Black Iron Magician

Chapter 535 Alezel’s Brilliant Teaching

The person Nell invited as Deris’s natural enemy was Alezel Quitet, the sixth rank of the Great Eight Demons. As her nickname suggests, she’s feared as 『Awe』, but would that be effective when the opponent is Deris? The three of them (mainly Chinatsu) were concerned about such a thing, and they gasped at the severity of the training they would undergo.

「T-This is…!?」

「There are enough study desks for all of us…」

「And there are textbooks on them…」

A study space was suddenly laid out in front of the girls. Perhaps to match the mood, Alezel also wears glasses and a suit in the style of an educator. Chinatsu just tilts her head, but the other two are terribly trembling. They are so pale that as if their lively appearance until a while ago was a lie.

「I don’t want to study….」

「Me too….」

These are the words that they squeezed out while half crying. For Haruna and Touko, studying is something they want to avoid more than anything. They hate it from the bottom of their hearts.

「Just like food, it ain’t good to be picky~. Just give up~」

「「Ugh….」」

「You two, there’s no need to be so depress――」

「――Okay, that’s enough chitchat. As Ursula-han said, we have to set a deadline. We don’t have time to waste. Let’s start the study camp! Now, sit!」

「「Hiii!?」」

The two love club training camps, but not study camps. At this time, Haruna and Touko seemed to be really scared of Alezel’s smile.

「「………」」

They obediently sit down on the chairs, but their eyes are dead. Other than Chinatsu, they are already on the verge of being knocked down.

(Still, I wonder what kind of book is this….)

On the cover of the textbook that Chinatsu is staring at, there’s a photo of Deris making a pose. The pose is not something that he would do, so it is probably edited with the mysterious technology of Made in Zex.

「Then, let’s start the lecture~. There is one most important thing that a battle and business have in common. Haru-chan, what do you think it is?」

「T-The most important thing they have in common? …… Guts?」

「Well, that’s certainly important too. But you’re wrong, bzzz.」

Alezel makes a big cross with both arms to show that the answer is incorrect. Somehow, it feels as if she’s enjoying this situation.

「It was wrong….」

「That’s too bad. The correct answer is information. Whether it’s a battle or business, those who control information control everything! Even if you say you’ll become stronger in a short time, there is a limit to what you can do. Here, I will teach you about Deris’s habits, weaknesses, and dark history that I know. You should put these things into your head and look for clues to defeat him.」

「So that’s why this textbook has Deris-san’s picture on the front. The posing is not very like him, though.」

「That’s right, this is a Deris strategy book! Originally, the price would be quite high with research costs, production costs, etc. But this time, I’m enjoying myself, so I’m giving it for free!」

Alezel’s glasses shine, and she gives a thumbs up. She’s really enjoying this situation.

「Yay… thank you very much…」

「Thank you for the insincere gratitude, Haru-chan! You and Touko-chan really don’t like studying, huh. Well, I’ve already researched that even Haru-chan will enjoy reading if it’s children’s textbooks. For example, a story about a hero goblin who defeats an orc demon king.」

「Ah! A-Alezel-san, c-could it be!?」

「That’s right! Quitet cooperated with the publisher to create this overly-specialized niche textbook! This work is the sequel of the hero Gobuo’s story that I’m proud of! It follows the story of Gobuo’s fight against the Super Demon King Deris, and is a fun way to learn useful knowledge!」

「Wow! I have to read it, no, please let me read it, Alezel-san!

Haruna and Alezel get heated up. Touko, on the other hand, has no idea why Haruna is so excited and could only put a big question mark over her head.

「Hey, Chinatsu. Is it safe? It looks as if she’s being deceived by a really dubious store…」

「Well, I don’t know how to respond to this elaborate textbook that’s made just for this occasion, but… I think she’s not joking about it being a part of her entertainment. Besides, it’s a good way to teach. I’ve read a picture book called 『The Adventure of the Hero Gobuo』 that I borrowed from Haruna, and it was quite interesting. I’m sure you can read it too, Touko.」

「I-Is that so? Still, Danna is the villain, huh….」

If she were to be absorbed in reading the story, Touko probably wanted Deris to play the role of a prince. However, this story is about a goblin, so it’s impossible to give that role to Deris. If Alezel were to hear it, she would burst into laughter at that moment.

「…… Oi, is this really going to help? Wouldn’t a fight be a lot more practical?」

Ursula, who has been observing Alezel’s guidance from a distance, seems to be unconvinced by this method. She asks Nell, who’s standing next to her with her arms crossed, if it’s really okay.

「It’s not like I’m going to make them study all week long. In fact, they will spend most of their time in combat training. But, I will polish up a little the training you’re trying to do.」

「Oh? How?」

「You and I will work together to push the girls even harder. You see, now that the pressure is doubled, they will be even more desperate, right?」

「I see, I didn’t think of that!」

Ursula clapped her hands and looked convinced. Unfortunately, Nell has similar thinking.

「U-Um, Alezel-san, they are saying that, uh…」

「Oh, they are really crazy, ain’t they? Well, I’ll be your safety net when that happens, so don’t worry about it.」

「………」

‘I don’t feel safe at all’, such words are written on Chinatsu’s face.

「Well then, I’m free while Alezel is teaching them, so I guess I will meet Deris. Ursula, do you know where Deris went? Odile told me that he came back yesterday, but I haven’t seen him in the mansion.」

「Hmm, is that so? At least, he didn’t come to this training ground. He must have gone out again.」

「Went out again? Once he came back, the next place he might go is…. Ah, maybe there? Thanks, I’ll be away for a while.」

Nell quickly left the training ground, as if she had an idea where Deris was going.

「First, open the first page. In the first chapter, the hero Gobuo is working hard to make a friend with the monster rat that the Super Demon King Deris hates.」

「――Hero Gobuo-kun, who has been fighting alone until now, finally has a companion!?」