The following morning, Veridia discovered that "normalcy" at Zenith Academy was a concept as extinct as the Golden Age of dragons. She was walking toward the main building with Nalia by her side and Kaelen, in his compact lynx form, occupying his new throne upon her left shoulder. So far, so good.
What was not good was the human corridor opening before her.
"Why...?" Veridia whispered, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. "Why are they stepping aside? Do I have something on my face? Do I smell weird?" she asked, sniffing her uniform.
"It's fear," Nalia replied, adjusting her glasses as she walked with her head held high. "Or respect. The line is blurred when rumors say you blew up a tower while facing off against Ryumu."
"I didn't blow up anything!" Veridia hissed. "It was... an adaptation exercise! That's the official version!"
Kaelen let out a snort from her shoulder.
Your attempts to control the narrative are adorable in their futility, he declared in Veridia's mind, his voice both serene and sharp.
"You're not helping," she muttered.
◆◆◆
They rounded the corner toward the central courtyard, and that was where fate decided Veridia hadn't suffered enough. Three figures blocked the path. These weren't normal students. It was them: The Backyard Trio. They stood in a triangular formation, striking a pose so rehearsed and dramatic it looked like it was ripped from the cover of an extravagant modeling magazine.
The one in the center, Kenji, took a step forward. His uniform jacket fluttered in the wind—even though there was no wind—and the scar on his cheek seemed to glint with a sinister light.
Veridia froze. Her brain, fueled by years of light novels and dramas, recognized the scene instantly.
It's an ambush! her mind screamed in panic. They're going to challenge me to a duel! Or extort me! Or worse, force me to join their fashion club! she thought, eyeing the heavy modifications on their uniforms.
Kenji pulled a toothpick from his mouth and pointed it at her as if it were a wand.
"Veridia Aethel," he said, his deep voice making the ground vibrate. "Or rather... The Silver Supreme Boss."
Veridia and Nalia's expressions turned pale and stony, like a wall about to crumble. Their jaws went slack, and the color fled from their faces in unison, leaving behind a mask of absolute disbelief.
'Supreme what?' No, wait, it can't be... I've read chapters like this in my novels... she thought frantically while her poker face remained immovable due to the shock. These guys will definitely misinterpret anything I do... I'M FINISHED! MY STUDENT LIFE IS OVER! I THOUGHT THE ARCHDEMON WAS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO ME!
Kenji looked at that empty, stony expression. He looked at the eyes that showed no fear—because they were paralyzed by panic—and he smiled.
"That look..." Kenji whispered, trembling with excitement. "Not even a blink at the new title. Such imperturbable coldness. You are worthy."
Suddenly, the three delinquents moved in unison.
THUD!
They knelt. No subtle bows; they went straight to the ground, touching it with their foreheads in perfect synchrony, with such force that a cloud of dust kicked up.
"BOSS!" the three shouted at once, their voices echoing across the entire courtyard.
I KNEW IT, THEY'RE MISINTERPRETING EVERYTHING! Her thoughts were frantic, lamenting being right.
Veridia blinked. Nalia dropped her book. Kaelen perked an ear, genuinely confused. Kenji lifted his head, the fire of devotion burning in his gaze.
"We have been waiting for you, Boss!" Kenji announced with pride. "We've cleared the west wing of third-year lackeys and secured the best table in the dining hall for you! Give us your orders, Supreme Boss Veridia!"
Kaelen, from Veridia's shoulder, gave them an unusual look of interest. The trio stepped back a pace by pure instinct, feeling the pressure on the back of their necks.
"The Boss's familiar is incredibly powerful; nothing less could be expected from the Supreme Boss," Toro whispered, intimidated.
"Kaelen-sama is a more than worthy familiar for you, Boss. Surely he is a very powerful demon," Kenji added with a fanatical bow.
What the hell does "sama" mean? Veridia's mind wandered through the nerves.
Veridia opened her mouth to deny everything, to scream that she only wanted to pass Mana Physics I and not lead a revolution. But before she could make a sound, a nasty laugh cut through the air.
"My, my. Look at this pathetic picture."
Jarek, the noble who had mocked her during the summoning, approached with his retinue of sycophants. He wore his red Fire Elementalist robe impeccably and a smirk of superiority.
"The commoner and the school's trash," Jarek mocked. "The rejects flock together. What are you doing on your knees, dogs? Begging for scraps?"
Kenji stood up slowly. He was no longer smiling. The devotion on his face had been replaced by something much darker and more dangerous.
"Who did you call trash, brat?" Kenji asked, cracking his knuckles. A faint red glow began to emanate from his fists. It wasn't a complex spell; it was pure mana condensed for physical impact.
"You," Jarek spat, raising his wand. "Fireball!"
The spell shot toward Kenji. It was fast, lethal. Veridia wanted to shout a warning, but there was no need. Kenji didn't dodge. He didn't even pull out a wand. He just took a step forward and punched the fireball.
CRASH!
His fist, wrapped in a layer of red mana, impacted the spell. The fireball didn't even have time to explode; it shattered, dispersing into harmless sparks like a popped bubble.
"W-what...?" Jarek recoiled, pale.
"Close Combat Magic: Dispersive Impact," Kenji said with boredom.
In that moment, Toro, the silent giant, appeared behind Jarek with terrifying speed for someone of his size.
"You move too slow," Toro said in a soft voice, grabbing Jarek by the collar of his robe and lifting him with one hand.
Rizo, the thin one, appeared sitting on the shoulders of one of Jarek's lackeys, with a wind dagger pressed playfully against his throat.
"Shhh..." Rizo whispered, smiling. "If you move... I'll shave your eyebrows."
In three seconds, the "powerful" group of nobles had been neutralized by three delinquents who hadn't even used wands. The efficiency was brutal. It was beautiful. From Veridia's shoulder, Kaelen observed the scene. His pupils contracted.
Interesting... the archdemon thought. They do not depend on chants or external catalysts. They use Authentic Magic. They have instinct.
Kenji turned toward Veridia, ignoring a kicking Jarek in the air.
"What do we do with them, Boss?" he asked, waiting for orders.
Veridia looked at Jarek, then at Kenji, then at her own trembling hands.
If I tell them to let them go, I'll look weak and they'll attack me, she thought in a panic. If I tell them to hit them, I'll be an accomplice to assault. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?! She took a deep breath, maintaining her accidental mask of coldness.
"Let them go," she said, her trembling voice sounding like a whisper of contempt to outside ears. "They're not worth the effort."
Kenji grinned widely.
"WISE WORDS!" he shouted. "The Boss says they are trash unworthy of our knuckles! Toro, toss him!"
Toro threw Jarek into a bush with a careless flick. Rizo jumped to the ground, and the group of nobles fled in terror, tripping over each other.
"Incredible!" Kenji exclaimed, turning back to Veridia with shining eyes. "Such mercy! Such arrogance! You are our undisputed leader!"
"Nice show."
A slow applause echoed from the second-floor balcony. Ryumu Ren was there, leaning on the railing, drinking a box of grape juice. He watched the scene with a fatherly... and slightly sadistic satisfaction.
"Seems like you were having fun," the Director said. "Kenji, Toro, Rizo. I see you've already met Miss Aethel."
"Director!" Kenji gave an exaggerated reverential salute. "We were presenting our respects to the new Boss!"
"Excellent choice," Ren said, jumping down and landing softly among them. "Veridia, these three are my 'special projects.' Misfits, violent, and with a severe allergy to standard magic theory. The Magisterial Tribunal wanted to expel them."
"Ryumu..." Veridia said, taking three steps toward the Director. "I can guess what you're planning to do... don't you dare," she added, looking directly into Ren's silver eyes.
"Heh... You did it yourself, little one," Ryumu said, gesturing casually toward Kenji.
The leader of the delinquents fell to his knees, trembling with emotion.
"I SEE IT WITH MY OWN EYES!" Kenji shouted, pointing at Veridia with both hands. "The rumors don't do her justice! It's said in the underworld that she gave the Director a real fight. She challenges Ryumu in broad daylight without blinking!"
No... it can't be... I condemned myself... all on my own... Veridia thought, feeling the ground vanish beneath her feet. Her attempt to avoid the misunderstanding had only generated an even worse one.
From the bush where he had fallen, Jarek watched the scene with growing horror. His torn robe, his shattered pride—none of it mattered now. The only thing that mattered was the image of Veridia looking directly into the Director's silver eyes.
She... she's insane, Jarek thought, feeling a chill. She looked that monster straight in the eyes. And he... he's smiling. He treats her as an equal.
She is still brave. The thought was a clean stab. She didn't change, Jarek thought, standing up with difficulty. But... I did.
Jarek stood up and quickly walked away.
The leader of the delinquents pointed his thumb at Veridia as if presenting a heavyweight champion.
"It's said in the underworld that she gave you a real fight, Director. That she made you sweat. That it was a massacre!"
"Ah... yes. It was a rough battle," Ren commented so Kenji would hear. "Very rough. I had to use both hands. Almost spilled my juice. By the way..."
"Congratulations, Aethel," Ren said, appearing between the Trio. "You are now responsible for them."
"WHAT?!" Veridia screamed, finally breaking her mask.
"Just kidding. Or maybe not." Ren shrugged. "Look after them, Boss. And you, cat..." Ren looked at the lynx. "Don't give them any weird ideas. They're already chaotic enough without demonic influences."
Kaelen yawned, bored by the human interaction. Ren walked away, leaving a horrified Veridia surrounded by the Trio, who looked at her as if she were the Chosen One. The Director ran a hand through his hair with a theatrical sigh before vanishing.
The three delinquents let out a collective gasp of pure wonder. Kenji pulled something from his pocket. It was a yakisoba bun wrapped in gold plastic.
"For you, Boss," he said, offering it with both hands. "The last one from the cafeteria. We had to fight the rugby team for it."
Veridia looked at the bun. She looked at Kenji. She looked at Kaelen, who seemed unusually attentive. She sighed, defeated.
"Thank you..." she murmured, taking the bun.
"SHE ACCEPTED THE TRIBUTE!..." Rizo shouted. "WE'RE IN!"
While the three celebrated by bumping fists and shouting, Veridia took a bite of the bun. It tasted good, but the price of knowing her normal life was over was a bitter seasoning.
"Congratulations, Supreme Boss..." Kaelen said softly in her ear.
◆◆◆
What followed was a sequence of events so absurd that Veridia's mind began to erase them in real-time to protect her own sanity.
10:00 AM. Library entrance. Veridia and Nalia approached the Ancient History shelves. Before they could even search the index, Toro appeared out of nowhere, carrying a stack of books so high it touched the ceiling.
"We've brought the entire 'N' section, Boss!" the giant announced with a proud smile, depositing the tower of books with surprising delicacy. "And Rizo 'borrowed' the key to the Forbidden Section in case you need some light reading."
Nalia blinked, looking at the Advanced Necromancy book Rizo was holding out to her with a weasel-like grin.
"Interesting... thank you," Nalia said, accepting the book with somber curiosity.
"None of that," Veridia said, snatching the ominous book away. "Give it back," she commanded without leaving room for rebuttal.
"Spoilsport," Nalia whispered as she watched her interesting reading material being confiscated.
◆◆◆
12:30 PM. Central Hallway. They were walking to the next class. Veridia tried to carry her backpack. Kenji snatched it mid-flight.
"A Boss doesn't carry weight!" he shouted, putting Veridia's backpack over his leather jacket—creating a visual contrast that made several freshmen trip over themselves in confusion. "Make way! The Supreme Boss is passing through!"
They walked down the hallway like a bizarre royal procession: Veridia in front with a face that wanted to die, Kaelen on her shoulder radiating disdain, Nalia walking calmly, and behind them, the dangerous Trio carrying a kitty backpack and textbooks.
◆◆◆
01:45 PM. The Dining Hall. The place was packed. There were no free tables.
"Hey, you lot!" Kenji shouted, pointing at the best table by the window, occupied by the dueling team. "Scram! The Boss needs Vitamin D!"
The dueling team, seeing Toro crack his knuckles and Rizo play with a wind dagger, evacuated the table in record time.
"Sit, Boss," Kenji said, wiping the chair with his own jacket. "The throne is ready."
Veridia sat. She had the best view. She had a free lunch courtesy of the three chaotic students who looked like magical bodyguards willing to die for her. She held back the urge to scream. The frozen smile she had maintained for over four hours broke with a sound that, in her mind, sounded like shattering glass. She jumped to her feet, knocking the chair back. She clutched her head, covering her ears tightly, as if she wanted to rip them off to stop hearing the praises of "Long live the Boss!".
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Veridia screamed, her voice breaking the dining hall's murmur. "WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?!"
The dining hall fell silent. Kenji, Toro, and Rizo looked at her, startled.
"Boss? Who do you want us to hit for bothering you?" Kenji asked, pulling out his toothpick-wand.
Nalia, sitting calmly across from her, didn't even look up from her lunch.
"I don't know what you're complaining about," Nalia said, poking a cherry tomato. "These brutes are very useful. We should keep them."
At that moment, Toro approached timidly and placed a perfect vanilla flan in front of Veridia and one in front of Nalia.
"Dessert, Boss. It has extra caramel. Helps with stress."
Veridia looked at the flan. She looked at Nalia eating calmly. She looked at Kaelen, who was licking some high-mana-density cream that Kenji had prepared—capable of satisfying even an archdemon. She dropped into her chair, defeated by the system, by fate, and by the caramel.
"Fine..." she groaned, picking up a spoon. "I give up."
"LONG LIVE THE BOSS!" the three delinquents roared, bumping fists.
Normalcy is gone, it's completely gone. From now on, there's no way to know what other indirect consequences invoking this demon king candidate will have. My life is a ship in a storm over which I no longer have any control. RYUMU, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS! Veridia thought as she savored the sweet taste of defeat and caramel.
◆◆◆
Thousands of miles away, in a port city of Sadra where the sea roared loudly, the market's bustle hid secret conversations. Among the fish stalls and sailor taverns, a figure walked that clashed with the rugged surroundings. The dark violet Victorian dress billowed softly in the salt breeze, and the white apron remained immaculate despite the mud of the streets.
The Steel Maid stopped, adjusting her metal bracers that shone under the midday sun. She closed her violet eyes to sharpen her hearing; they scanned the sounds, filtering out irrelevant noise to catch key words.
"...they say security in the north has been reinforced," commented a merchant of magic gems. "Especially around Zenith Academy."
"Zenith?" another replied. "Bah, that school is just a name. They say its Director is insane."
"Ryumu Ren isn't just insane," another interrupted. "He's the only mage the Ministerial Mages cannot control."
The maid's eyes snapped open. A minimal smile, like that of a hunter who finally has the scent of her prey, curved her lips.
"Ryumu..." the Steel Maid whispered, her melodic voice lost in the wind. "The most powerful mages cannot control him. It would be logical for him to be the source of the blockage."
She turned, her back to the sea. Her internal compass, guided by loyalty and a faint trail of mana, now had a heading.
"Wait for me a little longer, Lord Kaelen. Your sword is on its way."