"Regarding Demon Gods." It was an almost mandatory course for students who were interested in Demon Gods and entered related departments. Additionally, it was considered a good lecture for students from the Department of Spellcraft who were interested in Demon God magic.
Demon Gods were new entities. Unknown beings from peculiar spaces that people couldn't understand. It seemed common to consider whether something was worth replicating if you discovered something new.
That's why researching Demon Gods wasn't such a strange thing.
It meant that studying was appropriate whether it was to deal with harmful Demon Gods or to find components that could help with one's research.
At first, I thought about just following the professor around and studying texts, but since this seemed like an opportunity to learn more about this world, I started paying attention to the lectures.
"Among the students sitting here, does anyone know exactly what kind of beings Demon Gods are?"
The professor, with arms resting on the lectern, posed a question. Last week ended with orientation, and this was the second week when formal lectures began. Most students couldn't possibly know the content of a lecture they were hearing for the first time.
Karen, sitting next to me, was different. She was a hard worker who studied ahead for upcoming lectures. So she slightly raised her hand at the professor's question.
When the professor pointed at her saying, "You there, please speak," Karen opened her mouth.
"...A Demon God is an independent entity created when highly concentrated Mana combines with consciousness."
"Then is there anything that could be considered a characteristic of Demon Gods?"
"Their Vessel differs from other life forms, having an additional external vessel. Therefore, they create a Mana container called an Aura."
The professor nodded with satisfaction at Karen's answer and continued the explanation.
"As that student said, Demon Gods have a different Vessel than humans. The problem is that since it exists without an external framework and just surrounds the area, it has the power to kill living beings that enter it. This is the first reason why Demon Gods are considered dangerous."
The sound of chalk could be heard. White letters were inscribed on the black chalkboard. There were some readable characters, but most were illegible.
Tap, tap-tap. The tapping sound stopped. With the sound of dusting off hands, the explanation continued.
"The second dangerous aspect is their lack of moral concepts. From childhood, we know what is right and what is wrong. But Demon Gods have no opportunity for such education. They only care about themselves and consider everything except themselves as enemies."
"Oh."
I stared intently at the professor's lecture, finding it fascinating.
Honestly, even though I'm called a Demon God, I can't really consider myself one, so I listened as if it were someone else's story.
I thought that if I knew more about Demon Gods, I might understand the owner of this body better. Looking to the side, Karen seemed to be doing the same.
Seeing those passionate eyes focused on studying was impressive. She was the type who couldn't see anything else when concentrating on one thing. I felt she was somewhat similar to Sera in that way.
"They don't hesitate to wield enormous power. They act as if it doesn't matter to them if several people die as a result. There might be Demon Gods who come to kill people because they feel urgency as they sense their lifespan shortening, and there might be Demon Gods who come to kill people because they're bored with passing time day by day."
A slightly fearful voice emerged from the professor's lecture.
"Ex-excuse me, may I ask one thing?"
"What is it?"
"Are there really Demon Gods who kill people just for entertainment...?"
"Yes."
The classroom stirred at the professor's assertion.
"There are cases. Considering that they're rare, and sometimes we encounter crime scenes too late to classify which type they are, there might not be so few."
"..."
"Then I'll continue with the lecture."
After answering one student's question, the professor resumed the lecture.
Regarding Demon Gods. True to those words, it became a time to better understand the terror of Demon Gods.
I thought it might feel like facing a bear with bare hands if they don't communicate well and don't share moral concepts. How many people could maintain their sanity in the face of fear that they might die depending on the mood or change of heart of the other?
Even with the professor's voice announcing the end of the lecture, there was no sense of energy. The fear of Demon Gods had grown so much that everyone just created a gloomy atmosphere.
As I stared blankly at that atmosphere, Karen was still busily writing something.
"Karen, aren't you going to eat? The lecture's over."
"..."
"Karen?"
"Oh, sorry."
When I gently placed my hand on Karen's body, she finally realized my call and opened her eyes wide.
"Aren't you going to eat? The lecture's over now..."
"I don't have afternoon lectures today, so it's fine. Though it's a bit unfortunate that I have a morning lecture tomorrow."
Karen smiled bitterly at my words.
Having just one morning lecture on Friday, how unfortunate... Wait, isn't it good to have only morning classes? It would be better to have no classes on Friday after finishing everything on Thursday, but still.
"Then where are you going to eat, Karen?"
"I guess I'll go home and eat."
"Karen, let's eat together."
I gently shook Karen. She panicked and became flustered.
"Eat together...?"
"I'll be eating with the professor, but wouldn't it be okay to join us if we're going to talk about the Study Group...?"
When I casually brought up the Study Group, Karen started thinking seriously.
"Study Group? Is Professor Yuria your advisor?"
"Yes. Our professor said she'd help us."
"...Huh? What?"
Karen hesitated for a moment. After moistening her lips slightly, she glanced at where the professor was. Come to think of it, I wondered if our professor was the advisor for the Department of Demon God Research.
"Isn't our professor your advisor?"
"No, even in the Demon God department, professors are divided. My advisor is Professor Sylvia."
"Huh? Then why are you taking Demon God lectures from our professor?"
"...Let's just say it happened that way."
Karen trailed off. There seemed to be unavoidable circumstances. Perhaps the lecture hall was full, or some other seemingly trivial but significant reason.
I gave a glance to the hesitating Karen.
In response to my expression asking if she wasn't going to come, Karen firmly closed her dry lips. Those lips, which seemed like they would never open, carefully parted.
"...Then, shall we go? It would be good to make a good impression on the professor."
"Great!"
I got my answer. I gathered the white papers in front of me. After putting my pen in my pocket, I approached the professor with quick steps, and the professor extended her hand as if she had been waiting for me.
"My goodness, Urr, you were listening attentively to today's lecture. Was it interesting?"
"Yes, it was interesting."
The professor held out her hand as if offering to carry the papers, and I didn't hesitate to hand them over.
With my hands now free, I glanced back at where Karen was and spoke to the professor.
"Professor, let's eat with Karen."
"Hmm? With Karen? ...I don't mind, but why?"
"I want to talk about the Study Group."
When I playfully pleaded with the professor while grinning, she smiled bitterly and stroked my head. My hair, unkempt and rough, was gently brushed back.
I quietly felt that touch and then raised the corners of my mouth toward Karen, who was carefully packing her bag and coming down from behind.
After leaving the classroom, I moved outside the Academy with Karen to get something to eat.
"Come to think of it, Karen, you said your advisor is Sylvia."
"Y-yes..."
"It's okay. These kinds of small groups like Study Groups aren't many, and Sylvia doesn't run any separately, so there's nothing to worry about. Anyway, it's good to think of it as being in the same department researching Demon Gods."
The professor said reassuring words to Karen.
"I like students who work hard. It's even better if they have goals. I'm not asking for anything grand since you're not entering as an Institute Student, but if you have some kind of goal, may I ask what it is?"
"I want to research more about Demon Gods. I'm curious, you could say. With the limited information from books, what we can know is limited..."
The professor chuckled after hearing Karen's goal.
"Do you dream of becoming a professor? You'll have to work hard."
"...I think being just a researcher would be good too."
"You seem to be the type who likes studying. Urr likes studying too, so you'll get along well."
At the professor's words, I slightly raised my hand.
"When I say studying, I mean reading. I can at least choose between sirloin, tenderloin, and chicken."
When I said that, Karen next to me couldn't hold back her laughter and burst out with a "pfft." When I turned my head sharply, this time the professor laughed.
"Really? Then I won't tell you this time, so would you like to choose?"
With those words, we arrived at a family restaurant. Karen was horrified when she saw the menu, but the professor gave her a gentle smile.
"It's okay, I'm treating you."
"Th-thank you."
Karen bowed her head deeply, not knowing what to do. I glanced at the menu beside her.
"...Hmm."
There was no chicken. Instead, I could read sirloin and tenderloin. Remembering that tenderloin was tender before, I thought about trying it and pointed slightly with my hand.
The professor chuckled and shook her head.
"Not that, let's have this."
"...I don't know what that is."
"Shall we just eat it? I think this would be enough for all three of us."
Somehow the professor ended up ordering everything. Karen tried to choose something cheap but failed, and in the end, she had a non-alcoholic mojito in her hand.
"I feel like we're eating something too expensive... I'm sorry."
"No, I wanted to treat you. And it seems like Urr wanted to eat together too."
No sooner had the reassuring words to Karen ended than the food quickly arrived. I realized it was a T-bone steak, wondering what dish it was.
So it was a steakhouse...!
I didn't know because there were no pictures on the menu.
Realizing this belatedly, I glanced at Karen with an "oops" feeling. No wonder Karen was so flustered—I had no idea this was the reason.