Chapter 20: Feathers

Chapter 20: Feathers

The demonic teacher sized up Wen Ying, and he was puzzled as to why he could feel the terror of being stared at by his furious homeroom teacher in the demon realm.

Muershi, whose ears were being held by the demonic teacher, surprisingly didn't seem nervous. The contrast was so stark that the teacher couldn't help but scold him, "Muershi, go stand outside!"

"Really, I didn't set anything on fire," Muershi sighed, his expression helpless, and Wen Ying could even hear the indulgence in his voice. "Fine, fine, I'll go stand outside. Lord Feng Luo, when will you ever fix your bipolar temper?"

Muershi was kicked out through the glass window by the demonic teacher.

"Ouch..."

The teacher’s gaze returned to Wen Ying, who instinctively straightened up, his expression apprehensive.

Feng Luo glanced at the stone on Wen Ying’s desk and said coolly, “Breaking school rules, you shall also stand outside, as well as you, Beros.”

Beros, who had been watching the spectacle, was confused.

Why did he have to stand outside for what that wicked bird and this trash had done?

Beros remained silent, locking eyes with Feng Luo in a silent duel of magic. Eventually, Beros grunted in pain, seemingly injured, and silently rose to his feet before walking outside.

Wen Ying felt a bit anxious. Boros was completely innocent in this matter, and he couldn't understand why the demonic teacher had lashed out at him as well. Just as he was about to speak, the demonic teacher's glare pinned him in place.

So terrifying, Wen Ying shivered, unable even to move his fingers. The immense pressure bore down on him like a mountain, and the gentle breeze around them seemed to carry the biting cold of Antarctica, plunging him into an icy chasm.

"Go on out," Scarlet said, relishing in the other's misfortune but refraining from mocking due to the teacher's oppressive presence.

Wen Ying, drenched in sweat, stepped out, wondering what on earth had just happened. Seeing the demon with blue-violet wings laughing and joking, he reached for the shoulder bag that Ar uda had given him, an idea forming in his mind.

"Oh, you're out," Muershi greeted with his hand raised, smiling warmly. "No need to be afraid of that demonic teacher. He's just tough on the surface, um, cold on the outside but warm on the inside? Doesn't quite fit... let me think of a better word..."

Beros, who had exited earlier, stood by the wall, staring at Wen Ying with a gaze that seemed to want to slice him into hundreds of pieces.

In his heart, Wen Ying muttered that it wasn’t entirely his fault. After some thought, he decided not to approach Beros just yet. Instead, he stood next to Muershi and asked, “What is that stone?”

Beros snorted and crossed his arms mockingly. “Just an ordinary Stone of Fear. I wonder what you saw that made you release your Flaming Incineration. Your battle awareness and courage are pitiful. I’ve never seen anyone as useless as you. He put those stones under every desk, and no one else had such a strong reaction.”

Wen Ying: "..." He felt guilty and couldn't refute it. No, he had to vent his frustration on Muershi.

"What species are you?"

Muershi lifted the corners of his lips in a bold and radiant smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Muershi Lavai, a soon-to-be-adult malevolent bird."

The name of this species sounded wicked, and Wen Ying couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever been beaten up?"

Muershi pointed at Beros. “Once, I almost got killed by that guy. Luckily, I have a strong will to live.”

Beros ignored them with a cold face. He didn’t feel wronged. The demonic realm followed the law of the jungle, admiring strength. He wondered if he should intensify his training to surpass those famous adult demons as soon as possible.

But Wen Ying felt sorry for Beros. The terrifying demonic teacher frightened him, but Muershi didn’t. So, Wen Ying asked, “Do you like playing pranks?”

Muershi nodded and opened his hands. "Can't help it, it's in my nature. Pranks bring me joy. You know, it's like a soul-cleansing experience. It feels amazing!"

Wen Ying, who was tempted to hit someone, said, "Then you should compensate me. Being called out by the teacher on the first day is so embarrassing."

Muershi thought for a moment. Wen Ying had given him a good show, so he generously offered, "I can compensate you. What do you want?"

He was curious as to what this Mirror Demon would demand from him. That HuPo guy had mentioned that this rural Mirror Demon was pitiful, his mind ruined by Aruda.

Beros couldn’t help but be curious as well. While Mirror Demons were trash, they were also rare sights.

”I want your feathers. This morning, Great-Grandma Aruda said she’s lacking feather materials”

At the mention of Aruda's name, Muershi's wings twitched involuntarily, and his voice quivered as he spoke the first few words, "N-No problem, how many do you need?"

But then Muershi shook his head and said, "Forget it, forget it. Seeing how pitiful you are, I'll give you however many you can pluck yourself." With that, he smiled innocently, as if truly feeling guilty and wanting to compensate Wen Ying.

If it hadn't been for the purple lightning flickering across his wings.

Wen Ying gazed at Muershi's wings. Just now, there was none, but now, the enormous wings that almost touched the ground were constantly illuminated by electric arcs.

With his back to Wen Ying, Muershi turned his head and said, "Come on, I'm ready. Don't worry about whether it hurts or not."

Why hadn't the Extremity Birds, a race with such wicked natures, been driven to extinction by other demons? This puzzled Wen Ying.

But since Muershi himself wasn't behaving properly, he couldn't be blamed for ruthlessly damaging those feathers!

Wen Ying extended his hand with feigned concern. "Will the electricity in your wings paralyze my fingers?"

"How could it?" Muershi turned his head, soothingly stroking his own wings. "See, it's fine."

"Then turn around."

Muershi turned, exposing his entire back to Wen Ying.

After a while, Muershi felt nothing on his wings and asked doubtfully, "Have you started plucking the feathers?"

"Not yet, I'm deciding which one to pull," replied Wen Ying.

Muershi curled his lips. “Since Lord Aruda wants them, she must prefer ones with more magic power. You should pluck the ones with a deeper purple.” The stronger the electric charge, the darker the plumage.

Another moment passed, and Muershi still felt nothing. He tried to turn his head, but Wen Ying lifted his hand to guide him back.

"Stay still, I'm pulling now."

Strange, why didn't he feel anything? Muershi was puzzled. He focused on sensing his back, but there was no sensation of having his feathers plucked, nor any indication that Wen Ying had been shocked.

Muershi’s casual glance landed on Beros, who was staring at him with an odd expression, as if he were mentally challenged.

Beros’s dismissive attitude had been going on for a while now, so Muershi didn’t take it to heart. After a while, his patience wore thin, and he turned to ask, “Are you done yet?”

"Wen Ying here," Wen Ying replied hastily, stuffing the pile of blue-purple feathers he had plucked into his shoulder bag before Muershi could turn around. The once-flattened bag bulged with the lightweight feathers.

As Muershi turned, his back was now facing Beros. Watching the bare spot on the beautiful wings, Beros couldn’t help but chuckle.

Hearing Beros’s brief laughter, Muershi jumped up like he’d seen a ghost. He spun around in horror and stared at Beros, opening his mouth to ask, “Are you okay?!” This guy Beros had never laughed without mocking, sneering, or conveying malicious amusement. Was he actually laughing normally this time?

A normal smile on Beros was a chilling sight indeed.

Beros spoke with hidden meaning, “The one with the issue is not me.” As expected, Aruda’s concoctions were not to be trifled with. Even a seemingly insignificant Magic Mirror Demon had gained some troublesome capabilities.