"As the Great Emperor... my master Luo Yu would say."

The training dummy lifted its gemstone eyes toward Luo Yu’s retreating figure, hopping away in the distance: "Old geezers like you should’ve just offed themselves long ago if you can’t even drop gold coins. Stop bothering others."

"Hmph..." The Headmistress frowned. "You’re one chatty dummy. Barely half a year with that kid Luo Yu, and you’ve picked up all her trash talk."

"The Great Emperor’s personality left a deep mark on me."

"Tell me about it—"

The Headmistress smirked, jabbing the dummy’s waist twice with her elbow. Curiosity—and ulterior motives—gleamed in her eyes. "How can a non-human construct, whose every thought relies on demonic magic, gain such wisdom and skill after just months with that child? You’re practically human now."

"Old man, you’re really hung up on this?" The dummy’s eyes flickered faintly.

"—Watch your tongue." Another elbow strike. She straightened her expression, feigning sternness. "I was a high-ranking officer in the Demon King’s Army back in my prime. Decorated war hero. Retired now, sure... but ‘old man’? Only Luo Yu gets to call me that."

"Doesn’t show." The dummy gave a flat "Oh." "Turns out you’re a lolicon."

"What’s wrong with liking pretty girls? I’m not a lolicon—" Her face flushed crimson. "And Luo Yu’s nearly sixteen! Practically an adult. She’s like a daughter to me. I’d be heartbroken if she ever married..."

"Oh." The dummy nodded. "Lolicon."

"Hold on." The Headmistress’s expression tightened. She eyed the dummy warily. "You dodged my question again. For a training dummy, you’re way too cunning."

"Oh?" The dummy feigned surprise. "Caught me."

"I’m not senile." She shifted in her wheelchair, dropping the act. Her face turned grave. "Answer properly. Your fate depends on it. Slip up, and I’ll scrap you myself."

The dummy sighed. "Ask."

"Whose demonic magic flows through your core—the ‘brain’ that lets you think?"

A pause. Silence.

"...Oharola."

"*Oharola*?" The Headmistress froze. "That tragic, mad Demon God burned at the stake by dozens of her peers millennia ago?"

"My core isn’t just her legacy." The dummy knew the old man wouldn’t let go. "My body was carved by Oharola herself—from ancient wood of hidden realms, mountain clay. Every rune in my core, she etched by hand."

"Blessed by a Demon God?" The Headmistress stroked her chin. "Guess you’re more than firewood."

"Even so—"

Seeing her skepticism unchanged, the dummy pressed on: "No matter how brightly a Demon God’s grace shines, she perished millennia ago. Fixating on her deeds is pointless. I’m just a training dummy with scraps of combat skill. Made to amuse. I hold no feelings."

It met her gaze, eyes clear and earnest. "Like us—both fading from this world—if we force our selfish desires onto her heart, making a girl weep over death itself... *that’s* true shame. The dishonor of elders who refuse to let go."

The Headmistress blinked. "...Huh."

"Rotting things—people, objects—should vanish quietly in the shadows. Not burden the living."

"Oh..." Her cloudy eyes narrowed, as if grasping something.

"Glad you understand, elder."

"*Wait*." The Headmistress snapped back, flustered. She jabbed a finger at the dummy’s smug, arms-crossed stance. "I asked why a scheming dummy like you’s sniffing around Xiao Yu! Stop dodging with riddles and morals! Spill it, or I’ll chop you into firewood and roast chestnuts over your splinters—"

She raged, standing on her wheelchair, pointing and cursing. Utterly unhinged.

Luo Yu, just back from roaming outside, saw it all.

"Eh?" The Headmistress whirled around. Luo Yu stood there, cheeks puffed in disapproval. "Xiao Yu! When did you—?"

She scrambled down, plopping back into her wheelchair. A strained smile spread. "Heh... just playing with your fun dummy, dear."

"*Don’t hit my face! Elders are fragile!*"

The dummy: "...".

...

"*Old man!*" Luo Yu’s fist slammed into the Headmistress’s nose. "*My* treasure? You’d split it for firewood? Guess I haven’t ‘dropped enough gold coins’ off you lately!"

"Even ‘old man’ now?! My reputation’s ruined—"

"Your Majesty, stop elbowing her."

At the dummy’s plea, Luo Yu finally stepped back, arms crossed, huffing. "Hmph."

"Fine, fine! I’ll drop it!" The Headmistress wheezed in her wheelchair, catching her breath. "Xiao Yu, control your dummy. I’m done. *Done*."

"*Ugh*, old man. Asking for trouble." Luo Yu wagged a finger at her. "No savings, no sense—just zipping around on that wheelchair chasing pretty girls. Now you’re interrogating *my* dummy about ‘independent thought’? Seriously."

"I know, I know! You’re right, Xiao Yu. Happy?"

"Why do I feel you’re just humoring me..."

Luo Yu pinched her chin, puzzled but shrugging it off. She leaned in, serious now. "Old man. I’m leaving the academy again. You knew that, right?"

"*What?*" The Headmistress shot upright. "Aren’t you attending the Champion’s wedding?"

"Plenty of time. Ten days!" Luo Yu stuck out her tongue, striking a pose. "But where’s the fun in *not* showing off? Life’s about flexing! I’m returning home in glory—let those peasants see a *real* Highborn Demon. Make them kneel. Hehe."

The Headmistress: "...".

"It’s Miss Plum Blossom urging you again, isn’t it, Your Majesty?" The dummy gently kneaded Luo Yu’s shoulder, murmuring. "You’ve been rereading her letters alone in corners these past days."

"*Ugh, shut up!*" Luo Yu elbowed the dummy, pouting. "Why do you spill *everything*?"