Sona put her glasses on the table and rubbed her nose. The demon did not want to admit that she did not understand something. Sitri, or Shitori to the academy students, was used to analysing the world around her and understanding it with cold logic. Every action has a reason, every deed has some basis. Everything around her works according to certain rules and laws, including the behaviour of intelligent beings. Even her sister, who behaves like a child. Devil! That was the girl's greatest achievement! To understand why one of the Lords of Hell behaves this way... So childishly! Even if she understood the reason, that doesn't mean that this "magical girl" has the right to embarrass her, especially in front of servants or parents!
Yes, it took a lot of time and probing questions, but since then, Sona has been more tolerant of her sister's antics, especially after some bad news related to politics. And if she managed to do something like that, then understanding the ordinary students of the academy was no problem at all. Especially the new guys, whose goals were mainly related to the fact that this academy had recently been a girls' school. But... Sona put on her glasses and looked at the small stack of papers. Now her habit was faced with what seemed like an insurmountable obstacle.
A newcomer. European, judging by his appearance, but his documents indicate that he has lived most of his life in Japan. His parents are unknown, he grew up in a remote orphanage that closed a couple of years ago. Before entering Kuo, he bought a house nearby and applied here. And that's it! No family tree, no acquaintances or friends! Nothing! And this vacuum surrounding the guy bothered the head of the student council. Usually, people have at least some traces, even if they've been diligently erased, but here — nothing.
But these facts would not have caught Sona's attention. No, not at all. It would have aroused a slight interest, but nothing more. But his behaviour was far more remarkable than his empty history. A smiling blond who tries not to interact with other students, doesn't join any clubs and spends a lot of time in the library. There had been no complaints about him from the teachers this month, only praise for his diligence and curiosity. And that's strange for someone his age. Sytri frowned and pulled the boy's file closer to her. Usually, boys at this age chase girls, suffer from sperm intoxication and their own egos. Sometimes they fight or do very stupid things, but this one? This one behaves like a grown man. He didn't react to insults from others, stoically responding to any barbs. All the while smiling a cold and even contemptuous smile.
This had the desired effect: Castor (a rare name even for Europe) was completely shunned, but at the same time, he became popular among girls as the "Ice Prince." Demon tore her gaze away from her personal file and looked ahead wistfully. Why are people so eager to find an idol and follow them? Or try to exalt him in some way? Rias and Akeno take advantage of this, as does her friend Kiba, but Brinel? He doesn't care. No "seems" or "like." The girl saw the smile, heard the tone of his voice — everything indicated that the guy didn't care.
This is what attracts attention (as does his encyclopaedic manner of speech). If Rias didn't like the fact that she was being ignored when she tried to build bridges, then Sone finds it impressive. A serious and logical guy is a rarity among people. Such a person could be useful among her servants. Except...
"Maybe he knows about the existence of the magical world..." The girl frowned and looked at the folder again. She didn't notice any connections to the otherworldly demon, but there was something about his smile when he talked to Rias... Gremory constantly complained that the guy was always smiling, yet cold and distant, but Sithra noticed something else. A slight hint of... mockery? Yes, it was as if the guy knew something funny, and it amused him.
And, unlike her friend, Sona was going to check this fact not by trying to flirt or play games, but by asking him directly. If Castor was a normal person without magical abilities or a hidden mechanism, she would simply erase this conversation from his memory, but if not, she would offer Brinel to become a demon. And adding the factor of magic or a powerful mechanism... The prospects that opened up before her and before him were vast.
"Sona!" Rias almost flew into the student council office. Her deputy and queen, Tsubaki Shinra, looked at her in surprise but quickly returned to her work. Citri pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. Such behaviour from Princess Greemory no longer shocked anyone, not even the other servants.
"Is something wrong, Rias?" Sona calmly wiped her glasses (which were a scanning artefact) and looked at her friend. She looked angry: her eyebrows were furrowed, and her face was twisted into a dissatisfied grimace. Without anger, but with obvious irritation.
"Castor!
"Is there something else besides him?" Sitri smiled.
"A month! That bastard has been mocking me and Akeno for a month!" The redhead sat down on a chair opposite her and adjusted a strand of hair, tucking it behind her ear.
"And how does he mock you?"
"You know that without me!
Sona smiled a little wider. Since childhood, Rias had been accustomed to getting everything she wanted. Her mother, father, and brother had spoiled her, which had led to her developing a bad habit of throwing tantrums when she didn't get her way. This time, she failed to get the boy's attention or find out anything about him, and now Gremory was complaining to her about it. Sytri wasn't complaining, just stating a fact. Talking didn't help: the Gremory heiress seemed not to hear or not to want to hear. It was... sad. Sona had read too much about what happened to people like that.
"You're probably just imagining things. You saw how he behaves with the others.
"No! I feel like he treats us worse than the others!" Rias said a little louder and pointed towards the door. "If he's neutral towards them, then it feels like he treats us with disgust!"
"Or with humour," Sona added mentally. She had assessed his smile, but couldn't say for sure. Perhaps the guy was just amused by all these attempts.
"I want to strangle him more and more!" Rias hissed and clenched her fists as if she were grabbing someone by the throat. Sitri raised her eyebrows in surprise. The demon, of course, knew that Castor could speak coldly to people, but to drive her friend to this? No, the fair-haired, hot-tempered one, but she never resorted to such words before?"
"And why not?"
"Oh!" Rias said with a malicious smile. "I'll tell you now. I'll tell you everything."
***
"You need to socialise."
"What factor prompted you to make that suggestion?"
Time is a rather strange constant. On the one hand, mages like to claim that it is immutable and fundamental, but on the other hand, Castor personally witnessed how this constant could be changed with practically the snap of a finger. But Brinel learned one thing: when you're busy, time flies faster than a bullet. While the mage was technically doing nothing, the days passed very slowly. But as soon as he had studies, information, and opportunities to seek it, the month flew by in what seemed like an instant.
"Because people are social creatures."
"I am a dragon carrier — a creature that loves solitude. And where did you get such knowledge?" Castor couldn't believe that Ddraig had suddenly become so keen on academic knowledge. He would sooner believe that Yogul was a woman with a sex problem than that this lizard would take up books.
"You won't believe it!" The dragon's sarcasm was almost palpable. "If you listen to a person spouting all kinds of concepts for a month, you'll pick up some yourself!"
"You shouldn't have picked up such things," Castor shook his head, saying it aloud. A bald guy looked at him, but the mage ignored him and kept walking.
"Knowledge should complement a person's character, not transform it, bending it into the most twisted angles.
How many decent, honest, and kind people have been broken and driven mad by information they couldn't master and understand? Brinel himself had seen such people not only during the Dark Dawn, but also while training at the Guild of Arcanum. Such unfortunate souls were quickly taken away by the Inquisition, after which no one ever saw them again. Having crossed certain boundaries, they saw the truth... And were blinded by it. No matter how much they laughed at the boundaries set by other mages, the fact remained: these boundaries were drawn with the blood of thousands of people who were smarter than them.
"I will be forced to banish you if your personality changes because of the knowledge you have gained," Castor thought calmly, without a moment's hesitation.
"Take it easy, partner! You can't even joke around!" Ddraig seemed cheerful, but the mage was in no mood for fun. He did not want a repeat of the Grim Dawn here, especially not because of a mad lizard.
"Student Council President Sona Shitori, you called for me, correct?"
That was exactly where he was going. For some reason, the current head of the student council had summoned him. Because of his behaviour? No, that was impossible. In the eyes of his teachers, he was the perfect student, which was not surprising. Castor was genuinely interested in learning new things and enriching his knowledge. Through education, through the prism of the system, one could obtain input data that could later be used to either confirm or refute facts. Ideally, one should receive higher education in all major and important countries.
"I'm going crazy here! And then your assumptions will become reality! Do you hear me?!"
Perhaps he was called because of his low level of social interaction. Castor cannot argue with that, but it is only part of his plan after graduating from the academy. Friends among the students... That's impossible. Unfortunately, the difference in their worldviews, values, and desires would prevent them from forming the necessary connections. And incorrectly formed connections of this type only lead to pain and rejection for both sides.
"But it's easy for you to communicate through chat rooms."
"Communication at a distance does not involve eye contact."
Or perhaps the demon decided to ask why Castor had been cold towards her kind for a month. Brinel had no intention of denying it: he frankly disliked the interest the creatures of the abyss had in him, and their persistence and inability to understand his hints did not improve the situation. There was also a chance that Sona would try to find out if the mage knew about the magical part of the world. There were too many variables. Improvisation was necessary.
"Thank you for coming, Castor-san," Brinel closed his eyes for a moment. He had barely managed to persuade him to address him informally, but he had not been able to get rid of the "san." Of course, it was part of the culture, but he did not want to immerse himself too deeply in the cultural sea.
"Have a seat.
The mage sat down opposite the student council president, who was frowning as she read some report. The archmage looked around. The office was just an office. Workstations for assistants, a strict layout, piles of papers and various office supplies. In Kaerne, the workplaces of officials are exactly the same, differing only in the materials used for the desks, chairs and walls.
"Sorry for the delay. Some clubs want too much for too little effort," Shitori allowed herself a small smile. Castor smiled more warmly.
"Does this club happen to be called 'Occult'?"
"I'll keep quiet," the girl dismissed him, then looked at him intently, wiping the smile off her face. "First, I want to ask you: do you understand why I called you here?"
"There are too many scattered facts to say for sure," Brinel decided not to mention the conclusions that had come to mind. His curiosity was stronger: the mage wanted to know what this demoness had been able to find out about him.
"Here we go! He's curious about what the demon dug up on him!"
"It's always interesting to learn about methods of gathering information. And also to understand that most of them are fundamentally flawed."
Castor smiled sincerely to himself. Curiosity had ruined many lives... But not his.
***
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