Show Them a Fierce One - chapter 3

And then?

Then Anuo was called in for a parent meeting.

This was the first time in fifty years since Anuo enrolled that he had ever been summoned for a parent meeting, and it wasn’t by his mentor or the dean-it was directly by the principal of Sky Fortress. One of the few remaining Magic Saints in existence, the combat ceiling of the Central Mista Region, and the ultimate weapon who had publicly promised never to strike first. For Anuo, this was also the first time he had such a long, private face-to-face meeting with the principal.

The sun was setting, painting the clouds at the horizon red. Tired birds flew past the spire’s Morning Star, heralding the end of the day’s rest. Only Her Majesty Salamander, carrying her anger and the drumbeat-like sound of her military boots, echoed at the end of the baroque corridor.

Anuo counted silently in his heart, as if counting down his own life.

Had he known it would come to this, he wouldn’t have spent all his pocket money at the end of the holiday on that Dip Pen.

Her Majesty Salamander was not wearing her crown today, but had instead chosen a more practical golden olive branch, letting her silver curls cascade down her back. She wore a fiery gold-trimmed military uniform, cinched at the waist, sword in hand, her emerald eyes forming a striking contrast. She and her twin brother looked almost identical, except her brows were more heroic and spirited.

The Elf Race’s borders were right next to the Demon Race. Reliable sources said that the Demon Race’s new Elector had been chosen, and the thousand-year civil war was about to end. The victor had used an iron-fisted approach to silence all factions within the Demon Race.

The Demon Realm was still under lockdown, and no one could figure out the diplomatic direction of this new regime.

In any case, the Elf Race had already made defensive deployments on the western side of Kabala Forest. Living next to a bunch of lunatics who once challenged the entire continent single-handedly was truly stressful.

However, thanks to the existence of the Six Races Grand Competition, the Falres Continent had maintained a superficial peace for many years. The Demon Race had suffered heavy losses due to their brutal civil war, so the likelihood of them unilaterally cutting off other races again was not high. The Elves were just being cautious.

The strong-willed queen had just finished inspecting the Half-Elf garrison at the border during the day, and only returned to the palace at night. She hadn’t even had time to change out of her military uniform before receiving news from her brother’s school. She had no choice but to use a remote magic array to cross half the continent for this unique mini parent meeting.

Only she, her brother, and the principal were present.

Anuo’s exclusive mentor, Qinke, had been waiting early by the teleportation array at the school gate. As a Half-Elf herself, Qinke could maintain her professor’s dignity in front of Anuo, but in front of the Elf Race’s sole queen, she was far less composed.

“Prince Anuo’s performance at school has actually always been excellent,” Mentor Qinke said, accompanying the queen a step and a half behind, doing her best to praise the prince brother, afraid Her Majesty would think she was negligent. “All the teachers and professors have praised him. His attitude toward learning is very serious, and any magic he learns, he never forgets. He’s always friendly to classmates and helpful-no one dislikes him…”

In Mentor Qinke’s words, Anuolaide was as perfect as a saint.

But it was clear Salamander knew her brother better.

As they turned a corner and entered the reception room outside the principal’s office, what they saw was not Anuo shamefully reflecting on his actions, but happily interacting with a Demon Race new classmate in front of the Chiming Clock.

It was a gilded clock made in the style of a Gothic cathedral, unique in shape and with a resonant sound. Hundreds of years ago, it was popular among nobles because of a literary work, but it had become rare in recent years. Anuo had always been unable to resist such flashy things. Salamander could already imagine that at the next Hermes Auction, her brother would surely add some new item to the palace.

No remorse, and still in the mood to discuss decor with a classmate-her brother was truly something.

If Anuo knew Her Majesty Salamander’s thoughts at that moment, he would surely protest his innocence. At first, he really did sit quietly on the bench to repent; he didn’t want to cause trouble for his sister. If it was just about discussing compensation for the Training Ground, he thought he could solve it himself by selling pens.

During the long wait for his sister, he met the new classmate who was also summoned by the principal for a talk.

Anuo earnestly sought advice from him, wanting to know how he managed to have the principal speak only to him, rather than insisting on meeting his parents.

“I have no parents, nor any family,” the new classmate replied.

“S-sorry,” Anuo hadn’t expected such an answer, quickly apologized, and began racking his brain for words of comfort. Though Anuo spoke more slowly than most, every word he uttered was clear and precise, as if deeply considered, giving a sense of being treated with utmost respect.
At least the New Classmate was enjoying himself. Not only was he not angry, but he even said to Anuo, “Don’t feel sorry. For someone from the Demon Race, this is no big deal.”

In the Demon Race, where Succubi exist, it’s common for demons to know only their mother and not their father, or vice versa.

After a few exchanges, the two started chatting, and the slow-witted Anuo finally noticed how different the New Classmate was.

He, like Anuo, was already wearing the white and gold-trimmed uniform of Sky Fortress, but Anuo could swear that in all his long years of schooling, he had never seen this person before.

The New Classmate had a face rivaling the gods, with a pair of jet-black horns on his forehead, curved like a goat’s and coiling behind his head. Coupled with his long black hair and inhuman vertical pupils, he was the very image of a Demon Race member. Yet, instead of the double-black eyes that signified a high-ranking demon, he had a pair of extremely rare violet eyes, like violets after the rain, sparkling with a fresh, translucent light under the sun.

Anuo: “!!!” Demon Race!

Because of the Demon Race’s protracted thousand-year civil war, this was the first time Anuo had ever spoken to a Demon Race member at such close range.

The Demon Race classmate was surprisingly easy to talk to. Although when Anuo first entered, he heard the other’s cold tone when ordering his vassal and thought he was a demon full of oppressive force, as sharp as a freshly honed blade, after getting to know him, Anuo realized he was nothing like that. This classmate was experienced, eloquent, and lacked the Demon Race’s usual arrogance and disregard for life.

Especially when he put on his rimless glasses, hiding some of the inhuman intensity of his vertical pupils, it was as if even his intimidating aura was subdued.

The New Classmate introduced himself as Lud, a mixed-blood Demon Race member who had been fighting on the front lines until recently, when the clan chief finally acknowledged him. Because of this… “In front of the clan’s vassals, I have to put on a show,” Ludwig said to Anuo. “Otherwise, it’s hard to win their respect, isn’t it?”

Anuo expressed his understanding.

At that moment, Her Majesty Salamander entered, surrounded by her Elf subordinates and school administrators. Faced with her troublesome younger brother, she truly struggled to keep her temper.

It was Ludwig who stood up, politely leading the siblings next door, briefly borrowing the assistant’s office cubicle, barely preserving the Elf Prince Brother’s remaining dignity.

It was also then that Anuo was surprised to realize just how tall his new acquaintance was.

As Elves, Anuo and Salamander were already quite tall, both around six feet two or three inches (188 to 190 cm). Salamander’s tall boots had heels today, but Ludwig was still taller than both of them. When he stood up, he cast a shadow like a snow-capped mountain, upright and powerful.

He looked less like a student and more like a bloodthirsty weapon that had slain countless lives.

Salamander finally regarded her brother’s classmate seriously: “And you are?”

Ludwig gently pushed up his rimless glasses, doing his best to restrain his aura, and replied politely, “My name is Lud, Ludwig, a member of the Demon Race.”

This answer didn’t surprise Salamander. Many Demon Race members had no surname; usually only high-ranking demons did. She just had the vague feeling she’d heard this name somewhere recently, and definitely not from any news that could be called pleasant.

Slow-on-the-uptake Anuo was thinking, oh, so the New Classmate is called Lud, surname Ludwig.

Whether intentionally or not, Ludwig steered the conversation back to the principal. The principal was still meeting with a visitor, so Salamander could take the opportunity to ask her brother what had happened.

[Probably, maybe, possibly because… I almost blew up the school.] Anuo obediently raised the sign he’d prepared in advance. He knew he was slow to speak, so at such a critical moment, he didn’t try Salamander’s patience. Before Salamander could respond, he immediately switched to a second sign: [I had to retake the exam.]

Anuo didn’t know how he’d managed to be so powerful. Back at the Training Ground, although he’d looked calm and expressionless, he was actually just slow to feel surprised.

By the time it was his turn to show his shock, the examiners had already decided to let him retake the second round.

Magic can go out of control, especially among emotionally unstable young people. Although the Elf Prince Brother Anuo was already 180 years old, by Elf standards, he was still a kid.

“We know this isn’t fair to you, but based on your previous performance at school, we just think this isn’t…” Not like Anuo’s usual ability. Just like the last time he failed a class, it was hard to believe. The teachers, who knew this impossibly beautiful Elf Prince Brother well, didn’t think he was the type to fail a class, nor the type to blow up the school.
He is just… just…

Simply slacking off.

Long live passing grades, any extra point is a waste.

In a sense, he’s quite an impressive Elf, too.

Actually, Anuo also felt this didn’t quite match his own ability-he knew exactly what his own magic was like. Because he could see his own Status Panel with precision, probably a built-in perk from transmigrating, but it only let him see his progress in learning magic. It was a pretty useless, chicken-rib kind of cheat.

Looking at it now, his Magic Energy Value, which had just crossed into four digits, had become a staggering six question marks. This surprised the Elves even more than when he couldn’t cast Light Magic before.

Is the God of Light really that easy to talk to?

So, Anuo quickly nodded and agreed to the examiners’ request for a second test, because he was also curious whether he could still use Incantation Chanting to unleash such a powerful Fire Element Spell.

The result was obvious-the God of Light really is easy to talk to.

Prince Adam even recorded a live version with a crystal ball at the time, and Anuo borrowed the Memory Crystal, using the most direct way to let his sister understand everything that happened at the Training Ground that day. The flames in the second test could no longer be simply described as powerful-they were world-destroying, able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun. Salamander vaguely saw the shadow of a Forbidden Spell within them.

Anuo wasn’t exaggerating; he really almost blew up the school.

It was still the Protective Accessory that Her Majesty the Queen had given her younger brother years ago that saved everyone. You have to know, she didn’t just prepare one accessory for her brother, but a full eighty, all crafted by Weapon Masters of the Dwarf Race. Fifty-six of them were destroyed in what should have been a very easy magic practical exam.

“If they called your parents just because of this, you can’t be blamed-” Salamander frowned, pondering for a while before speaking.

Anuo nodded slowly, and spoke slowly, “Right!”

Salamander had once fantasized that her little brother would secretly work hard one day and amaze everyone. But if the result of a salted fish turning over is almost blowing up the school… she had to admit, the brother who couldn’t even be bothered to think about the word ‘effort’ was much less worrying.

“-But please promise me, don’t work so hard in the future, okay?”

“Okay!”

Ludwig had been quietly observing the interaction between the Elf siblings, but after hearing this, he couldn’t help but laugh. Normally, when someone suddenly gains the power of a Forbidden Spell, this shouldn’t be the reaction, right?

Anuo slowly turned his head, staring blankly at his New Classmate. Actually, he’d wanted to say this earlier, but only now remembered-this Demon Race classmate really was like a cup of hot buttered rum in winter, the scent of cinnamon blending perfectly with the spicy taste of dark rum. Looking at him was like watching yellow sugar cubes slowly melt in the rising steam of the drink, swirling and spreading out.

All in all, it was just very strange.

But no matter how strange, he was still a rare Demon Race member.

Had he ever said this? As a modern office worker who hadn’t seen much of the world, he was curious about everything in a Western fantasy world.

His greatest wish in life was to raise a dragon in the Elven King’s Land.

A demon wouldn’t be out of the question either.

Author’s Note:

Nonsense Mini Theater:

Shou’s first impression of Gong: Can I keep him like a novelist?

Gong’s first impression of Shou: Looks like the Origin Power swap wasn’t intentionally stolen, otherwise his sister wouldn’t be so annoyed.

*In the Middle Ages, it was trendy among nobles to keep novelists and painters, who would write or paint exclusively for them.

*Elector: A special system in ancient Germany, referring to those princes who had the right to elect the emperor.

But Germany elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, while in this story, it’s the king of the Demon Race. The Elector in the story is similar to the historical one, but also different. For now, you can simply understand that the Demon Race here has a constitutional monarchy, and the king is just a mascot. The real power lies with the Electors (i.e., the Regents), which is the Gong. As for why these Demon Race Electors don’t just call themselves king, that will be explained later.

*Central Mista Region: The continent is divided into five domains-east, west, south, north, and central. The main region’s name (like Mista) comes from Celtic mythology.

*Whether the Origin Power between Shou and Gong will be swapped back involves the main plot, so no spoilers. But if you’re just curious whether Shou will always be strong, I can responsibly say: yes, ridiculously strong. Same for Gong.