Evil Duchess Summons Me, the Heavenly Demon

In an open space where birds chirped and insects sang, it was a place that was artificial yet exuded the rich fragrance of nature.

[Summoner] had installed many facilities for summoners and summoned creatures, and this place was one of them. Couldn’t one feel the abundant energy of nature?

Was this dirt path intentionally created?

That wasn’t quite it.

If one turned their head a little more to the side, there was a well-paved path, along with benches and a fountain, making it literally good for taking a rest.

Some people who were learning and practicing not academics but the distinction between men and women in their early stages were sparsely sitting there.

And Duchess Ephre, at a spot where that place was clearly visible?

“Ah… ugh.”

She let out a strange moan.

“No more… I can’t do it anymore, it’s, it’s impossible.”

“Stop whining. What can you do with a physique that collapses at this level?”

“B-but, I… I’m… a f-first-timer.”

It was a conversation that made one swallow hard. A couple sitting on a bench, with faces turned bright red, didn’t dare look back.

They just stood up abruptly and ran away as if escaping. Although they had been cuddling, the sounds coming from somewhere behind them far transcended that level. How could someone do such a shameless act at school, outdoors? They couldn’t even voice it aloud.

Meanwhile, Ephre, who had been groaning, barely managed to speak with heated breath:

“N-now, that’s, enough. Please forgive me.”

“You need to get used to it. This happened because you’re using too much force. Relax your muscles.”

A firm, resolute answer.

At that moment, Ephre’s face froze stiffly.

“I said stop, you fucker!”

Simultaneously with that shout, there was a crashing sound. Had she forcibly pushed someone away?

No, far from pushing, it was Ephre who had fallen backward. With hair and clothes soaked in sweat, she shouted in rage:

“Why do I have to be in this weird posture anyway? What does this, haa, ma-mag… magic have to do with anything!”

Ephre glared as if facing a mortal enemy.

I clicked my tongue and calmly explained. In fact, just following this far is a significant improvement. She’s probably lived her entire life doing whatever she wanted, however she pleased.

“What you just did is a posture called the horse stance. It’s a basic movement technique, fundamental to learning martial arts… no, this body’s magic. You can’t even take the first step properly and are whining.”

The foundation of all martial arts is a sturdy lower body. It starts from feet firmly rooted to the ground and the Yongchun acupoint.

Simply inhaling and exhaling the energy of the atmosphere? Just forming the dantian with it and everything is perfect?

Wrong, that’s nothing more than the empty words of those tongue-tappers who recite Taoist classics all day.

You know how if you give difficult tasks right away, disciples would run away rather than stay?

Those terrible individuals would do evil deeds like cutting off the meridians of the limbs or destroying the dantian in such cases, but as a true absolute being, I have no intention of committing such evil acts. And before that, no intention of being hypocritical.

Even tasks like wiping the hall, such as mopping, are all for developing strength in the waist and legs…

“Liar!”

Ephre, without even thinking of removing the hair stuck to her face, spat out curses and gasped for breath. She frowned deeply, apparently very uncomfortable with the clothes sticking to her body.

“There’s no way something that feels this bad and makes me want to wash up, something that’s just painfully difficult and doesn’t show any change, could be related to magic!”

It’s definitely related.

Of course, making someone who hasn’t even done the slightest bit of strength training suddenly do a horse stance to their limit is an outrage incomprehensible even with 21st-century knowledge, but isn’t this a fantasy continent?

Such minor issues are trivial.

“How does this even lead to the power of magic in the first place? Like, you know, feeling and controlling mana and things like that! Why do I have to suffer like this? And I’ve been thinking, since I talked about that crazy person on the Ouija Board, your behavior has changed, so maybe you.”

Swish.

I demonstrated the horse stance directly.

However, as I had the dignity of an absolute being, I didn’t stretch out both arms. Instead, I nobly crossed my arms and sat in the air with just one leg!

While placing the other foot on the knee that was standing firm.

“…Uh, what is… what is that? Floating? Floating ma-mag… magic?”

“Not floating magic but a horse stance. Someone of my caliber can endure this for a full seven days and nights. It’s an extremely easy thing.”

In truth, I’ve never done it for that long.

The plank, famous as a representative core exercise. Isn’t the world record for that exercise about 9 hours?

Of course, there’s an immense difference between martial world practitioners and modern people, but maintaining one posture for a long time is a boring task. Very boring.

“How…”

Ephre, as if strength had left her legs, crawled over. Each time, the curves became pronounced over her tightly adhered clothing, making me frown.

Approaching close, Ephre waved her hand under my leg, or rather, beneath my buttocks. Like a skeptical audience member trying to catch a magician’s trick or disbelieving and checking for themselves.

I felt a mysterious and somewhat shameful feeling, but I couldn’t show an unsightly appearance in front of someone asking for teaching, could I?

I waited until Ephre raised her face with a “Heeh” sound of admiration, then jumped to the side and stood down.

That was a bit dangerous in many ways.

Whether due to the difficulty or confirmation that this wasn’t simple torment, Ephre’s eyes were chaotically mixed with envy, surprise, and something like respect. Though she still couldn’t stand up.

“My… my goodness, look at that summoned creature.”

“Isn’t he treating Ephre, that villain Ephre, like a dog?”

“Crazy… both of them must be out of their minds. I’ve heard about summoned creatures with noble personalities, but still, that’s a bit…”

Has the rumor spread that far already?

Well, before heading here, I quickly scanned the posts on the [Ouija Board], and there were some about me.

Roughly, they were questioning if I was really a summoned creature and stating that my behavior and speech patterns seemed unfamiliar for a human.

Of course, I didn’t forget to leave a comment.

Coolbeautycontinentbestbeauty: Is that possible? If there’s such a summoned creature, Angel-chan would faint from how cool it is ㅜㅜ I’m so, so jealous of big sisters and big brothers! Even if that summoned creature is very cool, beautiful, and respectable, don’t approach recklessly, promise? Angel-chan wants all beautiful things to be protected forever!

It was to avoid unnecessary trouble like with Orlando.

Actually, I’m not the type to avoid incoming fights, but no matter what, the children here are incomparably weak compared to the Heavenly Demon, a supreme being.

Bullying the weak and boasting about it was something only the ruffians of the evil sects would do. Very low-class.

I endured the excruciating pain to post that message, and indeed, it had an effect; none of them dared to approach readily. This is what it means to sacrifice oneself for others.

“Ugh.”

Ephre removed the hair sticking to her face and quickly hung it down. She still had some energy left, as she hurriedly fixed her hair while still moaning.

How long does she plan to pretend it’s hard?

It’s the way of women to groom themselves if they have just enough strength to hold a teacup.

Look, she immediately covered her face like that.

“If you had endured for even one more meal-time instead of grooming, it would have been better.”

“…Grooming? What’s wrong with your head.”

Ephre stopped mid-sentence and halted her gradually becoming regular breath. She took a sharp breath, then exhaled quickly and stammered:

“Gr-groom, does it look… like I’m grooming? In this state?”

What nonsense is she talking about?

I frowned deeply and enlightened her on her stupidity.

“That’s why I told you to wear martial attire. The advantage of martial attire is that it’s free from getting wet, torn, or worn out, and can be washed and worn anytime, yet you’re already mistaken by wearing such fluttering clothes.”

“W-wet? W-wash?”

Ephre’s red pupils moved around, unable to find a place to rest.

As if afraid to look down at her own body, she moved her head unnaturally with a creak. Then she quickly crossed her arms to cover her body.

Thinking that her mind had gone quite crazy, I said:

“It seems I need to start by fixing your mentality.”

This wasn’t the time to be doing the horse stance; in fact, I could have started with breath cultivation but deliberately pushed the body to its limit, yet she still couldn’t seem to come to her senses.

Hum.

I closed my eyes briefly and channeled energy to the Wangol acupoint below my earlobe. Immediately, my hearing, one of the five senses, expanded, and sounds from far distances became twice as loud, as if heard from nearby. I filtered them one by one.

—Shaaaaaaa

I heard the sound of water rushing down strongly. The most suitable sound and environment for mental concentration naturally formed in my mind.