Backing away, I pulled out my old iron sword and slowly lifted the letter with the tip of the blade.
Do I open it...or just throw it!?
Well...the room already smells disgusting, not like I have anything else to lose.
Grabbing the letter, which had no scent, I slowly opened the envelope, feeling a rectangular bulge inside.
It's not paper?
Then, I saw it.
It wasn't even out of the envelope, but the symbol and familiar material were all I needed to recognize it.
Scrambling rapidly, I ripped open the envelope, revealing the telephone inside.
The slight cracks, the bent phone case, and even a small drink stain were all there.
It was my old phone.
My thumb instinctively jumped forward, holding the power button as I stared at my reflection on the black screen.
But...nothing happened
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes passed.
Finally, after fifteen, I released my thumb, which was a bright cherry-red, from the power-on button and collapsed on the ground.
Was this some kind of torture method?
My phone was brought to this world, but it wouldn't even turn on!?
Carefully placing the phone on my desk, I sighed and glanced at the ripped letter on the ground, making out some writing at the front of it.
"31313 New Bark Lane, San Starcrest."
The address from which the letter had been sent.
It seemed I had to check out Athen's parents to find out how they had gotten this phone.
Interestingly enough, they lived in the city I had based on the place I most wanted to visit back on Earth.
Unfortunately, my visit would have to wait.
After all, in only two weeks, the first incident would take place.
Unfortunately, my teenage self had gone overboard while creating it, trying to maintain reader retention with a massive and terrifying event.
A bitter smile on my face, I hopped back through the painting, thankfully leaving the disgusting stench in my room.
...
...
...
Just like that, a week had passed.
The first few days consisted of simple practice, where I went to the training hall and practiced the movements of the white-robed man.
Behind me, I could hear some students snickering as they pointed at me and muttered.
"Look, the dancer!"
"Hey, put on a show for us, dancer!"
"What are you even trying to do? Just use your weapon like everyone else?"
"Seriously, is he trying to make a fool of himself?"
As expected, the initially positive connotations around me had turned negative.
With practical exams and actual homework now on the horizon, people needed someone to vent their frustrations on.
Suddenly, almost knocking me off my chair, I heard a slight whisper echo from my right.
"I-i thought your d-dance was graceful..!"
I really wanted to ignore her, but having seen her tremble and sweat for the past five minutes while trying to gather the confidence to even speak, I sighed and nodded my head.
*BANG*
Sitting down in my usual seat, in the left section of the first row, I covered my mouth while yawning and gazed at the whiteboard.
This was our first academic class, so my classmates' motivation to study was at its peak, everyone having pencils and notebooks in hand.
[The Demon Times History 101 - Dr. King.]
Before the whiteboard stood a stern-faced teacher, dressed in an amber-brown suit and wearing a pair of round glasses.
Just like a classmate of mine, he was a genius, having published countless smaller works on historical artifacts and being approved by a board of directors.
He briefly glanced at Serena before shifting his attention toward us.
Clasping together his hands, in an instant silencing all the hushed whispers in the room, Dr. King started.
"Let's get started."
"As you all know, demons weren't always in this world. At first, it was just the four main races: humans, elves, dwarves, and dragons."
Blankly scribbling on the lined paper before me, I dryly coughed and tilted my head.
It was weird hearing someone talk so seriously about the things I had written about on some late-night session, fueled by an energy drink and a bag of fast food.
I mean, half of this was bullshit, fueled by my wild imagination.
Would they all be disappointed if they learned all of this was made by some immature twenty-year-old with a writing dream?
"Approximately two hundred years ago, the demons mysteriously descended onto Earth and exterminated the dragon-race, taking their place on this world."
...oh yeah, I thought of that while playing a mobile game on the toilet!
It was incredibly hard for me to keep a straight face while paying attention.
Perhaps that was why when Doctor King finally turned around from the whiteboard to face us, his gaze instantly landed on me.
He was a B-rank hero, after all; there was no way he wouldn't notice my wrinkled expression as I tried my best not to laugh.
"You. Tell me why the demon could so easily defeat the dragons."
Nodding my head, I seriously thought for a moment before answering.
"The dragons were ignorant. They believed the demons not to be a threat, but when faced with demonic mana, their bodies fell apart. While demons secretly contaminated their water and cattle, they focused on waging war with the dwarves over artifacts and battle armor.
"Unlike humans and elves who immediatly noticed the presence of demonic mana, they failed to accept the fact that demons could have snuck into their territory."
"Even when their bodies were contaminated, they continued fighting instead of focusing resources on curing themselves."
"The dragons were targeted by the initial demons who landed on Earth for one reason: their ignorance and uncontrollable pride."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Doctor King simply clapped once and turned around, beginning to write on the whiteboard what I had just described in more formal terms.
"Perfect answer. I see we have, at least, one person intelligent enough to study our history instead of mindlessly focusing on training."