Chapter 11

They first began proper lessons in the second week. And on the second day of the week, in the first class, there was a lesson on basic magic implementation. It might be called basic, but that only applies when compared to the other courses in the university’s curriculum. In truth, there was nothing basic about it.

Basic magic is something everyone could do. Creating a spark, a weak breeze of wind, or even a drop of water is considered basic magic. Its principle is so simple that most people could do it since they were children. However, the older one gets, the better education they receive, the more control over magic they’ll have.

Nordeux City Magic University was built with the goal of teaching advanced magic to students. This class made sure that everyone had excellent control over their magic, as the better they are, the easier the other classes would be. The first year would introduce them to all kinds of advanced magic, whether magic machines, magic potions, or even magic fighting.

And standing among the lines of university students was a single girl, wowing everyone with her impressive performance.

She didn’t hold back. The flames danced on her right hand, water on her left hand. They were in the shape of a dragon, and they flew all around her, flying high and low. Her classmates’ eyes were glued to that impressive performance of hers.

Well, most of her classmates, at least.

“She thinks she’s so impressive just because of a couple of spells?”

“That’s all she could do. She’ll lose in a real fight.”

Kade could hear some hushed tones from the people at the rear of the group, their faces filled with envy. He wasn’t surprised. Meline’s presence naturally brought attention, both positive and negative. People not liking her wasn’t a surprise.

“I told you to hold back…” Linda chuckled a distance away. Despite their situation, Meline didn’t bother hiding her skills. If anything, she’s showing them off. She certainly didn’t mind the attention coming from her classmates. If anything, she seemed to be enjoying it.

Linda stood near the side of the training field. Meline had completely taken over her course. She was supposed to reintroduce the basics to them. Not everyone who could use magic understood how it worked, after all. Still, the students were so excited. This excitement could become a fuel for their motivation to study. Hence why Linda let her take the stage for now.

On the other hand, the boy sitting next to her was a peculiar case indeed.

“You’re not going to join them?”

“Meline likes to show me tricks when I’m bored, so I’ll let the others see it.”

“I see…”

Unlike her familiar, Kade could use no magic at all. Absolutely none. Whenever he needed to, he would need to ask Meline.

Even for something as simple as creating a spark was impossible for him. It would normally be impossible for him to be admitted into a magic-related university. Linda could pull some strings for this special case.

His goal would be magical engineering. Unlike other magic-related professions, magical engineering didn’t actually require the person to be able to use magic. While being able to do magic is preferable, it wasn’t something he had to have to succeed.

“... Say, a question out of curiosity, have you ever thought about how things would be if Meline returned to Demon Lands?”

“I'll follow her there, probably.”

“No, I mean if the link between you is broken.”

“...” Kade fell silent. Linda had been observing them for the last ten years. Their relationship had progressed to a point where they felt more like family than childhood friends.

He couldn't imagine what things would be like without her. He never needed to consider that, after all.

However, things might change.

“I guess you don't have to answer right now, but Meline isn't going to be always around, you know? You should be prepared for that.”

“... Why are you telling me this?”

“Just a hunch.” Linda shrugged.

Just then, she noticed something. A gaze, coming from one of the buildings on the left. As a member of the heroes' party and a professor, she naturally attracted a lot of attention, but this gaze felt different.

She quickly turned toward Meline, who had stopped the tricks and gazed back at her. The two exchanged nods.

“Alright.” Linda clapped. “Maybe that's enough for today's tricks. Wouldn't want Meline to run out, would we?”

“There are still more, I tell you. Better be prepared.”

“Now, I want you to do the practice I mentioned…”

Linda coordinated the rest of the class to do some individual practice. Then, she took Meline and Kade and brought them away from the training field. They stood near the entrance, hidden away from whoever had their eyes on them.

“So we're targeted on our first week? How intriguing.”

“I don't want to throw around blame, but I could already predict who's after us.”

“You want to say it at the same time?”

“Yes.”

“One, two, three.”

“The student council.”

“Student council president.”

“Whoa…” Kade exclaimed. The two had reached the same conclusion, albeit for different reasons.

Meline then told her how she managed to draw attention to herself during her first day.

“Yeah, that's definitely your fault.”

“Yes, I know, but whatever.” She didn't look all that regretful, though. “How about you?”

“The student council opposed me playing around with the rules a bit.”

“That's also your fault.”

“It couldn't be helped.”

Some of the professors of her earlier time at university, back before the heroes' party, had retired or left, but many were still around. These people knew the kind of person she is and grew to respect her. Hence, they're more trusting when she lists off the number of special circumstances.

While the student council didn't hold that much power in the university, their hostility presented some risks. While they're nowhere near strong enough to be a physical threat, who knows what would happen if they uncover the secret behind Meline? Had it been anyone else, Linda wouldn’t have been bothered. The student council wasn’t some all-powerful force. If they lay low, things would eventually pass.

However…

“Hmph, I shall deal with them.”

Meline wasn’t the kind of person who could lie low. If anything, the fire in her eyes was scary, in more ways than one.

I feel bad for those kids…

She may have never felt the other side of Meline’s attacks directly, but she knew this demon lord shouldn’t be underestimated. There weren’t a lot of people who managed to draw her ire in the past, enough to make her take action, but those who did faced some rather unfortunate consequences.

“Don’t go and do anything unnecessary.”

Luckily for her, Kade was there to hold her leash. As long as he didn’t get close to the student council, it should be fine.

Meline let out a chuckle. A dangerous glint in her eyes. “I would never.”

•••

“Good afternoon, Miss Linda.”

It was a rather unpleasant voice, one she honestly wished she hadn’t heard. It was after school. Most of the students had either gone home or gone to the clubs. Those who were in clubs would be dealing with their club activities; however, this person wasn’t here for club activities.

The student council president. He stood in the professors’ room, standing by Linda’s desk.

Linda brought up a professional-looking smile. “Good afternoon, er… student council president.” She couldn’t remember her name. She had just returned, after all.

“It’s Rowski.”

“O- Oh yeah… sorry…”

While she forgot his name, she did know that this kid wasn’t a regular child. He’s the son of a big-shot noble. It may be the reason why she came up to her, acting all high and mighty. Linda might be a part of the heroes' party and an outstanding professor, but she’s still a commoner.

“Do you have any business with me?”

“Do you mind if we talk in the council room?”

“Oh? Sure.” Linda nodded. The other professors watched as she left the professor’s room.

“Hmm…?”

“Is something the matter?”

“Forgive me.”

The two continued walking. Linda glanced at the nearby building.

You two really should have gone home…

She could only shake her head, slightly disappointed that she had made her students worry.

•••

“To think he really made his move.”

Up at the rooftops, two pairs of eyes watched from a distance. Neither of them could actually see her physically, but Meline was able to follow her mana.

“Is this really alright?” Kade asked out of concern.

“Oh, she’ll be fine. He’s just a student who happens to be an annoying noble at the same time. Not a threat, I tell you…”

“I’m not too concerned about that…”

“... Oh, you’re worried about the kid.”

Linda would often make fun of her for being a ‘scary’ demon lord, and she did witness her anger with her own eyes back then, but Linda could be really scary herself. In a way, despite how non-threatening the two girls looked, they’re not someone one should mess with.

“I doubt Linda would go all out, although if she did, then it’ll get him off our backs, at least. If you’re interested, we could get closer.”

The student council room is a place where students talk about their aspirations, so it’s a place open to students. It had been shown to them on the tours around the school. Of course, with such a noble in the controls, no student could freely express their opinion. Putting him down would do the entire school good.

Kade nodded gently, and the two descended to the fourth floor. Using the bridge connecting the buildings, they managed to arrive in the main building within several minutes. From there, it didn’t take long for them to arrive in front of the student council room. Linda had already entered by then.

Just then, Meline detected a sudden surge in magical energy. Within a split second, she deployed a barrier that covered the entire student council room. Not a single word leaked outside. The hallways were eerily silent, despite not being within the scope of her barrier.

“...”

The two exchanged glances.

“... It happened?”

Meline nodded. “I must say, as a part of the heroes, she could use some rather… ‘rough’ methods.”

“Yeah…”

They were still standing in front of the hallway when a familiar figure approached them.

“Oh, hey Meline, Kade.” It was Tila. She carried a piece of paper with her.

“What’s that?” Meline asked.

“This? Oh, since we have more members now, I figure I can ask my brother to consider upgrading our room.”

Even that tiny room wasn’t used only by the DCRC. It had several other clubs using it as well on different days. The club used it every Thirdsday.

“Are we taking over another clubroom?”

“Well, I heard that the last member of the Diamond Mining Club graduated, so I figure we should be able to use their room.”

… What does a diamond mining club do? Kade wondered. Based on her eyes, it seemed that Meline was wondering about the same thing.

“Their previous time slot is also on Thirdsday, so it’ll be convenient for us.”

“I see.”

“Wish me luck.” And with that, Tila headed straight into the student council room.

Meline remembered what was going on inside and shouted, “Wait!”

But it was too late. The door swung open, revealing the sight within.

“Hmm? Miss Linda?” She tilted her head, entering and closing the door behind her.

•••

“I’m so sorry for my stupid brother’s actions!” Tila bowed her head over and over again.

“It- It is alright. Your brother never harmed us.”

“Ye- Yes! What she said!”

Tila, as it turned out, was Rowski’s little sister. However, her age gap wasn’t far. It didn’t even exceed a single hour. Yes, they’re twins.

Tila walked into a room full of frightened student council members. She witnessed some rather… unpleasant scenes. Still, thanks to Linda’s stern warning, the student council most likely wouldn’t bother them anymore.

“Still… you, a noble… It suddenly makes sense how you were able to acquire such rare scrolls.”

“The scrolls are pretty ominous, to be fair. People don’t exactly want them.”

“Did you buy them?”

Tila nodded. “I used my allowance to gather them, and a bit of my influence as well. Some might like rare treasures, but some business deals are way too lucrative to ignore.”

They were now sitting in a restaurant just outside of school. As an apology for her brother’s conduct, she insisted on treating Kade and Meline to dinner. Like Meline and Kade, Tila also lived outside the school dorms, so she could hang out until late if she wanted to, although she didn't want to worry her parents, so she would be returning as soon as they finished dinner.

Their food came. For tonight, they decided to share a meal of expensive lobster. Thanks to Meline's status, such exquisite dining wasn't completely unfamiliar, although Meline does prefer simpler meals.

“Eat up.”

“Thank you very much.”

The three enjoyed the food together, chatting about what had just transpired.

“He could really be a headache sometimes…” Tila murmured.

“You went through a lot…” Kadw chuckled.

“This restaurant is decent,” Meline commented. “I can do better, though.”

That much wasn’t a surprise to Kade, although Tila looked much more intrigued.

“Really?”

“Yes. You should come to our house once in a while. I’ll cook for you,” Meline said, sounding confident. Tila, however, heard something interesting.

“Our house? You and Kade live together? Now that I think about it, what is your relationship? You don’t feel like just ‘childhood friends’ to me.”

Meline didn’t panic, however, mainly because she simply didn’t think too much about it.

“Yes, I cannot live far from Kade, literally.”

“Wait, so you two actually lived together? Li- Like on the same bed? Married couple style?”

Kade’s face went red, but Meline simply tilted her head. “Why would we do that? We have separate rooms.”

Not sure if she wanted to continue the conversation, Tila switched the topic. “Anyway, we should get the new room processed. Hopefully, we can begin moving our stuff by next week.”

Kade raised his hand. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do we need a larger room?”

Tila turned to Meline for some reason.

“... What are you looking at me for?”

“... Don't know?”

•••

They ended up getting the room. There were several clubs eyeing the room, including some other clubs that were using the same room as theirs. Under normal circumstances, there was no way the DCRC could win, but thanks to Rowski’s recently acquired fear of Linda, they ended up being the club that received it.

“Whooh! Big club room! Yeay!”

“This is much better, I tell you! Ah, so much space! Unfortunately, we can't decorate it.”

At the side of the room were large cupboards, each marked with a different club. They were twice the size of the cupboards back in the club's old room.

“Phew, we could finally give these scrolls a proper space,” Linda said. She had helped with the move and was the one responsible for the scrolls. Other than the scrolls, there were several other materials the club owned. Most of it was small trinkets and pieces that originated from Demon Lands.

In order to protect them, the Demon Culture Research Club’s cupboard had been protected with seal magic. It's similar to the magic Meline used to prevent voices from leaking, but this prevented contact as well. It also helped reduce the magical presence the objects had. If another person sensitive to magic came along, they wouldn't be as bothered.

“You know, wouldn't it be great if we had our own room twenty-four seven?” Meline murmured, standing next to Linda, who was applying the magic.

“That would require us being part of the big guys.”

Clubs with ridiculously high member counts or top-scorers who bag competition after competition often have the honor of having their own separate room, a room dedicated just for them. No other clubs, no sharing, just one room with their name written near the door.

“I doubt we'll ever be that popular.”

“But there is no need to be concerned. We do not need to have a lot of members,” Meline said confidently. As long as they have enough members to still count as a club, they should be fine.

“Anyway, here’s to our new clubroom!”

The four shared a toast of non-alcoholic apple juice.