Tug. Tug
Someone tugged on Nahin’s sleeve repeatedly.
When Nahin turned his head slightly, there was an angel with such a lovely appearance that he wanted to bite them out of sheer affection.
The cute appearance was one thing, but the stuffed bear held tightly in their arms enhanced their adorableness even more.
Although no one could guess from just their appearance, this was Seere, one of the 72 demon lords, who held a proud seat among them.
She pulled on Nahin’s sleeve persistently as she called out to him.
“Teacher, teacher.”
“Hm?”
“Kain is acting strange.”
“Hm… it’s fine. It’s nothing to worry about.”
The next day, a letter arrived, and Kain was almost out of his mind.
He had been in a frenzy ever since receiving a letter stating that Sitri, the 71st demon lord, would personally visit.
“Who did you say was coming?”
“That’s right. And even though it’s only a few days away, we’ll still be having lessons as usual on the day they arrive.”
“Really?”
Seere’s eyes lit up with excitement.
Seeing her eyes full of anticipation and curiosity made Nahin smile naturally.
“Today, we’ll have a theory lesson. In the afternoon, you can do training by yourself.”
“Yes.”
Her response, accompanied by a nod, seemed like a typical behavior of a child.
Nahin brought over a desk and chair, and seated Seere.
“Today, we’ll learn the basics of magic manipulation.”
“Yes.”
Seere blinked, then asked Nahin, “Aren’t we going to study math or demon realm history?”
“Those are useless.”
As Seere tilted her head in confusion, Nahin explained.
“I’m not saying they’re unnecessary subjects, but in your current situation, they aren’t a priority. However, Kain said you should learn magic manipulation after covering the basic subjects.”
“That’s because Kain is an idiot.”
Kain, still lost in thought, didn’t react at all to Nahin’s insult.
Seere shook her head back and forth.
“Kain is not a fool.”
“I meant his teaching method wasn’t very smart. Seere, what do you think is the most important thing to protect the faction that follows you?”
“Power.”
A simple and straightforward answer. Nahin didn’t deny it.
“That’s right, it’s power. Now, do you think you’ll need math or demon realm history while gaining that power?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Exactly. So, we’ll put those subjects on hold. Instead, I’ll teach you the subjects that will help you grow stronger—magic manipulation, magic utilization, martial arts, and even sovereign studies, which is essential to strengthening your power as a ruler.”
These were the subjects Nahin intended to prioritize.
Seere had already learned other basic subjects before Nahin’s arrival, so she wasn’t entirely clueless.
On the contrary, she was more unfamiliar with things like sovereign studies, which was far more urgent.
When Nahin explained what he would teach, Seere looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“Do you not like it?”
“No, no. I’ve already learned sovereign studies.”
Hearing that she had learned sovereign studies made Nahin widen his eyes in surprise.
No matter how young, it was strange for a demon lord who had learned such a thing to be carrying around a stuffed bear.
Nahin felt a bit confused.
In the game, Seere carried a stuffed bear from the moment the player first met her, but that was because she hadn’t yet been taught the qualities of a ruler.
In fact, one of the most important elements that determined the outcome of a route in the game was whether or not Seere mastered sovereign studies.
Even though he was surprised, Nahin quickly accepted it.
It made sense because this wasn’t just a game—this was reality.
It was only natural for the former demon king to teach sovereign studies to his only heir from the moment she could read.
The fact that she carried the stuffed bear was probably just because she really liked it.
“Alright, we’ll skip the theory of sovereign studies, then. But, remember, it’s only meaningful if you practice it.”
Nahin started adding new tasks to Seere’s training journal.
Finally, after finishing his notes, he showed the journal to Seere.
“What’s this, teacher?”
“These are assignments to help you put sovereign studies into practice.”
Seere blinked in confusion as she looked over the unusual entries in her journal.
They were so strange that even a young child like her found them odd.
“If you don’t complete the tasks every day, I won’t buy you any more stuffed animals.”
“N-never…”
“Alright, then. Let’s begin learning the basics of magic manipulation.”
Nahin led her to an outdoor blackboard.
Though there was a classroom for Seere’s lessons, Nahin purposely brought her to this garden.
In the game, teaching outdoors improved focus and added a stat bonus.
It might be different in this real world, but an open space was probably better for concentration than a confined room.
“The basics of magic manipulation.”
Normally, someone like Nahin, who had lived in modern society, wouldn’t be able to teach this subject, let alone know anything about it.
But now, it was different.
He hadn’t reincarnated; he had possessed the body of an existing character.
So, Nahin knew not only the memories but also the knowledge of his new body.
It was a bit confusing, but after organizing his thoughts the night before, he figured out what to teach Seere.
Nahin picked up a piece of chalk and began writing something on the blackboard.
“Can you read this?”
“Available mana and reserved mana?”
“Good job. Well done.”
Nahin praised her, and Seere bashfully hugged her stuffed bear, smiling shyly.
“Hehehe…”
Seeing Seere’s delight at the praise, Nahin thought it was important to compliment her often.
Then, he asked her, “Do you know what those terms mean?”
“Reserved mana refers to the amount of mana each person possesses. It’s gathered in the mana heart.”
“That’s right. And what about available mana?”
“It’s the amount of mana a person can use.”
Seere answered in a clear voice, impressing Nahin.
“Wow, you’ve learned well.”
He smiled proudly and asked, “What determines the amount of available mana?”
“Umm…”
Seere tilted her head, thinking hard.
She hadn’t learned about magic manipulation before, so she didn’t know this.
“It’s okay if you don’t know. Just say you don’t know. No one will laugh at you for it.”
After hearing those words, Seere hesitated before speaking to Nahin, “I don’t know…”
“Well, let’s start learning from there.”
Nahin wrote another word next to “available mana” on the blackboard: Circuit.
Nahin pointed to the word he had just written, “Circuit.”
“Have you heard of this?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it.”
“It’s a special organ found in the bodies of magical beings, like demons, demon hybrids, and creatures like dragons. Do you know what its function is?”
“It lets them use magic.”
“Exactly. More precisely, it serves as a pathway for magic to flow through. If your body has a lot of circuits, what do you think happens?”
“More magic can flow through.”
“And what happens then?”
“If there are more pathways for magic to move through, I’ll be able to use more magic at once.”
“That’s right.”
Seere’s expression lit up as if she had just realized something important.
She unconsciously lifted one of the bear’s arms as she processed the information.
“So, available mana is determined by the number of circuits I have?”
“Smart and quick to understand, exactly.”
Nahin couldn’t help but smile as he saw how Seere beamed with pride at the praise.
Teaching a child was indeed all about encouragement, and Seere’s reactions were proof of that.
He pointed to the blackboard again, directing her attention to the term “reserved mana.”
“The largest difference between a regular demon and a demon lord lies in their overwhelming specifications. Demon lords are born with a far greater amount of reserved mana compared to normal demons. To give you an idea, even a thousand normal demons gathered together would have less reserved mana than the demon lord with the lowest reserves.”
“So, from now on, we’ll start training to increase the number of circuits you have.”
“How will we do that?”
“It’ll be easier to understand once you try it yourself, but I’ll explain first.”
Nahin pointed to the center of his own chest.
“You need to move the mana in your mana heart.”
“How do I do that?”
“Mana moves according to a person’s mind and will. If you think about moving it, you can make it move.”
Nahin explained this in a way that Seere would easily grasp, pointing to his body as he spoke.
“When you decide to move your mana, the mana gathered in your chest will spread throughout your body. From that point on, the key is controlling it.”
Seere nodded along with his explanation, her head bobbing up and down.
Her focus and attention on Nahin’s words were clear.
Nahin patted her head, continuing with a smile.
“This training is also written in your training journal. When you finish today’s training, I’ll give you a delicious pudding.”
“Pudding?!”
Nahin had already asked Kain before class about Seere’s favorite things.
He learned that she loved pudding and cake, enjoyed being praised and having her head patted, and adored soft, fluffy objects in addition to her stuffed animals.
Nahin planned to use all of this to his advantage.
Of course, he genuinely wanted Seere to follow along with her lessons well, but there was also another reason…
He needed to win the favor of the demon lord.
In Evil Queen Maker, the player’s relationship with Seere was an extremely important element.
If Seere’s affection for the player was too low, she would fire the player after growing up.
On the other hand, if her affection was too average, the player wouldn’t achieve great success even if Seere did.
Affection had to be at MAX.
That way, when Seere grew strong and succeeded, Nahin could live a life of comfort and luxury.
Smiling contentedly, Nahin thought about the possibilities, unaware of the outcomes his choices might lead to.