Chapter 39

After about five hours of traveling in the magic-powered vehicle (at roughly 70 kilometers per hour), we finally arrived at the Demon Academy.

The students, who had been so excited and boisterous on the way there, seemed unexpectedly drained from the long ride and weren’t causing as much of a ruckus as before. As for me, I slept soundly in the vehicle and was feeling quite refreshed.

“So, this is the Demon Academy, huh…”

『Demons… What a troublesome bunch. They’re even more exhausting than us spirits, with their over-the-top personalities.』

Well, yeah, demons are pretty much walking embodiments of desire, so it’s no surprise they have stronger personalities than spirits. Judging by the way the old man talks, he’s probably encountered demons a few times himself.

“I had my fair share of headaches with demon contractors too.”

『You too, huh? As expected from a contractor…』

『”…Ugh… What a drag…”』

With a sigh, we followed the teacher’s lead and entered the Demon Academy. Honestly, if Hera weren’t here, I’d turn around and go home right now.

“Shin… you’re the only one who looks that miserable.”

“Don’t give me that. I bet you don’t want to be here either.”

“…”

Arthur averted his eyes, looking awkward. As expected, he didn’t want to come here either.

But our personal feelings meant nothing in a group, and neither the teacher nor the other students knew about the dangerous individuals lurking at the Demon Academy. They continued moving forward, unaware. The academy, on its part, did a good job hiding these truly dangerous figures, and I doubt even the Spirit Academy had any clue about them.

As soon as we entered the academy, the first thing we saw was a student with horns on his head, sitting on a floating sofa. While everyone stared in surprise, the student — Salvatore, the student council president of the Demon Academy — gave a gentle smile on his handsome face.

“—Welcome, students of the Spirit Academy. Please forgive me for welcoming you while seated. It’s part of my contract with a demon.”

“Of course, we understand.”

“Thank you. Now then—”

Salvatore snapped his fingers, and a gigantic magic circle large enough to encompass all the students and teachers of the Spirit Academy appeared. As the Spirit Academy students began to panic, Salvatore spoke to calm them down.

“Don’t worry. This is teleportation magic. It’s a hassle to walk, so I’ll transport everyone to the gymnasium.”

And just like that, we were teleported.

“—Now then, we will proceed with dividing everyone into groups for the upcoming test. Since our school has fewer students, you will be paired with the entire student body.”

After being teleported to the gym, the student council vice president, Mireille, spoke in an irritating tone as we began the group division. Her demonic impatience seemed to bypass any formal speech from the principal. The Spirit Academy students were excited by her words, while most of the Demon Academy students stood with a tense atmosphere. They were likely praying not to be grouped with the really dangerous individuals.

As for me—

“Anyone but those two… please, please, please, please, please, please…”

『You’re really praying hard…』

I was desperately praying not to be in the same group as those two — Wilhelm and Kurt. I didn’t care if I ended up with the president or vice president; just let me be far from them!

But—

“—Group 35: Mireille, Shin, Wilhelm, and Kurt.”

…

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

『Th-this is… truly unfortunate…』

As I muttered in shock, the old man genuinely pitied me. And not just him — nearly every student in the Demon Academy looked at me with sympathy.

… The academy really did it this time.

I already knew Wilhelm and Kurt were a hellish combination, but now they threw in the next most troublesome person, Mireille, into the same group. This was no longer a test; it was torture. They probably wanted to group all the problem children together, but the adults must be out of their minds. That’s the only explanation.

As my face filled with despair and the strange atmosphere of the Demon Academy settled in, the Spirit Academy students also seemed to notice something, glancing at the three approaching students.

“Ahh~ I’m so glad there’s a cute one here. Looking at these two would make my eyes rot~”

“Hmph. Of course, I wouldn’t want to be with cowards like you.”

“S-same group as two geniuses… I really don’t want that… it’s so unfair…”

Mireille, no longer in her uniform but instead in her usual scandalous outfit, made it difficult to know where to look. Because of her contract with the demon of lust, she could make people attracted to her just by existing, though it only worked on those beneath her. It didn’t affect me in the slightest.

Wilhelm, a hulking man who clearly loved battle, stood tall, while Kurt… well, his trashiness was visible just from looking at him.

Kurt can go die.

“…Nice to meet you.”

I reluctantly bowed my head.

… I need a dose of Hera.

As I tried to maintain my composure, I couldn’t help but picture Hera, the goddess-like figure from yesterday, to keep my sanity intact.