How to Live the Life of a Demon

 

The red light of the demon world seeped through the window.

 

Lucius was asleep in the large bed in the center of the room.

 

Perhaps because of the black sheet, the pale-looking white face looked like snow in winter.

 

Lucius, who was breathing quietly, gently opened his eyes when he heard a rattling sound next to him.

 

“Hamel…?”

 

When Lucius followed the sound and turned his gaze, he saw Hamel preparing something.

 

He brought Lucius, who came to his senses, the medicine and water he had been busy preparing.

 

“Are you awake?”

 

“How long has it been…Ugh.”

 

“It’s been about four days.”

 

Lucius, who was trying to get up, grimaced at the sharp pain he felt in his abdomen. And then he looked back on what happened before he lost consciousness.

 

‘I disobeyed His Majesty’s orders… Did I lose my mind while fighting?’

 

Defeat. It could only mean one thing.

 

By order, he had to enter the academy.

 

Hamel supported Lucius, who sighed lightly. Then he narrowed his uncharacteristicly long eyes.

 

“Libre, the commander of the Seventh Corps, has just stopped by. This is the recovery medicine prescribed by Libre.”

 

Lucius accepted the glass handed to him by Hamel.

 

The cup was filled with a dark green medicine that seemed to be made from various ground grass roots.

 

‘You only put things that are good for restoring strength. But…’

 

Lucius, who was silent and staring at the drug, frowned.

 

The musty smell of rotting wood was very unpleasant.

 

“Are you not drinking?”

 

“I’ll have a drink later.”

 

Knock. Knock.

 

Lucius frowned and was putting the medicine away when he heard a knock on the door. A familiar figure hovered around along with the faint sound of bells.

 

“He has arrived.”

 

Hamel opened the door carefully. A middle-aged man appeared from beyond.

 

A feeling of intimidation that sent a chill down his spine pressed down on his shoulders.

 

Rattle.

 

The spirits he commanded danced to the sound of the bells. As if keeping with the dance moves, a sharp wind swirled around as if threatening.

 

“Have you arrived, sir?”

 

Hamel greeted him politely. Dry gray eyes without any emotion stayed on Hamel for a moment.

 

Even for a moment.

 

“Did you come?”

 

A smile appeared on his face as he welcomed Lucius.

 

The intimidating feeling that had taken over the surroundings became gentle, and a spring breeze flowed from the spirits that stood still.

 

“You look terrible.”

 

He was Dummett, Lucius’ guardian and adoptive parent.

 

Dummett’s gaze on Lucius was as if he was looking at a child who had an accident while playing.

 

While Lucius shrugged that it was no big deal, he pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down.

 

Dummett asked, tucking Lucius’s sticking-out hair behind his ear.

 

“I thought it was an emergency call…”

 

How did you end up fighting with His Majesty this time?

 

Dummett, who was trying to ask the whole story, suddenly blurted out his words.

 

He followed his gaze to see what was going on, and the medication Libre had given him was still there.

 

Dummett shook his head and spoke sternly.

 

“Lucius, what about medicine?”

 

“It’s just an energy recovery medicine. It’s not bad enough to drink…”

 

He answered lightly and stopped talking when he felt that

Dummett

‘s gaze

gradually became serious.

 

Instead of affection, his eyes were filled with quiet anger and worry, staring at him wearily.

 

Lucius had forgotten. What kind of demon is Dummett?

 

The commander of the dead who subdues and leads countless spirits at his feet.

 

A one-man army that is unrivaled in terms of efficacy in large-scale wars.

 

And the best commander, who wielded that power to elevate the Demon King’s army to the elite of the elite.

 

Lucius was walking on eggshells and gestured gently at Hamel.

 

“I will drink it now.”

 

He had no choice but to hold the cup containing the medicine in his hand again and drink it down in one go.

 

As expected, it tasted like ground mud and rotten leaves.

 

Lucius, who tried to control his crumpled expression, made eye contact with Dummett.

 

Dummett always shows a kind fatherly side, but at times like this, Lucius can see why his subordinates are so afraid of him.

 

Dummett took the empty glass from Lucius, handed it to Hamel, and continued.

 

The intimidating feeling he had just shown had disappeared completely.

 

“So, how did you end up fighting His Majesty this time?”

 

Lucius hesitated for a moment and then answered in a sighing voice.

 

“What would it be? It’s because His Majesty gave a ridiculous order this time too.”

 

“Nonsense order?”

 

“Tell me to go to the academy…”

 

Lucius, who had been answering without thinking, looked at Dummett with a sudden sense of discomfort.

 

There was no way Dummett was unaware of his admission to the academy. In order to enter the academy, confirmation from a guardian was required.

 

Dummett showed a sly expression, as if he were trying to remain ignorant.

 

Nevertheless, as Lucius continued to stare, a deep smile appeared on his shameless face.

 

“Dummett.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You did it, right?”

 

“What?”

 

“Are you going to deny it?”

 

They say no parent can beat their child.

 

When his only son continued to question him, he laughed and confessed, saying he couldn’t stand it.

 

“Actually, I was talking with His Majesty a while ago, and your story happened to come up.”

 

“What on earth was the story about?”

 

“It seems like only yesterday that His Majesty found your gestation chamber and I took over your care. If it weren’t for the elders, you would have been old enough to go to the academy.”

 

Lucius’ expression wrinkled after hearing Dummett’s words. Then he touched his forehead and lowered his head to the ground.

 

He guesses that’s why this topic suddenly came up after two years of silence.

 

There were two ways for demons to be born.

 

The first was to combine demons to produce artificial life, while the second sought to generate life from naturally condensed demons.

 

Among these, the latter case was called a ‘gestation chamber’, and it was the law of the demon world that the first demon to discover a gestation chamber would become the adoptive father of the demons born there.

 

The one who found Lucius’ gestation chamber was the Demon Lord, and according to principle, he had to raise Lucius.

 

But for some reason, the matter ended up being transferred to Dummett.

 

It’s already been 71 years since he became Lucius’ adoptive father.

 

Dummett was proud of his son, who had grown rapidly and became an elder in just a few decades, but at the same time felt sorry for him.

 

For ordinary children, it was time to enter the academy and make friends.

 

If we miss this opportunity, won’t he never be able to meet anyone who sees Lucius as Lucius, not simply an elder?

 

He can’t even designate an aide or knight, which is an elder’s authority, because he doesn’t have a friend to trust and have his back.

 

The Demon King’s choice came at a good moment for Dummett, whose concerns were escalating.

 

Whether Lucius was aware of this reality or not, he made a displeased remark.

 

“This is all because of Dummett.”

 

“You blame me after all I’ve gone through for you? You should have known better than to deal with His Majesty, who would have rather that you simply obeyed his orders kindly right?”

 

The demon king was especially generous to Lucius, either because he was a demon born in Camel Forest or because he had watched him grow since he was a child.

 

He appeared to be enjoying the challenge of Lucius, who fought fearlessly.

 

Dummett sat down at the end of the bed, moving from the chair.

 

Reaching out as if he was stroking his head, he tapped, pushing, Lucius’s forehead.

 

Lucius, who was looking at Dummett, shook his head.

 

“It doesn’t really matter whether I win or lose. I want to win, but I know my skills aren’t up to that level yet. If there was really a possibility, there would have been a rebellion. Don’t do something like this.”

 

“Then why?”

 

“We can’t change the relationship between superiors and subordinates, but we need to let people know that even earthworms squirm when you step on them. You can’t just take it easy every time. How many times has it happened to me so far?”

 

“Fuha, hahahaha!”

 

Dummett burst into laughter without realizing it.

 

This made Lucius’ brow furrow, but he didn’t complain any further.

 

Dummett grinned warmly and pulled out the application form he’d brought with him.

 

“Your Majesty’s order. First, Lucius Kendrick must conceal the fact that he is an elder. Second, present at least three persons who have piqued your interest.”

 

“You say so many things.”

 

Even so, Lucius agreed to hide the fact that he was the Fifth Elder.

 

Until now, only a few named individuals had been made aware of the Fifth Elder’s replacement.

 

‘If a 71-year-old boy is an elder, the demon world will be turned upside down. There will be more demons who look down on the elders, and there will be a lot of conflict in my territory.’

 

Lucius didn’t want anything bothersome or inconvenient to happen to him.

 

He shook his head to clear his mind and returned his attention to the Demon King’s next instruction.

 

“However, they must be someone worthy of His Majesty’s attention.”

 

Are you saying that the comment about nurturing students on the way wasn’t a joke?

 

Lucius clicked his tongue.

 

It wasn’t once or twice that orders were added as punishment for losing a duel.

 

But what kind of great talent do you want me to bring in?

 

Dummett smiled quietly as he gazed down at Lucius, whose concerns had grown more intense.

 

It was because his son, who was worrying about his future, felt like his age.

 

Lucius sat on the bed and took the envelope Dummett handed him. He then sighed softly.

 

There were four sheets of paper inside the envelope.

 

Torben, Aaron, Kiara, and Cyrus.

 

It was an application for admission to an academy that exists in the demon world.

 

He asked Dummett, who was looking forward to, which academy he would choose.

 

“Dummett, which academy do you think would be good?”

 

“You seem to be accepting it more readily than I thought.”

 

“I lost, so I have no choice but to do it, even if I don’t like it.”

 

Lucius had outstanding skills since he was a child, therefore he was quite proud of himself, and perhaps as a result, he valued power principles and the distinction between public and private concerns more than other demons.

 

As a result, he accepted the outcome of the duel more clearly than everyone else and carried out his tasks flawlessly.

 

Dummett began by describing each academy.

 

“Kiara of the North values toughness, aggressive and warlike. You will undoubtedly receive numerous duel requests if you go there. It’s excellent for obtaining experience. I obtained my degree there as well.

 

“I have enough experience.”

 

It would be absurd to say he had a lack of experience. He trained with the Demon King’s army several times and competed against each other every time the Demon King gave a useless order.

 

When Lucius turned it down at a single stroke, Dummett seemed to have lost his appetite. He seemed to want to send his son to his alma mater.

 

“Aaron in the South is famous for bringing together various ethnic groups. There are also unusual sea races there. You can train yourself to adapt to different surroundings and various types of demons.”

 

Lucius thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go to Aaron’s, but Dummett’s reaction was unusual.

 

Aaron appears to have been a bad choice to go,

judging by his not-so-good expression

.

 

Come to think of it, I think I have heard that Kiara and Aaron are rivals…?

 

He continued speaking despite not hearing Lucius’ response. He’d roll up his sleeves and object if Lucius told him he was going to Aaron.

 

“In the West, Torben has a massive library. It is supposed to be the most popular haunt of dryads. There is less violence and more research.

Aren’t you interested in alchemy these days?”

 

“However, I’ve heard that Torben is terrible in combat. If I go, I’ll be too noticeable. And what about Cyrus?”

 

“It hasn’t been long since it was built, but because of its short history, there are a lot of things you can try. You are free to form a club or to urge students to gather and form a class. It is a place with a great deal of freedom.”

 

Cyrus’s policy was to help students experience many different fields at the academy and find a path that suits them.

 

‘It’s said to be weaker than Kiara or Aaron, but it’s not a belligerent place, so I won’t have to worry about suffering from a battle. I think it would be okay to stand out a little.’

 

Lucius deliberated before making a decision.

 

“I’m going with Cyrus. Please submit an application on my behalf.”

 

“I understand. Actually, I’ve already entered it into Cyrus.”

 

“With whose permission?”

 

Could it be that there was already no option for the academy?

 

Dummett said, shaking his shoulders, as a deep furrow formed between Lucius’ eyes.

 

“Are you asking me that?”