Loki slumped down onto the edge of the training ground, shoulders sagging dramatically.
"…I lost," he muttered, staring at the ground like a defeated hero.
Shizue twitched slightly.
'On purpose though,' she thought.
Chloe and Alice were the first to approach him.
Alice placed a hand gently on Loki's shoulder, her expression sincere.
"I'm sorry, Loki-san."
Chloe nodded firmly.
"Yes. Next time, you'll definitely land at least one hit on Sensei."
Gale stepped closer as well, offering a small smile.
"Yeah. Don't feel bad."
Loki looked up slowly, eyes shimmering as if on the verge of tears.
"You guys…" he said, voice trembling just enough to sell it.
Kirara stared at him from a short distance away, her mouth slightly open.
'Is this really the same demon,' she thought, 'who threatened to flatten all of Falmuth with a meteor…?'
Rain, standing with her arms crossed, gave him a flat look.
"Failure of a demon."
On the other side of the field, Kenya and Ryota had completely ignored Loki and rushed toward Shizue instead.
Kenya was practically glowing.
"Sensei! That was so cool! You were like bam, boom, and Loki-san didn't stand a chance!"
Shizue laughed awkwardly, brushing a hand through her hair.
"I-Is that so?"
Ryota smiled shyly.
"Sensei… you were really cool."
Shizue's expression softened.
Seeing their smiles, genuine and bright, her heart warmed. She returned the smile without realizing it, then slowly turned her gaze toward Loki, who was still surrounded by Chloe, Alice, and Gale.
She walked over.
Loki noticed her approach and quickly stood up, straightening himself.
"Loki-san," Shizue said softly. "Thank you."
He blinked.
"For what?"
"It's been a while," she continued, "since I've seen them this happy."
Loki chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Don't worry about it."
After a brief pause, Shizue spoke again.
"If you don't mind… I could arrange a place for you to stay the night. I don't know if demons sleep, but—"
"Nope," Loki replied quickly. "I actually have to head back to the North now."
Rain shot him a sharp look.
"Or I will seriously kill you."
Loki winced.
"You see? Very dangerous."
Rain narrowed her eyes.
"You're worried about me instead of Guy-sama? Just how does your sense of danger even work?"
Shizue looked surprised.
"Oh, but traveling from here to the North would take quite a while, wouldn't it?"
Loki waved it off.
"Don't worry. I can teleport."
Shizue froze for half a second.
"…Ah," she said, realization hitting her. "You're a Primordial. Of course you can teleport."
Loki smiled.
He turned toward Rain.
"Let's go."
Rain nodded sharply.
"Quickly. I have a bad feeling Guy-sama is already angry."
Kirara suddenly stepped forward.
"Loki-sama."
He turned back.
Kirara bowed deeply.
"Thank you… for everything."
Loki looked at her quietly.
'Her future might be different now, compared to the novel.' he thought. 'Especially with Shizue looking after her.'
He smiled gently.
"Don't mention it."
His gaze drifted past her, to the children.
'There is a way to save these kids,' he thought. 'Having them become hosts for Greater Spirits.'
But he didn't have time to do that for now.
'And besides… that would mean meeting Ramiris.'
His thoughts shifted naturally.
'Small World really is a ridiculous skill.'
To say he hadn't thought about forming a nation would be a lie. Being a king sounded cool. But then reality always caught up.
'I'm not Rimuru, and I'm not as smart as him.' he admitted to himself. 'If I tried to recreate Tempest, it would flop.'
And more importantly
'I want Rimuru's inventions.'
The food. The culture. The absurd quality-of-life upgrades.
Sure, he could figure them out eventually.
But he didn't care enough to.
He wanted good fights. Chaos. Something funny.
Still
'Maybe I don't have to rule alone.'
Co-found Tempest.
Let Rimuru handle the boring stuff.
Or
'Make Rimuru my subordinate.'
A small grin formed on Loki's face at the thought.
Finally, he turned back toward Shizue and then the kids.
"Shizue," he said calmly. "And all you Kids."
They all looked at him.
"I promise," Loki continued, voice firm. "I won't let you die."
Shizue's breath caught.
"I'll find a way," he said. "I will save your lives."
Her heart tightened painfully.
'Indeed…' Shizue thought, 'I really do like Loki-san.'
And in the next instant
Loki and Rain vanished, space folding in on itself as they teleported away.
Kenya turned back toward Shizue, his eyes wide and shining with expectation.
"Sensei," he asked, voice trembling just slightly, "is what Loki-san said true? Can he really save us?"
Alice stepped closer as well, clasping her hands together.
"Yes, Sensei… is it really true?"
Shizue's gaze lingered on the empty space where Loki had vanished moments ago.
A gentle smile slowly formed on her lips.
"Yes," she said softly. "I believe Loki-san can save you all."
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Then
Cheers erupted.
The children laughed, smiled, and celebrated as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted from their hearts. Hope, real, undeniable hope spread through them like wildfire.
Shizue watched them quietly, her chest tightening with emotion.
She then turned to Kirara.
"Loki-san is a good person, isn't he?" Shizue said.
Kirara smiled, nodding.
"My first impression of him was fear," she admitted. "But in less than a day, my entire view of him changed. He's… the complete opposite of what I imagined a demon would be."
Shizue smiled warmly.
"Well then," she said, clasping her hands together, "what would you like to do, Kirara?"
Kirara blinked.
"Huh?"
"I can take you to where I live," Shizue continued. "You could stay there. Or—" she paused, then smiled again, "you could stay here at the Freedom Academy with me. You'd be something like an assistant teacher."
Kirara fell silent.
She looked around at the academy. At the children. At Shizue.
'This place… feels warm,' she thought.
After a moment, she smiled.
"I want to repay you for your kindness," Kirara said. "So… I'll help you here. At the Academy."
Shizue nodded approvingly.
"Alright."
She turned toward the still-celebrating children and clapped her hands.
"Okay, everyone. That's enough. It's time to go back. We have more history to learn."
Groans instantly followed.
"Do we haaave to?" Kenya complained.
Alice nodded in agreement.
"Can't we do it tomorrow?"
Shizue crossed her arms.
"No. Education is important. Now come on, let's go."
The kids sighed dramatically but obeyed, slowly heading back toward the school building.
---
Elsewhere — The Frozen North
Space warped.
In an instant, Loki and Rain appeared inside Guy's frozen castle, the air frigid and heavy with ancient power.
Loki stretched his arms and shouted cheerfully,
"We're back!"
Before Rain could even react
WHAM.
Loki was suddenly tackled forward.
Soft.
Warm.
Very close.
He stiffened as arms wrapped tightly around him, pressing him into something distinctly not frozen.
He felt the close proximity of the women hugging him and he felt the soft breasts.
"…Huh?"
He looked up.
Velzard.
She was smiling brightly, her arms locked around him in a tight embrace.
"Loki," she said happily. "You're back!"
Then, grinning even wider, she added,
"I thought you'd take longer. I just know you were out causing havoc."
Her smile turned sultry as she leaned in slightly.
"So," Velzard said, voice low and playful, "tell me everything about it."
Rain sighed deeply.
'Of course.'
For Velzard, Loki was a breath of fresh air.
She was the Dragon of Deceleration, or know as Fixation, Stagnation, the one tasked by her older brother, Veldanava, to guide the world and ensure its balance. To stop events that would tip the scales too far in any direction.
Her existence was restraint.
Control and stillness.
One of the reasons she had fallen for Guy more than twenty thousand years ago was because he was her opposite. Chaotic. Violent. Exciting.
But the Guy of now…
He wasn't the same.
Velzard's gaze lingered on Loki, eyes glinting with interest.
Loki was different.
He did what he wanted, when he wanted. He didn't care about expectations, rules, or balance.
He was fun.
'If only he were stronger than me,' she thought, her smile deepening.
'Then… I might really fall for him.'
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