Chapter Text
You quickly look around, trying to find your teacher, but he is nowhere to be found. If you find him in the corridor, then you will not have to not only enter the "predator's lair", but also talk to this very predator and interact. Unfortunately, luck is not on your side today, because Kalego is nowhere to be found.
No, you don't hate your teacher, of course not! The demon teaches his subject perfectly, even if he is a rather strict teacher. But by your last years at school, you had already learned not to make any sounds in his lessons and always hand over your papers on time, so there were no problems.
It's just... Kalego scared you a little. He was one of the strongest teachers and even demons that you have ever seen. His gaze could supposedly destroy the souls of other demons, and everyone at school was afraid to look him in the eye. (Even some teachers were afraid, and that says a lot).
Therefore, when you were asked to take the documents to him, you wanted to refuse. But you couldn't resist Dali's eyes for a long time, which were too piercing today, so now you are walking down the corridor with a stack of documents and praying that you don't have to go into the Kalego house.
However, this life is unfair, so you don't find Naberius anywhere. You stop, looking around, and eventually go towards the dormitories, where the "shelter" of the demon was located. Usually the teachers were doing their work in the school building, but Dali said that you should take the papers into the hands of his kohai, and you decided not to argue.
So, it was a ten-minute walk to the dorm, but you decide to fly. After hiding the papers in your bag, you open your wings and hurry towards the building near the school. You've never been a fast flier, so you only save three minutes.
Landing near the entrance, you greet several teachers who have already finished their work and went to their rooms, houses or to the main building to chat. They giggle, ask where you're going so fast. "Did you forget to take some kind of test, a, (Y/N)-chan?". You just show the documents, taking them out of your bag, and ask if Kalego is at home. They nod at you, and you run on.
It's not difficult to get to the demon's house. There is a low fence around, but the gate is open. You rush to the front door wanting to end this once and for all. There is no doorbell anywhere around, so you decide to knock.
You stand in front of the door, take a deep breath, then exhale. Raising your hand, you boldly knock.
A few seconds pass and... nothing.
You frown, looking around nervously. I don't want to wait for him! Besides, if he sees me here... you never know what he'll think! You bite your lip, knock again, more aggressively now. Nobody again. Mentally hitting yourself on the forehead, you press the handle and discover with horror that there is nowhere to retreat.
What am I doing?! You cry in your mind and ask your family not to buy flowers for your grave when you enter the house.
In front of you is a nice little corridor, the walls are decorated with some paintings and drawings of cacti and landscapes. On the left you can see the kitchen, on the right several doors are closed, in front of the bathroom. You frown, wondering whether to take off your shoes or not, but in the end decide to quickly slip to the first door, open it and be done with it.
Fortunately or not, you are lucky on the first try.
The smell of wet earth and some plants immediately catches your nose. Looking around, you find several cacti on the table and one on the bedside table. The curtains are tightly closed, and you can hardly see anything. The light from the hallway doesn't really help you. What secrets is he hiding here?.. No, I definitely don't want to know!
Your body and mind are tense, which does not help to move and function normally. But you still take a step forward.
You leave the door open, slowly walking along the wall to the table. After putting the stack, you put a colored piece of paper on it with the inscription "from Dali-sensei". Thinking that this is the end of it, you turn around, only to see the door slam shut due to the wind blowing from the front door you left open.
For a second, the world is plunged into darkness, and you blink nervously. But then you remember that you have magic, and therefore you summon a small light that illuminates the space. The heart is beating fast, you don't want to know how many ways Kalego knows how to make you scream in pain and agony.
So you rush forward, crossing the room in the middle to shorten the time. But then your foot touches something, and you stop, lowering your gaze.
This is... libra. They are quite old, in places the golden surface is erased, showing the true metal from which the object was made. There's a bayonet sticking out in the middle, and you don't want to know how sharp it is. There is a strange pattern of circles on the bottom of each cup. But you don't think about it. You think that there is blood in one of the bowls.
You shudder and hurry away, circling the scales in a semicircle.
You raise your leg again and lower it. The next second you are blinded by the bright light of the magic circle.
You cover your eyes with your hand and involuntarily stagger back, tripping over the scales. To your surprise, it is not the object that falls, but you! Waving your arms and trying to catch on to something, you end up landing with your foot on a bayonet. Fortunately, the sharp thing only leaves a long red stripe on the right side of your left foot. The blood flows quickly and abundantly into the second bowl.
You squeak in fright and press the limb to yourself, immediately healing the wound. Using magic, you destroy all your blood that managed to get on the scales or the floor one way or another. It's light around because of even more magic circles that have clearly awakened because of your foot. You hurry away, feeling a few drops of blood roll down your leg and stain your socks.
You don't hear anything, you just run out into the hallway and slam the door. Your heart is about to fly out of your chest, and you hurry away, back to school. Not noticing the teachers who anxiously ask what's wrong with your leg, you keep running headlong until you stop in the middle of the forest.
You exhale with relief and take a handkerchief out of your bag to wipe the blood. After a few minutes, you look normal, and therefore boldly go back to school to join your Batora. Today your senpai will teach you how to make poisons, and you'd rather be cursed than let yourself miss this!
When you enter a familiar office, your soul calms down. You wave to the demons and hurry to your seat to start listening to the "lecture".
*+*
When Kalego returns to his room, it seems to him that something is wrong. The demon looks around the space and frowns before slowly walking forward and looking at the magic circles he has been drawing for the last half hour.
The demon's sharp gaze immediately notices unfamiliar papers on the table, and Naberius' eyes widen. He rushes to the scales, summons Cerberion and makes him smell the old metal. After just a second, the dog sits down on the floor and starts howling.
When Shichiro comes to a friend's room to find out what's going on, the tall demon notices that Kalego is sitting and staring at the floor with an empty stare.
–M-m, what happened? - Balam asks, looking around the magic circles and, like a smart demon, not standing up for them and not stepping on them.
-I'm going to kill someone today.
–What happened again? Has Robin-kun been bothering you all day?
Kalego shakes his head before sitting up straight and pinching the bridge of his nose. He points to the scales and begins to explain:
–This is the ancestral artifact of the Naberius clan, thanks to which we conclude contracts on blood. I wanted to check if it's possible to update it somehow, since you can see its condition yourself, - the demon nods at the scales, and Shichiro nods. In the next second, he is almost swept away by a wave of anger. – But some idiot not only stepped on each of my magic circles, activating it, but also spilled some of his blood into the second bowl!
–So, now the unknown is connected with the Naberius clan?
–Worse. Now I will have to marry this unknown!
The tall demon blinks in surprise a couple of times, and then sits down, looking around the magic circles and reading their meaning.
–Is everything so sad? Perhaps you can do without murder and marriage?
–Either murder or marriage. The artifact works in such a way that neither party violates the contract. If one of the parties refuses to marry, then the spirit of my ancestor will overtake this demon and kill it.
–Why are there any words about marriage here at all? Balam asks, pointing at the symbols, thinking himself how he can help.
–Because I couldn't just throw an unfinished magic circle, and I was suddenly called. My brother has been talking about marriage for a while now, so these symbols were the first ones that popped into my head.
The demons sat in silence for a few more minutes, and then Shichiro pointed to another symbol and said:
–As I can see, not everything is so sad. It says here that the marriage can be dissolved after a certain time interval. You can just marry someone who came to your room and then file for divorce.
–Or strangle this demon with your own hands ... – an evil growl.
–Let's not be so cruel. I don't see any blood, so how do we find your future spouse, Kalego-kun? Magic, as far as I understand, did not help, - he looks around the space.
–Dali-senpai, - Naberius just hisses, standing up and snapping his fingers. All magic circles are destroyed by this one movement.
Kalego drags his friend towards the school to find out there that his senpai has abruptly started an Evil Cycle, so he will be gone for a while. Naberius' gaze could kill at that moment, and Balam hastily covers his friend's face with his big palm. He thanks the junior teacher, who nods in fright, swallows and runs away.
Kalego pushes his friend's paw away from his face and kicks the floor a couple of times. Cerberion couldn't pick up any scent, and it's dangerous to approach Dali when he's going through his Evil Cycle. (It's not that Kalego can't beat him, it's just that his senpai is of little use in this state).
–What are we going to do? - Balam asks, going over in his head the animals and plants that can help in their situation. He has a simple family, so Shichiro is not particularly familiar with such transactions and artifacts.
-We'll just wait, - the demon finally says, sighing. – It's obviously someone from school. We just have to wait until someone suddenly screams in pain.
–And what makes you think that your relative won't attack you?
–Because that's why it's an artifact of the Naberius clan, – Kalego smiles angrily. – I'll be the last to suffer.
*+*
Now you are sitting in a regular lesson, studying Transfiguration with Professor Momonoki. She was always a nice woman, and you respect her still. In addition, sometimes to use your ancestral magic, you needed to create weapons from improvised items, so her lessons are very useful.
So, you sit quietly and take notes, humming to yourself. Suddenly, something touches your shoulder, and you turn hastily to find that no one is sitting behind you.
–(Y/N-N), attention, please. This topic is important.
You are startled by Momonoki's voice and turn to the board, blushing slightly. Bowing your head low and apologizing, you continue to listen to the demon, ignoring the touches on your back. The joker should soon get tired of touching you, and he will leave.
Will it go away? ..
You shudder, feeling a palm painfully squeezing your shoulder. You want to roar angrily at the idiot who prevents you from studying, but the next second your throat is squeezed with all its might.
A cry of pain is heard throughout the school.
Momonoki jumps up in fright and turns to you, only to open her eyes wide and swallow. She points her wand at the creature behind you, which has finally appeared to this world. You try to remove the ghostly palms from your neck and back, which seems to have been pierced with a spear, but you can't. Tears begin to roll down your cheeks from the pain, you feel that you are beginning to lose consciousness…
The next second, the door opens, Momonoki blushes and jumps on the spot, looking at the person who came in. A stronger demon points a finger at the creature that continues to strangle you. Kalego recites a spell, and now you can breathe again.
You almost fall on the desk, starting to cough. You want to ask Naberius what happened, or at least thank him, but you don't have time to say a word, because the demon grabs you, throws you on his shoulder and runs away. You can only look at the ghostly creature that is beginning to come to, and at the surprised and almost crying Momonoki. It's literally written on her face: "Why isn't he carrying me like that?!"
Kalego rushes through the corridors at breakneck speed, and you can only hang limply on his shoulder and watch with horror as the creature continues to chase you, not at all inferior in speed to your teacher! You want to scream, but Naberius tells you to shut up, and you obey.
You hesitate to ask where you are being carried, instead starting to sweat cold sweat. Is it because I put the documents on Kalego-sensei's desk? I knew I should have left them on the doorstep! Well, why did I think of this only when I got home? Stupid (Y/N), stupid!..
Suddenly Kalego turns around and you almost hit the corner of the corridor. The next second Naberius opens the door, you are thrown on the sofa. Magic symbols flash, and the demon slams the door with all his might. The creature in the corridor screams plaintively and angrily, hitting the door and leaving claw marks on it.
–W-what is this?!. – you whisper in fright, moving further on the sofa. Kalego comes at you with an empty face, until you eventually rest against the armrest.
-This is the priest who has come to bless our marriage, - your teacher says with the most unnatural and insincere smile.
–Wh... what?!
–The bells rang, (Y/N)-chan. It's time for us to get married.
You slide off the sofa in a panic, hitting your head. Is it because I went into his room?! Is that why I have to become his wife?! What is the logic?! You scream internally, and then you start screaming in reality when Kalego grabs your leg and does not let you crawl any further. His eyes are full of anger, and his voice is angry. He says loudly and firmly:
–Immediately tell me that you will become my wife.
–Wh-what?! Sensei, that's it!..
–Either that, or this creature is going to kill you now!
You jump when you hear it trying to break down the door. Naberius looks at the wall clock and says dryly:
-You have thirty seconds left before the magic stops holding him back.
You are also looking at the clock. The demon, as if mocking, begins to count down the seconds. You choke in tears before shouting in a panic:
–Ok-kay! I will become your wife, Kalego-sensei, I promise!
Suddenly everything stops. They don't break down the door anymore. Naberius listens to something outside and then exhales in relief. But when the demon looks at you, his gaze is still full of rage, malice and a desire to kill.
–Excellent, (Y/N). Now you have a chance to live another week. And now quickly sat down on the sofa and listened to me!
You nod and want to get up, but fall when the door suddenly opens. You scream and try to hide behind Kalego's legs, only to see your other teacher.
–Did I arrive on time? There are claw marks on the door, – Balam hastily looks around, then notices you and exhales with relief. - Oh, she's alive. What a relief…
-You don't have to be so happy, I'm planning to kill her here and now.
You swallow and turn pale. As a result, you decide that it will be safer behind the sofa, and start moving away from Kalego's feet.
-You don't have to scare her like that. She's been through so much already.
–I've been through a lot here.
–Let's get down to business. (Y/N)-kun, – Balam says softly, closing the door, sitting down on the sofa and inviting you to sit next to him, – we need to talk.
You nod and quickly hide behind the soft side of the tall demon. Shichiro laughs, but Naberius is clearly not having fun. You hide even more behind your other teacher.
–S-so what's... going on here? – you finally ask, trying not to look at Kalego. - Why are you... so desperate to marry me?
Naberius grunts, closing his eyes for a second, and the next moment Balam has to restrain his friend so that he does not strangle you.
After a long minute, Kalego sits back in place, looking at you with a nervous and crooked smile. His hands are gripping his uniform tightly. It seems to you that the fabric simply will not withstand such pressure and will tear.
–Let's talk about what happened yesterday in my room, (Y/N).
Oh, the way he pronounces your name, you don't like it anymore. And then it will only get worse…
You swallow, trying to focus only on Shichiro's pleasant-to-touch hair. They are long and soft, just a little tangled. Probably, if you comb them and put them in some kind of hairstyle, it will really suit him. He probably wouldn't look so scary if he had a big pigtail with flowers on his back…
Kalego snaps his fingers in front of your face, and you shrink into the sofa in fright, moving further away from his hands. The demon's dark eyes make you want to die on the spot.
–So, be so kind, dear (Y/N), tell me everything that happened to you in my room.
You feel like your throat is dry. Involuntarily grabbing Balam's clothes, you look at Naberius destroying you with a look for a few seconds, and then quietly say:
–I just wanted to bring you the documents at the request of Dali-sensei. You were nowhere to be found, so I decided to go into the house and leave the papers in your room so that you would definitely find them. And then... then I stepped on the magic circles and, uh, cut my leg.
Something clicked, and the next second the coffee table, standing between two sofas, breaks in half from magic. You squeal with fear and throw your legs on the sofa, squeezing them to yourself. Kalego continues to stare at you, and his friend just shakes his head and uses magic. A moment later, the broken furniture was whole again.
-So it's really you, and my ancestor didn't decide to go kill every living thing in this school for fun, - Naberius says with a sigh, leaning back on the sofa.
Is this good or bad?! It's not clear from your tone! You continue to tremble, clinging to Balam, who is slowly stroking your head.
–Oh, maybe you want some tea, (Y/N)-kun? – you immediately look into the warm eyes of the demon. - I can make you some.
You look at Kalego, then at Shichiro. And stay alone with him?! No, thank you! Balam is very surprised when you start shaking your head from side to side almost in despair, but nods in response. I hope he doesn't decide to leave to make tea just for himself or himself and Kalego-sensei.
-Um, sensei, - you say softly, looking only at the incredibly tall demon, - and w–why should I marry Kalego–sensei?
Balam stops stroking you and looks at his friend. Naberius continues to frown, looking into space.
-You'd better tell her yourself, because I'll end this explanation with murder.
You're shaking harder than before. Shichiro starts stroking you again and explains:
–As far as I understand, you will have to marry Kalego-kun, because you unwittingly signed a marriage contract with him. Those scales are a clan artifact, with the help of which large demon families conclude various deals. As far as I know, the family (Y/S) is quite small, isn't it? You haven't heard of such artifacts, right, (Y/N)-kun?
–M-my family is really small, but senpai told me something about such things... but I practically don't remember anything from her explanations.
Balam nods and continues:
-You stepped on the magic circles and unwittingly activated them. By spilling your blood into a free bowl, you activated the rite of making a "deal". Since you weren't around to confirm that you agreed to the conditions prescribed in the magic circles, the ancestor of Kalego-kun began to hunt for you, thinking that you had chickened out and decided to run away.
Ac-ctually it is…
-And w–what's going to happen now? Do we... really have to get married? – you ask, swallowing, not daring to look at your sensei.
-Yes, - Naberius says roughly and firmly, - I, as a teacher, cannot let you die at the hands of my own ancestor. Moreover, this is partly my fault, since I should not have left the doors open and even more so poured blood into the bowl before I finished drawing circles.
So this means that Kalego-sensei has calmed down a bit, right? You exhale with relief and look out a little from behind the Balam. In vain.
–Although, I must admit, as a teacher, I did not expect my students to grow up so stupid!
You jump up on the spot and try to hide behind the tall demon-bird again, but Naberius bends down to look directly into your eyes.
–Remind me, (Y/N), how long have you been studying at this school?
-F-four years…
–Four years, yes. And during all this time... – small lightning bolts begin to fly around him, – you have not learned that you cannot step on magic circles if you are not a participant in the rite being performed!
–I did not see the inscription on the floor, it was too dark around!
–And you didn't have enough brains to create fire?!
–I was too panicked! I thought I was going to die then!
–You're going to die now!..
Balam is again forced to stop his friend from killing you…
Finally, Kalego calms down again, and you again look at his serious and stern expression from behind Shichiro's shoulder.
–Let's get back to the topic, – Naberius says, clearing his throat. – (Y/N), do you have a familiar demon that you trust unconditionally? And does this demon know how to keep secrets?
–I t-think my friend Dara-chan will do. She never says too much and cares very much about me... – saying all this, you involuntarily blush a little from embarrassment and look away from the teacher on the opposite sofa.
–In that case, tell her to clear her Thursday. It will take me two days to prepare everything. If we don't get married by the end of the week, you'll die in agony.
You flinch and can barely think rationally. That's why you're asking:
–Why do we need Dara-chan?..
–Your classmate will act as a witness on your side.
How good that you refused tea! Because in that case, you would just spit out the liquid and drop the cup right now.
–B-but Dara-chan will kill me if she finds out that I'm getting married!
-Either she kills you, or I, or my ancestor. You can choose any option, - the demon says with a big and crooked smile.
-I-I'd rather live…
–Unfortunately, this is also on the list, – says Kalego, wincing, leaning back on the sofa again.
–And... – you begin quietly, and Naberius turns his sharp gaze back to you, – can we... get divorced later?
–That's what I plan to do. The problem is that we will have to be married for six years, six months and six days. The standard date for such marriages.
Six and a half years... six and a half years I will be the wife of Kalego-sensei. You glance at the demon's irritated face. If it was someone else, I wouldn't even mind. No, not like that. I could have withstood such an ordeal. But six and a half years married to him? Maybe it's better to die?..
You look at Naberius' face, he looks at yours in response. Balam tries to smooth out the atmosphere with stories about tea, but no one listens to him.
–Are you going to tell your parents about this marriage? – your future husband asks in the end. Devi! It even sounds creepy!..
–N-no. They are, of course, of a lower rank than you, sensei, but you will still... be buried in the grave after learning such news.
Kalego chuckles and smiles smugly. You can see from his eyes that he already knows how the battle would have gone if your parents had really decided to fight him.
–And you... will you tell your own? – you decide to remove this expression from the demon's face with your question.
-Even if I didn't want to, they'll find out for themselves. You will be connected to my clan not only by documents, but also by blood. My relatives will simply feel that we have a new member in the clan. And, of course, everyone will think of me, - he snorts with displeasure.
"Great"... Now I will have to lie to my parents for six and a half years, saying that I am not dating anyone of my own free will, although in fact I will be MARRIED.
Kalego looks at you for a few more seconds, and then gets up and dusts off his clothes.
–I want to warn you in advance so that you do not dare to approach me and think that you can influence me, since you have become my wife. Know that you won't get any special treatment from me. On the contrary, I will make you regret your stupidity, - he smiles sadistically and chuckles.
–Kalego-kun, I thought I told you not to scare her like that anymore!
-What? I just want her to match the status of my wife, - he grins at you a little more, and then becomes serious. - Anyway, I need to get ready for the ceremony. Don't forget to remind Dara to get ready for Thursday. If she's late, I'll get her and make her be a witness on your side.
So, having said all this, the demon goes away from the room. When he opens the door, you may notice that the magic symbols painted on the floor look almost dead.
You press against Balam's side and feel tears choking your throat. The big demon starts cooing, picking you up and hugging you. You are in his warm and fluffy embrace for a while, and then Shichiro brings you hot tea. He calms you down for a while, saying that not everything is so bad.
–K-Kalego-sensei will kill me... – you whisper, playing with buttons on your own uniform.
–He's not really that bad. And he won't hurt you, don't worry. If you don't believe my words that he is a good demon, then know that under the contract he cannot harm his wife.
–P-physically or mentally?
–Uh, if you don't catch his eye for at least a week after the wedding, you'll be fine.
You sob in fright, finish your tea and get another pat on the head. Balam takes off his mask and gives you a big smile. You flinch, a little unaccustomed to his scar and fangs, but eventually smile back.
You go home alone today, thinking only about one thing. Next Thursday I will officially become "Mrs. Naberius".