#64: Chapter 64 — The Demon King’s Second Marriage

Angelica studied Explosion Magic with absolute seriousness.

Even Lateia noted, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen Angelica so dedicated to sitting at a desk,” so there was no doubt about it.

By the way, the reason she was glued to her desk was the necessity of studying Ancient Demonic.

“Hey, isn’t it enough just to say the words? Why do I have to do these Ancient Demonic writing drills?”

Angelica had initially complained while facing the books I brought from the castle, such as Introduction to Ancient Demonic and Starting Ancient Demonic from Scratch.

“The incantation is necessary, but if you can’t visualize the words in your head at the same time, the spell might not activate properly. Besides, it’ll serve as a shortcut for when you learn magic other than explosions.”

This statement was about seventy percent fact, but mixed with about thirty percent lies.

Since we were at it, I figured I might as well make her learn the language itself.

If she demonstrated a deep knowledge of Ancient Demonic, many of the Demon Race would be impressed. Given her position as Crown Prince, more and more Demons would likely take an interest in her; it was better to have her equipped with suitable knowledge.

“Fine! I’m smarter than I used to be, I can handle this much!”

And so, Angelica threw herself into her Ancient Demonic studies in silence.

She handled the writing drills on her own, while I provided the pronunciation coaching.

“Via-be…”

“No, no. You have to eject the final sound more from the back of your throat. Also, the middle needs more of a tongue roll. It’s Via-waa-ve.”

“Via-aa-ve? Like this?”

“Still wrong. Via-waa-ve.”

“This is ridiculously difficult…”

The grammar of an unfamiliar language is grueling, but Angelica kept up regardless.

“Well, my own pronunciation is arguably less than perfect. Alright, how about we hire a Demon tutor? I think having someone come over twice a week would be quite effective.”

“Eh? A Demon tutor…? I’m still not really used to being around the Demon Race…”

Understandable, as the hurdle is much higher compared to being taught by a parent. It was natural for her to resist the idea of a stranger showing up. I had no intention of forcing her.

“I’m just presenting an option. If you don’t want a tutor, I’ll keep teaching you myself. It’s not like your life depends on being able to use Explosion Magic, anyway.”

“No… I’ll do it! I want to study more and get stronger!”

Angelica spoke with a powerful voice.

I was delighted! The current Angelica was trying to grow! She was trying to climb a massive wall!

“All right! I’ll call in the best tutor available! Just you wait!”

I paid premium to recruit the number one most popular teacher from a tutoring agency.

She was a female Demon wearing glasses. The fact that she only had a single horn was a rarity. Perhaps because of the glasses, her aura felt somewhat similar to Torualina’s.

“Angelica, this is your tutor.”

“I am Lanue-nu. It is a pleasure to meet you. I once helped a Goblin with a deviation value of 20¹ get into a top-tier university.”

“She’s even more incredible than I expected… Nice to meet you…”

“Yes. I shall put my all into drilling the knowledge into you, so please, do your best.”

I stepped out of Angelica’s room. Lateia was standing just outside the door; she must have been worried about how things were going.

“I’m worried about whether this will work, since she’s likely never even considered having a tutor before. I hope she doesn’t get angry at the teacher…”

“Let’s trust our daughter here. Angelica was the one who said she’d do it.”

“You’re right. It’s her life, after all. As parents, we can only watch over her.”

Unintentionally, the atmosphere had become exactly like a household supporting a child through entrance exams.

She was supposed to be doing special training with the sword until just a little while ago… I suppose you could say she’s taken quite a detour, or maybe her goals have just transformed…

But that was fine.

Angelica was still young. It was a good thing to take on challenges while one was still in their youth. Even if she faced a setback, it would become food for her soul. Wounds heal much faster when you fail as a child than they do when you’re an adult.

“Dear, shall I make some tea?”

“Ah, yes, please—wait, ‘dear’?”

It had been a long time since she called me that.

“Fufufu. I assume that girl won’t be coming out of her room for a while since she’s studying.”

“Ah, r-right, Lateia…”

I couldn’t quite summon the courage to drop the honorific.

Still, it felt like the family bond had grown stronger through Angelica’s hard work.

One month later.

The three family members and the tutor, Lanue-nu, were standing outside.

Angelica had a robe—the mark of a mage—lightly draped over her Hero’s attire.

“Now then, Angelica, please begin,” Lanue-nu instructed.

“Yes, Teacher!”

Angelica began to recite the incantation in Ancient Demonic.

Her pronunciation was incomparably cleaner than when I had first heard it. She wove the words together without a single mistake, even through the parts where she used to stumble.

Finally, she thrust her right hand forward.

—Voom!

With a small explosion, the weeds growing in the garden were blown away.

The power was still minor, but the Explosion Magic was a success.

“You did it! You passed!”

Even the usually composed Lanue-nu spoke with an excited, flushed voice.

“I did it! Now I can blow all sorts of things up!”

Angelica rejoiced with innocent glee and threw her arms around Lateia.

“That’s wonderful, Angelica. We’ll have to celebrate.”

“I’m going to become a Hero that I can be proud of anywhere!”

Then, she added a little something as an afterthought.

“…And, well, I might become the Demon King too. I have to be prepared for when that time comes.”