The Narrow-Eyed Villain of the Demon Academy

I had once wondered what level of power Samuel had reached, and now I was finally witnessing it firsthand.

A halo of moonlight crowned Samuel's head, and before him stood a colossal, thorny giant.

I gaped at the monstrous being.

“What is that?”

“A giant that devours everything in its path. It's an embodiment of an illustration from the grimoire, brought to life by my magic.”

The grimoire…

I recalled the book Samuel had obtained from Sytan’s armory.

He had mentioned that the book constantly whispered to him.

Just what was the price the Information Paper had demanded back then?

‘It was exorbitant, if I recall correctly.’

The price the Information Paper had asked for was shockingly high.

As a result, I couldn't uncover the true nature of the grimoire.

However, Samuel had opened the book and made a deduction that sounded eerily accurate.

‘Solomon and the 108 Demons.’

It was a concept from the Bible, and I remembered being surprised that something similar existed in the Demon Realm.

Furthermore, Samuel had mentioned that the God of Gluttony was some kind of fragment.

Perhaps the encounter between Samuel and the grimoire was destined.

But that wasn't important right now.

“Isn't a grimoire an ominous thing? Has anything dangerous happened?”

“Well, there was something. I overcame it with my mental strength, but it still whispers to me from time to time.”

Then shouldn't he get rid of the grimoire?

I looked at Samuel with a concerned expression.

He just brushed it off with a chuckle.

“Don't worry yourself. Nothing you're imagining will happen. My wisdom and mental fortitude are not at a level that would allow me to be consumed by a mere demon.”

“Hmm…”

Although Samuel spoke with unwavering confidence, I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

What would happen if Samuel were to be consumed by the grimoire?

Would I be able to handle the consequences? Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Even the Information Paper had demanded an exorbitant price for mere knowledge about it.

And I wasn't even trying to learn how to use it; I just wanted to know what it was.

‘…This doesn’t feel right.’

I shifted my gaze, meeting Samuel's eyes.

At the moment, his eyes seemed to gleam with ambition, so there didn't seem to be a problem.

But if things were to spiral out of control…

“Enough with the worrying,” Samuel said, his expression hardening at my suspicious gaze.

I sighed and nodded in resignation.

“I'll let it slide for now, but if something does happen, I will intervene.”

“Do as you please, but I assure you, it won't come to that.”

Tsk, tsk.

Where does he get such confidence?

I'll never understand.

Still, I trusted Samuel.

At the very least, he was the most capable person I knew.

As I nodded in thought, the thorny giant suddenly moved.

Thump

Crackle

The giant began to lumber towards me.

Every step it took left a crater in the ground, its thorns tearing through the earth.

The giant, reducing stone and soil to mere debris, showed no signs of stopping.

I swallowed nervously.

‘…The sheer intimidation is unreal.’

I could feel the level of power Samuel had attained.

The ability to summon even powerful demons to the human realm… It was so impressive that I wondered if I would ever be able to achieve such a feat.

But I couldn't afford to lose.

With a determined glint in my eyes, I drew the Fang of Darkness.

It was a spar to test our skills, so we couldn't afford to harm each other.

However, I wasn't planning on going easy.

That was the only way to accurately gauge my current level.

“Here I come.”

“Bring it on.”

And with that, Samuel and I clashed.

A thick cloud of dust and debris erupted around us.

The Fang of Darkness sliced through the giant's thorns, while the thorns snapped and tore at the blade.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Samuel taunted.

“You wish!”

I manifested my Inner Image, summoning a colossal serpent.

The serpent coiled around the thorny giant’s neck, its jaws agape, while the giant retaliated, clawing and biting at the serpent with its sharp thorns.

Clank

Crack

The exchange continued, neither of us giving an inch.

It hadn't been long since I had the upper hand against Samuel, but his skills had already improved by leaps and bounds.

However…

“It’s too early for you to win.”

“…!”

With a sly grin, I manifested ‘another’ serpent.

Two enormous serpents, infused with killing intent and cloaked in darkness, coiled around the giant, tearing at its body with their fangs.

Rooooooar!

The giant thrashed and convulsed, trying to break free, but it was no match for the combined might of the two serpents.

Thud

Finally, the giant collapsed to its knees, defeated.

Standing victorious on the battlefield were myself, the two serpents, and a rather disgruntled-looking Samuel.

“…I lost.”

“Indeed. You have at least a decade of training before you can catch up to me.”

“Ugh…”

Samuel ground his teeth at my taunting.

I couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief wash over me.

‘That was close.’

If I hadn't been able to manifest a second Inner Image, the victor would have been Samuel, not me.

I owed my victory to the vast reserves of mana I had gained from consuming Crete's body.

‘As expected, in terms of pure talent, Samuel is overwhelmingly superior to me, even with Adel's body.’

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but I had to accept it.

In other words, I couldn’t afford to be complacent with my current strength.

A strange sense of emptiness washed over me, as if all my hard work had been somewhat invalidated.

Then, I thought of Adel, and a pang of sympathy resonated within me.

‘Did he feel this way too?’

He was the original villan, but I had given the other characters such overwhelming talent.

He must have known that no matter what he did, he couldn’t win.

Did Adel ever dwell on such thoughts?

Did he tremble in fear in the face of such insurmountable talent?

The thought lingered in my mind.

Samuel’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“Don’t get too cocky. I’ll win next time.”

“I doubt that very much. I’ll win then, too.”

“Hmph, we’ll see about that.”

I shrugged.

In terms of raw talent, Samuel was undoubtedly superior.

I couldn't deny that fact, nor did I think I should.

What good would it do me to deny the difference in our talent?

The only option was to acknowledge it.

To recognize that I lacked inherent talent and work even harder to compensate for it.

That was the only way I could survive in this world.

“I may lack talent, but I assure you, my work ethic is second to none.”

“What are you talking about? You’re here because of your talent.”

Samuel didn’t seem to understand what I meant.

From his perspective, I was a genius.

But I knew the truth.

I knew that I was lacking in talent.

I just smiled faintly at Samuel’s bewildered expression.

“Anyway, Mr. Adel is the winner!”

Miriam suddenly rushed over and grabbed my arm, raising it in the air triumphantly.

“Ugh…”

Samuel hung his head, looking utterly defeated.

I couldn't help but chuckle at his expense.

Being treated like a genius wasn’t so bad after all.

It reminded me of how web novels with titles like ‘I Became a Genius One Day’ were all the rage for a while.

Just then, Kyle spoke up, addressing both Samuel and me.

“So, what about me? I still can’t seem to get it.”

Unlike me, who had quickly grasped the essence of magic, Kyle was still struggling.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Samuel replied.

“But if you keep practicing the way I taught you, you’ll get there eventually.”

“No, but seriously, I think this is going to take at least a year. And that’s me being optimistic.”

“Well, that’s probably true.”

Samuel nodded in agreement.

Wait a minute.

It takes two years?

No wonder Samuel kept calling me a genius.

But that wasn’t important right now.

“Wouldn't that be a problem? Samuel and I will be returning to Sytan soon, and Kyle, who has left Sytan, won't be able to re-enroll.”

“Exactly.”

What were we supposed to do if Kyle couldn't learn magic from Samuel?

It was a valid and pressing concern.

Samuel seemed to have anticipated this question. He nodded towards Miriam.

“Miriam will teach him.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t look so surprised. Miriam is a very capable mage. Who do you think taught me magic in the first place?”

“Heehee, I am quite something, you know.”

Right…

I nodded slowly, trying to process this new information.

Okay, so if Kyle learned magic from Miriam, we wouldn't have to worry… Wait a minute.

“Does that mean we’re leaving Kyle here while we go to Sytan?”

“That’s right.”

“What? No way! I don't want to be left behind…”

Kyle started to protest, but then he made eye contact with Miriam.

Or rather, he was subjected to the silent pressure emanating from behind Miriam’s eyepatch.

“…Fine, I’ll learn from her.”

Kyle mumbled, nodding reluctantly.

I chuckled at his defeated expression. Just then, Samuel turned to me.

“Have you done it?”

“Done what?”

What was he talking about?

Samuel clicked his tongue at my confusion.

“You haven’t, have you?”

Now that he mentioned it, there was something I was supposed to do.

Oh, right.

“The homework.”

I had completely forgotten about it…!

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