Teaching someone to read from scratch is a very difficult task.
Even more so when the students are Magic Guide Spirits...
To better motivate the Magic Guide Spirits, inspire their passion for learning, and comprehensively evaluate their academic progress,
Room 201 of the Noble House tower specifically established a little red flower reward system.
Magic Guide Spirits who achieve excellent grades, demonstrate effort, or show significant improvement are encouraged with little red flowers, helping them cultivate good study habits.
If their behavior is poor, little red flowers are deducted as a deterrent.
At the same time, the little red flowers were integrated into an internal currency system.
Magic Guide Spirits can use their little red flowers to purchase "wishes."
Whether it's a material desire or a spiritual one, as long as they pay enough little red flowers, Dark will do his best to grant it.
At first, the Magic Guide Spirits might not have taken it seriously, but once someone started using their little red flowers to make a "wish" and had it fulfilled, everything would change.
Dark held a certain degree of anticipation for this.
On the night of December 31st,
Dark tucked each of his Magic Guide Spirits into their own little beds, covered them with adorable little blankets, and only then did he contentedly crawl into his own.
The first long vacation of the first year passed in the blink of an eye. Tomorrow was a new year, and also the start of the next semester.
That being said, there were actually no classes tomorrow.
Some of the students and professors who had returned home for the holidays would be making their way back throughout the day.
The school would hold an opening ceremony at six in the evening, after which all the students and faculty would dine together in the Great Hall.
At that time, the principal would summarize the events of the last semester and introduce the new Professor of Magical History.
It seemed Professor Claire had confirmed she would not be returning to her position, but there was almost no news about the new professor.
Based on the good impression Professor Claire had left, the students were very much looking forward to the new Professor of Magical History.
Dark was also quite curious.
"System, display metrics."
Before falling asleep, he called up the system panel.
A moment later, seven metrics appeared in his vision.
Compared to the end of last month, they were:
▼
[Pride: 106→105]
[Envy: 41→39]
[Wrath: 90→88]
[Sloth: 64→69]
[Greed: 97→103]
[Gluttony: 64→69]
[Lust: 109→106]
▲
Although a total of 12 points of [Lust] and 3 points of [Pride] were extracted in December, the overall values still showed an upward trend.
Among them, [Pride], after having 3 points extracted, increased by another 2 points, rising back to 105. This was unavoidable.
The continued decrease in [Envy] was also expected.
With the help of the Cat Grasses, [Wrath] had also decreased.
[Sloth] and [Gluttony], however, were still rebounding.
The increase in [Greed] was likewise expected, and part of it was intentional.
As for [Lust], after a full 12 points were extracted, it still rose back to 106 points, which meant it had grown by a total of 9 points in December!
Dark had actually anticipated this result.
Besides, he had indeed relaxed his restraint this month.
But overall, these values were still within a controllable range.
He closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
A new month was coming, and in January, another 15 points of [Great Sin] could be extracted.
And in the insect tree, there was still 1 point of [Pride] stored away.
But as things stood, his need for [Great Sin] points wasn't urgent. He could very well store this month's [Pride] and [Lust] in preparation for the upcoming [Pride III] or [Lust IV].
Additionally, research into [Greed] could finally be put on the agenda!
He was very curious to see what changes would occur in DemiDevimon while under the influence of the "Greed" state.
Would it reveal some of the greedy nature inherent to its demon species?
Emmm...
As he thought about it, a slight smile crept onto Dark's lips, and he drifted off to sleep in a daze.
...
About ten minutes later, his breathing steadied, and he sank into a deep sleep.
But in the small beds against the wall, a few Magic Guide Spirits quietly opened their eyes!
The warm little beds and cute blankets still couldn't prevent the outbreak of war.
...
On a dark and cold night, warmth could only be found by the master's side.
...
When Dark opened his eyes, he found several more fluffy, warm bodies beside him.
He covered his forehead with a sense of helplessness, suddenly wondering if he shouldn't have ordered a triple-decker bed.
Perhaps getting another large bed and pushing them together was a better idea?
What was that phrase again? All sleeping under one big blanket?
...
January 1st, Monday, 7:00 AM.
Dark took breakfast out of the basket, pulled out today's copy of The Great Sage Daily, and then rewarded DemiDevimon with a little red flower.
DemiDevimon, who had suffered defeat last night, immediately broke into a wide grin.
"The first little red flower since the reward and punishment system was implemented! I, DemiDevimon, accept it!"
Dark shook his head helplessly and opened The Great Sage Daily.
For the past two days, he had been paying special attention to the newspapers.
The repercussions from the heretical cult's invasion of Bastidia Prison were still escalating.
Throughout this incident, St. Marian Academy had remained silent, offering no opinion on the matter.
And although the dovish faction, led by the First Princess Eliza, wanted to launch a full investigation in the kingdom's name,
they were obstructed by the hawkish faction, led by the First Prince Charles.
However, this act of protesting too much only served to confirm external suspicions that the Holy See was lying.
Some pro-dove newspapers began to report on the matter extensively, severely condemning the Holy See's concealment of the truth!
But this so-called condemnation was limited to words alone.
The Holy See, as a transcendent power on par with St. Marian Academy, had a history far older than even the kingdom itself.
For a long period when St. Marian Academy had not involved itself in worldly affairs, the Holy See had even controlled the reins of power in the kingdom.
If not for its mediocre performance at the end of the war, which cost it the people's support, the Holy See's power would be even greater.
Even so, the Holy See still occupied multiple seats among the thirty-six members of the Upper House.
Now, with the king old and the royal family's influence waning, only the Valkyrie's faction could contend with the Holy See.
...
Setting aside his own stance and looking at the incident from an observer's perspective,
Dark was also more inclined to believe the Holy See was hiding something. The heretics who invaded the prison might have been annihilated as they claimed, but it was very likely that certain important prisoners held within had escaped during the chaos.
Otherwise, the Holy See wouldn't be so tight-lipped, even needing the First Prince to interfere with the kingdom's investigation.
This incident was definitely unusual.
He had a vague feeling that something was about to happen.
"Could it be related to the revival of the Demon King?"
Dark pondered carefully and felt it wasn't impossible.
If the Holy See's mistake was an event significant enough to lead to the Demon King's revival, then it was no wonder they would choose to conceal it.
...
After breakfast, Dark continued teaching his Magic Guide Spirits how to recognize words.
Among all the Magic Guide Spirits, DemiDevimon and Gatomon were undoubtedly the fastest learners.
Their ability to speak human language was a great help in reading and writing.
Trash Slime, on the other hand, had basically been removed from the preschool class roster.
Also at the bottom of the class was Hawlucha, who couldn't sit still at all.
It just wanted to go spar with the training dummy!
...
Teaching literacy was originally a very tedious affair.
But teaching his own Magic Guide Spirits to read and write was, surprisingly, a very interesting one.
Dark enjoyed it immensely.
The Magic Guide Spirits, however, found it excruciatingly painful.
After the lunch break, Dark also received Diana and Rose, who had come over to visit.
When the two girls saw the Magic Guide Spirits sitting in a row, practicing their writing with pens, they both looked as if they had seen a ghost.
Diana stood stunned for a good while, then suddenly summoned her own panda familiar and stuffed a pen into its paw.
But the poor familiar just scribbled wildly with the pen and got a stern scolding for it!
Watching Diana desperately torment her own familiar, Rose couldn't help but twitch her lips.
Because she herself couldn't resist having a similar thought.
"Is this the difference in intelligence levels?"
"How can I raise my Magic Guide Spirit's intelligence level to 3.0?"
"No, 3.0 is nowhere near enough!"
"A Magic Guide Spirit that can read and write... Ugh, that's too ridiculous!"
Rose sank into a lounge chair, pretending she hadn't seen a thing.
...
At 5:45 PM,
after assigning homework to his Magic Guide Spirits, Dark left the tower with Diana and Rose and headed for the Great Hall on the first floor of the castle.
Along the way, Diana couldn't stop sighing, feeling utterly wistful about the holiday that was about to end.
But the melodious singing soon dispelled her gloom.
She hummed along with the tune, closed her eyes, and floated into the Great Hall, drawn by the aroma of desserts.
The castle, nearing six o'clock, was already dim. Thousands of candles floating in mid-air illuminated the entire hall. Winged ribbons danced through the air, sprinkling starlike glitter on anyone they passed.
The four long tables in the hall were as magnificent as ever, the golden plates and silver goblets upon them reflecting a rainbow of light.
It was just like the scene he had witnessed from the stage at the very moment his memories awakened.
Like a classic restored, the image flooded into Dark's mind.
"In the blink of an eye, it's already the second semester!"
Dark walked towards the long table representing Noble House.
Recalling his nervousness when he first enrolled, the expression on Dark's face grew more at ease.
In four and a half months, his growth had been nothing short of immense.
Looking back, it was to a degree he wouldn't have dared to even imagine for himself.
Indeed.
If you don't push yourself, you'll never know where your limits are.
...
As the students and faculty filed into the hall one after another, the atmosphere climbed to a peak. The lively mood dispelled the winter chill, and the New Year's Day feast made the students gradually forget their melancholy about the start of school.
"Welcome back to St. Marian Academy!"
The six o'clock bell chimed quietly.
The velvety, silky black curtain parted slowly, and the most beautiful and noble lady of St. Marian Academy—Principal Cynthia St. Althea—once again took the stage.
The nine spirits surrounding Principal Cynthia conjured flowers and fireflies, rendering the stage dreamy and beautiful.
Confirmed, this is the real Principal Cynthia!
After carefully counting and confirming all nine sprites were present, Dark knew what was going on.
It seemed Principal Cynthia had returned just before the opening ceremony began.
Then what about Senior Pandora?
Was she able to make it back?
Dark instinctively craned his neck to look towards the fourth-year section of Magic House, but he didn't see that familiar figure.
"Looks like Senior is going to be absent. I wonder where she went?"
"Who went where?" Diana suddenly asked.
Dark shook his head. "Who do you think the new Professor of Magical History will be?"
Diana pouted and thought for a moment before whispering, "I bet it's a Sage!"
Rose chimed in, "Maybe it's a Hero?"
Dark said helplessly, "Are you two trying to split Claire in half?"
Just as Diana was about to retort, she heard Principal Cynthia's words and quickly poked Dark in the side, saying, "Dark, she's talking about you!"
Dark: "Huh?"
...
On the stage.
Following the opening ceremony's agenda, Principal Cynthia praised and awarded the students who had performed exceptionally well last semester.
And when it came to the first-years, Dark Demon was, of course, indispensable.
Principal Cynthia's tone was unmistakably pleased. "Mr. Demon's outstanding performance was undoubtedly the biggest surprise among the new students. If first-years were eligible for prefect positions, he would be the best candidate. Whether it's his status as a recipient of the Crimson Star or his performance in the Moon God incident, which was no less than that of the heroes, he is unquestionably the most outstanding student of the first year. Let's first look at the professors' evaluations of him."
"First is Professor Sarah. Oh, 'Very good!' Yes, that's right, just 'very good.' Professor Sarah has succinctly given Mr. Demon the highest praise with a single phrase!"
"Next is Professor Kazel, let's see. 'Dark Demon is the most talented student I have ever seen. He is a natural-born Magic Card creator!' Oh, Professor Kazel has given such high praise. It seems they have a very good relationship."
"And then Professor Lily... 'He will win the Merlin Award in the field of arithmetic!!!'"
"I can't say much more about Professor Lily's evaluation, so let's continue with what other professors have to say about him."
"Professor Thompson says he has a heart calmer than anyone else's."
"Professor Jones looks forward to him winning the dueling championship even before he graduates."
"Professor Claire... 'Hmm, very cute.'"
"Yes, our Mr. Demon is indeed very cute!"
A wave of good-natured laughter instantly rippled through the audience below the stage.
Dark could clearly feel everyone, both boys and girls, turning to look his way.
Even with a face as thick as a castle wall, he couldn't help but blush slightly.
Principal Cynthia paused for a moment before continuing, "The unanimous praise from the professors speaks for itself. But here, I have one more thing to announce. Just a few days ago, during the holiday, Mr. Demon relied on his own wisdom and courage to save the lives of four students in an accidental encounter! Although this is technically a confidential matter, I couldn't resist sharing it. For this, including his reward for the Moon God incident, I will be awarding him ten thousand school points, and one opportunity to make a wish at the Holy Grail!"
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