Chapter 9: He is playing a massive game of chess!

The next morning.

Luo Yan finished a simple wash, then bid farewell to Father Jeffrey and the children of the temple, embarking on the journey back to the Demon King Academy, and finally arrived at the school gate just before lunchtime.

It was different from usual.

Today, the castle-like school gate was packed with elegantly decorated dragon carriages; even the most basic ones were pulled by Golden-tier wyverns.

After the graduation ceremony, third and fourth-year students had no more classes, nor did they need to prepare for final or completion exams, so their originally busy campus life suddenly became idle.

The young masters and young ladies here to gild their resumes certainly wouldn't stay in the dorms; before rushing toward their futures, they had to return to their family manors to enjoy one last summer vacation.

As for those whose family connections weren't strong enough and were unfortunately assigned to the front lines, they had basically already reported to the Ministry of War yesterday.

Service time was calculated from the moment of reporting; reporting early meant they could be assigned to the rear sooner, and if they were lucky, perhaps they wouldn't have to go to the battlefield.

Relying on the majesty of their masters, wyverns five or six meters in length sprawled on the ground, looking down at their surroundings as if they were true dragons.

Among the beasts pulling the carriages, Luo Yan even had the fortune to glimpse a few Hell Pegasi, so rare he had only ever seen them in textbooks!

This thing was considered a "strategic resource" even in Hell.

To be able to use a Hell Pegasus to pull a carriage, one's family had to be at least a Count.

Luo Yan politely expressed a bit of envy, but he didn't expect a familiar face to poke out from the carriage.

Beneath that pink bob cut, a pair of heart-shaped pupils were looking at him with a half-smile.

Mi Ya?!

Thinking of that unpleasant episode at the graduation ceremony, Luo Yan quickly averted his gaze, but he didn't expect this person to actually jump off the carriage and head straight for him.

"Senior Luo Yan, long time no see."

"Cut it out, we're in the same class."

"Eh? But classmate Yige calls you that, can't I?" Mi Ya looked at him shyly, her shifty eyes undoubtedly faked.

As expected.

Seeing Luo Yan remain indifferent, Mi Ya immediately exposed her demonic nature, and the originally shy eyes gradually narrowed in a sinister way.

"Tsk tsk tsk, clearly just a human, yet you dare to brazenly question this lady's faith. I didn't notice before, but you actually have guts."

Indeed.

As a human, a protected species, one had no standing to say such things to a High-tier demon.

But to only realize it today, her reaction time was slow enough.

Seeing Luo Yan didn't speak, she circled to his side, her nose tip dangerously leaning in closer, just like she was examining prey.

"Hey, I'm asking you, where did you go last night?"

He really didn't want to provoke this troublesome person.

Luo Yan sighed and said solemnly.

"Respected High-tier demon Miss Mi Ya, may I ask if this has anything to do with you?"

"Nothing, it's just that this lady came up empty-handed and felt a bit disappointed. I thought you had tucked your tail and run away, hehehe."

Mi Ya smirked with ill intent, but Luo Yan frowned.

"You went into my room?"

"How could that be? This lady is a law-abiding good demon, I wouldn't go so far as to do anything illegal..." Mi Ya chuckled, but just as she said halfway, she suddenly noticed Luo Yan's expression, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "What? Do you have something shameful in your room?"

Luo Yan was just about to brush it off when a light cough from the side relieved him.

"Miss, we should be leaving."

A middle-aged man walked to the side of the two, bowed slightly, and said in a humble yet unrefusable voice.

This gentleman was wearing formal wear that looked expensive at a glance; he was likely a servant or butler type.

But Luo Yan could feel that this guy wasn't an ordinary demon; his strength was at least Golden-tier!

It might even reach Platinum, or even Diamond...

Mi Ya seemed very wary of this guy; even though her words were interrupted, she only gave an unhappy "Hmph" and threw out a "Wait and see" before returning to the carriage.

The butler-like middle-aged man bowed and followed behind his young lady, though his gaze swept over Luo Yan unintentionally.

I don't know if it was an illusion.

Luo Yan felt a faint sense of wariness from that casually sweeping gaze.

Emmm...

Wariness?

Must be an illusion.

The cafeteria at Xita was still packed today.

The international students from the Goblin Tribe Kingdom were still burying their heads in their food, as if competing with the son of the Ogre Tribe chieftain.

The little demons flapping their wings ignored the furious scolding of the Centaur chef, carrying their trays and darting around in the sky like bombers.

Thinking that such a life was about to end, Luo Yan felt a bit reluctant for a moment.

After stuffing a piece of charcoal-grilled Minotaur beef eye, grilled and cut to perfection, into his mouth with a fork, Luo Yan wiped his mouth, stood up, and returned the tray to the cart pushed by a Goblin worker.

Just as he was about to leave, a rude roar came from the entrance of the cafeteria.

"Who is Luo Yan? Is Luo Yan here?"

Standing at the door was the Pig-man dorm manager, and behind him seemed to be a little demon... of course, not the kind flying in the cafeteria, but one wearing formal wear.

Luo Yan immediately raised his hand.

"I am, may I ask what's the matter—"

"Your appointment letter has arrived! I knew if you weren't in the dorm, you'd be here!" Striding to his front, the Pig-man dorm manager snorted, then introduced the person standing next to him. "This is Mr. Grien, a big shot from the Demon King Management Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs!"

"I wouldn't dare call myself a big shot, I am merely a servant sharing the burden of state affairs for His Majesty the Demon God," Grien smiled politely, then extended his right hand to Luo Yan. "You must be Luo Yan, speaking of which, I am actually your senior."

"Hello, Senior!" Luo Yan saluted.

Although building connections wasn't that simple, being sweet-tongued was never wrong.

Noticing the commotion at the cafeteria entrance, many students eating cast interested gazes this way.

They had all heard a bit of gossip; it was said that a third-year student had voluntarily applied to be a Demon King, and even obtained the Principal's recommendation, and had been sent to take over a hot potato, the Flame Crystal, right after becoming a Demon King.

Everyone was waiting to see the joke of this brazen guy.

It was said that some people had even opened a betting pool in private, wagering on how many days he could survive in office.

Almost no one was optimistic about this young Demon King.

Even in the Cabinet that finally nodded, there were many who only regarded it as yet another failed attempt by the conservative forces.

Grien thought so too.

However, although he wasn't optimistic about this Luo Yan, he was still interested in this junior personally recommended by Principal Headmaster Aiwen.

Thus, as the Deputy Director of the Demon King Management Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he took the initiative to deliver this appointment letter, whereas such a trivial matter would usually be left to the errand boys in the department.

To be honest.

The first time he saw Luo Yan, he was very disappointed, and no matter how many times he looked after that, it was the same.

No matter how you looked at it, this guy was just an ordinary Necromancer... and only had Bronze-tier strength.

Or could it be...

There was a hidden story behind this?

Not writing his disappointment on his face, Grien showed a proper smile and said in a cheerful voice.

"Junior is truly young and promising, I remember when I first graduated, I spent many years as a clerk in the Resource Management Section of the Logistics Department. As for Demon King, that was an existence we academic underachievers looked up to, never even daring to think about it."

Seven parts of this were polite, two parts were flattery, and the remaining one part was probing.

Luo Yan could certainly hear it, but had no interest in exposing it, only smiling modestly.

"Senior is joking, I am shallow in talent and learning, and it is truly by luck that I have been entrusted with such a heavy responsibility. Thanks to the kindness of all the elders, I will strive not to let everyone down."

Grien looked at Luo Yan twice more in surprise.

Luck is fine.

He thought this guy would say bad luck.

It seems this poor junior doesn't know the situation there at all—

No.

Even if this guy didn't know anything, Principal Headmaster Aiwen, whose students were all over the world, couldn't possibly be ignorant, right?

With a gaze of three parts pity and one part suspicion, Grien suddenly found that he couldn't see through the junior in front of him.

Should I invest?

Or should I wait and see...

Unable to make up his mind, Grien decided to wait and see for a while; anyway, they would have plenty of time to deal with each other in the future.

"Haha, no need to be so reserved... speaking of which, it's still so lively here, I really miss it."

Watching the trays and little demon juniors flying around in the sky, Grien calmly let go of one guy who was screaming and dodging, charging straight at him, and continued to look at Luo Yan with an unchanging smile.

"This isn't a place to talk about business, let's step aside."

"Okay."

Luo Yan had just finished eating, so he followed behind this demon senior to the lounge downstairs in the cafeteria and found a quiet corner to sit down.

Senior Grien chanted a spell lightly, his index finger traced in the air, and a letter stamped with a red seal drilled out from the rift and fell onto the table.

Unsurprisingly, this was his appointment letter.

Luo Yan reached out to take it, his index finger touching the ferocious Demon God emblem, and he could vaguely feel the temperature remaining on the wax seal.

This appointment letter was likely sent over as soon as it was written.

"Let's talk business," looking at Luo Yan who was opening the envelope, Grien straightened his expression and said, "Your appointment letter has been delivered. Because the core of the Demon King territory at the destination has been destroyed, the teleportation array deployed in the labyrinth may go out at any time. The Ministry of Internal Affairs hopes you will set off as soon as possible before the teleportation array disappears completely."

"Understood," Luo Yan nodded, then said, "What about my troops? Should I rendezvous over there, or set off together—"

"Regrettably, there is no such thing."

Grien shook his head.

Watching this senior's action, Luo Yan was stunned on the spot.

"No is..."

"This is exactly the key point I want to talk about next. Actually... because Mr. Lei Ji Delagong messed things up, we have actually lost that Demon King territory located in the deep hinterland of the human camp," Grien looked at Luo Yan with a serious expression and continued, "If we suddenly send a troop over at this time, what do you think will happen?"

Of course, a troop would be sent over.

However, Luo Yan could feel that this wasn't what he wanted to say, and after pondering for a long time, he said.

"You mean... the Laine Kingdom will send equivalent combat power?"

"Exactly."

Grien nodded approvingly and continued.

"The delivery capability of the teleportation array has its limits after all, especially since we have lost the Demon King territory over there. No matter how many troops we prepare here, as long as the other side adds one more straw to our limit, it will be enough to form an overwhelming advantage against our reinforcements."

Indeed.

This wasn't a P-company game after all, where you could tactically swap bases or sneak through a bathtub.

Luo Yan nodded in understanding, but saw Grien change the subject.

"Thus, we thought of a bold strategy. Since sending more people over is just sending them to their deaths, why not—"

"Why not just send me alone, right?!" Luo Yan's eyes widened.

"Cough, that's certainly not what we meant... it's just that the timing for sending reinforcements needs to be grasped better."

Looking at the junior who was about to vomit blood, Grien's eyes dodged a bit, seemingly feeling embarrassed, and he unconsciously quickened his speaking speed.

"In addition, besides strategic considerations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also has opinions about 'why not just give up that exclave directly'. In fact, if it weren't for the Cabinet's intervention, we would have already planned to give it up. It was entirely out of face for a certain big shot that we decided to try again... You also know that the Demon King territory core is a very precious strategic resource, and using it to consolidate territory near the front lines is far more valuable than wasting it on an exclave."

The facts were indeed so.

The vast majority of Demon King territories in Hell were distributed on the front lines where the Hell camp and the Surface camp fought, and only those places could stably produce the resources Hell needed and transport them back underground...

Looking at Luo Yan, who had his fingers crossed and fell into silence, Grien continued.

"In short, that's the basic situation. It's very difficult for us to provide you with effective support in the early stages... but don't be discouraged. Although Duke Delagong messed up many things, his subordinates should still be nearby. You can try to win them over; at the very least, you can let them help you share some of the firepower."

"In addition, considering your special situation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will not assign you specific work. You have high autonomous decision-making power and don't need to harass our enemies regularly like other Demon Kings. All you need to do is focus on managing the territory and accumulating strength..."

This point was the same as what Principal Headmaster Aiwen said.

If he didn't have to go out regularly to stir up trouble and offer faith crystals, then his life as a Demon King should be relatively easy.

Probably.

Thinking that sticking his head out or pulling it back would both result in a cut, Luo Yan felt it was better to be proactive.

"Organization... when do you need me to set off?"

Grien's reaction once again exceeded Luo Yan's expectations.

He saw him not give a specific date, but instead lifted his cuff to look at his watch.

"The teleportation array should be ready, the dragon carriage to pick you up is right at the school gate, I'll be waiting for you there in a while..."

"In short, as soon as possible, the faster the better."

"Whether it's for you, or for us."

The main tower of the Demon King Academy was still surrounded by bats today.

Just when Luo Yan was dumbfounded, the old Lich standing by the window of the Principal's office was also squinting his eyes, looking through the frosted glass at the tower in the west with full pride.

Just like looking at a small sapling he had planted and raised himself.

Vice Principal Duolin Weber stood behind him, a trace of faint worry written on her ageless face that resembled frost.

Thanks to this.

It was as cold as if the air conditioning had been turned on here.

"I don't think this is a good thing, Mr. Headmaster Aiwen Kruger... no matter how you look at it, your trial is too heavy for a student who is only Bronze-tier."

She had only recently heard about that Luo Yan.

Although she was very happy that the Demon King Academy had finally cultivated a true Demon King, that child was only a Bronze-tier Necromancer.

He was too weak.

Even less intimidating than her familiar.

Hearing the Vice Principal's concerns, Principal Headmaster Aiwen just smiled faintly and said with a face full of deep calculation.

"Do you really think he only has Bronze-tier strength?"

"This... is there any question about it?" Duolin looked at this old Lich in astonishment, suspecting that this guy had developed senile dementia.

It wasn't that there were no ways to hide strength, but it was still a bit difficult to deceive the eyes of a demigod-level Lich.

And...

What was the point of doing this?

This was a school, not a dirty political arena.

"The question is not his strength itself, but his ambition. I find it hard to believe that someone who aspires to be a Demon King would only have the true strength of a Bronze-tier Necromancer. I would rather believe that he is hiding secrets we don't understand."

When he said this, Headmaster Aiwen paused and continued slowly.

"Actually... I noticed this young man a long time ago. You know, I'm very familiar with many people in the Cabinet, especially Caesar Prince Kelin... I taught him."

As everyone knows, the Demon King Academy is a place for High-tier demons to gild their resumes, producing all kinds of geniuses that Hell lacks... except for Demon Kings.

"Caesar Prince Kelin? Minister of Military Affairs?" Duolin looked at him with displeasure. "What does this have to do with that guy?"

Headmaster Aiwen shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't you think... they look very similar? I noticed it the first day he stepped into this academy, except for the eyes, other parts are almost like they were carved from the same mold."

"Ah?"

Duolin was shocked, her eyes wide open, as if she had heard something unbelievable.

"You mean... that child is Caesar's illegitimate son?!"

"Stop—I didn't say that!"

Headmaster Aiwen hurriedly interrupted her imagination and continued hurriedly, "I'm talking about Caesar's son! Luoseke Prince Kelin! Have you forgotten? That student from the year 00!"

Duolin's eyes fell into confusion for a moment.

Year 00?

Which 00?

Was it 800, or 900, or 1000...

She had been a professor here for over three hundred years, and Vice Principal for decades, sending off too many graduates to remember every single one.

Here, there was only one guy who was bored out of his mind.

Headmaster Aiwen sighed and continued.

"Alright, let's stop this topic... actually, I shouldn't pry into students' private affairs, it's just that Caesar happens to be my student and an old friend of many years, I couldn't help but notice, and it turned out the matter was truly this melodramatic."

"Melodramatic." Duolin stared straight at him, as if looking at a troublesome old man who was asking for it.

Knowing what she was thinking, Headmaster Aiwen still thickened his skin and continued.

"Yes, it's melodramatic... In a few years, the Prince Kelin family will change to a new head of the family. At that time, Caesar will go to the Council of Elders of the Prince Kelin family, and then his son Luoseke will take over the position of head of the family. Correspondingly, a new heir must be elected at the family meeting."

"What does this have to do with us—"

"I can feel that child's ambition! He longs for his father's recognition, and this is also the reason why he applied for the Demon King Academy! Because only we can fulfill his dream!"

Somehow, the old Lich's emotions suddenly became excited, and a boiling green fire burned in his pupils.

"He understands! Only by being strong enough and having enough power can he gain the recognition of the Prince Kelin family and take back the vampire embrace that originally belonged to him... Otherwise, he would just be a Bronze-level human for the rest of his life!"

This is just what you imagined, right?

Duolin looked blankly at Principal Headmaster Aiwen.

She didn't understand why this old thing was so obsessed with such things, or if it was just a matter of time before he went crazy after becoming an undead.

"He's just a child... don't you think you're overthinking it?"

"A child? Heh! You'd better not treat him as a child. I've never seen a human child who could refuse a succubus! His father, and his father's father couldn't do it—cough, I don't know anything."

Feeling that he had let something slip, Principal Headmaster Aiwen coughed hurriedly and stopped gossiping about other people's private affairs.

Prying into and influencing other people's lives was one of the few pleasures that could relieve his loneliness in his long life.

If under his influence, a chess piece with infinite potential gained unprecedented opportunities, he would be overjoyed for a whole year!

However, peeping was not a glorious thing after all.

In short, Luo Yan was the chess piece he was most optimistic about at the moment.

He had never been so impatient to see the climax and ending of that story.

"It's normal that you don't believe it, but I can feel it, he is playing a massive game of chess! He will exceed everyone's expectations!"

Duolin looked worriedly at the muttering Principal.

"Even so, is it really okay for us to intervene in the internal affairs of the Prince Kelin family? That is the Prince Kelin family..."

One of the six major families ruling Hell, a frequent guest of His Majesty the Demon God's Cabinet...

Compared to such a behemoth, the Demon King Academy couldn't even be counted as a force, just a place for teaching and educating people.

"Intervene in the affairs of the Prince Kelin family?" Headmaster Aiwen laughed and shook his head. "Do you think a Lich who has lived for thousands of years would still be interested in such things? Don't worry, I'm not doing anything presumptuous, just fulfilling my responsibility as an elder."

Restraining the smile on his face, the elderly Lich returned to a calm expression.

"I'm helping him, just because he is my student."

Duolin: "..."

If they hadn't been talking for so long, she would have almost believed it. ===== CHAPTER 10 =====