That night, Su Nian did not succumb to despair.
Instead, she gathered her resolve, her spirit reigniting like a flame in the dark.
Tomorrow, she would stand before the students of the Magic Academy to teach, and she could not afford to falter.
To lose face would be to let others whisper that she, the prodigious young sorceress, was unworthy of her reputation.
With this thought, Su Nian retreated to her room, immersing herself in the study of magic, preparing meticulously for the lessons ahead.
Her efforts bore fruit.
She uncovered new insights, unraveling the intricacies of this world’s magic, which relied heavily on incantations.
Chanting was akin to solving a mathematical problem with a prewritten solution—each step, each node, memorized and recited with precision, not a syllable out of place.
Yet this method had flaws: it slowed the casting, lacked flexibility, and left mages vulnerable in close combat.
Su Nian, however, possessed an edge.
From the “correct answers” provided by her system, she could reverse-engineer the processes, principles, and formulas behind them.
It wasn’t sheer talent or systemic aid but a foundation of knowledge—mathematics, a subject familiar to anyone with a basic education.
In this world, mages often inherited fragmented knowledge, passed down through academies or apprenticeships, half-understood and rigid.
But Su Nian, armed with her system’s definitive solutions, could deduce the “formulas” herself.
With these, she wielded her ice and fire magic—already mastered with exceptional control—with even greater finesse, bending spells to her will with ease.
Teaching this directly to students, however, would be a challenge.
The youths of this world lacked the systematic scientific grounding she took for granted.
She would need to start with the basics.
***
The next morning, as promised, the vile Horned Demon did not hinder her departure from Shadowmoon Manor.
Instead, a flurry of maids surrounded her, presenting fine clothes, sumptuous meals, and a dedicated cleaning staff.
At Shadowmoon Manor, Su Nian’s every need was met with lavish care.
To the maids, it seemed Mr. Mo Yuan treated his “cousin” with unparalleled kindness, as if she were the lady of the manor.
Only Su Nian knew the truth—the perverse cruelty the Horned Demon inflicted in private.
When it was time to leave for the Magic Academy, a carriage awaited, complete with an escort for her protection.
And there, to her surprise, was Chu Tian again.
“You?” she muttered, half-exasperated, half-amused.
Today, she wore a lake-blue robe adorned with subtle magic-enhancing sigils, a spellbook clutched in her hand—though it was filled with her own notes, more for show than necessity.
The mentor’s badge, once a corded pendant, had been repurposed into a brooch pinned to her chest.
The memory of that humiliating moment in the dungeon, forced to shed her dress and hold the badge in her teeth under the Horned Demon’s command, still stung.
It had to be changed.
***
Time slipped by, and when Su Nian arrived at the academy’s auditorium for her public lecture, she realized she’d been set up by Director Sains.
A single weekly class, he’d said—yet the hall was packed to the brim, as if every student in the academy had shown up.
No matter.
She would face it head-on.
The crowd’s size was no accident.
Word had spread of the genius maiden sorceress, and curiosity had drawn them all to witness her debut.
“Students,” Su Nian began, her voice steady as she stood at the podium, her gaze sweeping over the sea of faces.
“Today, we won’t dwell on conventional magical theory. I want to share a new way to understand magic.”
The room stirred, students leaning forward, their interest piqued.
Yet beneath the curiosity, she sensed skepticism.
Many were older than her, yet here they sat as her pupils, their pride bristling at the thought.
They were waiting for her to falter.
She launched into an explanation of the difference between chanted and instantaneous casting.
At first, confusion clouded the students’ faces.
Wasn’t it common knowledge that longer chants yielded greater power?
But as Su Nian spoke, demonstrating with simple spells, their doubts gave way to awe.
Flames danced in her hands, not as rigid, predictable bursts dictated by traditional chants, but as fluid, living shapes molded by her will.
Now a phoenix spreading its fiery wings, now a serpent slithering through the air.
The students gaped, their skepticism dissolving into gasps of wonder.
She had performed this feat before, on the stage of Magic Feather Dream, but few here had witnessed it.
“This… this is incredible!” a student blurted, leaping to his feet.
“Mentor Su Nian, how did you do that?”
With a gentle smile, Su Nian explained, “You must understand the logic and principles behind magic. Take the Flame Spell, for instance. Its standard mana structure is like a square.”
She continued, “When you chant, everyone produces the same mana output. But what if I want to shrink the Flame Spell a hundredfold, just for lighting or kindling? You reduce each side of that square by a factor of ten.”
“Teacher, why only ten times for the sides if the spell shrinks a hundredfold?” a student piped up.
“Why, Teacher?” another echoed.
Su Nian pressed a hand to her forehead.
Teaching these students would be a long journey.
Perhaps she’d need to introduce a course on mathematics.
***
The open class stretched until noon.
Su Nian led the students to the academy’s lakeside, where she performed a dazzling display, melding ice and fire magic in a breathtaking spectacle that left her audience stunned.
The pressure of teaching not only honed her skills but bolstered her confidence in facing the Horned Demon one day.
After lunch at the academy, she visited the library, delving into texts on dark magic and magical arrays, each page deepening her understanding.
In the afternoon, she headed to Magic Feather Fantasy for a promotional photoshoot.
The Horned Demon’s influence made her wary of the crystal orbs used for photography, but as a magical idol, she pressed on, filming advertisements for sponsors until dusk.
With the release of the magical phone, Magic Feather Fantasy’s fortunes were improving.
Su Nian, already a rising star, was poised to shine even brighter.
***
As the sky darkened, she knew it was time to return to Shadowmoon Manor.
As she left Magic Feather Fantasy, Chu Tian was there, waiting with the carriage.
Now the captain of her guard, Chu Tian, had been reassigned to protect her, his own ambitions—expanding his influence, manufacturing magical phones, and gathering “annoyance points”—temporarily set aside.
In quieter moments, he chose to stay by her side as Chu Tian, the human, not the Horned Demon.
Deep in his heart, Chu Tian hoped that one day, Su Nian would come to care for the man he was in this form.
He believed, with quiet certainty, that his human self would one day win her heart.
He keeps saying that, but isn’t he cucking himself? Actually I need for his hopes to come true, the humiliation of her giving to the demon what she can’t give yo her boyfriend would be amazing to see.
@Exstranger, I was thinking the same why would u want for her to fall for u in ur human form isn’t that showing how unfateful she is as a partner being humiliated by ur demon form as night and having a lovely realatinship with her While being a human. Mc is not that type w woman she wouldn’t betray you right? Right guys?