Dekan's Two-Handed Lesson

I feel like you're thinking something very impolite...

Dekan observed Tata's expression and frowned.

Tata seemed to be questioning his race.

Dekan is a pure human and doesn't like being treated like a demon.

Last time at the Demon Academy, Baron Batchelor yelled "You demon!" at Dekan, which infuriated him.

He immediately taught Baron Batchelor a lesson.

But Tata is still just a child.

It's normal to be immature.

Dekan sighed helplessly and said:

"I've told you everything, surely you'll believe me a little bit now?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Tata clenched her little hands and looked at Dekan, asking:

"Will you protect me?"

"Of course, if I don't protect you and you get caught, people will see how much you look like me and wonder if my race is demons."

Dekan nodded, then asked a question in return.

This made Tata fall into deep thought.

Even now, she genuinely felt that making a deal with a real demon was somewhat terrifying.

However, from a self-interest perspective, this demon will protect itself.

And for some reason, this demon doesn't seem so evil.

Although it has been said that when demons tempt humans, they can feel more approachable than angels.

But this guy, he can be bad when he needs to be bad, and good when he needs to be good, which is making him a bit hard to figure out.

Seeing Tata's conflicted expression, Dekan didn't disturb her, letting her think it over slowly.

After all, she needs to think things through and make her own judgment.

However, regarding the issue that Dekan just mentioned, "the possibility of being suspected of being a devil,"...

Croix couldn't help but complain from the side:

"Dekan, is it possible that you've always been suspected of being a demon? And not because of your race, but because of your conduct...?"

"..."

Dekan rolled his eyes.

It must be that everyone has a prejudice against him.

Finally, Tata seemed to have made a decision, but there was still one thing she wanted to confirm.

She stared at Dekan and asked:

"If I'm no longer useful to you one day, will you still protect me?"

"Ha, I'm not your babysitter."

Dekan scoffed in response.

"..."

Tata avoided Dekan's gaze somewhat timidly.

She wasn't surprised by this answer.

Moreover, it's always better for Dekan to tell the truth than to deceive her.

Dekan really didn't need to protect her, who was fraught with danger, indefinitely.

After all, Dekan himself has perfect disguise skills, and she is like a ticking time bomb. Once it is discovered that he is harboring her, Dekan will also be in serious trouble.

Therefore, both emotionally and logically, she was merely a tool that Dekan could discard at any time, which makes sense.

"You can't expect me to protect you forever. You need to become stronger and protect yourself quickly. But until you've grown up, I promise I won't let anyone threaten you."

After teasing Tata, Dekan continued.

Tata's small body stiffened, then she looked at Dekan again.

She never imagined that anyone would say they would protect her until she grew up.

Because she also knows that as long as she has time and a stable environment to grow up in, she can become fearless of threats.

But this opportunity to grow freely is precisely what is most difficult for her.

"You're not lying to me?"

"Why would I lie to you? Once you get to the Norton Kingdom, everyone will call you Sister Tata just because of your looks. I won't even have to lift a finger. You'll truly experience what it means to be domineering. Of course, you'll still have to tone it down a bit. After all, I've always been very low-key. If you're too flamboyant, you won't seem like my sister."

"I'm so proud of myself, "Dekan said.

After listening, Croix seemed about to say something, but then held back.

He felt that if things continued like this, he would become like the Cat Teacher, the one who always makes sarcastic remarks.

Tata finally loosened her grip on her sleeve, and her eyes gradually softened, no longer showing such wariness towards Dekan.

She took the Savings Card out of her pocket and handed it to Dekan.

"I took 800 Gold Coin, and I have 200 Gold Coin left."

Tata said.

However, Dekan did not accept the card, but muttered to himself:

"Well, there won't be any salary after you come back to the Norton Kingdom with me."

Upon hearing this, Tata lowered her head and nodded slightly.

She knew it would be like this.

She would need to work her whole life to repay those hundreds of Gold Coin and the promise to protect her.

"But I will give you pocket money according to the salary of a Tier 3, Class 1 Card Crafter, 120 Gold Coin per month."

When Dekan finished speaking, Tata's eyes widened, and she looked at Dekan in disbelief.

She seemed to be wondering if she had misheard something.

Even if she were allowed to freely produce pirated copies of [Captain Dekan] and sell them one by one, she still wouldn't earn that much with 120 Gold Coin per month.

"We'll limit your card-making practice to no more than four hours a day, and give you weekends off, since you're still growing."

"As for this Bank Card, don't return it to me. I'm too lazy to get you a new one. It's better for you to keep some money on hand, so you don't cause me trouble over something trivial. Consider it as you owing me 1000 Gold Coin."

"I won't charge you interest. From now on, you can use 40 Gold Coin from your monthly allowance to pay off the debt. So I'll only give you 80 Gold Coin. After 25 months, you won't owe me any money. Do you agree?"

When Tata heard Dekan's question, she nodded instinctively, even though she was in a daze.

"As for accommodation, you'll have to make do with the company residence for now. Of course, if you want to use your allowance to move out on your own, that's fine too."

"I personally think it's safer for you to live at the company, since someone will take care of you. The only downside is that there might be three older women who are a bit noisy during the day, and I don't know if you'll get along with them."

After hearing Dekan's terms, Tata couldn't help but suspect that Dekan was lying to her.

Does such a good thing really exist in this world?

"You... you're not lying to me?"

Why would I need to lie to you?

"..."

Tata knew that too.

Indeed, Dekan had no reason to lie to her.

"Then you'd better put your talents to good use. There are some card-making steps that only you can complete for me."

"What happens after I pay back the 1000 Gold Coin?"

"You can stay and learn from me if you want, or you can quit if you want; it's all up to you."

"Study?"

"Of course, you're still a novice. Before you can officially start helping me, I'll have to teach you a lot."

"..."

Tata fell silent again, seemingly a little unwilling.

Although Tata's attitude towards Dekan has improved significantly, and he is no longer wary of him.

However, as Card Crafter, Tata has always felt somewhat resentful towards Dekan.

She believed that Dekan was stronger than her because of Dekan higher rank.

As for the cards that the two are comparing, she believes that if her rank and skill continue to improve, the cards she creates will be no worse than those of Dekan.

"Hmph."

Dekan easily saw through Tata's thoughts.

The expression on this honest child's face is easy to read.

He took out two of his own cards.

These are [Mental Clash] (Mental Clash between the two sides, the winner stuns the weaker one) and [Cursed Doll] (doubles the damage dealt to the opponent).

Dekan: "You're very familiar with the design of these two cards, aren't you? You've also created cards with the same functionality."

Tata looked at Dekan's two cards and nodded.

"Comparing your [Mental Shock] (Mental Clash) with mine, which do you think is stronger?"

"Dekan asked."

Tata stammered, unable to speak.

Dekan: "Just say what you truly think."

Tata: "My strength..."

Dekan couldn't help but laugh when he heard Tata's words; the child was indeed honest.

"Do you think that your card, compared to my [Mental Clash], avoids the dizziness side effect? Then have you ever wondered why I would unnecessarily add a side effect to it?"

"Dekan asked."

"..."

Although Tata didn't answer, her heart was beginning to waver.

She now strongly suspects that the "dizziness" side effect was added by Dekan himself.

After all, Dekan asked that question.

With Dekan's skill, he shouldn't be unable to eliminate the side effect of "dizziness".

But she simply couldn't understand his intentions.

Dekan didn't explain further, but simply had Croix cast [Spell Counter].

When [Spell Counter] is equipped, it will automatically trigger when an enemy plays a level 3 or lower Spell Card against you, rendering it ineffective and putting it on double cooldown.

Then Dekan had Tata use [Mental Shock] on Croix.

The result was obvious: Tata's [Mental Shock] was nullified.

Tata looked at Croix's sixth-tier Spell Card [Spell Counter] and felt a sense of despair.

She simply couldn't handle this kind of hierarchical suppression.

"You need to understand that we usually only use this card at the most critical moments. If it's countered, it could very well be a dead end. For example, if I had countered your spell while I was in the shop at noon, you wouldn't have had a chance to get around me."

Dekan commented sharply from the side.

"Won't yours be...?"

Tata said somewhat uncertainly.

But as she spoke, she seemed to have guessed some of the secrets behind Dekan's [Mental Clash].

Dekan nodded.

After the cooldown ends, have Croix apply [Spell Counter] again.

Then Dekan used [Mental Clash] on Croix, and it actually worked.

The two buddies both caught it, and they both covered their heads.

"Why is that..."

Tata seemed to be questioning life, staring at Dekan's [Mental Clash], and muttered to himself.

While Tata was completely baffled...

Dekan then picked up another card [Cursed Doll].

"As for this card, don't you think it's similar to your [Cursed Puppet]? And when you reach Tier 2, you might even be able to create one that surpasses mine in stats?"

Dekan asked with a smile.

"Are they different besides their numerical values...?"

Tata's tone at this point had lost all confidence.

But she still spoke her truest thoughts.

Even if there are principles she doesn't understand hidden between [Mental Clash] and [Mental Shock].

But apart from the stats, she really couldn't see any difference between the cards [Cursed Puppet] and [Cursed Doll].

Dekan did not answer Tata.

He simply sat quietly, equipped with his [Cursed Doll].

Tata didn't know what Dekan was planning, but she kept her eyes on Dekan.

However, after a while, Tata felt her heart skip a beat and felt a slight pang of heartache.

At the same time, Dekan put away the [Cursed Doll] and looked at Tata with a smile.

Tata immediately realized that what she had just heard was most likely Dekan's magic.

Did you do this?

Tata asked, somewhat incredulously.

Can this kind of damage reflection equipment be actively triggered like this?!

"Certainly."

Dekan nodded.

Tata bit her lip.

Not only did she never think of disgusting her enemy in this way, but her [Cursed Puppet] was also completely incapable of inflicting such pain.

Moreover, she couldn't even fathom how Dekan had written such an extra effect.

This shattered Tata's confidence for a moment.

She finally realized it.

I am far inferior to Dekan.

Although they can all use Demonic Script to create cards, and similar types of cards may seem to have similar effects, their actual performance in battle can be vastly different.

"However, the Crooked-Mouth Captain Dekan you created did produce some changes I hadn't tried before, so you're quite talented and worth nurturing."

Dekan looked at Tata's shattered confidence and said...

Tata looked up and glanced at Dekan.

Then he lowered his head again.

She knew Dekan was trying to comfort her.

"So, do you want to learn from me?"

Dekan asked with a smile.

"... Teach me."

The sound of the Tata was barely audible, and he dared not look directly at Dekan.

"You sound reluctant. It seems you still think you're more capable. Well, I'm not going to waste my time then."

Dekan shrugged, feigning helplessness.

"Please teach me!"

Tata grabbed Dekan's sleeve and looked up at him pleadingly.

Dekan nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, from now on I'll be your teacher."

"Um..."

"So everything's settled for today, and I can go home feeling great."

As he spoke, Dekan picked up the dinner and snacks he had bought earlier.

The journey is still quite a while, and they'll all be starving if they don't eat dinner soon.

He offered the snack to Tata, but Tata showed no intention of accepting it.

She should have been very hungry.

But she seemed to have suffered a great blow just now, and she hasn't recovered from her emotional state yet.

Moreover, since Dekan had helped her so much, she seemed embarrassed to take Dekan food for granted.

I suddenly felt shy.

Dekan: "What's wrong? No appetite? Then I'll have to tell you the fairy tale 'Teacher Batchel's Kitchen'."

Tata: "?"

Her watery eyes were filled with great confusion.

And so, after listening to Dekan's children's cult, she finished her dinner with a sense of dread.

Dekan nodded in satisfaction.

I'm really good at taking care of kids.