First Light at the Academy
As the morning light crossed the distant, continuous snow line, it showered its golden glow upon this brand-new complex situated on the edge of the Northern Frontier Royal Capital.
The large stone characters "Continental United Academy" gleamed with a calm luster under the rising sun, as if quietly brewing an era different from the past.
Standing beneath the magnificent archway constructed of rustic wood and white stone, Heiter listened as Lowell, in his usual lazy and casual tone, delivered one shocking message after another, and was momentarily stunned.
"... The academy is still in its early stages," Lowell's voice pulled Heiter back to reality. "Later there will be uniforms and such. Anthony is a good king, and his nobles, after the baptism of war and subsequent reforms, have a remarkably clear-headed atmosphere; they are rare pragmatists."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the young trainees in the distance, dressed in various styles but with bright eyes. His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty:
"And this academy is called the 'Continental Union' Academy..."
He tilted his head slightly, looking at Heiter: "It's because I used a little 'trick.' I publicly claimed that 'after defeating the Demon King, some remnants of the Demons race deeply appreciated the value of peace and voluntarily accepted constraints, abandoning darkness for light.' Of course, this required a sufficiently substantial guarantee—the hero Himmel, who defeated the Demon King, personally vouched for it, plus the title of the 'Dominating Stone Ring' specially made by the 'Legendary Magician Serie'... Well, actually, it was me who did it. Anyway, she probably doesn't mind me using her name."
He smiled, then quickly returned to normal.
"So now, Demons like Sam, Solitär, Mina, Linié are all 'registered,' having a legitimate identity. Crucially, the people of Anthony have personally witnessed Solitär and Linié's immense help in reclaiming their territory. This trust, based on shared experience and actual achievements, is more powerful than any empty promise."
"However, Sam is more of a 'guard'," Lowell said with a hint of helpless honesty. "Let him teach students? He'd probably just produce a bunch of blindly loyal soldiers who only know how to shout 'Demacia!' But he's good at maintaining order and deterring troublemakers. Just his Demons general's intimidating presence is enough to keep most demons away from the vicinity of the academy."
His gaze then turned to the tallest building deep within the academy, the Canaan Tower, its top inlaid with a huge crystal.
"Solitär, well, her thirst for magical research is inexhaustible, and she's thriving here. She's both the most diligent 'student' in Canaan Tower, eagerly absorbing all kinds of human knowledge, and a 'special lecturer' for some advanced magical application courses—after all, her millennia of accumulated knowledge are not just for show. As for Mina and Linié, they need to systematically learn basic human knowledge and ways of interacting; starting as students is more suitable for them at the moment."
He was silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the distant sky, as if recalling something, his voice lowering slightly:
"With so much groundwork laid, and in the end... most of the creatures on this continent, whether human or demon, are already tired of the endless fighting."
He thought to himself that even if things had followed their original course of fate, decades later, local lords like Earl Granat would not have shown strong resistance to negotiating peace with the Demons.
There's also Himmel, the Village Chief of the village that Mina hurt, and Stark...
Countless people, regardless of their status or position, have pondered the possibility of coexistence to varying degrees in the face of lessons learned from bloodshed and suffering.
The idea of "exterminating the enemy" is a mainstream ideology of peacetime, where people talk without understanding the pain. Only those who have never shed blood would have such thoughts. Those who have truly experienced war and felt the pain of losing a bag of rice mostly yearn for peace.
A bag of rice has to resist a few floors ( ache みを feeling じろ/feel the pain), a bag of rice has to resist a second floor ( ache みをukao えろ/ think about the pain), a bag of rice has to be given too much ( ache みをReceive けGETれ/ accept the pain), I will wash a bag of rice ( ache みを)れ/Understand the pain), I have washed so much mud out of a bag of rice ( ache みをらぬに / People who don't understand pain), there is mud everywhere, who will give you a bag of rice yo (ここより, にpainみを, from now on, let the world feel the pain).
At least Lowell knew about it.
In his time, many people wished that Emperor Wu of Han would expand the territory and benefit future generations, but if one truly lived in that era...
The country is devastated, the population has halved, taxes are heavy, military service is endless, corvée labor is arduous, laws are harsh, and even newborn children are often killed...
Only those who have personally experienced war know the weight and pain of these words.
The dead are glorious, and also... pitiful.
Therefore, Lowell's favorite emperors are Liu Xiu and Zhao Da. As founding emperors, they were able to spare the lives of their meritorious officials and allow their people to recuperate and thrive, which is truly commendable.
What ordinary people need most is peace.
Heiter noticed that when Lowell said those words, a very faint, complex emotion, as if he had seen through the long passage of time, flashed across his eyes.
That wasn't just a simple sentiment; it was more like a conclusion drawn from countless observations.
Lowell withdrew his gaze, looked at Heiter, and his tone returned to its previous casualness:
"Currently, the academy has essentially established a 'coexistence of humans and demons' policy. We will issue special magic badges to Demons have been assessed and confirmed to be harmless, which serve as 'peaceful identity certificates' recognized by the academy. Of course, we will be very cautious. With the Demon King, the biggest threat, gone, although minor skirmishes will never completely disappear, the shadow of large-scale war has finally dissipated. This is the best time to try to raise this banner."
As Heiter listened, his initial surprise gradually transformed into a complex smile, a mixture of emotion and admiration. He shook his head, patted Lowell's shoulder forcefully, and spoke in a loud but sincere voice:
"Haha... You're really something, Lowell! You always act like you're afraid of trouble and just want to coast along, but you quietly... Your 'doing it on the spur of the moment' is much more practical than ours."
Lowell rubbed his nose. "Come on. It's mainly because Anthony is reliable, capable, and can handle things well. If I had to deal with all that paperwork and coordinate relationships myself, I'd rather find a cave and sleep for a hundred years. Just thinking about all that stuff gives me a headache."
"It's done, it's done," Heiter interrupted his explanation. "Whether you've been planning this for a thousand years or it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, the result is there."
At this moment, Ruby, bouncing around beside her, chimed in, her fiery red curly hair swaying energetically:
"Of course! And you're not getting away either, Heiter! From now on, you're an 'honorary tutor' of the academy! You'll have to come and teach the students regularly! Talk about your... uh... Goddess teachings and healing techniques? Anyway, no drinking allowed!"
"How rude of me! I haven't drunk alcohol in ages. But, 'honorary mentor'? Sounds good! Much better than 'that perpetually drunken monk'! Though I'm not as saintly as Himmel... but being able to visit the children often and spend time with you all, I'll take the job, haha!"
Frieren, who had been quietly standing beside Lowell, glanced at the vibrant academy scene with her emerald eyes, then looked at Lowell, who had a "I was just doing it on the spur of the moment" expression, and blinked gently. "So, the cafeteria here should have a pretty good supply of desserts, right? I heard they hired the royal pastry chef."
Lowell chuckled, looking down at her. "You're quite well-informed. Don't worry, Anthony is very generous in this regard. Logistics are directly managed by the royal family, and the pastry chef's skills are absolutely top-notch."
Frieren nodded in satisfaction, a slight smile playing on her lips. "This place is quite good." In an era when desserts were still a luxury, this was undoubtedly a huge plus.
Linié stood quietly a little behind, eating an apple. Her deep blue eyes reflected the young figures coming and going in the square, as if she were recording and analyzing this brand-new environment.
Hearing her name mentioned, she looked up at Lowell and confirmed in a steady voice, "Linié, you're here, a student."
"Yes," Lowell nodded to her, "You can start with the basics and gradually learn about humans. If you have any questions, you can ask Lupa, or try asking other classmates. Remember, don't always think about blowing someone's head off; control your strength."
He added that it seemed he wanted to encourage Linié to interact with more people.
Lupa trained with Rain at a distance. Although Rain's combat skills were somewhat inferior to hers, there were still things she could learn from him. The two always gained something from their sparring.
Solitär had also appeared nearby silently, her face bearing that signature sweet smile full of research interest. Her pale green eyes curiously surveyed everything around her, especially the groups of young students who were enthusiastically discussing magical issues.
Hearing Lowell's words, she let out a soft "Ah," as if granted some kind of permission, and murmured to herself in an ethereal voice, "Hmm~ To be integrated into the human knowledge transmission system in the dual capacity of 'student' and 'mentor'... to observe learning behavior and individual cognitive development up close... what an unprecedented and invaluable research environment! Solitär very satisfied!"
Seeing their varied yet enthusiastic responses, Heiter smiled, a strange warmth welling up inside him, as if he were seeing a vague vision once described by the Goddess, now glimmering with a faint light.
"Alright," Lowell clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention, "Don't all block the doorway. Heiter, since you're here, why don't you go see the children now? But it's a day off today, so at this hour, only Lilisa is on duty outside. The other little ones are probably still dreaming in bed. I taught them to eat well and sleep well, so they sleep more than the other students."
"Of course!" Heiter without hesitation, striding towards the dormitory area with light steps, as if he could already hear those familiar, energetic laughter and chatter.