The Start of School

Three days later, Evernight Academy officially opened.

Five hundred first-batch students gathered in the academy’s central square.

They awaited the Demon Lord’s arrival.

Among them were children as young as ten and youths up to twenty-five.

Some were relatively well-dressed demonprings of demon nobility.

Others were ragged former slaves.

There were demons, beastkin, even a few mixed-bloods of other races.

Even humans.

But at this moment, they all stood on the same ground.

Harboring the same anticipation, waiting for the Demon Lord’s address.

Vivian descended before the crowd, standing on a temporary platform.

Her gaze swept over the young faces below.

She saw nervousness, expectation, curiosity.

Also a few scornful and doubtful looks.

“Welcome to Evernight Academy.” Vivian began.

Her voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached every ear.

“I am the Demon Lord of Evernight, Vivian.”

The crowd fell silent.

“Here, I won’t spout grand platitudes.” Vivian continued.

“I’ll just tell you a few things.”

“First, at Evernight Academy, there is no distinction between noble and commoner, demon and other races—only students and teachers.”

“Your background doesn’t matter. What matters is your willingness to learn and change.”

“Second, knowledge is no mysterious enigma, nor nobles’ exclusive domain.”

“Knowledge is a tool, a weapon, the key to changing fate.”

“I built this academy to let more people grasp this key.”

“Third, studying here won’t be easy.”

“I’ll require you to master literacy, arithmetic, logic, even knowledge you’ve never heard of.”

“This process may be painful, making you doubt yourselves.”

“But I promise—if you persevere, you’ll gain things beyond imagination.”

She paused, her gaze sharpening.

“Now, one last chance—if anyone feels incapable or unwilling to accept these rules, you may leave.”

“I won’t blame you. Everyone has the right to choose their path.”

Silence below.

Seconds later, a voice rang out.

“Demon Lord, I have a question.”

Vivian looked at the speaker—a sturdy demon youth around seventeen or eighteen, dark-skinned, likely a former laborer.

“Speak.”

“I’m from serf stock.” The youth scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed.

“My pa says folks like us are born to toil. Reading and writing are for noble lords…”

“Can… can I really learn those things?”

Vivian smiled.

“What’s your name?”

“Karen, Demon Lord.”

“Karen, can you count?”

“Yes, up to a hundred.”

“Then you’ve already grasped arithmetic’s basics.” Vivian said.

“Can you speak?”

“Uh… of course.” Karen looked puzzled.

“Then you’ve grasped language’s basics.” Vivian smiled.

“Reading and writing are just recording the words you count with symbols.”

“Computing the numbers you count more efficiently—what’s hard about that?”

Her tone grew solemn.

“Karen, and everyone here—listen well.”

“Learning is never unattainable, nor some people’s privilege.”

“Our greatest advantage over lowly beasts is constant learning! Thinking!”

“As long as you have a functioning brain, you can learn!”

“The difference is only whether you’re willing to put in effort.”

“As for what your pa said…” Vivian shook her head.

“That’s old-era thinking.”

“In Evernight Territory now, in Evernight City, we need no such stale ideas.”

Karen blinked, then nodded firmly.

“I understand, Demon Lord! I’ll study hard!”

“Good.” Vivian smiled satisfactorily.

“Any other questions?”

No one spoke this time.

“Then, welcome to Evernight Academy.” Vivian declared.

“From today, you are Evernight Territory’s future hope.”

After the simple opening ceremony, students were assigned to classes.

Vivian specially arranged Luna as lead teacher for one class.

Responsible for basic literacy and arithmetic.

She herself decided to give the first lesson to all students.

In the classroom, over sixty students sat neatly—some even trembling.

They never expected their first class to be taught by the Demon Lord herself!

Many felt overwhelmed with honor.

Vivian stood at the podium, ignoring the shivering children.

She held a charcoal pen, drawing a circle on the blackboard behind her.

“Who can tell me what this is?” She asked.

“A circle!” A student answered immediately.

“Good.” Vivian nodded.

“Now, who knows the shape of the ground beneath your feet?”

“Flat!” Nearly all answered in unison.

Vivian smiled, drawing another circle on the board.

This time marking points and simple lines.

“If I tell you,” she said slowly, “the ground beneath your feet isn’t flat but round, like this sphere—would you believe me?”

The classroom erupted.

“Impossible?!”

“If the earth were round, wouldn’t we fall off?!”

“Demon Lord, you’re joking, right?”

Vivian wasn’t angry; she watched their reactions with interest.

“Your doubts are normal.” She said.

“Because it defies your common sense.”

“But…”

Her tone turned serious.

“Common sense is sometimes the greatest lie.”

“Next, I’ll use observation and reasoning to prove the earth is indeed round.”

“This is the first thing you’ll learn here—don’t blindly believe authority or tradition.”

“Learn to observe with your eyes, think with your brain.”

Over the next hour, Vivian used simple examples.

Like ships vanishing over the horizon in order, the shape of planetary shadows during lunar eclipses.

Explaining the “earth is round” concept to the students.

Though most remained half-doubting, at least thinking sparked in their eyes.

After class, students filed out.

Vivian packed her lesson plans when a timid voice came from behind.

“Demon Lord…”

She turned to see a boy around twelve or thirteen at the door.

He had beastkin features—pointy ears and slightly furry skin—but human-like facial features, clearly mixed-blood.

“Something wrong?” Vivian asked.

The boy hesitated, then mustered courage.

“Demon Lord, I… I have a question! M-may I bother you?”

Vivian looked at the first student brave enough to ask after class, exceptionally pleased.

“Y-you said the earth is round, so… if someone walks far enough in one direction, could they return to the start?”

The boy swallowed, asking cautiously.

In the next moment, Vivian’s eyes lit up.

Good question.