I Am a Demon, So What?
After starting the thrice-weekly training, we finally reached Earth Day—our well-deserved rest day.
Today, I was set to visit the private military corps as promised by Father.
Alongside my brothers, who had returned from the royal capital yesterday, I followed Father to the training grounds.
With Brother Noel on my right and Brother Gene on my left, I walked flanked by two handsome men.
“Jo, how’s the training going? Not too tough?”
Noel asked.
“Yes, the first day was brutal, and I couldn’t even eat lunch, but I’ve started managing to eat a little.”
“I went through the same thing, so I know how hard it can be.”
“I could eat just fine from day one, though.”
“That’s just you, Gene.”
Noel replied, exasperated.
“But honestly, I’m enjoying the exercise. The teacher is strict, though.”
“Who’s your teacher?”
“Nancy.”
“”Ahhh~””
The two brothers responded in unison, their gazes distant.
Apparently, they had both trained under Nancy as well.
“Thanks to Nancy’s training, the academy instructors feel like nothing. Even getting scolded doesn’t scare me anymore.”
Uhh, Brother Gene, the fact that you’re getting scolded at the academy is the real issue here.
“That’s true. I’ve been exempted from martial arts classes altogether.”
Wait, what? Nancy’s training is intense enough to get you exempted from academy classes?
“Just recently, I sparred with the instructor, and they told me I didn’t need to attend anymore.”
“Oh, is that why there’s a rumor about an instructor getting injured during martial arts class? Was that because of you, Gene?”
What? An instructor got injured by a student? And that student was Brother Gene?
“Ah, yeah, that was me. But come on, you’d get strong too if you were trained by a demon, right?”
“”Pfft!””
Hearing a strange noise, I turned around to see Grey and Nathan silently laughing behind us.
Apparently, Brother Gene’s *demon* comment had struck a chord with them.
“D-demon... yeah, that’s fitting... hahaha!”
“N-Nathan... y-you... agreeing with that... haha... Nancy’ll get mad if she hears... hahaha!”
“Ahaha, Gene, calling her a demon is a bit much.”
Brother Noel said, laughing. His attempt at defending her wasn’t convincing at all.
“But it’s true, right? You’re laughing because you think so too, aren’t you, Brother?”
“You lot better be careful. Hehe... the demon might show up.”
Father said, joining in the teasing.
“””””Ahahahaha!”””””
Everyone burst out laughing.
If Nancy saw this, she’d definitely get angry, wouldn’t she? Are they going to be okay?
Huh? Something’s coming at incredible speed from the direction of the mansion. What is that? A person? Carrying a broom?
Oh no. This is bad.
Everyone’s too busy laughing to notice.
Should I warn them?
As I wavered, someone suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me aside.
“Eh?”
“Jo, over here. It’s dangerous to stay there.”
Zack said, guiding me away.
Father and the others, still seated in a circle, hadn’t noticed a thing.
The figure came closer, landing with a heavy step and leaping high into the air. So high! They soared above Father and the others, casting a shadow over them as they blocked out the sun.
Looking up at the shadow’s source, their faces turned pale.
The five of them immediately took a defensive stance. But the figure landed in the center of their circle, brandished the broom, and swung it like a general in a battlefield video game.
Despite the broom’s reach being insufficient, Brother Noel, Brother Gene, and Nathan were sent flying, collapsing to the ground. Father and Grey managed to evade using a dirt wall Grey created, but as soon as the figure tapped it with the broom’s handle, the wall crumbled.
The two grown men trembled.
The figure uttered a single line:
“I am a demon, so what?”
The atmosphere instantly turned icy.
Nancy’s Water attribute, fueled by her anger, froze the ground beneath Father and Grey’s feet.
In the end, the five of them sat seiza-style, receiving not a scolding but *words of love* from Nancy.
“““““We’re very sorry!”””””
But how did she know? We were far from the mansion, and she couldn’t have heard us.
“Nancy, how did you find out?”
“I was using body enhancement while cleaning and happened to hear you.”
Nancy explained. Apparently, her Body Enhancement skill allowed her to hear distant sounds. It came in handy during monster subjugation and espionage missions.
“Young lady, I’m sorry if I frightened you.”
Nancy apologized.
“It’s okay. Sure, I was surprised, but that leap was amazing! With the sun behind you, you looked so cool. And the way you swung the broom—it felt like watching a ‘one-woman army.’”
It was so different from the Nancy I usually saw that I couldn’t hide my excitement.
“R-really? Ehe, thank you very much.”
Nancy said, taken aback but clearly pleased by the compliment.
“Nancy, if I train hard, can I become like you?”
“Young lady, do you want to become like me?”
“Yeah, because you are clearly the coolest out here. I want to fight like that too.”
“Well then, let’s work hard together starting next week. Now, everyone, the private corps is waiting, so let’s move quickly.”
With a glance at the five, Nancy turned and returned toward the mansion.
“Wow~ she’s so cool~”
I murmured.
“I want to be strong like Mother, too!”
Zack chimed in.
“Then let’s work hard together.”
The two of us had found our shared goal: to become as strong as Nancy.
What do you think about this chapter?
