Black Solstice-Chapter 6: Solstice Academy [5]

Unnecessary fights? Mysticism study? Demonic abilities??

What the hell were these fantasy-RPG keywords doing in a real school lecture?

Sure, Solstice Academy was strange enough to tolerate cosplay, but this was just weird.

Teacher Kat acted like it was the most normal thing in the world. She drew a big circle on the board and started talking.

"I’m sure you all know this already, but Earth — what we call the Human Domain — and the Demon World, Nifleheim, were separated by St. George during the Catastrophe Era. Because of that, the two races can no longer interact through normal means. The only way to cross over now is through dimensional gaps, weak points called Tunnels. And unless you have a skilled Drifter who has an intricate knowledge of the pathways, you’ll get lost in the gap forever."

She tapped the finished circle like she’d just explained basic arithmetic.

"There isn’t enough information about what fully occurred during the Catastrophe Era, but we know that the Great War of Saints and Demons took place around that time. The First Blight Star, Darth Morbius, was slain by St. George, and the demon race lost more than half of our population, forcing us to retreat into the Demon World. Naturally, surviving near extinction is not an easy feat, and its effects still linger. Even now, we are recovering from the aftermath of that war, which is why we are required to cooperate with humans and coexist peacefully."

"At this academy, you will learn how to coexist with humans while pursuing mysticism studies and developing your demonic abilities. Fortunately, most demons resemble humans and cannot be distinguished when using a proper disguise. However, Lessers must put in more effort to maintain theirs due to their demonic traits. Regardless, this will not be a problem once you learn proper reishi management. This is the foundation of coexistence. Under no circumstances should you reveal your True Form to another student. Is that understood?"

Okay, now I was completely lost.

I didn’t understand what was happening at all!

A clean, synchronized "Yes, Teacher!" echoed through the room.

I stared around in disbelief. Everyone looked way too comfortable with everything she just said. Like they were being reminded about cafeteria rules instead of interdimensional war etiquette.

It was like what she had said was common sense.

...Wait, common sense?

Suddenly, a memory resurfaced.

"I suppose you could call this world the home for demons and the like."

Those were the words Seraphis had told me before we went our separate ways. At the time, I assumed she was just messing with me. But deep down, I already knew she was telling the truth.

I had stepped into a place that did not exist on the mobile map.

I had walked into a world where the sky was purple and the land was desolate, swallowed by fog.

There was no network signal, so I could not contact anyone.

And more importantly, there had been that strange girl who sucked my blood the moment we met.

Were all these coincidences?

Perhaps. But ultimately, they were undeniable.

I was really far from home, wasn’t I?

"Hey Teacher! I wonder why we even need to coexist with humans in the first place. Can’t we just slice them up, eat them, and, you know... in the case of beautiful women, m*lest them?"

The words came from an arrogant, handsome fellow clearly playing the part of a delinquent. He even dressed the part, complete with a condescending, smug smirk.

"Ack!"

I subconsciously shrieked.

...Yeah, that was all the confirmation I needed.

I was definitely in a demonic realm.

After all, what kind of person would say something like that out loud? A normal person wouldn’t refer to humans as humans, they’d say people.

Even if you ignored that, his words alone would have earned a warning, or at least some kind of reprimand.

Yet no one said a thing.

If anything, it seemed like they were all thinking the same thing. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Damnit. What kind of place had I ended up in...!?

’Speaking of which, how did Mom and Dad even register me in this academy and pay the fees? Could it be that they’re demons too? Am I a demon as well?’

’No, that doesn’t make any sense. I definitely lived with humans and grew up among them. And my parents are absolutely not demons.’

’I mean, they are way too mediocre and a little too clueless to be demons. If that is the case, then how did I even get accepted into this academy? Was there some kind of mistake, damnit...!?’

While I silently wallowed in my despair, a surprised "Oh!" reached my ears, coming from the teacher whose lips had formed a perfect ’O’ shape.

"What an ignorant thing for you to say. Humans aren’t powerful creatures or helpless lambs that you can slaughter whenever you like and I personally find discriminate slaughter to be distasteful if you get my gist."

Then she shrugged.

"In any case, I suppose you’re not wrong to think that way. It’s in your demonic nature, after all. However, as I mentioned before, humans aren’t completely helpless against demons. There are certain types of humans who form contracts with Gods and wield holy powers to subdue demons. Surely, I don’t need to explain who the Priests are and the haunting threat of existence erasure, do I?"

Just like that, the delinquent’s smug expression vanished, replaced by a grimace as he clicked his tongue and averted his gaze. He must have experienced something unpleasant.

...Wait, did she just say Priests? Like, priests with holy water?

Could this be a situation where one side only had to pray and the other side simply evaporated?

Because if so, then demons definitely got the short end of the stick. More importantly, perhaps the most pressing question had yet to be answered.

I reluctantly raised my hand.

"Teacher, what would happen if, hypothetically, a human managed to find their way here?"

Tilting her head, Ms. Kat seemed to consider the question. After a moment, she replied:

"Hm. That’s a tricky question. Although Priests are generally aware of our existence, ordinary humans do not. You could say our existence is classified information, protected by the Churches. Only Inquisitors can access official records or gain knowledge of our history. In that sense, it’s safe to assume that humans won’t be able to find their way here or identify demons, as long as you’re careful and hide your demonic power."

"Additionally, there’s no need to worry about Priests while you’re in the Mist Domain. According to the Treaty between Humans and Demons, written in Chapter Seven of the Sacred Concord following the conclusion of the Second Great War of Saints and Demons, as long as we, the demons, do not step into the Human Realm, there will be no interference from them. The Church will treat any incidents within our domain as natural occurrences and ignore our presence."

"This law, however, was later amended and adjusted due to high-ranking demons, such as the Vampires, who control significant portions of human business and influence political structures. Because of their involvement, certain human authorities, though still bound by the Church, turn a blind eye to our activities as long as the Treaty is respected. Essentially, some humans profit from our existence and are incentivized to maintain the status quo. That said, the average human wandering into the Mist Domain is still extremely rare, and if they do, the rules of the Treaty still protect both sides from immediate conflict."

With a brief pause, she added:

"In other words, the Mist Domain is our own territory. Humans rarely intrude, and when they do, they are either redirected, lost, or simply erased from the record. Still, you must remain cautious. Any careless demon who chooses to assault ordinary humans or reveal their True Form could provoke a reaction or, worse, attract the attention of a Priest who becomes curious enough to investigate."

Her expression hardened.

"A single Priest with a decent contract can easily eliminate a Lesser or even a small group of them. Those who have forged contracts with Great Gods like Shinso can go toe-to-toe with higher-ranked devils. And no matter how strong you believe yourself to be, if you’re caught by the Holy Power of an Inquisitor or a Vatican handler, then you’re no better than a cockroach awaiting extermination."

A shiver ran through the class. Even the loudmouth delinquent tightened his jaw bitterly.

Meanwhile, I desperately tried not to panic.

Holy powers? Existence erasure?

I wasn’t a demon, so technically I should be safe... right?

But then again, I was sitting in a classroom full of actual demons.

What was the meaning of ’safe’ in that kind of scenario?

It felt like standing in a fireworks factory while holding a lit match.

Sure, the match wouldn’t hurt me, but everything else exploding most definitely would.

The only thing I could do was close my eyes and smile.

’I’m absolutely cooked, aren’t I?’

Creak–!

At that moment, someone gently opened the door and pulled my thoughts back into reality.

However, the person standing at that door was...