‘What should I do?’
I couldn’t just stand outside forever, so I followed Kain into the Demon King’s castle.
At this rate, it seemed like I really had to teach the Demon King.
If this were a game, I would have no trouble handling it.
After all, I had seen every ending of Evil Queen Maker.
But the problem was that this was no longer a game; it was reality.
In reality, you can’t just click a button to train someone.
In the end, this meant I had to personally teach the Demon King.
What do I even know about teaching the Demon King?
“This doesn’t make any sense….”
“Nahin, did you say something?”
“Oh, no, nothing.”
Kain ignored it and began guiding me again.
“This will be your room, Nahin. For now, I need to go see the Demon King, so feel free to look around later.”
After passing by my room, Kain guided me to a very large room.
Having played the game several times, I knew exactly where we were.
“This is the audience hall. It’s quite large.”
“Yes, the previous Demon King often said that the audience hall reflects the majesty of the Demon King, so we made it huge.”
I already knew this.
It was the policy of the previous ruler of this castle, the Demon King Seire.
Seire was one of the Demon Kings who had established a massive power, one of the so-called “High Demon Kings.”
“Nahin?”
Suddenly, a headache hit me.
Memories that weren’t mine started flooding into my mind.
They were complicated, but it wasn’t hard to figure out what these memories were.
‘Typical cliché…’
It seemed that, by possessing the character Nahin, his memories were starting to blend with mine.
The memories that surfaced were mostly shocking.
It felt like I was getting a glimpse into the backstory of a playable character that hadn’t been revealed in the game.
‘Was this his backstory?’
Nahin.
This was just an alias.
He had a real name, and his identity was that of a high-ranking demon, the most powerful “Great Demon.”
No wonder he seemed like an all-rounder who could teach anything in the game.
So this was the hidden backstory.
I still didn’t understand why a Great Demon would take on the role of teacher to a low-ranking Demon King like Seere, but the memory of accepting the request remained, even if the emotions from that time didn’t.
‘But why can’t I remember my real name?’
The emotions didn’t matter, but I should naturally know my real name.
Yet, it didn’t come to mind.
What is going on…
“Are you feeling unwell, sir?”
“No, I’m fine.”
When I reassured him, Kain relaxed and said, “The Demon King is waiting for you. Please, come in.”
He kindly grabbed the door handle and opened it for me.…
Couldn’t he open it a little slower?
“Um, how should I address you?”
“You may address me however you feel comfortable, sir.”
Kain’s movements were more brisk than I had hoped.
The door opened wide, and I sighed as I looked at the red carpet laid out on the floor.
‘I’ve really become the mentor to the main character.’
There was no turning back now.
The audience hall, which I had seen many times during the prologue, lay before me.
The long red carpet stretched out, leading up to a set of stairs, and at the top was a platform.
Kain bowed toward the platform and spoke.
“Seere, your new teacher has arrived.”
On the massive throne at the top of the platform sat a child, who seemed entirely out of place in such a grand setting.
‘Wow…’
I was amazed.
I couldn’t hold back my admiration.
I thought her appearance would be familiar since I had seen her so many times in the illustrations, but this was on a whole different level.
Her white hair, sparkling like a snowfield under the sunlight, was tied into cute pigtails.
Her deep blue eyes shone like jewels, and her doll-like features were stunning.
I wasn’t really into this kind of look, but if the word “beauty” could take human form, this might be what it looked like.
Despite how awkwardly she held a teddy bear while sitting on the throne, her appearance was undeniable.
‘There’s a reason the illustrations turned out so well.’
The game’s illustrations, and the frequent mentions of her beauty, weren’t exaggerations.
Despite her young appearance, it was easy to imagine what kind of beauty she would grow into.
Her round, blue eyes turned toward me, filled with innocent curiosity.
After looking at me for a moment, the child hopped off the throne and ran over to me. She stood in front of me, bowed politely, and greeted me.
“Hello.”
“Oh, hello.”
This child was the weakest of the 72 Demon Kings, the one I was supposed to teach and raise—the protagonist and heroine of the game, Seere von Devata.
***
Seere von Devata.
She is the only child of Seire von Devata, the former second-ranking Demon King, and inherited the throne after his sudden death.
However, Seire von Devata died abruptly, and Seere was only five years old at the time.
Could such a young Demon King maintain the enormous power her predecessor had built?
Moreover, many of the previous Demon King’s closest subordinates had perished alongside him, making it nearly impossible to maintain their influence.
In just two years, Seere’s rank had fallen to the lowest, 72nd, and nearly all her forces had vanished.
The biggest issue was that there was no one left to guide and teach this young Demon King.
Kain, too, lacked the ability to teach Seere everything she needed to know.
His lack of teaching talent was a critical issue.
That’s why they needed someone to teach Seere in various areas, not only to restore her past glory but to ensure she could survive as a Demon King.
However, finding someone willing to invest time in an inexperienced young Demon King who had lost all her power was no easy task.
After much searching and several rejections, they finally found me—Nahin.
Seere had been eagerly awaiting her new teacher, brimming with anticipation.
From the moment she heard I was coming, she had been sitting on the throne, waiting for me since early morning.
Seere hugged her teddy bear tightly and spoke politely.
“Um… Kain told me.”
“Hmm?”
“He said you’re going to be my teacher.”
Nahin paused for a moment, then looked at Seere’s expression.
She seemed visibly nervous.
Even without asking, Nahin knew why.
She was anxious that I might reject her, just like all her previous teachers had done.
It wasn’t an expression someone her age should have to make.
After watching Seere’s expression for a while, Nahin made up his mind.
‘It might just work.’
I had mastered the game.
I had already raised Seere von Devata to the top, to the position of the greatest Demon King, countless times.
I knew everything about the game, from the major events to the smallest details.
It might not be enough, but I had gained additional memories.
Nahin accepted these memories that surfaced in his mind as his own.
By using both his memories from reality and his in-game knowledge, he believed it would be enough.
Since I had possessed this body, it was clear that I had to survive here.
To return to reality, I had to see the ending, and to do that, I had to teach and raise this young Demon King.
I had always liked teaching others, and I had even planned to pursue it as a career and attend college for it.
So…
‘I’ll just consider this skipping the teaching certification exam.’
Nahin placed his hand gently on Seere’s head.
“That’s right.”
“…Really?”
And then, as if stroking the softest silk, he gently ran his fingers through her hair.
“From now on, call me teacher.”
***
Nahin, now Seere von Devata’s teacher, had one question for Kain as soon as he took on the role.
“Kain.”
“You can just call me Kain. Feel free to speak informally.”
“Alright, Kain, there’s something I’d like to ask for.”
“What is it?”
Nahin requested an item from Kain.
What he requested was a training journal, a convenience tool that had always appeared in the game for the players.
The player could write down the day’s tasks for the target, and the tool would magically record whether they had completed them properly or not.
When Nahin asked if this tool existed here as well, Kain nodded.
“I’ll have it ready by tomorrow’s lesson.”
“Thank you.”
Nahin felt relieved.
With the training journal, he could record Seere’s daily lessons and check whether she had completed them.
***
“Seere.”
Seere, holding her teddy bear, looked up at Nahin.
She opened her small lips and answered.
“Yes, teacher.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll start your formal lessons. But before that, I want to learn more about you today.”
Seere hugged her teddy bear tightly and asked, “About me…?”
“Yes. I need to know more about you to know what to teach you.”
Nahin knew everything about Seere von Devata, the character.
Yet, despite this, there was a reason he asked these questions.
This wasn’t a game—it was reality. Unlike in the game, they had to build a rapport through conversation.
Upon hearing Nahin’s request, Seere squirmed a little.
She looked embarrassed. Although she was the lowest-ranked Demon King, she didn’t seem like someone who held such a title.
It also showed how poor her upbringing had been.
If the previous Demon King had lived longer, Seere would have been properly educated in royal etiquette, including how to act as a ruler.
If she had received the right training, she would have been much more composed for her age.
“You don’t need to be so shy. Just answer as if you’re introducing yourself.”
“Okay…”
“First… um, could you introduce yourself?”
“I’m Seere von Devata, the 72nd-ranked Demon King.”
“How old are you?”
Seere answered hesitantly.”I’m… seven years old.”
“And what do you like?”
“Stuffed animals…”
Seere’s voice trailed off as she hugged the teddy bear in her arms even tighter. Nahin smiled at her cute answer and continued.
“Does your teddy bear have a name?”
“Huh?”
“Your bear. Does it have a name?”
“…Whitey.”
‘Whitey,’ a simple name made by adding the suffix ‘-y’ to ‘white bear,’ similar to how people add the suffix to personal names.
Nahin chuckled at Seere’s innocent naming sense and asked,”Do you have other stuffed animals, besides Whitey?”
Seere shook her head.
Surprised by the negative response, Nahin asked,”Why don’t you have more?”
Seere hugged her bear even tighter and spoke.
“Because… I don’t have money to buy them….”
In Evil Queen Maker, while raising Seere’s character was the most important task, managing her castle and the territory attached to it was just as crucial.
Managing the territory was one of the key elements that differentiated Evil Queen Maker from other simple raising simulators.
Nahin pondered for a moment.
If the choices he had repeated countless times in the game could also work in this real world, then it should be possible to make this poor Demon King’s castle wealthy, even if they didn’t have spare money for stuffed animals.
After thinking for a moment, Nahin spoke again.
“Well then, how about this.”
“Yes?”
“If you follow my lessons properly, I’ll buy you a stuffed animal as a reward.”
“Really… you’ll buy me a stuffed animal?”
“Yes. But if you slack off, or fail to complete the daily training I assign, I won’t buy it for you.”
Upon hearing this, Kain, who had been watching the conversation, showed a slightly troubled expression.
Sensing this, Seere quickly shook her head.
“It’s okay…”
“It’s alright, don’t worry. You won’t have to use any of the castle’s budget for this.”
“Huh?”
This last remark wasn’t directed at Seere but at Kain, who had been listening nearby with a puzzled expression.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Kain, who’s in charge of the castle’s finances right now?”
“I’m temporarily in charge. There’s no one else who can do it, after all….”
“Originally, though, the castle’s finances would be Seere’s responsibility, right?”
“Yes, but because Seere is still so young, I’ve taken over that duty for now.”
Nahin nodded and turned back to Seere.
“Seere?”
“Yes?”
“Would it be alright if I managed the castle’s budget?”
“Teacher…?”
Seere blinked her large, innocent eyes.
Kain, however, responded on her behalf.”Are you saying you want to take control of the castle’s finances, sir?””I’m asking to borrow them, yes.”
“Borrow… the finances? And what exactly would you do with them?”
“What do you think? We need to make money, of course.”
Nahin spoke as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
His words seemed to suggest that he could easily resolve the financial struggles Kain had been enduring for the past two years, where he had cut down on staff and stretched the budget to its limits.
“We need to earn some money.”