The moment I drew a line on the ground and slammed my shovel into it, everyone around me tensed up.
No one would think I was joking anymore.
Promising students.
Professors who had once stood at the pinnacle of their fields.
I must be the only lunatic in the world who’s declared war on the entire Academy.
“Kyiiieeek!”
“Stay down, would you?”
Ayla came crawling out from the rubble of the collapsed wall and lunged at me.
I spun on the spot, dodging her grasp, and at the same time grabbed her by the neck.
Using the momentum from the spin, I hurled her with all my strength toward the remaining intact wall.
Debris from the partially crumbling wall collapsed over Ayla as she hit it.
“At least your body’s tough. That’s something.”
She wouldn’t die from this.
Not after becoming a demon.
Instead, she’d crawl back out again and keep coming for my life.
But I didn’t care.
Even if she charged at me hundreds, thousands of times—’it wouldn’t change anything.’
“What are you all doing?! Are you just going to stand there and watch that traitor?!”
“Can you really call him a traitor when he’s the one showing no mercy to a demon?”
“Then what would you call someone who refuses to kill a demon just because she used to be a student?!”
“That’s…”
They wouldn’t be able to answer.
Because they believed there was no option other than killing her once she’d become a demon.
Even the High Priests, Grand Mages, Spirit Kings, and Dragon Lords had all declared that turning a demon back into a human was impossible.
‘And I? I was just a gravekeeper. No one in the world was expecting a miracle from someone like me.’
“Tch! If no one else will act, then I’ll take the lead!”
A man tossed aside his jacket, unnecessarily showing off his muscles.
‘If I remembered correctly, he was an instructor for the beginner-level martial arts class.’
The fact that my memory of him was hazy probably meant he got caught up in some incident and died early on.
Brave, sure.
But skill-wise, he was just a husk.
“You brought this on yourself! Don’t blame me if I end up killing you!”
“That won’t happen.”
The first guest had arrived.
Since I had made a declaration, I had no intention of striking first—unless he crossed the line.
But the moment he even so much as stepped a toe over it—
Clang!
I would swing without mercy.
I struck the martial arts instructor squarely across the face with my shovel.
He collapsed from a single blow.
Naturally, I hadn’t killed him—just knocked him out with a well-measured strike.
“So, you’ve finally crossed a point of no return! From this moment on, consider that man an ally of the demons and fight him accordingly!”
The oldest professor in the Academy shouted, and the expressions of the students and other instructors changed instantly.
They had hesitated before, unsure whether to treat me as an enemy.
But once they saw their colleague go down, they made up their minds.
They began to openly show hostility toward me.
‘How long can I hold out?’
I had to protect Ayla and fight against countless powerful opponents.
And Ayla, lost to her demonic instincts, would be trying to kill me the whole time.
I had to subdue my own charge while fending off the full might of the Academy.
I couldn’t shake the thought that I had completely lost my mind.
“I just have to hold out until Erin gets here.”
***
Just as I was about to draw mana for the upcoming battle—
A girl suddenly dropped out of the sky, landing squarely on the head of the professor charging at me from the front.
She crushed the professor’s head beneath her rear, then casually stood up and spun around to face me.
Her flaming red hair flared behind her as she pointed directly at me.
“You there, human! Fight me!”
The girl had curved horns growing from her head, and parts of her skin were covered in crimson scales.
Her golden pupils were slit like a predator’s, and just locking eyes with her exuded overwhelming pressure.
It was the Dragon Fear—the innate aura of the dragons, the supreme predators.
Only one person in the Academy possessed that power.
She was none other than Karen, the sole daughter of the current Dragon Lord and known as the Dragon Princess.
“Lady Karen! What in the world do you think you’re doing?!”
“Ahaha! I caught a whiff of demonic energy and came outside, and what do I see? A human who looks crazy strong! My whole body was itching—I just couldn’t sit back and watch! So, how about it? Can I fight him one-on-one?”
Karen was making the same request I had.
She wanted a duel—with no interruptions from anyone.
It was oddly comforting to hear someone else say the same thing.
Of course, her words were met with strong objections.
“That man is a public enemy of humanity! We’ve all been waiting for the chance to take him down—this is no time for interference!”
“Sorry! But chances like this don’t come often, you know? If I miss this one, I’ll regret it forever! I can’t hold back!”
“You mustn’t! This is no time to indulge Lady Karen’s whims—urk?!”
Just as one professor grabbed Karen’s shoulder, likely trying to pull her back—
Karen turned to face him, her eyes flashing.
The professor froze in fear, paralyzed by the instinctive terror born from the overwhelming difference between their species.
Even the most distinguished authority in a field was nothing but a trembling puppy before a dragon.
“You just touched me without my permission, didn’t you?”
“I—I’m so sorry!”
“I’ll let it go this once. But if you touch me again, don’t expect mercy.”
Karen wasn’t being unusually sensitive—it was simply how dragons were.
Unless they acknowledged someone, they abhorred being touched.
Though Karen had a tomboyish, easygoing vibe, that didn’t mean she was lenient about it.
She was a battle-crazed dragon who admired strength above all else.
She only made friends with those who could defeat her or whom she recognized as powerful.
“That goes for the rest of you too. I’m not asking—I’m demanding. If you don’t want to see an all-out species war, stay out of it!”
There was a similar demand placed on me, but the difference in status between Karen and me was absolute.
She was the next Dragon Lord—a future ruler who could one day lead the dragons into war.
At this moment, no one could defy her will.
“So? I’ve set the stage for you. You’ll play with me, right?”
‘…Not a princess. A tyrant. Alright, this lowly one shall entertain you.’
“Don’t let me down!”
With a mischievous grin, Karen instantly closed the distance between us.
Faster than Erin.
I quickly crossed my arms and blocked her punch.
A heavy blow struck my arms, making my bones scream.
Dodging backward the moment I blocked was a godsend—it helped absorb the impact.
“Here I come again!”
‘Maybe fighting the professors would’ve been easier…’
As expected of a dragon, her strength was monstrous, and the mana within her was immense.
Magic didn’t work on dragons who ruled over mana, so close combat was the only answer.
I threw the shovel aside and charged at Karen barehanded.
I lowered my upper body, swaying my head and torso side to side to dodge her punches fluidly.
As I evaded, I drove my fist into her abdomen.
It felt like punching steel—my hand trembled from the impact.
There was no time to complain about the pain.
Karen grabbed my head and yanked it toward her knee.
Just before my face could hit her knee, I bent even lower and took the blow with my forehead.
Blood began to trickle from the torn skin on my brow, but I avoided a fatal hit.
“You didn’t dodge but took it head-on? That’s hot!”
“If I’d tried to escape, I would’ve given you control of the fight.”
“So you protected your forehead with mana and took the hit! How fun!”
Karen charged at me again, straight on.
She kicked off the ground, leaping low in my direction with signs of an oncoming kick.
But I didn’t react.
I just stood there and watched her move.
“Kyahhh!”
Karen’s outstretched leg shot past me and struck Ayla, who was charging in from behind, launching her back into the academy building.
Luckily, she held back enough not to kill her.
She considered the fact that I didn’t intend to kill Ayla.
“Stay out of it, pest! I’m just getting fired up here!”
Ayla’s treatment felt a bit pitiful, but it couldn’t be helped.
Interfering in a one-on-one duel was bad form.
“Now that the nuisance is gone, shall we keep fighting?”
“Yeah.”
I was grateful for the help, but that didn’t mean I’d go easy on her.
And Karen probably didn’t want me to hold back either.
All I could do was go all out.
I twisted my body by rotating the foot grounded beneath me, adding spin to my punch as I struck Karen’s temple.
She blocked it with both arms raised to her head.
I seized the moment, lifting my knee to strike her side.
As her body twisted from the blow, I grabbed her by the collar and drove my fist into her face.
Once, twice, three times.
Unlike her firm abdomen, Karen’s nose burst with blood.
“Yes! That’s it!”
But rather than pain, Karen seemed to be feeling exhilaration.
She smiled brightly.
Then she grabbed the back of my head with both hands and slammed her forehead into mine.
Pain surged from the torn skin as my head jerked backward.
She reached for my collar, imitating what I had just done, but I grabbed her wrist first.
Gripping it hard enough to crush bone, I kicked at her ankle.
But Karen didn’t fall—she stood her ground like a pine tree.
I let go of her wrist and quickly backed off.
Karen didn’t let up and chased me, continuing the slugfest.
At close range, our arms tangled again and again without pause.
Blood welled up in my mouth, my nose was bleeding, and my breath came in ragged gasps.
“Ahhh! This is the best! I’ve always wanted a fight that made my blood boil!”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Yeah! But at the same time, it’s a bit disappointing.”
Karen caught the fist I’d aimed at her face.
She gently pushed it aside and leaned in close—so close, we were on the verge of kissing.
“You’re going easy on me, aren’t you?”
“What?”
“I can see it. You’re trying to make it look like you’re going all out, like we’re evenly matched!”
“…I’m not, though?”
“So let’s stop here for now! Next time, I want you to face me seriously. Just the two of us, no one around. Got it?”
“No, I’m telling you—this is my full strength in hand-to-hand combat.”
Smack~!
Karen didn’t bother listening.
She suddenly kissed me on the lips, leaving behind a mark before stepping away.
Humming to herself like she’d just had a great time, she strolled off casually.
She was a whimsical girl, acting purely on her own desires—completely unpredictable.
It felt like a storm had passed.
***
“Master?”
But contrary to my thoughts, the storm wasn’t over yet.
Erin had returned with her arms full of the ingredients I’d asked for.
And for some reason, she was glaring at me with a terrifying look in her eyes.
“What were you doing with her just now?”
“Um…”
‘Timing, you son of a—’
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