Demon King’s Academy

✦ Chapter 8 ✦

「Translator – Creator」

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚  ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

It wasn’t just a mess — it was a complete disaster.

Rato’s skin was charred black, his hair half-melted, clinging to his head in uneven clumps.

Strangely, the damage stopped just short of being grotesque.

— Rato.

The Class-A student stood there seething, unable to contain his rage.

“Damn it, damn it… DAMN IT!”

Never in his life had he suffered such humiliation.

*Thud—! Thud—!*

He would endure no more.

‘He said he wouldn’t touch the students.’

The Demon King had promised that much.

No—it didn’t matter if he did.

Rato’s fury had reached its peak; if he didn’t act now, what little unburnt hair remained would likely fall out from sheer rage.

And so Rato chose to—

*Slide—!*

—storm into the faculty office.

“……….”

When the door to the tension-filled, silent faculty office burst open, the seated teachers turned toward it.

Rato’s appearance was beyond mere dishevelment—the word couldn’t begin to describe his state.

“What happened…”

A teacher tried to address Rato, but—

*Thud—! Thud—!*

He marched past, ignoring them entirely.

“Hah.”

The teacher eventually backed down.

Such scenes were hardly rare at Terran.

The sight was too familiar to warrant concern.

“………”

They all stepped back, wary of being dragged into needless conflict.

Rato’s destination lay at the far end of the faculty office, where brilliant sunlight cascaded down in radiant streams.

*BANG—!*

The vice principal’s desk.

Though there was a separate vice principal’s office, unlike the headmaster, the vice-principal sometimes maintained a presence in the faculty office.

Moreover, since Rayze served as both vice-principal and teacher—

— If you ever need to speak with me, come to the faculty office.

She had announced this in the auditorium — to find her, come to the faculty office.

Rato slammed both hands on the desk.

“Vice Principal!”

Seeing his face, Rayze furrowed her brow and spoke:

“Rato… Multipa?”

Rato was a student well-known to Rayze.

A Class-A student of exceptional talent.

Even without that—

‘Second son of House Multipa.’

One of only two ducal houses in the Kingdom of Franz where Terran resided.

This was the identity of Rato Multipa.

“Look what’s happened to me!”

Rato shouted at Rayze without preamble.

Normally, he wouldn’t have shown such deference even to Rayze, but she was, undeniably, a qualified hero.

A Hero — one guaranteed at least the rank of marquis anywhere on the continent.

Heroes were beings who could disregard even a nation’s judicial authority if necessary.

“This is serious indeed.”

At Rayze’s words, Rato’s lips curled into a smile.

Certainty bloomed within him — here was someone who would understand.

“Terran! Will you stand idly by while violence among students runs rampant?”

He was confident he had the upper hand.

Or so he believed.

☩

In the old Terran academy, such incidents were commonplace.

If teachers and students frequently clashed, disputes between students hardly warranted mention.

But now, at the start of the new term…

“Oho.”

The unfolding scene in the faculty office brought a new kind of entertainment to the teachers; the tension had been palpable ever since the Demon King assumed the role of headmaster, leaving the teachers on edge.

While it would have been problematic if they were directly involved in any incidents, if students took the reins, that was an entirely different matter.

— I won’t touch the students.

After all, the Demon King of Chaos himself had declared as much.

“Rato Multipa.”

Though Rayze called his name—

“On the very first day of classes, I’ve been reduced to this! Will Terran let this pass?”

“Rato.”

“Look at this!”

Like a protest incarnate, Rato violently tore at his collar.

“Ugh.”

The injuries revealed beneath his clothes drew muted gasps from the teachers.

“Whoever it was, they knew what they were doing. Only the concealed parts were targeted—quite the precision work.”

“Quite thorough, indeed.”

Judging by the scorch marks, it seemed like fire magic was used to torment Rato. And yet, his outer clothing remained unscathed, only the interior burned — it was an evidence of remarkable skill.

“I demand formal action! Either punish those responsible immediately—!”

“Rato.”

“—or grant me the means to contact the kingdom directly! If not, I…”

Rato raised his hand with grim resolve.

*Clang—!*

His hand instantly hardened, transforming into something akin to a blade.

This was Rato’s Hardening trait.

Currently able to transform his body into iron-grade materials, with growth he could potentially achieve diamond or orichalcum-level hardening—a promising ability indeed.

“I’ll end my life right here.”

Rato declared proudly.

“If I die, my father won’t remain silent. You may be able to suppress this now, but the truth will eventually come to light.”

Rato was certain.

‘Rayze Arden.’

Her family, the House of Arden, was the other of the Kingdom of Franz’s only two ducal houses.

He knew her character all too well.

‘A frail and indecisive woman.’

And more importantly—

‘If I die here, she won’t be able to escape responsibility.’

While she as a Hero might weather the storm, her house could not avoid conflict with the Multipas.

For someone as compassionate as her, bringing harm to her family?

*Smirk—*

That would be worse than death itself.

“………”

Sure enough, Rayze fell silent, seemingly thrown off balance.

“Right now—!”

As Rato pressed his advantage with a shout—

“Hah.”

Rayze’s eyes narrowed to slits, and a storm-like presence erupted from her body.

*Tremble—*

And unconsciously, Rato found himself retreating.

“It’s true that I care for Terran and its students.”

Rayze spoke as she slowly rose.

“And yes, my position is that violence within these academy walls is absolutely unacceptable.”

She stood before Rato.

“But regrettably, I am powerless here.”

“………..”

Despite her words, she loomed before Rato like a colossus.

A giant.

The power of a hero.

‘What have I…’

What monster had he challenged?

“However!”

Rayze’s booming voice shook the entire faculty office, as if it might burst at the seams.

“Weren’t you, Multipa, the one who first tormented student Tomejo?”

“H-How did you—”

“Don’t underestimate a hero’s perception.”

*Shiver—*

A chill crawled up Rato’s spine.

“If anyone should be claiming victimhood, it should be Tomejo. Not you. Above all…”

A flicker of concern crossed Rayze’s face.

“The headmaster has already sanctioned this incident.”

She had sensed Rato’s harassment of Tomejo from the beginning.

She had moved to intervene, but—

— Stay put.

Louis had commanded.

— If you’ve made me the headmaster, you must cooperate. Wait.

And so, she had held back at his words, and ultimately, Tomejo had snapped.

It might have been a justified lesson in some ways, but the fact remained that violence had occurred. This had left Rayze with a heavy heart, struggling to contain her emotions.

So when Rato showed up, spewing his self-righteous accusations—

“You dare!”

Rayze’s temper snapped.

“To speak of what you yourself perpetrated.”

“Ah, I…”

Rato stumbled back as if mesmerized, his eyes wide with fear.

“Rato Multipa, age 14. Second son of House Multipa. Trait: Hardening…”

And Rayze began listing his details with precision.

And then, the most damning fact—

“Possessing psychopathic tendencies. The Duke himself personally requested that Terran take you in.”

Rato’s infamous deeds were no secret. He had relentlessly tormented not only the servants but also the common folk in his father’s domain, leading to his effective exile to the academy.

That was Rato.

He likely hadn’t expected everything to be laid bare.

No matter how talented he was, he was still only 14 years old.

But even so—

“Learn to take responsibility for your actions.”

Rayze’s voice was resolute. Age would not serve as an excuse. Not anymore.

Rato, his face flushed, stumbled backward.

*Thud—*

He came to a halt as he bumped into something.

As Rato slowly turned his gaze, he saw the teachers in the faculty office.

“………..”

They all pretended to know nothing, to have seen nothing, keeping their eyes fixed on their desks, avoiding his gaze.

“It seems you still don’t understand what I’m saying.”

“Huhk!”

What Rato had bumped into was none other than headmaster Louis.

“You…”

Louis’ lazily curled lips unleashed shocking words.

☩

“So another day begins.”

“Should we be grateful just to have survived?”

“Wouldn’t death be preferable?”

Terran’s students streamed from their dormitories into the dawn of a new day; they shared whispered conversations, each face bearing the marks of exhaustion.

More than the classes themselves, the constant tension of avoiding the Demon King’s displeasure had worn them to their limits; though they yearned to drown their weariness in drink, such indulgences were impossible in today’s Terran.

“If only something would happen.”

“And risk another incident like yesterday? No thanks.”

“Ugh, horrifying.”

As they walked toward school with shared trepidation—

“Neeeeeigh!”

A strange whinny echoed from somewhere.

“What’s that?”

The cry felt wrong, unsettling to the very ear.

It was…

“Neeeeeigh!”

“That sound?”

Clearly a horse’s cry.

Yet horseback riding was strictly forbidden within Terran except under special circumstances.

“Neeeeeigh!”

Moreover…

“That doesn’t sound like a real horse.”

Something about the cry rang false.

As if something were merely imitating a horse’s neigh.

“Looks like someone’s having some fun.”

*Smirk—*

A student smirked, their expression typical of Terran’s unruly reputation.

But their amusement quickly turned to alarm as their faces stiffened.

“Who…?”

This wasn’t the Terran of old.

Though still called the cesspool, though still largely worthless, the headmaster had changed.

Demon King, Louis Shambel.

Every teacher and student now strained to avoid provoking his displeasure.

Even if the Demon King secretly encouraged chaos within the school, everyone understood it was better to exercise caution unless he explicitly expressed his desires.

Hadn’t they heard that even the infamous third-year Kolbel Trio, known for their mischief, now held their breath, keeping still?

Yet who would dare—

“Neeeeeigh!”

—force someone to make such horse sounds?

*Clop—, Clop—*

The sound echoed from somewhere, causing the students to halt in their tracks and look for its source.

“Gasp.”

And a bizarre sight greeted their eyes.

The students’ mouths fell open in disbelief.

Someone crawling on knees and elbows, moving forward, like crawling.

It was undeniably a Terran student, clad in the academy’s uniform.

“Neeeeeigh!”

There he was.

He was the one making horse sounds.

“He’s… he’s lost it…”

Someone’s whisper pierced the silence.

“Rato…”

“What?”

“That’s Rato Multipa!”

“Neeeeeigh!”

“That fool imitating a horse! It’s Rato of House Multipa!”

“……..!”

House Multipa.

Even in the Kingdom of Franz, called a minor power within the continent, they held the rank of Duke.

And now their son…

“Using Hardening to imitate a horse?”

Arms and legs hardened into metallic limbs, clopping along and—

“Neeeeeigh!”

—whinnying like a horse.

The bizarre spectacle struck them with no small measure of shock.

Now the students’ attention turned to the horse’s master.

“Ugh… ughh…”

A small brown-haired boy, head bowed low to hide his shame-flushed face.

“Who’s that?”

He was the master of this horse called Rato.

“Neeeeeigh!”

Rato wailed.

“Neeeeeigh…”

And wailed again.

END σϝ CHAPTER

☩

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