"Excuse me?" Masaki said as he blinked slowly and looked at Akira in pure perplexity.
"Are you deaf? I said I want a school built," Akira retorted.
Masaki had heard what Akira said. He just wanted to confirm on whether or not he was hearing things or his old age was catching up to him.
"... Why?" he squinted his eyes and slowly shook his arms and head.
"Do you know what happened when I was walking through town the other day?"
'No, but I bet you're gonna tell me,' Masaki replied himself.
"I asked a few kids a simple question about the geography of their village and they said they have no idea what a geography tastes like," Akira said as he crossed his arms.
"It's not their fault that they are illiterate. We don't have that many resources down here in the South."
"That may be true, but now, you have me and I will provide my knowledge. Whether you like it or not."
"I'm not against it, but shouldn't you be focusing on more pressing matters? You're on the hunt to kill the other 7 candidates for the throne as demon king, correct?"
"That can wait. And besides, I've already thought of a plan on how to defeat them."
"Really? How do you plan on—"
"Get out," Akira ordered.
"Very well," Masaki quickly replied and walked out of Akira's study.
Akira leaned back on his chair and sighed through his nose. He looked out his window and saw a few children playing around.
'If these children grow up to become dummies, they'll never be able to settle deals with other nations without me,' he said to himself. 'Once they learn something useful, I'll be able to send them wherever I so please.'
The next day, Obarihime strolled around town, casually taking in the air of the uneventful world around her.
"Mh?"
Then, something caught her attention in the distance. The construction goblins were building a structure with the anatomy of a barn with beautiful red design.
She stopped a few feet away from them and curiously watched them work for a few good seconds.
"What is this? A new house?" she asked herself.
"It's a school," Akira replied.
As it seemed that he appeared out of thin air, Obarihime jumped at the sight of Akira, her soul leaving her body for a brief moment. Akira looked at her and smiled gently.
"This is where these dumb children will learn how to read, write and make calculations. Having illiterate slaves isn't exactly profitable, don't you think?" he said as he gazed into Obarihime's eyes.
"... Why would you build a school here?" Obarihime inquired as she stepped a few feet away from Akira. "You already know about the South, don't you?"
"It isn't about the South at all. It's about me. If these children grow up to become bums, the village will never grow and it'll only worsen with the upcoming generations," replied Akira.
"We're goblins. Goblins aren't even supposed to be able to read and write."
Akira chuckled at Obarihime's remark, making her feel slightly belittled. Akira wiped the tears under his eye and sighed heavily.
"That's what your previous ancestors were made to believe. Goblins, orcs, beast people, they were all slaves to the humans a few hundred years ago. But now that slavery is abolished in human territory, only the stronger races were able to prosper, leaving you goblins in the dirt."
Obarihime turned away from Akira and watched the construction goblins continue with their work.
"To top it all off, your ancestors didn't even think of standing up for themselves. The proof lies in the fact that this village of goblins is located in the beast continent, and not the monster continent."
"I get it. We weren't that smart in the past and we're still a little dumb," retorted Obarihime.
"That's not even scratching the surface. Your kind is the literal epiphany of idiocy."
Obarihime clenched her fists and furrowed her brows, releasing a low grunt before sugijng deeply.
"But, now that I'm here, I'll make sure that changes. Fast."
After hearing Akira's words, she looked at him in curiosity, her anger slowly leaving her body.
"Goblins are people too. Being able to read and write is something people can and will do unconsciously. Why should goblins be at the bottom of the food chain when they're bipedal as well?
"Who gets to decide whether one race should evolve while the others continue to lie on the dirt?"
Obarihime's eyes began sparkling as she heard Akira's words. Then, she sighed gently and began walking away.
"You're wrong. Monsters will always be at the bottom of the food chain. Even if we learn to write, it won't change the hierarchy of the world," she said, ending her conversation with Akira.
Akira watched her walk away and smiled gently. 'Of course. I never said goblins will be at the top. What I said is that they'll at least have a proper standing in the world.'
***
With the construction of the school complete after 4 days of hard work, Akira found himself at Vilgrat's tailor shop once more.
This time, he was asking questions in regards to finding teachers.
"So that's what you had the men build. A school," said Vilgrat as she smiled gently. "Unfortunately, no one in this village is intelligent enough to teach the children basic things like reading and writing."
"I can cover teaching them how to read and write in Lilim and Human. But, I don't know how to teach them how to write in your language. I may know how to speak it, but writing is something else," said Akira.
"... Well... There is someone who can help with teaching them how to read and write in Kobold. But, I'm not sure if she'll agree..."
"Really? Who is it?"
Minutes later, Frill entered and she quickly noticed Akira's presence.
Her hair stood on end as she looked into his golden eyes for a few seconds before averting her gaze.
"Lord Akira, you've returned..." she said as she kept looking away. 'Seriously, it's like he wants to live here!'
"Frill, perfect timing." Akira shot Frill a smile and said, "Guess what? You're going to be a teacher! Isn't that exciting?"
"Huh?" Frill widened her eyes and constantly blinked, exchanged her attention between Akira and her grandmother.
Akira stood directly in front of her and stopped smiling, wearing a gentle yet determined expression on his face.
"I'm worried," he said.
"Worried about what...?" Frill said as she averted her gaze once again.
"About my people and their future," Akira replied. He gently held Frill's chin and faced her towards him. "But mostly, I'm worried about you, Frill."
"... About me...?"
"That's right. I feel as if your talents are being wasted. You have the potential to lead the next generation into greatness. And yet, you're not using it."
"I have no talent..." Frill said as she faced floor.
"That's not true," Akira added as he tipped her chin and brought his face closer to hers, his voice low and breath chilling, but oddly calming.
"A woman as beautiful and smart as you is capable of doing far more than just fixing clothes. You can be the best version of yourself. You can be better than Obarihime."
As Akira spoke softly, Frill could feel the intensity of his icy and fresh breath, which made her blush gently.
Her cheeks reddened and she looked at Akira from below, raising her head to meet his gaze.
"D-Do you think so...?" she asked in an innocent tone.
"Of course I do. But..." Akira removed his hand from her chin and placed it in his pocket. "Why prove it to me when you can show her? She'll also be a teacher in the school, if you agree to work alongside me," he continued.
Frill contemplated Akira's proposal and looked at his calm yet serious face. After giving it a good thought, she nodded and gave Akira a gentle smile.
"I'll do it."
"Really? That's good to hear," Akira said as he shot her a smile. "I don't expect you to work for free. I'll be paying you 6 gold coins every month."
'That's more money than what the store makes in 4 months...' Frill said. "That sounds good. Thank you, Lord Akira."
"Of course. Now, I'll be heading out. There are a few more things I need to take care of. I'll be back to buy another suit sometime soon," Akira said as he walked out.
"Bye bye," Vilgrat waved with a smile on her face.
Frill watched as he walked away. She placed her hand on her chest and felt her heart beating fast.
She blushed as she thought about Akira's soft facial expression from before. Then, she shook her head in an attempt to clear it.
'You can't be thinking about him in that way! He's a demon! Plus, you're only doing what he asks because you'll get to stick it to that bitch! Don't get the wrong idea, Frill!' she said to herself in an attempt to forget about Akira's gesture.
"You know, he is considered to be a great evil. And yet, I feel that you should be married to him..."
"Grandma!"
***
Meanwhile, Obarihime was sitting with Ruri, spreading gossip and talking about much had changed in the last few days.
Then, from the corner of her eye, Ruri saw Akira approaching and began pushing up her breasts, fixing her hair and folding her skirt.
"What are you doing?" Obarihime queried as she looked at Ruri with her eyes narrowed.
"What?" Ruri wore a blank expression.
"He's literally killed millions and you're already trying to get in his pants? You little whore..."
"It's called being a slut, but thanks for the compliment!" Ruri said as she glared at her friend.
"Obarihime, a moment," Akira said as he stood before Ruri and Obarihime.