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Kalego's room was immersed in deep darkness, even though the sun had been in the sky for hours. The heavy black curtains prevented the sun's rays from penetrating through the windows. In that darkness, the purple haired demon's hellphone screen lit up.Grunting in annoyance at being interrupted from his research of rest, Kalego reached for the hellphone with his left hand. The message he had just received flashed insistently on the screen. It was from Opera. ‘Kalego-kun, it's Opera. Sullivan-sama and I are about to arrive at your house. Make yourself presentable. See you soon’The purple haired demon uttered a colorful curse.Kalego rose from his bed again, his mood as dark as the leaden sky. If it had been another demon writing to him, he would have asked for the favor of a pack of cigarettes purchased with the money back. Balam was strongly against his resuming smoking and never failed to point it out when he visited his house to bring medicine for the Evil Cycle. As for Opera, Kalego would rather bite his own claws off than ask them for a favor.While he was quickly tidying himself up, the doorbell rang. "What is it?" the purple haired demon asked after opening the front door, not wanting to waste time on useless pleasantries. "Good morning to you too, Kalego-kun" Sullivan said in a cheerful but clearly forced tone, loading every word to highlight how one greeted a guest. Kalego was standing between the door and the inside of the house, clearly showing his unwillingness to let them in. But Sullivan and Opera, as always, didn't really care about his opinion. They came forward as if nothing had happened, Kalego could only sigh heavily."I didn't expect such a bright house" Opera said, clearly sarcastic. The only lighting in the house at that moment was that of the living room, where the three demons headed. "Since you're planning on staying, I'll make you some helltea," the purple haired demon warned. A hand rose in the air in a stopping gesture. “Oh no, no need, Kalego-kun. It’s a quick visit, and Opera needs to go back to Babyls” Sullivan stated, his left hand still in mid-air. Opera, despite their always calm facial expression, revealed a certain skepticism with a small frown.“Sullivan-sama, I already told you-” the cat demon began, but they were interrupted by the High ranking demon. “And I insist. Go back to Babyls alone, you’ll have to take care of it for me for a while. I can manage here without you, trust me. Thanks for everything, Opera” he stated in a slightly serious tone. Kalego made an annoyed noise at the implied insult: Sullivan had just said that he didn’t consider Kalego the slightest bit of a threat that would require the Security Devil’s presence. While it had long been known, since he began his work at Babyls as a teacher and as a Guard Dog, for a demon to be declared harmless was an insult to one's honor.He decided to ignore this and sat down on the couch in front of the one where Sullivan had already sat down without asking permission, enjoying the show of Opera who, despite being reticent, obeyed the implicit order of their master. The cat demon made a quick bow, wished them a pleasant conversation and left the house without waiting to be shown the door. Left alone, Kalego was able to return to concentrate on the other nuisance that was infesting his house. The demon could not fail to notice how Sullivan seemed to have aged, in those few weeks following the tragic day. His age remained undefined, but now wrinkles that had not been there before had appeared on his forehead, under his eyes, on his hollow cheeks."So, Chair-demon" Kalego began, wanting to get this matter over with quickly, "What brings you to my house?". Sullivan sighed softly, as if preparing to deliver a much-rehearsed speech. The demon had his arms resting loosely on his thighs, leaning forward without a shred of the vitality that had distinguished him... until two weeks ago. But that was not an entirely correct observation on Kalego's part. A small flame glowed behind the small round spectacles that rested lazily above his long, pointed nose, a flame of hope. "I have come to ask you a request. You are the only one I can ask it of" the bald demon replied.Kalego sighed, running a hand through the hair that covered his forehead. "Chair-demon, as urgent as your request may be to the point of driving you to my residence, I remind you that I am on an excused break. If you have any tasks to give me, I would advise you to entrust them to one of my worthy colleagues or wait for my return at Babyls" the purple haired demon said calmly. Sullivan did not give up for so little. "You are wrong, Kalego-kun. It is something that I can only ask of you, at this specific moment, before too much time passes" he replied firmly.Kalego urgently felt the need to smoke. Instinctively, he reached for the left back pocket of his pants, finding it empty. He cursed himself three times: for having finished the last pack available; for not having gone to buy more; for having answered Opera's message, instead of pretending not to have done so and returning to the little sleep he had worked so hard to find.When he returned his gaze to the high ranking demon, Kalego saw that he was handing him a pack of cigarettes. It wasn't the brand he usually smoked, but he made do. After a brief initial hesitation, he took the pack, took out a cigarette, and lit it after placing the pack in his left back pocket. "I need you to be clear-headed to listen to what I'm about to tell you, Kalego-kun," Sullivan began to explain. The purple haired demon took a breath and then nodded. Sullivan continued, "That's something I can only ask of you. Opera doesn't know anything about this, or they would be strongly against it. They're... a little apprehensive, after what happened. I won't go on any further. Kalego-kun, I know how to prevent Iruma-kun's death." Kalego's heart froze for a moment at those unexpected few words. For a moment, he felt warm, genuine hope. However, a cold realization followed."Sullivan-sama, I understand your grief, but I urge you to come to your senses. There is no way to bring the dead back to life" the purple haired demon replied coldly, then took a small puff of smoke. Sullivan shook his head slightly, then took something from the right pocket of his purple jacket. He held out his hand towards him, then slowly opened his fingers and revealed the contents that rested in his palm: a small, round, golden object. A golden ring. The Gluttony ring. 'Iruma's ring' Kalego realized. Anguish began to rise at that sight. Valac had searched for it throughout the Principal room without success. Iruma had been celebrated and cremated without it. The sound of the ring against the floor, after slipping from Iruma's finger where it had found a permanent home for over a year, resounded in Kalego's ears. Instead of smoke, his tongue was now filled with the taste of nausea."I had a bit of a hard time getting him to see reason, but in the end we came to an understanding" Sullivan explained again, ignoring Kalego's answer. The purple haired demon thought that the old demon had lost his mind once and for all for having started to talk to a magical item, but he didn't have time to express this doubt that Sullivan continued "I know you are full of doubts, but I need your help. You are free to refuse, of course, but I know for a fact that you would regret it. You are all I need for this mission: a high-ranking demon, with experience to sell, on a break from Babyls, but above all... you knew Iruma-kun, and I know that he was important to you too. He was one of your dearest student" the demon concluded, with a clear note of emotion in his voice. Kalego looked away, while Sullivan added "You lost a student, while I lost a grandson. Our regrets coincide, so we can collaborate"Kalego took another drag of smoke. "Chair-demon..." he tried to say, but the other demon beat him to it. "I've lost my king, I've lost my beloved grandson. What else does an old man like me have to do?" Sullivan asked, more as if he were talking to himself out loud than to Kalego."And tell me, how did you come up with this absurd idea?" Kalego asked, his left knee starting to jump with nervousness. Sullivan lowered his gaze, staring intently at the small golden ring that lay motionless in the palm of his open hand. Without looking in his direction, Sullivan asked, "Kalego-kun, do you know what it feels like to feel helpless?" Kalego looked at him in surprise, not expecting the question. He nodded slowly, replying, "Unfortunately, helplessness and weakness are bitter pills that I have had to swallow many times throughout my life, like everyone else. So what?"Sullivan remained silent for a few seconds, as if contemplating something. In a toneless voice he continued his speech "I speak of another kind of helplessness. The one that immobilizes you, makes you only able to observe. The helplessness that does not allow you to scream, to beg, to intervene, or to ask for help from anyone else. The helplessness that you feel coursing through you as the horror unfolds before your eyes, reaching your ears. Unable to stop it all, to look away or cover your ears. Voice deaf to the ears of its recipient, warnings shouted but not heard. What do you think you could possibly want, when it's all over?"Kalego looked away, staring in turn at the item that had been around Iruma's finger for over a year. "I think..." the purple haired demon replied slowly, bitterly "I think I would like more strength. I would do anything to have the power I didn't have at that moment". Sullivan nodded, returning to stare at him. His eyes shone with a determination never seen before. "Then we're in the same boat, Kalego-kun. We all want the same thing" he said.Kalego ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. He didn't want to indulge the follies of an old demon in mourning; but if, on the other hand, he was right…"I'm not accepting, let me be clear," Kalego replied firmly, "But I want to know what kind of trouble you're getting me into this time". Sullivan, having arrived at his house, finally smiled with a pure heart. "Nothing difficult, Kalego-kun. Really, a trifle... you have to go back in time"Kalego blinked repeatedly, incredulous at his own ears. Sullivan continued, looking decidedly more motivated. "There's no way to bring the dead back to life even with forbidden spells, you're right about that. But! There are quite a few ancient spells that are very useful, and with the combination of my magic and the help of this little guy..." he pointed out, swinging the ring slightly in his palm, "... I can arrange to take you back in time! We didn't have the time or enough information to act that day. "Act with hindsight" is something you can do now! The only thing you have to do is go back and save Iruma, easy peasy!"Kalego inadvertently crushed the cigarette still halfway between his fingers. "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard in my life!" the purple haired demon yelled, standing up suddenly "There are no bulletproof studies or books on time travel! There are spells that can somehow manipulate the flow of time, but not reverse it! And what am I supposed to do, once I go back?!"Sullivan began to fiddle with the ring between his fingers, while replying "Whatever you feel is necessary. I trust your judgment, otherwise you wouldn't have been Babyls' Guard Dog all this time". Kalego could do nothing but sit back down, feeling defeated by so much nonsense. He put his face in his hands, dejected. "I'm serious, Kalego-kun. I can arrange for you to come back, but I need your cooperation" Sullivan insisted, suddenly serious."... Why doesn't Opera-senpai know anything? Why not ask Shichiro? He was definitely fond of Iruma as if he were his own, and he knows things about humans that I can't even hope to imagine or even care about. Chair-demon, why don't you do it yourself?" the purple haired demon asked. His instinct was that there was something strange, if not downright suspicious, about the high ranking demon's reluctance to involve the other two demons in the plan."First of all, I can only send one demon back, and I'll already be busy performing the spell. Opera would never approve of me performing it, they'd fear for my safety. Balam-kun is a very kind and good demon, but... he might lose sight of the goal at some point" Sullivan replied, serious and calm. "But you, Kalego-kun, are clever. Ruthless, I dare say. You are the Guard Dog of Babyls, and it is your duty to protect the treasures within. Iruma-kun is one of its most precious treasures, and he has been lost. Shouldn't you want to move to recover him yourself?"Kalego just stared at him in silence for a few seconds, weighing the pros and cons. He was being asked to do something he hadn't done before, something illegal considering forbidden spells were involved. He could be arrested by the Demon Border Patrol. He could be demoted from his rank as punishment, and lose his job at Babyls.But if there was a real, tangible chance to absolve his regrets of that day, wouldn't it be foolish to throw it all away out of fear?He hadn't been able to control Cerberus for days, due to his unstable mental state. His reputation at Babyls was falling apart every day. He couldn't do his job properly. What the hell, he didn't even know when this almost Evil cycle would end. It could last a few more days, but it could also last weeks. What would he do then? Wasn't he being offered a chance to accomplish what he had wanted all those long days? A chance to prevent all this from happening? To act in time? Sullivan was offering him just that: time to act. Did he have anything left to lose?Kalego sighed slowly, resigned to the knowledge of his own madness. He feared for a moment that it was something Sullivan had passed on to him.“I must correct my previous answer” the demon said. “I agree, but only on one condition: you must give me a way out of this mess. I will need everything you can provide when I get back, or I will be a madman boasting about things that have not yet happened. I need to bring with me proof of what justifies this mission”Sullivan nodded happily. “That will be no problem. You will have to tell me one word, one simple word, and I will believe everything you tell me. I'm the only one who knows the story behind this word, so if you tell me I'll know that you're telling the truth” the bald demon said, then spoke the key word. Kalego looked at him in shock and, not too hidden, a little disgusted."Should I really... should I really say that? As much as you are a clown, an irresponsible, a self-centered fool who always thinks only of his own needs ignoring the consequences that promptly fall on others, you are still a demon of a higher rank than me. I could never say that word" he explained his doubts. Sullivan tilted his head slightly "Well, now you have definitely addressed me with much harsher words..." he pointed out, then stood up from the sofa."Come on, let's not waste any more time! There's my beloved grandson to save, and this spell is taking too long already! Let's get to work!" he said in a confident voice, a confidence that Kalego did not fully share.After an hour or so, which Kalego spent sipping a helltea he had prepared for himself and Sullivan, the bulk of the spell had been cast. A circle containing symbols unknown to him filled the space where Kalego's coffee table had been. Sullivan invited him by accompanying him with an arm to the center of the circle, placed the Gluttony ring in his hands and then went to sit back down on the couch."My old bones can't stand up for all this time, you understand" the bald demon explained, before saying in a more serious voice, "Please, Kalego-kun. You are the only hope to save Iruma-kun. Do what you think is necessary, whatever that is. But please, please, save my grandson. He didn't deserve anything that happened to him"Kalego, the golden ring clenched in his left fist, realized at that moment that he was at the point of no return. Normally, he wouldn't have given a cent to Sullivan's follies, but this plot was the only one his goal agreed with. That old demon, as eccentric and unpredictable as he was, was handing him a new ambition on a silver platter: to solve his regrets, to do what he had failed to do before. The weight of his regrets would no longer bend his knees. Kalego would use everything he wanted, in this new timeline he would achieve all his goals, of saving and vengeance."It will be done" the purple haired demon finally replied. Sullivan welcomed the words. "Oh, I forgot: never let go of the Gluttony ring until you reach your destination. And be careful not to bite your tongue!" he added in a more playful tone. Kalego didn't have time to reply as the circle beneath him lit up with a vibrant purple light. Everything around him first became blurry, then began to speed by at an incalculable speed. If he hadn't been told to watch his tongue, he would have cursed at the old demon. Sullivan sighed, exhausted. His arms were loosely resting on his legs, his back leaning against the soft backrest.There were three valid reasons why forbidden spells had fallen into almost total disuse.First of all, they were forbidden, so some trouble was inevitable if you were caught.Secondly, some of them were spells that required a lot of ingredients, small inner spells, counter spells, a lot of mana, immense knowledge about the object protagonist of the forbidden spell; in short, it was an almost infinite nuisance that many demons, easily bored, did not want to undertake.Thirdly, they required a high, important price, that not all demons were willing to pay.After all, as the humans said: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth…”… And time for a time."Oh, Opera will be so angry..." Sullivan said to himself, while his fingers became colder and colder, the lungs became increasingly less cooperative "I had a promise that I had to keep with them..."The cacti in the house were the sole, helpless witnesses to the demise of one of the Three Greats.…It had been a long time, if not years, since Kalego had been drunk. His alcohol tolerance was high, though obviously not on par with Balam's. He rarely overindulged, though, being a demon who focused on quality over quantity. As something was poking his left shoe, Kalego realized he was having the most absurd hangover of his life, because he hadn't touched a drop. A strong taste of nausea pervading his mouth, his eyes sensitive to the light coming from who knows where. Loud, ringing voices came from all sides, giving him a headache."... Silence!" he ordered, whining from pain caused by his own voice, though he didn't know who he was addressing those words to. Kalego put a hand over his eyes, trying to figure out where he was. He only knew that he was lying on a hard, cold surface, that obnoxious voices were coming from all directions, but above all that he felt dizzy like a few times in his life."Kalego-sensei, are you okay?!" a gentle voice asked, as two small hands tried to help him sit up. Two more pairs of hands came to the aid of the unknown demon, lifting him up faster and with considerably more force. Kalego blinked repeatedly, shocked. He couldn't believe his ears. It must have been the effect of the hangover.In front of him was Iruma, surrounded as always by Asmodeus and Clara, who was consulting with the latter on what to do."Maybe we should take Sir Kalego to the infirmary, he doesn't have a good color" the pink haired boy noted, while Clara exclaimed with her usual cheerfulness "Can't you see that Eggie-sensei is gloomy as always? Maybe he just wanted to take a nap!". Iruma gave a nervous laugh "I really don't think the floor of this corridor is so comfortable, Clara. Azz-kun is right, if he doesn't feel well we should help and take him to the infirmary". Asmodeus nodded briskly at that statement "Of course, Iruma-sama! I will personally help you carry him!". Clara also gave her contribution, shouting something that Kalego didn't understand well.His gaze, like his attention, was completely focused on Iruma. An Iruma who spoke, laughed, and moved calmly. An Iruma who breathed.An Iruma who was alive.Kalego leaned slightly toward the blue-haired boy, when something rolled away from his left hand. "Look, Irumacchi! It's like your ring!" Clara exclaimed, kneeling before the ring. It rolled and rolled, then rolled one last time and stopped. A cracking sound. In the blink of an eye, the Gluttony ring broke in two.A small, light, thin purple vapor came out of the golden object. A sigh, more like a confused mumble, was heard from the strange purple essence. Then, it disappeared into thin air.Iruma flinched in surprise: it was the first time he had seen a ring like the Gluttony ring! In fact, it seemed identical to Alikred’s ring! Could this be the first concrete step to solving the mystery of Alikred? Iruma turned to Kalego "Kalego-sensei, I know my curiosity may seem strange, but I would like to ask you where you found...!"The young human's words were interrupted by something he didn't think he could witness. Kalego rose to his knees, his back straight, and took his shoulders in his hands. Or rather, to be correct, he squeezed his shoulders in his hands. He looked at him as if he hadn't seen him for who knows how long, eyes full of astonishment and confusion.The half-open mouth seemed to want to say something, but he didn't know what. Suddenly, Iruma found himself with his nose against the crook of the demon's neck. Exclamations of surprise came from behind him. Kalego, the grim and stern Kalego, was hugging him. The purple haired demon's bare arms were around his back, pressing him firmly against his chest, almost protectively, but not roughly. The teacher's face was hidden against his right shoulder, the expression painted on his face that he was currently having well hidden from the view of the three young students.For a moment, a very long moment, Kalego was so scared at the thought that Iruma could slip from his grasp, as if he were only a pathetic illusion. Instead, a small, living, breathing human body was concretely in his arms.Iruma was alive.Alive.No matter how much he repeated it to himself, Kalego couldn't get it into his mind. It wasn't an auditory hallucination anymore. It wasn't a quick shadow that disappeared from his vision just long enough to come into focus. Iruma was there, he was alive, he could feel the heat of his body untouched by torture and horror.It had never been a mystery what he thought of Sullivan. That case, just that one situation, was the exception that proves the rule. Kalego never felt more grateful for having indulged one of the old demon's whims, because he had been given the chance to meet Iruma again.An event that had been something to be taken for granted for more than a year; an event that, for days, had become only a bitter memory full of regrets.Iruma was a bit startled, but not in a bad way. He was just very surprised by such atypical behavior. Hesitantly, Iruma stretched out his arms free in their movements towards the demon's bust, to return the hug.Sadly, this wasn't possible. Kalego released the hug, canceling Iruma's attempt to return the gesture. The blue haired boy sensed that something strange had happened to the teacher to behave in such a way, but he couldn't imagine what. The purple haired demon's hands were again on his small shoulders. Kalego's left hand moved to his neck, two fingers checking his heartbeat. Iruma found it an even stranger behavior for the teacher, but he let him do it. After a few seconds, the hand moved to the side of Iruma's face, slightly moving his hair away from his face. As if he wanted to look at him better, as if he wanted to check that it was really him.The other hand also moved from Iruma's shoulder to his face. Kalego's fingers touched the earring with the feather. The feather was free of blood splatters, clean as it had always been since Barbatos Bachiko had given it as a gift to Iruma for the excellent results achieved. The ahoge was lively and stiff as ever, Iruma's eyes shone with the usual vitality and curiosity for everything around him. His cheeks were pinky, and his skin was warm.'He's alive' the demon continued to repeat to himself mentally, slowly getting to his feet. 'Iruma is alive, breathing, and here. Nothing has happened yet'Kalego could have hugged him again and for more time, leaving him to return the hug this time, like in the best tearjerker stories. Or he could have thrown himself at his feet and asked for forgiveness for not being able to save him, like in the best bittersweet epilogues.But he hadn't been sent there just to exercise mere sentimentality. Kalego's resolution was to atone for those regrets by erasing their root, not to confess them hoping for forgiveness. He was a demon of substance, not of words. He had no time to waste. But then again, how much time had he been given?"Sir Kalego, have you by any chance been involved in some unpleasant incident?" Asmodeus asked, much more uncomfortable than Iruma by the demon's strange behavior "I don't mean to insult you in the least, but..." It was Clara who interrupted him, jumping on the spot as she finished the boy's sentence "Eggie-sensei smells like smoke! Eggie-sensei is like a chimney!” she exclaimed. Iruma turned his head in her direction "Clara, saying that is a bit rude...!" the blue haired boy warned her weakly, even though he had noticed it too. But Kalego paid no attention to the girl's words."What day is it?" the teacher asked abruptly. Asmodeus, for the first time, felt genuine concern for their homeroom teacher. He wasn't dressed in the typical teacher uniform, but simply in a black short-sleeved shirt, as well as pants and shoes. His eyes had dark circles, as if he had missed nights of restful sleep. Repeatedly. He smelled of smoke, he hadn't wanted to say it openly but it seemed to him like the smell of cigarettes. So out of character, they had found him unconscious in the middle of a corridor, while they were heading to Royal One for the next lesson. And now he seemed disoriented and confused, to the point of having forgotten such a simple thing."It's day XX" Iruma replied, calmly. Kalego seemed to be in trouble, which further convinced him of the need to take him to the infirmary. Kalego, on the other hand, began to think quickly.'It's the day before' he realized, his hands shaking. 'Sullivan actually managed to take me back in time. But I only have twenty-four hours. How the fuck am I supposed to stop Narnia's plan and save Iruma in such a short amount of time? It was a multi-pronged attack. There's the Demon Border Patrol to distract, the Human Deportation Act backed by evidence, and Narnia... he's still a Thirteenth Crown. He has the authority to follow Iruma anywhere, there's no safe place for him in the Netherworld'Kalego's eyes widened at the realization. The demon's hands slid towards Iruma's arms, until they reached his wrists. Like pincers, they closed around them. Iruma flinched, his grip was firm and strong. He tried to retreat, but to no avail. Kalego’s face was hardened by cold determination. Looking him straight in the eyes, his expression frowning, Kalego stated in a tone that brooked no reply "Enough of this bullshit. You go back home immediately. NOW!"Iruma sweated coldly, a sudden fear crawling to his bones.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"W-Wait! Please! Wait a moment, Kalego-sensei!" Iruma pleaded, as he was dragged by his right wrist. Kalego walked briskly, while keeping Iruma in sight and safe between his left arm and chest. Iruma, trying to keep up with the teacher, stumbled. Kalego picked him up bodily, his left arm around his waist, continuing to flee. Asmodeus and Clara, dismayed and worried, were on his heels."Sir Kalego, has something happened at Sullivan mansion? We will personally accompany Iruma-sama!" Asmodeus exclaimed, unable to leave his milord's side especially in moments of difficulty. "Eggie-sensei, don't keep Irumacchi all to yourself! We're coming too!" Clara exclaimed, feeling more and more uncomfortable in front of the demon's reaction, and her instinct was never wrong.The teacher and students began to turn bend after bend, passing one corridor after another. "You two go back to class immediately, this is none of your business!" Kalego shouted, having neither the desire nor the time to waste after the two students. He had another priority at the moment. "Kalego-sensei, please! I don't understand, has something happened to Grandpa or Opera-san?! They are both in Babyls, I saw it this morning! Why do I have to go home so urgently?" the blue haired boy asked, trying to wriggle free. To no avail, Kalego's grip was immovable, as he had already experienced during the last thirteen hours as a familiar, before the unexpected renewal of his contract.Kalego clicked his tongue in annoyance. The last thing he wanted to hear was Iruma's panicked voice. 'But a frightened voice is better than no voice at all' the demon thought, before turning to the blue haired boy he was holding as if nothing had happened.“You are not safe here. You never were, and all because of some weird idea of the Chair-demon. There is no safe place for you in the Netherworld, so you must return to your home” he explained shortly. Iruma flinched, his entire body shaking with fear of suspicion. His face, pale from the possibility he was dreading in his mind, could practically be read as to what he was thinking. “Kalego-sensei, you...?” the blue haired boy muttered in fear. Kalego nodded “... I know. That's why you must return to your home. Your real home”Iruma could feel the blood run cold in his veins. Kalego, one of the demons close to him but one of the strictest and most pragmatic of them, knew his secret. Kalego knew he was human. Worse, he wanted to take him back. Iruma didn't know how, but he was being taken by the purple haired demon to his old world. To his parents, to his old life."P-Please, no...! No, I don't want to! No!" Iruma shouted, struggling with much more urgency than before, kicking and trying to break free. "Kalego-sensei, please stop and talk about this!" the blue haired boy pleaded, terrified at the possibility of being taken back to the Human Realm, away from the demons he loved and the life he led in the Netherworld.The other two demons behind them lend him support. "Sir Kalego, what's going on? At least listen to Iruma-sama!" Asmodeus stated with a voice full of urgent concern, unable to get past him and block his path. "That's right! Eggie-sensei, listen to Irumacchi!" Clara said, holding on to his right leg, trying to put weight on him to slow his pace. "Kalego-sensei! Please!" Iruma exclaimed, pleading. There was yet another curve in sight. Iruma had lost track of the path they were taking, but he was sure he had never seen those walls. The area was deserted, never explored before. Iruma did not know where he was being led, the lack of knowledge made him even more alarmed."What the hell do you want from me?!" Kalego's voice answered in a brusque tone. The four individuals froze, shocked. But not as much as the demon they found in front of them, who had just turned the corner: Kalego, their Kalego, wearing as always the school uniform of the teachers, who looked at them as if they had just come out of a nightmare.Kalego’s eyes, the one that just appeared, quickly jumped from Asmodeus, to Clara who was still clinging to one leg, to Iruma who had stopped struggling in surprise, and finally to the demon who had his exact face."Fuck!" the two Kalegos exclaimed simultaneously. The Kalego holding Iruma cast a non-verbal spell, which caused the wall to the left of the other Kalego to explode. With a sharp but decisive movement of his leg, he threw Clara at Asmodeus, who caught her in mid-air and fell backwards, clutching the green haired girl in his arms. Kalego, his vision obscured by the smoke from the exploded wall, cast a capture spell in vain. When the smoke cleared, he found himself faced with only Asmodeus and Clara, as confused and disoriented as he was.Kalego muttered a curse. "Asmodeus! Valac! Are you okay?" the demon asked. Speechless, the two students simply nodded, their eyes darting around them to find who was missing. Kalego put the index and middle fingers of his left hand to his ear. He activated the mental communication spell."To all Babyls staff!" he announced in an angry voice "Lock down every entrance, every classroom and every battle room immediately. If there are still students in the hallways, grab them and throw them into the nearest classrooms. Each teacher in the classroom should remain there with the students, classrooms without one will be assigned to the closest teacher. No one is to leave or enter. Also tell the school staff what I am about to say: a student has just been kidnapped. There is an intruder who has taken my semblance"Asmodeus and Clara flinched at those words, realizing the weight of his words as the teacher gave further instructions. "I repeat, an intruder in the guise of myself, Naberius Kalego, has captured a student. Location currently unknown. Permission granted to use Bloodline abilities. Permission denied due to warning shots. A demon has committed the folly of attempting to steal one of Babyls' treasures. We do not know who the intruder is or their rank, but we do know who the student involved is: the Honor Student, Iruma"…Iruma tried to focus his gaze in the dim light surrounding him, looking for some reference point. After the explosion he had seen white for an instant, his ears whistled with the same urgency of a burglar alarm. Then, nothing. He felt like he was on top of something that was moving quickly, the sound of footsteps coming from underneath him.'They're not my feet' the blue haired boy realized, still a little dazed. His eyes managed to see better what he was resting on, or rather who was carrying him: Kalego, the one he had helped, in company of Asmodeus and Clara, was holding him on his back, his arms around his legs to keep him from falling to the ground. Iruma realized that he couldn't focus on what was around him both because he was immersed in the dim light and because the demon was running.Iruma's mind reworked what had happened in reverse, starting from the explosion to the last sentence the demon had addressed to him. Startled, Iruma placed his palms against the purple haired demon's back and pushed himself backwards. He had temporarily forgotten how strong Kalego's grip could be, so the disastrous outcome of his escape attempt was quite predictable.Iruma fell backwards, but he took the teacher with him. Luckily for him, as surprised as he was by his sudden awakening, Kalego broke his fall by shifting his center of gravity forward and landing on his knees. Iruma took advantage of that opportunity to kick and thrash around quickly. He slipped out of the grip, fell on his butt with a small yelp of surprise, but at least he was free.Kalego immediately turned around and grabbed his right wrist and held his arm up, while his other hand closed on the blue haired boy's left hand. Iruma was thus rendered unable to use the Gluttony ring. "You... you are Kalego-sensei, right?" the blue haired boy asked, confused but sure of his instincts. "You know I can't use magic without the ring. And you know well Babyls. I've never seen these corridors, while you walk as if you knew this path by heart. And… I have a feeling that you are Kalego-sensei" he continued, the hypothesis increasingly concrete in his mind.Kalego made an irritated noise, while he raised himself on his legs and dragged him with him "It doesn't matter. You'll forget everything soon" the demon replied, coldly. Iruma remembered the destination of that atypical escape, as well as the fact that he had to act quickly. "Kalego-sensei, I don't quite understand the situation, but please let's talk about it! I like the Netherworld, and I want to stay here!" the blue haired boy pleaded, stopping to move his arms after yet another failed attempt to escape.Kalego, on the other hand, tightened his grip while saying "Give up, Iruma. You don't belong in the Netherworld, you must return to your world. It’s impossible for humans and demons to coexist". Iruma paled at those words. A distant echo of what he had heard in the past, during the Harvest Festival. However, this time it was not an illusion that spoke those words, but Kalego in flesh and blood.Kalego didn’t want to hurt the boy, but he felt it was necessary to dismantle his fantasies of coexistence while there was still time. He had already seen what continuing to live in the Netherworld would lead to for Iruma. In his home world, he would be safe from all of this.Kalego let out a short sigh, then added “You have no reason to worry. This is an emergency escape route, known only to the Chair-demon, the Guard Dog of Babyls and a few other teachers of some importance within Babyls. I have no doubt that Shichiro is trying to locate me at this right moment, so we have little time. I will take you to Azazel Henry-sama. Once you explain your situation to him, he will erase your memory and return you to the Human Realm. There you will be safe and have no need to fear for your life, unlike in the Netherworld. It's for your own good”Iruma shook his head. “No, it’s wrong. It’s so wrong” the young human said, shocked. This wasn’t the ending he wanted. He didn’t want to say goodbye to his friends, his family. And most of all, he didn’t want to forget all of them.Kalego released the boy’s left hand from his grip, moving in the direction he had been running earlier. Iruma dug his feet into the floor. Kalego tugged at the blue haired boy, but the latter continued to resist not only with his feet but with all the muscles of his legs. Kalego tugged at him again, meeting the same resistance.“Don't throw tantrums, you’ll go anyway. If you keep going like this I'll carry you for all the walk. Willingly or not” he threatened, hoping for more cooperation. On the contrary, Iruma looked him in the eyes with renewed determination. "Kalego-sensei, I won't cause any trouble" the blue haired boy stated confidently, continuing to slow down the advance with his body. "I've been in the Netherworld for a while, so I'll make sure I don't get into trouble, I promise! I know there's been a fuss about the Scala exam, but I'll be more careful from now on. There's no safer place for me than the Netherworld. And where I was before, there's no one waiting for me, anyway"Iruma didn't expect a positive answer right away; he didn't expect a positive answer at all, knowing the teacher. Precisely for this reason, he was very surprised by the demon's look.He thought he would find the usual severity, stubbornness, or disbelief.
He found a look full of compassion, repentance, and pity.Kalego stopped tugging, though he didn't let go. Looking him straight in the eyes, he replied, "You are not safe in the Netherworld at all, Iruma". The blue haired boy covered the demon's hand with his free hand, compassionately. In a calm voice, he said, "I know the Netherworld is a harsh and unforgiving world, you have told me so many times since I have been in Babyls. And I know it is not a hospitable environment, even though I have been welcomed so warmly by Grandpa and all of you. But it is my world too, I have decided that long ago. I have survived until now, I can continue to do so. Please, Kalego-sensei, let's talk about this. Can you explain to me the reason for this urgency? I am sorry that you found out that I am human, but I remain a student of Babyls. I will not leave this place. It’s my home"Kalego frowned at those words. Had Iruma always been this stubborn? Sure, that was how he had managed to rise in rank and establish so many relationships with so many different demons. But that hadn’t saved him in the end. Would things really have changed if he hadn’t taken him to the one place Narnia couldn’t reach him?Perhaps, Kalego thought, the best course of action was to explain to him that there were demons in this world who cared nothing for his will or his good intentions, wanting only to be rid of his presence as well as his existence. Kalego did not loosen his grip, but Iruma felt it slightly less firm.The purple haired demon said, "The problem is not you, Iruma. I have known about your nature for a while, if I had thought you were a threat to Babyls I would have already taken care of you as such. It’s this world that does not accept you. You have a Thirteenth Crown against you, it’s like having a part of the Netherworld itself against you"Iruma tilted his head slightly at that statement, uncomfortable and confused. Kalego, after an initial hesitation, continued "It's up to you to believe me or not, but I'm not from this timeline. I..."He stopped at the sight of Iruma's eyes shining with wonder, who had lost every shred of fear "Are you a “time traveler”, Kalego-sensei? Is that why you're different than usual today? Does magic allow demons to do this too? It's incredible! I had seen it in a game that Lied-kun suggested to me to play sometime, and I think I've often heard in the past an advertisement for a light novel that had a protagonist with a black jacket and traveled through time… but I didn't think it was really possible !" exclaimed the blue haired boy, enthusiastically.Yes, Kalego had definitely grown accustomed to Iruma's strangeness, who found even the most shocking things wonderful. He sighed, then continued seriously "Shut up and listen to me for a moment". His gaze had softened, but not the content of his words "Where I come from, about two weeks from now, your secret has brought you to ruin". Iruma calmed down, looking at him apprehensively. The demon continued "Your secret has been discovered by a Thirteen Crown. Tomorrow morning, the Fang platoon will come here to Babyls with a Human Deportation Act and will use it for your forced removal from the Netherworld"Iruma's face went pale as he heard one of his worst tumors become reality, as Kalego continued to explain "In a moment of confusion, you will be kidnapped by the real demon who will use the Act against you. He will torture you"Kalego could feel the trembling of Iruma's arm, the hand that still held him down. Kalego stated "You are a creature that does not exist in the Netherworld. He will torture you repeatedly for information. He..." the demon swallowed. No, Iruma did not deserve to know the levels of humiliation he had been subjected to, while they were spinning their wheels in his desperate search "He... your body won't be able to take any more, and I’ll be too late in your rescue. Tomorrow you’ll die, Iruma"The blue haired boy was now shaking from head to toe. Fearing that his legs would give out at any moment, Kalego helped him slowly sit on the floor, his back supported by one of the corridor walls, receiving a faint thank you in return. Although the pain was freshened with every word, the purple haired demon decided to continue. Iruma really understood what he was getting into. And he deserved to know who was to blame."You’ll be avenged, but it has not brought us the comfort we hoped for. You’ll be killed by Naberius Narnia... my brother". Kalego practically spat the two words, so disgusted was he to hear them on his tongue. "Sullivan managed to use a forbidden spell to turn me back, with absolute order to save you whatever it takes. That is why you must return to your world. We demons have no jurisdiction there, nor the ability to move as we please. You will be out of Narnia's claws, and no other demon can harm you. I know nothing about life in the Human Realm, it's true. But it cannot be worse than a harsh word like the Netherworld, or you humans would be all extinct. You need to be safe, that is what we all would have wanted for you: to be alive and safe, even if it costs not being able to see you anymore. I saw you die, Iruma. And I would give anything to ensure it doesn't happen again” the demon concluded, kneeling before him.Iruma kept his face down, his breathing slightly uneven. "Is it all going to happen tomorrow, then?" the blue haired boy asked. Kalego nodded. There was no time to waste, but as long as it served to make the boy more cooperative for his own safety…"Good. I have a whole day" Iruma stated, his voice more vital. Kalego tilted his head, slightly confused. With his free hand, Iruma touched the fingers clinging to his right wrist. He raised his head and, looking straight into the teacher's eyes, added, "Having only a couple of hours would have been much worse, but a whole day is a blessing. There is one day to change things. There is no need to throw in the towel yet"Kalego, despite the dim light, could see that glint in the blue haired boy's eyes again, which he had previously found bordering on annoying: hope. Kalego felt so disoriented. In everything he had told him up to that point, where had he found a ray of hope? Before he could ask, Iruma continued, ever more determined, "If I overcome this obstacle, I can continue to be with you in the Netherworld. I don't know how I can solve this Deportation Act thing, but I know who we can ask. Grandpa definitely knows more than me, or we can ask Opera-san, or someone else. I will deny any accusations, there is no evidence against me. Kalego-sensei, all is not lost. I'm still here, so I can act. I'd rather be with everyone and in danger than be safe and alone"The purple haired demon blinked rapidly, in disbelief at what he had just heard. "Iruma, there is evidence against you. The Act is based on that. Sullivan found it" Kalego replied, annoyed. "Do not entertain empty hopes. Your safety is worth more than an attempt destined to fail". He ran the hand that was not holding the human boy through his own hair, his fingers sliding over the hair that covered his forehead.It was incredible how the most difficult challenge was not to get Iruma safe from Narnia, or to escape all of Babyls, but to try to convince him that he was in danger!"These are not empty hopes! If there is time we can still avoid everything that will happen tomorrow" the blue haired boy stated, stubbornly. He leaned toward the demon and asked seriously, "Kalego-sensei, you have accepted me once. Please, don't stop me. There's no point in running away, because you guys are in danger too. If Narnia-san knows about me and he has proof, that's one more reason to stop him! He might know who knows about my nature and it would put you all in danger. Even more so, I can't just go away and leave you in trouble because of me!"Kalego turned pale. Those words seemed so similar to those he had already heard from that mouth, on a day that seemed so far away. ‘You are in danger’ Iruma said, breathing with visible difficulty ‘He... Narnia-san knows… he knows what I am, he… has a recording to prove… it. You are in danger. I haven't said… anything, but he might hurt you. I swear, I didn't say anything… I didn't say anything…’ Iruma had said, while holding him in his arms, in that small and narrow room.
He had said, dying.Unconsciously, Kalego loosened his grip, shocked by the memory. Iruma could have used this to free himself, but he made another choice. He tightened his hand around the demon's fingers, and said "Kalego-sensei, don't push me away from you all. This isn't how things will work out. You've always taught us to solve our own messes. I'll fix this, somehow. I've been bound to the Netherworld for a long time now. I'm happy to be here. I won't leave it, and I won't leave all of you. Please, give me a chance. Things can change. Please, Kalego-sensei, trust me. I'll survive tomorrow. I promise"Kalego's mind was flooded with what-ifs, with fully horrific scenarios. Everything could go wrong. Nothing could go as planned. There was the Demon Border Patrol to deal with, a high ranking demon like Narnia. A Thirteen crown, not some noble demon with evanescent whims. There was no hope, except to hide Iruma where no one could reach him. Yet why couldn't he let go of that little hope? The possibility of an alternative?Hesitantly, knowing that the teacher usually repelled any physical contact, Iruma leaned closer to Kalego and stretched his arms around his neck. Slowly, raised on his knees due to the height difference, Iruma hugged the purple haired demon. Although late, he returned the hug from before. "Thank you for coming here to save me, Kalego-sensei" Iruma said, gratefully. "Please stay with me a little longer. Stay to see how I’ll survive"Like a tight wire being snapped with a clean cut of scissors, Kalego felt all the doubts that crowded into his mind being swept away. Kalego was trembling, disheartened, and tired. He was still being treated for his Evil cycle, it felt like hours had passed since he had last smoked a cigarette. There were demons looking for him all over Babyls, ready to skin him. He only had one chance and he couldn't waste it.Iruma gasped for a moment when he felt Kalego's arms wrap around his back, pulling him close. He sighed in relief. At having persuaded the demon. At not having to hide his back from him anymore.Teacher and student remained like that for a few more moments, before the demon released the embrace. "Iruma, there is no time to waste" Kalego said, getting back to his feet, his left hand reaching out to help Iruma up. "We need three things if you want to keep your promise: a good plan, a bunch of high-ranking demons on our side, and a lot of damn luck. I'll provide the first two, you try to make the odds turn in your favor as always"If there was one thing Iruma had always been unbeatable at, it was turning even the most catastrophic situations to his advantage. And with his help, Kalego thought, this time it would go exactly like that."Yes!" Iruma replied, filled with determination.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Mission accomplished!" Clara exclaimed in a low voice, adjusting the detection-warding glasses on her nose.Asmodeus, silently beside her, did the same. He didn't usually ask the girl to use her Bloodline ability, but this was an emergency situation. They had pretended to head towards Royal One, then hid behind a corridor as soon as they were left alone. At his request, Clara took out two detection warding glasses from Toy-Toy, the same model they had already worn some time ago because they were the only ones she had seen up close. Hidden in this way, the two demons followed the teachers, waiting for them to find a lead.'Iruma-sama doesn't have the luxury of time to waste’ Asmodeus reflected, signaling the girl to advance in silence at the pace of the teachers. Despite the two items, they tried to be careful not to be discovered by mistake.Asmodeus felt damn helpless. The situation had been suspicious from the beginning. 'I should have immediately kept that intruder away from Iruma-sama' the pink haired boy said to himself, embittered by his own naivety.It was not possible that Kalego, that same Kalego who cared a lot about education and rigor, was lying by pure chance in the middle of a corridor’s floor. Kalego, informally dressed and with that strong smell of cigarette smoke, typical of those who smoke a lot and often, a smell that the teacher himself had not had on him until a few hours before, when they had met him at the entrance of Babyls. Whoever that demon was, he had clearly taken advantage of Iruma's kind heart, unable to leave anyone in front of him to their fate. It was surely a well-conceived plan.And he, Asmodeus Alice, heir of the House Asmodeus had fallen into it with both feet.That feeling of bile in his throat was not new to him. The dismay, the frustration, pure fear... and despair. They were all emotions that he had felt not too long ago, when his milord had already been the object of the sights of a demon who had sneaked into Babyls. Atori, one of the two new teachers, had made no secret of his intention to forcibly take Iruma away to who knows where and for who knows what purpose.That time too, Asmodeus was there. That time too, he had witnessed, helplessly, Iruma's kidnapping. He had not been able to save him.'What kind of spear, soulmate, am I?! An utter disappointment, I’m indeed!' the demon wondered, advancing at the pace of the teachers he was tailing. 'When we manage to bring Iruma-sama to safety, I will offer him my left wing as a sign of my sincere repentance. It is the custom of demons'His gaze quickly slid to Clara, who, unlike usual, was keeping quiet and trying with all her might not to move too quickly. Asmodeus didn't feel a shred of regret for what he had done for her: when that slacker, that wretch, had kicked her away towards his direction, it had been an instinctive movement to grab her and prevent her from being hurt. Like him, Clara was a soulmate of Iruma. No, she was also his soulmate. They were equal at Iruma’s sight, and equally deservingly invested with the same honorable title. Asmodeus didn't regret it, and he never would. That didn't take away the gravity of the situation. Iruma was there, who knows where, trapped in the clutches of an unknown demon, with who knows what plans for him.
Asmodeus felt a touch on his left side, which distracted him from his thoughts. Clara was giving him both thumbs up, a reassuring smile on her lips. Asmodeus replied with a little forced smile and a hand on her right shoulder. 'Clara is right' thought the demon, trying to see the teachers' movements for signs of a sure trail. 'I must place more trust in Iruma-sama and his judgment. He is an extraordinary demon, capable of the most unpredictable things. Everything will be fine. And in addition to my left wing, I’ll serve him even the head of that scoundrel as well'…Kalego had no faith in Iruma's judgment at all, considering the stupidity of the plan the blue-haired boy had proposed."Simply talking to the Chair-demon about this. And you think he won't cut my head off on soot" the demon summarized, advancing with the young human at his side, free and somewhat able to keep up with his brisk pace."I'll briefly explain to Grandpa that you're not an intruder who wanted to hurt me, he'll surely understand! Then you can tell him everything and we can come up with a plan" Iruma assured him, rubbing his right forearm, a little numb from all the previous tugging. Kalego hadn't been very good at using force, but he didn't think it was worth pointing out."First of all, you're the only one who's so trusting. Any demon would think I'm lying. We should involve Shichiro, hoping he doesn't also aim to separate my head from my neck too fast" Kalego replied stingingly, leading him down one corridor after another. "And second: tell someone what happened earlier, and I'll give you triple the amount of homework. I'm on an excused break, but I'm still your teacher" he threatened seriously, as he lifted him up under the arms to avoid him stepping on a broken tile.The blue haired boy agreed, quickly thanking him when his feet touched his head again. "It's no problem, Kalego-sensei. But are you referring to the hug-?" he asked, genuinely curious. Kalego glared at him and replied, interrupting him "I didn't hear a word you just said. I know nothing about it, and I'm going to keep it that way. Same to you, Iruma. Understand?"Iruma gulped, scared. He wouldn't tell anyone, especially after that subtle threat. Kalego smirked, scaring Iruma even more at the possibility of that threat becoming reality.Truth be told, he was just relieved, as he felt a kind of nostalgia he didn’t think he could feel. Being there, in the corridors of Babyls, walking with Iruma by his side. Having the chance to see him have those sincere and frightened reactions. Teasing him a bit. Really, how could a human in the Netherworld be more afraid of school homeworks than demons? It was something that, since he had realized the true nature of the student, Kalego just couldn’t understand.After a bit more walking, the two exited the underground and returned to the upper part of Babyls. Kalego did not let his guard down for a moment. He kept his left hand on the young student's right shoulder as they advanced towards the Principal room. He did not intend to lose sight of him before time, not even for a second.The sight of the heavy wooden door of the Principal room made the purple haired demon uncomfortable. He tried to push the memory of the last time he had been in that room out of his mind, but like a pulled rubber band it came back with the same intensity, hitting him squarely. Kalego's mind relived the race from the infirmary, the small blood-stained body he held in his arms. Until the very end, he had believed he still had time. He had done everything he could not to waste even a precious second. And yet, when he entered the Principal to have demons more expert than him in healing spells provide aid…"Kalego-sensei?" Iruma asked, at his side. Kalego was pulled out of those memories by the voice of the blue haired boy. The demon's gaze went to the hand that was holding him. He hadn't realized that he was holding him tightly, absentmindedly. He pulled his hand back, fearing that he had hurt him. Even if he had, Iruma didn't give any sign of it."I'll go in first, okay?" the blue haired boy suggested. Kalego nodded, quickly running a hand over his hair in front of his forehead. This wasn't the time to get lost in memories, but to act to prevent them from becoming real in that timeline too. It was something that kept repeating to himself, while his gaze was fixed on the back of the young student, who he had to leave only for a short time."Gran- ehm, Chair-demon? It's me, Iruma" the blue haired boy introduced himself, after knocking on the door. "Come in!" Sullivan's voice chirped, from the other side of it. Iruma entered the room, leaving the door ajar for Kalego to enter.In the Principal room, as usual, Sullivan sat behind the large wooden desk. Iruma didn't see Opera around, which made him subconsciously let out a sigh of relief. Convincing one demon at a time would be easier, or at least that's what he thought as Sullivan got up from his chair to go meet him."Oh, Iruma-kun! I was just thinking about you, you know?" Sullivan said, taking his hands in his own. "Me too, Grandpa! I have something to tell you!" Iruma explained, as his body was pulled into a hug by the bald demon. "Let me guess, let me guess!" Sullivan suggested, still cheerful. Everything was going well, Iruma couldn't have asked for anything better. "Is it about that rat hiding behind the door?" Sullivan asked, with the same cheerful tone.As soon as he finished saying those words, Kalego felt his legs pulling him towards the Principal room. He covered his face with his arms just in time to slam against the door, finding himself in the room in the blink of an eye. Before he could cast a protective spell, his arms were pulled abruptly in the opposite direction from each other, while his legs were chained together… by the same thing that had captured him without him being able to react in time.But what had captured him? Under the shocked gaze of Iruma, held protectively in Sullivan's arms, Kalego saw himself surrounded by a black incorporeal mass, which the pitch-black linear shape was interrupted by several eyes here and there. Kalego felt an innate gut-wrenching fear. He had already seen that manifestation of Sullivan's power: it was the same black mass that had hunted down and captured Atori, after being interrupted in his attempt to kidnap Iruma. If Sullivan had activated that... thing right away, it meant he was much more furious than he seemed."Stop, stop! Please, he's Kalego-sensei!" Iruma exclaimed, scared for the fate of the purple haired demon. Kalego's expression seemed to be a mixture of frustration and anger, almost as if he hated his current situation but was completely helpless to do anything about it. However, admitting his helplessness would be like admitting defeat... something he would never do."Oh, my cute grandson, this intruder has deceived you. Don't believe his lies, the real Kalego-kun will be delighted that you were able to lead him to me" Sullivan said placidly, then quickly checked the boy's body "My poor Iruma-kun, are you okay? Are you unscathed? He didn't hurt you, did he? Do you want a helltea, as soon as we fix this little unpleasant event? Do you want a pass to go home early? Do you want me to come with you?" These and other questions fell like rain on Iruma, who tried to take cover before the situation could degenerate further. "N-No, you're wrong! Grandpa, he's really Kalego-sensei! Please, let him explain!" he begged, remaining firm in the embrace."Iruma is right" Kalego said, interrupting the family scene with visible displeasure on Sullivan's part. The latter raised his face to the demon he was holding captive, looking at him as if he had only just remembered his presence."Oh? And why would I trust a demon who took advantage of my beloved grandson's good heart to deceive him and understand him? Couldn't you have at least chosen a more lovable demon?" he asked, his playful voice barely hiding a cold impatience. Sullivan was having a hard time keeping himself under control, but it was imperative to do so to prevent Iruma from getting scared. He didn't want this to be too accurate a replica of the events of the Heartbreaker event, after all.Kalego made a snarky noise. “Why don’t you shut your mustache for a second?!” he exclaimed angrily, then continued in a calmer voice. “Chair-demon, seriously, there’s no time for this drama. I’m Naberius Kalego, Guarda Dog of Babyls, Iruma’s homeroom teacher and…” he stopped abruptly. No, as much as it had always been a source of frustration and shame, he could no longer openly say that he was his familiar. The contract had been dissolved, with all that that entailed.Kalego shook his head, and continued speaking. “I’m not from this timeline. You studied forbidden spells to find one to send me here. You did it for the sake of your grandson, Iruma. Let me down, and I’ll explain”. Sullivan remained silent, thinking. Kalego felt a further tightening around his limbs. He couldn't stay like this for another minute, that thing could tear him to pieces at any moment. Kalego sighed heavily, feeling retroactively ashamed of what he was about to say. It was time to use the password, the one Sullivan had suggested to him to gain his cooperation from that timeline too."Su..." he muttered, under the watchful eyes of Sullivan and Iruma. He gulped, there was no time for second thoughts. "S-Sully..." Iruma tilted his head slightly, confused. "... Sully. You told me that only you know the story behind this word. If you hadn't told me of your own free will, I would never have known about it" explained the purple haired demon, red in the face from embarrassment at having called someone so confidentially for the first time in his life, especially a demon as poorly tolerated as Sullivan.The black mass disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Kalego landed on his legs, careful not to lose his balance. He advanced towards the two, while massaging his arms that were held firmly in place by his pathetic attempts to free himself. Iruma breathed a sigh of relief. Sullivan did not let him go, instead guiding him to one of the two couches in the room, inviting him to sit beside him. With a quick movement of his hand, he indicated for Kalego to do the same. The purple haired demon sat down on the other couch, his eyes fixed on Iruma. If the plan that was quickly developing in his mind failed, he would return to the previous option. And in that case, he would have to catch Iruma before Sullivan could stop him.Sullivan put his right arm around Iruma's shoulders, taking advantage of that closeness to cuddle him a little. Kalego cursed internally. He looked back at Sullivan, straight into his glasses and began to explain "Let's cut the small talk. There is no time for this mushy stuff. You need to contact Azazel-sama, I urgently need to speak with him too. Despite your differences of opinion regarding Iruma's stay in the Netherworld, his help is essential"Sullivan tilted his head, surprised to hear that name in that speech that should have been about something else entirely, like a Kalego apparently coming from the future for Iruma's best interests. Kalego was not fooled by that charade. In a cold voice, he stated "Iruma will be killed sooner than you think, your position alone cannot protect him. I suggest you call Azazel-sama immediately. He’s involved more than he knows and more than he wants"At those words, Sullivan stiffened. The old demon's back straightened, his arm tightening around Iruma. The latter let himself be engulfed in the embrace, saying "Don't worry, Grandpa. Kalego-sensei knows how it went, that's why he's here. I'll be fine… somehow"Sullivan stroked his head with the hand of his free arm, gently. Then, he summoned his hellphone from nowhere. He quickly pressed the buttons on the electronic device, after which it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Henry-kun will be here soon" Sullivan stated, returning to focus on Kalego. "Now talk. Not a word spared". Kalego nodded, his hands closing and opening as if they wanted to be kept busy. 'Later' Kalego thought, remembering the pack he kept in his back pocket. 'There's no time for a cigarette break'"Unfortunately, I'll go quickly for now. I'll leave the details for later, when the others will be all here" Kalego said. Sullivan didn't ask who the "others" were, he remained silent. Kalego opened his mouth, from there he began to tell the Sullivan of the past roughly what had happened. The Fang Unit, the Deportation Human Act. The nature of Iruma, publicly revealed. The attempt to make him escape. The kidnapping. The painful end. This was only hinted at, Kalego didn't feel able to put it all in a few words, as if he were presenting a bureaucratic document and not the sad epilogue of the blue haired boy, sitting there with them in the room.Alive. For a long time, if all went well.After mentioning the thirst for revenge satisfied, as bittersweet as it was, the purple haired demon stopped the story. While he was reporting that information, Kalego felt like he was forgetting something. A detail, something he was taking for granted. He felt that unpleasant sensation on his tongue caused by having to say a word that his brain doesn't remember well. He decided to put it off until he could explain everything in detail when the others would arrive.Iruma tried not to show fear, but he couldn't stop his hands quivering with his willpower alone. Sullivan, equally shaken, gently took them into his own hands. "Don't worry, Iruma-kun. Your Grandpa and Kalego-kun will take care of it from here on out, okay?" the bald demon said reassuringly, earning a slow nod from the blue haired boy.That was the moment for Kalego to be confused. "No? You must send me back" he added with a spiteful tone. “I'm leaving the rest to myself from this timeline, I'm sure that it will be enough to fix the things”“And how should I do it?” Sullivan asked, tilting his head slightly in a confused expression “I didn’t cast the spell, I have no idea how it works. it’s up to you to decide what to do now. Of course you will stay to help us, right? You are the one who knows things, what lessons do you want to give to my grandson as a student? You always finish what you start" told the bald demon, almost chirping.Kalego gritted his teeth, shocked and furious: how much had the old fox ever really thought beyond his own needs? He had thrown him into the shit for a good reason for once, but now the effort to get out of it was up to him again. Not easy, considering that throughout Babyls he was surely wanted as “the intruder who took the semblance of Kalego and kidnapped the Honor Student Iruma”, knowing himself like no one else and knowing well how himself would react in that type of situation.Kalego surrendered to his fate. Kalego and Sullivan quickly turned their heads against the window. Iruma observed those strange reactions with a little concern. Kalego stood up from the couch, walking towards the large window that flooded the Principal room with natural light. Kalego stopped a few steps away, his head turned towards them."Chair-demon, I would kindly ask you not to charge me for this expense. You have already reduced my salary several times over the years" he said, stretching his arms and legs. Iruma didn't understand, but he couldn't approach the teacher. He had also stood up from the couch, with Sullivan at his side, but the latter was now holding him close with both arms, in a position that was reassuring and protective at the same time. Sullivan replied, with a feigned cheerful tone, "No problem, this time I'll use some spell. It's the least I can do, if you’ll manage to survive"Iruma was about to ask what he meant, when the sound reached his human ears. Footsteps. A multitude of footsteps approaching. Before he could tell the two demons, two shadows appeared on the other side of the window. Iruma turned to look at them, capturing their image moments before the gigantic (and probably very expensive) window glass shattered: Opera and Shiida, without wings on their backs that would suggest that the two had flown all the way there, shattered the glass with a kick.'They jumped all the way here?!' Iruma wondered in shock. As he watched, the two demons launched themselves at Kalego, who had assumed a defensive stance. He managed to intercept two more kicks with his forearms held up beside his head, but had to retreat when the encore came. Opera and Shiida, with eyes expressing blind fury, began to seriously attack Kalego, who with difficulty managed to dodge and respond to some attacks. As if they were siamese cats, the two demons attacked simultaneously from two opposite sides, their strong goal was to land a punch or a kick. If Kalego was already having great difficulty in that way, unable to cast even non-verbal spells due to their high speed, he found himself in an even worse situation when the door was blown open behind him.No, it would be more appropriate to say that it exploded behind his back. The two doors flew off in two different directions of the Principal room, one of which was further distorted in its trajectory by Sullivan, to prevent it from ending up on Iruma and himself.More teachers entered the room. The plant commanded by Balam latched onto Kalego's right ankle, tugging at him and making him lose his concentration for a moment. Opera's left fist landed perfectly on his chest, violently knocking the breath out of him. Shiida's right kick, which had jumped on him, did not miss its target, Kalego's right ear. The purple haired demon heard a sharp whistle, the room spinning like a top around him.A time out was out of the question. He freed himself from the root around his ankle with a non-verbal spell, while responding with adequate and satisfying violence to the two demons with two well-placed punches, forcing them to retreat if only for a few moments. Iruma watched Kalego being surrounded by Balam, Dali, Momonoki, Marbas, Murmur, Ipos, Raim and Buer.And, of course, that timeline’s Kalego.Iruma leaned forward, ready to beg the teachers to stop, when he heard the call "Iruma-sama\cchi!" coming from his right, where there was no one in sight. Two pairs of detection-warding glasses flew to the floor, revealing the presence of Asmodeus and Clara. The two demons literally jumped on the blue haired boy, heedless of the fight going on in that room.Asmodeus couldn't be happier than in that moment. 'Iruma-sama is safe! And he's fine!' he thought, letting himself be carried away by a hug that he normally would never have performed in front of others in order to maintain the decorum typical of a noble demon like him. But decorum, appearances, all that didn't matter at that moment. The important thing for the pink haired demon was that Iruma was fine and had been rescued."Irumacchi, we were deadly scared because of you!" exclaimed Clara, in tears of happiness, hugging the young human's hips. "Iruma-sama, as soon as this situation is resolved I will give you my left wing as a token for my shameful failure to protect you! However, right now I urgently need to verify the integrity of your physical and mental conditions" Asmodeus stated, hugging him by the shoulders.Iruma shook his head, as he accepted and returned the hugs "Your- what?! No, Azz-kun, that's not necessary! Seriously, keep your wings in their place! Please!" the blue haired boy pleaded, as he petted the heads of his soulmates to help calm them down.Sullivan, who in the meantime had released the hug with Iruma to make room for the two new arrivals, smiled with satisfaction and tenderness in front of that display of affection and genuine concern. The bald demon, hands on his hips, turned to watch the continuation of the ambush.Well, it was a disaster.The high ranking teachers were giving Kalego a hard time, who was struggling more to attack than to dodge. He was already wounded in several places, blood was coming out gratuitously from various cuts. The situation could not help but degenerate, when Kalego of the current time summoned Cerberus. The other teachers retreated just in time, aware of the danger of the three-headed being.One of Cerberus' electrified heads managed to catch Kalego's left arm with their fangs, just at the moment in which he was about to dodge its attack thanks to years of experience and training with the beast. As Sullivan watched, the purple haired demon's arm was violently torn off, bouncing to the ground with blood starting to flow out."Holy shit, Cerberus! Get out of here, now!" Kalego shouted in rage, holding his wound with his other hand. The three-headed beast was shocked. He had obeyed his Naberius by attacking his Naberius, not stopping for a moment to think about it, simply obeying orders. But the demon's reaction left him speechless. Mindful of the punishment for disobedience and howling painfully, Cerberus obeyed the new order and disappeared under the astonished gaze of his Kalego and the other teachers."My, my. Time out!" Sullivan exclaimed loudly, clapping his hands as if he were calling for the attention of a noisy and unruly class. The bald demon advanced towards the group of teachers. He stopped in front of the severed arm, observing it for a few moments. Then, he fluttered it with a snap of his fingers, bringing it closer to its rightful owner. The latter was interrupted by his continuous casting of anti-bleeding spells, eyeing the elderly demon warily."Now, you've had enough fun. Buer-sensei, could you please reattach the arm to this demon?" Sullivan ordered in a jovial voice. Buer, confused and shocked, simply obeyed. Opera advanced towards Sullivan, explaining, "Sullivan-sama, this intruder is not Kalego-kun. He kidnapped Iruma-sama. We need to make him talk to know where he's hiding him". The bald demon chuckled, pointing with his left thumb behind him. “Oh, don’t worry, Opera. And everyone. Iruma-kun is safe and sound, as are the two students you brought along”The teachers outside of the injured Kalego and Buer, who was busy reattaching his arm with healing spells, looked in the direction indicated. Sure enough, behind Sullivan was Iruma. Unharmed and a bit embarrassed for being the focus of their attention, he waved at the teachers with his right hand, while Asmodeus and Clara simply looked back at him, practically stuck to the blue haired boy.Opera and Shiida beside them, as well as the other teachers, exchanged a confused and reassured look at the same time. Kalego didn't let himself be distracted "Chair-demon, the fact remains that this intruder-" he was saying, but was promptly interrupted by the high ranking demon "My, my, Kalego-kun. He's here now, there's no point in keeping this secret anymore" said the latter.The eyes of those present immediately flew to Kalego, the one who was not injured and was recovering quickly. The purple haired demon didn't know what path Sullivan’s foolish mind was taking. The latter crossed his arms over his chest, the index finger of his left hand raised in reproach, "Come on, Kalego-kun, I'm talking about your brother"Kalego, already confused, put on an incredulous expression. Kalego, the wounded one, on the other hand made an angry noise. Sullivan decided not to keep those present on tenterhooks any longer, so he explained himself better "Gentle demons, there has been a misunderstanding. The demon who is present here" he said, pointing with his index finger to Kalego who was almost completely healed by Buer "He is an intruder, it's true, but he's a special one. You see, he is Kalego-kun's twin brother""WHAT?!" exclaimed the demons present, but not Iruma. "What?" Kalego exclaimed, now healed. "Chair-demon, have your brain cells been burned?" Kalego said, glaring at both him and the newcomer. Sullivan nodded to himself and explained "Come on, Kalego-kun. He's your good twin, it's not nice to treat him like that. I know you're ashamed of him because of his pure heart, but he's a good demon... I guess"Balam felt a terrible headache, the bald demon's lies had activated his Bloodline ability. He was about to deny all those weird lies, when a cold shiver ran through his body. Sullivan was giving him a warning look from behind his glasses. He wanted him to remain silent, not to publicly deny nothing of what he had said. Balam didn't know what game the high ranking demon was playing, but considering that in fact Iruma seemed unharmed and calm at a quick glance, he decided to stick to that tacit order.Kalego was shocked to say the least by the sheer stupidity of this improvised lie. 'No one is stupid enough to fall for this farce' he thought, as he checked the sensitivity of the fingers on his reattached arm by opening and closing his fist. 'The staff of Babyls is almost entirely made up of high-ranking, high-intellect demons. Robin-sensei is the unfortunate exception to the rule, but more than makes up for it in other areas. No one is stupid enough to believe this blatant lie. I must take advantage of the confusion to-'Shiida made quick little bows before Kalego, apologizing "I didn't know... that you were Naberius-sensei's... brother..." Like her, other teachers, although perplexed, made timid apologies. Opera waited for further instructions from Sullivan. They knew Kalego from the time they attended Babyls together, like Balam they knew well that there was no twin brother. But they did not doubt their master's intentions, so they waited patiently."I want proof!" Clara exclaimed, raising her left arm, remaining with the other well glued to Iruma "Eggie-sensei's good twin, say something nice to me!" she ordered, happy since she had found Iruma safe and sound. Kalego, rotating his newly reattached arm to check that everything was okay, found himself taken aback by that order. He took his chin between two fingers, doubtful."You are... very lively?" he improvised, unsure of his own words. The green haired girl smiled with all her sharp teeth "Yup, you really are the kind twin! Irumacchi, Irumacchi, can we switch and keep him instead?" Clara asked, elated.Asmodeus, however, was not to be convinced by so little. Expressing the same doubt of Dali and other demons present, the pink haired boy in turn issued an order "If you are Sir Kalego's brother, shouldn't I doubt that you also have the creature named Cerberus? Would you be so kind as to show it to us?"Kalego, unconsciously, stiffened his jaw. He had not summoned Cerberus in several days, not long after the break for the upcoming Evil cycle began. The very fact of seeing him at that moment had surprised him. Since the events of… that day, due to his altered state of calm, his control over Cerberus had become shaky. As since childhood, the three-headed beast was not a docile pet that could be bossed around, but required constant and pressing education. Sensing the Evil cycle coming, Cerberus had become more rebellious and intractable.Despite having taken Balam's medicine shortly before Sullivan and Opera arrived at his home, Kalego was not confident enough to summon Cerberus. Like a chained beast that, sensing the possibility of escape, begins to kick and rebel with all its being, the three-headed beast had resumed confronting him openly. Despite the presence of his colleagues, of Sullivan, even of another himself, the fear for Iruma's safety was a factor that could not be overlooked. No, as much as he wanted to silence that impertinent promising student who seemed to have a bone to gnaw on him since the day the familiars were summoned, Kalego did not want to risk it.The silence in the room fueled the doubt, which fortunately Sullivan dispelled with another clap of his hands to draw attention to himself. "Come on, this is not the time to grill our unexpected guest. There is no longer any emergency and I am waiting another guest, so I would say that everyone can return to their duties and responsibilities" Sullivan explained calmly.The teachers understood and, although they looked at the newcomer with badly disguised distrust and doubt, began to leave the room. Marbas and Buer quickly repaired the torn parts of the door, while Ipos and Murmur took care of the glass. Sullivan, with Opera at his side, approached Iruma and his soulmates. "Of course the same goes for you. You have lessons to attend" the bald demon, who remained the Chair-demon of the school, suggested kindly but firmly.Asmodeus and Clara greeted him, dragging Iruma with them, but the latter was promptly grabbed by the shoulders by Sullivan's long hands and was thus unable to take another step. "Oh no, Iruma-kun stays here with me a little longer. He has to talk to Kalego-kun's good twin for a bit, you see, there are some apologies to be made and received for this big misunderstanding. You go ahead, he will join you soon" added the bald demon, his voice calmed but not accepting replies. The two students looked at the blue haired boy in astonishment, who simply apologized, shrugging his shoulders, and repeating the old demon's reassurance.Sullivan, satisfied with having persuaded the two students who were leaving the Principal room surrounded by the incredulous teachers who had not noticed their presence until the very end, turned to the small group and called "Balam-kun, Kalego-kun, you stay here a little longer". The two demons agreed without a word. The urgency of questions was eating them from within.Iruma quickly freed himself from the old demon's grip to go closer to Kalego, the one who was running a hand through his hair on his forehead with a visibly frustrated look. "Are you okay, Kalego-sensei...?" the blue haired boy asked worriedly. He had been shaken by that scene of unexpected violence, his dismayed look on the arm perfectly reattached and functioning as always. Kalego sighed, his arms crossed over his chest. "Don't worry about me, this is nothing. It's you who worries me, instead. You look pale. Sit down a bit, while we wait for Azazel-sama to arrive". The purple haired demon said, seriously worried by the pale complexion of Iruma's face.Kalego was about to lead him to one of the couches, when someone else stepped between him and the student. "Now let's stop this bullshit. Who the fuck are you?" the other Kalego asked, an arm outstretched to better protect the boy with his back to him. "Come on, let's sit down and he'll explain everything, okay? He's an ally, don't worry" Sullivan tried to persuade him, taking the opportunity to hug his grandson and lead him to sit on one of the couches.Kalego appreciated the constant alerting and wariness of his past self, but he was also tired of having to start the same old story over and over again. Balam was shooting him poorly-polished glances of interest and wariness at the same time, not letting even the smallest gesture slip. Opera, if their eyes had been equipped with some kind of lacerating spell, would have torn his head and back apart minutes ago, since they were staring at him so intently.Kalego was so tired. He sat down as before on the other couch, facing Iruma and Sullivan. Opera was standing behind him, ready to kick him if he made the wrong move. Balam too, standing between the two couches, while his great bulk casting a shadow over them. And finally his past self, the Kalego who could still proudly call himself the Guard Dog of Babyls and protector of the treasures it contains. 'Until tomorrow, if we don't avoid the worst' he noted sadly, as he slowly rummaged through his back pockets. He moved slowly precisely to avoid being bitten in the throat by the three high-ranking demons, who made no secret of their animosity towards him.For this reason Kalego deliberately made slow movements, to show them that he was not hiding any weapons on his person. He took out the pack of cigarettes and pulled one out, holding it firmly between his lips. However, when he was about to light it with a small fire spell, Opera's right hand closed on the cigarette, breaking it under the pressure of his fingers. The cat demon stepped back, freeing their hand from the annoying crooked presence by throwing it into the nearest trash can."I kindly ask you to refrain from smoking in front of Iruma-sama, “Kalego-kun's good twin”. He’s underage and a student, you'll give him a bad example" the demon said, with an obvious mocking tone. Kalego crossed his arms over his chest, annoyed but agreeing with them. The blue haired boy fidgeted on the spot, fearing that a new discord might arise.Kalego looked around, focusing on each face. "I am no one's twin" he said, his voice firm and determined, "I am Naberius Kalego. The same one in this room, but two weeks from tomorrow. I come from a different timeline". Opera, as well as Kalego, turned to look at a shocked Balam, "He is... telling the truth" he stated in surprise. Kalego ran a hand through his hair on his forehead, impatient "I will explain everything shortly, but for now, let's all agree on this: we are here for Iruma's well-being. Shichiro, I have no intention of harming Iruma. Quite the opposite, if anything" he proclaimed, looking straight into the gargoyle's eyes, increasingly amazed by the fact that the demon's words did not activate "Buzzer", his bloodline ability.Sullivan punctuated each word with a satisfied nod. Iruma remained tense and silent. He had no idea what to say, and as long as the demons didn't jump at each other's throats again, that was the best possible situation for now.In a prolonged and tense silence, there was a knock on the door of the Principal room, which had been repaired to perfection. "Come in!" Sullivan said toward the door. "Good morning, Sullivan-sama" Henry said, entering the room. "I apologize for the delay, but your message caught me while I was busy with my work. What was it you urgently wanted to talk to me about?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Henry didn’t understand three things: the presence of Iruma, in what was supposed to be a special "From Crown to Crown" summons, as Sullivan had written to him in a message; why there were two Naberius Kalegos, almost identical in everything except their clothing; and finally, why there was blood splattered on the floor.The demon closed the door behind him and walked over to the couches where they were sitting. Kalego gave a quick nod before starting, "Let's not waste time. All the demons in this room know that Iruma is human"Iruma, Balam, and Henry widened their eyes, making noises of strangled shock as they looked at each other. In contrast, the other three demons remained in composed silence. Henry couldn't believe his ears. He had strong doubts about Iruma's nature, but finding out like this…Kalego continued, "The problem is that not all the demons who know are in this room". The gazes of the people present focused on him again. Kalego let out a short sigh before continuing, "At this moment, Narnia is plotting to forcibly remove Iruma not only from Babyls but from the Netherworld itself. The Fang Platoon is preparing to show up at the gates of Babyls tomorrow morning. I know this because I come from a different timeline. Everything that will happen between tomorrow and the next two weeks has already occurred before my eyes. Therefore, I ask for your cooperation in preventing this from happening"Kalego turned to Balam and asked, "Shichiro, tell me if you think you sense any lie. But I'm sure that "Buzzer" will not activate for a moment, because what I say is the simple truth". Balam looked uncomfortable and absentmindedly adjusted his mask over his mouth as he stated, "What he has said so far is... true". Shocked expressions from everyone except Iruma and Sullivan. The latter anticipated the doubts of those present, "This Kalego knows something that only I know and he took the time to tell me before you arrived, so I fully support his claims. As incredible as it may seem, he really does come from the future" he stated, while crossing his long legs.Henry wiped a handkerchief over his face, feeling it sweat from shock and nervousness. "If what you say is true," the red haired demon replied "As worrying as it is that so many demons know about Iruma's nature, and the fact that you could have used a forbidden spell to get here, the idea of bringing him back to the Human Realm is not wrong. Personally, I approve and therefore I will support it"Opera's feline ears drooped at those words. Kalego clicked his tongue, trying to contain his fury. After all, this was the same Henry who would support that idea the next day meanwhile Iruma was tortured away from everyone's eyes. The purple haired demon asked in a sarcastic tone, a mocking smile on his lips "Azazel-sama, forgive my impudence, but when exactly did I say that Iruma will be brought back to his world?"The demons were surprised by that remark. Kalego continued, his voice hard "Narnia has no intention of helping Iruma return to his kind. He’ll kidnap him, torture him... Iruma will not survive any of this. Narnia has no intention of protecting him as a human like you do, Azazel-sama. It has the intention of punishing him for being a human"Iruma flinched, even if those words were not new to him they were always hard to hear. Despite the unreadable expression, Opera let their fury and dismay shine through. Sullivan hugged his grandson with one arm, giving him a quick smile "What do you want to do, Iruma-kun?" the bald demon asked him. Kalego, the one currently serving as a teacher, and Henry, flinching in amazement at that question "Sullivan-sama, asking Iruma's opinion at this point is superfluous. If his human nature is established, there is only one thing that is my duty to do: bring him back safely to the Human Realm. Even more so since there is... there is the slightest possibility that my colleague could do something so terrible""Ah! I wish you good luck, then" Kalego said, leaning back against the back of the couch he was sitting on "I've already tried to convince him, and I only wasted my time. Iruma, you want to stay in the Netherworld despite everything, don't you?" the demon asked the blue haired boy directly. The latter nodded and stated with a confident voice, "Yes. Even if there is this risk, I want to stay with all of you. The Netherworld is my home, it's where I have family and friends"Iruma turned to Henry. "Please, Henry-san, let me stay! I'll become stronger... no, I'll climb the ranks even further! I'll become so strong that no one will want to hurt me and I'll be able to stay with all of you!" Henry appreciated the light of determination and ambition that shone in Iruma's eyes, but…But. This was no time for sentimentality, there were regulations regarding humans for a reason."Henry-kun, think of Merize" Sullivan said out of nowhere. Henry snapped his head towards the bald demon. "Sullivan-sama, don't you dare-!" the red haired demon was about to say, but Sullivan ignored the warning and continued, "This is exactly the kind of change I want for the Netherworld. How can we change if we stick to the beliefs of the past? Weak humans? How funny! Have you seen my beloved grandson? He's one of the best demons around! He's proven himself time and time again"Henry understood the old demon's point, but rules were meant to be followed. However, he was interrupted again by the other demon, "And think of your daughter too. She’s fond of my cute Iruma-kun, she's a role model for him. How do you think she would feel if you sent him away even though she herself recognizes his great value?"Henry felt stung. "Sullivan-sama, please refrain from bringing my daughter into this discussion" the four-eyed demon said in a cold, serious voice. Sullivan didn't budge. "And you refrain from bringing up old-fashioned rules when it comes to Iruma-kun. He has every right to stay in the Netherworld, and as his grandfather I will do everything I can to protect him but also respect his wishes" he stated with firm confidence.Kalego ran his hand through his hair, impatient. This wasn't the time to argue. They were just throwing precious time out the window. The other Kalego, the one belonging to the timeline, intervened "Before deciding on this, I believe we should give priority to the most urgent danger. If my brother really wants to harm one of the treasures of Babyls, it is my duty to intervene. However" and here he turned towards his other self "As much as I trust Shichiro and his Bloodline ability, I still find your words not credible. Where is the evidence? The Chair-demon's support is limited to him. And I refuse to believe that my estimated brother, blood of my blood, who has always proven to be a demon distinguished by his high value, could do something like this"The other Kalego made an irritated noise. "I could sit here and tell you the most humiliating or secret things that have ever happened to us since birth just to convince you, but it would be a waste of time if you don't first give up that idea of perfection you have of the demon that has sullied the honor of the Naberius clan" he replied.Small lightning bolts began to vibrate around the Kalego of the current timeline, a sign of the imminent return of Cerberus. Iruma, at that moment, remembered the dog fights he had glimpsed in passing during one of his many oddjobs. The two Kalegos looked at each other in the same way, indeed with more ferocity. It was then that something occurred to him that might help to shake things up. “Um,” he said, raising his right arm to attract the attention of those present. “Wouldn't it be easier to… see it?” he asked."What do you mean, Iruma-sama?" Opera asked, trying to calm themselves. Iruma continued, uncertain due to his own ignorance. "Well, I thought about that time Kalego-sensei came to our house for the school-family meeting. Grandpa, didn't you use a spell to make me see a memory of Kalego-sensei that time? From when he was in Babyls as a student? Well, I thought you could… do the same thing? If they are memories, there should be no way to tell lies... right?"Henry was more or less aware of the spell the blue haired boy had mentioned. "Even if that were the case," the four eyed demon said. "The fact remains that you are a human. As Security chief of the Demon Border Patrol, that is my main concern" he stated, insisting on that point.Kalego, on the contrary, paled. It was a good idea. In fact, it was a very good idea, strangely coming from a boy who was not brilliant academically and had no deep knowledge of the various types of spells. The problem was…"You!" he exclaimed, standing up suddenly, addressing his correct self in the timeline "Take Iruma away! I have no problem showing you all what happened, but Iruma has to disappear from here! This instant!" he ordered, starting to sweat cold. He did not want the blue haired boy to see what was going to happen to him. His own death. What they had deduced from the autopsy. The methods of torture. The brutalizing defile. The undeserved violence and horror reserved for him. Narnia's last statement. The collective Evil cycle of his classmates, the angry despair.Kalego didn't want Iruma to know what had caused his death: to kill hope, to kill kindness. Instead, he had come back with the purpose of killing despair. Once and for all.Henry took advantage of that moment to push his own conviction. “If you’re so upset, can I assume that this is something that might change Iruma-kun’s mind? In that case, I think he should stay and see. We’re talking about what should happen to him, it’s the least he can do to make sure he’s fully aware of his choice, even if I’m against it”Kalego looked at him as if he’d said he was going to grind gargoyle eggs in a blender. That was pure madness that he wouldn’t allow. “Chair-demon!” Kalego shouted, turning to the demon. He didn’t know how to put the horror he felt into words, or make Henry understand how bad of an idea that was.“It’s not a problem for me…” Iruma suggested, hoping that this would resolve the conflict between the demons. He wasn’t excited at all to see what he’d already been told would happen, nor did he think he had the stomach for it. Just hearing about torture gave him goosebumps. Iruma had always hated pain and tried to avoid anything that was potentially dangerous or painful. His ability to dodge almost everything had been born from this. How much had he been tortured, had he died from the torture? Why would a demon he didn't know want to hurt him so bad? Some information had been hinted at, but it didn't make sense.Iruma had been in the Netherworld for a little over a year, having mostly only frequented Babyls' environment. What information was considered so vital to hurt him? Why would even a demon like Kalego have qualms about showing him what was going to happen to him? He felt his stomach twist at the thought, but no agreement was being reached and this made him even more restless and nervous.Sullivan stood up from the couch, holding Iruma by the shoulders. He walked him towards Kalego of the current timeline, telling the teacher "Iruma-kun has already missed a good part of the class... what classes do you have right now, Diabonaty? It is not good for a student to skip class" said the bald demon, for then to address Kalego "Take him to the classroom and stay with him, we will finish discussing here. As educators, it is our duty to preview in advance what the students can see. If we deem it something suitable for Iruma-kun, then we will show it to him too"Henry was about to reply, but found himself faced with the silent but explicit looks of opposition from the other demons. He sighed, finding Sullivan's proposal all in all sensible. Always assuming it was true. Iruma looked around, doubtful, but Sullivan's sincere smile reassured him. "For once the Chair-demon said something sensible for his position. But I claim to see this presupposed truth, later. Iruma, follow me" Kalego said, followed immediately by the blue haired boy.As soon as the two had left the Principal room and the door closed behind them, Kalego sat back down wearily on the couch. He sighed, reaching for his pack of cigarettes in the process. As he lit the cigarette between his lips, he glared at Opera. "Iruma isn't here. And I can't face this shit again with nothing in my hands" he said, anticipating the cat demon's protests.Balam stepped forward, offering him something he had in the meantime taken out of a pocket "I... recognize the symptoms of Kalego-kun's Evil cycle, and I'm seeing them in you. This is the medicine I usually give him. I always carry it with me, just in case" the gargoyle explained, receiving in return a muttered thanks from the purple haired demon. Kalego swallowed the pill, then took the cigarette back between his lips. He took a long drag, after which he ordered Sullivan "Chair-demon, you can proceed"The elder demon sat down next to the purple haired demon. A raised hand, a simple gesture of that non verbal spell activated the giant screen above Kalego's head. It fussed for a few seconds, while Kalego concentrated on where to start everything. Not from the summoning in the torture room, it would have been too painful to relive that and too long. He took another drag, the decision made. The first image finally appeared on the screen. It was the Principal room, the same one they were in.The door was wide open and Kalego had entered the room. They were there, as well as other teachers, even the entire Misfits. And, in Kalego's arms, there was Iruma. “Silence!” Kalego remembered to have screamed, when the uprising was at its peak… …An anguished and heavy silence fell in the Principal room.Sullivan's eyes were hidden by the reflection of his glasses, but the aura of ferocious bloodlust he exuded left no doubt as to what he was thinking. Opera, at his side, had their feline ears pricked up in disgust, their normally waving tail was stiff and pointing downwards, the eyes almost totally golden from rage. Balam covered his mouth with his left hand, already covered by the iron mask, in an instinctive reflex to hold back an urge to puke. Henry, visibly pale, was sweating cold because of the shock of what he had just seen and heard.The only demon who didn't seem to be particularly shaken was Kalego, his gaze directed nowhere in particular as he finished smoking the cigarette that at least this time Opera hadn't smashed. He strained his ears for a moment. 'Good,' he thought, 'Iruma's footsteps are far away. He didn't hear anything'Kalego closed his eyes for a second, taking a puff of smoke. He felt damn tired. The missing sleep, the adrenaline rush, the total disinterest about the demons’ reaction in that room with him, all of this fell on his shoulders like boulders. The much-needed drowsiness from the sleepless previous days had returned. But that wasn't time to sleep.Kalego put out the cigarette, burned down to the filter. He raised his eyelids, looking one after one into the faces of the demons around him. In a firm voice, looking right into Sullivan's glasses, Kalego stated "This what will happen in the next two weeks. This is what's going to happen if you don't listen to me and don't give me a fucking hand in stopping Narnia. The day it all started is tomorrow. There's no other time to lose”Henry made a gesture Kalego had never seen him do: he took off his glasses, then covered his eyes with his right hand. The glasses, clutched in his left hand, tinkled for a few seconds, before shattering in the demon's grip. Henry sighed heavily. He dropped the crooked-framed glasses and the broken glass lying on the floor, and pulled another pair from his jacket pocket, placing them on the bridge of his nose in one swift movement."Just a note" he said, looking at the crowd. "I still believe that Iruma should not be in the Netherworld, for his own safety. I will give my full and complete support to prevent this horrible situation before it happens. I will move some chairs and collect some favors. But we will return to this topic as soon as everything is resolved"Kalego shook his head. "As good as your move is, Azazel-sama, it is not the right one to make now. Narnia has not moved yet, what he would advance against him would be a trial of intentions. No, we must anticipate him but not too much". Sullivan stood up, visibly stretching his arms. "If you have a proposal, I would be happy to hear it" the demon told him, then turned to Henry. "My grandson will remain in the Netherworld, but I would like to propose a bet, if it will put your soul at peace. It is Iruma-kun's own idea, when I heard it a moment ago my heart filled with pride for having such an ambitious grandson"Henry tilted his head slightly, not understanding what the old demon was referring to. Sullivan chuckled under his breath, then explained further, "Race to the higher ranks. If my grandson will be high enough in ranking, he will have nothing to fear. Especially after we adults deal with these demons who want to reveal his little secret to the whole Netherworld"Henry couldn't believe his pointed ears. "Sullivan-sama, aren't you suggesting..." the red haired demon said, before the bald demon continued his sentence, "...that Iruma-kun should rise through the ranks, just like any other demon. Exactly. He said so himself a moment ago, and I encourage my beloved grandson's healthy ambitions. He's still waiting for confirmation of his advancement from Mephisto, but I have no doubt that he will pass. Iruma-kun will reach rank 6 (Vav) before the end of the year. And he will probably continue his climb even after that. What would you have to complain about then, to a demon of your rank, Henry-kun?" Sullivan asked cheerfully, the challenge explicit in his statement.Henry put his head in his hand, feeling a strong headache coming on. "I... I can’t believe you actually said this, Sullivan-sama" the four eyed demon stated, before crossing his arms over his chest. "So be it. I will personally monitor Iruma-kun's rank climb. But if he doesn't reach rank 6 (Vav) by the end of this school year, I will immediately activate the procedure for his safe return to his home world"Sullivan chuckled with false cheerfulness. "I have faith in my grandson, I know he will achieve what you think is impossible. And don't dare to think that I will easily give up my cute Iruma-kun’s custody, neither" the demon stated, before clapping his hands. "Now, let's get back to the main topic, shall we? There's a baddy dog that wants to bite my beloved grandson, and we can't let him get away with it" he said, in a decidedly less playful tone than the one he had used up until that moment."Speaking of which," Kalego intervened, rising from the couch, "a multi-pronged defense is necessary. First, there is the Human Deportation Act. Azazel-sama, I would like you to handle this, since it is in your field of expertise". Henry nodded, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he replied, "I have extensive knowledge of the entire bureaucratic area of the Demon Border Patrol, as well as extraordinary or emergency procedures. I will find gaps or make them arise naturally, and I will also handle various favors that need to be returned to me that can be useful for this purpose. As long as I am in the Demon Border Patrol, Iruma-kun will not have to fear any measures other than those countersigned by my own hands"Kalego could not have received a better answer from the high ranking demon. Therefore, he turned to Opera, "I'll need a specific deployment of certain teachers and the Chair-demon. I have a plan in mind, but to carry it out, I also need a few elements. Opera-senpai, have you unwashed Iruma's clothes?"The cat demon twitched their feline ears convulsively, a hint of disgust visible despite their usual neutral expression. "Kalego-kun, I would kindly ask to be kept in the dark about certain fetishes of yours..." Opera replied.Kalego hadn't forgotten about the attack from before, and he was burning with the desire to repay it with interest plus six percent. "I'm talking about some clothes that carry his scents! The demon scent that covers his real scent and his human scent, I need them for the plan! You damned fool!" he replied furiously. Opera nodded, sighing with visible relief on purpose. This pissed Kalego off even more, but he would get his revenge in due time."Kalego-kun, what do you need them for?" Balam asked, to change the subject but also out of genuine curiosity. Kalego absentmindedly touched the pack of cigarettes in the back pocket of his jeans, after which he began to explain the plan to those present. No one objected to this, the few that were corrections for some details and division of roles."Now, there remains a matter of no small importance" Sullivan said, glancing at the hellclock hanging on one of the walls of the room. "Henry-kun will begin preparations today, but the rest of us will have to wait until tomorrow. What about you, Kalego-kun?" he asked, turning to the demon. The latter sighed, then replied, "I had not actually planned to stay so long. I need some rest, but I have not brought any money with me to pay for a hotel for tonight. If it’s alright, Chair-demon, I would stay in Babyls for the rest of the day and the night. There should be some unused rooms in the male teachers' dormitory, that would be ideal. Besides, my house is not designed for cohabitation"Sullivan was not at all happy with this plan. He crossed his arms, visibly huffing "No, no! Your stay here will only attract more attention and questions from the Babyls staff! On the contrary, I have a more tempting idea". The old demon turned to his Security Devil "You are allowed to go home earlier than usual, Opera. You must start preparing a room for our guest, it will not take long". The cat demon nodded, said their greetings to the demons present and left the Principal room.Kalego wanted to shout his complaints, but he felt completely exhausted. Like dead batteries used well beyond their natural limit, his mind felt a bit foggy and heavy. This did not fail to be noticed by the gargoyle, who suggested that he rest in the Prep room that had long since become his and Iruma's refuge for their chats about humans.That was one of the few things Kalego had heard that made sense that day. “That's fine with me. I also have a favor to ask of you, Shichiro, if you'll want to listen to me". Balam was surprised by that statement, but he agreed. They would talk about it calmly soon, with a warm cup of helltea in their hands before the nap. Kalego then greeted the two high ranking demons, barely holding back a yawn so as not to disrespect them.Henry was the last to leave the Principal room, especially since he had to prepare some countermeasures right away and bureaucracy is never something that is done easily and quickly. "Henry-kun, one last thing" Sullivan told to have his attention again, while the demon was at the door. "Regardless of how tomorrow goes, there will soon be a vacant throne among the Thirteen Crowns. Let's choose the next candidate better, shall we?" he asked with a falsely indifferent tone.A shiver ran down the red haired demon's spine. It wasn't a recommendation, but a threat. He agreed, then said his goodbyes and left the room. Sullivan headed towards the window, which looked like it had never been shattered. He looked around for the Royal One, where Iruma was currently attending a lesson with the Misfits, who had probably bombarded him with questions for his long tardiness and for the emergency measure put in place and withdrawn that same morning.'No demon will touch my grandson' the demon promised himself, mortally determined 'Tomorrow it will be decided who lives or who dies, a line torn so thin. The answer is simple. Narnia will bow to my grandson, or he shall die’As long as he was alive, no one would harm Iruma, his beloved grandson. He took is hellphone again in his hands. Another urgent message had to be delivered to the unsuspecting demon.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Iruma let himself fall wearily on the soft bed he had left that same morning. The sun had set long ago, the two moons stood tall in a cloudless sky. Iruma was wearing his pajamas, he was in his room, the silence of the night promised an undisturbed rest. Everything was going on as usual, if it hadn't been for the unexpected guest who was staying a few rooms away from his own room.The blue haired boy had to face an avalanche of questions upon his arrival in Royal One. The Misfits had been alerted by the rush of various teachers in the corridors and by Suzy's order not to leave Royal One for any reason, an order uttered with such seriousness by the short teacher that everyone had been shocked. Asmodeus and Clara were the most insistent, literally glued to his body, asking for information about "Kalego's good twin brother" and the reason behind the attempted kidnapping. Obviously, the topic gave new life to the curiosity of the Misfits who were totally unaware of it. Iruma worked hard to keep quiet about the whole thing, giving vague answers here and there.Even when they returned home, Asmodeus and Clara remained glued to him, but there a new addition showed up: Sullivan, who accompanied them all the way on foot, given the unusual absence of Opera and consequently of the hell carriage whose hell horses they knew how to skillfully manage.Sullivan had anticipated that he would find a surprise at home, and so it was. Kalego, the one who came from the future (Iruma had immediately accepted that revelation, but that didn't take away how surprising it was), was in the living room where he usually spent the afternoons with Sullivan and Opera. At dinner there was a certain embarrassment, a heavy silence that every now and then the blue haired boy tried to break with some phrase or question of circumstance. Opera, and this was the thing that Iruma found the strangest of all, didn't try to bother Kalego as usual.Unlike last time, when the cat demon had transformed the teacher into his familiar form and given him a bath and brushed, the familiar form of the purple haired demon was never mentioned, nor did Opera tease him about it. 'Is there some time traveling law that prevents one from being transformed by me from another timeline or something?' the young human wondered as he lay down under the soft, warm blankets, his head resting on one of the many pillows that adorned the top of the bed.This and other questions were swirling around the boy's mind. Like the fact of the flashback shown, the result of his suggestion, which in the end was neither shown nor explained to him. Not that he cared to know in detail what could have happened to him if things didn't go well the next day, but that silence distressed him much more than a very graphic description of torture. On the one hand, Iruma thought that they were keeping him in the dark for his own good, knowing them; on the other hand, he was even more afraid for this reason, since demons were well accustomed to scary things, having them remain silent on that matter meant that it was something really serious.Iruma had not failed to notice the short whispered dialogue between Balam and Kalego, the one from his timeline. He noticed the sudden paleness of the purple haired demon, as well as the look full of horror and pity that he had given him, before rushing out of class. In the end, he finally saw it with his own eyes. Did he now believe the other Kalego? There were so many questions for the young human without answers.Apparently, all the adults closest to him knew something important about him, but Iruma himself was purposely left in the dark. He trusted the judgment of the adults around him, but he did not want to be treated like a child.After dinner and the thirteenth dessert, Kalego had explained the plan to him in broad terms, promising to explain it better the next morning. Kalego had explained what he would need, how he should move the next day, who would have what role. The blue haired boy had proposed to stay home to avoid stirring up so many demons and making them worry, but the three demons in the dining room strongly opposed. They would not leave him alone for even a moment, and his presence in Babyls the next day was essential to the plan. Iruma could only nod, having no further complaints about it.He was surprised when Opera brought the purple haired demon a pair of pajamas for guests, because Iruma thought the demon would have insisted on returning to his own home. Therefore, in a decidedly less fluffy form and decidedly bad mood, the teacher was resting a few meters away from him.Iruma shook his head, closing his eyes to start attracting the desired sleep. Iruma, since his arrival in the Netherworld, had never experienced a sleepless night. Unlike the Human Realm, here he had a bed all to himself, warm and comfortable, in an environment where he was protected and did not have to get up early in the morning to go to work. Nevertheless, for the first time, Iruma had trouble falling asleep. His wide eyes stared at the bedroom ceiling, his mind still forming thoughts and questions."Trouble sleeping, Iru-boy?" asked a well-known voice, while the purple cloud coming from the Gluttony ring took a determined shape. Alikred, in miniature format, tried to flutter above his face. "Yeah, I don't understand the reason though. Grandpa and Kalego-sensei assured me that tomorrow everything will be fine, but..." Iruma tried to explain, after sitting up. He felt a knot in his stomach, but he didn't think it was possible that it was due to dinner. Opera's cuisine was always exquisite and of the highest quality."Maybe it's because a self-styled demon from the future talked about the chronicle of a death foretold for tomorrow morning before lunch break? I challenge anyone to sleep soundly, after such an announced catastrophe" Alikred stated, sitting up while continuing to flutter. Iruma continued to keep his eyes on the one-eyed being as he added, "And we haven't even solved the mystery of the ring. Kalego-sensei wouldn't talk about the ring he was carrying, he just said it was used to go back in time. What do you think about that, Ali-san? Did you sense the presence of someone like you? Do you think it was a time-controlling ring or something? Where do you think Grandpa might have found it? Maybe we could get it back too, if it's already been discovered by this time…”Alikred remained silent, something very strange for Iruma, since the one-eyed being was a big talker. Alikred could not forget what he had seen from inside the Gluttony ring. That other ring, identical to his own, had broken mercifully, revealing to him a fundamental and frightening detail: without the ring as a container, something he had hoped to escape completely from the moment he realized he was endowed with consciousness and the ability to think, he was destined to disappear into nothingness. Not, as he had always dreamed, free from that small golden prison; but disappearing completely, in the sense that his very existence had dissolved, becoming one with the Netherworld.What to the three demons and the young human had seemed a vague murmur, had been for Alikred a strong and clear message. A voice, his own voice, but with a heavier and different intonation, had begged "Please, save him. Save Iru-boy". Alikred, if he had had a sense of taste, would certainly have tasted a bitterness that was difficult to swallow.The one-eyed being would do his best to grant that request, because that was what he himself wanted. Out of nowhere, Alikred proposed, "Let's go pay a nightly visit to our favorite teacher. You're not sleepy, are you? Talking will surely help you fall asleep, I always sleep so well during his lessons"Iruma made a strangled noise in dismay at those words. Alikred, however, said, did and begged enough to persuade the blue haired boy. Hesitantly, slippers on his feet and a candle fueled by a little spell that he sometimes used for his nightly trips to the bathroom, the young human left his room.
…Kalego almost regretted having given in to the sudden onset of sleep that had overtaken him that day, after all the events that had taken place in the space of a single morning. At that moment he was lying on a bed that wasn't his, wearing pajamas that weren't his, desperately seeking a restful sleep that, as always, was late for its appointment. Disappointed, the purple haired man sat on the edge of the bed, his forehead held against the palm of his left hand, the other arm loosely resting on a thigh. Kalego knew well that he had to rest, that his role the next day would be fundamental... no, vital to saving the life of one of his students.Nevertheless, his mind was unable to adequately claim the sleep it was due, continuing to endlessly rework the events of that day and the previous ones. Kalego sighed heavily, then stood up in the direction of the closet. There he had put his clothes, in which he found the object of his search after a quick check of the pockets: the pack of cigarettes Sullivan had given him. He put a cigarette between his lips, went to one of the windows in the room to open it and only after feeling the cold caress of the night on his face did he finally decide to light the cigarette and take his first puff.The relief was almost immediate. However, it did not last. As he took his sixth drag and looked out the window, he heard a small noise with his pointy ears. Kalego turned quickly towards the source of the noise. Behind the door, in fact, he was starting to glimpse a faint beam of light. 'For Derkila's sake, not even one? Not even at night?!' the purple haired demon thought angrily and annoyed, immediately putting out his cigarette against the window frame and throwing the butt out the open window.He decided to leave it open, to let out any remaining traces of smoke. The faint beam of light stopped in front of his door. Kalego was in no mood to start discussing something so trivial on the night before such an important day. He huffed, then walked briskly towards the door. "What is it?!" he asked angrily, swinging the door open.However, contrary to his expectations, on the other side he did not find Opera, but Iruma. Quivering from the tone he had addressed to him, the blue haired boy looked at him with eyes wide with fear "I'm sorry for waking you up, Kalego-sensei..." the young human apologized humbly, the ahoge on his head crumpled and pointing downwards. Kalego sighed, regretting his behavior."It's nothing, I confused you with someone else" the demon stated, leaning with his left arm on the edge of the door "Rather, what are you doing up at this hour? Shouldn't you be resting?" he asked, changing the subject and driven by sincere curiosity. Iruma didn't answer immediately, his gaze now fixed on his slippers, hesitant on what to say.The purple haired demon frowned. "Oh shit, here we go again" he muttered, then grabbed the young human by the scruff of his pajamas and made him enter the room. He closed the door with a kick, glaring at the blue haired boy he was holding up from the floor. "Don't think about doing some self-sacrificial bullshit" the demon exclaimed, earning a confused look from the blue haired boy in return. Kalego took a deep breath, before explaining further, "Tell me, and please be honest, that you weren't going somewhere hoping to help out with tomorrow's plan. Practicing with your bow or some spells might temporarily cheer you up if you're worried, and you can do them, but you won't need it. I'll be there, as will Sullivan-sama and the other high ranking demons who are participating in this plan. You can sleep at ease. Leave this to the teachers"Iruma understood the misunderstanding. Fiddling with his fingers, Iruma replied "Uhm, actually... I couldn't sleep, and I don't know why, so I came by to see if you were awake too, Kalego-sensei. I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep, I didn't mean to". The purple haired demon looked at him doubtfully at his words, but it didn't seem like he was making up any excuses. Iruma bowed his head, adding, "I'm not going anywhere, really. Now I'll go back to my room and be good, don't worry". Iruma, saying this, stretched his feet as far as he could towards the floor, trying to reestablish the lost contact. It was restored when Kalego placed him on the ground.He ran a hand through his hair that fell on his forehead, while explaining to the young student, "You didn't disturb me, Iruma. In fact, we are in the same situation. But there is nothing more to add to what we have already discussed before". Iruma found himself lifted again, this time by the back of his pajama top."Therefore..." the demon added, leaving the room and taking him with him in that strange position, leaving Iruma's arms and legs dangling in the air. "We will not waste these hours looking at each other in silence. There is a more useful way to use them"Surprised and curious, Iruma let the teacher carry him from one corridor to another. In a short time, perhaps also thanks to his long legs and his naturally quick pace, they found themselves in front of the blue haired boy's bedroom. Kalego opened the door with the hand that was not holding him in mid-air, entered the room carrying him with him and closed it behind him. Blinking repeatedly in shock, Iruma found himself sitting in his chair in a flash, his desk in front of him, his arms resting on the fine wood surface, a pen appearing out of nowhere in his right hand.Kalego stepped away from him for a moment only to pick up his school bag and place it on the desk. "Let's use this time to good use" Kalego stated, the old smirk on his lips "You should be grateful for the honor of having me in this role. We'll have some after-school tutoring. We'll check and correct your homework for tomorrow's classes”"Huh?!" exclaimed the blue haired boy, shivering and sweating coldly. Kalego opened his school bag, took out a school text. He opened it, quickly searching for the topic of interest, then placed it under his eyes, placing it open on the desk. "Let's start with Astrology. And you dare to call these scribbles “answers”? Extend the answers you gave here, here and here" Kalego ordered him, with the usual brusque tone he had when he played his role as a teacher.Submissive, Iruma obeyed the teachers' orders. The next two hours were a little hell for him. Kalego made him rewrite the homework of other subjects because he considered them wrong or inaccurate, asked him questions on various topics, at a certain point he began an explanation from scratch of many topics that he hadn’t understood very well, with the consequent need to pay close attention and take notes. When he had finished, Iruma felt exhausted, his face hidden on the notebook in front of him.Iruma's head steamed from the multitude of information gathered in such a short time. Kalego, leaning with his shoulders on the edge of the bookshelf in the room to his left, was quickly leafing through another school textbook. "Iruma, satisfy this curiosity for me" said the demon, closing the textbook "How do you understand, read and write the demonic language? Where did you learn it?”The blue haired boy was surprised by that question. Iruma raised his head and torso from above the desk, resting only his arms on it. "Uhm, with a spell that Grandpa cast on me when I arrived in the Netherworld" the boy answered hesitantly. He didn't want to explain what had happened next, the brief discussion about how he had been sold to a demon by his own parents and the subsequent proposal of adoption as a grandson, but he didn't think it was wrong to reveal at least this detail to him. Especially, considering that by now he knew his secret, and showed no annoyance at his being human.On the contrary, Kalego took that revelation very badly "A spell?! Don't tell me the Chair-demon is helping you with spells for your homework too!" Kalego exclaimed, trying not to raise his voice too much so as not to wake Opera, who was sleeping who knows where.
Iruma waved his hands in panic. “N-No, I would never ask him that...! My grades prove it, don't they...?” the young human replied, trying to justify himself. Kalego couldn't help but agree; as much as the boy was helped in understanding the demonic language with a translation spell, it didn't help him in understanding what he read or studied.Kalego, it was only then that he realized, was basically teaching a child with zero background knowledge from the time demon children learned to speak and write up to the level of education provided by Babyls. The purple haired demon sighed, defeated by the weight of that knowledge. Iruma grew even more worried, but decided to remain silent so as not to further anger the teacher.Kalego took another school textbook from the mountain that had gathered on the corner of the desk, leafing through it while asking again, “Are the topics covered in our lessons very different from yours?” Iruma interlaced his fingers, his gaze lowered on them "I don't know, more or less? Surely you don't study spells or plants that exist in the Netherworld, but... maybe mathematics is similar? I'm sorry, I didn't... go to school much, before..." the blue haired boy answered in a low voice.Iruma didn't want to tell the teacher that he hadn't had many opportunities to attend school when they were in the human world because he was busy working for his parents or surviving lost who knows where, always to do some job whose pay wouldn't end up entirely in his own pockets. Besides, he already considered himself lucky enough to know how to read and write, as well as to have avoided losing school years.It was while he was deep in thought that Kalego motioned for him to stand up. Iruma obeyed, standing next to the desk and watching the teacher sit down in his place. Kalego opened several textbooks, then took a notebook that had not yet been used and placed it next to the textbooks. Pen tightly gripped in his left hand, the demon began to write quickly under Iruma's surprised eyes, his clean and elegant handwriting quickly filling line after line, while the demon's right hand proceeded to leaf through the textbooks here and there."You don't have to feel bad about it" the teacher said, his eyes jumping from a textbook to the notebook he was writing in. "Considering your nature, it's quite commendable that you managed not to fail in any subject last year, and that with your efforts you manage to keep yourself in the average compared to your classmates. You managed with your determination in wanting to live here in the Netherworld to remain alongside demons who are equipped with more knowledge than you, having attended school as expected. I could never undervalue such an effort"Iruma felt a pleasant warmth in his chest, thanks to those words of recognition. Kalego jerked his chin toward the bed. “Sit over there, I’ll be a while to finish. Your previous school knowledge, whether it’s lacking or abundant, means next to nothing in the Netherworld. Culturally speaking, you’re at the level of a six-year-old child right now, if not worse. I’m jotting down some changes to the curriculum for the rest of the school year, along with suggestions to help you better understand concepts we demons take for granted. Shichiro’s picture books are helpful, aren’t they? Well, we’ll integrate them officially into your study materials”Iruma struggled not to burst into tears of emotion. No teacher had ever been so understanding towards him before, in fact he was often called to the teachers' room to be scolded for his numerous absences or poor academic performance. The fact that a teacher would take the time to include an integration to help him better understand the topics studied was much more than the blue haired boy could dream of asking for. Especially if that teacher was Kalego, the fearsome Guard Dog of Babyls, not for nothing famous for his reputation as "Emperor of Doom and Gloom" and for his sternness. Iruma obeyed and sat on the edge of the bed, his hands clasped together on his thighs, his eyes fixed on the back of the demon who sat at his desk.Kalego was completely immersed in the task he had assigned himself. His hope was that, as it happened with the normal students of Babyls, Iruma would be able to use the knowledge acquired during lessons as tools, to increase his chances of survival in the Netherworld. A chance that the blue haired boy desperately needed, considering that not only was he not human but he lacked an incalculable amount of knowledge normally already possessed by any of his peers in the Netherworld. This task helped the demon to calm down a little, anguished as he was by the prospect of what awaited them the next day. Organizing Iruma's future if he survived the upcoming hellish day was something that strengthened his belief in being able to help him survive.Time passed like this. In the room, where a calm calm reigned, one could only hear the sound of the pen sliding quickly over the paper.Kalego placed Iruma's pen on the notebook in front of him after finishing his work. He stretched his arms above his head, stretching them a bit, and did the same for his long legs. The purple haired demon stood up from his chair while saying "I'm done for now. Tomorrow, when everything will be resolved, you will have to show it to me from this timeline. In collaboration with the other teachers of Babyls, it won't be too difficult to fix the school program for you, or create a parallel one to accompany the one followed by the students of your year. Of course, this sudden change will have to be motivated, so the Chair-demon will have to invent a good excuse for once"Kalego quickly started checking that he had written the necessary notes or reminders. Hearing no response, the demon turned to the blue haired boy "Did you understand what I said or not? Your education is not something that can be taken lightly" Kalego remarked, before abruptly falling silent. Iruma hadn't answered him for the sole reason that he hadn't heard him. The blue haired boy, exhausted from the unexpected study session, had collapsed from sleep on his bed. Lying on his left side and curled up, the young human was sleeping heavily.Kalego approached, sighing and putting his hands on his own hips. “At least get under the blankets, you fool” he stated, even knowing the boy in question couldn’t hear him. He stopped in front of the young human, observing his small and seemingly frail figure, despite the fact that he had recently put on a visible thin layer of muscle thanks to his archery training and Opera’s unyielding, merciless lessons as a teacher.For some reason, even though the pajamas were appropriate for boys his age, it seemed to be a little loose, accentuating the impression that Iruma’s body was not properly developed. Of course, in the Misfits class there were two other students as small as him, Lied and Purson. However, seen alone instead of camouflaged among them, that implicit fragility that the demon unconsciously attributed to all humans stood out. Compared to the previous year the young boy had put on a bit of weight, whether muscle or fat was none of his business. Yet, the feeling of dealing more with a small demonic beast rather than a demon remained.'Maybe it's because I carried him that I know how lightweight he can actually be' this thought came from nowhere.Kalego was startled at that thought. He didn't want to remember what it was like to run from the infirmary to the Principal room with that little body in his arms. He didn't want to remember the chill that ran through his bones and the grip that forcefully grabbed his insides as Sullivan and Buer tried to heal him. Working spell after spell on a body that no longer needed healing, reluctantly abandoned by the soul that had inhabited it. Kalego shook his head quickly, a shiver running down his spine.Iruma was alive... at that moment. But what about the next day? What if, like the first time, he couldn't save that peculiar student? The plan was calibrated on his knowledge of Narnia, but it wasn't foolproof. Unforeseen events could happen. Kalego had the advantage of knowing in advance how the next day's events would unfold, but Narnia remained a high ranking demon. A Thirteenth Crown, who had not earned one of the few positions of power in the Netherworld by sheer luck.Narnia was strong. If it had not been for Mephisto, whose true strength was still unknown as was his background, Narnia would probably have gotten away with it. His fellow teachers, though being high-profile and powerful demons, in the end had failed to produce any tangible results in their search for the demon.Kalego began to wonder, shrugging and trembling, if it had been a mistake to limit the information to only those demons who knew of Iruma's true nature. Perhaps, he began to doubt, by not revealing that secret, he could gain the cooperation of other high ranking demons: of Mephisto, whose success in capturing Narnia he had already seen; of Barbatos Bachiko, Iruma's archery teacher, who would surely approve of any plan to protect her precious and only student; of Asmodeus Amaryllis, who had shown herself ever since his acquaintance with her son to look favorably upon the blue haired boy, as if he were in fact her favorite.Kalego remembered the vote of the Thirteen Crowns following the kidnapping of Iruma. No, apart from those three demons, Sullivan and Azazel, there were no other Crowns explicitly favorable towards Iruma. Involving other Crowns would have been dangerous for reasons outside of Iruma's safety. This could lead to another internal rift among the Thirteen Crowns, one far worse than the one he had already seen. What about a civil war, the Crowns that ruled the Netherworld awaiting the return of the Demon King, derived from the same Crowns that organized to kill each other regardless of the reason? This would be a far worse mess, new sparks of war that would shake the Netherworld to its foundations.No, Kalego reflected, the best prospect was to have as few demons as possible informed of the matter, even better, fewer witnesses as possible. This would be essential to be able to later declare, after months of absence, the official disappearance of yet another Crown.Nevertheless, five Crowns against one would have been a great advantage, powerful allies of incalculable value. Had he perhaps sinned through greed and pride, when he had conceived the plan with the idea of being the final executor? Had his greed in obtaining the severed bleeding head of Narnia perhaps clouded his judgment?The worst prospect for him, at that moment, was failure. Not being able to stop Narnia, not being able to prevent Iruma's kidnapping and the aftermath. After all, the place where he had been held for six very long hours remained one of the few but worrying mysteries of that horrible story.What if he failed? Surely, Iruma would have had to relive the tortures, from the first... to the last. The dissolution of the familiar contract would have been only the last piece of the sad epilogue before the discovery of the blue haired boy. And in that case, how should he have moved? Sullivan had confidently stated that he knew nothing about time travel spells. Would it have been possible, in that eventuality, to start all over again? The journey back in time again, a new opportunity to make up for everything? And what if it hadn't been possible? What if that had been a once in a lifetime opportunity? What the hell, the study of time spells was really lacking in information on the subject. Both on normal functioning and on all those secondary questions.And how would he himself feel about failing again? How could he ever look at himself in the mirror again if he failed to save Iruma again?These thoughts were not good for the health of his repeatedly strained sanity. The air began to thicken, the walls of the blue haired boy's bedroom began to feel too close around him. Kalego's hands began to shake, every breath almost felt like a mistake. At that moment, he felt like he had built his own torment with the life he was trying to save. Kalego felt like he was going to crumble as he felt himself shrinking in that room that wasn't his, governed by a silence that fueled his doubts and self-loathing.Kalego tried with all his might not to let his anguish and fears overcome him. His eyes, clouded by these dark thoughts, returned to focus on the sleeping figure of Iruma. Kalego tried to calm his breathing, shifting his attention to the fact that Iruma was there, alive, and sleeping. Iruma was sleeping in his room, in his house, and everything was fine. Iruma was alive and just deeply asleep. Iruma was sleeping.… He was sleeping, right?Kalego bent over the sleeping boy, distressed. Iruma was just a boy in deep sleep, that was the reason why he was breathing so slowly. Wasn't that right? 'Is he breathing? He's asleep, right?!' the demon wondered, touching Iruma's right shoulder with his left hand. From above the fabric of his pajamas he was warm as always. But was he, in fact, breathing? Why, Kalego wondered, didn't he seem to see his chest rise slightly in rhythm with his breaths? Why, Kalego wondered, didn't he seem to hear him breathing?Alerted and shaken, Kalego began to shake the blue haired boy by the shoulder. After a few seconds, Iruma raised his head. "What...?" the boy asked in a sleepy voice, his eyes clouded by interrupted sleep, looking around. Kalego froze, sweating coldly, his breathing heavily as he tried to gather his thoughts. Iruma sat up, rubbing his eyes under the demon's gaze, who regretted waking the young human.Kalego put his face in his hands, his breathing slowly returning under his control. As happened on very rare occasions, the purple haired demon was about to apologize. It was not his intention to interrupt the boy's rest, he had let himself be carried away by his own paranoia.Kalego felt something grab the sleeves of his pajamas. He raised his face from above his hands, thus discovering that it was only Iruma's fingers, which were holding him firmly but also delicately for the fabric. The blue haired boy, definitely more awake than before, was smiling sweetly at him "Are you worried, Kalego-sensei? Don’t be, it's all right. I trust you, I know that tomorrow everything will be fine. Please, have faith in yourself. You are one of the strongest and most capable teachers in Babyls, and you have the advantage of knowing what will happen. Everything will be fine" Iruma told him, his eyes full of sincere trust. He was determined to stay alive as long as possible, and he was trusting him for that.Kalego remained silent for a few seconds, his brain putting his thoughts back in order. As a teacher, he felt an unpleasant sensation of humiliation, at having been seen in that condition by a student. Just when Kalego thought Iruma was starting to listen, he had become a harbinger of an optimism that was rare in the Netherworld. He didn’t get depressed or lose faith, or recklessly rush to solve the situation on his own, like other times. It was as if Iruma had his feet on the ground, instead of throwing himself into danger, trusting the adults around him for once.The purple haired demon nodded, slowly getting up "Don't mind it, Iruma. I'm fine, it happens to me sometimes. I'll protect you, I promised. I'm not such a low-ranking demon to make promises I can't keep. By my side, I’ll believe in you and all of that nonsense you told this morning" he stated, lifting the blue haired boy by his forearms, to get him up from the bed as well.Iruma's feet touched the floor again, while the demon took a few steps back. Kalego pointed to the bed and ordered "Therefore, go to sleep. Like a civilized demon, I mean, not curled up on the edge of your own bed. Get under the blankets and sleep as much as you can, I need you awake tomorrow. See you in the morning"After saying that, the demon gave him a very quick caress on the forehead and started walking towards the door. Iruma did as he was told with great pleasure, letting himself be enveloped by the warmth of the heavy blankets he had left behind hours before. "Good night to you too, Kalego-sensei! See you tomorrow morning for breakfast!" the blue haired boy exclaimed, smiling. Kalego didn't reply, merely giving him one last look before closing the door. For once, he had to give the young human some credit. Kalego was letting his doubts and fears drag him down, instead of acting like an adult.Kalego knew he could never erase the mental scars that remained, but perhaps through his previous failure he would learn a lesson. This time he would make it right, the Netherworld deserved its traitors to bend. His name would be a warning to future fools. A tale of despair, for the demon he would lose because he chose to right his wrongs.…The next morning, during breakfast, nothing worthy of note happened, apart from Kalego's presence which was extraordinary in itself. Kalego left the mansion before them, taking a bag Opera handed him, then putting on the detection-warding glasses always provided by the cat demon and flying away. Iruma gulped in discomfort, thinking about the contents of the bag."We'll make an exchange" Kalego had explained to him, illustrating the plan "I'll leave before you, unnoticed, and I'll wait for you at Royal One. Iruma, you will take the hell carriage today with Sullivan-sama and Opera-senpai. Make up some excuse for Asmodeus and Valac if you want, I genuinely don't care. When you arrive at Royal One and the Fang platoon will have arrived, we'll split up for the agreed roles" Iruma nodded at each sentence, tightening his right hand around the contents of the right pocket of his school uniform. There, in fact, was a pair of detection-warding glasses for himself.Kalego continued, "Sullivan-sama will go to the Principal room alone, because Opera-senpai will stay with you all the time for your safety, in case something goes wrong. In that case, Opera-senpai will contact Sullivan-sama. Until then, he must be careful not to make himself noticeable, or this second plan will go to waste. Sullivan-sama will be hiding in that area, while Shichiro will wait in a spot far away but not too far from where I will be positioned, to intervene when I have lured Narnia. In fact, when you enter the Royal One, you will have to immediately put on the detection-warding glasses. At that moment, I will exit the Royal One and take off the ones I am wearing. The bag that Opera-senpai will give me contains some of your used clothes. They will be essential to lure Narnia, because he will think he’s following your scent”He stopped for a second, then he continued “I’ll immediately head outside the walls of Babyls to avoid any injuries among the students or damage to the school. Once Narnia is spotted, Shichiro will contact the Chair-demon and he will move to reach us. I would have preferred to keep him closer, but it is not out of the question that something will go wrong and Narnia will enter the Royal One. Azazel-sama, as agreed, will wait at the entrance of Babyls for the Fangs Unit and will talk to them in the Principal room to legally resolve the mess that is the Human Deportation Act. Once Narnia has arrived at the determined point, Sullivan-sama and Shichiro will join me and we'll settle this matter once and for all"Iruma raised his left hand, to ask a question. Kalego granted him permission with a nod. "You'll just talk to him, right? To make him see reason? There won't be... bloodshed like yesterday, right?" the blue haired asked with clear anxiety in his voice, not forgetting the all-against-one fight he had witnessed the day before in the Principal room. Sullivan and Opera looked away, not wanting to let him know what would really happen once they got their hands on the demon that wanted to harm him. Kalego looked him in the eyes, but remained silent. "... Right?" insisted Iruma, further made uneasy by that silence.Kalego then replied, sibylline "We’ll start with the dialogue". Iruma sighed with relief at that reassurance. Sullivan and Opera, on the contrary, looked at each other in surprise: since when was the intention to tear out tongues and arms to avoid the use of spells called “dialogue”? The two demons preferred to remain with the question, rather than further scare the already frightened human boy.Sullivan decided to intervene, both to further reassure the boy and to change the subject. He lifted Iruma in the air by holding him under his arms, and smilingly reassured him "Don't worry about these insignificant details, my sweet grandson. Just think about following the lessons as usual and always staying close to Opera"Shortly after, in the company of Asmodeus and Clara, the blue haired boy headed to school, safe inside the hell carriage driven by Opera. Naturally, once he entered the Royal One, Iruma was literally surrounded by his classmates and assailed by their questions. There were those who curiously asked about the reason behind the detection-warding glasses after greeting them and entering the Royal One, those who asked why that day all their lessons had been scheduled in the Royal One and with only thirteen hours' notice, those who did not give up on the vague answers of the previous day wanted to know more about Kalego's mysterious good twin.Opera took it upon themselves to answer all their questions directly, simply and concisely. An answer that would surely not give room for further questions, that would not create alarm and would not have consequences on Iruma's reputation."Iruma-sama has a stalker" said the cat demon, while the faces of the thirteen students in the classroom gave them a shocked look."Oh! Truly worrying! How do you feel, Iruma-kun?" Elizabetta exclaimed in a compassionate tone, gently stroking Iruma's head."A stalker? Is that what that demon identical to Sir Kalego came to do yesterday?! I will reduce him to ashes with my flames for his shameful obsession!" Asmodeus exclaimed, a lively flame glowing in his left hand, his normally composed face disfigured by blind fury."No one touches Irumacchi!" Clara exclaimed in turn, taking out a sharp axe from Toy-Toy and brandishing it in the air, until Opera confiscated it for general safety."Considering his fame and lineage, it is not strange that Iruma-kun has one or two fans beyond the limits of decency, but this is still worrying..." Allocer stated, touching his muzzle."Iruma-kun must be protected! Okay, all the idiots come here, we must formulate a plan to protect him!" Jazz stated, stretching the fingers of his right hand in case his Bloodline ability was needed."A gentleman must know how to reject unwanted advances with the utmost elegance and courtesy, but... which damsel are we talking about?" Kamui asked with insane curiosity."Iruma-dono, do not hesitate to ask us for help in handling this matter!" Gasp offered, his right hand already on the hilt of his katana."I'm sorry, I hope that at least your stalker is less noisy and intrusive than mine..." said Agares, undecided whether or not to offer him the moral support that comes from a nice nap on his cloud bed."Don't worry!" Keroro intervened, putting both hands on his shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes with a determined expression "Mar-san... I mean, a demoness I know, she's really good at managing stalkers. For the time being it's better if you change your habits a bit, they've surely already studied them. Please, always remember that it's not your fault for the madness and creepy obsession of some demons that are around. Just in case, always keep your hellphone next to you. Wait, do you know the number of the Demon Border Patrol? I'll pass it to you right away" the young girl added."Some miserable stalker won't get away with this, they'll pay for targeting the worthy rival of the future Demon King such as I am!" Sabnock exclaimed angrily, his left hand balled into a fist and his thumb tapping his muscular chest."Wait, did she by any chance recognize you by... your resemblance to a certain evidol? I mean, one of those creepy fans who can't reach their heart's evidols and decide to obsess over other demons who even vaguely resemble them?" Lied asked in terror, genuinely worried about his would-be younger brother and equally worried about the possibility of being next."Dude, I understand that you're very famous, but a stalker... I mean, seriously? In this day and age? Do demons have nothing else to think about? Do you want me to discreetly monitor what demons say around here?” Purson intervened too, appearing at Iruma's left side.Opera decided to intervene to clarify all those questions as much as possible "No, Asmodeus-san, it’s not Kalego-kun's good twin. On the contrary, he rushed to Babyls precisely to protect one of his brother's students, but demons from the Naberius clan are certainly not known for their calmness in resolving matters. Chair-demon has been informed, so he has decided to move your classes to Royal One just for today to best guarantee Iruma-sama's safety. I apologize in his place, as his Security Devil, for this abuse of power, but I hope you will understand the valid reason behind it. I kindly ask you to be patient, this unfortunate situation will be resolved today" replied the cat demon, and then made a slight bow in apology.The twelve students surrounding Iruma did not calm down at all, although they were reassured by the fact that there was already a lead available. "And if I may ask, is there anything known about the identity of Iruma-sama's stalker? Knowing that would be helpful in identifying her if we were to catch her by chance, wouldn't it?" asked Asmodeus, growing anxious for the blue haired boy's safety.Opera was silent for a moment, considering whether to answer. "It should be a good-looking man with long hair and emotionless eyes" the cat demon finally replied, remembering the rare occasions they had seen Naberius at Devilum.Jazz flinched, "Wait, Wait, Wait! Are we talking about a dude?! I was thinking of some crazy demoness, maybe a schoolmate... but this is even worse! We have to protect Iruma-kun!" he exclaimed. Clara gave her support, equally alert, "No baddy adult shall lay a finger on Irumacchi!" she stated, hugging the blue haired boy tightly as if she could protect him from all the evils of the Netherworld. The other Misfits became animated with insults."You can be heard from the hallway, you imbeciles! Be quiet and sit down, class is starting!" Kalego of that timeline exclaimed, entering the classroom. The demon quickly glanced at Iruma as he took a seat, then at Opera who nodded to him. Kalego looked around, knowing that his other self had already started up as planned. He hoped strongly that everything would be okay. In the worst case, Opera was there by Iruma's side, and he himself could intervene, although he didn't think he stood a chance against his brother. When the Misfits had fallen silent, the first class of the day began.…Upon arriving at Babyls, Amy Azami encountered the last demon he expected to encounter that day. Azazel Henry, back straight and looking like he was having a bad day, stood with his body between the gates of Babyls and the Fang Platoon. "Amy Azami, Colonel of the Demon Border Patrol's Fang Platoon. Follow me with your Platoon to the Principal room. We will discuss the reason you have come to do today, and the possibility of removing you from your position indefinitely if you do not provide me with valid reasons for your heinous act” stated Henry, his voice cold as his gaze. Azami gulped, then he followed the Security Chief.…It was at the end of the second lesson of the day that Iruma received a message on his hellphone. He was chatting with Asmodeus and Clara, trying to talk about light topics to cheer them up, when he heard the music that signaled an incoming message. Opera was nearby to leave him some personal space, perfectly straight and standing, their eyes had not left him the whole time.Iruma looked down at the device and read the message that was shining on the screen "I need to talk to you. It's urgent. Come to me right away" the message read. Iruma froze, the voices of Asmodeus and Clara reaching his ears muffled. The sender was Ameri. Iruma had been so shaken and disoriented by the events and revelations of the previous day that he had forgotten one important thing: to inform Ameri of the unannounced visit of the Fang Platoon and Narnia.With feigned calm, he looked up from his hellphone in Opera's direction. He didn't want to further agitate his soulmates and the other Misfits, already shaken by the story of the alleged stalker. Iruma muttered to the two demons next to him that he had something urgent to say to the cat demon that he had forgotten to say earlier. The blue haired boy stood up before he even got an answer and walked briskly over to Opera, leaned slightly towards the young human. Iruma covered his mouth with his left hand to avoid being heard or understood by the other demons in the room. "Opera-san, have you heard something from Ameri-san? Has she been notified about this... matter?" he whispered, trying to keep his tone simple and curious.Opera answered in a whisper, surprised by that question. "Not that I know of. For the plan to be successful, it is ideal that as few people as possible know what is happening”. Iruma was taken aback by that answer. The demon, on the contrary, did not seem upset. Unlike Opera, whose face was almost always unreadable, the blue haired boy's face could no longer hide dismay. The cat demon added, to reassure him, "There’s no reason to worry, Iruma-sama. Ameri isn’t in danger. Nothing had happened to her the first time, according to Kalego-kun's statements. Therefore, there’s no reasonable reason to assume otherwise. Young master, It’s on yourself that you should be more aware. You’re the target, here"Iruma nodded, his hands clenched into small fists. 'Opera-san is wrong' Iruma thought, as he shifted his gaze to Asmodeus and Clara, who were waiting for his return. 'Ameri-san could be in danger. Azz-kun too, after all. Narnia-san was at the Deviculum like us… he saw Ameri-san and Azz-kun talking to me! What if he decides to take out his frustration on them for being thwarted? Azz-kun is safe as long as he stays inside Royal One, but Ameri-san is out there! And she doesn't know anything!'Iruma wasn't so naive as to not suspect a trap. But precisely because he was considering that possibility, he felt anxiety tightening his throat. He sent a quick message to Ameri, asking her to clarify the reason for such haste. If Ameri was safe and sound, the blue haired boy reflected, then there was a chance she was an unwilling exposed target. If, on the contrary, that was really a trap, it meant that something had already happened to her. Iruma checked the small screen of the hellphone, but he saw no new incoming messages. That silence, from a demoness who had always been quick to respond, fueled his fears.Tormented by the feeling of helplessness, Iruma returned to sit next to his soulmates. He looked at the hellphone again, wondering if he should send her a new message. Would it be better to give her a general explanation first, and then meet her once the morning classes were over and explain better? But why had she written to him to meet urgently? Had she already sensed something? What if Narnia was already in Babyls and had her eye on her?'Ameri-san is a high-ranking demoness, but we’re talking about a Crown!' the blue haired boy mentally mused, as Momonoki entered the classroom and began his lesson. Iruma felt his stomach gnawing at those fears, his heart beating quickly with anxiety. He couldn't resist any longer. He couldn't stay there safe and sound while someone dear to him risked being in danger because of him. Iruma raised his right arm, calling the teacher's attention, after he took off and put his glasses back on to get noticed."Excuse me! I need to go to the bathroom!" he exclaimed, trying to sound sincere. Momonoki gave him permission to go but, just as he had imagined, he was not left alone. "I also politely request to use the bathroom" Asmodeus said in turn, while Clara was already standing. "Me too! I have to run to the bathroom!" she stated in a loud voice. Momonoki gave permission to all three, also because reassured by the vision of Opera who remained glued to Iruma while the three students left the classroom.Iruma broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that his hastily concocted plan would be ruined before he even set sail. He opted for improvisation. “Uhm” he asked, trying to sound calm. “Do you really have to go to the bathroom too?” Asmodeus and Clara shook their heads. “No, but we think it’s prudent for you to always have someone with you. Iruma-sama, you never know when that disgusting stalker might show up” Asmodeus replied, while Clara hugged him. “We’ll keep that bad guy away from you! Irumacchi, count on us!” she said, tightening her embrace.Iruma felt moved by those comforting words. And that made it even harder to tell the second lie he’d told in the space of five minutes. Once they reached the door to the boys’ bathroom, Iruma turned to his three companions. “Opera-san, Azz-kun, could you wait outside for a moment?” he asked, then placed a hand on his stomach "Uhm, it will take me a while and it would be... a little embarrassing, if you listened..." Iruma added, feeling Clara's hug slipping as she had understood immediately."Don't worry, Irumacchi! Do you also want something that covers the noise? I have so many useful things, I always use them for Urara!" she proposed, starting to put her hands in Toy-Toy's pockets. Asmodeus coughed, embarrassed by the topic but understanding "We won't listen to a single sound, Iruma-sama. Go ahead without any problems"Iruma sighed in relief, then turned to Opera and said "Don't worry, Opera-san! It's nothing you cooked, it's just... maybe the tension…?" he chuckled embarrassed to make the topic less embarrassing for everyone. Opera gave a short nod "Go ahead, but for any emergencies call me immediately" they told him.Iruma thanked the cat demon, excused himself, and entered the boys' bathroom. As he expected, with only the Misfits in Royal One, the bathroom was empty. Iruma took a quick look around, then ran to the window high up to allow for some air exchange. The blue haired boy had to do several hops, but finally managed to grab onto the lower edge of the window.
Iruma pushed himself with his feet, the soles of his shoes resting against the wall, to be able to jump high.After a couple more maneuvers he found himself outside Royal One. He jumped onto the fresh grass, crouching to avoid hurting himself. Iruma dusted off his school uniform, small leaves of lawn grass here and there, then ran in the direction of the main office of Babyls. 'I will be quick' he promised himself, absentmindedly touching the detection-warding glasses he was wearing. 'Just long enough to explain to Ameri-san the danger she might be in because of me, and I'll be back. No one will notice'Unnoticed by anyone thanks to the magical item, Iruma walked through the internal corridors of Babyls. He went bend after bend, corridor after corridor, unconsciously hiding when he passed a teacher on the way. Iruma already knew where to go: to the Student Council room, the designated place for their meetings to read aloud the manga "Hatsukoi memories".Iruma turned the umpteenth intersection of corridors, but out of nowhere he hit something hard. Taken by surprise, Iruma bounced back, landing on his butt. Due to the impact, the detection-warding glasses fell to the ground. Iruma began to rub his nose, which was a bit sore from the impact, when the sound of breaking glass reached his ears. The blue haired boy turned his eyes towards the source of the strange noise. He then saw a black shoe that was stepping on his glasses, which were broken into pieces."I'm sorry, I hadn't seen you... Oh, Milord! How long!" said a voice that Iruma had heard some time ago. Two white-gloved hands reached out to him, grabbing his wrists and pulling his arms up to help him stand up. For a moment, Iruma felt as if those hands around his wrists were as cold and hard as handcuffs.Iruma found himself upright on his own two feet in a matter of moments, his face raised in the direction of his unexpected helper. Short white hair, two short round horns like Clara's, expressionless and pitch black eyes. "Fenrir-san!" he exclaimed, surprised.Six minutes later, Alikred's shrill, fearsome voice screamed, heard by all the demons of Babyls.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Balam, well hidden in the tower containing the green two-headed being that with its cry acted as a bell to Babyls, felt uncomfortable. Not only because he was cramped in a place too small for a demon of his size, but because he felt that something was wrong. According to the words of the Kalego from the different timeline, Narnia should have appeared to Babyls at the same time as the Fang Platoon. He had been given a Narnia’s photo to be able to monitor his movements with his own ability, the same one used during the Terminus exams to prevent any student from cheating. However, Balam had not spotted him. No demon with those features was wandering inside Babyls.Restless, the gargoyle touched the iron mask that covered his mouth, while he thought back to the strange dialogue he had with the future version of Kalego. The latter, blanket on and cup of steaming helltea in his hands, had simply looked at him in silence for a while. It was an awkward silence for Balam, so he decided to take the initiative and asked, "What favor did you want to ask of me earlier?" The purple haired demon looked down at his steaming drink, the steam slowly rising toward the ceiling."Watch over Iruma" he stated, sounding more like an order than a request for a favor. Kalego looked up from his cup of helltea and explained, "The possibility that something could go wrong tomorrow should not be underestimated. Narnia is a crafty demon with years of experience on battlefields. We have my firsthand knowledge of what will happen... but when Iruma is involved, nothing ever goes as it should. Therefore, Shichiro, keep an eye on Iruma. Opera-senpai… they're a great protection for him, but if something goes wrong, they can't do it alone”Balam didn't have to think about it. "I will. Iruma-kun's safety is the most important thing right now" he replied, determined. Kalego thanked him, then began to sip the warm drink, before giving in to sleep. Therefore, in that moment of excessive quiet, Balam decided to check Iruma's location. Surely he would be inside Royal One, surrounded by demons whose smell would further help keep him hidden-…Oh.Oh no.Iruma wasn't in Royal One!Balam, frightened, began to search for him with all his concentration within the walls of Babyls, while his left hand quickly dialed a number on the keypad of his hellphone.…Fenrir released Iruma's wrists, a reassuring smile on his lips. The mask he wore at the Deviculum was nowhere to be seen, so the blue haired boy could see his face properly. Iruma quickly recovered from his shock, falling into a stupor that turned into deep concern. 'Fenrir-san works at the Demon Border Patrol... and they came here for me! I have to run!' he thought, taking two steps back, ready to turn and run away. At that, the white haired demon asked out of nowhere, “Milord, do you happen to know where I can find Lady Ameri?”Iruma stopped walking backwards, more confused than startled by the strange question.Fenrir explained further, while rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand. “See, today is a bit of a mess. This morning I was literally kicked out of bed to be here, not a very pleasant experience after a 36-hour shift. Well, all I understood was that there’s something the Demon Border Patrol wants to talk about here in Babyls, but please don’t tell anyone! It’s like a secret mission or something”Iruma nodded, unable to refuse a request. Also because, in that case, it was also in his best interest for the word not to be spread. Fenrir continued, glancing around. “Azazel-sama ordered me to protect Milady “in case things go wrong”, he said. You know Sullivan-sama since you’re his grandson, is he such a hot-tempered demon? Should I hide my horns just to be safe?” he asked, covering both of his short, rounded horns and shaking slightly.Iruma shook his head, then explained "No, Granp- ehm, the Chair-demon is a very understanding and patient demon, I think they'll just talk. I was just on my way to Ameri-san, she's waiting for me in the Student Council room"Fenrir's emotionless eyes sparkled with joy, as he bent slightly in front of Iruma to ask, his hands clasped in prayer "This is exactly where I need to go! Could you please show me around? This is my first time visiting Babyls and I've been going in circles for hours, if I fail in my duty Azazel-sama will be furious!". Iruma smiled awkwardly, advancing in his direction, and said "No problem. We're going in the same direction”On the one hand, as always, he found himself unable to ignore a request, a real plea in this case. On the other hand, Fenrir seemed not to have been informed about the Deportation Human Act matter, otherwise he would have surely tried to capture him on the spot and taken him to the Fang Platoon.Led by Iruma, Fenrir began walking a few steps behind him, a smirk on his face.Iruma continued to pay attention as he advanced through the corridors, opting for the less frequented ones where possible. "Sorry, it's just that I shouldn't be out here right now..." he tried to justify himself at the demon's umpteenth surprised look. "Oh don't worry, Milord. Not a word will come out of this mouth of mine" he declared, as he took off his green jacket that was loosely hanging from his shoulders. He placed it on Iruma's head, covering him up to mid-thigh. "Use this and stay close to me, you'll look like a bit of an eccentric ordinary student" Fenrir encouraged him, smiling slyly. Iruma thanked him and covered himself better, his iconic ahoge hidden under the jacket.Since it was class time, there weren't many demons around. Iruma's step was cautious, while Fenrir advanced with more confidence. The white haired demon at a certain point indicated to him to turn into a side corridor, from there they hid under the stairs. Iruma didn't understand the meaning since there was no one around, but Fenrir put the index finger of his left hand in front of his mouth in a gesture of silence and the two waited.After a few seconds, two voices reached Iruma's ears. He couldn't identify the first one, perhaps it was a teacher he didn't know. The second, instead, was that of Kalego. The Kalego of the current timeline, who didn't seem to be very involved in that conversation, answering little and with short sentences.As the two teachers walked past them, Iruma felt his cheeks heat up with shame. 'Kalego-sensei, Grandpa and everyone is working hard to protect me' the blue haired boy mentally noted, balling his hands into fists. 'And yet, I'm out here, while Narnia-san is who knows where. I risk ruining their efforts and the plan. I… should go back. They asked me to rely on them. I'll explain to Opera-san better that Ameri-san is in danger too, they'll listen to me if I know how to use the right words'A voice pulled him out of those thoughts "Milord, didn't you say you needed to talk to her? It's not that urgent, after all?” Fenrir said, leaning slightly over him "I still need to reach Milady, but if you don't feel like it anymore, it's okay. Can you at least give me directions? I'll try not to get lost again. I was really, really counting on you, but..."Iruma shook his head, then replied "It's not a problem! You can count on me, Fenrir-san! And the sooner I talk to Ameri-san, the better". Iruma couldn't say no to a request, a plea or a simple "I'm counting on you". For this reason, feeling the betrayal of trust in him weighed like a millstone on his chest. If he had hurried, Iruma thought, he would have been able to go back in time so as not to have his absence noticed. Once it was done, he would have explained why he had acted in that way, hoping not to receive a reprimand or a punishment that was too harsh. It was no longer just his life at stake, but most likely Ameri's safety as well if he hadn't warned her as soon as possible.After Kalego and the other teacher had gone far beyond that stretch of corridor, disappearing who knows where, Iruma and Fenrir continued on their way. The white haired demon wrapped his left arm around the blue haired boy's shoulders, careful not to touch him, to encourage him to continue the walking. Fenrir covered his mouth, simulating a quick cough, to hide the satisfied smile he didn't want to show to his prey.Demon and human took a few shortcuts, so they arrived at the Student Council room much earlier than expected. Iruma knocked on the door of the room, but received no answer. Had Ameri not heard him? Curious, he knocked again, then opened the door.At that moment, a hand fell heavily on his left shoulder. Fenrir, behind him, suggested "Milord, could you talk with her before I come in? I don't want to scare milady with my sudden appearance. I'll wait here, I need to call Azazel-sama to tell him I'm with his daughter anyway"Iruma approved and gave the jacket back to the demon, then entered the room. It seemed empty. "Ameri-san?" he asked, looking around, as he advanced into the room. He approached the desk, but Ameri wasn't there. Doubtful, he picked up his hellphone and called her. It was strange that, despite the hurry with which she wanted to see him for who knows what reason, she wasn't already there. The device began to ring, the sound of an attempted call reaching his ear.After a few seconds, as Iruma was cautiously glancing out one of the windows of the room, a hellphone ringtone came from behind him. Iruma turned around, happy, and said "Ameri-san, I was-"The words died in his throat when he saw who had entered the room, closing the door behind him. The left hand held a bright red hellphone, which was ringing to notify of an ongoing call. The demon pressed the call rejection button. Iruma took a few steps back, feeling the blood run cold in his veins.A good-looking man with long hair and emotionless eyes was in front of him. Fenrir was nowhere to be seen, only the one demon he should have kept as far away from as possible that day: Naberius Narnia. The demon put the hellphone in a pocket of his pants and proceeded to advance briskly towards him. Iruma continued to retreat, but hit his tailbone against the edge of the desk.A purple cloud came out of the Gluttony ring, under the surprised eyes of the demon. Narnia shivered instinctively at the sight. The strange cloud had no definite shape, but two pinnacles could be seen, which might have been the head, very similar to horns. The cloud towered far above Iruma, touching the ceiling. A round shape, similar to an eye, stared straight into Narnia's eyes. Narnia could not believe what was standing before him. He could not understand what this being was, why its mere presence filled him with awe comparable only to atavistic terror. And, above all, Narnia did not understand why whatever this thing was, it was on the young human's side.Alikred's voice commanded in a loud scream, his voice full of cold resentment "Kneel". That cry was heard by all the demons inside Babyls as an angry scream, who obeyed the order even though they did not understand who it came from.Even Narnia was affected by the scream, the advance stopped, while he was barely standing. The demon's legs struggled not to buckle under the pressure of that order, that allowed no replies or excuses.Iruma quickly checked his pockets, but he found only one feather of the Guardian of the Valley Cutthroat.One arrow.No second chances.He turned the ring and summoned his bow. He took hold of the arrow, his eyes fixed on the target. Narnia was still, he hadn't knelt but he wasn't advancing either. He was visibly struggling to not obey the order. A still target at the right distance. It was more than Iruma could have wished for. The blue haired boy filled the arrow with determination and imagination. He could already see the arrow sticking into the demon's left shoulder. He could imagine him pinned against the wall behind him, while he took advantage of it to escape. The window was the closest escape route to him at the moment, so he would choose that. Iruma would prove his determination to stay in the Netherworld and defend the demons he loved.The blue haired boy adjusted the trajectory, the arm holding the arrow was back enough to ensure a good launch. Eyes fixed on the target, Iruma released the arrow. It flew through the air, the space between them at incredible speed.The arrow could do it.The arrow had to make it. This was Iruma's hope.A hope that was dashed when Narnia stretched out her arm in the direction of the approaching danger. Iruma heard no spell, so Narnia must have used a non-verbal spell. The arrow veered, moving with unchanged speed, toward the demon's right. The arrow shattered the window and flew out of the room, glass shards clattering to the floor. Iruma was shocked, his eyes wide and his face pale, while his head was slightly turned in the direction where the arrow had disappeared.There was no time to waste: when danger was around the corner, every second was vital.Only one choice remained for him. Iruma stretched out his left hand towards his right and immediately turned the ring to Pandora mode. He pointed his right hand towards the demon and recited the short formula "Pando…"Cling clack.At the sound of this noise, Alikred was forcefully sucked into the Gluttony ring. "...rora?" Iruma finished, shocked, as Narnia was just a step away from him. "A demon doesn’t kneel to a human" said Narnia, looking down at him, the right hand that was squeezing his left shoulder "Neither a Crown"An elbow hit Iruma squarely in the left temple, sending him flying against the gigantic bookcase. His head hit the books and shelves, causing him to lose consciousness for a moment. His vision went black and white for a few seconds, his brain pounding in his skull. Iruma grabbed the shelves weakly with both hands, to have a point of support and to be able to get back on his feet. At that moment, the blue haired boy looked down, feeling something cold around his wrists. A pair of handcuffs surrounded his wrists, the magic of the ring gone into thin air. Iruma tried to throw himself to the right, but an arm blocked his escape.Iruma's body was turned around abruptly, and a hand grabbed his throat. Without squeezing too hard, the demon's left hand held him firmly, lifting him off the ground. The young human's feet no longer had contact with the ground, flailing in mid-air as Iruma tried to focus on who was in front of him. His eyes seemed to see double if he didn't focus enough on the demon.Iruma looked up, meeting Narnia's dark eyes. The demon's right arm was stiff at his side, palm resting on the wood of the bookshelf behind him. The demon's face was too close. The demon was too close. Iruma gulped, trying not to be seen as scared. Opera had taught him that demons considered fear a weakness; he would try to do everything possible not to let that demon understand how terrified he was at that moment.Then, Iruma asked "Ameri-san…! Where is she? Is she okay? What did you do to her?". Narnia tilted his head slightly, as if he was curious about the question. "I have no valid reason to pursue an innocent demon. I just borrowed her hellphone to get you out of that in a really troublesome place where you took refuge" he answered.Iruma, under the surprised look of the demon, let out a small sigh of relief. Ameri was not in danger. This small knowledge was of great comfort to him. Iruma asked again "The Fang Platoon is not with you?". Narnia answered, coldly "If they were, do you think you would be alone with me right now?". Iruma felt he had asked a stupid question "I guess... not" he replied, almost whispering.Narnia was not attacking him again, which for the blue haired boy was already a great thing. The long haired demon stated, surprised "You've been captured by me but don't look the least bit nervous as I thought. That at least deserves some praise, even if you are only an inferior being"Iruma flinched. He wasn't thinking about the fact that the demon leaning over him knew about his nature. Surprised by his own words, Iruma replied "Narnia-san, I understand that you might be upset by my nature. And I have already accepted the fact that there might always be someone who dislikes me. But if that's all you want me to pay with my life for, then that's a whole other issue"Narnia's eyes widened, while the blue haired boy continued, gaining more confidence "From your point of view, this might be a sin worthy of death. But I have only one life and I have to fight to protect it. I... just simply want to keep on living with everyone else. With my family and friends, here in the Netherworld"Iruma wanted to continue, but the grip on his throat prevented him from adding even one more word. Narnia, his gaze unforgiving, seemed disgusted and annoyed by his words. “If you wanted a happy ending, you should have run away from the Netherworld when Azazel-san gave you the chance. You were just asking for trouble by staying here”Narnia's words sent a shiver through Iruma's entire body. 'Kalego-sensei was wrong' Iruma stated, looking at his reflection in the demon's dark eyes, his throat hurt even more, the air was starting to struggle to reach the lungs. 'He doesn't want to talk at all! I have to run!'“Danger sense” ability was practically screaming in his ears to get as far away from the demon as possible. Unable to use magic and physically trapped between the demon's body and the bookshelves, he could only rely on what Lied had taught him was essential in video games when he was in trouble against a strong boss, not being able to count on the same experience in video gaming as the blond demon: pressing all the buttons until some hits landed."I apologize!" he shouted, surprising the demon. An instant later, a powerful knee hit the demon's genitals. "Ugh!" Narnia exclaimed in unexpected pain, releasing his grip on Iruma's throat. Iruma landed on the floor and quickly grabbed the first book that came into his cuffed hands, by pure chance in hardcover, then used it to strike the side of Narnia's face. The unexpected attack made the demon sway, giving Iruma greater freedom of movement.The blue haired boy quickly ducked to pass Narnia's left unguarded side, running past him. He quickly started running towards the door, now the nearest escape route, feeling his skin crawl when one of the demon's fingers barely touched him. His legs didn't want to cooperate, but he forced himself to run anyway. Danger sense ability did its best to help him escape, the door was only a few steps away. He tried to ignore the headache and dizziness, he didn't have time to stop. Iruma held out his cuffed hands to be ready to open the handle. He could already feel the sensation of metal under his fingertips, as he jerked the handle down to open the door and-"Fractal" said a voice behind him, firm and inclement.The handcuffs became heavy.Too heavy.Pushed by the sudden increase in gravity, they fell downward, dragging the blue haired boy's wrists and arms with them. Iruma saw the color of the floor for a blink. After that, he saw only black. He lost consciousness.…Iruma opened his eyes again, and his vision slowly came into focus. It took some time before he was able to clearly make out the scene in front of him. In the meantime, his body had been moved to his left side. His mind felt hazy.'How did I get here?' he wondered, trying to remember the last events that had happened. 'I'm in Royal One... no, not anymore...' he remembered, feeling dizzy. His forehead felt wet. In front of him, on the floor, were small drops of blood. His blood, Iruma realized, remembering that he had hit his head hard due to the increased gravity on the cuffs. Iruma couldn't tell if his head was spinning because the floor under him was moving or if he was actually still. The only thing he was sure of, was that he felt like he was going to throw up. A strong nausea hit him, as he slowly blinked to help himself stay awake. In that moment of confusion and bewilderment, Iruma felt a pair of hands groping all over his body. Before long, they started to take something from the pockets of his school uniform.Iruma, suffering and with a small grunt of pain, bent his head to see better. Narnia was bent over him at first, but at that moment he was already getting up. Narnia was holding two things in his hands: the first was his hellphone, which Iruma must have put in his pocket out of pure habit; the second was the bag that contained one of the countless snacks he used to eat during the day, trying to keep them hidden from the Food Police. The latter was dropped in front of him, making a cracking noise.‘How many poor broken and shattered biscuits…’, the young human regretted. He consoled himself by thinking that inside the bag they were still edible. Narnia turned, walking to the desk again. "There's one thing I don't understand" he stated, placing Iruma's hellphone on the desk after turning it off and Ameri's hellphone. "How did you know about the Fang Platoon? Today's operation was kept secret”Iruma tried to get up, but the handcuffs remained still against the floor, making him fall again. A small cry of pain followed, as the demon continued "There was something strange ever since I arrived. Azazel-san was already here, when today he should have been elsewhere. Sullivan-sama was not in the Principal room. But above all" and then his voice became really cold "You knew I was coming for you. Too many coincidences" he continued, waiting for some excuses that did not come.Iruma's ears were hearing his words, but his concentration as his eyes was entirely on the small piece of paper he had glimpsed under the bag of snacks. The blue haired boy hunched his back and bent his legs to bring the bag closer to him, being careful not to lose contact with the square piece of paper underneath. He didn't remember having any, so it must have been some yet-to-be-existing prank by Lied, Purson, or some other Misfits.Narnia turned around just as Iruma had managed to bring the bag closer to him. At that moment, the demon wondered whether to give him the chance for one last meal before taking him away, approaching the blue haired boy step by step.Iruma managed to bring his hands closer, his wrists still held to the ground by handcuffs under the effect of the "Fractal" spell. The piece of paper was in his hands. He grabbed it better in his right hand, then immediately cut the tip of his thumb to release the necessary drop of blood. Narnia realized that the piece of paper contained a symbol for summoning a familiar only when the paper itself emitted a glow. A puff of purple cloud appeared in mid-air between the two, leaving behind a fluffy bird-like being with fluttering wings.Narnia watched him curiously, as the familiar had his eyes trained on the young student with the bloodied forehead in front of him. "Kalego-sensei, he's behind you!" Iruma exclaimed, trying to sit up despite his wrists being locked on the floor. Furious, Kalego from the current timeline turned around, meeting his brother's outraged gaze."You- you dare call this pathetic demonic beast after my brother's name?! You think you can mock the Naberius clan with impunity?" the demon stated, ready to personally teach the young human to show more respect to his clan. Kalego, in familiar form, moved before him "Cerberus claw!" he summoned with this order. Even reduced to a puppy-like form, the three-headed Cerberus were still a strong hellbound. The attack hit, to the familiar's satisfaction.However, the fact that it had hit did not mean that it had done the necessary damage to the opponent. On the contrary, Narnia was as furious as he was unharmed. "This is how a real Naberius demon fights! Cerberus claw!" he summoned, calling his Cerberus. Iruma instinctively trembled at the sight of the gigantic beast behind Narnia, which lunged at Kalego with all its heads. The sharp, pointed fangs of three pairs of mouths fought over the small, fluttering snack, which was slowed and weakened by the familiar form.Kalego managed to avoid the first two mouths and respond with more spells. A fight between Cerberus and Kalego began. However, if Kalego had already had a hard time against Atori in familiar form, against a high ranking demon and Crown like Narnia it was even worse. The fight didn't go well for the younger Naberius.Out of nowhere, during a counterattack, the third mouth grabbed him by the side. One of the teeth sank into the soft fur, piercing Kalego from side to side. The impact was so violent that blood from the familiar splashed onto Iruma's chest and on the floor."Shit!" Kalego exclaimed, summoning lightning that tingled and made that Cerberus head loosen its grip. The familiar struggled to dodge the other two heads, but managed to get its hind legs on the floor. The three Cerberus heads retreated behind Narnia to await further orders, while the little cubs behind Kalego disappeared. Kalego touched his wound with his front paws, muttering a few more curses. He had no time to stop and find out how bad he was. At least he was able to stay alert and attentive, his limbs and small wings responding perfectly. ‘If we both survive' Kalego promised himself, 'I'll enjoy my fair share of being able to severely scold Opera-senpai for leaving Iruma alone and getting us into this fucking mess'A faint clank of chains came from behind him. "...I'm sorry" Iruma's voice whispered. Kalego turned around, worried. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw, especially in that unexpected and already catastrophic situation: Iruma was holding the paper with his symbol in a totally wrong way, thumb and index finger of both hands only holding the top part of the paper. "I'm sorry, Kalego-sensei. Again, I didn't think before I acted… I didn't mean for you to get hurt because of me. I'm so sorry…" Iruma said, his voice broken and trembling."Iruma, don't do this" the familiar ordered him, the voice that was supposed to be firm seemed to sound almost like a pathetic plea. The blue haired boy didn't seem to hear him, his eyes shining as he was holding back tears. He knew what would happen if he did. However, he couldn't bear to see one of his dearest demons suffer because of him. Iruma's fingers moved on the paper, breaking it in two.Kalego, in familiar form, disappeared in a puff of purple cloud. A moment later, he reappeared in the teachers' lounge, his uniform becoming quickly stained with blood. The stern and rigid Kalego bent over on the ground, holding his open wound with both hands. The surrounding colleagues ran to his aid, some voices calling out for Buer. The pain was excruciating, but not as much as his wounded pride. Dali bent over in front of him, worried. He didn't have time to ask what had happened, that the purple haired demon grabbed his jacket collar and brought him closer to his face "This isn’t a false alarm like yesterday!" he practically shouted at him "Send all teachers with Bloodline offensive abilities to the Student Council room right now! There is a real intruder and more importantly an injured student!" After issuing the order, he could only hope that someone could intervene in time to make up for his own inability to protect a student.Meanwhile, Iruma lay unconscious on the floor of the Student Council room. Narnia's fury, caused by what he considered a grave offense to his brother's honor and the good name of the Naberius clan, had not been exhausted by that brief fight. After the familiar's disappearance, despite Iruma's vain attempts to free his wrists from the grip of the handcuffs, he found himself unable to escape the consequences of his last choice. A well-placed kick hit Iruma squarely in the stomach, causing him acute pain. He coughed up saliva, instinctively he tried to protect the hurtful spot with his legs. Iruma had no doubt that he had a broken rib or two.He was too focused on the pain he was feeling to notice the vial Narnia took from one of his pants pockets and poured its contents onto a handkerchief he held in his other hand. The demon put the vial down, its use exhausted. Narnia bent over him and grabbed his hair from the back of his neck. Iruma tried to free himself from the grip by shaking his head, but to no avail. Narnia lifted the young human's head, and covered his mouth and nose with the handkerchief.Iruma smelled a sweetish odor, but it wasn't the least bit comparable to the sweets Opera cooked for him, so good that the smell alone made his mouth water. That sweetish odor, on the contrary, made his insides tighten. The blue haired boy kicked and tried to free himself from the grip, but failed again. He began to feel tired, his limbs became less responsive. His head felt like it was surrounded by cotton candy, a soft pillow that invited him to sleep a little.Iruma shook his head, trying to stay awake. His peripheral vision started to go black, as if he were looking through tubes. He felt really tired, the dizziness that he felt from a while didn't help him stay awake. Iruma was so dizzy that he didn't even notice that Narnia had released his grip on his hair. The young human's head fell forward, the hand holding the handkerchief pressed against his face the only obstacle to a second disastrous fall. Iruma blinked only once. He didn't open them again, overcome by drowsiness.After that, Narnia nullified the "Fractal" spell and carried the unconscious young human over his left shoulder. He would heal him later, once they got to the interrogation room that was for his exclusive use, as was the location.Narnia still had questions about the events of that day. He couldn't figure out how the blue haired boy knew of his hatred for humans, even though he had never spoken to him officially as Naberius Narnia, only as "Fenrir". He didn't know the identity of the demon who had tried to lure him into a trap. If it hadn't been for his previous suspicions and his bloodhound instinct, he probably would have fallen for it. But who was the demon so brazen as to want to deceive him, especially now that he was one of the Thirteen Crowns? There were many unanswered questions, but he was confident that he would get all the answers he needed from Iruma.As he approached the broken window to use it as an escape route, he thought back to how the blue haired boy had been fooled by his second identity. As planned, his foolish trust was a currency that Narnia would gladly spend at his own gain.Someone might have called it ambition, someone might have called it an abominable act (he had no doubt Henry would say that, but he would leave that fight for the second part of the plan), but Narnia called it the fire that burned within him. His justice. He would not let other beings, strangers to the Netherworld, foul its soil by walking upon it. It was the law of nature: each to his own world. And he would do it without a flaw.Narnia walked out of the room, into the inner garden that was deserted at that hour. He gave a shove with his shoulder to better adjust the small, helpless body on it, held still by the legs with an arm around them.Narnia would take everything from Iruma. Every secret he hid. Every knowledge he had of his race, what he had learned about how to deceive and control demons. It would strip him of his false identity as a demon to expose what was inside that school uniform, a mere inferior being. His fear, the vain hopes it would give him, all of it would fuel the flames burning inside Narnia to stake its claim as the right thing to do for the good of the Underworld. It would drain every drop of him, leaving nothing behind. Iruma would curse his name, but it didn’t matter: Narnia would be there to watch his foolish idea of demons and humans coexisting was shattered.…Kalego was dying for another cigarette, but for the sake of the plan he knew he couldn't. The last time he had had a cigarette was the night before, even though he had been interrupted. He had washed himself even more carefully than usual, to avoid leaving traces of smoke on him. And yet, his instinct told him that something was wrong. Narnia had not yet appeared.Something was wrong, he clearly remembered how by that time he had already captured and kidnapped Iruma. There was definitely something wrong with that quiet. He paced in circles, running his left hand through the hair that fell over his forehead, deciding what to do. If he had moved, he might have ruined the plan. But there was also the possibility that his presence was no longer necessary. That delay could mean many things: that Narnia had noticed the trap, that he had retreated, that he was hiding somewhere, that he had been captured by Henry. His instincts were rarely wrong, and on that occasion they were telling him that something had gone wrong.Suddenly he heard the scream of the being he had seen emerge from the Iruma ring on the day of the first year’s flying race, the command that the voice carried with it brought him to his knees before he even realized it. Kalego couldn't hold back a curse, his muscles feeling the incalculable physical effort as he tried to get up. When he was finally back on his feet, the scream stopped abruptly.Kalego, pale in the face, realized that he was too far away. He threw the bait bag on the ground, took out his wings and flew into Babyls, but after a while he had to stop his flight. A terrible pain pierced his stomach, from which he began to see blood coming out. Shocked, he lifted his black shirt, thus revealing a wound that could never have been made at that moment."Holy shit!" he cursed through clenched teeth and then resumed his flight, trying not to be slowed down by the pain. Kalego begged no entity in particular to get there in time.At least this time, he had to get there in time.…Narnia took out his large black wings from the wings root, looked around for safety, and took flight. He headed outside the walls of Babyls, the path he would follow well in mind. He could feel the cold steel of the handcuffs that chained Iruma's wrists banging in rhythm with the movement of the wings against his back, but for him it was only a minor annoyance.The flight would last a while. Narnia thought back to the trace of Iruma's scent once the latter had entered the Royal One. When he had heard him come out, unseen, he had immediately suspected the use of detection-warding glasses. Narnia was about to follow that trail, when his sense of smell captured a curious fact: the scent had split. Even if it was a really faint trace, it was still there.On the one hand, there was the one coming from a moving source, in the direction of the walls of Babyls; on the other, there was the one coming from a source that had remained stationary in the Royal One, where he could also perceive the scent of demons like his brother Kalego and Sullivan's Security Devil.When a trail breaks, the hunter does well to think twice. It might mean the tables have turned.Puzzled, Narnia had studied the first trail, finding a faint stench of smoke. At the Deviculum, the boy did not smell the slightest trace of smoke on him. Yet day, as faint as it was, he perceived it immediately. The smell of someone who has smoked for a long time. On the contrary, the trail that remained inside the Royal One did not have that mark.Narnia clenched his hands into fists, outraged: someone was trying to set a trap for him. But who could it be? For what reason? And above all, considering the other dubious elements he was gathering, how did that demon know about his plan?Narnia was used to the unexpected, so he improvised a countermeasure. After taking the form of Fenrir, he approached Azazel Ameri, Henry's daughter, pretending to have followed him on some errand. The demoness seemed to have a vague idea that something was different that day, because she told him of her father's request to skip school and stay at home.Between one chat and another, when it was time to return to their respective duties, Fenrir had walked away with a red hellphone in his jacket pocket. Since his brother and Sullivan's Security Devil were in Royal One, he preferred to have his prey come to him. He wrote a message from the hellphone he had just "borrowed". He did not have to wait long, because the smell hard hidden by the detection-warding glasses revealed itself outside Royal One. Fenrir smirked, as he set off to begin his hunt.A human hunt.Narnia adjusted Iruma better on his shoulder, at the risk of slipping. The young human would have to answer those questions too. The morning had just begun and he had a busy day ahead of him.Narnia didn't realize he was hurt until he began to fall into the void. Surprised, he tried to move his wings, when a sharp, burning pain came from his back. As he fell he turned to see a bright pink arrow holding his wings in place at its tip against the wall of one of the buildings inside Babyls. Shocked, he turned to the opposite side, the one from which the arrow had been shot.On the tower of the building, her elaborate bow in hand, Bachiko was pointing her index and middle fingers in his direction, her thumb sticking up. The demoness exclaimed loudly, a victorious smile on her lips, "For crying out loud! That's my student, y'know?!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Opera were seriously wondering if they hadn't cooked too many vegetables for Iruma lately, considering the long wait. The blue haired boy had reassured them otherwise, but it was still suspicious. And the fact that they were waiting in the company of Asmodeus and Clara didn't make the wait boring, on the contrary. Clara had lost patience after the first sixty-six seconds, so she climbed onto Asmodeus' shoulders and started braiding his ponytail. He tried to take her off, but the demoness was as stubborn as he was. Exhausted, Asmodeus tried to concentrate on something else."Opera-san" he asked, turning towards the demon and leaving Clara to continue her work as an improvised hairdresser. "As for Sir Kalego's twin, how did it end? Did he go back to where he came from or is he collaborating in the research of that infamous demon? And how did he find out about Iruma-sama's stalker, when I, who am always by his side, have never sensed anything in that sense?"Opera was about to answer him, when they heard their hellphone ring. They quickly apologized to the pink haired boy and answered. Balam's voice was heard clear and strong, reaching the ears of the two students as well. "Opera-senpai, why is Iruma-kun alone?! What happened to Royal One? Were the other students involved too?"Opera blinked, incredulous. In a calm voice, despite the nervousness that those questions had put on them, the cat demon replied "No, Iruma-sama is currently in the bathroom to respond to bodily needs"A strangled cry was heard on the other end of the hellphone, after which Balam replied, his voice almost hysterical "He's not in Royal One! He's in Babyls, I located him a little while ago! Iruma-kun is in danger!" Opera kicked the bathroom door, revealing the shocking scene: it was completely empty, not a fly could be heard, only the sound of the torn door falling to the floor. The three demons turned pale. Clara got off Asmodeus' shoulders, looking around for the blue haired boy.At that moment, the same voice that had tormented their ears a year and a half before, when Iruma had received the Gluttony ring from Rank Howl instead of his rank tag, was heard. Opera, Asmodeus and Clara found themselves on their knees, unable to get up. After a few seconds, the scream stopped abruptly and they were able to get up. Asmodeus was shocked, Clara was astonished. Opera ran to the window and from there continued in the direction of the source of the scream.…Bachiko had been delighted when she received a message from Sullivan. A little less so when the elder demon called her and mentioned that one of the Thirteen Crowns was targeting her pupil for the same matter they had discussed at his manor. The pink-haired demoness had immediately understood the reference and for the second time proposed using her bow. And this time, to her great satisfaction, Sullivan had accepted the proposal.Bachiko had positioned herself where the demon had suggested, but the wait had been exhausting. Totally boring. Munching on one super sweet snack after another, she had waited and waited.As she finished off the last packet of strawberry and cream Pocky she had, picking up the next snack, something fast broke through the wall and stuck in the opposite wall. Bachiko immediately recognized the shape of the arrow, hence its owner. The nameless snack fell to the floor, while the short demoness stood up, completely focused. From the window of who knew which room, she had a clear view of the profile of Naberius Narnia, one of the new Crowns just like her.Bachiko summoned her best bow, the most powerful at her disposal, ready to fill the Naberius with arrows worse than a pincushion. However, Sullivan's orders were absolute and clear: she had to wait for the High ranking demon to overcome the walls of Babyls.Her hands shook with frustration and impatience, but she waited. When the demon left the room and took flight, she put on an arrow and took aim. She waited. And waited. She let loose the arrow at the right moment, fully aware that her arrows never missed their mark.Narnia cast the "Fractal" spell to stop his unruled fall, his mind ready to elaborate a new plan to escape the radius of the new Crown, promising himself that she would pay dearly for it in the not too distant future. At that moment, a red shadow passed at high speed before his eyes, relieving him of the load he was carrying on his shoulder. Narnia cursed under his breath, then maneuvered gravity on himself to land safely. When he canceled the "Fractal" spell again, his eyes were fixed on the other demon in front of him, who was holding his prey in his arms.Opera, Sullivan's security devil, was standing upright, their legs slightly bent as if they wanted to flee at any moment, their feline ears well raised and their tail stiff and pointing upwards. Opera's almost completely golden eyes passed first from the small body they held in their arms, then to Narnia. The animosity was not kept secret."Give me the boy" Narnia ordered, advancing towards the Security Devil. Opera's fur tail bristled, their body almost paralyzed by the threatening aura emitted by the high ranking demon. Opera felt the same pressure as that of Amaryllis, when Iruma called her son to obtain support in his decision to attend the Deviculum he had been invited to. That aura that demanded pure obedience must have been a typical trait of the Thirteen Crowns."... I refuse" the cat demon managed to reply, surprising both.Narnia, wounded but determined, took a step after another. Bachiko took another arrow to shoot. Her intervention was unnecessary this time. Kalego appeared behind Narnia, grabbed him by his long hair and pulled it hard, throwing him away from the cat demon. "Opera-senpai, get Iruma to the Chair-demon! Now!" he ordered the demon, then turned to the other emergency.Narnia was already getting up, a look of dismay on his usually emotionless face. Why, after his warning at the end of the Deviculum, was his brother taking the side of that vile creature?Opera didn't need to be told twice. They turned and ran at speed towards the inside of Babyls. Narnia understood well that he had no time to argue with his brother if he wanted to carry out his plan, so they moved towards the cat demon. Kalego blocked his path with his body "Oh no, you are not moving from here. This revenge Is mine to take, and I intend to enjoy it this time" said the purple haired demon, before casting a series of offensive non-verbal spells.Kalego could not count on the aid of his Cerberus, and his physical health was failing along with the blood that was pouring from a wound whose origin he did not know. However, he had a driving force strong enough to allow him to fight against his brother: a burning, hungry, violent rage.Despite being injured himself, Narnia managed to launch counterattacks and advance towards the demon. Narnia felt something paralyze his left leg, surrounding it from the bottom up. He looked down and saw that it was a thick root, animated by itself. More roots appeared from nowhere and pointed in his direction, attacking him with breakneck speed. Narnia used his strength to fight them with brute force and other spells, but for every one he destroyed, six more appeared. The root holding his leg lifted him into the air and threw him away."Kalego-kun! I’m sorry for being late!" Balam exclaimed, landing next to Kalego. The gargoyle could finally see the famous Narnia in person, the perpetrator of the cruel acts against his favorite human student, which he had seen and been told about. Balam knuckled his hand against the palm of the other hand, trying not to think about the fact that they were fighting a Thirteenth Crown. Whoever he was, he was an intruder who wanted to harm one of Babyls' precious treasures. Therefore, a gruesome education awaited him.Bachiko fired a second arrow, which severed Narnia's right arm from the rest of his body. It flew away under the angry gaze of the demon Naberius. He turned to face his two enemies, determined to defeat them one by one. "You forgot this" said a voice behind him, just as a hand slapped his face. Narnia quickly backed away in the opposite direction. He looked around for the demon who was the source of the slap, his eyes widening when he realized not who, but what had slapped him. His hand. His own damned hand, the one on the arm that had been struck by Bachiko's arrow. The same arm that Opera, back and without Iruma in sight, was wielding as if it were a baseball bat.The fighting was fierce, the ground outside Babyls witnessed it. Balam and Kalego had multiple wounds, the latter even worse due to blood loss. Eventually the mysterious wound had healed by itself, but Kalego had no time to think about it, and new wounds had replaced it. Opera even had a scratch on their right cheek and the sleeve of their left arm burned, something Kalego never thought he would see in his life. As he tried to dodge a two-pronged attack from Kalego and Balam, Narnia received a strong kick to his exposed right side. And to make matters worse, at the same time his left arm was forcefully twisted and torn off, thrown away like garbage.Wounded and bleeding, Narnia retreated. Opera was stained with his blood, their eyes all gold and screaming for more. Narnia decided there was no more time to waste. He summoned Cerberus, whose snarl would have reduced to quivering puddings any demons other than those attacking him. He was about to give the order to attack, when a third arrow passed behind his back. This time, however, he was not the one directly targeted. A pained yelp came from behind him. Narnia turned, seeing a consecutive hole go through the three heads of Cerberus, before the latter disappeared despite not having ordered it.Narnia was speechless. And soon, he was also breathless in his body to say them.A fist caught him square in the chest while he was turning his head, knocking the air from his lungs at once. Narnia fell on the ground. Balam lunged at him, his gargoyle legs gripping his knees harshly. Then, he crushed them without remorse, breaking them. Broken bones and screamed in pain, a generous bloodshed. The noise was loud and clear.Narnia was ready to cast a non-verbal spell, when he found a hand pressed on his throat and another on the back of his neck. He could only look into Kalego's eyes with dismay arising from that unexpected betrayal, before Kalego swung his arms around forcefully. A crack of fracture emitted from what Kalego was holding. Another crack sounded, and another, until his head was completely separated and bleeding from his neck.Exhausted, Kalego threw the demon’s head to the ground, breathing heavily from the strain of the battle. It would have been easier if Sullivan had intervened as planned, but Iruma's protection took priority. The purple haired demon knelt down, his hands resting on the new wounds that dotted his torso. Balam and Opera came to his aid, leaning over him."Kalego-kun, we're taking you to the infirmary right now!" Balam exclaimed, trying to lift him up. This made the other demon let out a sharp grunt of pain, causing Balam to desist. "Don't waste any time!" Kalego warned. He turned to Opera and said, "Senpai, check his clothes. He should have it with him..." The cat demon nodded and they bent over the fresh corpse, starting to search. Opera checked pockets, opened zippers, and continued searching, hands exploring without any disgust for that still warm corpse.Balam waited beside Kalego, lending him his left shoulder for support. Opera at a certain point blocked their hands, then stood up again. In the demon's right hand, Kalego glimpsed a gray rectangle. "That's it" said the purple haired demon, blinking rapidly to push away the cloudy veil that was slowly falling over his eyes. "That's the registration. Proof about Iruma's nature" Without it, as well as without the open contribution of a Crown, the Human Deportation Act was worthless.The demon pressed their thumb to a round button, and a recording came out of the metal object "So yeah. This is my chance to prove that I can stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone even if I'm human”. Kalego grunted, muttering some curse words, while Opera and Balam widened their eyes. "It's Iruma-kun's voice" the gargoyle stated the obvious, shocked. "When did this happen? Why did Iruma-kun confess to this on a recording?"Opera's cat-like ears were down, their brows furrowed. Kalego had a fit of coughing, then surmised, "There was mention of an accomplice. At the beginning the recording was his, Narnia just stole it. There's some other demon out there who specifically collected this recording and knows Iruma's identity”. Opera effortlessly squeezed the recorder between their fingers, reducing it to many small pieces that they let fall to the ground. "There is no more recording" they stated, as calmly as if they were talking about the weather.Balam tried to shake Kalego, whose complexion was getting paler and paler. "Now you got what you wanted, so I'll take you to the infirmary right away. I'll use "Fractal" and we'll be there in no time" the gargoyle stated, increasingly worried about the demon. Kalego shook his head, his breathing becoming heavier and more difficult "Come on, Shichiro. You knew this would have happened eventually"Balam made a strangled noise, while Opera approached them again "You give up so easily, Kalego-kun? I didn't expect this from you" the cat demon said harshly, trying to hide their own anguish. Kalego gave a short, mocking laugh. “The day you truly care about me is the day it starts raining cactus” he replied, before adding, “I’m satisfied. Iruma is safe, and I’ve cleared my name. And remember, you’ve already seen the best way to get rid of his remains. There must be no trace of him left”Balam had the expression of someone who didn't know where to turn. Kalego detached himself from his shoulder, barely holding his back straight. He added, "Tell Iruma some bullshit like I disappeared in a cloud after the mission was accomplished or something"Balam jumped up, almost outraged. "You're not that bad, you have a few fractures and wounds here and there but you can still do it! Come on, Kalego-kun!" the gargoyle exclaimed, practically with tears in his eyes. Kalego shook his head weakly, tired of having to fight with the stubborn demon he had known since their days as students in Babyls. Opera answered for him. "I think..." they said, hoping to be contradicted. "That you lost too much blood. You were already injured when you arrived, the fight only made things worse. What happened to you?" The purple haired demon stretched out his hands in front of him, too tired to stand on his own. He chose not to respond. There was no point in asking that kind of question at that point.Rather, he said, "I have two questions to ask. One is a favor, the other is a question only a demon here can answer” Kalego stared into Opera's eyes. "Ask away. It's the least we can do, after what you've managed to do today" replied the cat demon. The purple haired demon asked the first question, a favor that Balam and Opera, their eyes wide with surprise, could find neither the words nor the reasons to refuse. "I'm still Babyls's Dog Watch, it's my duty to stay" the demon justified himself, his body running through a strong shiver of cold. Even his lips seemed stiff and dry, but it was nothing compared to the various pangs of pain that gripped him in various parts of his body. "I'll do it" Opera stated, determined.Kalego nodded, then asked, "Opera-senpai, be honest and don't beat around the bush like you always do: why is Iruma in the Netherworld?" Balam flinched. He hadn't been fully informed about it and was curious, but then again if Iruma had never wanted to talk to him about it there must have been a good reason and he respected that.The feline ears flinched, they rose up and then lowered on the scalp, the tail also lowered and began to wave slowly on the ground. Opera was hesitant to answer. Kalego grabbed their collar "Opera-senpai, I don't have all day. Why. Is. Iruma. In the Netherworld" the demon ordered him to answer, punctuating almost every word.The cat demon slowly leaned over his right ear and whispered "Iruma-sama was sold by humans to Sullivan-sama, who decided to adopt him. I don't know the details"Kalego's face was already bloodless, otherwise he would have paled even more. He blinked several times, in disbelief. "Fuck them" he exclaimed, angry. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. At that moment, the slave robe Iruma was wearing when he found him came to his mind. Sold as a slave. Dressed as one. Fate, Kalego thought, must have a grim sense of humor. Kalego cursed again, doubling over.Balam leaned over him, shaking his shoulder encouragingly. The purple haired demon fell to the side, but the gargoyle's large hands managed to prevent him from touching the ground. The gargoyle tried to put him back in his place, but he fell again. Only then did Balam notice that Kalego was no longer breathing. He was distraught and in disbelief. His eyes filled with tears, which did not have time to be shed.Opera knelt down beside him and took him in their arms. They stood up, their gaze fixed forward. "Balam-kun, we must hurry" the cat demon said, then advanced towards Babyls. "You take care of that, I will take care of Kalego-kun. Our duties await us, and Sullivan-sama must be informed of the latest developments"The gargoyle wiped his eyes with his left forearm, then stood up and looked at the dismembered body. The two demons set to work: one, obeying the last request of their kouhai; the other, getting rid of the body, which was transported to Cutthroat Valley and left there to be eaten by the hungry demonic beasts. Upon his return, Balam had to take a long shower in the male teachers' dormitory to wash off the blood and its smell.…Ameri sat in the infirmary in front of one bed in particular. There lay Iruma, healed and asleep, a blanket covering him up to his neck. The demoness curled her hands that rested on her thighs into fists, frustration once again eating away at her stomach.She should have suspected something was wrong since breakfast time, when her father suggested she stay home that day because "There will be a business meeting in Babyls and peace isn't an option". She had asked for clarification, which strangely was denied. Ameri insisted on attending Babyls, since she had not had nor was she given a valid and concrete reason for being absent. The second element that should have aroused her suspicion was the chance meeting with Fenrir, whose presence had not been mentioned by her father.The third element, the most important, was the mystery about her hellphone. When she realized she no longer had it with her, she had the most normal reaction that could be had in that type of circumstance: she panicked. She tried to think where she could have lost it, she walked out of the Student Council room and then went back, the other members of the Student Council helped her in the search, but to no avail. She was worried not only about the physical loss of the device, but about the conversations she had with Iruma. What would happen if someone read the messages they had exchanged? She would probably punish them harshly and then she would die of embarrassment.From there, out of nowhere, a message from Ameri's hellphone appeared on Quichelight's hellphone. "I found this hellphone, I'm taking it to the Teacher's Lounge", the message read. Ameri and the other Student Council members found it strange, but the number was definitely Ameri's. Quichelight suggested another meeting point, even tried calling back, but there was no answer. So, they left the Student Council room and walked there at a brisk pace, but when they were almost there, they were interrupted by the order from a mysterious source. The four demons were on their knees before they knew it, casting confused glances at each other when the scream stopped as suddenly as it had appeared. Worried, they sped up their pace to get to the Teacher's Lounge, to ask for an explanation as well as find the lost hellphone.However, nothing could prepare them for the scene they found themselves in: the teachers were in a frenzy, going back and forth from the room, a small group of teachers gathered in a circle at one point in the room. No one was paying attention to them, so they were able to enter without any problem. Ameri, shocked, saw over the heads of the teachers gathered in a circle Naberius Kalego, injured but healing thanks to Buer's Bloodline ability. When the demoness's ears reached the words spoken by the purple haired demon such as "Iruma", "danger" and "attacked", her legs moved on their own. She ran out of the room, followed by the members of the Student Council who kept up with her perfectly. She soon reached the group of teachers led by Dali and followed him, refusing to listen to the order not to intervene, relying on her position as Student Council President.Ameri's heart was beating so hard she could hear it in her ears. When she saw the door to the Student Council room, she went pale. The teachers entered first, followed by Ameri and the Student Council members. The first thing her eyes caught were the bloodstains on the floor, later the bag containing biscuits lay near the bloodstains. Then, the broken window, with a gust of wind coming in. Books on the floor were the third anomaly, books that had fallen off the shelves as if someone had thrown them. 'Or slammed into them,' she mused.As the teachers scattered across the room or headed for the broken window, Ameri approached the desk. Her breathing became heavier and heavier, her heart pounding fast in her chest. There were two hellphones on the desk. The first was hers, the second was one she had often seen in hands much smaller than hers. Ameri picked up her hellphone,Smoke's voice sounded muffled to her ears. Ameri checked the device, finding three items completely out of place: the message that had been sent to Quichelight and his reply message; a message she had sent to Iruma, with his reply; two rejected calls, from Quichelight and Iruma. The red-haired demoness's hand began to shake. 'I have never sent any message to Iruma, nor have I rejected a call from him' the shocked girl thought. 'The interactions with Iruma are subsequent to the disappearance. I had no reason to contact Iruma. I never did'. She reached for the other hellphone, discovering that it had been turned off.Agitated, Ameri immediately turned to Dali and told him what had happened. The unspoken words hung over their heads: someone had set a trap for Iruma. The motive was unknown, the identity of the perpetrator was unknown, but worst of all, Iruma's location was unknown.Ameri regretted that she had arrived when the infirmary had already been overrun. When she arrived, along with the teachers and the Student Council members, the Misfits were all there, screaming and scared, demanding information from Sullivan. She learned that Iruma had a stalker, who had sneaked into Babyls and attacked Iruma in an attempt to take him away. The infamous stalker was so insane that he had used anti-magic cuffs on Iruma, which Sullivan promptly removed with incredible ease.Sullivan had already cast healing spells on Iruma, who had not yet regained consciousness. It was even more difficult for the teachers to get the twelve Misfits out of the infirmary, because they were determined to get answers and information about the stalker to avenge their unofficial leader.Momonoki, who Ameri learned was the teacher of the class that was supposed to be in progress at that moment, surprisingly managed to handle the students well. In sincere and unadulterated sentences, she explained to them, "The priority in this situation is Iruma's well-being, that cannot be guaranteed if you all talk to the Chair-demon at once. He’s busy taking care of his own grandson. We teachers will find this... "stalker", whatever you want to call him. He is in fact an intruder who has injured one of Babyls' treasures, he will not get away with it. Trust us teachers, please”Ameri greatly appreciated the teacher's intervention. This calmed down the Misfits, who slowly left the infirmary, not without casting a last glance at the unconscious blue haired boy. That day, no demon from the Misfits class went into the Evil cycle.The Student Council was also asked to leave, yet Ameri insisted on staying. She waited along with the teachers who decided to stay to protect the infirmary from the outside, in case the unknown intruder tried to kidnap Iruma again. Sullivan walked out of the room, the look on his face making even her shiver. The old demon told the teachers to protect Iruma and walked briskly towards an unknown destination. Ameri took the opportunity to enter, along with some of the teachers, while the others remained to protect the young student from outside the room. That was how Ameri was able to see Iruma for the first time during that strange day, but that didn't make her feel better. The blue haired boy was lying asleep on a bed, the smell of blood coming from his body and school uniform breaking the seemingly normal picture. The red haired demoness took a chair and brought it in front of the bed, sitting on it while other teachers approached the bed. Only then did Ameri notice a large, flat, white plaster on Iruma's forehead, slightly hidden by his hair.Silence reigned in the infirmary, you could only hear their breathing and the footsteps of the teachers behind her, who were half still and half moving around the room ready for any new attack. Ameri wished to take Iruma's hand, give him some comfort. She knew she couldn't do it, under those watchful and attentive gazes.Ameri didn't understand much about stalking, the only vaguely similar case she could think of was Eligos Schenell and his crazy obsession with her. But the demon was a relatively harmless student, annoying and a bringer of chaos if not controlled, so he wasn't a real threat. This miserable stalker of Iruma, of whom she knew nothing and for whom she would have held a long interrogation with Iruma once he woke up, was on the contrary dangerous and methodical. He had used her as bait to lure the blue haired boy, but at the same time he had been good enough to keep her and the Student Council away from their room for as long as possible. But how did he know that Quichelight was with her? And why, of all the numbers in the hellphone book, had he only written to him? What did he want with Iruma?Ameri was immersed in these and other questions, her gaze fixed on the young human's face, when the door to the infirmary opened again. The noise brought her abruptly out of her ruminations, and Ameri was back to being operational and alert.Luckily, she realized, it was only Sullivan, returning from wherever he had been. He stated that the problem had been resolved, that he would discuss it with the Babyls teachers the next day, but that for now he wanted to be alone with his grandson. The teachers were asked to return to their duties and she with them, the emergency being over.…‘Where... am I?' Was the first thing Iruma asked himself as he slowly regained consciousness. His head felt a little dizzy, but his body didn't seem to have any injuries. He felt nothing, no sensibility nor pain, and that worried him even more. Iruma felt his limbs numb, his fingers and toes frozen. Iruma struggled to open his eyes. His eyelids felt heavy, he could only lift them halfway.Words reached his ears but they were muffled, he could not grasp their meaning. Looking around, he saw an environment he had no memory of. There was light in the room, but it seemed different than before.'Before...?' the blue haired boy wondered, making a small noise of pain as he tried to lift his head. In that moment, everything came back to him, with the same speed and force of a slap on his cheek: the temporary escape from Royal One to look for Ameri, the chance encounter with Fenrir. The ambush, the brief fight against Narnia. Kalego, in familiar form, was wounded because of him. And to make matters worse, he remembered what the Kalego from the other timeline had told him would happen to him if Narnia managed to take him away. The imprisonment, the torture. His death.'I have to run! I have to go back!' thought the blue haired boy, panicking and struggling, trying to get up. A strangled sound escaped his half-open lips, which still seemed to be asleep like most of his body. He managed to bend his legs, but was unable to lift himself from wherever he was lying. Iruma tried with his torso, his arms seemed to be blocked by something. His vision was still blurry and confused, but he thought he saw a shape above him. Leaning over him, perhaps ready to repeat it all again despite Kalego's efforts."Iruma-kun! Calm down, you're safe!" Said a voice he knew very well. Iruma blinked repeatedly, trying to focus. That was when he realized that the demon in front of him was not Narnia, but Sullivan. His grandfather, one of the demons he trusted the most.That discovery calmed him down. Iruma stopped his attempt to escape to concentrate on slowing down his breathing, which had accelerated due to that brief moment of panic. Sullivan, for his part, released his grip on his grandson's arms, with which he had prevented him from getting up too quickly."Grandpa...?" the blue haired boy asked weakly, as if to have confirmation of what his eyes were seeing. Sullivan nodded and sat back down on the chair, his hands began to gently squeeze the boy's left hand. The old demon began to speak "How do you feel, my sweet grandson? I have healed you according to my skills and knowledge, but maybe I was too careful because the brain is a delicate thing. I’m sorry for not having intervened before, Iruma-kun"Iruma blinked, his brain trying to process that little information. He felt confused, unable to concentrate well on the demon's words. He shivered, trying to speak his lips felt like two pieces of ice, with his tongue also not very responsive to finish the job.He swallowed to try to force himself, then replied "I feel... a little strange" he managed to say, under Sullivan's patient gaze, who in the meantime had conjured another blanket from nowhere to prevent him from having any more cold shivers "My head... hurts..." he added. Sullivan nodded, as if he had confirmed a doubt of his. "I'm not surprised. You had a concussion, but if you still feel bad I'll call Buer-sensei right away" the demon stated, taking his hellphone and sending a quick message. Iruma tried to move again, but he felt heavy, slowed down and cold."He made me..." he tried to say, stopping moving "Something... on the handkerchief... it was sweetish..." Iruma felt a sharp pain in his head, trying to remember the dynamics better, even if doing so was causing him pain. Sullivan gently stroked his head, avoiding the slightest pressure "I understand. I'll tell Buer-sensei about this too, he's already coming" he said, before asking "How's your side? Do your ribs still hurt?"Iruma had to think about it for a few seconds, before slowly shaking his head in denial. Sullivan smiled under his white mustache "Excellent. You were really lucky, you know? They almost injured one of your lungs". Iruma didn't quite understand, especially since he had the feeling that something was out of place. There was something... "Kalego-sensei... how's Kalego-sensei?!" the blue haired boy asked worriedly. Sullivan tilted his head slightly, surprised by the question."I'm starting to get a little confused with those two. Can you be more specific, please?" the old demon replied, with an innocent tone. Iruma let out a short sigh, trying not to think about the nausea in his throat. "Both..." the young human replied. Sullivan nodded and replied "Our usual Kalego-kun is currently resting in another infirmary room, he was injured but he's recovering, he just lost some blood. The other Kalego-kun, on the other hand..." here the old demon paused briefly, then continued "As soon as that little problem was solved, he said goodbye and disappeared into thin air. He probably fulfilled the condition to go back to where he came from"Sullivan decided to change the subject immediately "I heard about the "stalker" story, Opera had some imagination, right? We'll stick to this version, the plan went a bit off the rails but succeeded in the end". Iruma felt reassured by those words. On the other hand, he didn't feel completely relieved "It was my fault..." he stated, his eyes starting to fill with tears "I'm sorry, it was my fault... I thought Ameri-san was in danger, I... I'm sorry I didn't try… to explain better before acting… and I’ve involved Kalego-sensei... He was hurt because of me, I shouldn't have summoned him... I'm sorry, I'm really sorry..."Sullivan ran the thumb of his right hand under his eye, wiping away a tear that was the first of many "Oh, my sweet grandson, it wasn't your fault" the old demon replied, a saddened expression on his face "Naberius Narnia started it all. You were deceived, Iruma-kun. Ameri reported that her hellphone had disappeared during the morning. She never asked to see you, you know? It was him from the beginning"Iruma appreciated the attempt at consolation, but he couldn't get the fact out of his head that it was entirely his fault that Kalego had been injured. 'It was my choice to summon him' thought the blue haired boy, trying to stop the tears with the force of will. 'Kalego-sensei can't fight at his best when he's in familiar form, and yet I called him'At that moment, Iruma was ashamed of his own survival instinct, the same one that had helped him out of countless dangerous situations. If he hadn't listened to it, he told himself, the teacher wouldn't have been involved. He knew he had risked ruining the entire plan, despite Narnia having revealed to him that he had understood that something was wrong, because his choices had only led to disastrous consequences for the demons he loved: for Ameri, who he would have had to cheer up as soon as he was healthy enough to get up; for Kalego who had been injured because of him; for Opera, that he had lied to them, and that they probably would not trust him again.Sullivan continued "Don't worry, you're young so you'll be scolded as soon as you get better. You should have brought Opera with you just in case, that's the only thing I feel I have to scold you for. But they aren't as lenient as me, so when we get home you'll have to be ready. And you've already experienced it, their scolding is... something. Opera was really worried about you, I think I saw some white hairs in their tail"Iruma flinched at that news "... My fault?! I have… to apologize to them… right now" said the young human, worried as well as scared of the scolding that the cat demon surely had in store for him. He tried to get up again, but failed as his arms couldn't support his weight, and his head hurt with every little movement. This attempt was met with an unwelcome increase in nausea.Sullivan wanted to help him, but seeing him in that condition he preferred to opt for complete rest. He arranged the two blankets better on his body, and then gave him a light squeeze on his left hand as a sign of encouragement. "Don't think about it now, you have to rest. When you're better it will be time for explanations and apologies. Don't worry, my sweet boy: Naberius Narnia can't hurt you anymore"Iruma wanted to ask him for explanations on the matter, but he felt like he had said more than his body could tolerate. He simply nodded, blinking while trying not to lose sight of the demon. He thought he heard another voice, but he felt mortally tired.Iruma didn't remember much of the rest of the day.Iruma blinked once, and saw Buer above him, next to Sullivan, both hands held slightly apart above his head, while a warm white light was emanating from his palms.Iruma blinked once more, and saw Asmodeus, Clara and the entire Misfits all around him. They were talking about something, they seemed nervous, but their voices reached his ears as a confused and muffled sound. He didn't know if they were talking to each other or to him. He was sure that Asmodeus and Clara were clinging to his arms, because he had recognized their unmistakable body warmth. Unfortunately, he didn't remember anything else.Iruma blinked once more, and saw Balam, Opera but above all Kalego. He wanted to speak, apologize and explain his reasons, but his tongue refused to move. He must have made a noise of some kind, because Kalego looked straight into his half-closed eyes with a worried expression, before he closed them again.Iruma blinked again, and saw Ameri and Henry above him. They seemed relatively calm, even though the demon continued to adjust his glasses on his nose. He was talking to Sullivan, while Ameri was telling him something. Drowsiness took over, and he closed his eyes before he could ask her to repeat herself because he hadn't understood well.After that, Iruma had a vague memory of other familiar faces: Shiida, the other teachers, Eligos and the other members of the Magitools Battle, even Bachiko. He couldn't say if he had actually seen them or if he had dreamed them.When he woke up, he was no longer in Babyls. He realized this from his surroundings, which he immediately recognized as his bedroom. Slowly, with difficulty, he sat up in bed, his back resting against the headboard. He looked out the window and found that it was night, the two moons shining high in the sky.Iruma didn't immediately notice the hellkittens that ran out of the room when he woke up, nor the approaching footsteps. He realized that Sullivan and Opera had entered the room when he found himself crushed in a loving embrace by the old demon, while Opera stood beside him, scolding their master. "I'm fine..." was all he could say, before Sullivan pulled his face into his chest, deepening the embrace.Iruma regretted not being able to say goodbye to Kalego from the other timeline before his departure. He wished he could talk to him more. He was relieved to have made it to the end of the day alive, but he regretted not being able to share that joy with the teacher who had made it possible.…The next day, after it was confirmed that he was fully healed, Iruma was told what had happened. The last minute intervention by Bachiko who Sullivan had called in as a backup plan. How Opera had taken part in the final part of the plan instead of Sullivan, who had chosen to prioritize him and heal him before heading there. He was not told what had happened in Narnia, only that it was in a far away place from which he could not return, and that from now on he could not cause him any trouble or harm. The recording had been destroyed, so his identity was safe for the moment. Iruma asked some questions, which were answered. Both confirmed the same version of what had happened to Kalego from the other timeline. Iruma was reassured about Kalego from their timeline, who was fully healed by lunchtime, back to his duties and being more stern than usual with the students.After that, Iruma was moved from the dining room to the living room. There, sitting on the couch, he passively took Opera's long lecture, while Sullivan was prevented from objecting in defense of his grandson by his own Security Devil with a quick, sharp retort, and then they returned to focus on the Blue haired boy and continued the lecture.That morning he risked being late for school, Asmodeus and Clara were even made to come in and sit down so as not to interrupt the lecture. With the help of the hell carriage, however, the three students managed to arrive just in time.Outside Babyls, things moved more seriously. Henry called an emergency meeting of the Thirteen Crowns. He brought Azami with him as a direct witness, who spent the entire meeting kneeling and trembling in front of the twelve High ranking demons present, ready to answer all the questions that were asked of him."Naberius Narnia has stained himself with several crimes not only against Sullivan-sama's grandson, but also against us Crowns and the Netherworld itself” began the speech of the red-haired demon, immediately capturing the attention of everyone present. Henry explained and demonstrated how Narnia had tried to defame Iruma, Sullivan's grandson and one of the candidates for the Trickster Plan, to exclude him from the race. He showed that there was no valid evidence to support the accusation against the boy, that Narnia had abused the powers granted to him as a member of the Demon Border Patrol and as a Crown.He explained how teachers at Babyls had barely foiled an attempted kidnapping by the demon, all for the benefit of the Human Deportation Act. He tore up the black paper in front of the other demons, stating that there was nothing more shameful for a demon than a plot like that. Sullivan also spoke in turn, adding details to that thick web of intrigue that had the blue haired boy as its target. Bachiko's presence was never mentioned.The Crowns were divided between disgust and surprise. Only Amaryllis had a fake smile on her lips, her chin resting on her intertwined fingers, not taking her eyes off Henry for a moment. "So Iruma-chan really had a stalker? And he's a Crown on top of that? Really worrying, don't you agree?" the demoness asked with a fake innocent tone, drawing attention to herself for the unexpected intervention.Henry felt a shiver down his spine, guessing from the demoness's look that they would have a closed-door dialogue about that matter later. He hadn't been informed much about the matter of the "stalker", as Ameri had also taken to calling the nameless culprit, but Henry had no doubt that her son had spoken about it once he got home. This was in addition to the long list of lies and half-truths that he had agreed on two days before with Sullivan and the teachers of Babyls, including one that had turned out to really come from another timeline. Demon that, to avoid further problems and questions, was never named nor actually mentioned about him. Henry answered positively and continued.At the end of the speech, he put on the table a proposal never heard before: remove Narnia from his role as Thirteenth Crown, find him and punish him like any other demon, stripped of the immunity and privileges attributable to that position so important for the well-being of the Netherworld.Henry was interrupted by Baal, to everyone's surprise. "Now that we're clearing the matters, I have something to add" the demon said, and then made a counter-proposal: wait until the next day to vote. The demons in the room agreed, despite the unexpressed distrust on the part of Sullivan, Henry, and Bachiko. The next day, it turned out that the wait was worth it. Baal brought with him some evidence "To convince those of us who have not yet understood the gravity of the newbie's secret plans", as the blond demon said while presenting what not even Sullivan could have suspected. Evidence of his involvement and, worse still, collaboration with the Six Fingers, a very dangerous and famous terrorist group in the Netherworld. If any Crown still had any doubts, well, they no longer existed.By unanimous vote, the Crown position was withdrawn for Naberius Narnia. Henry proclaimed that he would do everything possible, moving the entire Demon Border Patrol, to find the demon and bring him before the law. Of course, the four-eyed demon knew that the search would be in vain: as planned, the remains of Narnia were abundantly subjected to the digestive phase of the demonic beasts that roamed within the Cutthroat Valley, where his body further dismembered had been thrown to permanently cover his tracks and hide the fact that he had been killed.The Crowns in the room mutually agreed to an alternative version to be made public, to prevent that shameful event from affecting them in any way. After all, demons always have themselves as a priority.…"And what does this mean?" Kalego asked, sitting next to the teacher's desk, his arms crossed over his chest. In front of him, on the floor of the classroom, Iruma was completely prostrated. His hands were held on the ground, his forehead on the floor, the rest of his body crouched, with his back perfectly exposed to any attack. 'It must be something from human culture. I'll have to ask Shichiro, later' thought the demon, before hearing Iruma's voice say, "I'm truly sorry for what happened, Kalego-sensei!”Kalego waited, huffed, and asked, "Specify. What are you sorry about?". The ahoge on the Blue haired boy's head shrank in on itself, pointing downward. "That I summoned you as a familiar. I put you at a disadvantage trying to get myself out of a mess I had gotten myself into... and I am so sorry that I didn't rely on you teachers more! You tried so hard to protect me, and yet with my actions I almost ruined everything..." Iruma added, his voice shaking with deep feeling.Kalego crossed his legs, his arms resting on the armrests again. "You're absolutely right about the second part. You thought on your own, you ignored the warnings we gave you, you bypassed Opera-senpai's protection and you wandered off knowing that there was a demon in the corridors of Babyls ready to..." Kalego scolded him harshly, but stopped abruptly. That chapter was closed, there was no need to bring it up again.Kalego began to tap the armrest with his left index finger and changed the subject, stating "You should have counted on us more, that's for sure. We are your teachers, or guardians in the case of Chair-demon and Opera-senpai, there was no need for you to intervene. However" and here he rose from his chair, to kneel with one knee in front of the prostrated young human "You must not even remotely dare to regret having summoned me. I was wounded, it's true. But I would have suffered a much worse injury, if I had not managed to protect one of Babyls' treasures" he said, in a less harsh voice. Iruma, surprised, raised his head to look at him in the face. Kalego's eyes were strangely kind for his standards, almost regretful.Kalego added, "Even though I still don't approve of being your familiar, summoning me as such was the best choice you could have made at the time. Familiars’ duty is to protect their masters. The fact that I couldn't do it and that you ended up canceling the summoning because of my weakness, that really hurts my pride"Iruma couldn't believe his ears. Kalego grabbed his jacket from behind his back, quickly stood up and with him lifted the blue haired boy off the floor. "Therefore" he added, still holding Iruma with his feet dangling above the floor, "Hurry up and rise in rank. Become stronger. Make my familiar form, for the short time this cursed contract will last, fearsome and strong. Enough to tear a high-ranking demon into dust. Remember that this form depends on you. The stronger you become, the stronger I as a familiar will become as a consequence"Iruma smiled, his cheeks red with emotion, at that unexpected encouragement. Kalego let go, causing Iruma to land on his feet. "Now go, and don't you dare forget what I said. As your teacher, it is my concern to make you a strong and outstanding demon. If you truly desire my forgiveness, we will soon begin a training tailored to you. Don't worry, no matter how tired your fingers are and how soft your legs are like puddings, I will not give up on you"A smirk that did not foretell calm and peaceful times appeared on the purple haired demon's lips. Once upon a time, this would have made Iruma tremble with fear. However, after everything that had happened, this promise was something encouraging to him. If he became stronger and rose through the ranks, Iruma thought, he would be able to avoid endangering any of the demons he held dear next time.Iruma nodded and thanked the teacher heartily. He walked over to his backpack and pulled out a notebook, which he handed to the demon. "Uhm, I was forgetting this" the blue haired boy explained, while Kalego took the notebook from his hands and started leafing through it, curious. "You told me... I mean, the other Kalego-sensei recommended that I get this for you. He wrote some suggestions, I think, on how my education should proceed"Kalego raised his left eyebrow, surprised. It was, in fact, his writing that had completely filled that notebook. There was a lot of information, notes, and tips on the rest of the school program for that year, as well as the following years. Kalego closed the notebook and held it in his right hand. “I’ll make some arrangements” he said. As if what had happened wasn’t enough, he now found himself with an additional workload to take care of. According to the notes in the notebook, Iruma’s level of education was on the verge of being ridiculous. Practically a child, while he was teaching young teenagers. It was a completely different kind of challenge than what he was used to, but as a teacher it was his duty to make sure that the students at least started from the same starting point. The point of arrival, however, was strictly the students’ responsibility.“You can go. They're surely waiting for you” the demon said, imagining Asmodeus and Clara outside the classroom, jumping nervously from the long wait. Not for nothing, Iruma had asked to be left alone to talk to him. The boy thanked him, gave a small bow of greeting and left the classroom. Kalego snorted again.So much had changed in such a short time. After he had left the infirmary to reach Iruma, he had been literally a victim of Balam's skinship, something that had never happened in the decades since they met at school as students. The gargoyle had almost crushed him by hugging him, shedding uncontrollable tears and babbling something that was incomprehensible from behind the metal mask.That's why Kalego understood that something was wrong. He sensed that something had happened to himself from the other timeline... but, to be honest, he didn't care about being informed about it. For him, the important thing was the present, and what he could do in the present for the immediate future. Protecting Iruma, now acclaimed as Babyls' treasure and as such worthy of protection, and at the same time guaranteeing him all the possible tools to protect himself. Seeing that strange human boy survive had become his new ambition. And the Naberius demons were famous for their ability to realize any ambition and be faithful to it.…The days passed. They piled up, without any noteworthy event. Two weeks have passed since that day. Two weeks passed since the day Iruma should have died, yet he was alive."Come on, run, you two! We'll miss the highest branches!" Clara exclaimed, running, with her back to the two boys behind her. "Stupid Clara, no one but you is running to play "Bungee Jumping with a Surprise"! Slow down!" Asmodeus shouted after her, trying to catch her. Iruma chuckled awkwardly, thinking back to that peculiar version of the sport he had seen practiced in the Human Realm, but without a rope, with a ban on using wings and with a surprise that he fervently hoped was something that would help him not break a bone after the fall.Iruma ran to reach his soulmates, the cherry tree he had accidentally summoned the previous year getting closer and closer. Iruma stopped running suddenly, his eyes fixed on the tree. The cherry petals swayed slightly in the branches, moved gently by the wind. The older ones were carried away, falling or following the direction of the wind."Azz-kun! Clara!" he called out to them, the concern clearly perceptible in his voice. The two demons turned and saw him there, stiff and pale. They didn't need to think twice, they retraced their steps at a faster speed than before. "I humbly ask for forgiveness, Iruma-sama! It was not my intention to leave you behind!" Asmodeus apologized, approaching the blue haired boy. "Irumacchi, are you okay? Does your head hurt again?" Clara asked worriedly, getting straight to the point. Iruma kept his eyes fixed on the cherry tree, cold shivers running through his body despite the mild temperature that day."No, I'm fine, don't worry" replied the young human, tense as a violin string. He gulped, then looked down at them and added "It's just... it's better if we don't go there for a while. I think. Shall we play another game?". Asmodeus and Clara exchanged a quick glance, then approved. The three boys headed in the opposite direction, the proposals were abundant so a tug of war began between proposals, offers and outright rejections.Iruma had grown up and survived thanks to the survival instinct he had developed over the years, exposed too often to dangers of various kinds. He had learned to recognize with just a glance the alleys where disturbing people were hiding waiting for a naive unfortunate person, just as he knew how to distinguish poisonous plants from harmless ones. The presence of dead and decomposing animals was something he had become sadly accustomed to, when he was forced to spend a lot of time in forests and places never visited by man. Where there was a corpse, he had discovered with time and experience, there was a great probability that he could be next. And that he had to escape before that happened.Iruma took one last look at the cherry tree, and then returned to focus on the demons at his side. He watched his soulmates with affection in his eyes, warmth in his chest, the sort of love that makes feel content and safe, that makes feel like to be at home. That day, so much extra time to live, none of this would have been possible if Kalego hadn't intervened. As he walked away, Iruma once again regretted not being able to say goodbye to him. Another shiver ran down his spine, so he quickened his pace.There was death among the roots of the cherry tree.THE END