Chapter 25: The Beast and the Debate

“Liya is really amazing. Only after seeing it in person can I truly feel it.”

“Yeah, not just her strength, but also her courage.”

“More like she’s cool. If Liya were a guy, I might even fall for her, hahaha…”

At the dining table, a conversation ensued that made Liya uncomfortable in every sense.

The focal point of the discussion was the demon youth they had just encountered.

“So, what’s with you two? Even if he’s in the Top Twenty (The Best), there’s no need to be this concerned. He’s not the academy’s number one, is he that scary?”

Liya asked in confusion. Alice and Cecilia exchanged glances, then nodded.

“Liya, you’re not wrong to say that, but that person is different. Even among the Top Twenty—no, among the Twelve Knights—he’s an absolute outlier. At least he’s famous enough that even we know about him.”

‘I don’t think so. Given how gossipy and meddlesome you two are, knowing about him is perfectly normal…’ But Liya naturally wouldn’t voice that thought. She knew enough about social graces, so she kept smiling and listened to Alice’s introduction.

“His name is Yagesi. He’s a demon of the [Beast].”

“…Beast?”

Although Alice’s tone was matter-of-fact, Liya had been human in her past life, and her current life had been spent in a reclusive church. How could she possibly know what the [Beast] was? So she tilted her head, completely puzzled.

“Alice, Liya isn’t familiar with that. Don’t be so vague.” Cecilia said considerately, then turned to Liya:

“How should I put it? We demons are also divided into royalty, nobility, aristocracy, and common demons. These classifications come from our bloodline—what you call lineage. Those with good blood can become nobles, royalty, or even the supreme imperial family. And depending on the bloodline, we gain different special abilities, like innate magic.”

“…I see.”

‘So I’m probably a common demon. After all, I haven’t discovered any special ability in this body yet. If I had one… I wish I could change gender.’

“So the [Beast] is a high-level bloodline among demons?”

“Specifically, it’s a royal bloodline. And that Yagesi, even among Beast demons, is quite the anomaly. They say he’s completely unskilled in martial arts and magic, relying purely on his bloodline to fight.”

“What do you mean?”

“Simply put, rather than a demon, he’s more like a pure beast. He fights entirely on instinct and intuition, yet he has incredibly sharp instincts and reflexes. His physical abilities are outstanding, and he can transform into a huge werewolf. It’s said that the teacher who fought him nearly got torn apart in the battle…”

“Is that so.”

Liya nodded. ‘I see. Seems like a troublesome enemy.’ Just as she formed that opinion of Yagesi, she noticed Alice and Cecilia looking at her with some surprise.

“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

“No… it’s just, Liya, aren’t you afraid?”

“Afraid of what?”

“Yagesi! He’s a werewolf! There’s even a rumor at the academy that he’s a hybrid of beastman and demon, a true beast. Fighting him is always brutal… Aren’t you scared you’ll get ripped apart alive?”

“Alice!” Cecilia stopped Alice, then looked at Liya with concern.

‘They’re worried about me? As expected of my two best friends in this life! But…’

“You’re overthinking. Though it’s a bit troublesome, there’s no reason to be afraid.”

Liya crossed her hands on the table, speaking without wavering.

“Since I’ve become a martial artist, I have to be ready to face anything. It’s not just duels—even a fight to the death is no different to a martial artist. In fact, I’m rather looking forward to it. Can that guy really tear me apart?”

As she spoke, a cruel curve unconsciously formed at the corner of Liya’s mouth. Alice and Cecilia paused for a moment, then whispered to each other:

“As expected, Liya is really cool.”

“Yeah, even though she’s only ten, she acts like an adult. And she’s cool in everything she does.”

“Right. If she were a guy, I’d probably fall for her.”

“But it’s fine that Liya is a girl too. She makes you want to hold her ~.”

“Yeah, even though she’s cool, her reaction when held is adorable!”

“………..”

Liya’s brows furrowed, veins bulging. Finally, she coughed deliberately with her hand over her mouth.

“Ahem… I can hear you, you know.”

‘Though being called cool makes me happy, the part about me being a woman really drags me down. And the worst part is, even after seeing my manly spirit, Alice and Cecilia still see me as a girl! Does appearance really matter that much?’

‘Don’t they know to look at the inner self, the soul?’

‘My soul is so purely manly!’

“Damn it!”

“Huh? What’s wrong, Liya?”

“No, it’s nothing…” Liya replied dejectedly.

‘Speaking of which, that guy Yagesi said he’d come find me later. What does that mean? Is he planning to duel me again?’

‘Or something else?’

‘No, no, think about it—how could there be anything else? Alice and Cecilia said he’s a pure beast. He probably wants to tear me apart and enjoy the thrill of killing and fighting. Some crazy martial artists have had similar thoughts.’

‘Fine. I’ll be ready anytime. Bring it on, Yagesi!’

—

Speaking of which, his reason for provoking that little loli wasn’t simple.

Walking through the academy at night, Yagesi enjoyed the eerie atmosphere around him while recalling his recent experience.

The first time he saw that girl was in the arena. She stood alone on the platform, overlooking the surroundings, exuding immense presence. The second time was also in the arena, where she dueled a teacher and ultimately lost…

But even in defeat, she was captivating.

Yes, captivating. Watching her made Yagesi feel his blood boil. He wanted to rip open that girl’s body, drink her blood, fight her fiercely, and then devour her corpse… What was this urge?

Yagesi made a preliminary judgment.

“This is… what they call the heat period.”

His mind was full of her. Whenever he thought of her, his body heated up. He wanted to know more about her, so he went to the library to look up information. Yes, this was definitely a necessary stage of puberty—the heat period.

So what to do next was obvious. The book had taught him.

“I need to learn how to date.”

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