similar to how you control the weak by appealing to their beliefs, you control the strong by appealing to their set of longings, too. Whether it’s money, prestige, lofty goals, or health, they are all driven by something. They are no different from the weak.

In actuality, all people are weak-minded and weak-spirited, if we go by that logic.

You simply cannot distinguish the weak from the strong then.

Everybody has to rely on something to add meaning to their existence.

But well, I was never a fan of such discussions, so I’ll let her think what she wants. Maybe she’ll reach a different conclusion. Maybe she’ll prove me wrong.

“So what’s the plan? What’s the point? I’m truly amazed, Princess Mari. But I fail to grasp your profound wisdom. I fear I’m too stupid to ponder about such deep matters, so I don’t get the point,” I tell her, lefting and righting my head. “My life philosophy is to eat, shit, sleep. Sometimes I eat while shitting too, just for the change of the atmosphere, it does smell shitty though, though it’s fine once you get used to sleeping where you shit.”

She gapes, her eyes twitching.

I guess she cannot fathom my truly deeply profound wisdom either. Well, me too. I can’t fathom my excellence myself; that’s just how exceptional I am.

Mari coughs, adjusting her posture and regaining her composure. “The current system fosters selfishness. We peasants hate nobles, while nobles hate us. Yet neither are at fault.”

She clenches her fist.

“I want to crush this madness!”

“And you—” The moron points at me. “You help me!”

The fuck? I’m not starting any revolutions anytime soon. Fuck that shit!

The peasants can starve to death and the nobles can eat to their deaths for all I care!

“Why would I help you…?” I ask, barely refraining from frowning.

“Because that’s the right thing to do!” she shouts heroically, pressing the left of her chest with her heart. “Because you have a heart!”

Oh hell nah. Just when I’m about to voice the demons inside of me, she interjects.

“Not now. I know you’re uncertain. That’s fine,” she says, turning in a semi-circle and walking with hands clasped behind her like some wise elder who’s seen the worst of life. “But deep inside, you’re a good person! I know it. You’ll come to understand.”

Mari stops, turning to me and pointing at herself. “I will help you develop the dungeon. I will never lie to you, ever.”

She then points at me. “You, in turn, in addition to not spontaneously killing me, must never betray yourself!”

She points to too high above, shouting, “Finally—”

“I will help you obtain power at the cost of my life!”

“That’s the three promises!”

Power? Well, I do need power to better understand myself, and defend against whatever the world has to throw at me.

Most importantly, to murder the fuckers who threw me here.

“So, what’s the third thing you ask of me?” I ask.

“None! I’ll help you obtain power, and you can do whatever you want with it!” Mari smiles, stamping the floor like a warrior, which looks ridiculous, funny, almost, considering her frail stature.

“Hahahaha!” I break into laughs.

“What’s funny?!” she asks with the most serious face a sixteen-year-old can make. “Why are you laughing?!”

I slowly stand, beating the dust off the robe. “No more bullshit, huh. Well…”

“I quite like you,” I say, extending my hand. “So let’s make it fair. Three promises from you, three promises from me. Since you’re waging your life, I’ll do the same.”

“I’ll protect you at the cost of my life, Princess. Whatever crazy endeavor you’ll partake in.”

Attachment is a scary thing indeed. To think that a few moments ago, I could kill this kid and forget the day after.

What did I find in this kid? I’m not sure. What I’m sure is, is that I’m royally fucked with this promise. Because I mean it.

She staggers backward, bewildered, yet the very next moment, she smiles, and her smile shines brilliantly.

Mari clutches my hand and shakes it up and down.

“Haha! To think that I’d get a Great Demon as my lapdog!”

Surprisingly, I’m not even angry. She indeed got me good. These are the type of life decisions you get to regret as you get old, but I’m old as fuck, so I already regret it.

“Huh?” She looks up at me. “You’re not fuming? I thought you’d scream like usual.”

“Kid, I’m not stupid,” I say smilingly, clenching her hand with slight force.

She hitches in pain.

“I know you were provoking me, always,” I tell her, piercing her with my eyes. “Don’t do that.”

“And you were always acting, and I didn’t like it,” she says, smiling through pain. “People reveal their true colors when they are emotional, you see. You only see me as a kid. You’ve underestimated me, Uncle.”

I nod, expressionless. “You’re right. You’ve played me like a child. I can’t help but admire the qualities, Princess. Most of all, the potential. You can see right through me, yet I can’t begin to fathom you.”

I let go of her, turning and walking toward the core. “Don’t make me regret my choices.”

She walks beside me. “You’ve seen my status; now we need to see yours. Your strength.”

I turn my head to her, gazing at her.

“Regret?!” she scoffs, meeting my eyes with a wide, venomous smile.

“Just as I’ve said, I’ll help you attain power. You do whatever you want with it. If you see me fit dead, you kill me. Destroy the world if you want! Who am I to say you do this or you do that? Who am I but a nobody?”