The Narrow-Eyed Villain of the Demon Academy

“Are you kidding me? These Eater Birds, they never tire!”

How many hours had I been running?

It felt like at least two, maybe even more.

But despite the distance, the Eater Birds showed no signs of slowing down.

Meanwhile, my stamina was draining away at an alarming rate.

“Samuel…!”

Fueled by the rage bubbling within me, I roared the name of the bastard who'd left me to the birds.

Cawwww-

The only response was the screeching of the Eater Birds, their beaks hungry to tear me apart.

'Should I just say screw it to being on time and roast all these birds?'

'I could if I wanted to…'

'No, stay focused.'

'I’ll reach Sytan soon.'

'Designation-'

'Move-'

I'd lost count of how many times I'd used Position Exchange.

Whether I reappeared in a tree or within a thicket, the Eater Birds used their keen sense of smell to track me down relentlessly.

The Eater Birds, are persistent.

Me, running on fumes.

'…Sytan, are we really almost there?'

I pushed those thoughts aside.

'Focus on running…!'

***

Meanwhile, Samuel, who had left the Temple of Gluttony earlier than Adel, had already reached the entrance of Sytan.

As he waited for the dimensional train, his gaze fell upon two women.

His face contorted in displeasure.

“A stuck-up noblewoman and a frivolous harlot.”

“W-what…!”

Taken aback by Samuel’s sudden insult, Fron stopped fiddling with her blue hair and glared at him, teeth gritted.

But Samuel, unfazed, simply looked away.

His eyes landed on a woman with raven hair, standing with a dissatisfied expression.

Rene.

She seemed to find the current situation quite displeasing.

“Where is he?”

“What are you talking about?”

Samuel frowned, momentarily confused by Rene's question before realization dawned.

“Ah, you mean that idiot.”

“That idiot?”

“The one destined to be late on the very first day.”

“Who…? Speak clearly, will you!”

Frustrated at being excluded from the conversation, Fron finally snapped.

However, Samuel continued to ignore her.

He shrugged at Rene.

“I’m not sure. I’d like to think he’s on his way.”

“Why are you alone?”

Samuel’s eyebrows shot up at Rene’s question.

What was she even saying?

How did Adel manage to understand and respond to her fragmented sentences?

They were a strange pair, those two.

One shrouded in secrets, the other struggling to communicate.

…One thing was for sure: they were far from a normal duo.

“You’re asking why I came alone?”

“Yes.”

“He overslept, so I came ahead. I hope that answers your question.”

Without batting an eyelid, Samuel lied.

Well, it wasn’t entirely a lie.

It was true that Adel had slept in because he’d been up late finishing the magic homework Samuel had assigned him.

However, Samuel could have woken him up but chose not to.

This was how it had gone down that morning:

“Hey, Adel, wake up.”

“……”

“I said wake up. If we don't leave now, we'll be late. I wouldn’t think you’d want to be late on the first day. I don’t think you're that much of an inconsiderate… ”

“The pipsqueak is babbling…”

“….!!”

Adel’s unbelievable sleep-talking had infuriated Samuel, leaving him trembling with suppressed rage.

'That bastard…'

'I'll teach him a lesson when I see him again.'

Samuel seethed inwardly.

Leaving for Sytan without waking Adel up did little to quell his anger.

'Right.'

'This was ‘war’.'

'A war that would only end when either he or Adel perished.'

…But before Samuel could make his next move, he spotted Adel sprinting towards them, looking like death warmed over.

“…What in the world did that idiot do?”

“Do you see something?”

“Look at what’s chasing after him.”

Fron leaned over the railing of the train station, searching for Adel.

Her eyes widened when she finally spotted him.

“Why is he being chased?”

“That’s what I’d like to know…”

Samuel rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache coming on.

He wanted nothing more than to grab Adel and give him a piece of his mind.

After all, Samuel had told Adel how to avoid Eater Birds and reach Sytan safely.

Knowing that wiping out all the Eater Birds would be impossible, Samuel had created a hidden path underground, leading outside the territory of Gluttony.

He had even told Adel about it.

And yet, here the idiot was, being chased by a horde of Eater Birds.

“That imbecile…!”

Even if he was running late, how could he forget something Samuel had told him just recently?

And the sheer number of them was staggering.

The Eater Birds, having barely survived by devouring their own kind, were driven mad by the sight of Adel, a fresh and delicious-looking meal.

Every single Eater bird in the territory of Gluttony was now hot on his tail.

'To think they'd come this far out of the territory of Gluttony… They must have been starving.'

A pang of sympathy struck Samuel.

The Eater Birds were, after all, creatures his family had once raised.

But rescuing Adel took priority.

Just how many were there?

Thousands, at the very least.

“Let’s go.”

While Samuel was busy massaging his throbbing temples, Rene suddenly took off.

“W-wait for me!”

And so, Rene, followed by Samuel and Fron, rushed to Adel’s rescue.

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