The following day at Babyls, Asmodeus Alice was consumed not just by anger, but by confusion. He was the top-scoring freshman, a prodigy, yet this peculiar, seemingly weak boy had utterly humiliated him.
Alice found Iruma in the courtyard, nervously engaging with a small, energetic demon girl with vibrant green pigtails—Clara Valac.
Clara was already attempting to "play" by offering Iruma a handful of strange, questionable magical toys from her pockets.
Alice saw his moment.
"You!" he hissed, his face contorted in a sneer, pointing a blazing finger at Iruma.
"You will pay for yesterday's insult, you theatrical fool!"
Before Iruma could even stammer out a defense, Alice unleashed a torrent of powerful flames, a terrifying display of his bloodline power, Ryuuko (Flame-Tamer).
The heat was immediate and intense.
Iruma's instincts, honed by his father's rigorous training, took over.
His thoughts raced:
I can't fight! I'm not supposed to show my power!
With no time to think of a subtle escape, his subconscious non-verbal magic channeled his will into the environment.
A section of the thick, heavy foliage of a nearby demonic tree seemed to spontaneously tear itself away, forming a dense, mobile shield of branches and leaves that intercepted Alice's flames, redirecting them harmlessly upward toward the sky.
It was an impossible feat—a defensive magic without a visible spell, executed with absolute, terrifying control.
Alice was stunned into silence. His fire, his pride, had been nullified by a barrier summoned from the earth, and the boy hadn't even broken a sweat.
Just then, a booming voice echoed through the courtyard. Opera, who had been watching from the shadows with a calm but vigilant expression, appeared with silent, effortless grace. Opera's mere presence was enough to quell the conflict.
"Mr. Asmodeus," Opera's voice was low and even,
"fighting on school grounds is strictly forbidden."
Alice could only manage a shaky, "Yes, sir."
Later that evening, Alice did not go home. He stood by the main gate, replaying yesterday's and today's events.
The inexplicable German suplex.
The silent, powerful deflection of his fire.
He had challenged the boy twice, and twice, he had been defeated by an aura of power that was both overwhelming and bafflingly gentle.
He realized the boy was not weak; he was simply hiding a strength that dwarfed his own. In the Demon World, strength demanded respect and, more importantly, loyalty.
The next morning, Alice found Iruma. He marched up to him, pushed the chaotic Clara aside, and bowed deeply, his voice ringing with a newfound conviction that completely drowned out his pride.
"Iruma-sama," Alice declared, his head low,
"I, Asmodeus Alice, have been utterly defeated by your silent might and unparalleled composure. I implore you, allow me to become your vassal! I swear my eternal loyalty to you!"
Iruma, utterly bewildered by the sudden 180-degree turn, could only stammer,
"Huh? V-vassal?"
Clara, however, was delighted. She simply wrapped her arms around the newly formed duo. Iruma Suzuki, the Demon King's half-human son, had unintentionally acquired a fiercely loyal follower and a chaotic playmate, solidifying his path toward a very un-normal school life in the Netherworld.