How to Live the Life of a Demon

 

In the early morning, as the night still lingered, a cold energy permeated the room. 

 

Lennox stood by the wide-open window, inhaling the fresh morning air and taking in the serene surroundings. 

 

The gentle, lavender sunlight bathed the landscape, illuminating the meticulously tended garden and the quiet chaos that was characteristic of this time of year.

 

A sense of peace quietly enveloped everything. 

 

It was the same scene he saw every day, yet today it seemed different somehow.

 

“You’re awake. How do you feel?”

 

Lennox’s gaze fell to Lucius, who approached him.

 

Lennox examined his body.

 

His stomach was upset, his body was aching here and there, and the fatigue was beyond words. But.

 

“Thanks to you, I feel very refreshed.”

 

Lucius smiled slightly after hearing his answer. Then he threw Ophelia, who had entered a dormant state as if she had lost all her strength, to Lennox.

 

Lennox accepted it with mild surprise. He stared at the sword, which lay gently in his hands, for a while.

 

Ophelia, feeling her master’s touch, resonated slightly.

 

“Are you worried?”

 

“Is there any reason not to be worried?” Lennox responded, stroking the scabbard before turning to look at Lucius. “You seem concerned.”

 

“You have an odd expression.”

 

“I have a vague recollection of what happened. The sensation of being engulfed by something is still vivid. But…”

 

Lennox hesitated and then let out a deep sigh.

 

“I didn’t see anything. I simply woke up.”

 

He was quick to notice.

 

Lucius was worried about what he would answer when asked about this and that. It seemed like his worry was unnecessary.

 

“Is there anything else you want to say?” (Lucius)

 

“Just one more thing.” Lennox’s fingers fidgeted nervously.

 

Lucius spoke to a hesitant Lennox, “If you hadn’t killed Edion, you would have been consumed by the evil spirit and ended up harming and devouring others as a puppet.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

The serious, rigid expression gradually softened. He bit his lip, and his head drooped down as he lowered his eyelids.

 

Lucius glanced at Lennox and then rose from his seat.

 

“I’ll leave early today, so take your time getting to class.” 

 

His slumped shoulders trembled slightly.

 

* * *

 

“I want to become stronger.”

 

At lunchtime, Lennox suddenly approached, placed both hands on the desk, and spoke earnestly.

 

The unexpected appearance and remarks of the beta class student completely captured the class’s attention.

 

Lucius shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Have you decided not to concern yourself with what other students think now?”

 

“The situation has changed from before. I need to make it clear that you are my partner so we can avoid unnecessary conflicts in the future.”

 

“That’s a bold statement.”

 

Lucius suppressed a laugh. He hadn’t expected Lennox to come and say it with such determination, despite his red eyes.

 

Unlike before, Lennox’s eyes sparkled with motivation.

 

“Then it would be best to see you after school. Please wait in the lobby. I’ll get ready and go.”

 

“Got it. I’ll wait.”

 

After sending Lennox off, Lucius left the class and headed to the teacher’s office, ignoring the attention from his classmates.

 

It was better to use the academy’s gym for proper training. 

 

However, there was a challenge.

 

This was because Arnold had to grant permission to use the gym.

 

Rrrrr.

 

As Lucius opened the sliding door and entered, Arnold spotted him and smiled, though his eyes remained narrowed.

 

“You’re here? What brings you to me?”

 

Lucius replied with a casual smile. “I’d like to use the gym. I’m hoping for permission. I want to use the 5th gym for training purposes with just two people. We need to prepare for an upcoming partner class.”

 

“Your partner, is it Lennox?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What kind of training do you have in mind?”

 

“We plan to spar with wooden weapons. We don’t know each other well yet, so we want to start off lightly. If possible, I’d appreciate it if we could have permission until just before curfew.”

 

“I understand.”

 

Arnold thought for a moment and then continued.

 

“Come at the next break. I have a few more things to check.”

 

* * *

 

“Whoa.”

 

Lucius, who arrived in Room 3 of Gymnasium 5, let out a small sigh.

 

He had to argue with Arnold quite a bit to use this place.

 

Arnold didn’t just stop at the purpose of use, method, number of people, etc., but also constantly asked questions about personal details under the pretext of verifying information.

 

Especially about what happened last night.

 

Even if he didn’t know anything else, he seemed to know that a huge wave of magic power had occurred.

 

‘I don’t know how Hamel explained it, but I’m glad there wasn’t much of a fuss.’

 

Lennox said as he glanced at Lucius.

 

“I didn’t expect you to receive a permit right away. I inconvenienced you. It’s the beginning of the semester, so it’s hard to get permission, but it would have been harder for me.”

 

“It’s good that you know. I was told that Gymnasium 6 was sufficient for a simple warm-up. Other gyms are difficult to reserve because their sealed nature is for high risk sparring.”

 

“Is there a reason you chose this gym?”

 

“Because it is located on the outskirts, it is the least used. Okay, we don’t have time, so let’s get started right away.”

 

Lennox’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. Tense, rigid eyes stared at him.

 

Lucius strolled over to one side of the gym, where various weapons were displayed.

 

The weapons were simple in form, consisting of swords, clubs, and bows.

 

However, they varied in length, weight, and shape.

 

Lucius picked them up one by one, swinging them through the air and drawing circles to test them out. Finally, he found a staff that suited his hand and nodded.

 

“I’ll use this one.”

 

He then threw a wooden sword at Lennox.

 

It was roughly the same length as Ophelia.

 

“Use that one.”

 

“What about Ophelia?”

 

“She needs some time to rest too. For now, just make do with that.”

 

Lennox caught the thrown sword and swung it diagonally once. Then he looked at Lucius with a blank expression.

 

Lucius opened his mouth to explain after receiving Lennox’s gaze.

 

“From today on, you will spar with me. You can use any method as long as you can land a valid hit on me.”

 

“Any method?”

 

“Whether it’s poison, hidden weapons, or even throwing dirt, it doesn’t matter. I won’t go easy on you, so don’t hold back.”

 

Lennox’ eyebrows twitched a little, as if his pride was hurt.

 

“Is the staff your primary weapon?”

 

“Technically, it’s a spear, but the staff is better for sparring.”

 

Lucius twirled the staff in his hand, its length drawing circles between his palm and the back of his hand.

 

The preparations were not yet complete. Lucius approached Lennox and firmly grabbed his wrists.

 

He immediately infused magical energy into Lennox’s arm, leaving him with a puzzled expression, and engraved a spell on him. Then, Lennox’s knees bent, and he hit the ground.

 

Lennox clenched his teeth as a sudden pressure pressed down on his body.

 

“This…?”

 

“If you utilize demon energy and release it at the right concentration, you’ll be able to move normally. Gradually get accustomed to it.”

 

“Then I’ll be exhausted before long.”

 

“Of course, you must learn to control it well to avoid exhaustion.”

 

A carefree tone, as if it was no big deal.

 

Lennox swallowed a laugh and struggled to get up.

 

“It would be a shame to just spar, so shall we make a bet?”

 

Lucius, facing Lennox, made a suggestion to him.

 

‘Dummett used to bet frequently. Initially, I was angry then found it amusing, but later it actually became enjoyable,’

Lucius reflected, reminiscing about the past.

 

“If you manage to land a valid blow on me within a year, I will grant you one thing you desire. How does that sound?”

 

“I see you’re quite confident.”

 

“If you don’t succeed, you will have to grant my wish.”

 

“Good. I’ll make you regret looking down on me.”

 

‘It reminds me of the old days.’

 

A happy smile formed on Lucius’s face as he witnessed Lennox’s confident expression, reminiscent of his younger self.

 

Lennox took a deep breath, his eyes focused, and tightly gripped the sword with both hands. He swiftly rushed forward, impressing even Lucius with his speed, closing the distance between them.

 

The sword, which was slashing straight from top to bottom, collided with the staff and deviated to the side like water, then changed the direction of the sword and cut deeply into the middle part.

 

Lucius took a step back and avoided the sword, and Lennox, who had narrowed the gap, raised his sword from bottom to top.

 

Each sword strike sliced through the air with precision, inch by inch.

 

It was a remarkable display of skill, especially considering that Lennox’s body had not fully recovered.

 

“It’s pretty good.”

 

Taang!

 

The sound of the wooden sword and staff clashing resonated clearly.

 

Simultaneously, the staff, which had deflected the sword, impacted Lennox’s solar plexus.

 

“Tsk!! Cough!”

 

Lennox, whose posture had collapsed, groaned as he coughed dryly.

 

Lucius stood still, observing Lennox.

 

‘The dream demons are a race known for their weapon proficiency in the Demon World. I expected this much from him, being Rudiger’s son.’

 

It was a display of skill that justified his reputation as a genius.

 

It was not for nothing that he had been promoted to the Alpha class.

 

‘Most adult demons can’t achieve this level.’

 

It seemed that as Lennox grew, his magical capacity would increase, and his proficiency in controlling it would make him remarkably stronger.

 

“Hah, hoo, hoo…”

 

Lennox seemed quite exhausted, perhaps having rushed into the match with the intention of quickly winning.

 

Lucius reprimanded him.

 

“You seem quite tired for someone who was so full of energy. You’re not about to give up already, are you?”

 

“Not a chance.”

 

Lennox straightened his posture and held the wooden sword with whatever strength he had left.

 

Thunk! Clang!

 

The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed once again in the gym.

 

Lucius continued to spar with Lennox until he finally collapsed from exhaustion. He then carried the unconscious Lennox to his room and assisted him in recovering.

 

And so it went on for ten days.

 

By the time Lennox was starting to get accustomed to the routine of sparring until he collapsed, something changed in Lucius’ class.

 

“Today’s class is over. Oh, I have some news to share, so please wait a moment,” Arnold announced.

 

As Lucius was about to get up from his seat after finishing the class, Arnold gestured to stop him. Clearing his throat, Arnold took out a schedule from his pocket and spoke.

 

“I’m sure you all know about the Gustav Festival that’s happening this year, right? In preparation for that, we’ve decided to go on a field trip starting three days from now.”

 

The sudden remark shook the atmosphere.

 

Lucius, who hadn’t been informed about it beforehand, furrowed his brow.

 

‘According to the schedule given by the dean, the school trip would have been scheduled at least two weeks later. At this time, there would have been a class about partnerships, not a field trip.’

 

Soon, Lucius’s doubts were answered by Arnold.

 

“Originally, a light tag match was scheduled, but opinions were raised that it would be burdensome for the students and that it would be cumbersome to prepare a separate match due to the festival, so it was integrated with the school trip.”

 

It wasn’t a bad change, and Lucius was relieved that Lennox’s progress would remain unnoticed.

 

Arnold continued to speak.

 

“Therefore, you will be going on this school trip with your partner. Tomorrow, please gather in the main auditorium with your partner before assembly time. Any questions so far?”

 

“What exactly will we be doing on the school trip?”

 

“Good question. You will be handling the tasks assigned by the academy starting tomorrow.”

 

In Cyrus, school trips often involved completing various tasks disguised as part of the trip. It provided students with practical experience, and clients had the opportunity to hire mercenaries at a reasonable price, making it a well-received event for both parties.

 

Arnold went on to explain further.

 

“After completing the assigned tasks, you will have the remaining time for exploration or sightseeing nearby, as most facilities have granted permission. Please follow the guidance of the teacher in charge.”

 

Having provided a rough overview, Arnold asked the students if they had any more questions.

 

When no further questions arose, Arnold smiled satisfactorily and concluded, “Well then, see you all tomorrow. That’s all for today.”