#988 Domination in the Form of Education

I am Zurbester, a demon.

Right now, I’m in the middle of a serious conversation with the Demon King.

“What in the world is going on, Your Majesty?!”

Prince Goetia’s study hours have been drastically reduced!!!

My family has been responsible for educating young demon princes for generations. As the current head of my family, I was honored to educate Prince Goetia upon his birth.

I have dedicated myself to teaching and guiding him with all my might.

But now, my efforts are being completely undermined.

What’s going on, Demon King?!

Are you implying there’s something wrong with my teaching?!

“Calm down; you can’t talk when you’re this worked up.”

The current Demon King, Zedan, is incredibly composed.

He’s the great hero who ended the war between humans and demons, earning the title of ‘The Greatest Demon King,’ but we don’t see eye to eye.

That’s probably why I’m being treated this way.

“Listen, Your Majesty. The most important thing in raising someone is education. Learning is what sets us apart from beasts. There is no future for those who neglect education!”

“I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere else before.”

The Demon King’s expression is hard to read—serious or joking, who can tell?

“I have not disregarded education. That’s why I appointed you as the tutor for Goetia and Marine, isn’t it?”

“But today, I get a notice of dismissal out of nowhere! It seems to me that Your Majesty is undermining the most crucial aspect of their upbringing!”

“I haven’t dismissed you. You’re exaggerating.”

Isn’t it as good as being dismissed?!

The time Prince Goetia spent on his studies went from six days a week to just one day a week!

Only getting to teach Prince Goetia one day a week is an absolute nightmare for me, the prestigious royal tutor of the Demon Kingdom! I’ve never felt such despair and humiliation!

“Your Majesty, Prince Goetia is an exceptionally quick learner. He’s already mastered all the history, ceremonies, and other knowledge that normally takes until adulthood.”

“Hmmm, if he’s learned everything, then isn’t that enough?”

“That’s a foolish thought for an ordinary person! If he’s mastered the basics early, he should aim higher and continue to accumulate knowledge! You can’t create a genius overnight!”

Prince Goetia is at a critical juncture—he could either become a genius or just average.

Don’t you want your child to be a genius, Your Majesty?!

If Prince Goetia, the future Demon King, blossoms into a genius, it will be a blessing for the entire Demon Kingdom.

That’s why more education is needed!

“Six days a week isn’t enough! We need to make it eight days a week!”

“That’s a ridiculous thing to say.”

The Demon King, looking somewhat exasperated, replies.

“You seem to misunderstand, but I do want Goetia to grow up healthy and happy. As my child, I wish for him to become an adult who can grasp his own happiness.”

“Then surely increasing his lessons…!”

“To achieve that, Goetia needs a broader perspective. The time taken from your lessons is being given to others who can teach him different things. Goetia himself agreed to this.”

“Nonsense!!!”

How foolish of the Demon King!!!

In education, quality is more important than quantity! I, who have been appointed by generations of Demon Kings and can provide the best education in the world, am the best person to teach Prince Goetia!

Allowing anyone else, some random nobody, to teach him is only a detriment to the prince!

For the sake of his future, everything should be entrusted to me!!!

“Lately…”

“Pardon?”

“Goetia has become quite narrow-minded. He claims that demons are the best and look down on other races. He wasn’t like this even half a year ago. I’ve tried to tell him not to be arrogant and to respect others.”

What is Lord Zedan saying?

Demons are the supreme race that has conquered the surface. It’s only natural to look down on the inferior races…right?

“I wonder if someone has been filling his head with such ideas?”

Gulp.

The Demon King’s sharp gaze turns toward me.

Though he is now a peaceful ruler, he once stopped the evil human invasion on the front lines and was feared as the fierce king—that’s no mere story.

“Well? Do you have any idea?”

“I have no idea what Your Majesty is talking about…!”

I wipe the sweat off my forehead with a handkerchief.

“...I have a question for Your Majesty. Lord Zedan, I heard you didn’t have a tutor from our family when you were young.”

“Well, I was pretty low on the inheritance ladder back then. Your father was probably too busy educating my older brothers, who were more likely candidates for the throne.”

See, in our prestigious family, only children destined to be future Demon Kings get the honor of our education.

The Lord Zedan before me, despite being a lower-ranked child of the previous Demon King, clawed his way to the top with sheer talent.

The former Demon King wasn’t popular among the people, so his overthrow was welcomed, and Lord Zedan’s success in ending the war solidified his position.

“You’re not holding a grudge against us, are you, Your Majesty? For not receiving the top-notch education a prince deserves? Are you now giving us the cold shoulder as payback?”

“That’s quite the imagination you have,” Lord Zedan laughs, but it feels more like a beast baring its fangs. “I don’t hate tradition. That’s why I chose you to be Goetia’s tutor. For generations, princes have learned history and etiquette from your family. As the current Demon King, I wanted to uphold that tradition.”

“Your Majesty’s insight is admirable.”

“But times are changing. We’ve made peace with the humans and are deepening our ties with the merfolk. Goetia needs more than just our own history and traditions to be a great future Demon King. I expected you to expand his knowledge in these areas…”

Th-That’s...

“However, your teaching methods seem stuck in the past. I respect tradition, which is why I gave you a chance. But you didn’t make the most of it. So, I’m going to rely on someone else now. Any objections?”

“P-Please, just one more chance…!!!”

“I’m already giving you one. You’ll still teach Goetia once a week. Use that time to provide him with knowledge he doesn’t already have. If it proves exceptionally beneficial, I might consider increasing your teaching hours.”

I-I can’t argue against that…!

Whether he took my silence as agreement or just didn’t care for a rebuttal, the Demon King continues.

“I expect your utmost effort from now on. If I were truly cold-shouldering you, I’d have kicked you out of the castle immediately. Understand?”

“...Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.”

“Besides, teaching Goetia less isn’t all bad. It gives you more time to educate my other child, Marine.”

“Guh-”

Princess Marine.

The second child born to the second Demon Queen, Glasya.

“I entrusted you with Marine’s education as well. But it seems you haven’t been attending to her.”

“Princess Marine is a lady. Our family doesn’t specialize in teaching girls.”

“I said times have changed. Even a princess needs to know our history and traditions. Marine must be prepared to support the demon realm in the future. That’s why I assigned you to her.”

“...”

“Just so you know, both Astres and Glasya are my queens. If you’re avoiding Marine because you think she’s just a concubine’s child, you’re disrespecting the entire royal family.”

“N-N-No, absolutely not, Your Majesty!!!”

“I consider your neglect of Marine a dereliction of duty. You’re more cornered than you realize. Use the remaining chance wisely.”

With that, the Demon King stands up and leaves.

He clearly has nothing more to say to me.

This is bad…

Ignoring Princess Marine has come back to bite me.

Our family believed we should focus all our efforts on the future Demon King, avoiding unnecessary distractions.

But that became a vulnerability...!

I must stay close to Prince Goetia at all costs.

If I can’t influence him, my very existence will be meaningless to him.

Education is power.

Those who are taught inevitably absorb the influence of their teachers. Their thoughts naturally align.

Our family has subtly shaped the Demon King’s lineage this way for generations.

Past Demon Kings were tutored by us and continued to favor our family after their ascension.

But with Lord Zedan, that influence was severed.

As a low-ranking prince, he wasn’t given our family’s education.

I thought we just had to endure Lord Zedan’s reign, and our glory would return.

But if we lose our tutoring role, our family’s prestige will be lost forever!

No!

I can’t let that happen!

I must use any means necessary to ensure Prince Goetia receives our family’s education!!!