It was daytime in the kingdom as winter gradually approached. Reginn was personally training his students as well as Sivrit in the academy colosseum. He believed that Sivrit was far too fragile to be associated with the heroes, and as per their agreement months ago on their master-student relationship, Sivrit was forced to choose a weapon.
“I know you would be the best as a mage, but it’s an important skill to wield a weapon. By training with one, not only will you gain a new method of battling once your mana runs out, you’ll also be expanding your mana capacity through exercise and battle. It’s a win-win. Now, you can pick anything in the equipment room, it should be next to the locker rooms. Be sure to return soon, okay?”
“R-right…”
Sivrit was already completely spent by the prior physical training, being forced to run laps, do pushups, do sit-ups, and so many more gruelling tortures. However, it was enjoyable being with Attila and she even made a few friends in the special class, something she was not able to do before due to work in the council.
“Master, can I go with Siv?” asked Attila
“Hm… Fine”
“Thank you”
Attila joined Svirit, quickly catching up to her. For now, she lived with Sivrit, and was almost like a sister to her. The funeral of her parents happened a few days prior, but the training helped ease the pain. However, she couldn’t help but feel paranoid about the strangers she saw there. They must’ve been her relatives from her parent’s home, which was why she never met them before. They shared their condolences with her, but all hid their faces under veils. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of danger.
She quickly shook away the thoughts. Her parents came here to get away from their homeland, it was no use lingering about the past now, her parents wouldn’t want that. They arrived to Avangarden with a dream, the dream to lay new roots and to create a prosperous noble family. Attila was going to become a warrior - and perhaps even a hero - to spread the legend of her family far and wide.
Reginn on the other hand, couldn’t help but notice the spirit possessing Attila. It must’ve been the same spirit he released at Har-Meggido’s cave. However, he had faith in the Goddess’s narrative and figured it was all part of her grand plan.
In the equipment room, Sivrit looked around for a suitable weapon. She wanted something light since she tired easily and something that could be held in one hand.
“I heard that there was a weapon developed in Championnat. I think it was called a ‘Pistol’ or something. From what I’ve heard, it’s supposed to shoot metal pieces at your opponents, being similar in spell to a lightning spell! Isn’t that pretty cool?”
“It’d be great to have something like that… Too bad we don’t have that in Avangarden. Now, what do you recommend?”
“Hm… Something you can hold in one hand… Maybe a shortsword?”
“Maybe, but I want a little more range than that. If a monster was able to get that close, I’d be dead”
“Oh yeah, now I remember. What about a rapier? Doesn’t your dad wield one?”
“Ah, yeah he does. Maybe he can teach me more about it since he’s a specialist. That’s a good pick” said Svirt while picking up the rapier from the rack
“Heh, maybe he’ll even be able to teach you the ⌈The Zapier⌋!”
“C’mon, will you stop with that? You haven’t shut up about that ever since my dad told you about it!”
“Why? It’s a really cool name!” said Attila while holding back her laughter
“Anyways, let’s go back quickly or Reginn might get mad”
Reginn did not pay much attention to which weapon Sivrit chose, it was not like he knew anything about any of them. However, he had great battle intelligence, being able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of any weapon by simply observing its form. This was no formal training from a master, but this would suffice for now.
Sivrit and the class continued their training for the next three and a half hours, with water breaks and lunch in between. Reginn was supervising the class’s 1 v 1 spars when he suddenly received a telepathic message from Blodelshein.
‘Reginn. I did a little digging around the underground labyrinth and I need urgent assistance. I’m going to be teleporting to the locker room soon'
Reginn ordered the class to take a break. In Reginn’s eyes, this was a great opportunity for Sivrit to get some real-world experience. He called Sivrit to come with him, and realizing that this might take long, dismissed the class to their surprise.
Attila was curious about the relationship between her master and Sivrit was. Sivrit knew Reginn as long as her, but she was much more casual with him. They also seemed to work together during the weekends, Sivrit visiting the forest often.
Back in the locker room, Sivrit saw Blodelshein, much to her surprise.
“Blodelshein! How have you been?”
“I’m doing great, thank you”
“I haven’t seen you in class too often these days, I missed you”
“Well, everything’s fine. I was just too busy investigating the labyrinth. It seems that its roots travel far deeper than I expected… Oh and about the attendance, it should be fine as long as I remember to alter their memories”
“Is that so…”
Sivrit knew about most of the heroes’ adventures through Blodelshein, who seemed to know everything. Their visit to Sonosis, the underground labyrinth, and now she couldn;t wait to here about their expedition of Championnat after the heroes returned.
“Anyways, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here mostly for Reginn but… are you planning to take her with us?” asked Blodelshein to Reginn “Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”
“Pah, there’s no danger with you and me around,” said Reginn “But now that I think of it…”
The hero summoned his weapon, A Glimpse of the Absolute, also known as AGOTA.
“Here, take this,” said Reginn while putting the cape around Sivrit “You know what this is right? You were there when I used this against Siege. I think with enough training, even you might be able to defeat most of the heroes with this weapon, it is from the Goddess after all”
“W-woah…”
“Try moving around”
Sivrit waved her arms around, the weapon reacting to her movement and gently sweeping in sync.
“The main thing about this weapon is its immovability, you should be able to use it like a shield. Now you’re definitely safe”
“Good. Now we’re all ready to go” said Blodelshein
…
Within the deepest corridors of the labyrinth beneath Cadra, the two heroes easily cleared the halls of the mercenaries hired by Faust, an elusive organization the heroes recently learnt about. Thanks to Blodelshein’s research, the group learnt that Faust was indeed owned by the royal family, a fact that disgusted Reginn. There also seemed to be a demon lord within the operations as well, which is why Blodelshein asked for support.
Within the labyrinth, Sivrit was able to train using AGOTA as well as her rapier, though the heroes were always there to make sure she did not get injured. It was a terrifying experience for Sivrit, battling full-grown adults deep beneath the surface in a maze, but Reginn was still proud of his idea, believing fear to be a great teacher.
However, before they could reach the demon lord, they encountered an agent from Sonosis, tasked with the rescue of demonic slaves. She was a tall woman with jet-black hair and intense eyes. The agent found herself in the deepest part of the labyrinth in order to rescue the ‘exotic’ demons, which were expensive and well-guarded due to their rarity.
She was easily apprehended by Blodelshein and moved to an enclosed room with the other demons. Reginn began the interrogation with the agents and the slaves were tied up with a rope.
“Speak, demon. What are you doing beneath the sacred land of the Goddess?”
“Kh… I’m just here to free the citizens of Sonosis you humans wrongfully enslaved!”
“...Reginn, we should just let her go, she’s just here to-”
“Sivrit. Do you see what she has in her sheath?”
“...A sword?”
“This demon is an enemy combatant. When the inevitable war with Sonosis begins, this exact demon could be the one to kill your father, your mother or an entire city. You must spare no sympathy for the demons”
“But-”
“There are no buts. It is the Goddess’s order to eradicate all demons, one at a time” said Reginn while readying his fist to execute the demon
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“Reginn! Stop!”
“Blodelshein”
“I’m sorry Sivrit”
Sivrit only caught sight of the initial explosion of blood as she was teleported away by Blodelshein into her house, AGOTA returned to Reginn. She was in shock by the brutality, and how quickly Reginn’s attitude changed when the subject was about the Goddess and demons.
“Blodelshein! You have to top Reginn, he’s gone mad…!”
“...Sivrit. Being a hero means that you live and die for the Goddess. We’re mere chess pieces for the eternal war”
“Blodelshein… Don’t tell me you support Reginn”
“...We’re heroes, Sivrit. We kill demons. We’ll even kill humans if we need to. In the end of the day, we’re but weapons for the Goddess. I hope you don’t hate us for it, but please don’t blame the Goddess. It’s her grand plan for Avangarden”
“What are you talking about… You guys are acting weird… That isn’t what a hero is, that’s not what they do!”
“Solas, Reginn and I with many more to come are the heroes ready to die for the Goddess’s plans. Of course, not all heroes are like us and each hero has a different ideal of a hero. Siege wants peace, Poda-Bruss wishes to protect others, Sacrosanct fights against the unjust and Kaizer, well… She just does whatever she does. The point is, the heroes of the fairytales exist, but you can’t expect all of us to share the same dream. My dream, Solas’s Dream, and Reginn’s dream is to bring the Goddess’s plan to fruition, to see that the world is as the Goddess sees fit. To serve the Goddess is why I live”
“But what about everything else? What about the connections you made with me and Attila? What about your own dream of learning about the world?”
“...I do enjoy those things, I truly do. But I am a child of the Goddess, I wouldn’t be here without her. I lived in a turbulent world, and the Goddess was my only light. I owe my life, my world to her”
“But even so…”
“I’m sorry Sivrit. You’ll understand someday”
Blodelshein disappeared into thin air, leaving only Sivrit in her bedroom, the sun’s illumination her only company.
…
When Blodelshein returned to the room within the labyrinth, she found the room completely painted with blood, the corpses of the demons unrecognizable. However, this did not bother her. She was used to the smell.
“Reginn, there’s something I need to talk to you about?”
“...What is it?” said Reginn, clearly agitated
“It’s about the dragon hive. You told the demon lord among us that she’d need to prepare a solution for it, but now she’s dead. What are you going to do with it now?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” said Reginn while cracking his knuckles “It’s time for pest control”
…
Soon after Svirit left with Reginn, Attila and Brun were called to the principal’s office.
“Ms. Attila, Mr. Brun, please take a seat,” said Karudo, in disguise as the principal
The two students sat in the chairs prepared for them in silence. There was already a third student they did not know about, a girl with golden hair and eyes, shining bright as if she was a model. Attila had never seen her around the school ever and wondered if she was a transfer student They were nervous about sudden the meeting. Attila believed that it must’ve been something good, while Brun prepared for the worst.
“I suppose you two have never met Liliya before. She’s a new transfer student, and I hope you’ll meet her with a warm welcome”
“Nice to meet you: softly spoke Liliya
“Impossible… Could it be that you’re Princess Liliya?!” shouted Brun
“...Yes, I am”
“Huh? Princess Liliya? Who is that?” questioned Attila
“What?! You don’t even know who Princess Lilya is even though you’re a noble?!”
“Well… It’s not like I watch the news or anything so cut me some slack!”
“...Do you not know who I am?”
“I mean… You’re a princess, right? That’s pretty important! I think”
“I am the only child of the king, the heir to the throne”
“Huh?! You’re the future king of Avangarden? Then what are you doing here?!”
“...Before my ascension, I wanted to try being a warrior. I always admired the heroes of the legends and thought that this was the next closest thing”
“Well, we’ll have your formal introduction at the next schoolwide presentation. For now, I trust that you two won’t tell anyone yet. We’d like to prepare some things first”
“Y-yeah of course,” replied Brun “It is my honour to meet the princess and the heir to the throne”
“Anyways, the reason I’ve requested your presence here is to reward your hard work as well as your growth over the past few months”
“Are we the only ones?” asked Attila
“No, but I’m doing this by class. Having everyone here at once would be too crowding”
“Wait… Does that mean the princess will also be in our class!?” asked Brun
“...Huh, I guess I kind of spoiled the surprise. Anyhow, that’s not important”
Karudo’s secretary brought three suitcases separately and opened each of them.
“For you, Miss Attila, I’ve prepared a brand new whip as I saw that your old one was… heavily damaged”
Attila’s whip was ruined during her battle with Asche, being burnt and dropped at a high velocity. She had been making do with the school equipment provided by the colosseum, but this new whip was greatly appreciated.
“Thank you!”
The gift seemed very expensive, with the whip itself being made with the scales of a demonic snake and the handle made of dark metal. Karudo had it made custom-made in Sonosis for this occasion.
“This one is for Mr. Brun. I know you always used the provided school equipment, so this should be a nice change of pace”
“Thank you…”
For Brun was prepared a new sword, another handy work of Sonosian weaponsmiths. This was an obsidian blade, forged within the volcanic landscape of Sonosis. It was a foreign sword and Brun had never seen anything like this one before.
“For you, Miss Liliya. This is the custom weapon you requested for”
“Much obliged. This is as glorious as I imagined…”
Liliya’s weapon was special. Forged by the royal weaponsmiths of Avangarden and enchanted by the greatest wizards and mages of the kingdom, the towering zweihander was encased in an especially long suitcase, similar to a case for a double bass. The weapon stood tall above Liliya, making Attila wonder how she would possibly wield such a blade. That is where the two enchanted gauntlets came into play. The gauntlets not only provided additional protection but also supported the weight of the blade through a spell similar to flight. It did not lighten the blade, but it rather hovered, allowing Liliya full control over the zweihander.
“I hope that you three will put these weapons to good use. You are the future of Avangarden, heroes, warriors, adventurers. I hope that the gift inspires you to work hard and achieve great things. That is all I wanted to say, you are dismissed”
The three left the principal’s office, with suitcases in hand. The only exception was Liliya, whose case almost tipped her over when she equipped it on her back.
“Do you need some help Liliya?” asked Attila
“Don’t say the princess’s name so casually…” whispered Brun
“I’m good, thank you”
Brun was the first to leave as he still had classes later. However, Attila stayed behind with Liliya as she continued her struggle.
“...Are you really sure you don’t want any help?”
“...Wait a minute”
Liliya opened her case and put on the gauntlets. Now trying again, the case felt tremendously lighter, even while being held in one hand.
“Wow! What is that?”
“You mean my gauntlets? Yeah, well it was enchanted so I could actually use the weapon. My father wanted to choose something different, but I insisted on it”
“But… why?”
“Because it’s cool”
“Hm… I think I get what you’re saying. Anyways, where are you going now?”
“I’m going back to the palace, my butler should be waiting for me at the front of the school”
“Wow, you live at the palace?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m the princess”
“...I guess I’ll see you soon!”
Attila walked to her next class while Liliya headed out. The limousine was waiting for her and the case took over an entire side of the car, unable to fit inside the trunk. Liliya didn’t express herself much and from the outside, came off as unemotional and detached. However, she was the most excited she had been in her whole entire life. She even dreamt of becoming a hero like many of her ancestors. Liliya especially admired Siege, the mysterious hero who wore legendary armour, disguising himself. No one knew who he was, though there were rumours that he was of noble origin.
She lay along the long side of the limousine, though her butler told her that was dangerous. It had already been a long day for her as she had been preparing for this academy for months. Liliya took hold of the pendant she received from her father. It was supposedly a replica of an ancient royal heirloom mixed with various other protection spells. Her goal was to become strong enough to convince her father that she did not need this. She was going to be a great warrior after all.
…
Karudo watched from the halls as the princess left the premises. He reminisced about the times before he was a demon lord. Back then, he was actually a teacher himself, working tirelessly to better the neighbourhood and to educate the new generation. He had always been a protector and still was. However, sometimes he had to make unsavoury decisions for the sake of Sonosis. If it was just him, Karudo would never think to do such a thing, but Luvru, one of the newer demon lords, suggested that Karudo used his position as the principal in order to suppress the outstanding students from battling demons. In each weapon, a curse was put that the weapon could never hurt demonkind, repelled by the signature mana. Karudo believed it was an underhanded tactic, but Zealot found it amusing and a great ‘prank’.
Karudo returned to the office. He genuinely enjoyed being a principal. Even though he was only here for a few months, he found joy in helping and watching people grow and develop into adults. They may be humans, but Karudo did not mind. The eternal war was for the soldiers, not the children.
The demon lord wished that a more powerful demon lord rose up to replace him from his duties. The reason he was almost always on the frontlines was due to his talent of instant teleportation, ⌈Molecular Transmission⌋, which allowed him to be anywhere at any time. This was why he was made to do many things he was not comfortable with because he was the only one who could do it.
However, perhaps it was a blessing that he was the principal instead of any other demon lord. He became the principal through a hectic process of forging documents as well as assassinating the previous principal, which was kept a secret to uphold the nation’s security. If it was anyone else, they may not be able to resist being around weak human children.
Karudo paused his train of thought as he had a mountain of work to do, both as a principal and a demon lord. He tried to make enough time for both his orphanage and the academy, and the work almost began to become mixed, doing school work at Sonosis and orphanage work at Avangarden. It was a strange experience for Karudo and a tiring one for sure, but he was glad to be doing what he did best.
…
Reginn entered the dragon’s hive deep underground, but to his surprise, the nest was quiet. Normally, dragons immediately attacked any intruders, but it was as if the dragons had all disappeared.
A stranger leisurely revealed themselves from the shackles of the shadow, slowly ripping their shadow away.
“Nice to meet you. I suppose that you are one of the heroes. May I get your name?”
“I am Reginn. Now are you a demon lord? Just a demon? Either way, I wouldn’t be so relaxed if I was you”
“I am Baroque, though I now see that I probably should not reveal my identity to you. Anyhow, I come here with a proposition”
“What?”
“My colleagues and I plan to swarm the city with the dragon hive I’ve tamed. Bow if-”
Baroque was unable to finish the sentence as Reginn sent him hurling back toward the shadows”
“I-I… I will take that… as a no”
Reginn checked his mana vision, but it seemed that the stranger had teleported away.
He suddenly heard a loud roar as it seemed that the invasion was about to begin.
“It’s about damn time”
Reginn readied himself to paint the nest red. He was not going to let any dragon into the city today.
SIDESTORY: THE DOG-MONKEY-DEMON’S NAME
In the demon lords’ castle, Zealot was playing with his new pet, the strange dog-monkey-demon creature from Championnat.
“Aww!! Who’s a good girl?!”
“Is that even a girl?” asked Ambergris
“I checked. Definitely a girl” replied Luvru
The three of them were in the lounge, trying to figure out what kind of creature it was. Though Zealot was considering it no different than a dog.
“A-Alice” said the strange creature
“Wow! It can even speak!”
“Alice? Who is that supposed to be?” asked Luvru
“Hm… I think it was the name of the giant zombie Velvel made - may her soul rest in peace”
“Gil-Gilgamesh”
“Wow! It even knows my name!”
“Hm… This is increasingly suspicious” said Ambergris
“Well, we can figure out what its deal is later. First, let’s give him a name!”
“A name… A name…”
“...What about Domon?” suggested Luvru
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“Well, since he’s a Dog-Monkey-Demon thing, ‘Do’ is from 'dog' and ‘Mon’ is from both 'monkey' and 'de-mon'. I guess it also sounds like 'demon' in general”
“Hm… That’s a stupid name but I love it!”
“Vel…vel”
“I think Domon likes it too! That’s it, from now on, your name is Domon!” said Zealot while holding the creature within his outreached arms
And so, another peaceful day passed in the demon kingdom.