Kuoh.
When I reached the medical office, I calmly went inside and sat down on a free bed, which the new nurse noticed and stood up to greet me in an aristocratic manner, as is customary in demon society, but was stopped.
- "We can do without that, Miss Belphegor," I said. "We haven't met in person, but I know about you and the case you were involved in. And I think I can guess why you're here."
She froze for a moment, then sat back down at her workstation.
The academy's new nurse was Roygun Belphegor, a beautiful young woman with pink hair braided into a plait over her shoulder, yellow eyes, and pale skin. She was dressed in a white medical gown, a black miniskirt that showed off her legs, and high-heeled shoes.
And, in theory, she was supposed to appear much later, when Diehauser Belial and Irina's father joined the story during the investigation of the fake Rating Games. And this thing, in addition to its main purpose, was also a powerful political tool. And Roygun herself was not particularly interesting, something on the level of Griselda.
- "Do you disapprove of my actions, Lord Archaman?" Roygun asked in a calm tone, as one would expect from her upbringing and social status.
- "I don't really care," I shrugged. "Since Goetia got involved in this case, I'd like to hear the details."
- "Of course," she nodded. "The faction of the Great King Bael was destroyed, except for its leader, Zekram Bael. And it was he who revealed the truth to His Majesty. King pieces were confiscated and handed over to Lord Beelzebub, as their creator, and those involved were punished."
King piece is, in principle, an interesting thing. It strengthened its owner at least tenfold, which guaranteed the outcome of the rigged Rating Games. In general, Ajuka created only nine such things, after which he realized their danger and stopped production.
And now its original function has been noticed by a monument, which, when ritually touched, elevated the demon to a high rank and allowed it to have its own retinue.
- "Oh?" I smiled. "As I understand it, not everyone was as lucky as you?"
- "Yes. Those who were of no value were destroyed by order of His Majesty. The rest, such as myself and Bedeze, were stripped of their privileges and sent into exile to serve their punishment," replied Roygun. "My current assignment was proposed by Sona Sitri, who, with the support of the Great Ancestor Sitri, was able to obtain approval. And I must say, it's much better than house arrest and complete deprivation of power."
I raised an eyebrow and whistled.
Sona is quite clever, isn't she?
She managed to get her hands on the top two players in the Rating Games and, in fact, gain control over them. If you dig deeper, the current head of the Belphegor house served as the heir, and not the strongest one, of another house. Not a bad drop down the ladder. Speaking of heirs and houses...
- "How did your Great Ancestor react to this?" I asked. "Surely he had something to say about it."
- "The Great Ancestor did not react in any way. When we first met, he simply said that he did not care about the affairs of the house and only appeared because His Majesty had ordered him to. I think nothing else could be expected from someone who embodied the sin of Sloth."
I smiled and thought about it.
Since things had turned out in such a way that certain events began to happen much earlier than expected, why not take advantage of it? Of course, her presence could hardly be called necessary or useful, but still, something could be done.
- "All right, let's finish with this boring topic," I said and, nodding my head, which definitely surprised her, made myself more comfortable. "How do you like it here? Based on your preferences, you find this place extremely pleasant."
She paused for a couple of seconds, as if getting used to the change of topic and my mood, then smiled and laughed softly, covering her mouth with her hand.
- "Oh, definitely," Roygun nodded. "There are so many cute boys here that my eyes are darting around from the variety. And Sona sometimes asks me to train with her entourage, which makes it even better. And you, Lord Archaman? Tell me something about your daily life?"
Yeah. That part was true too, because Roygun preferred men between the ages of seventeen and about twenty-five. And, considering her outfit, she didn't suffer from a lack of attention. Also, Roygun really liked the Rating Games, so she really enjoyed herself here.
- "For the most part, I either slept or teased So-tan," I said. "Speaking of which, would you like to participate in the latter? You see, she seems to have started forgetting that I can be extremely touchy."
- "I'm sorry, but I can't," Roygun shook her head. "I promised her I wouldn't cause any trouble."
- "Then what about your outfit?"
- "It's an occupational hazard," she replied cheerfully.
- "An occupational hazard, huh..." I muttered thoughtfully and grinned. "Then let's do this..."
-0-
Sona, like the rest of the student council, worked with documents and sorted out the academy's affairs. Nothing had changed, and this day was like any other, because she took her work seriously. However, this time, everything was a little different, because there was an oppressive atmosphere in the office due to the presence of one demoness.
Katerea said nothing and did not move, but simply stood by the door, yet everyone present felt her intense gaze on them, as if they were all prisoners and she was the jailer.
There was absolute silence, broken only by the sound of office supplies and paper. No talking, no eye contact. Only work.
Due to these circumstances, Sona was slowly boiling over, because her entourage was under emotional pressure right before her eyes, as the guest's former activities were still fresh in her memory. And she couldn't just chase her away or ask her to leave, because Katerea simply wouldn't listen to her, since the order had come from Romani.
Sona, while working, tried to figure out how to solve the problem, because even her patience had limits. And then, after a while, it seemed to her that she had found a way out of this situation.
- "Lady Leviathan," Sona began, causing her entourage to cautiously look up.
"Alas, I forgot to convey something to Sensei. Would you do me a favor and do it, since we are busy with work at the moment?"
- "So you made a mistake, Sitri, and you want me to fix it for you?" Katerea asked in a frighteningly neutral tone.
Sona clenched her teeth, knowing that this would be the response. After all, Katerea still did not recognize her sister, and since Sona herself was a Sitri, the attitude would be appropriate. And she didn't want to start a fight here at the academy. Not when this place had already become a high-risk center and her reputation had already taken a slight hit.
- "Yes," Sona replied briefly, and Katerea's face showed a momentary look of surprise. "At the moment, I can't take my mind off work, because exams are about to start. And by doing so, I would set a bad example for the academy's staff and students. That's why I have to turn to you, since you can afford to take a short break at the moment."
- "Are you asking me to disobey orders, Sitri?"
- "You are not disobeying the sensei's orders, you are simply combining them with another task. Besides, you will go to him anyway, so I don't see any problem with that," Sona continued. "And the sensei ordered you to teach us a lesson in politeness, which you have definitely done, rather than stay here all the time."
Katerea silently looked at Sona, and the air in the room seemed to become several times heavier. However, then, at some point, all of this disappeared, as if the last half hour had never existed. Katerea smiled, surprising not only Sona, but also her entourage.
- "And you show much more potential than your sister, Sona Citri," said Katerea, which surprised Sona so much that the glasses on her nose shifted and almost fell to the floor. "Undoubtedly, this is thanks to my king, but now I am even ready to support you in your endeavors. If I'm not mistaken, it's the construction of a school, isn't it? For reborn demons, I believe?"
Hearing this, Sona didn't know what to say. She just stared at Katerea, whose expression had already returned to a professionally neutral one, and couldn't believe what her former enemy had said.
Not only because this person was willing to support her, but also because she knew about Sona's goals. And when the latter was about to express her gratitude, as was customary in society and common etiquette, Katerea's gaze suddenly changed.
- "Time's up."
- "What do you mean?"
- "I have fulfilled my order and am returning to my king," she said. "My king has also asked you to look out the window."
Not understanding anything, Sona did as Katerea said, and then instantly froze, as if she had seen the Evil Dragon in the academy courtyard.
- "President?" asked Tsubaki, and, receiving no answer, also looked out the window, where she saw...
- "Only today!" Romani's loud voice rang out. "Only today, the academy's administration has decided to hold a Day of Romance! Dates! Hugs! Kisses! Even that, if, of course, both parties agree! Just don't forget to choose a suitable place!"
Romani and Roygun stood on a peculiar stage right in the middle of the academy courtyard, where the former held a loudspeaker in his hand and clearly enjoyed what was happening. And, of course, everything was decorated with shades of pink, rhinestones, flowers, and, most importantly, magical girls, including Serafall.
With every word she heard, Sona became so enraged that her magic began to manifest around her body, and the water in all the pipes began to bubble with frenzied force.
- "And that is why we, Roygan-san and I, will be happy to consult with anyone who doesn't know what to do! Feel free to tell us your most secret fantasies, and we, as professionals, will treat them with the utmost seriousness!"
It became physically difficult to breathe in the student council office as Sona glared at Romani, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth.
- "What about the student council?!" shouted the bald student from the window.
- "Their word is meaningless, my young friend! The student council is not the academy's leadership!" replied Romani. "Now, get started! And remember, what happens in a closed office stays in a closed office!"
And as soon as the last word left the loudspeaker, Sona, like a furious dragon, jumped right out of the window, gathering all the water in the area and preparing to use it on the culprit of this celebration. In the student council office, Katerea smiled again as chaos broke out around her.
- "She really does have great potential, doesn't she?"
-0-
A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
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