Failures Can! (part1: The sin of sloth: Acedia)

The next morning was a perfectly ordinary day in the Montsou Kingdom except for 8 young citizens who were about to start a life-changing experience.

“Hm… Ravens! How obnoxious!” Baal looked through the window of the class, waiting for his students to arrive. “I came earlier than anyone to the class only to be greeted by those birds…”

He sighed, took a seat behind his desk, then sighed once again.

Signs of boredom on his face were noticeable by Alice who, herself, had her share of it.

“If anything,” she said, “you should be blaming yourself for coming up with this idea!”

Baal took a pen from his desk and started drawing random stuff on a sheet of paper, just like a young child. “I had to come early today! This is the only day where Acedia will come early to school!”

“And can I know why you are so sure about that?”

“Well… It doesn’t matter now,” he replied as he jumped promptly toward the window, “Our guest has already arrived, and before the bell rings!”

“Oh! This is interesting! Is that the boy who escaped yesterday?”

Taking a glance at Alice’s face, Baal lost track of time. What seemed for him to be a glance was long enough for the black-haired boy with crystal blue eyes who had just arrived at the front gate of the academy to reach the door of the class.

“Oh, yeah!” Baal replied, “don’t you find it funny that the sloth sin wielder has a well-trained body?”

“I think he has a normal body shape…”

“You two, who are you talking about?”

Upon hearing that question, both the demon lord and his assistant looked at the thin pale boy standing at the class entrance, Goro.

“It is nice to see you here with us today, pale boy! You came earlier than others on top of that. Looks like someone is really excited about my lessons.”

“Oh! I beg your pardon!” Goro leaned forward. “This might be the last time I come here, so I am simply making sure not to give you any excuse. I guess the other will arrive any minute now. Why don’t you introduce me to the lady next to you?”

“Alice will be helping me with my daily routine to teach you everything you need to enter the university that you dream of!”

Goro looked away, trying to hide the excited expression drawn all over his face after hearing those words. “That’s so tempting! I guess that’s the main reason why everybody decided to listen to your words… Even though you’re the demon lord!”

Alice glared at the boy. As she was about to speak, Baal covered her mouth.

Knowing very well his assistant has a bad habit of giving a bad first impression, he decided that it would be better for her to stay silent for the time being.

“It isn’t my problem if I am loved by others. I am extremely lucky when it comes to first impressions,” Baal smirked as he replied, “unlike you!”

From Alice’s perspective, everything looked abnormal. On one hand, the arrogant guy who made quite the entrance earlier didn’t think even for a second to hold back or show any sign of respect to the teacher before him. On the other hand, she found Baal’s actions strange.

He’s having… fun?   she thought.

Looking back at the student who was acting like a teenage girl who had a crush on the protagonist of a fantasy novel, she leaned toward Baal to whisper.

“I am guessing this student here is having some problems. There has to be a deep reason behind his behaviour.”

Meanwhile, Goro had already taken his seat. It was the farthest away from the teacher’s desk.

“Well, I can’t lie and say that seeing you taking the farthest seat makes me satisfied,” Baal said as moved slowly and stood near the boy. “let’s talk this through! I am sure there is a reason why you’re acting this way. Let me help you! I am your teacher, after all! It is my job to ensure that you’re satisfied with my lessons…”

“I have no personal problems with you!”

“I figured that out pretty much on my own, brainiac boy.”

Goro glared at Baal. “It is always the same thing that happens over and over!”

Alice’s hunch was correct. The boy had indeed a solid reason behind his strange attitude.

Due to her intervention, the scene that should’ve ended with Goro losing the bet and the interest to assist had slightly changed. Baal started thinking of thousands of scenarios.

“Can you elaborate more?” he asked.

“Teachers always tell us that they’re going to help us, care for us, and make us successful human beings. The same words were used every year. The same thing happened this year too. The teacher in the class I was in said he was going to help us surpass our difficulties. But then, what do you think happens?”

Goro sighed, then continued. “Absolutely nothing! Promises are nothing but fat lies! Teachers had never cared about us! They only care about their salary. Taking their job seriously meant for them teaching the average students, ignoring the well-performing and the less performing ones.”

A feeling of guilt had slowly found its way to Baal’s heart. Even though it was his first-time teaching, hearing about Goro’s agony made him regret the way he decided to deal with him.

“I see you have gone through a lot, young man!” Baal simply said as he patted the student’s shoulder.

“And…”

“And?”

“And teachers are annoying because they force us to work, do homework, and study! THEREFORE THEY ARE MY SWORN ENEMIES!”

Baal was dumbfounded by the revelation he just heard. Having nothing to say, he sighed deeply. “Well… That was anticlimactic! What can I say? You’re indeed Acedia!”

Screw this! He had me worried for no reason!   he thought.

“Your majesty,” Alice interrupted them, “the other student had just arrived at the academy. The bell will ring in a minute!”

“All right then! Let the first lesson begin!”