"Demonic energy…" Baran muttered aloud.
Tristan stared at him with a confused expression. Why was he suddenly talking about demonic energy?
Baran's eyes stayed cold yet curious as he gazed at Tristan.
"Your name?" he asked in a frosty tone.
"T-Tristan. Tristan Fort," Tristan replied.
After hearing his name, Baran nodded slightly.
"Tristan, you're a demonic energy user," he declared flatly.
Tristan looked back at him in shock. Humans could use demonic energy, sure, but only after making a contract with a demon — and he had certainly never done that.
"A-are you sure? Sonnenaufgang, I… I have no energy at all," Tristan protested.
"You're French, aren't you?" Baran asked, ignoring his objection.
"…Yes?"
"Are you a Sentiment Bearer or an Emotion Weaver?"
"…Emotion Weaver."
"Interesting."
Baran's interest in Tristan grew. He was sure now — the boy's hair and eyes were that deep red only born from demonic energy. But what really intrigued him was that Tristan, despite being an Emotion Weaver — a rare minority among the French — hadn't awakened his energy yet.
"Tristan, you know about the purity ranks of energy, right?" Baran asked.
"Y-yes. There are five ranks: First is Stream, then Vein, then Core, then Source, and finally Radiance," Tristan recited.
Baran's face showed approval.
"Right. Most people are born at the Stream rank. Those born at the Vein rank are called prodigies. And those born at the Core rank… are called Saints, Saintesses, or Corrupteds — and their hair usually matches the color of their energy, doesn't it?"
Tristan still didn't quite follow where Baran was going with this. Yes, people born at the Core rank had hair and energy of the same color…
"Wait — you're saying I'm like them?!" he burst out.
"Yes, you idiot. Why did it take you so long to get that?" Baran snapped.
"And you have natural demonic energy, Tristan. The only problem is… there's too little of it to use," he added.
"What do you mean, why is there so little of it?" Tristan asked, confused — he had always assumed he just didn't have any energy at all.
"Have you ever truly desired anything?" Baran asked, cutting to the point.
"N-no… Someone like me doesn't deserve to desire anything…" Tristan muttered, his voice brittle and defeated.
Slap!
Tristan staggered to the ground from Baran's sudden slap, completely bewildered. The air around Baran turned heavy.
"You… really are an idiot," Baran growled in frustration.
"…Huh?" Tristan blinked up at him in shock.
Baran took a breath and pulled back his intent.
"Tell me, Tristan. How is demonic energy produced?" he asked, forcing a smile.
"You… make a contract with a demon, offering your desires in exchange for demonic energy," Tristan explained automatically — and just then, realization dawned on him."…I get it!" he exclaimed.
"Good, beetroot-head," Baran said, his smile now genuine.
"Thank you, Sonnenaufgang," Tristan murmured and lowered his head respectfully.
Seeing that, Baran felt some of his own exhaustion from the day fade away.
"If you really want to thank me, go fetch two practice swords," he ordered.
Tristan obeyed without a word and quickly returned with two wooden swords.
Baran handed him one and took his stance. Tristan, though a bit hesitant, mirrored him.
"Now that you know your energy, and even that you're at the Core rank, why don't you show me what you've got?" Baran teased, hoping to rile him up and push him into manifesting more of his energy.
"O-okay! I won't disappoint you, Sonnenaufgang!" Tristan said, his voice tinged with excitement.
"Baran," Baran corrected, finally giving his name.
After that, the two clashed with their swords for hours.
Each time Tristan swung, he wished — he longed — to defeat Baran. And with that growing desire, his body began to produce demonic energy.
Baran, analyzing his technique as they sparred, thought to himself:
So this is the Fort family's five-star sword art…
Both of them lost track of time, and before long, dark red demonic energy began to spill from Tristan's body.
As soon as Baran noticed, he stepped back.
"Good. Now you know how to produce your energy," he said, satisfaction clear in his voice.
"Thanks, Baran… Without you, I never would've figured it out," Tristan replied, full of gratitude.
"If you're that grateful, then find me tomorrow at school. And if anyone bothers you, just say my name. Oh — and my first class is Energy in Animals," Baran added. He was clearly spent after the sparring session.
Tristan blinked at him in surprise. Why did Baran want him around?
Noticing his confusion, Baran smirked.
"If you're wondering why, it's simple. First, there are things I want to test on you. And second… I don't like anyone else touching my toy," he said.
Tristan's eyes widened as he finally understood — and felt even more gratitude.
As they left the arena, Baran threw one last piece of advice over his shoulder.
"Before you sleep tonight, you'd better train your demonic energy by… masturbating."
Tristan jumped back in shock.
"W-what…? F-fine, if you say so…" he stammered. As much as he wanted to refuse, it actually made sense — sexual desire was one of the strongest desires.
"…Any suggestions about who to think of?" Tristan asked sheepishly.
Baran gave him a strange look, then answered:
"Arabella Bellini. She's definitely an easy girl to desire."
With that odd exchange, the two of them walked out of the arena — unaware that a pair of eyes was watching them.
A beautiful girl with beige hair and blue eyes stood nearby, next to a tall and handsome young man.
They were none other than the Student Council President and Vice President of Zukunft Arcanum Academy.
"Quite an interesting one, isn't he, Vice President?" the President said with a smile."He didn't use a single drop of energy. This year's Sonnenaufgang is going to be… entertaining."
The Vice President simply nodded in agreement.