Chapter 133

Until now, my communication with Dominic had rarely, if ever, been interrupted. I looked around and found the holy sword that Dominic had left behind just in case. Holding the sword tightly, I thought to myself, Could Dominic be in danger?

Should I get my allies, including Isaac, and head for the Imperial Palace? I said softly, holding the small wooden bird Isaac had given me, "It's suspicious."

"What? What's suspicious, human?" A sudden voice made my heart pound. I widened my eyes and looked at the table where the sound came from. A small figure with a blunt face was looking at me with a mischievous grin. "You're surprised!"

The one on the table was the Winter Moon Demon.

"How on earth did you get out?" I demanded.

"Strangely, the seal keeps breaking lately. Ha! Is my demonic heart finally being revealed to the world?"

The seal keeps breaking? Why would the communication with Dominic be released and the demon's seal be released? I looked at the demon and asked seriously, "Is something wrong with Dominic right now?"

The Winter Moon Demon shook his head, holding the holy sword lying beside me. "No, focus on my words, human! Nothing could happen to a monster like Dominic. It's obviously because my body is so handsome that it can't withstand the sealing magic."

In truth, the little demon wasn't handsome at all; he was just very, very cute. I was distracted for a moment, and I grabbed his small body again. "No, I can't communicate with Dominic right now!"

"You can't communicate?"

"Yes!"

The demon tilted his head at my voice. It was clear that he didn't know the details either. "Well, it could be an error. Try again."

I coughed and opened my mouth at the demon's command. Dominic, can you hear me?

Fortunately, Dominic's voice came to my ears as if nothing had happened. "I was trying to get closer to the Pope's villa, but I couldn't."

A sense of stability came over me as Dominic's voice returned. I looked at the demon in front of me and sent a message to Dominic again. I'll come back now.

Yes, come quickly. I think I can guess what's going on...

I looked at the Winter Moon Demon. I was going to get his help for a short time before Dominic arrived. The demon, catching my gaze, raised his chin arrogantly and puffed out his chest. "I heard you developed some kind of strange jelly. Give one to me."

"I'll give you jelly. I'll give it to you," I said with a creepy smile, like an unscrupulous employer, as I stroked the Winter Moon Demon's horns. "I want you to help me with something in return."

Until the day I went to the Academy, the Pope remained quiet. Dominic, who was constantly monitoring him, said so himself, so he couldn't be wrong. Because I have a lot more prepared than that.

I remembered the sword I had hidden in my bag and entered the academy classroom. I made my way to the front of the podium. My eyes went white from nervousness, but as I took a deep breath, I felt a little better.

"Hello." The Emperor and Empress sat in the audience at the far end of the lecture hall. Around them sat the Academy's faculty, several lecturers, the president of the Academy, and the Marquis of Padel. More than fifty pairs of eyes looked at me at once, a mixture of envy, curiosity, kindness, and jealousy. But everyone is here to listen to my special lecture. The thought of everyone having gathered to attend my class made me feel warm.

"It's a pleasure to meet everyone. My name is Meldenik Kinnoa, and I will be teaching today's class." I bowed my head. "Thank you for your support to all the parents and guests who have gathered here."

I saw the rector sitting next to the Emperor take out a handkerchief and wipe his forehead with a flustered expression. "I'm constantly looking at vanities... His Majesty... at an observation class."

"Seriously. Isn't it interesting?" the Emperor said.

The Emperor was in a position where he had to act with political thoroughness. However, it seemed that he wanted to treat me as a parent who had come to observe his son's class for at least one day. Noticing his sincerity, I quietly opened my mouth.

"Let's begin the class. The president said that I don't have to impart any particular knowledge." At that, the children, who were huddled together at the desks in front of the podium, sighed. Everyone's eyes were shining.

Before I could say what I had prepared, the class president of the academy raised his hand and asked, "Then what will you do in class today?"

"Well... it's a hands-on learning experience, so to speak." I took a deep breath and held out a hand in front of me. Even so, the children pouted, curious.

"It must be something amazing!"

"You said Meldenik is a great magician."

"Psh. Alchemist."

Axion, who was sitting in the front row where he could best see me, propped his chin on his desk and shrugged. "Everyone is smart. Yes, Mel is amazing!"

It felt both good and burdensome. I made myself smaller and looked down at the two thumb-sized demons sitting in my palms. The reason no one was surprised by the presence of the two demons was simple: they had used magic to hide their appearance.

"No one can even see my wonderful appearance..." the Winter Moon Demon muttered in a discouraged tone.

I pretended not to notice his despair and whispered to the children. "Now, shall we begin?"

The Winter Moon Demon, wearing an apron made of handkerchiefs and holding a mysterious magic potion that looked like glittering grass in both hands, clenched his fists. "First, let me show you a beautiful night view." The Winter Moon Demon, whom only I could see, raised his hands. "Look closely, humans. The great power of our demons!"

I smiled inwardly as I watched the demon raise his hands in worship. The weather was calm, but the ceiling of the classroom turned black for a moment. People who saw the darkened ceiling began to tremble, and at the same time, twinkling stars appeared one by one.

What the Spring and Winter Demons prepared was a beautiful night sky. I got the idea from glow-in-the-dark stickers. Even in the darkness, the stars shone brightly. It was a beautiful and brilliant light that represented the dreams of everyone there.

Discovering the strange sky, the children jumped up and reached out to touch the stars. There were no adults to restrain them. Everyone just looked around with a curious gaze.

"Come to think of it, I don't know how long it's been since I've seen the night sky."

"That's right..."

I was filled with pride as I listened to the appreciative voices of the adults. These days, people are so busy they can't see the sky well. So, even if it was artificial, I thought that giving them a chance to look at an open night sky would make everyone feel something new. And I was right. People's eyes were fixed on the ceiling as if they were captivated.

But it didn't end there. I winked at the demons that had risen from my palm. They were eagerly creating stars as if they were shooting cannons into the sky. The Winter Demon and the Spring Demon, whose attitudes had changed like enthusiastic part-time workers, shouted vigorously, "Now let's start the next step!"

"Let's move on to the next step!"

The Spring Demon with the glittering red hair swayed and muttered something, and the twinkling stars naturally began to fall into people's hands one by one. The Winter Moon Demon used his specialty, ice, to make cool snow fall that disappeared without leaving any water.

"It's really romantic..." Mrs. Hayne whispered in an emotional voice.

Even in the dark room, everyone who received the twinkling stars was staring at me. I said with a playful smile, "I picked the stars from the night sky. What do you think?" When I trailed off, the audience naturally tilted their heads.

The children reacted first. After receiving the star, the children who were observing them shouted in surprise.

"Wow, this is amazing!"

"What is it?"

"It's not a star, it's a yellow, star-shaped snack!"

People began to buzz with excitement. At that moment, I snapped my fingers. At my command, the demons moved in unison. After the dark view opened up again, clouds created by the Winter Moon Demon began to float on the ceiling. His snow was still falling, but not enough to obstruct our vision.

I looked at the people and said calmly but with a strong voice, "Now, split the sweets in half."

"Yes! I'll do it!"

"This one too, Carrat!"

Axion, the most excited of all, shook his body, raised his hand, and smashed the sweets with a bang. The Emperor and his entourage looked at each other, perhaps thinking he needed to be disciplined. But Axion was smiling widely.

"Carrat, look at this!"

"It's so amazing!"

"It says, 'You are a boy of great courage!'"

"Mine says, 'You are the best genius mage!'"

Following the two little ones, who hummed with excitement, the other children also began to break open their sweets. The demons stood on the podium, proudly stroking my head.

I got the ideas for this from praise stickers and fortune cookies. I decided to give compliments that suited each person's personality. After that, I asked Axion, Mirisa, Carrat, and the president of the academy to analyze the tendencies of the visitors in advance, and then carefully wrote the notes line by line. I really struggled, but I'm proud to see that everyone likes it.

As I looked at the people happily checking their compliment notes, my eyes were drawn to one person. I looked down at Mirisa as she unfolded the note inside her star-shaped sweet. The girl stood still, staring at the note. You are a wonderful apostle of justice! Your actions will be a beacon that will shine in the world. I had written the note myself. Mirisa, who knew my handwriting well, pressed the corners of her eyes. Is she going to cry?

I fidgeted and looked at the desk where Mirisa was sitting. Mirisa, who sensed my gaze, raised her head and looked at me. Then, her eyes red, she whispered softly, "Thank you, sister."