I Became a Demon Who Can Never Be Headpatted in the Academy?!

Esme’s drawing.

The girl, whose parents were brutally murdered by the Demon race, had no choice but to see ‘Murmur’ as a monster.

“Murmur…”

Esme looked at me, emitting a pure white light from her hand. Her eyes were shaking pitifully, and large tears flowed down her cheeks, one drop, then two.

The brush, floating in the air by magic, moved without rest, completing Esme’s drawing. It revealed Esme’s heart to the world without hiding anything.

Red horns growing from her head, jet-black wings reminiscent of bats, a tail that was dangerously swung like a whip, and sky-blue hair soaked in blood.

People trampled under black high heels.

“Haa, haa…! Haa! Haa!”

Esme had no choice but to see Murmur this way. It was only natural, since ‘Colette Bloodberry’ was by this child’s side.

She was twisted, a truly disgusting adult. Not an aunt who delicately heals a child’s wounds, but a piece of trash who takes advantage of them.

I understand that. Yes. I knew that there was a reason why Esme could only see Murmur in this way.

But, it’s been a little strange since a while ago? Why is she breathing so roughly?

“Ugh…!”

Esme suddenly grabbed her hair with both hands that were clasped together, then crouched down. The drawing tools floating in the air moved even faster, and a drawing that surpassed a child’s skill was being drawn.

Wait a minute, this can’t be… no way, right?

“Pr, Professor William! Esme is acting strange!”

“E… Esme is crying! Professor! What do we do!?”

“Waa… Waa! The paint! My paint!”

The pure white light that Esme was emitting now began to interfere with other children’s paints and tools, and began to be used as materials for drawing Esme’s picture.

“Miss Esme! Stop the magic right now!”

“Haa, haa…! Haa…! Haa!”

“Esme! Can’t you hear the professor?”

As Professor William approached while speaking, a palette knife was fired like a bullet towards him.

//slw『Stress increased by 10!』

“Dangerous!”

Without realizing it, I grabbed Professor William’s waist and pushed him away.

Thwack!

The palette knife, which flew with killing intent, was embedded in the wall, creating a small crack.

“Oh… Wh, who… Immediately! Have someone bring Professor Aiaie here!”

Ah, really! Why did it turn out like this?

Wasn’t Esme just drawing?

Why did a powerful demon like a ‘Nightmare’ start to reside in the drawing?

“Wh… what? What happened?”

“S, scary! I don’t like it!”

The children who were drawing all panicked and either sat down on the spot or crouched down, covering their heads with both hands.

The drawing in front of Esme began to emit a creepy purple light, clattering.

Let’s not deny reality. Right now, Esme had summoned a ‘Nightmare’. A terrifying demon that feeds on people’s nightmares, fears, and terrors had come here after smelling the scent of fear that Esme was emitting.

Of course, as it was a powerful demon, it could not immediately show itself in this world. Similar to summoning magic, a ‘door’ was needed for it to interfere with this world. The door right now was the picture that Esme drew with magic.

My portrait, Murmur’s.

“Haa, haa… I, I don’t like it. I’m, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Esme, crying and suffering, was trembling. The mana emanating from her body was being forcibly used as a material to summon the ‘Nightmare’ even at this moment.

“A Nightmare…”

Should I be honest?

This is impossible.

[ 『Skills』]

[ 【Summoning Magic Lv.1】]

[ 【Elemental Magic Lv.1 NEW!!!】]

This was not a demon that Murmur could deal with with such weak skills.

In the first place, this Nightmare was a monster that appeared when doing a favorability event with Nikea in the high school chapter. It was not a monster that could be dealt with in the elementary school chapter, and that too, without taking any promotion exams.

I can’t win.

//slw『Stress increased by 20!』

It’s only natural that I can’t win.

In the first place, the Nightmare was said to have the specs of a spirit-class being that could be summoned with Lv. 5 summoning magic!

“I don’t like it… I, I don’t like it…!”

And let’s think a little more calmly.

If the Nightmare descends into this world, Esme will probably be killed with a high probability. After all, the Nightmare was an entity that took root in the ‘darkness’ that Esme held in her heart.

For Esme, the Demon race were the enemies who killed her parents. Her aunt, Colette, would also have been teaching her that they were beings that must be exterminated.

The Nightmare that took root in such a child’s heart would gladly kill Esme.

//slw『Stress increased by 10!』

“…”

It’s a truly cold and cruel thing to say, but an opportunity had come to Murmur.

Esme Bloodberry’s survival did not have any impact on the ‘True Ending’. She was a character that could be killed without any issues. Rather, she was a bothersome ‘combat power measuring tool’, so there were even strategies that killed her on purpose.

So, it’s okay to let her die now.

Rather.

That’s the right answer.

“I, I don’t like it… P, please save me, please save me. Please save me. M, mom! Dad…!!!”

An arm emitting a purple light popped out of Esme’s drawing. The arm, which even had creepy scales, caressed Esme’s shoulder and then began to grab her neck.

The moment I saw that, I unconsciously took a step forward.

─ Thwack!

A palette knife flew towards me. Luckily, it grazed my cheek, and sticky blood trickled down.

『Stress increased by 20!』

Murmur’s body screamed. It cried out that it was not a trial that an elementary school 5th grader’s body could endure.

“Don’t, come…! Mu, Murmur!”

Esme Bloodberry said in agony.

“Why are you saying that? Esme is in danger right now.”

“I, don’t like it! I really… hate the Demon race!”

Esme grabbed the nightmare she had created with her small hands. Even though she couldn’t push it away or stop it.

“Th, therefore…! You! I really hate you, I hate you! Don’t, come near me!”

I see. So you really hate me.

Even though you hate me, you won’t let me die, and you’re telling me not to come near you.

//slw『A new event has been confirmed!』

“You’re not honest…”

I hate adults like Colette.

I really hate adults who use children as they please.

And I know the solution to everything that happens in Legend of Academy.

Let’s do it.

If I was confident that I could survive no matter what happened, then I should be able to handle this much!

[ 『A new event has been confirmed!』]

[ 《Stop the summoning of the Nightmare》]

“Esme!”

“Don’t come near me…!”

A palette knife flew again. I barely dodged the attack by throwing my body to the ground, but I couldn’t expect to do that next time.

“Murmur is…!”

It’s a really embarrassing and shameful method, but this is the only way.

It’s absolutely impossible to fight and win against a half-summoned Nightmare.

But if I thoroughly utilize the characteristic that it takes root in people’s minds, I can defeat it.

“I have pajamas!”

“Wh, what… are you talking about?”

“Pink pajamas! With lots of pretty and beautiful flowers drawn on them!”

Esme looked at me with a slightly blank expression.

I know, I know! I know that I’m saying something incredibly strange right now!

“Murmur… likes those pajamas! They’re pajamas that the hero gave me!!”

“What, are you saying…”

“But they’re a little big, so when I wear them, I always have to fold the sleeves twice!”

Another arm, strangling Esme’s neck, popped out of the drawing.

“And! Murmur likes rabbits, but she also likes sheep!”

“You… th, that can’t be… ouch!”

“Because sheep are just as white as pure white rabbits! They’re so cute and fluffy! Like marshmallows!”

“Th, that can’t be… th, that’s not true…”

Esme faintly cracked a smile.

“And… and also… Murmur is actually not good at using a fork!”

I held out my small hand.

I can do it. This method is the right answer. There’s no chance of failure!

“The fork is too big! I have to grab it tightly and thump thump to eat my food!”

“You’re, you’re such an idiot…”

“But, Murmur likes eating desserts! I like donuts! I like cake! I like madeleines too!”

One of the arms that was strangling Esme’s neck turned into pure white stardust and disappeared.

“I like whipped cream cake! Chocolate is too sweet, I don’t like it because it’s just sweet! I like cake with lots of sweet and sour fruits on top!”

“You…”

“I like cake with lots of strawberries on top! I wish I could share it with Esme!”

I desperately shouted and crawled on the floor.

“I also want to eat the pasta that Esme likes!”

“Even though you’re not good at using a fork?”

Another of the Nightmare’s arms disappeared.

“Yeah, because it’s what Esme likes.”

“Y, you idiot… who would ever say such a thing about being friends with a demon race?”

“I want to take baths together too.”

“I, I will never do that with you.”

“We’ll keep taking magic classes together.”

“I, I hate the demon race…!”

Esme shouted in a pained voice and roughly shook off the Nightmare’s arm with both hands.

“I really hate them!! I hate the demon race that killed my mom and dad so much! I hate the demon race that my aunt Colette tells me to kill every day! I hate them! I hate them! I hate them, but I really hate them…!”

Twitch!

Esme’s drawing shook violently, and a huge beast’s maw popped out from within. The Nightmare’s mouth, emitting a purple light, was opened as if it would swallow Esme whole.

“I… hate hating you even more!”

Esme threw herself towards my outstretched hand. Our small, soft hands met, and we could gently interlock our fingers.

─ Piri-ri-rik!

A cute flute sound was heard above Esme and my heads. Fluttering colored paper fell like the first snow, sticking softly to our cheeks.

“Wh… what?”

The terrifying beast’s maw that had popped out of Esme’s drawing had, before we knew it, transformed into a very embarrassing sight.

“Esme…”

The terrifying monster had turned into me, Murmur, wearing fluffy and soft sheep pajamas made of pure white wool. Furthermore, there was spaghetti sauce all over my mouth, and I was holding a bunch of desserts that I didn’t even know the names of in both hands.

“You… what do you think of me?”

“I, I just imagined it the way Murmur told me to, okay?!”

Esme sniffled and suddenly burst out laughing.

“What is that… it’s cute!”

“It really looks like a sheep! I guess it’s because of Murmur’s horns!”

“Ah! I saw that! Murmur… is really bad at using a fork!”

The Nightmare’s appearance, which was supposed to be terrifying and frightening, had become a cute being that brought smiles to the faces of the children who had been trembling.

The rest was obvious.

“Oh… nooo… oh, no… ooo… oh!”

The Nightmare screamed, then pop, it burst and turned into fluttering colored paper. This too would soon turn into pure white stardust.

“Hahaha!!! Murmur! You were so weird!”

“It’s not that Murmur was weird, it’s that Esme imagined it as she pleased.”

“But! Murmur told me! I just imagined it the way you told me~”

Esme, laughing while her face was covered in tears, spread her arms wide and hugged me tightly.

“Esme, you… if you laugh like that after crying…!”

Without even giving me a chance to speak, Esme just patted me all over.

Hey, why is she like this this time?!

* * *

“Are you really going to pretend you don’t know anything?”

“I apologize. I believe that we at Cosmos Academy have fully cooperated with the investigation to the best of our abilities.”

In front of Colette Bloodberry, who could not hide her expression, sat a woman with white hair that barely reached her shoulders. She wore a classy black coat draped casually over her shoulders.

There was no one in the academy who didn’t know her name. She always had a relaxed and composed expression, yet she was someone who would do anything for the academy.

“You’re lying shamelessly without even batting an eye.”

“Is there a need for me to lie? Especially in front of someone important who will soon become the Minister of Magic of the Magica Kingdom. Also, our Cosmos Academy has provided all the cooperation we can.”

“What a ridiculous lie… are you going to pretend you know nothing about the ‘Curse of Knowledge’ club?”

Unlike Colette, who had a venomous expression, the white-haired woman had a nonchalant expression that was almost mocking.

“Didn’t you investigate the Curse of Knowledge club thoroughly? You searched that building, which has become nothing more than ruins, with a fine-toothed comb.”

“Tch! That’s not what I’m talking about. Headmaster of Cosmos!”

“I’ve already shown you everything. But if you’re not satisfied, you’re welcome to investigate more as much as you want.”

“If you’re hiding something, you’d better tell me everything now. You do know that the Crown Princess is watching, right?”

“Our Crown Princess is doing so well in her classes, so I feel at peace whenever I meet His Majesty the Emperor these days.”

Clench-

Colette Bloodberry visibly gritted her teeth.

“Wait a moment…”

The headmaster raised her right hand and touched her ear before slightly lifting the corners of her mouth.

“It seems we need to end our conversation here.”

“Are you thinking of running away?”

“No. This is what I’m saying for Countess Colette Bloodberry’s sake. I heard that your niece, Esme, was seriously injured. How about you go visit her sometime?”

“Esme?”

Colette thought that she didn’t care about that.

“I heard that she summoned a Nightmare during class. Thanks to Miss Murmur’s help, no one was hurt. Friendship is truly wonderful, isn’t it?”

“Murmur…?”

The name that faintly came to mind, the fact that it was the name of a demon race, made Colette grit her teeth as she stood up from her seat.

“I understand. Let’s talk again later.”

Without even properly saying goodbye, Colette walked out of the room. The headmaster watched her leave, then turned her chair to look out the window.

“The Curse of Knowledge club…”

The headmaster, feeling like she had found a treasure chest buried in dust, sparkled her eyes as she watched the children playing around the academy.

“…There are only two people in this world who know that Armonia is sealed there.”

That was impossible.

There was no way that there were more people who knew what condition the Demon God was in now, and what punishment she was receiving.

Colette Bloodberry, who was snooping around everywhere, was ultimately relying on ‘rumors’. She couldn’t accurately grasp the situation, so she was just whining for an answer.

The Crown Princess was the same. She was probably the one who gave the information to Colette in the first place.

“Murmur. How do you know that?”