The Demon Lord Is An Angel-Chapter 510: A Rival And A Friend

Arc decided to stay in the classroom for her break. Her particular choice of seating put her next to the window, so she stared out of it at the city, watching the trains and buses, until a tap on the elbow drew her attention.

"You!" It was the black-haired human girl from the front of the room, the one who’d groaned. "Did I hear correctly that your family name is Gale?"

Arc’s guard went up. She’d wanted to avoid situations where her family name came into play, but it wasn’t like she could deny it. "Yeah," she said.

"As in House of Stars, Gale?" she continued, her voice peaking with excitement.

"Yes..." Arc replied, lowering her voice, only to suddenly find a finger pointing between her eyes.

"That means we’re rivals!" the girl declared.

"Huh? I don’t even know you!" Arc almost stammered. She didn’t want a rival, and besides, "I’m not even all that strong!"

"Nonsense! I’m Raven Black. You’re from the House of Stars, so of course you’re strong. Especially because you’re the metatron’s kid. You are, right?"

"I’m not strong, okay?! I’m just a maven, no matter who my dad is!" Arc raised her voice, drawing the attention of everyone else who’d stayed in the room. Everyone knew her father and sister were metatron. Supposedly, she was too, looking quite demonic despite being three-quarters angel - the virtual opposite of her sister - but aside from her higher-than-normal mana reserves, she was practically mundane, almost worse than mundane, given how long it took her to charge a simple magical device. Her magical throughput barely let her move dust around. "Just leave me alone!"

"I see... then I guess I have no choice." Raven stomped her foot up on the seat in front of Arc and pointed again. "I’ll just have to make you strong!"

"Raven, sit down!" Professor Black called out from the front of the room, muttering to himself as the prospects filed in, the clock above the door indicating the time for break was over.

"Nice meeting you!" Raven said enthusiastically before resuming her seat.

What a weirdo...

The next test was far more mathematical in nature. There were harder equations than the first, and she also had to assess charts and graphs, geometric figures, and story-type questions. Math was not her strong suit, but Arc was competent with algebra, and none of the questions exceeded that level of difficulty.

She finished rather quickly, raising her hand and having her paper whisked away on a drop of blood by Professor Black. Having the extra time, however, gave her time to worry over the practical exam.

They’re going to find out I’m useless... What do I do if I don’t get in? The only magic Arc had access to in any amount was enhancement magic, but everyone had access to bodily enhancement, and she didn’t want to wind up in construction or factory work. The very thought of being stuck in menial labor, her dreams forever outside her reach, made her sick to her stomach. She could only imagine the disappointment her parents would feel... the pitying looks of her siblings...

The closer she got to the practical exam, the sicker she felt. The more the faces of her loved ones swirled in her imagination, becoming as silent and distant as her Father...

"Excuse me..." a light voice asked, and Arc snapped out of her thoughts to find a pangolkin girl staring up at her. She’d been sitting next to Arc the whole time, but Arc had barely noticed. "We’re on break now," the girl said, her scales scratching slightly as she tilted her head. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I’m fine..." Arc said, feeling anything but alright.

"I’m Snow," the diminutive girl held out her hand, and Arc noticed her claws, like her scales, were almost pure white, with hints of pink and blue towards the roots. Perhaps some form of albinism? Arc noticed Snow’s eyes were a dark purple, almost black, but with little flecks of red.

"Arc..."

"Nice to meet you, Arc. Want to grab some fresh air?"

Arc was about to refuse when she remembered the girl hadn’t been around for Raven’s declaration of rivalry. The look in her eyes seemed completely ignorant of Arc’s origins.

"Sure," Arc smiled weakly, following the pangolkin out.

"I’m terribly excited about starting here. What secondary did you go to?"

"Secondary?"

"School, I mean."

"Oh... uh, I was homeschooled..." Arc admitted, half-absently, as she saw Raven staring at her.

"Homeschooled! I’m so jealous," Snow continued without noticing Arc’s gaze. "Which ward are you from?"

Arc flinched. If she said she lived outside the city, it might be a dead giveaway. The factory town had been dismantled when she was five, leaving just the House of Stars and a few forestry lodges - druids, basically - living close to the Veil.

"Around the, um, Eighth Ward..." Arc said evasively. For some reason, she felt the urge to have Snow like her, even if that meant hiding her origins.

"Are you good at magic? I want to be a druid like my Gram, but I’m not all that talented except for plants. Oh, but I can grow coffee in no time flat!"

"I’m not all that good... I mean, I guess I can enhance myself..." But not enough to fly... Arc shifted her wings uncomfortably in their storage. If not for the ridiculously expensive degree of efficiency her Auntie Mosh had put into the spell circle tattoo, she wouldn’t be able to sustain a dimensional storage at all.

"But what do you want to do?" Snow continued. The entire time she’d walked next to Arc, she’d been crouched a bit forward, her body and tail balancing her.

"I want to be a Dragon Knight," Arc admitted.

"You mean like Aiden and Johan?" Snow’s face lit up. "Did you see them at the last Dragon Games?"

"Of course! They totally should have won the duo’s match. Having to fight Cryros in the rain was just unfair." For the first time since coming to the Academy, Arc found herself smiling. The Dragon Knights she referred to were young, a couple, and the very image of romantically complementary opposites. Their discussion turned quickly to what they liked about their shared favorites. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Snow was "Team Johan," liking the fiery brashness of the dark-haired half-human, but Arc liked Aiden because the elven Knight was cool and confident... and his name also started with ’A’. They talked about watching them on illusion casters until the break ended, and Professor Black summoned them back to the classroom.

None of them would find out the results of their entrance exams until after they were done, but of course, the next test was...

"The practical exam will take place on the training fields," Professor Black announced. "Everyone follow me, and try not to get lost. This is the most important test."

Arc followed numbly as she felt her stomach twist with butterflies.

She barely noticed Snow continuing to talk about Johan in ways that kind of reminded her of her Dad, given they both used greatswords. Arc’s preferred weapon was her fists, since that was the only way she could put magic into her attacks, through her body. Some of her fondest memories were of learning martial arts from her Father and her Dad. The feeling of growing stronger. The snap of wood before her fists.

Other than that, she was actually the best shot in her family with firearms of a non-magical variety, using gunpowder instead of caster bullets. Her Father taught her to use such weapons when she seemed old enough to handle the responsibility, and even though he made her clean her rifle and pistol for hours after, she remembered the lessons vividly...

Because they were the last lessons she’d learned from him before the incident.

She shook the memories out as she arrived at the measurement table. Off in the field, those ahead of her group were casting spells, shooting targets, demonstrating illusions, and all sorts of maven abilities that only heightened Arc’s sense of inferiority.

"Hands please," a dwarven woman in a fourth-year uniform, edged in green, said as Arc’s turn came up. "Please don’t resist."

Shortly, Arc felt a chilly sense of crawling along her arms as the woman’s mana intruded. She suppressed the urge to circulate her mana, trying to force the woman’s mana out, until the cold feeling barely touched the center of her chest - the physical location that most often corresponded to where a person could form a mana crystal - before withdrawing completely.

The woman made a few notes, saying, "Excellent reservoir. Place your hands in the circles, please." She indicated a gold-etched rectangular plate. Arc placed her hands in the circles, and after a long moment, the woman’s eyebrows quirked. "Try circulating your mana, please."

Arc circulated her mana. The plate continued to do nothing.

"Excuse me..." The dwarf hopped off her seat and pulled in a more senior student, in fifth-year blue.

Arc blushed as they checked the plate, confirming that yes, it did work. She felt that she could die of embarrassment as they had her repeat the process.

"This is... strange. I’ve never seen someone with zero mana output," the fifth year, a houndkin who resembled a corgi looked at the plate as Arc continued to lean on the table through it, her face a burning red.

A question choked its way into her throat as she tried not to cry. "Does this mean I can’t... I can’t-"

"It’s not disqualifying per se," the fifth year sniffed a bit, as if smelling Arc’s distress, and their eyes grew sympathetic. "Just, uh, let me get a Professor..."

Arc pulled her hands away from the testing plate, holding herself as she stepped aside to let the people behind her test. The dwarf behind the table kept glancing at her, but didn’t seem to know what to do with her.

"What’s the issue?" A familiar voice asked as the fifth year returned. "Oh, Arc!"

"Hi Grandma," Arc half-muttered as she greeted Professor Brigit Gale.