The Beginning of the Eternal Night Academy

The morning sunlight filtered through a specially treated mirror reflection system.

It brought warm rays into the central area of Evernight City.

Vivian stood before a plot of land that had just been cleared and leveled.

She held a freshly drawn planning blueprint in her hand.

Her brows slightly furrowed as she pondered something.

This plot was located in the northeast corner of Evernight City.

It spanned about the size of five football fields.

The terrain was relatively flat, and the surroundings were fairly serene.

Most importantly, it was neither too close nor too far from her Demon Lord tent.

Convenient for management, yet not so near the power center as to feel oppressive.

“Demon Lord, are you truly planning to build the academy here?”

Luna, standing behind Vivian, asked cautiously.

Her heart-shaped tail swayed uneasily.

“Um, what I mean is… can I really handle teaching? I’m just an ordinary succubus…”

“Ordinary?” Vivian turned her head.

She looked at this little succubus who had followed her for years with a teasing gaze.

“You’re one of the few under me with the highest literacy and best arithmetic skills. How could you be ordinary?”

“Right now, every captain-level demon is crucial. Who is ordinary?”

“And more importantly—you have patience and a willingness to learn new things.”

“That’s already far better than those self-proclaimed nobles with only outdated ideas in their heads.”

After hearing her Demon Lord’s response, Luna’s cheeks flushed faintly.

She was both surprised and a bit embarrassed by the praise.

Glancing at the little succubus, Vivian smiled and continued.

“Besides, in education, the most important thing isn’t how knowledgeable the teacher is.”

“It’s the willingness and method to impart knowledge.”

“You’ve been with me so long. You’ve seen plenty of my standardized teaching processes.”

“You’ve learned a lot, haven’t you?”

“Yes, Demon Lord.” Luna nodded earnestly. “I’ve been studying the textbooks and methods you’ve compiled.”

“That’s right.” Vivian nodded and patted Luna’s shoulder in satisfaction.

“Starting today, you’re one of the core teachers at Evernight Academy.”

“I’ll assign you a few assistants, mainly for teaching basic literacy and arithmetic.”

“Of course, this might be temporary. We’re still short on manpower.”

“We have no choice but to trouble you succubi for now.”

She paused, then added.

“Of course, if you encounter any unsolvable problems, come find me anytime.”

“Education cannot be taken lightly.”

“We’re cultivating talent to drive the Evernight Territory’s development.”

“Not pedants who only recite dogma.”

Vivian spoke thus, clearly placing great importance on this matter.

Indeed, after several days of consideration,

With Evernight City’s facilities taking shape and laws stabilizing,

Vivian decided to establish a school—or more precisely, [Evernight Academy].

Evernight City’s population was growing.

The “night school” literacy classes were booming.

After all, when people heard they could learn to read for free, almost no one refused.

As Vivian had said before,

Learning to read meant understanding posted announcements and decrees weekly or monthly.

No need to rely on others to read for them.

No fear of being deceived.

No worry over unfair wages or rewards.

Anything tied to personal benefit—and free, no less—naturally sparked enthusiasm among commoners and former slaves.

But this couldn’t go on indefinitely.

The night school venues were extremely rudimentary.

Just a few blackboards and some wind-blocking metal sheets. That was all.

With numbers swelling, even Vivian couldn’t stomach the poor conditions.

More crucially, among the returning refugees were a considerable number of children.

There was no notion of “sparing the children.”

In critical moments, everyone was fighting force or labor.

But to Vivian, children should study. They were the future.

Thus, as the territory stabilized,

The first major construction project beyond basics like road-building and land-leveling

Was to build a school!

Not just to provide a better environment for night school citizens,

But to symbolize Evernight City’s return to normalcy!

To give children a proper place to learn!

And soon, when Luna grew up, she would enter school too.

Vivian couldn’t always be by her side teaching her.

Establishing a formal, standardized education system was urgent.

While Vivian discussed details with Luna,

Lucia approached from afar, cradling little Luna.

Today, Lucia wore relatively simple attire.

Of course, those conspicuous light wings were carefully folded.

Her silver hair gleamed softly in the morning light.

Luna in her arms looked around curiously.

“Scouting the academy site?”

Lucia came to Vivian’s side, her gaze sweeping the plot.

“It’s nice here. Spacious enough, and not too far from the residential area.”

“Yes, I plan to build in three phases.”

Vivian unrolled the blueprint, pointing to the plans.

“Phase one: basic teaching buildings and student dorms to meet literacy and basic skill training needs.”

“Phase two: add experimental workshops and a library for advanced technical research.”

“Phase three…”

At the end, a glint of aspiration flashed in Vivian’s eyes.

“Phase three: establish a true higher education district to cultivate scholars, engineers, and administrators for Evernight’s future.”

Lucia studied the blueprint seriously, silent for a moment before speaking.

“Vivian, I have a suggestion.”

Vivian looked at Lucia, curious what advice the Hero might offer.

“Since the academy is to cultivate talent, combat training shouldn’t be neglected, right?”

Lucia’s tone was calm, but her eyes held seriousness.

“This world isn’t peaceful. Evernight’s future will be full of challenges and dangers.”

“If students only learn reading and arithmetic but can’t even protect themselves, then…”

“You want to add combat courses?”

Vivian immediately understood.

“Yes.” Lucia smiled and nodded. “I want to contribute what I can.”

“I can teach basic combat techniques, physical training, and staying calm in crises.”

“No need to turn every student into a warrior.”

“But at least give them basic self-defense and crisis awareness.”

“I can even include new recruit training.”

Vivian pondered, then couldn’t help laughing.

“So, you want to be the PE teacher?”

“…PE teacher?”

Lucia blinked, clearly not understanding the term.

“Ahem, I mean the teacher in charge of physical and combat training.”

Vivian cleared her throat, inwardly groaning.

In her past life, “PE teacher teaching math” was a classic meme.

Now it was reversed: “math teacher moonlighting as PE teacher”… no.

“Hero of Light switching to PE teacher”?

The image was oddly amusing no matter how she thought about it.