History

"Good morning, students! Mr Pucchin is here and today, I shall introduce a new student!"

"It's Kazuma! The sole warrior of Crimson Village of Crimson Demon!"

"Obviously-"

"Quiet! Do not talk when your teacher is speaking. It's the etiquette of Crimson Demon. Now, I welcome you, the Sole Warrior of Crimson Village of Crimson Demon, the Crimson Magic Clan! Kazuma!"

A suspicious-looking middle-aged man with a barely-noticeable moustache energetically jumped to the stage before the students. Perhaps it was because of their chuuni tendency but the class of Demon Academy contained a stage with limelight as its main focus, which was obviously landed in the middle of the stage. And the students sat on the chairs around it.

In other words, the class is massive.

Stiffly walking onto the stage, Kazuma strides slowly to the limelight before turning to face the crowd. Despite his stiff behaviour, the cold gaze and his handsome countenance could not be obstructed. His dark red eyes blankly spectated the students, which merely amounted to twenty-one. For a village containing hundreds of members, that amount was quite small.

For the onlookers, they feel quite odd. They are the one who is watching him yet why did they were the one who feels nervous under his gaze?

Megumin and Yunyun shivered. They were usually in the middle section of the sitting area yet today, they choose to be at the front.

'Eighteen females and four males, including me.'

Kazuma bowed formally.

"My name is Kazuma. Nice to meet you, my classmates."

Now that Kazuma paid attention to a certain aspect, he feels odd. He possessed different traits than most Crimson Demons. While they possessed dimmer eyes than Megumin and Yunyun, it was still lighter than his eyes.

"Can we ask questions, please?"

He blinked, is that important?

"Sure."

Regardless, he nodded. They are his classmates anyway.

The students couldn't help but stare in awe. The aura he exuded is potent yet transparent, making them feel but not see. His figure is refined, and tall. His dark red eyes are cold yet captivating. Now that they look with precision, there's a sword on his back. With the formal clothing he wears, it's an odd description but he looks like a Warrior-Scholar.

They realized, being quiet was so badass!

His introduction is simple, with a bow and a few words, but despite that, they could feel the pridefulness and the haughty attitude behind the acts. It's not a prideful nature created by superiority and condemnation, it's a prideful nature created by capacity and conviction.

The former is annoying and despiteful, even for them, the prideful Crimson Demons. But the latter! The latter was the one Crimson Demon adored the most! The prideful nature they dreamt to possess!

Such pride makes people feel respect and appreciation unconsciously.

"Why did you choose to become a warrior?"

A typical cute girl with long black hair asked hastily. As if she was racing against her classmates. The mentioned classmates directed their gazes to her blankly.

Kazuma looked at her in surprise. Then he pondered, why did he become a warrior? Kazuma Satou thought in confusion but Kazuma knew the answer very clearly.

"To gain power."

The training, the sword, the stubbornness, the pridefulness, the arrogance, the conviction, the belief, and the faith. Many aspects could describe what is Kazuma, the Prideful Crimson Demon. But all things lead to one. Power.

To gain enough power to do anything.

It's a clear path. Clearer than any paths.

"Enough power to pay back my debt to this village. To defend it from anything. To protect everyone and everything that belong to this village, the Crimson Village. Yet-"

And when Kazuma Satou came in-

"-if such a purpose wanted to be achieved, being a warrior is not enough. I need an alternative way."

A conviction, a belief, a faith in action could not be created merely by the words of a person. They were created by acts they saw, by witnessing the deeds of others. That is what has shaped them. And in Kazuma's case, is the kindness of this village.

"A mage was the answer."

He paused and looks forward.

"And for the reason? It's because I wanted to gain the power to protect this village."

People seek power for many reasons. For wealth, for pleasure, domination, dignity, delight, achievements, for immortality even. But Kazuma possessed a simple reason.

Oddly enough, for protecting. To defend the hometown that raised him. The feeling wasn't as clear as now, but Kazuma merged with Kazuma Satou. The former is hard while the latter is soft. When combined, it created a perfect mixture. Not too soft but not too hard either. It's an odd description but it's technically true.

"My name is Nerimaki! Please be my Senior, Kazuma-senpai!"

His answer contained no power. It contained nothing. He answered with a blank, normal tone. But his gaze and his steady voice are enough. Pride usually came from arrogance and eccentricity, which made people feel repulsed. It is created by the desire of a person who wants to be recognized as the best, as special, different, as many geniuses act.

To show off their existence. And from there, pride was born within them, resulting in the conceitful, repulsive aura that they exuded.

But some people possessed pride that came off naturally. Perhaps it was genetic, an innate trait or maybe because of experience and ability.

Kazuma Satou thought with objectivity, as a loner and a student, while Kazuma thought with subjectivity, as a prideful person and a warrior. The former possessed no pride while the latter possessed immense pride. When combined? In simplicity, the pride was reduced.

In complexity yet unsophistication, Kazuma possessed pride, yet he did not. Resulting in pride that was obviously shown, yet not. But things like traits are inconsistent in their changes. And in Kazuma's case, it was even more complicated, as he was the "result" of two mixed souls. It's hard to "calculate" a person's changes. At the very least, people could predict. But to calculate it to the deepest roots and with absolute precision of the changes? It's like trying to predict the future, which was impossible.

In other words, pride could get you appreciation but too much and you are becoming a conceitful, repulsive person. Like many things, a perfect amount is satisfactory.

"You foolish Nerimaki, he joined us in class today, so there's no need to mention such an unnecessary remark."

"O-Oh... hehe..."

But Kazuma has another thought in mind.

'Why a term like Senpai is generally used here?'

It's weird to listen to what he usually heard in his hometown in another world like this. But it's not enough weirdness, because he too, though it was usual. Triviality. And more, he got used to such an occasion

'Yeah.'

Kazuma scratched his head subconsciously and nodded.

"Megumin and Yunyun called me Senpai, so it's only normal for you guys to call me the same."

He answered. But the mentioned names didn't seem to agree with that.

"Make sure to use the name before you call him Senpai, foolish classmates!"

Megumin, who was unusually uninterested in many topics of the class, sat in the front and snorted. Yunyun who sat beside her bobbed her head in agreement. Kazuma looked at them oddly.

'That... matters?'

Both Kazuma and Kazuma Satou are inexperienced in this subject, so their proficiency in the subject doesn't change much. They're still bad at it. Because in this matter, merely reading books could not cover the subject, experience is what matters the most!

"Why not just call him Senpai?"

"It's for the privileged-!"

"Quiet foolish students!"

My Pucchin shouted suddenly, snapping the class into silence. He looked around before adequately clapping his hands, looking at Kazuma in reference. Contradictory to his seemingly foolish-looking acts before, he talked with serenity.

"You're young, but such a wise and throughout thinking choice is impressive. I thought about what you said, and I couldn't help but be impressed. We, mages, focus on spells that initiate destruction, for what? It's for having our own stand against the struggle of this world by intimidation and destructive, tranny power. But warriors? Warriors fought closely, they witness the changes of their oppositions, different from mages, who hurl spells from afar, not noticing anything about their enemies, but their demise. A mage could not protect because they only pursue power, and the mentioned occasion only detaches them more from humane emotions. But a warrior could protect because they saw the constant changes of their enemies up close, that could potentially change and affect them."

Mr Pucchin paused, but none of the students dared to interrupt him. He stood up and stared at Kazuma straight into his eyes.

"In truth, as a Magic Clan, we never looked down upon the warriors. In our eyes, mages are like machines, making sure that the infrastructure of this world, whether it was visible or not could work properly. They either create two, miracles or destruction. Whilst warriors are guardians, protecting the prosperity of this world with their instinctual acts and conscience. They are either wise or tyranny. A mage, in us, is like a mind, a logical, sensible side. While a warrior is like a conscience, residing within our heart to know what's naturally right and wrong."

He looked out of the window before continuing his lecture.

"But, if we, mages, pursue only power, do you know why our clan never destruct itself? As you know, power is sourced from many, and not all of them are good. So why?"

He waited for an answer, but none could respond.

"The 3rd Patriarch of our clan was an honourable warrior. He was the one who added the rules that were based on morality. Rules that pursued the unity of the Crimson Demon clan."

'Ah.'

Mr Pucchin slowly strides onto the stage and indicates Kazuma to go back with a wave of his hand. Kazuma respectfully nodded. He went down and wanted to choose a seat but Megumin snatched his arms and pulled him onto a seat. A seat between Yunyun and Megumin, precisely.

"Hey-"

"Shh!"

They simultaneously shushed him, vigilant of the stares they received. Even though they are merely blank, subconscious stares.

"Now, history. As you know, before the legendary 1st amendment or what we'd like to call, "The Awakening" we, Crimson Demons are merely a bunch of power-hungry mages who would do anything to increase our power. But we changed when the 3rd patriarch forcefully amend the rules, commencing the first amendment. It is said that a man named Brad, an extremely powerful Sword-Saint fought with the patriarch and convinced him to go on a journey with him. The patriarch went on a journey with Brad and his wife, Rosary and the patriarch witnessed how wonderful a world could be if morality and unity were achieved..."

Seeing how Mr Pucchin smoothly slipped in and started to explain the history of Crimson Demon, Kazuma realized.

'No wonder he was chosen as the teacher of the sole academy of Crimson Village.'

He narrated it and brought it in a way that interested the students, even him. Without realizing it, a couple of hours went by.

"...and when they were blessed with a child, the 3rd patriarch witnessed how much of a gift a familial love is. That's why the 3rd part of our law about familial, in honour of the 3rd patriarch, was created in the 2nd amendment."

Megumin blushed and Yunyun coughed awkwardly. But Kazuma was distracted by something.

'The child of a Sword-Saint and an Arch-Priest...'

Brad was the Sword-Saint of Belverg, the Guardian who protect the kingdom. While Rosary was an Arch-Priest, the formal leader, or the Clergy of the Eris Cult, a cult that worshipped Eris, the Goddess of Fortune, it's a national religion of the Kingdom of Belverg. They are knowledge he attained from Yunyun's notebook.

They are two powerful beings, and they have a child?

"You might know the child as the Harbinger of Holiness, the strongest paladin our closest ally, the Kingdom of Belverg, had ever produced. Unfortunately, he has fallen in a fight against the South-"

Mr Pucchin paused. He looked out of the window and saw the position of the sun. Sighing, he jumped down the stage and flicked his finger, making the limelight fades.

"Well, students. That's all. And Kazuma, do you need a personal guide for you to catch up?"

"Megumin and Yunyun promised me their guidance, so I think there's no need for that."

Mr Pucchin nodded. He turned around, walked in a direction and disappeared. The students treated it as if it was something normal but Kazuma was startled. He mentally slapped himself.

'You're an idiot to miss such a thing!'

Mana is too magical, too exciting to be missed. How did Kazuma, the Prideful Crimson Demon, possessed not an ounce of interest in it?

"Alright, now let's go to my home and taught you the way of the mage!"

an: Brad and Rosary are canons alright. Those two characters are canons.