The sixth floor of Star Tower was something like a private club.
Nothing there was sold at all — food, drink, and entertainment were all free.
Only the more powerful noble scions of the capital had the standing to enter.
The most powerful among them was, naturally, First Prince Charles, whose statue stood atop the stone pillar.
It was only because of the First Prince's backing that Star Tower remained untouched despite so many nobles eyeing it.
Otherwise, such a juicy prize would have been picked clean long ago.
Besides the six statues, Star Tower frequently published rankings comparing the young nobles against one another.
Some were mere attention-grabbers, while others actually carried real weight.
Dark had once been something of a notable figure in the capital; young as he was, his status alone kept him appearing on those lists.
Of course, he'd never cared much for that sort of thing.
Back then he'd always had the attention span of a goldfish, doing whatever crossed his mind. He had some competitive streak, but not much.
Today the sun blazed overhead.
The noble youths huddled on the sixth floor were holding an emergency council.
The moment that carriage had appeared outside the noble trading district, word of Dark Demon's return had spread, and every one of them had reacted on instinct.
The one who reacted most strongly was Joshua, the youngest son of Marquis Middleton!
Joshua was sixteen this year — not old, but old enough to count as an "adult" in this world.
Back during the war years, fourteen had been enough to be considered an adult; only the relative peace of the past decade or so had pushed that line back by two years.
And as the times changed, children's mental maturation had slowed, so the threshold for adulthood would likely be pushed back another two years yet.
But for now, at least, Joshua counted as an adult.
His father, Marquis Middleton, was one of the new nobility who'd risen during the war. Though his reputation fell somewhat short of Alvit's, he was already an extremely powerful warrior, and a seasoned strategist besides.
Before Magic Guide technology had developed, this world's power systems had centered mainly on magic and Qi.
Magic was profound and difficult to master, and humans generally lacked the mana to sustain it, leaving them far behind the Demon race.
To stand against the Demon race, humans had developed something only they could wield: Qi.
"Qi" was a mysterious power drawn out from the chakras of the human body.
Mages believed Qi was, in truth, a form of magic.
The Holy Church held that Qi was an innate ability of the "Holy One," passed down through generations and lying dormant within the human chakras.
Both theories had their evidence.
After all, only humans possessed chakras — the Demon race had none.
And in effect, Qi worked much the same as certain buff-type spells.
In other words, it could only be used to strengthen the body.
The human body held seven chakras, each an energy-gathering point governing a different bodily system.
They were the Crown Chakra, the Third Eye Chakra, the Throat Chakra, the Heart Chakra, the Navel Chakra, the Root Chakra, and the Brahmarandhra.
Each chakra a person opened raised their mastery over their own body by one level.
The quality and quantity of their Qi rose accordingly.
Of the seven, only the Brahmarandhra lay outside the body itself, hovering just above the crown of the head.
If one could open the Brahmarandhra, they could project their Qi outward, forming an oppressive Aura!
A strong enough Aura could even produce an effect like a dragon's might, collectively suppressing anyone with weaker mental fortitude!
Even so...
The spread of Qi only allowed humanity to barely hold the line against the Demon race's assaults.
Its limitations were severe, and it still fell far short of magic.
Worse still, the Demon race's bodies were naturally powerful — even an ordinary strong demon wouldn't be physically weaker than a human warrior with all seven chakras opened.
To raise their ceiling, humans usually cultivated both Qi and magic together.
Before Magic Guide technology emerged, the strongest class among pure-blooded humans was the Magic Warrior — one who cultivated both Qi and magic!
Marquis Middleton was one such powerful Magic Warrior.
And as his son, Joshua was a Magic Warrior too.
At just fourteen, he'd already followed his father in wiping out a considerable number of extremists — a rare example of real strength among noble scions.
His statue on the stone pillar had genuinely been earned through merit.
By contrast, in the first half of last year, Dark Demon had been nothing but a duke's son with no redeeming qualities — arrogant and overbearing besides. Any mockery he drew, people said he'd deserved.
But after that day, Marquis Middleton had summoned Joshua to his study for a talk that lasted through the night.
The next day, Joshua walked out of that study a little more guarded, a little more calculating.
That he still hadn't forced Star Tower to repair the damaged statue was itself telling.
He was waiting for Dark Demon's return.
He meant to defeat him head-on, by fair and open means, and only then set his own statue back on the pillar — to wash away the disgrace!
…
Sitting on the sofa, Joshua wore a grave expression.
These past months he'd been studying at the Royal Academy, but he'd kept close tabs on news of Dark Demon all the same.
Word was that Dark Demon had been thriving at St. Marian's Academy, a completely different person from before.
Who would win today's confrontation was anyone's guess.
"That works out fine, actually — dueling someone who couldn't fight back would make any victory of mine hollow. My family, the Middletons, rose through battle merit and command the Magic Sword Knight Order. In wartime we may use guile, but in daily life we must act with honor. I intend to uphold that with my own strength."
Joshua spoke slowly, his thin face alight with conviction.
The noble youths seated around him, though not exactly fawning, all voiced their approval, full of admiration.
In truth, that duke's son had always been far too arrogant to make friends with anyone, and had even driven people away outright.
Even those in Star Tower who'd once wanted to get close to him had been shut out, leaving him without a single follower.
Still, only about a third of the nobles present actually rallied around Joshua — the other two-thirds simply stood by, chatting and laughing, happy to watch the show unfold.
…
Before long, footsteps sounded from the stairwell.
"He's here!"
Joshua's gaze sharpened as he turned toward the stairs.
Nearly everyone else stopped talking, their eyes snapping to the same spot.
And then, exactly as expected, Dark Demon appeared right where all eyes had gathered.
Nearly a year since anyone had seen him, the young duchess's son was impeccably dressed, his blond hair combed without a single strand out of place, his skin smooth and lustrous as jade — finer, even, than any of the noted young ladies on the rankings.
His expression was gentle, his bearing refined and scholarly; at a glance he seemed like a spring breeze given form, easily mistaken for the descendant of some wise sage making a guest appearance.
And yet the noble youth who'd climbed to the sixth floor was, without question, the duchess's son they all knew.
Not just Joshua — nearly everyone's eyes flickered with astonishment.
Granted, a year was long enough for anyone to change.
Joshua himself had grown considerably more mature, his temperament somewhat corrected.
But compared to the change so plainly visible in Dark Demon, that was nothing at all.
It made people wonder — had Dark Demon truly reformed himself from the bone up, or had he merely learned to put on a mask?
One or the other…
The latter was, without doubt, the easier explanation to accept.
After all, a bad boy only getting worse fit most people's expectations far better.
But if that were true, Dark Demon's difficulty to handle would only skyrocket!
Those with little connection to Dark grew all the more careful to fade into the background.
Joshua, though, after his initial shock, did the opposite — he rose to his feet on his own.
His followers fell in beside and behind him out of habit.
Joshua strode toward the stairwell and held out his hand to Dark.
Dark studied Joshua's face for a moment, and after a while concluded this must be the marquis's son who'd once been terrified by Trina's Aura.
He reached out and shook the offered hand. "Joshua Middleton?"
As the saying went, a handshake could settle old grudges.
Dark Demon wasn't an unreasonable man; a handshake, a few polite words, and last year's business could be laid to rest.
No grudges after that — just a comfortable sit on the sixth floor, a meal, and then off he'd go. Wouldn't that be nice?
That Dark Demon hadn't avoided a place with so much social traffic already showed his confidence in his own self-control.
But Joshua's expression darkened slightly. "It's been a while, Dark."
"Almost a year, yeah." Dark withdrew his hand and walked straight past him.
Right behind him came Aurora and Trina, walking side by side, while the sturdy maid had already been left trailing far behind.
Aurora kept her hands folded before her, and though a little timid, she looked around with curiosity all the same.
Trina, meanwhile, ignored everyone entirely — she didn't even spare Joshua a cold glance.
Joshua suddenly felt like a streetlamp on the roadside, lighting the way for the three of them to pass.
Of course, he couldn't just stand there frozen.
After all, before Dark had even come up the stairs, he'd already stated his intentions plainly to everyone.
"Wait, Dark!" he called out at once.
Only then did Dark stop, turning to look at him. "What is it?"
Under the gaze of those clear, wide eyes, Joshua hesitated, and even the line he'd prepared came out in a different tone than he'd planned. "It's like this — I hear you've learned a great deal at St. Marian's Academy. Care for a friendly match? Nothing serious, just a bit of sparring."
That was, all things considered, remarkably friendly.
Dark sensed no ill will in it, but he looked puzzled. "Aren't you a Magic Warrior, though?"
Joshua didn't quite follow. "I am. Is there a problem?"
Dark raised his hand, and DemiDevimon flitted over like a little bird to perch lightly on the back of it, barely touching down.
Then Dark said, "But I'm a Magic Guide Master."
Joshua glanced at the familiar, clearly of Demon Species, and thought to himself that Dark Demon really was a devil through and through.
Still, he didn't dwell on the remark, and said, "Magic Guide Masters are indeed the highest tier among combat classes, but us Magic Warriors aren't pushovers either."
As he spoke, he stepped forward, and his Qi surged and condensed all at once. Six chakras within his body churned with roiling Qi that shot straight up to his crown, forming an imposing beast-shaped shadow above the Brahmarandhra!
It was, unmistakably, a highly unusual Aura.
The Myriad Beasts Aura unfurled slowly, like a stampede of ten thousand beasts, a tiger's roar carrying for a thousand miles — its force was astonishing!
…
"What's this?"
Dark only half-understood Qi and Aura, but even he could tell that Joshua had reached an extremely high level.
Some of the nobles nearby, cowed by the ferocious Myriad Beasts Aura, went pale and stumbled backward, a few even trembling.
But compared to the divine might of the Moon Goddess, this Aura was child's play.
Dark only frowned slightly, treating it like a passing breeze — he felt nothing at all.
Trina, standing right beside him, did react for an instant — but seeing that her young master hadn't been frightened as she'd feared, she reeled the Sword Aura she'd briefly let slip back in just as quickly.
The two Sun and Moon Sprites nestled in Aurora's hair, though, were startled awake, darting out of her locks to hover above her head.
A few in the crowd who knew what they were seeing couldn't hide their shock at the sight of the sprites, wondering just who this girl accompanying Dark could possibly be.
Protected by the Flame Flame Sun Spirit and the Frost Moon Sprite, Aurora felt nothing either.
Seeing this, the Myriad Beasts Aura Joshua had unleashed faltered, suddenly losing all its unstoppable momentum.
Dark said, curious. "That's a fairly impressive show of force. But if that's all…"
"I cultivate both Qi and magic — I haven't used my full strength yet," Joshua said, the explanation slipping out before he could think better of it.
But that made him sound almost like he was begging for pointers, and his followers couldn't help clicking their tongues.
Still, Joshua had faced life-and-death combat before, and he had a natural instinct for sensing when an opponent outmatched him.
He realized, almost by instinct, that the Dark Demon who'd once been utterly powerless a year ago now likely surpassed him.
But a real man's word was his bond — having issued the challenge, there was no going back on it now.
Fortunately, he'd never actually said "duel" — he'd wisely and promptly settled for "sparring match" instead, which was truly the smartest decision he'd made all day…
As he thought this through, Joshua suddenly realized he was losing his nerve before the fight had even begun, and his face went ashen.
The Myriad Beasts Aura collapsed all the faster, entirely stripped of its earlier surging power.
…
The onlookers couldn't help but marvel at such a stark change.
In just a single exchange, Dark Demon had done nothing at all, yet Joshua had deflated like a punctured ball. How had he ended up so withered so fast?
The nobles who'd been eager to see how this would end couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Dark, seeing plainly that Joshua had lost all will to fight, shook his head. "Forget it. Since we've both got time to spare, why don't we spar a different way?"
"What way?"
Joshua could hardly fail to notice he was being handed a way out.
He felt a flicker of surprise at Dark Demon's suddenly sky-high emotional intelligence — and a deeper, buried thread of fear.
Just how did a person have to grow to undergo such a terrifying transformation in a single year?
The feeling Dark Demon gave off was like a Magikarp that had suddenly turned into a Gyarados.
Of course, Joshua had no idea what a Magikarp or a Gyarados even was, but that didn't stop the comparison from fitting.
"Care for a game?" Dark's expression shifted faintly.
At the academy he had to restrain himself and keep his priorities straight, unable to indulge in idle pursuits.
But it was vacation, and this was leisure time — why not enjoy a game?
…
The mood in the room shifted abruptly.
Dark had the maid fetch a set of fixed-piece Magic Guide Chess and laid it out in the sixth-floor hall.
The board sat atop a jade table, flanked on either side by a ring of sofas that could seat three.
Everyone else who wanted to watch dragged over chairs and stools of their own and sat down at the edges.
But a closer look would have revealed the confusion hidden in their expressions.
None of them could quite grasp how a perfectly good duel had somehow turned into a Magic Guide Chess match.
The class divide among nobles showed clearly here — only those of real standing and power got seats around the table.
Those lower in rank stood and watched of their own accord.
Dark told Trina to relax, had her and Aurora sit on either side of him, and squared up the board. "Ever played?" he asked Joshua.
"Three years of experience," Joshua answered gravely.
Oh-ho, an old hand at this, then?
That piqued Dark's interest.
Although Magic Guide Chess bore the name "Magic Guide," it didn't actually require mana to operate, which meant it could, in theory, become widespread.
Without mana, though, the viewing experience suffered greatly, since every clash between pieces was backed by data that then had to be calculated manually.
The sets themselves were also extremely expensive, and without moving pieces, much of the appeal was lost.
So for now, it remained popular only within a narrow circle.
Joshua, cultivating both Qi and magic, lacked the mana talent to become a Magic Guide Master, but he had more than enough for a casual game of Magic Guide Chess.
The two of them soon began their match.
…
The tactical thinking behind Magic Guide Chess wasn't fundamentally different from ordinary chess, which was why Dark picked it up so quickly.
Once the game got underway, both sides' skill became apparent fast — the match was evenly matched, surprisingly so!
Or rather, far more evenly matched than their actual combat strength.
In about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the first game ended.
Dark won by a single piece, narrowly.
Perhaps sensing a chance at victory, Joshua wasn't satisfied and immediately demanded a rematch.
Dark said, "Fine, best of three, then. I've already got one."
In the second game Joshua pressed hard, and though Dark answered steadily and did his best, he still ended up losing.
The score now stood at one to one.
The third game began right away.
This time Dark changed his formation, using offense to cover defense, and the board transformed at once — like a thousand troops charging a
city, tearing through Joshua's defenses layer by layer, until in one unbroken push he took the Castle!
The instant the Castle fell, Joshua slammed the table and shot to his feet.
But he stood there alone for a long moment, then sank back down, dejected. "Best of five!" he blurted out.
"Let's eat first," Dark said with a smile.
Neither swelled by victory nor shaken by defeat.
…
The Star Tower staff, who'd been waiting for the moment, hurried to bring out the food, and the manager hiding in the back let out a heavy sigh of relief.
That Dark hadn't come to blows with Joshua on the spot was, amid all the tension, a stroke of luck.
He didn't dare slack off in the least, ordering the kitchen to keep the dishes coming.
As for himself… naturally, he kept right on hiding.
After all, even a gentleman won't stand beneath a crumbling wall — let alone a lesser man like him.
Who could say whether the young duke's heir might suddenly snap mid-game, or whether the marquis's son might fly into a rage?
These young men's tempers were the most unpredictable thing in the world — and a powerless nobody like him, who only kept his skin thanks to riding on the First Prince's coattails, was better off staying out of sight.
…
Of course, nothing either the maid or the manager had imagined ever came to pass.
After Dark finished lunch with Aurora and Trina, they went right back to playing chess.
Dark had worried at first that Aurora might find it dull, but seeing her watch with genuine enthusiasm, he simply kept playing.
The match escalated from a single decisive game to best-of-three, then best-of-five, and eventually leapt all the way to best-of-eleven!
In the end, when Joshua fell to a crushing defeat of two wins to six, he finally couldn't bring himself to keep playing…
By then it was already three in the afternoon.
Dark rose, waved him a casual goodbye, and headed down to the fifth floor with Aurora, unhurried as ever.
From the fifth floor down to the second, every kind of luxury fashionable among the young could be found.
But Aurora clearly had no interest in browsing there, so the three of them headed downstairs and off toward their next destination.
…
Only after they'd truly left Star Tower did the nobles on the sixth floor finally snap out of their daze.
Someone finally couldn't help but ask, "So what did Demon actually come here for?"
Everyone else fell silent.
Only Joshua, having just been thoroughly trounced at Magic Guide Chess, muttered quietly, "To go shopping, I guess?"
That happened to be the truth, but naturally, no one believed him.
…
East City Pet Street.
As peace endured and life in the capital grew more prosperous, its residents had begun seeking things for the soul as well.
For those living alone, raising a pet or two could add a good deal of charm to life.
Back in the day, Dark had often come here to wander the pet street.
But he only ever petted, never bought, which made him fairly unpopular with some of the shopkeepers.
Of course, since he always had a maid of striking looks and bearing at his side, the shopkeepers never dared voice their displeasure.
This time, as always, Dark had the carriage stop outside the district and walked in on foot.
He'd earned something of a notorious reputation on this street, though at least he'd never done anything as bad as some other noble youths.
So the shopkeepers all turned a blind eye.
Of course, Dark rarely put on airs when he went out, and he seldom attended noble gatherings, so not only ordinary folk but even a good many young nobles knew his name without ever having seen his face.
Otherwise, if the shopkeepers had known the Valkyrie's own son had graced their street, they'd have rushed to shove every last pet into his arms.
After all, the Valkyrie's reputation in the kingdom was that resounding, adored by nearly everyone, especially within the capital.
Otherwise she could never have rivaled the Holy Church, which had been rooted in the kingdom for so long.
Once inside the pet street, Dark made his way with familiar ease to his favorite cat shop.
The pet shops in the city obviously couldn't sell something as rare as Catnip, but they weren't all ordinary pets either — some carried a trace of monster blood, or bore some kinship to magical beasts.
"Is this the place you wanted to visit?" Dark asked.
Aurora nodded.
The cat shop before them was called "Pampered for Life." Inside were a few very old cats that had never sold, and Dark always gave them a good scratch whenever he visited.
The owner of Pampered for Life was a plump auntie, and she was, without question, the only shopkeeper on the whole street who genuinely welcomed him.
At first, it was probably because so few people ever bothered to play with those old cats.
Later, it was because a dispute had broken out in the shop once while Dark happened to be there, and he'd had his maid step in.
Of course, he wasn't the type of good boy who liked lending a helping hand.
It was only that the young noble making the fuss had been too loud, disturbing his cat-petting.
Regardless of the reason, he really had helped resolve a crisis for the shop, and had earned its gratitude for it.
It was one of the few "good deeds" Dark had ever done.
The moment the plump auntie saw him walk in, she hurried inside and brought out a plate of cookies to welcome him.
Dark picked up a cookie, took a bite, and asked, "Where's Fatty?"
The shop had an orange cat named Fatty, who'd already been there when Dark first wandered in years ago.
Being so old, Fatty always picked a sunny spot and lay there without moving, which had let a young Dark — frustrated at never managing to catch Galileo — pet him to his heart's content.
Children always had a special fondness for whatever they'd gotten first.
Every time Dark visited, he'd habitually go looking for Fatty.
But this time, the plump auntie's expression seemed off.
Dark braced himself, little by little.
And sure enough, the auntie let out a sorrowful sigh. "He passed at Christmas."
Time, in the end, wears everything away.
The old orange cat hadn't made it through the holiday.
Dark fell silent.
Aurora, who'd been happily eyeing the kittens a moment before, unconsciously subdued her expression too.
"Birth, age, sickness, death — that's just how it goes," the auntie said, trying to comfort him. "Don't worry, though. Fatty passed peacefully, in his sleep."
Dark nodded. "It's fine. Let me just sit for a bit."
So saying, he picked up a chair and set it down in the beam of sunlight coming through the window.
Every summer, Fatty had always lain in that exact spot — it never changed.
Dark stared, a little lost, at the circle of light on the floor.
For a moment, he almost thought he heard that long-familiar purring again.
Dust drifted through the sunbeam.
…
He sat there, unmoving, staring for a full half hour.
At last, Dark composed himself.
When he rose again, he'd returned to his usual self.
"So, see any cats you like?"
"I like them all," Aurora said, looking up while cradling a tiny kitten.
Dark asked, "Want to take one home? It'd be good company for Galileo."
Aurora shook her head. "No, I have school. Aren't cats not allowed at the academy?"
"But you can bring Catnip," Dark said, giving her a wink.
Aurora had never been inside his bedroom, so of course she had no idea about the specialty of St. Marian's Traveler Street.
She grew curious at once. "What's Catnip?"
Dark said, "A kind of plant that's basically identical to a cat in every trait."
"There's such a thing?" Aurora asked, mouth half-open, already picturing what Catnip might look like — wondering just which part of its body the roots and stem connected to.
Dark said, "We should head back. I'll show you once we're home."
Aurora gave a bright, "Mm!"
…
After that, Dark and Aurora left the pet street directly.
Though he looked to have returned to normal, Aurora could clearly sense his mood was still low, so she didn't press him with conversation — she simply climbed into the carriage beside him, and together they rode all the way back to the ducal estate.
…
By the time the ducal estate came into view, the sun overhead had long since lost its earlier brilliance.
Dark stepped down from the carriage first, then offered Aurora his hand to help her down from the footboard.
In truth, Aurora, like Diana, had innate superhuman strength, and she'd quietly mentioned along the way that she didn't need any help — but Dark seemed to have forgotten.
Once she was down, she walked quietly at his side as they entered the estate together.
Trina, meanwhile, split off on her own path shortly after they entered.
She still had plenty of matters to attend to.
…
Dark climbed to the second floor, walked down the playground-styled hallway, and arrived at his bedroom door.
He raised a hand to knock.
But before his hand could land, the door swung open from the inside.
The Magic Guide Spirits had already sensed his approach and opened the door at once.
Sylveon's ribbons, as if running on some ingrained program, wound around his wrist at once, carrying through them a rush of longing and worry.
Dark crouched down, gathered Sylveon into his arms, and waved Aurora in through the door.
It was Aurora's first time in a boy's bedroom, and her cheeks were already flushed.
She looked around curiously at the room full of Magic Guide Spirits, surprised to find that nearly every one of them was reading.
Granted, the books were all phonetically annotated early-education primers, but it was still stunning enough.
Dark didn't bother hiding much.
He clapped his hands toward the direction of the Catnip.
At once, the five Catnip — all except the timid, shadow-loving Dragon Grass — came bounding over happily.
Watching the little darlings pump their short legs toward them was enough to melt anyone's heart, and Dark's low mood eased somewhat as he told Aurora, "These are Catnip. They come in many varieties, and you can keep them in the academy dormitory."
Aurora, staring at these creatures that were somehow both animal and plant, couldn't help crouching down to catch the short-haired Catnip's charging leap.
She seemed to have a natural affinity for plants, and the Catnip let itself be held obediently, without a struggle.
Before long, a whole ring of Catnip had gathered around her.
Dark let her play with the Catnip and settled onto the sofa for a short rest.
Not long after, Ollie, Maid Captain of the "Aries Maid Corps," knocked and entered.
She carried a thick stack of résumés and said, upon entering, "These are brief profiles of the tutor applicants. They've already been screened beforehand, so their credibility, at least, isn't in doubt."
Dark pointed at the table. "Set them down there for now. Has Diesel Seed been planted yet?"
Ollie smiled. "It has."
"Let's go take a look, then." Dark rose to his full height.
Aurora reluctantly set down the Catnip and followed him out.
The three of them went downstairs, crossed a long hallway, and soon reached the back garden.
The first thing that caught the eye was an expanse of flowers and lawn, spread evenly across the whole yard.
They stepped onto a path winding through the flower beds, a light breeze carrying the scent of blossoms toward them.
The sun sank in the west, its fading light spilling gently down.
Golden light touched every inch of skin.
A blond-haired boy and a silver-haired girl strolled through it together.
A lovely maid walked gently along behind them.
As the scenery unfolded before them, a specially cleared circular patch of earth came into view, still damp with moisture.
Diesel Seed had, in fact, already put forth a tiny, tender sprout.
____
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