Chapter Text
"By the way," Ali-san spoke up, as Alice was carrying his master away and towards his chambers. "Someone needs to talk with the birdy teacher."
"With Eggy-sensei? Why?" Clara asked, but everyone else soon realized why.
"Because Iruma-sama died," Alice answered, bitterly. Iruma might be alive now but he had died at one moment and that was hell for Alice. "Familiar bonds are formed until its determined period of time is finished or one of them dies. Iruma-sama died, even if it was for a second, cutting off their link. Kalego-sensei knows that and will surely be worried when he suddenly feels that their link is gone"
"Exactly!" Arikured exclaimed. "At least, he will never have to worry about being summoned as Master's familiar again. His new demon side will prevent him from having another demon as his familiar."
"I will go," Opera suddenly spoke.
"Good," Sullivan said, relieved. He did not want to leave his grandson for a while. "Give him that as well" Opera looked at him with his usual expressionless face but his ears twitched in surprise. "He has more than earned it and has taken very good care of Iruma-chan... I believe it's time to stop teasing him so much." Sullivan continued with a soft expression.
"Yes, sir," Opera replied, understanding the hidden meaning.
Once Alice and Clara had left for Iruma's room, and Opera had left for Kalego's house, Sullivan guided Henri to his home office.
"How long have you known about Iruma-chan?" Sullivan finally asked, sitting behind his desk and offering the chair in front of him.
"For a while now, after he ascended to Gimel rank," the fox demon replied.
"Why didn't you take him? Or arrest me?" The principal inquired. "You had the evidence that you needed."
"Because my daughter knew as well," Henri replied, shocking Sullivan. "Yes, I was surprised as well." Henri laughed. "My daughter, the one person who knows how important it is for our society to keep humans safe and away from the Netherworld, was keeping the identity of a human secret from me of all people. It would have destroyed her future career in the Demon Force that's for sure. Her only aspiration since she was a child could have been gone for a human she wanted to protect... a human she called a great demon." Henri sighed, looking at the principal's soft expression- so different from the demonic aura he felt not that long ago. "Do you know what Lord Sullivan? After some investigation I found out she was right, Iruma is a great demon. He rose in ranks with an incredible speed, two ranks up... sorry, three ranks up in less than a year! He created a flower that has never been seen before in this world, one that I've been told has become one of the main spots in the school. He defeated the Asmodeus heir twice and created fireworks, an attraction I believe many companies are very interested in and want to buy from them. He even managed to get his class the recognition they deserved and had them moved to the Royal One. And all of that while he was human... I can't wait to see what he will do now that he is half-demon."
Sullivan stiffened at his last words, all the pride he felt before being slowly replaced by worry.
"That's what I want to talk to you about," he said. "No one can know about him being a Demi Demon, not now at least. I realized from Ali-san's explanation that his future as Demon King cannot be stopped. He is a Demi Demon and my heir, there's no better candidate, I realize that now. But I will not allow him to be dragged into the consul's political agenda so soon. I know he will have the three beasts' support as well as yours and Amaryllis', as she will be his mother-in-law, but he has only just turned into a Demi Demon. He needs to get used to his new body and abilities, not to mention he has not gotten used to the Netherworld yet, or our culture, or our history."
"I know that, throw some more perfume on him and keep his half-human side a secret. I will have to tell Ameri though, she already knows about him being human and will help keep an eye on him during school time." Henri replied. "There is however a record of you going to the human world and bringing a human with you. We cannot have people knowing that a human ever survived the transformation to Demi Demon, chaos would reign. Demons all over will try to turn more humans into Demi Demons and the era of the Mad Doctors will come once again."
"I know," Sullivan sighed. "Even though there were many factors that allowed Iruma-chan to survive the process, like the gluttony ring, him having been in the Netherworld for a while now, and his body getting used to magic..."
"But they wouldn't understand," Henri finished for him, remembering the nightmare that his father, the previous Head of the Demon Police, had to go through during the Mad Doctors Era before the Demon King assumed his place. "There might be a record but there's also no record of you ever having a child that could give you a grandson," Henri thought out loud. "The previous Demon King was born out of a Female Demon and a Male Human, what if Iruma was born out of a Male Demon and a Female Human. We can make it so that we planned to bring the Demi Demon to the Netherworld to be the next Demon King but kept it a secret so he could get used to his new life and abilities without the pressure of being the future ruler."
"You kept me in interrogation so that no one would suspect anything was going on," Lord Sullivan continued. "I like that plan... and if anyone goes to the human world they would not find anything as I erased everyone's memories of Iruma-chan." Henri looked at the principal with a glare, the Head of the Demon Police Department glare. "Ok, ok, I'll keep quiet about what happened there" even with all his childlessness, Sullivan knew when he was pushing it.
"I'll be taking my leave now... inform me when Iruma wakes up, my daughter will surely want to visit him." Henri requested.
"Sure," Sullivan answered in his usual childish way, much more relaxed now that Iruma was safe... for now at least.
-Meanwhile at Kalego's house-
The familiar bond link snapped... surely that damn principal found a way to set us free. Yes, that's what surely happened. There's no way that Iruma... that Iruma is dead... Yeah, impossible! Kalego's mind was chaos at the moment.
Not only was he stressed about the demonic attacks and the release of Kirio, a prisoner, during their trip to the park. His link to Iruma had snapped. All of it was pushing him to his edge, bringing his heat closer when there was still a month to go. It didn't matter how much he tried to tell himself that Iruma was not dead, he knew that the only way for a blood bond like this to finish was, when the time limit was up or if one of the integrants died. There's still a few months to go and he was very much alive, which could only mean one thing... Iruma was most likely dead.
And no matter how much he had wanted the bond to go away and how much he cursed Iruma's existence, he did not want the boy dead. Not only was he his student, but he was also the one with the biggest growth and the one who most effort put into his studies. He hated him for being a trouble magnet, mostly because he was his student, and having his students always at the brink of danger worried him immensely. He was their teacher and protecting them was his duty, how can he do that when trouble seems to follow Iruma around. But other than that he was the perfect student, dutiful, polite, help around, brilliant- even if lectures are not his forte. The only reason why he showed the opposite was because of that annoying grandfather of his. He should have at least once told him he did good, but he can't now... because Iruma is dead.
Someone knocking on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. Kalego sensed the presence of his senpai Opera and stiffened. Not for the usual reason, but because he knew what that meant. Opera-senpai was there to tell him about Iruma's passing. He did not want to open the door, he didn't want to find out his student... his master was dead.
But he had to, he owed Iruma that much. He had failed him as a teacher and familiar, and now he had to face the consequences.
"Opera-senpai, come in," Kalego said, in a dejected tone.
Opera noticed that and grew worried, no one really knew how familiar went through the process of losing one's master. The demon feels like they have a hole in their heart, one that can never be filled. Familiars are the submissive ones in the master-familiar bond, so they should feel the loss greater. Seeing Kalego now, showed Opera how bad it was for a familiar to lose their master. Not even an hour has passed since the link broke and Kalego looked dead on his feet, Opera could even sense the younger's heat close to break free.
"You felt it," Opera spoke, once they were sitting in the living room.
"Yes, I felt Iruma die." Kalego finally said out loud. "W-what happened?"
Opera could have lied, told him that the magic Iruma-sama had consumed was too much for him to handle, and died for a second before Lord Sullivan stabilized him and saved his life. He could have kept it all a secret like he should... but since when did Kalego swallow his pride and asked him, the senpai he hates with all his heart, for anything? When had he ever stuttered and showed weakness in front of him? Never.
Kalego deserved the truth, he deserved to know what happened to his student and master. It's the least Opera owed him for all the teasing and humiliation he had put him throughout the years. It is the least he owed his mate after all the pain he had put him through. Simply because he had not been ready to accept the fact he had an Omega, he made sure that Kalego hated him. He had Kalego go against all of his Omega instincts and hate his Alpha, putting him through hell during all of his heats. Opera was truly a monster... maybe it was time for him to redeem himself, even if only for a little. It didn't matter that Kalego would never forgive him and accept him as his mate, he deserved to crawl and the humiliation he would go through. But for his Omega, Opera knew it would be worth it. He simply wished he didn't have to see Asmodeus go feral as he watched his Alpha die to realize the big mistake he had made.
"Iruma-sama died for a second but he is fine right now," Opera finally answered the Omega.
"He's alive? Thank Devil!" Kalego sighed in relief, not even caring he was breaking character, and asked the Alpha. "What happened? Why did he even die?"
"It was needed to complete the process to Demi Demon," Opera replied, leaving the information to sink in.
Kalego froze at the words of his Alpha, no matter how much he hated to call him his anything. No matter how much teasing and humiliation the Alpha inflicted on him, he knew that he would never joke on something like this. His student is... was a human. No wonder he ended up being summoned as a familiar.
"What did that stupid principal do now?" Kalego asked, rage emanating from his body.
"Well, that's a long story," Opera sighed tiredly, the events of tonight finally taking a toll on him. "Let me tell it to you."
Kalego silently listened to the explanation, which didn't do much to calm him down but at least he no longer wanted to hunt Sullivan down: "So instead of keeping him away and safe from any demon, he threw him in middle of a school full of them without any explanation of the culture of the new world he was in, to see if he would swim or sink?" Kalego inquired to no one in particular. "That's it! Once he wakes up I will teach him the basics of culture and history, he needs to know that at least... so that Iruma-baka will be our King in the future. Perfect. The Netherworld is doomed." He sighed.
"I believe he will do a good job, he has already shown good leadership abilities," Opera commented, smiling slightly.
"He has also shown problems with figures of power," replied Kalego.
"Well, he is to be the King. The highest figure of power, you can't fault him for that." Opera told him.
"Why did you come?" Kalego finally tackled the bull by its horns. "Why did you even tell me this? When it's clearly confidential information."
"I had just had to see an unmated Omega lose their Alpha before me... it was horrible," Opera replied, his expressionless face turning grim.
"So, you got worried about that happening to me," Kalego scoffed, ignoring the ache of his heart or the flash of hurt that passed through the fox's face. "You have nothing to worry about you did a good job on breaking the bond we had before it even became anything of importance. You can go die in peace, I don't need your pity."
The 'I don't need you' was clearly heard as well.
"I know that," Opera told him as calmly as he could, even if his heart was breaking. Was this what Kalego had felt all those years back? No wonder he hates me so much. The fox-like demon thought depressed. "I came because it's time for me to stop running away and make things right," he explained and prostrated himself before the Omega, surprising the teacher by the action. "I am sorry for being an idiot and refusing you all those years ago. I am sorry for not seeing the treasure you were. I am sorry for only seeing my broken Omega mother when I looked at you and not the strong Omega you were. I am sorry for only seeing that you would be better off without me, an Alpha who would end up one day abusing you like my father did with my mother. I am sorry for doing exactly that without even giving you the comfort of a mating bond. I am sorry for all the pain, teasing, and humiliation I made you go through. I am sorry you had to go against all your Omega instincts and reach out to someone other than your mate to help you out during your heats because I would not. I am sorry for everything."
No one spoke up, Kalego because he was shocked speechless, and Opera because he was afraid that if he spoke anymore he would only cause more pain. Kalego could not believe the scene before him. Oh, how he had wished for him to apologize and ask for his neck in bonding all those years back. But now? After all the pain he went through, after turning cold and hard under all the rejection and humiliation his senpai had put him through. There was no way he would accept him back, no way. It was too little, too late. It didn't matter how much his Omega side screamed at him to accept him back and have his bond. It didn't matter that every heat he left feeling dirtier and used because he did not spend it with his Alpha but with Balam, he will not accept him after everything he did. There's no way he will humiliate himself any farther by crawling back to him after all the abuse. He had his pride as a demon and will not lose it, not even for his Alpha.
"Get out," Kalego spoke.
It was not harsh or yelled as Opera had expected, but that was even worse on its own. His tone was tired and defeated as if he was finally fed up with him. Opera knew then, that Kalego was finally over him. It broke him into pieces... but he knew he deserved it. Opera knew that if he pushed a little more, so close to his heat, Kalego would give in. But he deserved more than that. He knew that Kalego deserved more than have him bother him any longer or even force himself. So, he silently stood up, leaving Lord Sullivan's packet on the living-room's table, and left the house of his mate.
His Alpha side raging at the fact that he knew his Omega would be visiting someone else's bed... but Opera reign it in, after all, he knew he deserved it.