[End-of-Terminus Results – The Spark of a King]
The exam papers had been collected. Tension clung to the air like mist.
Kalego stood at the front of the Royal One classroom, his ever-scornful glare sharp enough to silence a rampaging Cerberus.
"I will now return your exam results."
Half the classroom collectively flinched.
"W-Wait, can't you just… mail them?" Lied whimpered.
"We need emotional preparation! Eggy sensei....." Clara wailed, clinging to Iruma's arm like a stress plushie.
Kalego ignored them with military-grade indifference.
"Your panic is unnecessary. No one here failed."
There was a beat.
Silence.
Then—
"EH?!?!"
The classroom exploded in a wave of shocked joy.
"WE ALL PASSED?!?" Gaap shouted, practically body-slamming Lied in celebration.
"Let's gooooo!" JAlice cheered, leaping from his seat.
Clara launched glitter confetti from who-knows-where. Even Agares cracked a grin between yawns.
Iruma blinked, eyes wide in disbelief.
We… did it?
But the celebration was short-lived.
"Silence," Kalego growled, dark aura flaring just enough to shut them all up.
He pulled out a small box.
"Rank-ups."
Gasps followed as Kalego approached the students who had achieved more than just a pass.
"Gaap G. Goemon, Caim Kamui, Shax Lied — you've earned your Gimel [3] ranks."
The trio stood stunned for a moment before proudly receiving their badges, shining like hard-earned trophies.
"Allocer Schneider. Double rank-up. Welcome to Rank [4] Daleth ."
A murmur of astonishment swept through the room.
Allocer adjusted his glasses, cool as ever.
"Naturally."
As the others returned to their seats, Kalego's eyes landed on Iruma.
"Suzuki Iruma. Your improvement from the previous exam was the highest in the class."
Iruma sat straighter, blinking.
"Huh…? Me?"
Alice nodded, a soft smile on his lips.
"You were studying seriously, Iruma-sama. It wasn't just for yourself. You inspired the rest of us too."
Iruma looked over his shoulder — Clara giving a thumbs-up, JAlice winking, Lied grinning proudly.
"That power of yours… it's rare," Alice added, his voice softer now. "You change people just by being who you are."
Iruma's breath caught in his throat. A light warmth bubbled in his chest.
Change, huh? Me?
He looked down at his desk, smile blooming across his face—but there was a different glint in his eyes now. A sharpness, cool and composed. Not arrogance… but confidence.
"Heh," Iruma muttered, standing slowly, pocketing his exam sheet.
He turned toward the door, cape fluttering behind him.
"Guess it's time to brag a little."
He walked off with a calm, composed swagger, one hand in his pocket.
Behind him, Alice watched silently.
That's a Iruma sama's presence. The power to lift others up… and lead them without ever forcing it. Wow...
[Faculty Wing – Balam's Room]
Balam was feeding his flowerbeasts when the door burst open.
"BALAM-SENSEI!!"
The professor turned in surprise, nearly spilling a bucket of moon nectar.
"I passed!! Not just passed—Kalego said I had the highest improvement in class!" Iruma declared proudly, holding up the exam paper like a badge of honor.
Balam's gentle eyes widened, then crinkled with joy.
"You did?" he smiled. "That's amazing, Iruma-kun!"
Iruma handed him the paper, then crossed his arms.
"Told you I was updating. I'm not just some Genius creature surviving in the Netherworld. I'm… learning how to live here. To fight. To grow.And For Revenge."
His voice was smooth now, sharper than before—laced with quiet fire.
"Hmm…" Balam leaned in closer, curious. "So, is this the human potential you were talking about?"
Iruma smirked.
"Yes. And no." He pointed at his temple. "Not all humans can do what I can. Some might be hiding. Far away. Different paths, same world. But me? I'm… a little complicated."
Balam gave a small hum of interest, jotting notes like lightning.
"And what can you do now, Iruma-kun?"
Iruma turned to the window, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Many Elements and concept. And if I want, I can be somewhere else in a blink." His Rinnegan shimmered faintly under his hair.
Then, his voice softened again, full of warmth.
"But I'll use all of it to protect those around those who dear to me."
Balam paused, staring.
A child of contradictions—kind, yet sharp. Soft, yet deadly.
He smiled behind his mask.
"You're special, Iruma-kun. Not because of your powers… but because of how you use them."
---
[After the Exams – a New Look]
Iruma strode down the stone corridor with purposeful steps, eyes locked on his test paper. Pride gently tugged at his lips.
81st out of 163… not bad for a guy who couldn't tell a rune from a rock about netherworld a few months ago.
As he turned the corner near the greenhouse wing, he bumped into a tall, familiar figure now sporting a surprising change—
"Balam-sensei?!"
The beastly professor blinked, adjusting to the sudden impact—his hair now trimmed much shorter, neater, almost formal.
"Ah, Iruma-kun!" Balam beamed. "Just the demon I was looking for!"
Before Iruma could respond, Balam scooped him up and spun him in a wide, joyful circle.
"You placed 81st, Iruma-kun! Out of 163 first-years! That's incredible!!"
"W-Whoa, Sensei—!" Iruma flailed mid-spin, laughing nervously. "That's really… a bit much, don't you think?!"
Balam stopped, carefully placing Iruma back down, though his wide smile never faltered.
"You've updated yourself splendidly! And for that, I have a present."
He reached into a nearby vine-cradle and gently pulled out a vibrant, petal-armored plant… with smoldering ember-tipped leaves.
"A Salamander Flower."
Iruma instantly recoiled.
"W-W-Wait—! That thing breathes fire, doesn't it?!"
The flower hissed lightly, its fronds curling like a sleepy dragon.
"Normally, yes," Balam chuckled, "but I removed its fire sacs. It's harmless now. I wanted to give you something that reflected your progress."
Iruma looked again, a little more carefully this time.
So even fire... doesn't scare me like it used to. Not as much, anyway.
He took the Salamander Flower hesitantly, surprised to feel its gentle warmth instead of blistering heat.
"You've come so far, Iruma-kun. Knowing how dangerous this flower once was and still holding it now… that speaks volumes."
They found themselves sitting on a bench shaded by overgrown vines, the faint chirping of Noxbeetles in the distance.
"You got a haircut," Iruma said with a half-smile.
Balam tilted his head.
"I wanted to look more approachable."
"You do… a little." Iruma snickered.
"Only a little?"
"Yeah, but it's a big improvement."
They sat quietly for a moment, a peaceful lull after so much noise and studying.
"I wasn't lying, you know," Iruma murmured. "About updating myself. I've changed. I'm not the same boy who dropped into the Netherworld with no clue how to survive. I can fight now. I can study. I can protect people."
Balam's expression turned gentle, almost fatherly.
"I know. You have something inside you… powerful and strange, but also kind. You may not understand it fully yet. But I think, one day, you'll become something truly extraordinary."
Iruma looked away shyly.
Extraordinary, huh? That sounds…
"…nice."
[Later That Day – Faculty Lounge]
Kalego took one look at Balam and froze.
The silence was almost suspiciously long.
"…You got a haircut."
Balam nodded, sipping his tea.
"I wanted to be more approachable."
Kalego stared, eyes twitching.
Then he turned away with a dry cough.
"…Pft."
A beat passed.
"PFFFFHAHAHAA!"
Kalego nearly choked on his own breath as laughter tore out of him in gasping waves. He clutched the wall, slapping it with wheezing amusement.
"Oh by all the devils, you look like a reformed cult leader! I—ahahahaha—!"
Balam blinked slowly.
"…I'll take that as a compliment."
After wiping his tears, Kalego finally calmed down and glanced at Balam's report folder.
"Still doing behavioral monitoring for lie detection?"
"Mm." Balam nodded. "My Buzzer ability is always active. If anyone cheats during tests, I can tell instantly. No lies get past me."
Kalego crossed his arms.
"So there's no one you can't read?"
Balam's gaze drifted out the window, watching a blue-haired boy walk across the courtyard, Salamander Flower in hand.
A soft smile curved his lips.
"…There's one."
Kalego's brow furrowed. "One?"
"Yes," Balam said, eyes still distant. "He doesn't lie… but he doesn't tell the full truth either. It's like watching a creature from another world pretend to be a duckling."
He chuckled softly.
"He amuses me, Kalego. Oh, so very much."