The Demon Duchy's manor stood on the northern outskirts of the capital, backed against the mountains and facing south.
The grounds were enormous — flower gardens, landscaped parks, even a training ground for martial practice. A stream tumbled down from the cliffs behind the manor in a waterfall, and the pool beneath it was stocked with rare aquatic beasts.
Dark had grown up in the Duke's manor since childhood, so naturally he knew every inch of it. He'd even built a treehouse in a great tree on the back hill; it leaked wind from every direction, but it was still standing.
It wasn't until he was eight or nine that Dark learned the back hill wasn't actually safe — the little secret excursions he'd thought so clever had in fact been watched the whole time by the old steward.
Later the old steward retired, and Dark never went back up the hill again.
These days, the Duke's manor was run by the old steward's daughter, Head Maid Jasmine, who also served as housekeeper.
Jasmine was pushing thirty this year and still had no partner, much to the Duke's worry.
Beneath Jasmine were twelve maid corps, each commanded by a Maid Captain, each shouldering different duties that together kept the entire manor running.
...
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Claire brought the wyvern down near the Duke's manor.
Looking down at the manor, lit up bright below, a pang of nostalgia washed over Dark.
Home at last!
"Hold on tight!" Claire suddenly warned.
Dark felt a sudden tightness at the back of his neck, and then the strange sensation of floating.
Under Claire's control, the wyvern plunged downward at tremendous speed, landing precisely on the Dragon Taming Platform before the gate.
The guards stationed nearby glanced over once, then turned back around.
Their job was to protect the manor, not to fuss over formalities.
Welcoming the young master home was the maids' job, not theirs.
Once the wyvern had landed safely, Claire released the reins and clapped her hands. A Dragon-Taming Guard waiting nearby stepped forward and bowed to them.
Claire leapt down from the dragon's back and told the guard, "Get it some raw beef. Give it a good treat tonight."
The wyvern, her companion of more than ten years, immediately began bobbing its head with unmistakable delight.
At the same time, Alvit hopped down carrying Dark in her arms.
A little embarrassed, he wriggled free of his mother's embrace and pretended to straighten his collar instead.
Even with his memories of his past life restored — no, precisely because those memories were restored — he found himself more helpless than ever against this overly doting mother of his.
Alvit was, in truth, quite fragile. Back when he'd gone through his rebellious phase, a few harsh words from him could leave her heartbroken for days.
So he was the one person he never dared speak harshly to.
And now, of course, even less so.
Dark took a deep breath and turned to look at the manor's front gate, shaking his head.
Of the two guards on gate duty, one of them, catching Dark's glance, instinctively shrank his neck down.
Dark couldn't help a crooked grin, remembering the mischief he'd once put that particular guard through.
"When you get the chance, make it up to him," he thought.
With that thought, he waved his Magic Guide Spirits over.
DemiDevimon zipped up to perch on his shoulder, while Meowth, Gatomon, and Sylveon gathered at his feet.
Dark pointed toward the manor, his face lit warmly by the lantern light, and smiled. "See that? This is your home now."
...
The great gate of the manor creaked open slowly on its mechanism.
By the time Dark came back to himself, Alvit had already latched onto his right arm.
"Come on, your favorite Sister Ollie made your favorite lamb tonight. She swore up and down she'd make you forget all about the Halfling Cook's cooking."
A little awkwardly, Dark rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sister Ollie's lamb really is delicious, but I might not be able to eat much of it."
Ollie Demon.
She was one of the Maid Captains personally granted the surname "Demon" by Alvit herself, and she had also inherited the title of "Aries."
The manor's twelve maid corps were each named after a sign of the zodiac, and every Maid Captain had been personally chosen by Alvit for her particular gift.
Only a Maid Captain recognized by one of the Twelve Golden Holy Vestments was granted the surname "Demon," becoming among the most trusted confidants of the entire manor.
The Twelve Golden Holy Vestments were "Armament Cards" designed after the twelve constellations. Not only could they amplify a wielder's strength and agility a hundredfold, but each also carried its own unique power.
It was through the strength of the Twelve Golden Holy Vestments that Alvit had become the Valkyrie she was today.
But she herself possessed only half of the twelve, so among the twelve Maid Captains, only six had so far been granted the name "Demon."
And Ollie Demon had been the very first of those six to earn recognition from a Golden Holy Vestment!
The Aries Maid Corps she oversaw was responsible for the manor's food supply — in short, the kitchens.
Contrary to what Alvit assumed, Dark pestered Ollie daily to cook lamb dishes specifically because she was "Aries" — not because lamb was truly his favorite!
Ollie had been chosen and brought into the manor at just six years old, earned recognition from the Aries Holy Vestment at thirteen, and had now served the manor for twelve years.
Since she'd been the youngest maid at the time, she'd also been tasked with serving as the young master's playmate.
Whenever the wet nurse was busy, she'd occasionally even help change the young master's diapers...
In short, that was the kind of person she was.
Alvit pulled Dark along into the manor, and, as expected, two rows of maids stood along the brick path.
Vigo, the Maid Captain of "Virgo," responsible for etiquette, stepped out of the line and addressed Dark. "Young master, welcome home."
Looking at Vigo's stiffly formal smile, Dark couldn't help but recall the painful hours he'd once spent being taught noble etiquette under the sting of her ruler.
He smiled faintly. "Teacher Vigo, why don't you let everyone go rest early?"
Vigo could hardly hide her surprise, but replied, "Since the young master has arranged it so, I'll have them return to their rest."
The two rows of maids bowed in perfect unison and said as one, "Thank you, young master!"
The uniformity of the response finally gave Dark a small taste of feeling like a proper "young rogue lord." He shook his head and instead pulled Alvit along, quickening his pace.
Within moments, he'd passed through the rows of maids and entered the indoor corridor.
As for what the maids would gossip about after he left, he could pretty much guess — probably something along the lines of, "the young master's gotten even more handsome" (wink).
...
In the lavish dining hall inlaid with silver ornaments, "Aries" Ollie was carefully plating slices of lamb, arranging three different sauces into three small dishes beside it.
Next to the lamb sat a pasta-like dish, along with a pot of lemon tea, a specialty from the Free City.
It was already eight-forty in the evening, well past the usual dinner hour.
Every dish on the table had been prepared for the young master alone.
Just thinking that the young master would be home tonight brought a warm smile to Ollie's face that she couldn't suppress.
No matter how badly others might see the young master, to her he was simply a slightly mischievous little brother.
From the day she'd entered the manor at six years old, the first time she'd laid eyes on that porcelain-doll of a baby, she'd known her life had been bound to his from then on.
Whether as a maid or as an elder sister, she embraced both roles gladly.
In short, if Dark Demon had grown up a bit crooked, no one in the entire manor was truly innocent of it.
...
By the time Dark arrived, Ollie had already been waiting in the dining hall for quite a while.
She hurried over to him, resisting the urge to pull him into a hug, and said softly instead, "Young master, you're home."
Dark pulled his right hand free from Alvit's grip and nodded. "Sister Ollie, where's my lamb?"
"Right there." Ollie stepped aside so Dark could see the food laid out on the table.
In truth, he'd already caught the scent of the lamb the moment he walked in.
He walked past Ollie and headed straight for the table.
Ollie watched the Magic Guide Spirits trailing behind him with curiosity, then suddenly seemed to remember something and turned quickly. "Don't forget to wash your hands!"
Dark's expression froze, but his feet carried him, quite naturally, toward the washroom.
Once he'd washed up, he returned to the table and pulled out a chair to sit.
Ollie laid a napkin in front of him and stood quietly to the side.
Meanwhile, Alvit and Claire had already seated themselves at the table without ceremony.
"Little Ollie? Not setting out two more place settings for us?" Claire teased.
Ollie's face reddened faintly, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "Aunt Claire, if you want a late-night snack, I'll make you something afterward."
"Never mind, never mind." Claire waved a hand. "Just bring me a bottle of red wine."
"Mm." Ollie acknowledged and went to fetch it.
Claire produced two wine glasses, sliding one over to Alvit. "Alvit, care for a glass?"
Alvit nodded. "Sure."
Claire leaned back against her chair with a playful grin. "Wine in hand, music in the air — that's the good life. Since we've got no music tonight, why don't Dark liven things up by telling us all the fun stories from the Academy? His year there has been far more eventful than my own travels."
Dark, in the middle of dabbing sauce onto a piece of lamb and chewing thoughtfully, replied, "Aunt Claire, nothing I've got could compare to your adventures."
A sly glint flashed in Claire's eyes. "Then tell us in detail."
Dark sighed. "Give me a few days... alright, fine, give me a moment."
Alvit's brow immediately smoothed out, eager anticipation lighting her face.
A little while later, Ollie returned carrying a bottle of red wine.
She twisted out the cork and poured the wine into Claire's and Alvit's glasses in turn.
Once she'd finished pouring, Dark said, "Sister Ollie, sit down with us too."
Ollie glanced at Alvit, and once she got a nod of permission, took the seat on Dark's other side.
Dark speared a piece of lamb and, to everyone's surprise, fed it to DemiDevimon perched on his shoulder. Only then did he begin organizing his thoughts and start recounting, one by one, the various incidents he'd been through at the Academy.
First came the matter of the Moon Goddess.
Since Claire's temporary appointment had been to fill in for Professor Didi's position, she already knew some of the details.
And since she knew, naturally Alvit knew too.
But as Dark told his story, they gradually learned far more of the finer points.
"Didi Maxwell, the Tears of the Moon Goddess... I see. From a woman's perspective, I can understand her wanting to forge the Tears of the Moon Goddess. But as an instructor of the Academy, she was clearly unfit for the role."
Alvit said this in a fairly measured tone.
Dark deliberately skirted around the more dangerous parts while describing what happened, but with a little thought, the gaps could easily be filled in.
Still, since this matter was already known to them, there was no point dwelling on it too long.
What drew far more of their attention instead was the connected Halloween event and the ball.
It was clear Alvit still cared quite a bit about her son's social ties at the Academy.
...
Next, Dark went on to talk about the secret passage and the treasure hidden within it, along with Christmas.
All of it began with the treasure map Alvit had made herself, which Dark had obtained from Principal Cynthia.
"You actually got my treasure map in your very first year!"
"Which means you've already cleared the trial — and even obtained the [Tri-Armed Transmutation Circle]?"
Alvit was finally truly astonished.
Dark took out his Wishful Die Magic Guide Card and gave it a shake in front of her, summoning a giant die.
"Remember this? I used it at the very end of the Dueling Festival."
"The match at Easter?"
Alvit exclaimed with curiosity, "That's actually an Armament Card!"
Dark smiled faintly and put the Wishful Die away again. "Never mind that for now — I recorded every bit of scenery I saw while treasure-hunting in the secret passage. Once Leomon's back, I'll show you both!"
He went on to describe the ball on Christmas Eve and the treasure hunt in the secret passage, finally arriving at the appearance of Vampire Vlad!
Though he told it all with an air of casual understatement, Alvit couldn't help but grip Claire's arm tightly.
She could hardly imagine that her precious child had faced so much danger at a school that was supposed to be safe.
A vampire revived within the secret passage — one of the Demon King's vessels!
"Is this the Demon King's vessel you mentioned in your letter to me?"
"Mm."
After finishing the account of the treasure hunt, Dark went straight into the manhunt for Vlad and the Ritual on Easter night.
Woven through it were his deductions about the invisible man's identity, and the story of the Blood Princess.
"Ophelia Brad is actually still alive!"
A tremendous shock jolted through both Alvit and Claire.
In his earlier letter, Dark had only mentioned that the Demon King had been reincarnated through a vessel, without any details of the process.
Neither had expected the truth to turn out like this.
Especially upon learning that Dark had managed to strip the "Demon King's Embrace" from within the Blood Princess by first Forging her into a Magic Guide Spirit and then reviving her — granting her a new lease on life — Alvit couldn't hold back tears of relief.
The Valkyrie, reduced to tears by all this, then learned that "the Demon King, in the process of reincarnating through a vessel, was highly likely to end up brain-damaged," and her expression turned distinctly strange.
After that, Dark moved slowly on to the exams, and then to the dream he'd encountered aboard the Magic Guide Motorcar...
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