How to Live the Life of a Demon Chapter 20 - No favor is given without expecting compensation

 

 

Arnold declared the end of the class. 

 

Rayel approached Lucius, disrupting a group of chattering students. 

 

He stopped for a moment as Rayel, who had come up close, smiled brightly.

 

“Lucius! Where have you been running off to so quickly after class ends?” Rayel teased.

 

“Nowhere important. It seems like you have something to say, so don’t beat around the bush and just say it,” Lucius replied.

 

“Hmm, it’s nothing major. I know you got permission to use the gym from Professor Arnold.”

 

Rayel grumbled lightly and then looked around before whispering to Lucius.

 

“Are you going to the gym today as well? The person who came last time is your partner, right?”

 

“So what?” Lucius asked.

 

“Oh, come on, you already guessed it. If you two are training, can we join in as well? It seems like Professor Arnold isn’t going to give us permission.”

 

Arnold was generally stingy with granting permission to use the gym. He believed that individual training without supervision could have a negative impact on young students.

 

Unlike Lucius, Rayel failed to convince Arnold and clasped his hands together desperately. Lucius, who was looking down at him, rolled his eyes for a moment.

 

“I can do it for you.”

 

“Wow!”

 

“But what do I gain by doing that?”

 

Lucius crossed his arms and tilted his head, prompting Rayel to respond.

 

Then Rayel grinned as if he had been waiting.

 

“I can assist with your training. Having an opponent of equal skill would be beneficial, wouldn’t it?”

 

“That alone won’t suffice. If your aim is to truly test and improve your skills, it’s essential to have a worthy adversary.”

 

Trying to subtly shift the conversation, Rayel chuckled awkwardly in response to Lucius’s teasing and cleared his throat.

 

“Well then.”

 

“Let’s make it a debt.”

 

As Rayel tried to speak again, Lucius cut him off. Rayel blinked for a moment, looking at him, then laughed awkwardly.

 

“Lucius, you don’t seem like it, but you’re quite sly.”

 

“Thanks for the compliment. Shall we go then?”

 

Rayel grumbled that he was in debt to Lucius. Still, he walked steadily.

 

Kian, who was waiting on one side, also slowly followed behind them.

 

As Lucius entered the gym, he found Lennox swinging a wooden sword, probably having warmed up beforehand.

 

Lennox must have felt the air change, so he caught his breath and turned his head to look around.

 

Lucius waved his hand lightly and introduced the two to Lennox, who looked quite surprised.

 

“I brought them in because they said they wanted to share the gym. They’re both in the same class as me. This is Rayel Feo and Kian Bohr. Rayel, Kian. This is my partner, Lennox Zakhar.”

 

Lennox was flustered, but projected indifference. He looked at Lucius.

 

‘It will be quite a good experience for Lennox too.’ (Lucius)

 

Rayel glanced at Lucius once and then smiled politely as he greeted Lennox.

 

“I’m Rayel, who was just introduced. Are you Lennox, the senior in the Beta class?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from the seniors. They say your swordsmanship is excellent.”

 

“What? Uh, well…”

 

“I wanted to spar with you when I had the chance. Your reputation for swordsmanship precedes you. Please take care of me today!”

 

Lennox’s eyes were busy rolling back and forth.

 

It seemed that Rayel’s attitude toward him was awkward and embarrassing.

 

Lucius suppressed his laughter as he watched.

 

Not only Rayel, but also Kian, who was silent the whole time, was preparing for the sparring with a face full of anticipation.

 

Rayel held the bow, and Kian held the knuckles.

 

Lucius stroked his chin.

 

“Lennox, can you handle it alone?”

 

“That won’t work!”

 

It was Rayel, not Lennox, who responded to Lucius’ words.

 

Rayel complained grumpily as he hung an arrow on the bowstring.

 

“We’re just showing our cards here. I’m curious about Senior Lennox, but I’m also very curious about your skills.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“Take up your weapons. Is there at least one thing you mainly use?”

 

Lucius lifted a staff in response to Rayel’s honest and daring provocation.

 

Rayel looked at him for a while, seemingly satisfied with the unexpected weapon. Then, after exchanging a glance with Kian, he took the initiative and launched an attack.

 

The duel began with Rayel. As soon as he took his position at the back, he drew his bow.

 

Thwack!

 

As if plucking a harp, an arrow flew out each time he released the string, emitting a strong light.

 

‘First, disrupt the line of sight.’

 

Kian took advantage of the distracted gaze and attacked Lennox.

 

Lucius easily dodged the arrows and approached Rayel.

 

At that, the corners of Rayel’s mouth curled up.

 

Taking a quick look at the situation, the arrow that had left his bow was aimed at Lennox, using Kian as a shield to create an illusion of a one-on-one situation while taking advantage of the bow’s long range for coordinated attacks.

 

Thwack, twang!

 

Unfortunately, the arrow had barely missed Lucius’s shoulder, lightly grazing it.

 

“Is it because he’s your friend? You work well together.” 

 

“That’s our strength,” Kian added.

 

Quickly retreating to the rear, Rayel drew his bow.

 

He seemed adept at striking and retreating, making it difficult to close the distance.

 

Meanwhile, Lennox, having been hit in the shoulder and unable to assess the situation properly, was facing off against Kian.

 

‘If it were a real battle, it wouldn’t have been an ordinary arrow. Lennox would have been incapacitated by now.’

 

It was a well-orchestrated coordinated attack, especially highlighting Kian’s exceptional intuition.

 

If Lennox had twisted his body a little later, Rayel’s arrow would have hit Kian instead of Lennox.

 

It was a display of courage willingly taking on the risk, deserving of applause.

 

“How’s it going? Not as easy as you thought?” Rayel asked triumphantly.

 

Lucius responded with a thin smile, “There’s satisfaction in paying off debts.”

 

Recently, he had been preoccupied with Lennox, which bothered him as he couldn’t keep an eye on Rayel and Kian.

 

Having this sparring time was not only an opportunity for improvement but also a chance to assess their skills.

 

Lucius closed the distance between himself and Rayel in an instant.

 

‘What happens if you lose your advantage in range?’

 

“Whoa!!!”

 

As the tip of the staff passed right in front of his nose, Rayel, who yelped in surprise, quickly regained his stance and raised his dagger. With his small stature and agile movements, he aimed for the opponent’s vital points.

 

As Lucius was spinning the staff in a circular motion to block the attack, Rayel secured his distance and retreated.

 

But then, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

 

It seemed like he had something in mind, but it was clear that he no longer wanted to showcase his skills any further.

 

He raised both hands naturally.

 

“I’ll stop here. I think that’s enough. If we continue, I’ll lose. Right?”

 

“Who’s saying you’re weak?” Lucius retorted.

 

Just as Lucius was about to push a little more, thinking that there might be hidden skills, Rayel unexpectedly declared surrender.

 

“Thank you for the compliment.”

 

At the natural response, Lucius shook his shoulders and put down his staff.

 

Rayel asked curiously.

 

“What do you think it’s like over there?”

 

In response to Rayel’s question, Lucius’ gaze landed on Lennox and Kian, who were still confronting each other.

 

Without a second thought, Lucius asserted, “Kian’s defeat.”

 

With a firm tone, Rayel slowly turned his gaze from Lucius to the two of them.

 

In an instant, it was clear that Kian, with his destructive power, was at a disadvantage against Lennox, who had stable swordsmanship and endurance in long battles.

 

Rayel glanced back at Lucius.

 

‘Oddly, it seems like I always lose to Lucius. It was the same during our first lesson and now.’

 

He wanted to gauge Lucius’s skills, but it seemed like he was only showing his own weaknesses against him.

 

‘I guess I can’t come out on top against Lucius.’

 

He swallowed a disappointed laugh.

 

And so, three days passed, and the first day of the field trip arrived.

 

* * *

 

The auditorium was quite noisy due to the students’ commotion.

 

There were students trying to assert their dominance, puffing themselves up, and others subtly putting power into their voices.

 

Lucius stood in a corner with Lennox, quietly observing the scene.

 

It seemed like the students’ expectations for the first event related to the competition were high.

 

Amidst the noise, some students noticed Lennox and started whispering.

 

“Hey, look over there. He’s here too.”

 

“He’s still attending the academy? I thought he would have been kicked out by now.”

 

“If I were him, I would have tried to take a 10-year break at home. How can he show his face here?”

 

“Maybe he misses the feeling of swinging a sword.”

 

Their conversations, despite being quite far away, could still be heard, as if they had no intention of keeping their voices down.

 

Lucius glanced at Lennox briefly. Contrary to his worries, Lennox remained composed, with an indifferent expression.

 

“Is the demon next to him, his partner for this event? Looks like an Epsilon.”

 

“Really pitiful. Hey, wanna bet on how long he’ll last? I bet he’ll make it until the end of this field trip.”

 

Lennox sighed in a low voice.

 

“I feel sorry for no reason. Maybe you should have come separately.”

 

“Weren’t you planning on appealing to me as a partner? Or do you also think I can barely survive the school trip?”

 

Lennox, who laughed for a while, hesitated to answer the mischievous question.

 

“If possible, I hope you can hold out until I hit you with a punch.”

 

Lucius chuckled after hearing Lennox’s answer.

 

Flap. Flap.

 

Just when he thought it was time to start, a palm-sized piece of paper flew from above his head.

 

Lucius snatched one as it was flying in the air and looked around.

 

Students were taking papers one by one.

 

By the way,

 

“It seems like there are fewer papers than there are students. Am I mistaken?”

 

“I’m sure it’s not an illusion. Those who can’t get the scroll will probably fail right here.”

 

“Ho… I haven’t heard anything like this.”

 

This was a fact that was not reported either in the report he received before the semester started or during the semester.

 

Lucius’ eyes quickly scanned the auditorium.

 

Glenn, who was watching the situation from afar, caught a passing glance and began to flinch and fidget.

 

Even Hamel didn’t know, and he was looking at Lucius with a look of disappointment on his face.

 

‘Has the composition suddenly changed?’

 

There is only one demon in the academy who can exercise that level of authority, except for Dean Glenn.

 

‘What are you thinking, Mr. Arnold?’

 

Unfortunately, there was no sign of Arnold here. It seemed like he moved first.

 

Lucius looked at the scroll again.

 

The movement formula was written on the front of the paper, and the coordinates were written on the back.

 

‘Where is this place? According to the coordinates, it seems to be east, so it must be the Hens Zone or Stitt Island.’

 

He asked Lennox for confirmation.

 

“What happens if I fail?”

 

“If you’re curious, would you give it a try?”

 

Lucius smiled again at the playful answer.

 

Lennox smiled, rolled his shoulders, and imbued the scroll with magic.