The sparring of demons was different from that of humans. They could use magic and transform their body, so how could the rules be the same as the rules I know?
For a moment, I just nodded and nodded because I felt like I would get so annoyed by them if I applied the rules of the human world for no reason.
'First of all... even if it's the demon realm, one of the competitors is a Corps Commander, so killing him wouldn't be possible, right?'
Okay, let's say something first and let's see. The silence was getting longer and longer.
Feeling pressured to say something quickly, I couldn't even process the words and just spit them out raw.
"... Just don't kill each other."
At best, these words were said in consideration of their personalities and habits, but the atmosphere was somewhat cold.
The Corps Commanders looked at me with slightly stiff faces, and I heard whispers. It was natural to notice that something was wrong.
"As long as you don't kill them, after all..."
"...That's scary."
"Then, does it end when one side surrenders or becomes unable to fight?"
"Will Demon acknowledge a surrender...?"
They turned the volume down to my overhearing, and several people were talking at the same time, so I couldn't tell the content, but at least I knew it was about me.
'What's wrong? Was this really a fight to the death? Is that why you're reacting like that?'
The moment I was worried about whether I should change my words right now out of anxiety, a loud laugh erupted from one side.
"Fuhahaha! okay! It has to be that much to be fun! As expected, Demon, you know something! How about Dernivan? Are you going to do it the same way?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Okay, this is it! It should have been like this! I'll show you the magic I've practiced, so take a close look!"
Trover, who was making incomprehensible noises, looked at me with a smiling face.
His sparkling eyes clearly expressed what he wanted, so I was able to give him the answer he wanted without difficulty.
"Start."
Trover raised his foot as if he was waiting and then hit the floor roughly. A strange cry followed.
"Earthquake!"
Quaaaang!
The floor of the gym split around him and the shaking spread.
I tried to regain my balance by relying on the hand holding me, but I couldn't overcome the absurdity and let out a sigh.
'What kind of magic is that! You just hit the floor so ignorantly!'
No, in the first place, when demons use magic, they don't even say the name of the magic, so what is that unheard of spell...!
By the way, who was the demon who caught me?
"Are you okay?"
"Oh Ed? Why are you here?"
"I heard that Demon has returned. Wouldn't it be natural for me to come visit him?"
Yes? Because he's a lieutenant. What about other lieutenants?
I didn't know what to say, so I just looked at him blankly and then secretly turned my gaze back to the training ground. Meanwhile, Dernivan, whose claws had become sharp, was rushing towards Trover. Trover also did not sit still and watch.
He raised his index and middle fingers and suddenly tried to stab Dernivan in the eyes.
"Blind!"
Even during that time, h didn't forget to shout out the magic name.
Is it okay to do this and that?!
Before my silent astonishment could be expressed, Dernivan lowered himself to catch his finger with his forehead. Trover, who had recovered his finger before that, tightened his fist and shouted.
The muscles in his forearms bulged.
"Strengthen your body!"
"...He just gave his body strength."
Trover threw a threatening punch with a lot of force, and Dernivan dodged it again...
I shook my head.
'Just don't even think about it. It's easier if you give up.'
I was watching them with an empty attitude, then suddenly turned my head and looked at Ed.
He, who was standing there nervously wondering if the aftermath of the battle would affect me, immediately turned his head to face me as if he sensed my gaze. Seeing that he was ready to listen, I asked a question without hesitation.
"Ed won't spar with Trover?"
"Yes? If it were an order, I would do it, but my skills are not suited to sparring, so I am avoiding sparring as much as possible."
"...?"
"It's hard to control it so others don't die."
As he said that and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, I got goosebumps. It was all the more so because his appearance was so ordinary.
Yes, he was a demon too. His appearance was similar to that of a clean-cut human, so I was mistaken for a moment.
'...Let's just stay quietly in the corner.'
Ed, who had no way of knowing what I was feeling, took half a step back, as if he was trying to get behind me, and raised his head again towards Trover and Dernivan, who were still sparring.
"You know what? The 9th Legion Commander did not have so little magical power that he could not use magic from the beginning."
"...Then?"
"The problem was his personality of pursuing fun without end. The magic power consumed by magic cannot be recovered, so it must be used appropriately when necessary, but magic was wasted simply for fun and interest."
Just as alchemy requires a sacrifice, sorcery requires magical power.
Just as the sacrifices used in alchemy could not be recycled, the magic power consumed in magic could not be recovered.
That alone was reason enough to conserve magic power, but Trover didn't even have a large amount of magic power to begin with.
As soon as I heard that, there was one word that came to mind.
"Cra..."
"Yes, he's crazy."
"...I didn't say that."
I almost said it, but Ed didn't seem to think it was a big deal, but I felt pricked and hurriedly asked another question.
"So the 9th Corps Commander cannot use magic for the rest of his life?"
Fortunately, Ed obediently focused on the question asked.
"That's not it. Even if a demon has no magical power, there is magic that can be used in the end."
"What...?"
"You probably know the origin of the birth of demons."
I know.
"The power of the Demon King."
"Yes, if you look at this from another perspective, the bodies of the demons are made up of the power of the Demon King."
If you replace the power of the Demon King with another word, it became magical power.
Magical power that was more powerful and pure than that of any other demon.
"It's about using that magic power."
"Then... you won't die?"
"Yes, so the magic used then is usually the most powerful magic that can be used in a demon's life. It is reasonable to consider it as the price of one's life."
It was then. Trover, who was fighting Dernivan out of the corner of his eye, lifted the rock that was lying on the edge of the training ground.
I was so startled that I stopped talking to Ed and looked at him. I was afraid that someone might think he was crazy, so I stepped on the thought and threw that ugly thing without hesitation.
"Ryaaa! Meteor!"
Dimly, I could see Dernivan's fingernails becoming sharper and the backs of his hands becoming covered with gray fur.
Kwaaaang!!
A cloud of dust obscured the view, and debris flew in all directions.
What happened? At first glance, I thought I saw a rock being smashed. Was Dernivan alive?
As I coughed at the dust bothering my bronchi, I saw a piece of debris the size of a human head flying into my field of vision. When I saw the fierce speed, I automatically thought of my future where I hit the ball and go straight to the goal.
'...Fuck.'
I had to avoid it quickly, but after sitting for a long time, my legs got cramps. To make matters worse, I started coughing without stopping, wounding my neck and starting to bleed.
"Chokkolok... Cough! "Cough!"
Have you ever experienced a vicious cycle where a cough that starts because of dust ends up coughing because of a cough?
What if the blood from coughing causes nausea and the nausea causes blood?
"Demon!"
Ed, who had lightly swatted away a fragment of an unusually large size that threatened to threaten his life, looked at me urgently.
It may be surprising, but the danger of their life was nothing to these guys. Just when I was about to feel a little helpless, Ben came running towards me and pushed Ed away.
He waved his hand to blow away the dust, then covered my nose and mouth with a wet handkerchief and burst out in frustration. Fortunately, it wasn't annoyance directed at me.
"What is this dust! Who brought Demon into this crappy environment?! This is why he vomited blood! Are you crazy? Do you have no head? Is this a new assassination method? It seems like pouring sand on prayers is not enough!"
Um... Most of the people in this place are Corps Commanders...
It seems that as the attending doctor, he really didn't like the dusty environment here. No, this was just disgust.
Trover was startled by the anger-filled words and wrapped his arms around his neck, while Dernivan quietly returned his hands to their original state.
Even the Commander of the 3rd Corps, Asild, who had nothing to do with it, quietly shook his head for no reason.
Even after silencing the two who had shown off their tremendous fighting power just a moment ago, Ben's anger did not subside and he searched for another victim.
"Ed, what on earth did you do! I can't believe you left Demon unattended in such a dusty place! Are you sure you're the lieutenant?"
"..."
Ed's expression distorted mercilessly. It was understandably unfair. Honestly, what could be wrong with him? All he did was come here when he heard I was back.
If there were to be a crime, wouldn't it be that you didn't take me out of here right away? However, since I was the referee, it would have been difficult for him as a mere deputy to do it.
Before the resentment turned into anger and turned towards me, I quickly intervened between the two.
"I'm fine. It's not Ed's fault."
"But!"
"Ed came a little while ago."
"...Let's go back to your room first. The environment here is not very good."
Fortunately, Ben seemed to think that getting away from this place with me was his priority, but he took a step back with a grumpy expression on his face.
I was hurriedly standing up, forgetting that I had cramps in my legs, in case he caught another evil demon, but I had no choice but to stumble wildly, gritting my teeth from the terrible muscle pain.
Ed, who immediately caught me and helped me when I almost fell, looked down at my legs with a stern expression.
"Did you hit your leg with some debris?"
"No..."
"Me! I'll take you!"
...What?
"Because it's my fault too. Meteor was only meant to be used on the battlefield... I will be careful in the future."
Before I could believe my ears, Trover immediately reached out and lifted me up onto his shoulder.
I looked around confusedly for a moment to understand the situation, then realized what I was doing and my expression hardened.
Put me down you idiot.
"My legs are fine."
"I know it's all a lie!"
"It's true!"
"You don't have to be considerate of me."
"It's real!!"
Why were this kid's shoulders so wide?!
I try to jump down somehow, but it's not easy because his shoulders were wide, and Trover was holding my legs so tightly that I couldn't even jump.
I gave Ed a look of pleading, but he didn't know what I was thinking and only spat out shitty words.
"Seeing that you are speaking informally, it looks like your injuries are at a fairly dangerous level. 9th Corps Commander, can you please hurry?"
"Once again, you're using respectful language. Just speak normally. Because it gives me goosebumps."
"How can I, a mere adjutant, speak informally to a Commander of a Corps?"
"It's not fun."
He grunted but sped up his walking pace. After that, Ed and Ben followed, and I, who was whining to get down somehow, noticed the shock and fear in the eyes of the Demon Castle residents and quietly buried my face in my hands.
I want to die of shame.
"... Oh, wait a minute."
A thought suddenly occurred to me, so I raised my head and looked back. Even though the distance from the training
ground was increasing considerably, the eyes of the Corps Commanders were all focused on me.
They must be angry. At least, I would have been annoyed.
The long-awaited attraction was ruined because of me.
I quickly opened my mouth, thinking that I had to appease them somehow before I left.
Trover, who I wasn't expecting, stopped noticeably, so my voice was able to reach them just in the nick of time.
"For now, let's call it a draw today. We will continue after this."
After seeing their expressions change, I immediately turned my head back to the front. After roughly reviewing the current situation, another worry came to mind.
9th Corps Commander Trover. This crazy guy.
He even saw me spitting blood, so I guess he won't pester me to spar in a week.
'...No way.'
I didn't even notice because I was so nervous as a shiver ran down my spine.
The changes in the expressions of the Corps Commanders who heard my words were not very positive. Trover twitched the hand that was holding my leg.
A whisper came from behind.