Damn Academy - Chapter 204

Chapter 204

Host

Trisha hung from my shoulder, biting down hard.

What exactly is she?

Was she abandoned in the wild as a baby and raised by wild animals like leopards or bears?

Or could she be the descendant of a high-ranking vampire?

Given the way she bites while demanding to be served, it’s entirely plausible.

I think I heard a legend somewhere about vampires who enslaved humans…

Another mark would appear next to where she bit me before. What should I tell Silveryn?

“Are you… a vampire?”

“Grrrahmmmph!”

“….”

She finally let go after a while, wiping the saliva off her sleeve. Then she spoke proudly.

“When you come to my house, you’ll be more than welcome!”

“You said something like that before.”

“Well… anyway, you’ll be even more welcome.”

“I don’t know where your house is or who lives there, so I can’t look forward to it.”

“You didn’t tell me either! Where you’re from, why you live with the professor, or where you got that weird Firefly Sword!”

T hi s w a s co p i e d f r o m k i ng mt l . o r g
“Firefly Sword?”

“You know, that one!”

“…You’re not coming to my house, so you don’t need to know all the details. But I need to know where I’m stepping into and what kind of group it is. I suspect you might be a vampire.”

“The school already vouched for me!”

“No, I dislike vague things.”

“And I plan to visit your family and introduce myself.”

I shook my head.

“I don’t have a family. No home to return to.”

Trisha’s eyes widened like a goldfish. Though my confession was calm, it left her pondering what to say.

“Really?”

T hi s w a s co p ie d fro m ki ngm t l . o r g
“Yes.”

“Great. Since you have nowhere to return to, serve me for life!”

“….”

“If you come with me, you can get whatever you want.”

Adults don’t easily throw around words like “for life.” They understand that human willpower easily crumbles in the face of time and boredom.

Only kids who haven’t lived long say such things lightly.

And Trisha didn’t need servitude; she needed care.

“Are you proposing a contract?”

“Yes!”

“If you don’t specify the working conditions and detailed terms, I won’t sign.”

“I don’t know those things!”

“Then let’s forget about it.”

Now I was truly curious. Who were the people who raised Trisha? And what exactly is the identity of this girl named Azelis? What makes her boldly demand servitude?

Trisha grumbled discontentedly.

“I’m signing a contract with a guy whose identity I don’t even know.”

“Anyway, when will this bite mark fade?”
T h i s w a s cop i e d f r o m k in g m t l . or g

T hi s wa s co p i e d f r o m k i n gmt l .or g
“I’m not telling you!”

Trisha released her grip and ran off somewhere. Despite it being midnight and having expended enough magical power to crumple a mansion, she was brimming with energy.

Thus, our ball ended without incident.

***

An old man with white hair, wearing a wooden mask, sat on a stump. He had five swords laid out beside him and was meticulously polishing each one.

The entire area was stained with blood, and a headless corpse was stuck on the ground.

In this scene of carnage, the only clean figure was the white-haired old man.

Candinella wrinkled her nose at the scent of blood and fanned herself.

Residual magic still weighed down on everything in the area.

T h i s w as c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l .o r g
“I didn’t expect you’d still be here.”

The old man held a sword up to the morning light, examining it.

“Since it’s festival day, I thought it’d be better not to return with murderous intent and scare the young students.”

“I’m sure you’re still fatigued from your journey. We have prepared accommodations for you, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Don’t bother. I wanted to do this.”

A force so supreme that even the Imperial Knights’ leadership bowed to the ground. The only outsider who could freely enter the palace, where even the empress’s relatives dared not tread. The hero of the northern war.

Despite being able to live a life of luxury in the Empire, he had come to Eternia by choice.

The sight of the White Lion after so long was as down-to-earth as could be.

“…How were the intruders?”

“Their temperament was quite foul.”

“Did they come for Damian?”

“Yes. They kept muttering his name as if under hypnosis. But they were different from the Magic Sword Hunter.”

“Hmm. That’s different from what I heard.”

“They weren’t after a higher-level Magic Sword. They had already been taken over by the Magic Sword.”

“Then why did they come?”

“They were like insects with brains taken over by parasites. They came seeking a better host under the Magic Sword’s command.”

“That’s strange.”

“Agreed.”

“Did you learn anything else?”

The old man shook his head and swung the sword in his hand through the air.

“I need to talk to this Magic Sword. By rights, it should have gone to Damian. Haha, it’s still trying to devour me even now.”

Candinella’s face hardened a bit.

Damian was only seventeen. Though unusually talented for his age, there was no reason for him to be so obsessively sought after by a Magic Sword from the other side of the continent. There were many stronger hosts than Damian in the world.

“It’s impossible for the Magic Sword to know and seek out Damian on its own. So this must be…”

“Someone guided it towards Eternia.”

“Do you have any suspects?”

The old man shook his head.

“Whether they want to kill the boy or test him, I can’t be sure.”

Candinella could sense it. The visits of Magic Sword hosts and Magic Sword Hunters would not end here. Having been exposed once, it was now unavoidable.

“Damian became famous too quickly.”

“It was foreseeable. It’s something the boy has to handle. If he can’t withstand the Magic Sword’s influence, he doesn’t deserve to own it.”

The threats would become stronger and more frequent. Damian would need to become stronger to handle them.

“He’ll adapt quickly under Sir Calios’s guidance.”

He shook his head.

“Actually, I don’t intend to be his teacher.”

Candinella’s subtle smile spread. Many desired the Sword Master’s teachings, but not everyone could receive them. Damian couldn’t just get it for free either.

“Yes, please take care of him.”

***

After the festival, the academic schedule paused for two days for everyone to rest.

Then, the normal routine at the academy resumed. The festive decorations that had adorned the campus were taken down, and the students returned to their busy lives.

Early in the morning, Trisha and I walked around the campus. Our relationship had fully recovered after the ball. In fact, it felt stronger than before.

“The Magic Department is very busy memorizing magic circles. Exams are coming up.”

Trisha was so engrossed in preparing for the Magic Department exams that she couldn’t take her eyes off her notes even on the way to school.

“The Magic Department and Alchemy Department are also busy with their project evaluations coming up.”

“Yeah, I heard. What about the Combat Department?”

“Nothing much. Just basic training.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes. It’s the same for both upper and lower classes.”

Despite gathering talents from all over the continent, the Combat Department focused only on basic training, physical conditioning, and memorizing the characteristics of beasts. Some students complained, but I quickly accepted this process.

A few years ago, as an apprentice in a workshop, I had done similar tasks. Back then, I spent months doing menial chores and learning the basics. Though it was hard to understand at the time, I eventually realized how essential that process was.

Just because all the geniuses of the world gathered in one place didn’t mean a revolutionary breakthrough in swordsmanship or combat techniques would happen within months of admission.

The overambition of freshmen always leads to disasters, and first-years are always inexperienced kids, no matter what they try.

Of course, the basic training was quite tedious for a few top students, including myself.

The intensity of the training was less than what I had endured with Silveryn.

“It’s time! I have to go. Don’t get bored without me!”

Trisha left, heading to her first class.

I too made my way to the Art Department’s greenhouse as usual.

***

Lilith arrived at the Art Department’s greenhouse earlier than others. As a new member of the Art Department and the latest to join, she was responsible for various chores.

Cleaning the leaves of plants, repotting, and spraying nutrients—tasks that had initially baffled her, as she had always had servants to handle such things—she had now adapted and even found a sense of fulfillment in them.

Today, after nearly finishing her chores, she filled a large iron kettle with water and headed for the greenhouse.

Through the glass walls of the greenhouse, she saw a familiar figure.

Lilith’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly hid behind a tree to catch her breath.

The actions she had taken on the day of the ball… thinking about them now made her face flush.

Would Damian greet her warmly if she entered the greenhouse now, unlike his previous cold demeanor?

Her heart pounded.

Lilith stepped forward and opened the greenhouse door.

Seeing Damian with his easel, she spoke in a small voice.

“…Hi.”

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Damian stood still, not turning around.

Her heart sank. Standing there, she stepped into the greenhouse.

Then she tripped on the threshold and fell forward.

“Ah! Ah!”

Crash.
T hi s w a s co pi ed fr om k i n g mtl . o r g

Th i s w a s co p ie d f r om kin g m t l . o r g
The kettle spilled all its water, flooding the greenhouse, and Lilith found herself soaked in the water she had spilled.

Humiliation so intense she wanted to die kept her from raising her head.

Even without looking up, she knew Damian must have turned to her by now.

A terrifying silence followed.

Footsteps approached. She felt Damian’s cold gaze.

Why did she become clumsy and make so many mistakes in front of this man?

As she wallowed in self-pity, a warm hand suddenly reached out to her.

Without a word, Damian helped her to a chair. Then he knelt to her eye level and wiped her face with a handkerchief.

She was too embarrassed to look up. Damian placed something on her limp hand.

“Peep!”

It was a cute sparrow with red feathers.

As it flapped its wings, warmth spread through her body.

A spirit.

No mocking, no words of concern. He simply took care of her in silence, like tending to a child.

It was like Candy’s way.

Th i s was c o p i e d f r o m ki ngm tl.org
She could now sense that he was opening up gradually, in his own way.

Just then, the Art Department President, Haley, rushed into the greenhouse holding a rolled-up vellum.

“Newbies! The Duchess’s knight and the runner-up of the Magic Department are both here. Perfect timing.”

Lilith pushed back the hair that had fallen like seaweed in front of her face and bowed to Haley.

“Hello… senior.”

Haley looked at the two and was taken aback.

T hi s w a s c o p i e d fr o m k i n g mt l . or g
“What the… why is the floor soaked? Did it rain?”

“I slipped while watering the plants…”

“Are you hurt?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Okay then. Listen up. Especially you first-year Art Department members, because this is very important. The official announcement is out.”

Damian showed interest.

“What announcement?”

“The Special Clubs Competition. If the Art Department completes the mission first, we’ll receive a large amount of funding for our special activities. With that money, we can finally go on a group trip to the Magic City, which has been our dream.”

“…”

“…”

“Doesn’t that set your hearts on fire?”

Damian and Lilith seemed indifferent.

“Who does the Art Department compete against?”

“There are cooperative missions for the first and second years and the third and fourth years. You will compete against all the other first and second-year special clubs.”

T h i s w as c op i e d f r o m ki n g m t l. o r g
Haley addressed Damian specifically.

“Don’t worry about the other clubs. Our main rivals are the Dance Club and the Drama Club. Especially, we won’t let those Drama Club pigs get the better of us. Got it, newbie?”

“…Got it.”

“Just to clarify, this means even your few friends in the Drama Club and that blonde spirit summoner are now your enemies. Remember that.”

“…”

End of Chapter