Education as a Demon

"Lady Platifia! Lord Zilvagias is refusing to study at all!"

I had been ratted out.

So here I am, sitting on a tiny bone chair in front of my demon mother, arms crossed, as I prepare for my inevitable scolding.

Turns out, when you spend too much time exploring instead of studying, you eventually get into serious trouble.

This chair I'm sitting on? It's called the "Seat of Reflection," designed specifically to be as uncomfortable as possible—it's even painful to sit on. It's used to discipline children and reprimand subordinates.

It's a tiny chair, just the right size for someone my age. But for a full-grown adult (especially a prideful demon), being forced to sit on this thing would be the ultimate humiliation.

So yeah, this is basically pure harassment.

"Zilvagias," my mother said, snapping her fan shut.

"...Yes, Mother," I replied.

I still find it hard to call this demon "mother." I only have one real mother, after all.

Her cold, cruel blue eyes, which could never be mistaken for a mother's warm gaze, locked onto me.

This is my mother, Platifia.

Her nickname is "Plati," which is oddly cute considering her icy demeanor. But apparently, only higher-ranking family members and the Demon Lord himself are allowed to call her that.

Does that mean the Demon Lord actually calls her "Plati"? Do they really whisper sweet things to each other? I can't imagine it. I think she just says that to seem closer to him than she actually is.

"I know you want to grow stronger. That's a good thing," Platifia began, ignoring my inner thoughts.

"You hate studying, and that's fine. No one expects you to become a scholar..."

She leaned forward, peering at me intensely.

"But you will become the Demon Lord, Zilvagias."

Her eyes clouded with dark, obsessive emotions.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavier. Platifia has been saying these words to me for as long as I can remember—even when I was just a baby, as if trying to drill it into my mind.

...

She stared at me, clearly waiting for a reaction.

But no matter how many times she says it, I don't want to become the Demon Lord—I want to kill the Demon Lord. Staring at me like that won't change anything.

I remained silent, making a moody, sullen face. Eventually, Platifia sighed and leaned back into her sofa, clearly exasperated.

"Honestly... My own child is as stubborn as I am, don't you think, Sophia?"

"Yes, my Lady. In more ways than one," Sophia nodded, sounding just as tired.

"Zilvagias, do you really hate studying that much?"

"I hate it."

There wasn't any hesitation in my answer.

"...I see. Well, I hated studying when I was your age too, so I understand how you feel."

Platifia rubbed her temples, looking like a mother frustrated with a rebellious child.

"But the truth is, if you can't even read or write, you'll be in serious trouble later. Even if you don't want to become the Demon Lord, how will you manage when you can't even read your subordinates' reports? And, more importantly, you'll be mocked. Oh, the things the other princes' mothers would say..."

Her beautiful face twisted with hatred.

"First Prince Iogias mastered reading, writing, and arithmetic by the time he was three years old. His mother never shuts up about it. If you don't learn faster than him, I'll be humiliated...!"

As she spoke, Platifia's mood worsened, and she made a face I wouldn't wish anyone to see. Her grip tightened around her fan until—crack—it snapped in her hands.

So it's a competition between the mothers, huh? No wonder she's getting so worked up.

That's when I realized something.

I know how to read, write, and do basic math.

But they think I'm completely illiterate and can't count past ten.

...No wonder they're so concerned.

I used to think studying was a waste of time, but now that I've explored most of the areas in the castle that I can access, it might be a good idea to at least pretend to study. It would keep them off my back.

But if I suddenly became eager to study after complaining so much, it would look suspicious. How should I handle this...

As I was thinking, Platifia suddenly perked up.

"Oh! I've got a great idea," she said, hitting the armrest of the sofa.

"Sophia."

"Yes, my Lady?"

"I give you permission to use force if Zilvagias refuses to study."

Sophia's eyes lit up, and she practically leapt with joy.

"Yay! So if he mouths off again, I get to punch him in the face, right?!"

I did a double-take at Sophia. Has she been secretly furious with me this whole time? I knew I was a brat, but... really?!

"Hmm... let me think..."

Platifia pondered, and I couldn't believe she was even considering this. Shouldn't the answer be an immediate no? What's there to think about?

I mean, I'm a prince, right? It can't be okay for my servant to punch me in the face!

"No, that's still not allowed."

"Still...?"

"Any injuries requiring medical attention are out of the question. He's too young to understand the pain of the battlefield, and I don't want him to become weak from fear of pain."

"So what's allowed?"

"A few bruises are fine."

"Yay!"

Sophia threw her arms up in triumph.

Her grin, baring sharp fangs, was the perfect picture of a demon.

"But just beating him up wouldn't serve any purpose. We need rules for this. If he's too injured to study, it's counterproductive."

Platifia attempted to open her fan, only to remember she had broken it. A night elf maid quickly stepped forward to hand her a replacement.

"Zilvagias, if you hate studying that much, then you'll have to fight Sophia," Platifia declared with a haughty smile behind her fan.

"If you can land even one hit on her during a hand-to-hand fight, you win. You'll be free to do as you wish for the rest of the day. But if she throws you to the ground five times, you lose, and you'll have to study for an hour. If you still don't want to study after that, you can challenge her again."

...Wait, with those conditions, this seems...

"Isn't that a bit unfair for Lady Sophia?"

"Oh, I'm only taking your abilities into account," Platifia said with a knowing smirk.

Even though I look like a five-year-old human, I guess they think I need this much of a handicap. Sophia may be small, but she's still an adult.

"Zilvagias, we demons believe that 'strength is everything.' If you want to do whatever you please, then fight for it," Platifia added.

Her words dripped with the arrogance typical of demons.

"This experience will only make you stronger... Sophia, has today's lesson begun?"

"Not yet, my Lady!"

Sophia flashed a bright, terrifying smile.

"...Wait, can Sophia even fight?" I asked, genuinely curious. I knew better than to judge demons by their appearance, but Sophia didn't exactly look like a warrior. Compared to the demons I fought in my hero days, she didn't seem like the combat type.

"Oh, young master, I'm a demon of knowledge. But do you know what I learned first from my fellow demons?"

Sophia smiled sweetly.

"I studied everything from hand-to-hand combat to spear techniques, and I can reproduce them all perfectly!"

Her sweet smile became feral and vicious.

"So rest assured, young master, I'm more than capable of 'educating' you."

Haha, she's really full of herself, isn't she?

A mere mid-level demon dares to talk to me like this...

"Well then, young master. Will you study today?"

To be honest, after realizing the misunderstanding earlier, I was thinking I might as well go along with the studying to avoid trouble.

But no demon would back down in a situation like this.

"No."

I stood up, meeting her challenge head-on.

"Very well," Sophia said, her excitement barely contained.

"It's time for your 'lesson,' young master."

Her black-and-red butler's uniform swirled as she moved.

Without hesitation, Sophia's fist came flying straight at me.