Extra Demon: Sacred Academy of Light

"Alright! What else are we taking?" Daniela's eyes sparkled brightly. She pulled back her fists in excitement as she smiled warmly. "We can't leave anything important behind!"

"Come on, we'll only be gone for a couple of days. Besides, don't forget this is for class — it's not some kind of field trip! And it's just as dangerous," Leslie said, not stopping as she stuffed more and more clothes into her dimensional ring.

Daniela stared at her in silence, silently criticizing her with her eyes as she shook her head slightly.

"Evelyn, have you packed yet?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Evelyn let out a soft groan as she dragged herself over and started throwing random things into her ring. Her weary expression made it obvious she wasn't too thrilled about the trip to the Beast Glades. Truthfully, she'd rather stay home all day doing absolutely nothing.

Daniela sighed. She, on the other hand, was genuinely excited. The thought of successfully forming a contract with a magical beast put her in a great mood. What excited her the most was the hope of finding a creature with an affinity for sacred mana. That would allow her to progress faster and strengthen her own soul.

The idea of leaving the Empire for the first time also filled her with anticipation. It would be the first time she'd travel so far from home, the first time she'd see all kinds of magical beasts, try to communicate with them, and hopefully form a contract. Of course, wanting a contract and actually succeeding were two very different things.

But she was confident. The stronger your elemental affinity, the easier it was to form a contract with a creature of the same type. Leslie and Evelyn felt the same way. The real question was Arthur. She frowned slightly — she still didn't know what affinity he had, though it seemed to be something related to fire.

"Interested?" Arthur asked with a small smile, having caught Daniela staring at him. "I was thinking the same thing. I've come to the conclusion it'll probably be a creature with an affinity for darkness. Or something cursed — you know, the bad stuff," he added, shrugging casually.

In truth, Arthur wasn't all that interested in the idea of forming a contract with a magical creature. His attention was entirely focused on the demigoddess guarding the Beast Glade. It was a crazy thought, but with Professor Emilia around, there wasn't much to worry about — or so he kept telling himself. Still, the existence of such a mysterious being had ignited his curiosity.

Daniela let out a frustrated groan, clearly annoyed by Arthur's mocking tone.

"Can't you all take this seriously? We're going to a very special place! How can you act so indifferent?" she complained, unable to understand why she was the only one excited.

Arthur might have been just as excited as Daniela, if not for the fact that, under the watchful eye of a demigod who apparently hated demons, his life could very well be in danger again. His only comfort was having Professor Emilia nearby, though even under a Seraph's protection, things could always go wrong. He frowned, doubting whether he'd even be able to form a contract with a beast at all.

While organizing his belongings — which were few — he packed only a couple sets of clothes, personal hygiene items, and a few armor plates. There wasn't much else he could take.

It had only been a day since he'd spoken with Professor Emilia. Everything had moved way too fast for his liking, but he wasn't complaining. The quicker things moved, the better. Besides, this trip was the perfect opportunity to reach the next rank by hunting a few wild beasts along the way.

*****

"The Student Council President will be joining us," Professor Emilia announced.

Her gaze was colder than usual, and the temperature around her dropped drastically. It was clear she was in a foul mood.

Arthur looked at the Student Council President — white hair, blue eyes, and a form-fitting dress. In her hand, she carried a small basket, and a bright smile lit up her face, completely ignoring Emilia's simmering anger. Raising her hand, she greeted the students, who stared, stunned by the dazzling beauty of the Empire's princess, though they quickly averted their gazes to maintain proper decorum.

Emilia sighed quietly to herself.

"It was His Imperial Majesty's order. The President has her own reasons for traveling to the Beast Glades. Our objective remains the same: you are to attempt forming contracts and learn from the magical beasts. Besides, this journey will be a great opportunity for you all. You'll be able to hunt wild beasts and keep their rewards, find mana crystals, magical fruits, and herbs. Everything you find will be yours," she said, raising a finger to emphasize her words.

"However, the Beast Glades have rules that must be respected. You are not allowed to kill creatures that are not wild, unless they attack first. As you all know, this refers to creatures capable of speech. Some of them might approach out of curiosity — respect their space, especially those who own territories. If they deny us entry, we cannot force our way in. Remember, students, even if they look harmless, these creatures are far stronger and more dangerous than they appear. Don't let your guard down. More instructions will be given as we travel."

With that, Professor Emilia placed her hands on a massive door.

The door stood over thirty meters tall. The moment her pale hand touched its surface, a blue halo emerged from her body, completely enveloping it. The halo condensed into pure ice, spreading across the door and locking onto it with extreme force. The bitter cold spread through the entire area as the heavy doors slowly opened with a soft, chilling breath.

Behind the doors lay a circular platform floating slightly above the ground, surrounded by runes that glowed faintly in shades of white and sky blue. Light blue motes drifted lazily through the air — a massive teleportation rune.

"Our relations with the Beast Glade are stable. Thanks to that, the Guardian allowed the creation of this teleportation platform, on the condition that we clear out wild beasts as we encounter them. It's a win-win for both sides. Of course, the platform is still quite far from the deep forest, but it's better than nothing. According to my calculations, if we keep a steady pace, it'll take about a week of walking to reach the depths, where the smartest and most valuable magical beasts dwell."

After a brief pause, she concluded:

"That said, we can now begin our journey to the Beast Glades."