Side Note

Hello, it's me, Madeleine, and I'm currently sitting down at a desk in a classroom. Why am I sitting here? Because I'm a distraction! We're here at Toxicity Itself to steal the declaration of independence… no wait, that's a movie plot. Damn you Shadow Clones and your conversations I don't understand! We're actually here to steal Strawberry the Nurse because, apparently, she's still alive. Rika says I could clone her a bunch and sacrifice each Shadow Clone of her to resurrect every dead person in the Shadowrealm. Seems like a perfect plan, except for the part where we have to deal with the countless poisonous monsters and the Demon Lord of Poison inside the former Luminescence Academy.

Which is where I come in for the plan. While the rest of them fight through onslaughts of poisonous monsters, I will be a distraction for the Demon Lord of Poison, who, if you remember, turned out to be my former teacher from Maid School. He taught me maths, he taught me how to read, he taught me the seven different plants poisonous to demons and even taught me how to make tea. Man… I remember his tea. It was always my favourite among the teachers. That is until he killed half my class and took control of the other half. That's a terrible day for any student.

"And that is how you calculate the arc of an arrow using a combination of wind magic and sight enhancements. Did you get that, Madeleine?"

"I sure did!" I wasn't listening, but this class would go quicker if I pretended I was listening. I hope it becomes lunch soon.

"Now, time to show the difference between calculating the arc of an arrow and a dagger, then maybe a physical demonstration outside afterwards."

Meanwhile, at a different part of Toxicity Itself

"Deja! The roof!"

"Hahaha! I've fought cakes more poison-filled than this hallway!"

"Why the hell is there a living chainmail armour set coated in poison?!"
"The forty-seventh death… I need to stop looking into the other timelines."

Back in the classroom

You know, have I ever actually talked about what I learnt in the Maid School? I think I'll talk about that. They teach three types of classes in the Maid School: General, maid, and other classes. 

General classes are normal classes, like the mathematics one I just had. Other things that fall under it would be the language classes, the common sense classes, the history classes, and that one class where we learn about how to seduce witches. Why specifically witches? Apparently, here in Mendass, witches and maids have a rivalry dating back to the Initial 26, which, in my opinion, sounds like absolute bullshit.

The maid classes are also pretty simple. Tea making, bed making, cleaning, laundry, basically every skill a maid would and should use. I can iron a whole household's worth of clothes in ten minutes, dust off every piece of furniture with my eyes clothes, and cook all sorts of cuisine. My only lacking skill is nighttime activities since, for an unknown reason, I was always barred from them. Probably has something to do with my artificialness… I should start having an existential crisis over that, shouldn't I? Eh, I'll do that later.

The other classes are… interesting, to say the least. Basically training for jobs in the underworld. I know that seedy financial choices are always the safest choice for blackmail. I know 13 ways to break a man's neck. I know how to effectively break down the government of each current country, bar Cyst City… not that Cyst City is standing right now. Just typical shady maid school dealings. If you're wondering how the Maid School gets away with it… it probably has something to do with mother. Fear is a great deterrent.

"And that's what happens when you feed a goblin native to Mendass with any liquid brought over by a transmigrator. Understood?"

"I heard you loud and clear, teach."

Meanwhile, on the other side of Toxicity Itself

"Deja, block the poisoned blades!"

"Hahaha! I've been poisoned by Chernobog after I beat their ass in hockey! Your puny maid blades will do nothing to me!"

"Seriously, does no one question the shit she says?!"

"We're near the nurse's room."

Back in the classroom

"I have one last lesson, Madeleine." The Demon Lord of Poison grabbed a chair and sat on the other side of my desk, my eyes meeting his.

Huh, that explains his whole deal.

"Listen to this lesson closely, Madeleine." He continued the eye contact, his face taking up a serious expression that I could feel, despite the coldness of his helmet. "I know you weren't listening, and I know you weren't here for me, but that doesn't matter. I just wish for you to listen to my last words."

Oh… well, I guess I'll humour him.

"In this world, a select few are given choices that will affect the world at large. The father of the ancient dragons, Genekaiser, was given the choice to have children. The Seer, Merida, was given the choice to utilise her power for world domination. I, the Demon Lord of Poison, was given the choice to purge this world of great evil.

However, when these choices are made… the ones who made the choice face great tragedy. It is the fate of those who live in Mendass, a world riddled with minor and major tragedies masked behind vulgarity, insanity, and immorality. Genekaiser died, hated by his children, Merida learned of love only after burning the whole world, after she no longer deserved it, and I, a teacher, committed the great sin of harming my students.

As the last of my students remaining as they were before that terrible day, I know you are yet another of these figures who will be given a choice. You are the child of the Creator and the Strongest, with an unknown Sacred Power. You escaped the Maid School, were untainted by Hamblin, and have travelled and met many notable figures. I know it in my heart you will be given a choice."

He goes silent, taking a moment to breathe before continuing. "My lesson is that what I want you to do is not make a choice."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? As your teacher, I wish for you not to face tragedy."

"Huh."

He got up, walked towards the door, and stopped in front of it. He turned his head towards me. "I left Strawberry alone since the day you visited me. My teacher's instinct told me you would need her. Your friends are in the vehicle with her."

"Thanks, I guess."

"It's the least I could do, considering my actions." And so he left. I got up, jumped out the window and onto the car's roof, doing some acrobatics to enter it. Sherry started up, driving us away from Toxicity Itself. I looked behind and saw that it started crumbling… 

Well then…I guess I'll have to keep his lesson at heart. It's the least I could do.

Character description: Demon Lord of Poison

Sacred power: Poison Magic

Number of students: 31. He remembered each of their names.

Description: The former teacher at the Maid School turned into the Demon Lord of Poison and creator of Toxicity Itself. His story is well-known across Mendass. A teacher at the Maid School turned rogue, killing half his class and converting the rest, targeting the academies across Mendass, with his final conquest being the Luminescence Academy. To this day, no one knows of his motivations. Was it the low pay? The terrible students? Was he just mad? The truth of the matter is that he was too kind of a teacher for such a terrible institute, which broke him. Yet another tragedy in Mendass's history.

Chapter namesake: Toxicity by System of a Down (I could've referenced Britney… could've)

pojlk

Surprise melancholy!