Cornelia's Masterpiece

After lunch, Dekan and Cornelia arrived at the library as they always did.

They sat at their usual small round table.

Cornelia buried her head in her homework.

Meanwhile, Dekan held a copy of Common Errors in the Creation of Tier 3 Magic Cards.

He flipped through the book while leisurely sipping his coffee.

Having reached Tier 3, Dekan had plenty of new questions waiting for him to research.

Although he had studied much about Tier 3 magic card creation in advance while he was still Tier 2, he found that he still encountered unexpected situations when he actually practiced it over the past two days.

Master spent most of her time in a deep slumber, so Dekan often had to rely on self-study.

Since he was free this afternoon, he might as well stay in the library and properly look through the books he needed.

Besides, Cornelia needed him as well.

Although no one forced Cornelia to study, she truly never slacked off; she was simply too diligent.

Dekan couldn't bear to see her gritting her teeth in front of her books.

Furthermore, for him, being with Cornelia provided a strange sense of peace.

It was just like a pilot staying beside their Gundam.

"So, I was overcomplicating Tier 3 magic cards..."

Dekan finished the book, closed it, and stood up with it in his hand.

He needed to return this book to the shelf and find some light reading.

Although the school library didn't compare to the Royal Library, it still housed hundreds of thousands of volumes.

Dekan found the section he was interested in. Like a boy standing before a display window admiring merchandise, he scanned the shelves with glowing eyes, his finger trailing over the spines one by one.

He was looking for something.

[Poison Refining I][Poison Refining II][Poison Refining IV]

Who had borrowed [Poison Refining III]?

Dekan had originally intended to borrow all four of these masterpieces together.

He hadn't expected to find a like-minded person at this school.

Filled with regret, Dekan pulled out I and II.

He would just take these two for now.

Taking IV might leave the other person with no follow-up to read after they finished III.

He should be considerate; there was no need to make things difficult for each other.

Perhaps they would meet in the future.

People with a passion for the same things are naturally drawn to one another.

Returning to Cornelia's side, Dekan placed the two books on the table.

Before opening one, he seemed to remember something.

"Right, Cornelia, there is one more thing I need to trouble you with."

Dekan suddenly turned his head to say to Cornelia, who was beside him.

"Hm?"

Cornelia leaned in, waiting for Dekan to continue.

"To earn our credits, there's one final step: we need to submit a report. How about you write this one?"

Dekan asked in a gentle voice.

"Ugh..."

Cornelia gulped.

She seemed somewhat reluctant.

"It's fine, just write whatever you like; it'll definitely be better than what I could write."

After returning to the dormitory yesterday, Dekan had originally intended to write the report himself.

After all, he was a desk worker.

He sat at his desk, pen in hand, but before he knew it, he had written: During the Taiyuan era of the Jin Dynasty, a man from Wuling made his living by fishing...

He hurriedly crossed it out and started over.

But after he finished writing it, he pondered it left and right, reading it over and over, and felt that no matter how he looked at it, what he had written resembled The Peach Blossom Spring.

This didn't seem to match the requirements of the report.

Later, Dekan changed his approach, deciding to write it in a documentary style.

The result, however, read like a criminal's confession!

Although Dekan could easily make up a bunch of lies and write a perfectly normal report with his eyes closed.

Yet, adhering to the meticulous attitude of a clerical worker, he still wanted to produce a report that was both rigorous and impartial.

Perhaps from Cornelia's perspective, he might be able to craft a decent piece of writing.

This could also provide Dekan with a new line of thought—how to write authentic and professional reports in the future.

"Try it."

Cornelia nodded and took the form from Dekan.

Then, she picked up a standard Norton Kingdom dictionary.

She began to flip through the dictionary while starting to write the summary.

Dekan also shifted his chair, sitting a bit closer to her to watch her write.

He saw Cornelia pick up her pen and write:

"That day, Dekan was lured to the Demon Realm to undergo the demons' test."

"The demon said to him: Do you know what place this is?"

"Dekan looked around."

"He replied: This is heaven."

"When the demon told Dekan this was the Demon Realm, Dekan was deeply shocked."

"If things go on like this, the Demon Realm will be destroyed in an instant!"

"The demons need a savior."

"If Dekan does not step forth, how can the Demon Realm survive?!"

Dekan already started to feel that something was wrong by this point.

But seeing how engrossed Cornelia was in her writing, he couldn't bear to interrupt her.

"During the inspection of Demon High School, Dekan pointed out the need to standardize the selection mechanism, strengthen process management, and ensure that teaching work is carried out solidly to achieve practical results."

"Furthermore, he took a hands-on approach during his undercover visit, providing a series of guidance to the faculty and students."

"First was the Goat, who committed the sin of envy."

"As a proctor, after failing to receive Cornelia's exam paper immediately, his jealousy toward the Lion sprouted in his heart, eventually triggering an irreparable tragedy. Envy is a spark that can ignite an irreversible wildfire at any moment."

"Next was the Lion, who committed the sin of wrath."

"As a demon, he failed to maintain his rationality and was punished by Dekan, perishing in his own runaway rage."

"Then came the demon students who committed the sin of sloth."

"In the prime of their youth, they must not fear the present. Lying down is impossible; Dekan taught them how to shine and radiate heat."

"Baron Batchelor, who committed the sin of gluttony."

"His appetite was too large, and he would eventually burst his own stomach. Dekan taught him to understand restraint and, more importantly, to learn how to assess the situation."

"There was also the Demon School Doctor, who committed the sin of greed."

"While coveting others, one might end up losing oneself; the end for the greedy is mostly having nothing at all."

"As well as the Demon Choir, who committed the sin of pride."

"When you think you have the victory in your grasp, you may have already lost."

"Finally, Miss Olive, who committed the sin of lust."

"After pursuing excessive stimulation, one will only fall into an endless void, accompanied by an unbearable emptiness."

"Dekan punished the demons one by one, teaching the survivors to take heed and learn tolerance, gentleness, diligence, temperance, generosity, humility, and chastity."

Cornelia handed the report she had finished writing to Dekan.

Then she shifted her gaze toward Dekan, blinking her eyes.

She was waiting for Dekan's critique, her eyes seemingly sparkling.

Dekan read Cornelia's masterpiece, momentarily speechless.

In a way, he didn't know whether to praise Cornelia for having some special literary talent, or if her Norton Kingdom language skills might still have major issues...

"It's well-written."

Dekan met Cornelia's innocent gaze and smiled helplessly.

I'll just submit this one for now; if it gets sent back, I'll rewrite it myself, Dekan thought.

The next day.

Professor Arnold sat in his office, staring at the report submitted by Dekan and Cornelia, unable to calm the turmoil in his heart for a long time.

Every so often, he would put the report down, only to pick it up again to take another look.

It seemed as if he were trying to confirm whether he had misread any part of it.

Finally, he pressed the report onto his desk, covered his face with both hands, and rubbed his temples.

After thinking for a long time, Professor Arnold finally took out his seal, stamped the report, and approved the credits for the two of them.

Although, logically speaking, he should have sent this report back for a rewrite.

But he did not want to analyze any more of these two's new works.

Let it be.