The overlord of the gods is interrogating the alien female spy.

　"Let's eat then. You need to rest well after eating so you'll have energy for tomorrow."

　Ines ate a big dinner and rested for a while afterward. Then Theresa called her to take a bath.

　"If we're talking about extra pajamas, we only have Ascaron's from when she was little. Let's try those on first, and then we'll go buy a new set tomorrow."

　“It’s alright, Ms. Theresa. I, I can wear this, you don’t need to spend any money.”

　"No need to be so polite, little Ines. Just listen to me."

　"Oh, thank you. And thank you, Sister Ascaron."

　"Um……"

　Looking at the little black sheep wearing her old pajamas, Ascaron felt a little depressed but also happy.

　This newcomer is nothing like she was when she was a child. Back then, she was forced to take a bath by the Qilin, and he also forced her to wear clothes. Now, this little black sheep is so obedient... even more docile than the horned leaping beasts she used to hunt.

　Would that make you more likable?

　"...How did Ascaron get brought home by 'Dad'?"

　Lying in bed, Ines stared at the dark ceiling and whispered to the older sister beside her about the things she was curious about.

　"You want to know?"

　Perhaps because the nickname "Little Black Sheep" included her, Ascaron was willing to chat with her.

　"Hmm... If it's inconvenient, I won't listen."

　"...It's nothing."

　Ascaron rested its head on its arm, its tail tip slapping against the blankets like the thunder from the sky that day.

　A rumble of thunder accompanied the appearance of dark clouds over the land.

　This is a very common sight in Terra.

　The little wild animal, dressed in tattered clothes and covered in dust, had been tracking a group of horned leapfrogs for a long time. She had been searching for food for two days, and if she couldn't catch a horned leapfrog to eat, she would probably starve to death first.

　This storm will help her, just like every hunt before.

　The places where the stones had grown on her body were throbbing with pain; this was an extra ability she had gained after discovering that the stones had grown on her body.

　The mist emanating from her could obliterate her presence, a spell she usually used to ambush lone wild beasts. But for some reason, this herd, even when the storm came and they were terrified, did not scatter and flee. Instead, they gathered closer and closer together and continued to migrate in one direction.

　What's over there?

　The storm has subsided.

　She struggled against the strong winds and narrowly avoided the thunderstorm.

　She followed closely behind the herd of beasts, which seemed to have experience in avoiding storms, thus ensuring the safety of the smaller animals following behind.

　Are you all safe and sound?

　She didn't actually like navigating storms. Each time she got closer to the storm's area, the stones on her body would multiply. But if she didn't get close, she would go hungry for a long time, a feeling many times worse than the pain of the stones.

　"Ugh."

　As the storm swept in, the little beast could no longer sustain the drain on her ability and emerged from the mist. Prolonged use of this ability had nearly exhausted her strength.

　The unicorns vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

　She will most likely continue to starve, or she may die in the storm.

　"..."

　I don't know how many steps I took, but the storm around me suddenly disappeared.

　The little wild animal looked around in confusion. Outside, the storm continued, but here, there was an oasis.

　Numerous wild beasts, including herbivorous horned beasts and carnivorous fanged beasts, gathered beside the oasis, yet they coexisted peacefully. It seemed that the storm outside was more terrifying than the brief carnage, enough to make them overcome their instincts.

　"..."

　But the little wild animal was starving.

　The herds of horned beasts were enormous, and the fanged beasts had sharp claws and teeth; she couldn't get close to them.

　After searching for a long time, she finally found a lone beast among the wild animals.

　Moreover, it was sleeping, and despite its enormous size, it emanated no dangerous aura.

　If she seizes the opportunity to disappear in time, she should be safe and sound.

　Her keen intuition, which she relied on for survival, told her that it seemed possible to do so.

　The dagger the little wild animal found shattered the moment it touched the beast's scales. How could that be? She had used this dagger to kill many wild animals before, and it had never broken.

　But if the hunt fails, she must dodge and escape in time.

　dodge……

　The enormous beast had already awakened. He merely raised his head slightly, and an immense, invisible pressure subdued the small wild animal that had ambushed him, pinning it to the ground.

　"Where did this wild child come from?"

　"ha--!"

　Unable to resist, her power suddenly vanished, and she couldn't use it anymore. Faced with this enormous beast, all she could do was pant and try her best to appear more aggressive.

　"Oh, what a foolish little thing. But this is the kind of mercy I possess."

　He seemed amused by the little wild animal's behavior, and the words he spoke were understandable even to her, a wild animal.

　"You came all alone from the storm outside? You're lucky. Your magic is quite interesting, and your appearance, well, it's a rather rare breed."

　"Son of the Storm. Hahahaha, very well. Though you are a foolish Sarkaz, you are tainted by the aura of the wilderness. I, the King, will grant you permission to behold my glory and to worship me as a beast."

　An indescribable aura suddenly emanated from the enormous beast.

　The little wild animal only felt that the sensation on his body made her feel very comfortable.

　Looking around, she saw that the wild beasts were kneeling and bowing to him in a strange way. She didn't understand why, but it seemed that she should do the same. So she followed the example of the horned beasts on all fours and the fanged beasts crawling on the ground, bowing her head to the huge beast.

　Having long forgotten the existence of civilization, these 'beasts,' baptized by the wilderness and growing up in it, imbued with the scent of animals, can even become 'followers' of the chief of beasts.

　As a reward for her sensible behavior, an old horned beast stepped forward and became the chief of beasts' meal. After its carcass was roasted by the flames, part of it became food for the chief of beasts, part of it filled the bellies of the smaller beasts, and most of it became nourishment for the other beasts.

　She ate her fill, and after she was full, the huge beast bit her body, like a beast carrying its cubs, and carried her and the wild beasts through the storm.

　On the other side of the storm, the enormous beasts and herds were separated, and she was taken into a terrifying and complex civilization, where she was given a new name.

　Ascalon.

　"And so, I've been here...tsk. When did I fall asleep?"

　Ascalon was getting into the story, but when she turned around, she saw that Little Black Sheep had fallen asleep at some point in her narration.

　Before my eyes was the sleeping face of the little black sheep, and in my mind came the scene from the afternoon: Ascalon's tail was wagging, and my palm was pressed against his chest, which I could only feel when I lifted it up.

　She had never explicitly addressed Qilin, or this man, by a formal name. He didn't seem to care, as her consistently excellent performance was enough for him to tolerate this minor overstepping of his bounds.

　"...Father."

　Ascalon's upbringing taught her that this was how the relationship between them should be. But she didn't want to stop there; she always felt there was a relationship closer and more fulfilling than this.

　"..."

　But it's probably impossible to achieve that...

　After getting up quietly, Ascalon paused for a moment at a doorway before continuing towards the bathroom.

　This was her magic, but it was no longer the kind of magic that relied on Oripathy to deplete her lifespan. After encountering the Qilin, the Oripathy in her body transformed into something else entirely—something that could be used at will, like her eyes, her mouth, her hands, and her feet. It had become one with her body, allowing her to conceal her presence without expending any energy other than physical strength and mental power.

　After years of training and development, she has become able to hide even when she gets close to the Peach Demon King. However, she can only remain undetected when she is completely still. If she becomes agitated or tries to attack, she can still be easily subdued.

　Even so, it was enough for her to glean some insight into what was happening in that tightly closed room.

　How is she going to compete with this person and these two people for the right to belong to each other?

　It seemed there was absolutely no chance of victory.

　"Perhaps there will be an opportunity in the future."

　She was thinking about the promises the other person had made to her before.

　As long as she can stand on her own, she is qualified to follow him to other places.

　Graduating from university is a basic requirement, but she still has at least two years until graduation...

　The more I think about it, the harder it gets to bear.

　Ascalon lay back in bed, thinking about the past, the present, and the future, unable to fall asleep.

　"Wow, I didn't expect there to be such a good show here."

　"There are definitely benefits to staying up late."

　The wolves, still restless in the darkness, watched the little wild beast pacing at the door, each wearing a smug, amused smile.

　Chapter 4 The Undercurrents of Competition

　What is school life like?

　While studying in Letania, I learned Originium Arts.

　Music is the most important subject for the people of Letania, while other subjects are mostly taught casually in schools. For students with exceptional musical or Originium Arts talent, school life is a path of self-improvement, but for those with average talent, the daily school life can be somewhat tedious and confusing.

　How will Kazdel's life be different then?

　"Hmm? The new guy?"

　Kazdel's dormitory was more 'simple' than Ines's school dormitory in Letania. It was a simple six-person room, without the bizarre musical instruments and musical notes that Letania had. Ascalon brought Ines her luggage, and after making Ines's bed, she left, leaving the little black sheep alone to experience the unfamiliar and novel new campus life.

　Ines's enrollment information was on her bed. She had already looked at it, but she was currently preoccupied with the uncertainty of losing it, so she didn't seem very interested.

　However, she appeared introverted, but some people wanted to get along with this new roommate, so they took the initiative to talk to her.

　"Ah."

　“I am Ersura. Ersura, do you know? He is the hero of Kazdel. My name is after him.”

　She was a pink-haired Sarkaz, her hair a darker shade than that of the lady Theresa Ines had seen. A smug look appeared on her face when she mentioned her name.

　“I am Ines Ersula.”

　"Madam... wow. Very nice, very nice. But it's still too early for you to call me 'Madam' right now. How old are you?"

　"fourteen."

　"Oh, about the same age as me, I'm just a little older than you. Which class are you in?"

　"Hmm. Ninth grade... Class 13."

　"Hehe, not bad, you're in the same class as me."

　"Ersula, our school arranges dormitories according to class, so everyone who moves in will be from the same class."

　A girl in the bunk above Ines interrupted her, declaring herself a hot-blooded idiot, and then introduced herself to Ines. Including Ines, all six members of the dormitory were present, but only Ines was a Caprini; the others were Sarkaz.

　"Hehe, of course I know. I'm just explaining it to her."

　The pink-haired Sarkaz named Ersula sat down on Ines's bed naturally and put her arm around her. However, in the face of such an enthusiastic new classmate, the little black sheep's arm hung stiffly at his side.

　The reason was simple: this Sarkaz's bust size was simply too exaggerated, much more so than Ascalon and Theresa, whom she had seen...

　They are about the same age.

　"You must be a new student, Ines."

　"Why do you think so?"

　“If a beautiful little lamb with such distinctive features as you had been in our school before, you would have been famous throughout the school by now.”

　Pretty little lamb...

　“You are beautiful too, Ersula… lady.”

　"Haha. No need to call me 'Madam,' this is a school, and we're classmates, just call me by my name."

　Ersula seemed very talkative, or perhaps she had a rare opportunity to show off in front of the new student, so she enthusiastically took the initiative to tell her about the school.

　"The principal of our No. 1 High School is personally appointed by that Demon King himself."

　"Although we have just entered high school and were reassigned to classes based on our grades, it's not necessarily true that the class with the earlier number is the better one. Each class is composed of different good and bad students, supposedly to create a better learning atmosphere."

　"That's just what they say, but those who can learn will learn, and those who can't won't learn. However, for us Kazdel people, whether it's going to the Academy of Sciences to study technology, becoming an officer at the Military Academy, or working in a factory, we're all contributing to the development of Kazdel."