The Demon King handed me a real sword instead of a wooden one.
“Try it out.”
Having received the sword, I briefly displayed three swordsmanship techniques that I learned from Jema in front of the Demon King.
“Hmm. It seems like you handle the sword reasonably well. Why did you end up using a dagger?”
At that time, I needed a way to quickly demonstrate my skills to escape from Tolis. Until I met Aila, I chose to wield a dagger, which could be learned more easily than mediocre swordsmanship, in order to survive among us.
When I shared this story with the Demon King, I received an unexpected response.
“Daggers are much harder to get accustomed to.”
“Why is that?”
“They’re short. I would have taught you spear techniques. It’s good for keeping enemies at a distance.”
I recalled the time when a few soldiers armed with spears easily subdued the enemy during the train station incident.
Weapons are advantageous the longer they are.
Thus, firearms are gradually being supplied across the continent, albeit slowly.
“When you go to the Academy, just learn swordsmanship. That will be much more beneficial.”
“And the spear?”
“If you want to learn, just tell me.”
The Demon King said that it was my freedom to choose between a sword and a spear. As soon as I let go of the sword, it disappeared naturally.
Before long, a long shadow began to loom over the park.
“Let’s head back now.”
As we exited the park and moved toward the hotel, I noticed several black vehicles lined up, moving in the same direction.
That scene was drawing the attention not only of us but also the citizens of the city.
“Who could that be?”
“People are whispering that it’s Python.”
Jema informed me, having overheard the conversation of the people from a distance.
“Python? That person is from the Knight Order.”
“Must be famous, then.”
“More famous than the captain, Rea, according to the Knight Order’s hierarchy.”
Hearing that someone was more famous than the captain made me want to see their face, but unfortunately, the vehicle was heading out of the city.
As we entered the hotel lobby, I spotted Aila.
The Demon King hurried over to Aila.
“Did you wait for us?”
“Sorry, but no. I met a few people.”
I recalled the name Python that we heard on the street just a moment ago.
“Did you happen to meet someone named Python?”
“How do you know that, Ririan?”
“I overheard people talking about that person outside earlier.”
“Let’s head upstairs for now.”
We took the elevator to the hotel room.
Upon entering the room, I saw Dahlia and Catherine wielding swords and slowly swinging them around.
“What are you two doing?”
“We’re trying to create a new sword technique.”
They had been brainstorming and researching since returning to the room after the Academy exam.
The Demon King, watching them, did not provide any particular advice.
Dahlia’s expression seemed to hope the Demon King would point something out.
“Just keep at it. There are countless sword techniques out there.”
It was encouragement, not advice.
Catherine smiled brightly and responded enthusiastically to that.
“So, do you have any progress?”
“It’s still in the basics.”
They were merely testing whether what they had envisioned could be executed with a real sword.
Catherine demonstrated the movements she had conceptualized, while Dahlia pointed out what she thought were flaws by bringing her sword toward those areas.
Although the hotel room was spacious, it wasn’t large enough for sword swinging.
Since we had returned, the two put their swords away again.
I was called by Aila, and together with the Demon King, I went to Aila’s room.
“Make yourself comfortable.”
I casually perched on the bed, while the Demon King lay back.
Aila pulled a chair from elsewhere in the room to sit in front of me.
“I got a job.”
“Already?”
“Of course, I said I needed more time, but they called in a hurry.”
It seemed that the job was likely commissioned by that person named Python.
“But is it okay to give jobs to fellow captains?”
“Usually, it’s not done. But I’m in a somewhat special situation.”
As Aila found it difficult to answer, the Demon King, lying beside her, spoke up instead.
“Because of the rumor of being a parachute captain, I’m being accepted for such jobs. Even though I said I didn’t need to.”
“Shut up, Niv.”
Aila replied in a slightly admonishing tone, while the Demon King slowly turned his head in the opposite direction.
“Anyway, I said I’d let you work, didn’t I? That’s the deal.”
“What kind of job is it?”
“It’s to eliminate an assassin.”
Upon hearing the details of the request, the Demon King subtly turned his head toward me again.
“I’ll provide further details when we reach the associated area.”
“Where is that?”
“Sevia.”
As I tilted my head in confusion, the Demon King sat up beside me and spoke.
“That’s one of Latnia’s major cities.”
“Right.”
Hearing that I had to go back to Latnia again, I found it difficult to make a decision.
“I know you don’t want to go back there.”
“Did you forget the contract conditions? We agreed not to undertake dangerous tasks.”
At that, Aila too seemed to have no words, closing her mouth tightly.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became filled with tension.
After a moment, the Demon King sighed and got up from the bed, heading toward the window.
“Why are they giving you a job that could be handled by the intelligence department?”
“Because they likely don’t trust my abilities.”
While I had never seen the capabilities of the other Knight captains, I thought Aila was strong enough.
Perhaps the reason others referred to Aila as a parachute was due to her sister, Captain Rea.
It was a plausible story.
When I had seen the Captain last time, she seemed to cherish Aila greatly.
“But aren’t they going to be confused since you two don’t look alike?”
“People who work in the Imperial Court tend to know each other’s family connections.”
In other words, it was a structure where, no matter how much one tried to hide it, one would eventually get found out.
“If you can just resolve Python’s request, they might acknowledge you somewhat afterward.”
“What about the reward?”
“Well, they mentioned they would add the assassin’s bounty on top of it. At least about five or six gold.”
If I helped Aila with this job, I was guaranteed to earn at least one gold.
“But wouldn’t it be a problem for your skills to be acknowledged if I helped you?”
“Do you think they’d assume I received help from you?”
That definitely seemed reasonable.
Even if I took a young demon with me when going to carry out a commissioned job, they wouldn’t think it counted as help.
“So, you’re going alone.”
“What about Jema or the others?”
“They can’t come. Especially Dahlia would be immediately exposed if she went to Latnia.”
Aila could pass as an ordinary human if she just concealed her ears and tail.
On the other hand, Dahlia’s traits as a demon were so pronounced that she would be caught the moment she stepped in.
“Here, take this.”
Aila handed me two pinkish potions.
“Is this…?”
“Yes. That’s right. It’s a transformation potion.”
If I drink this, I can change into a human-like appearance, but then I won’t be able to help with the job.
“How am I supposed to assist if I drink this?”
“You know some magic now.”
I had just barely learned two types of magic: a fireball and a light spell.
I couldn’t even apply them in actual combat yet.
“But if you don’t drink that, you won’t be able to hide your horns, tail, or wings.”
“As long as it’s not this potion, I can just take on a human form. This one is for women!”
I was sure that when Solche had given it to me previously, it had been mistakenly switched, but now I could have gotten the proper potion.
“Was that one for women? I didn’t know such a thing existed since I can’t drink it.”
Aila opened a small box beside her and showed me.
Inside were ten more potions just like the one I had received.
“Why did you buy so many?”
“Just in case. I bought extra.”
Even so, that was an excessive amount.
Since each bottle lasts at least a week, having twelve would be enough for four months.
“When do we start the job?”
“We need to depart in a week.”
During that week at the Academy, I had to improve my magic to a level where I could use it in practice.
“Should I accompany you?”
When the Demon King suggested that, Aila seemed deep in thought.
The Demon King could hide his horns and tail without a transformation potion.
If we went together, there would be no need to worry about battles.
The issue was Aila’s pride.
This was a job she took to be recognized by the other Knight captains, and receiving help from the Demon King would surely bother her.
“I’m sorry. I think it’ll be just me and Ririan.”
“Being stubborn…”
In the end, Aila rejected the Demon King’s help.
After finishing our discussion, when I returned to the room, Catherine and Dahlia were already asleep.
Jema was still awake, gazing out of the window.
“Are you back?”
I conveyed what I had heard from Aila’s room to Jema.
“Are you going for sure?”
“Yes.”
I had to earn some money.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
“It’s okay. It was something I had to do eventually.”
Thanks to breaking the shackles, Jema had become much stronger.
It was an unfortunate occurrence, but it resulted in a good outcome.
That said, I felt no gratitude towards those who had done such things to her.
“By the way, I wonder how they’re planning to cover their tuition fees.”
I shifted my gaze toward Dahlia and Catherine as I spoke.
“Well? I think Dahlia has a bit of money, and Catherine said she’d earn it herself.”
There must surely be plenty of work in this city as well.
“If we’re leaving in a week, I need to start learning magic diligently right now.”
“That’s right.”
Jema created a fireball in her hand and handed it to me.
“That’s warm.”
“Is this warm?”
“Yes.”
“This is a very hot fire spell. How is this warm? You’re quite unique.”
Jema taught me two simple elemental spells.
I had already grasped the technique of casting magic through the Demon King’s practice methods.
Now, all that was left was to change it into the elements Jema had shown me.
“You’re a bit slow. If you make it faster, you’ll be able to use it in real situations.”
“Faster…”
Creating it quickly was still a difficult task for me.
“It’s late today, so let’s just get some sleep.”
We returned to bed and lay down to sleep.
As the morning sun shone in, everyone began to move busily once they awoke.
They tried on the Academy uniforms they had bought the day before and checked for any discomfort.
The female students wore white uniforms with black sleeves and collars.
In contrast, the male students wore all black, resembling suits, but with white shirts underneath.
Dahlia seemed a bit awkward in her skirt, standing in an uncomfortable posture.
Catherine was thrilled to be wearing clothes that made her look noble again after a long time.
Jema and I had already worn similar clothes back in Tolis, so it wasn’t as impressive for us.
