Bonus chapter thanks to '@Genki Azuma' for subscription to 'Sword Lacquer' tier on Ko-fi.

Right after Adel and the Class A students checked their grades and left.

Thud, thud-.

Two figures approached from afar.

Diana, with a crown atop her white hair, and Rene, exuding an unusually dark aura, walked side by side.

As they walked,

"Oh, the test results are out."

""

They stopped in front of the bulletin board listing the midterm exam rankings for the first-year students.

Swish-.

Diana briefly scanned the list of lower-ranked students and then turned to Rene with a question.

"Rene, what rank do you think you got?"

""

"I don't know."

Rene replied indifferently, as if her grades didn't matter much to her.

Not that she needed to care about her grades anyway. Rene's only concern was the human who had killed her mother.

It's true that students who rank high in the Demon Realm are given artifacts, but since they can choose them directly, there's no need to go through the trouble of getting first place.

And compared to the artifact she received as a reward for the entrance exam...

Swish-.

Rene looked down at the ring on her index finger.

The ring that Adel had given her in the land of the Undead.

She liked this ring.

Even more than the artifact she had gotten from the Demon Realm's warehouse.

Well, there was no particular reason to say it was special.

It was just that it performed well.

At least, that's what Rene thought.

As Rene gazed at the ring Adel had given her, a sudden question came to her mind.

'Why?'

Why did Adel put the ring on her index finger?

I don't know about the human world, but in the Demon Realm, when a man puts a ring on a woman's index finger, it means 'an eternal oath.'

So.

What on earth did he swear to do...

'I don't know.'

Adel's true identity.

Even the meaning of the ring.

Rene didn't know anything.

She just kept her mouth shut, thinking about the man who had brought her this complexity.

Then.

Diana found Rene's name and pointed to it.

"Oh, Rene. You're 5th."

""

Rene turned her gaze.

5th place, Rene.

She had scored high enough to secure 5th place.

But Rene wasn't interested in her own rank. She was interested in the rank of another student.

The one above her,

4th place, Adel.

The rank of the one who had complicated her heart.

It was surprising that a half-breed had recorded 4th place, but Rene's reaction was indifferent.

From Rene's perspective, it was natural for Adel to have a high ranking.

'......he hides a lot.'

Rene closed her eyes gently.

And what she recalled was the time of their first meeting.

When she first encountered Adel.

At that time, she had tried to kill Adel without thinking.

...It was because Adel's appearance was so sinister that she didn't think he was an escort assigned by her father. [T/N: Poor Adel]

At first, she thought he was lying.

The amount of mana he possessed in his body was too small for an escort.

But,

'He was fast, incredibly fast.'

Rene, who was recalling that time, touched her wrist.

But soon after, she realized that it wasn't that Adel's speed was fast, but that it was a kind of teleportation.

Still, it was definitely not a bad ability for an escort, so she thought her father must have assigned him.

However, when she noticed that she was not only lacking in mana but also in stamina.

Rene couldn't help but doubt Adel's identity.

It was strange when she thought about it.

Her father had assigned Adel as her escort, saying that something might happen to her in Sytan.

However.

Adel was weaker than her.

Rather, he would have been more of a burden.

So Rene wondered if her father was underestimating her.

How could he treat her like a child and assign such a weak half-breed as her escort?

That's why Rene had always maintained a cold attitude towards Adel.

Until she saw Adel talking to the God.

'How......'

How could he talk to the Demon God?

The Demon God of Pride, who had suddenly appeared before Adel.

The moment Rene faced the Demon God,

She was overwhelmed with dizziness and nausea.

Just looking at the transcendental being had almost made her lose consciousness.

However,

Adel was calm.

He didn't cower in front of the Demon God and kept talking about something.

She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but she remembered the atmosphere at the time.

That was why Rene thought of Adel as a priest.

The weak side he had shown her was the same.

At some point, Adel gradually revealed his strength, and now he had surpassed her.

'He seemed to have a lot of injuries...'

Perhaps Adel had decided to show his true strength because he had encountered a strong human for the first time after leaving the temple.

Rene found it quite convincing.

That he had been hiding his strength until now.

But,

'Why?'

For what reason did her father,

Give him the 'authority' to do that?

Up until now, Rene had been completely unable to understand Cretes true intentions.

Just as her head started to ache,

"Rene, you're so lucky. Your escort is so recognized. The strongest escort assisting the young lady, so cool!"

Diana was starting to spout nonsense again.

Was it really acceptable for the future Demon King to have such a personality?

Rene was overcome with a strange feeling.

Hmm.

Then, Rene lifted her head.

She had confirmed up to 4th place.

Now, all that remained was 3rd place, 2nd place, and the coveted 1st place.

Even Rene couldnt help but wonder who would take 1st place and the position of top student in the grade.

Diana and Baltan.

Which of the two would ascend to the position of 1st place?

Rene seemed to recall that Baltan had been the top student during the entrance exam.

However, Diana was not to be underestimated either.

Diana had an annoying personality, but she was undeniably a strong individual whom even Rene acknowledged.

If she ignored the pressure of the crown and began to exert her strength, no one would be able to stop Diana.

Furthermore, hadnt Diana lifted the seal on her strength during this midterm exam?

Thats why she had thought that this time, perhaps.

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