"You understand what's happened, don't you?
"Master Aura spent money to buy me…"
"That's good to know. From now on, you're an apprentice of the Mage Academy. Study hard. Don't waste my money."
Gal more or less knew what a mage apprentice was. In her remote countryside, no mages had ever appeared, but every year people from the city would come to test children. She had heard other kids say the tests were strange—sometimes dripping blood onto a stone, sometimes looking through a piece of clear glass, sometimes listening to a lecture and then solving questions.
But Gal had never taken a single test.
Her parents wouldn't allow it, and she herself never wanted to.
They said becoming a mage meant being taken far, far away—so far you might never return.
Gal knelt before Aura, pressing her forehead to the ground, and swore:
"I will do my utmost to work hard. Once I become a mage, I shall serve Master Aura with all my loyalty!"
Gal was clever. Since this terrifying demon hadn't eaten her on the spot, it meant that to the demon, she had some value alive. Gal didn't want to die, so she had to prove she was worth keeping alive.
But Aura's reaction was not what Gal expected. Instead of being pleased, Aura's eyes grew even more filled with disgust.
"Why would you swear loyalty to me? You're an apprentice, not a slave!"
Aura was revolted.
What was with this human brat's eyes?
That cowardly, submissive look—how could someone like this become a mage?
Magic was the path to the peak of the world, the ladder that revealed the truth of existence. Those who climbed it were all people of indomitable spirit.
And yet, the child kneeling in front of her had the talent to walk the same path? It was an insult.
"Stand up!"
Aura yanked Gal to her feet, forbidding her from kneeling again.
Though Gal still trembled timidly, under Aura's harsh tone and piercing gaze, she finally straightened her back.
But her head remained lowered.
Her dirty black hair fell across her face as she whispered:
"You bought me. That means I belong to you. For the rest of my life, I'm your slave. That will never change."
"Did I buy you to be someone's slave? You little idiot human, you want to be my slave... Ha, do you have the qualifications?"
Aura arrogantly grabbed Gal's chin, forcing her to lift her head so she could examine the girl's face.
'Tch—shameless little human.'
To become Aura's slave? Even many demons, even some of the great demons, dreamed of such an honor and could never obtain it. And this wretched child thought she could?
These lifeless eyes. This frail body, thin as a stick. This unrefined, untrained mana.
Despicable human—
Aura's gaze hardened with loathing. She hated humans more than anything. The weak were greedy. The strong were cunning.
Never in her life would Aura coexist peacefully with humans.
"Master… you don't need me?" Gal's eyes shifted from despair to confusion.
She didn't understand. If Aura wasn't here to eat her, and not to enslave her either—then why had Aura come?
She had spent ten gold coins to buy Gal. What did this demoness want from her?
"So skinny you wouldn't fill a can. So weak you'd break after a few hits as a punching bag. You're so useless—what on earth could I want from you?" Aura sneered.
"Then… how am I supposed to repay ten gold coins? Who should I swear loyalty to? Who should I serve?"
"Serve Hohenburg. Study hard, and when you graduate, come back to teach! If you absolutely must serve someone, then serve the people of Hohenburg." Aura's eyes flicked aside as she made something up.
She pulled Gal up from the floor, shoved her into the carriage seat opposite, and tapped her head. Watching the girl stare in shock, a smile of pleasure from fooling humans appeared on the corner of her mouth.
Aura leaned back and closed her eyes. She had been running herself ragged lately, traveling to gather talented young humans—buying some, seizing others by axe when necessary. There were plenty of problems the Association couldn't handle, and she had to personally intervene.
When humans couldn't solve a problem, it turned out a demon could do it far more efficiently.
Busy, yes. But the harvest was great.
Aura made a careful calculation in her mind.
Every human genius she rescued from poverty and slavery became a merit on her record.
Every merit in a local branch meant more influence waiting for her back in Kribi.
Every bit of influence gained in Kribi meant access to more human secrets—more intelligence to steal.
And every piece of intelligence stolen meant one more crushing victory for the demons, one more disaster for humans.
So the more she saved… the more she killed.
Thinking about it this way, Aura was so happy!
She opened her eyes, squinted them, and smiled happily. In high spirits, Aura patted Gal's shoulder and said in a rare pretentious encouragement:
"Once you're in the Academy, study hard. Contribute to your homeland. Don't think of anything else. And if you can make it to Kribi for further studies, even better."
"Learn magic… but do I truly have the talent? What if I fail to meet your expectations, Master?"
Gal's voice quavered with fear. At last, she felt sure she wouldn't be eaten or beaten as a slave—but only so long as she fulfilled Aura's expectations.
And she had heard how difficult it was. Most who entered mage academies never even graduated.
If she failed… if she couldn't reach Kribi… would she just be sold again?
Lowering her head, she held her breath, awaiting her judgment.
"If you can't get into Kribi…"
Aura paused, staring at the flow of mana in Gal's body.
It was possible, after all. Some children were born with immense mana but dull minds, never able to grasp spells.
Such apprentices would never reach Kribi.
If that were the case—
"Then just study for yourself. Even if you can't go to Kribi, don't slack off. Don't betray the expectations of your fellow villagers. It's their taxes that pay for your schooling!"
"Later, you can work as a teacher at the Academy, or go to the countryside to teach. One way or another, you'll have your use."
Aura said it carelessly.
The lofty rhetoric of humans—she had learned it perfectly.
She didn't understand "expectation," or "gratitude," or "contribution." But she could see how humans reacted.
Whenever she spoke like this, their eyes would change completely—as if they were reborn.
Any demon, once they had the benefit, would already be thinking how to escape with it. Humans—well, some humans—would instead think of how to return the favor.
That was what demons could never comprehend.
'That's why humans are fools.'
Aura narrowed her eyes, looking at Gal with contempt. She had shown nothing but scorn and disgust, yet the human's eyes now shone as if she'd been given a divine blessing.
"Master Aura, you… I… thank you. I won't betray your expectations."
"Yeah, yeah, work hard."
'And become another line of credit on my record.'
Watching Gal's sudden vigor, Aura only despised humans all the more.
They never even realized when they were being used.
What a bunch of idiots.