The early morning was an excellent time for training. During this period, it seemed as if Mana would be more cooperative… Of course, that was just an illusion. It was probably just that people's minds were clearer.
When Satanleaf was led to the training ground by Hilena, Yila had already arrived early, fiddling with the training equipment and chatting idly with Vera.
It seemed they were talking about their previous work.
Satanleaf knew that Yila was a great teacher. He could be said to be the teacher of Empress Isabella of the Empire, and, now, the teacher of this powerful empire… He was a teacher of nations.
She was extremely grateful that he was willing to teach her.
"From a conventional standpoint, none of this equipment is usable. That ghost lady was probably the castle's property manager, right? Hopefully, when funds allow, we can ask her to purchase some new ones."
Yila said this as he placed the dilapidated training equipment into the corner. Vera, watching him move the equipment, teased: "Could these wooden stakes really be used to train the Demon King? After all, it's a Crimson Dragon. Wouldn't one breath of fire just burn everything down?"
"If possible, I'd prefer you call it 'Dragon Breath.' Saying it like it's some kind of trick just sounds wrong."
Responding, Yila turned to face Vera and then noticed Hilena and Satanleaf walking down the corridor. He nodded lightly, greeting them, "You're here. Warm up first, then we'll start the training."
Seeing Satanleaf nod and the puzzled look on Hilena's face, Yila immediately shook his head and added, "Not you, I was referring to Satanleaf… Unless you want to be a sparring partner? Want to give it a try?"
*Spar with the Demon King?*
Hilena thought and shook her head, replying, "No, no need."
"..."
Yila looked out of the training ground, gazing at the sea reflecting the sunlight. The Demon King's fleet was docked there… but only the ships, with no troops on board.
From this, it was evident that the Naga and other sea demons were also a rebellious race.
Thus, the warships were meaningless. They would be better off converted into fishing boats to improve the food supply for the Demon King's territory. Then they could have delicious pan-seared fish fillets.
From this angle, one couldn't see the Beastman Country bordering the Demon King's domain. The world was round, after all; you couldn't see that far across the sea. But one could see the towering giant tree of the Silver Moon Tree Court which bordered the Beastman Country.
He didn't know if the Imperial slave capture team was still rampaging in the Beastman Country, or if they had captured any lone elves again… It was because of this that the Empire made enemies everywhere.
Although history books no longer recorded it, Yose had also told Yila that the war between the Empire and the Demon King seemed to have been triggered by slave capture teams… but it also couldn't be stopped.
The only way to stop this situation was to prohibit the hunting of slaves from other races. But because of the nobility, it was impossible to do so. Only by punishing the nobility and reducing their influence could the next steps be taken.
Unfortunately, just as Yila was preparing to handle such matters, Her Majesty the Empress set him up.
"Mr. Yila… I mean, Teacher Yila?"
While Yila was lost in thought, Satanleaf, who had finished preparing, spoke up.
"No need, just call me 'sir'… Or better yet, just call me by my name without any titles."
Yila sized up Satanleaf. Although she was supposed to be training, she hadn't changed out of her lace Lolita dress, with its many layers of frills. *Wouldn't that affect combat?*
Or was it magic armor?
"Understood, Mr. Yila… Do you need me to remove the magic armor?"
*So it was…*
Magic armor was battle gear, similar to Vera's mage robe and wizard hat. Since the control was excellent and almost like an extension of the body, as long as the design wasn't too strange, it generally didn't affect combat convenience.
It was because of this that combat-enhancing magic equipment was often designed to be luxurious… For instance, the coat Yila was wearing now was the same.
"Take it off… Otherwise, with the magic armor's enhancement, I won't be able to gauge your true level."
Almost as soon as Yila finished speaking, Satanleaf had already removed her dress on the training ground, handing it to Hilena. She now only wore a pure white slip.
Her movements were so quick that even Yila didn't have a chance to avert his gaze.
"Loli, isn't she cute? Hehehe."
At Vera's tease, Yila sighed helplessly, shaking his head. "According to royal etiquette, regardless of gender, both you and I should have turned away… Oh well, it doesn't matter, this is fine too."
Yila grew serious as he spoke, bowing formally to Satanleaf, just as he had once taught Isabella, and greeted solemnly, "Good morning, Isa…"
"..."
"..."
A slip of the tongue, Yila could clearly feel the atmosphere freeze.
Vera: "You…"
"Good morning, Lady Satanleaf."
After Yila corrected himself, Satanleaf also nodded and replied, "Good morning, Mr. Yila… Can you tell me, what kind of person is Empress Isabella of the Empire?"
"She was an overly competent ruler."
"She was a disobedient student~"
Yila (above) and Vera (below) gave simultaneous yet different responses…
"Please don't mind anyone else. Let's begin class."
"Yes."
In the training ground within the castle, Satanleaf began her training—or rather, showcasing her abilities. Unlike Vera's cramming style, Yila preferred to teach according to the student's abilities.
"Let's start with testing Mana's explosive force… Channel as much magic power into my body as you can in one second."
Holding hands with Satanleaf, Yila felt the surge of Mana through his body. He didn't give any feedback, just nodded and moved on to the next test. "Next is control. Divide the amount of Mana from earlier into twenty parts and channel it steadily over twenty seconds."
"Next is utilization…"
"Finally, a basic physical test. Unfortunately, we don't have a big enough space… Never mind, just hit me with all your strength once… Alright, I understand. Now, next…"
"..."
"..."
"Ha… ha… ha…"
As Satanleaf panted heavily, Yila continued to jot down notes with paper and pen. Vera curiously peeked over to look but could only see a table of horizontal and vertical lines, filled with numerous dense numbers and symbols.
*Hmph, incomprehensible!*
"So, how is the Demon King's level?"
Hilena asked out of concern… sounding more like a mother or sister than a maid.
"Terrible, so much so that unless she begged, 'Teacher, I'd do anything to pass,' she won't pass."
Unable to understand the data, Vera, who could nevertheless sense the flow of Mana, said this.
Hilena: "Eh?"
Satanleaf: "Eh?"
…
"Bang!!!"
"Ouch! Ow ow ow~"
With a karate chop to Vera's head and grasping the back of her neck, Yila calmly stated, "Indeed, she's not good, but as a Demon King, it's not so much about combat prowess as it is about having the minimum self-defense capability."
Hilena: "So?"
*So, as long as she tries really hard, she won't need to beg 'I'd do anything,' and she can barely manage to pass… Probably.*