The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　However... the increase in "binge eating" is completely under control!

　With just one more point, he can gain a total of 4 points of "Gluttony" through two draws.

　After that, you can use 3 out of these 4 "binge eating" points to create "binge eating II" and use this as a starting point to begin your research on "binge eating".

　Dark squinted and thought for a while before closing the list and briefly tallying the remaining "major sins" reserves.

　[Arrogance]: 4

　[Rage]: 1

　Greed: 20

　[Paradise]: 0

　Among them, the "Greed" reserve is already 20 points, and only 10 more points are needed to refine "Greed IV".

　It is very easy to increase "greed," second only to "bliss" in terms of difficulty.

　Therefore, if Dark could want, he could accumulate 30 points of "Greed" by early December.

　But he hesitated slightly at this moment.

　Currently, there are already two unfinished "Great Sin IV" copies, and there is still plenty of "Luna version of Elysium" to continue crafting new "Elysium IV? Luna".

　Compared to "Paradise IV? Moon", which is also a semi-finished product, "Greed IV" actually has no advantage.

　The only magical creatures that can evolve to the third tier using the unfinished "Greed IV" are "Curse Cage: Impiemon" and "Curse Cage: Agumon".

　Therefore, there is really little point in cultivating "Greed IV" now.

　Instead of forging a half-finished "Greed IV" card now, it's better to use those "Greed" cards in more appropriate places.

　Or wait until new possibilities emerge and use them for the alchemy experiment of the complete "Greed IV"!

　This consideration seems to be largely correct at present.

　"Pride and Gluttony each consume two portions of the absorption amount."

　Whether to incorporate the concept of "rage" is still under consideration.

　"But if you want to train a 'Gyarados,' you'll need at least 7 points of 'Rage,' which is equivalent to four absorptions."

　"This used up eight of the allotted attempts directly. The remaining two were used for 'Greed' and 'Ecstasy,' which exceeded the standard limit. The ten attempts for December were thus completely exhausted."

　"It seems there's not much room for maneuver."

　After thinking for a while, Dak remembered something else.

　"By the way, the 'Rabbit Grass' from the 'Cat Grass Flower Shop' should be arriving soon. We'll need to use 'Bliss' to try and refine the 'Moon God Beast' then."

　"As for the creation of 'Coronamon,' it hasn't been resumed since it went astray to 'Leomon' last year. Perhaps after creating 'Umbreon,' it's time to put it back on the agenda."

　……

　Autumn passes and winter comes.

　On the morning of the first day of December, a light drizzle was falling from the still clear sky, and the air was slightly damp.

　Dak sat at his desk, enjoying a long-lost moment of leisure.

　The little devil flew back from under the eaves, carrying a vegetable basket covered with a towel in its paws, with two rolls of newspaper tucked diagonally into one end of the basket.

　Dak first pulled out the newspapers one by one, then lifted the white towel, and a steaming aroma quickly wafted out, making one's mouth water.

　"There's hot cocoa for breakfast today!" Little Devimon grinned smugly, raindrops dripping from his eyebrows.

　Dak smiled, picked it up and held it in his arms, then used a dry towel to wipe away the rainwater that had accidentally gotten on it.

　Only then did he open the "Great Sage Daily" and casually begin to read it.

　Recently, the content of the "Great Sage Daily" has been very plain and lacks any interesting points. It remains to be seen whether the newspaper will have more interesting topics as Christmas approaches.

　His other subscription, "The Joker's Daily," always featured some fancy tricks.

　But because there were no substantial events as the main focus, all those fancy tricks felt rather empty. To be honest, it was quite boring, and he was getting a little tired of it.

　This morning, after reading the "Great Sage Daily," he habitually opened the "Clown Daily" and glanced at it from beginning to end.

　If there's still nothing substantial, he's prepared to glance at it and move on.

　But as he glanced at it, he suddenly noticed something that caught his attention.

　"What is this? A conspiracy by the Holy Church?"

　Although "The Joker's Daily" is known for its sensationalism, its current affairs reports, which sometimes use a guise of madness and absurdity, still have a touch of satire on current issues.

　This is why it has always had a certain loyal audience.

　But ultimately, "The Daily Joker" is just a niche newspaper, and its reporting is mostly absurd and comical.

　But some things can only be said without restraint when one is dressed as a clown.

　For example... the Holy Church's conspiracy?

　"what."

　Dak became interested and started reading from the beginning.

　After reading it, he looked at it strangely.

　This report, titled "Holy Cult Conspiracy," actually recounts the execution of the Demon King a few months prior, and the entire speculation is so absurd that even Dark would find it laughable.

　"What is this?"

　"The true nature of the Demon King's execution, and the Holy Church's true intention, is to use the Demon King's soul as a sacrifice to summon the God of the Underworld?"

　"Why does the Holy Church, which is perfectly fine, have to create a direct superior?"

　But as he was laughing, Dark suddenly stopped laughing.

　Although the report was nonsense, it revealed a part of the truth.

　"Over such a long period of time, it's inevitable that some information will leak out. Perhaps someone learned a little bit and then fabricated this article based on hearsay."

　Dak put the newspaper down, not paying much attention to the report.

　……

　After breakfast, Dak didn't go out, but stayed in his dormitory to review the knowledge he had learned in various subjects this semester.

　Last night, while he was trying to persuade Aurora, he suddenly remembered that he actually had a similar problem to her.

　By focusing more energy on other things, one naturally neglects the knowledge taught in the classroom.

　Although he was ahead of the textbooks in most subjects, many of the things professors taught in class were not found in the textbooks.

　If he only learns by himself, he will lose a lot of the essence.

　And those essential elements form the foundation for building a solid base.

　Fortunately, he has always had the good habit of taking notes.

　At times like these, flipping through his notes always brings him something of value.

　Throughout the day, aside from anything else, he gained a much deeper understanding of how to make "Mystic Cards"!

　In the system of magical duels, the existence of "Arcane Cards" is actually very important.

　However, under normal circumstances, the creation of "Arcane Cards" is much more difficult than that of Item Cards and Magic Cards, and the triggering conditions are also more demanding, unlike the direct activation of Item Cards and Magic Cards.

　Therefore, there are not many mages who can master and apply "Arcane Cards".

　However, if you want to truly achieve something in magical duels, "Arcane Cards" are indispensable.

　Dac gradually invested.

　……

　Time thus flies by.

　Five p.m.

　Dak put down his book with lingering interest, then changed into his outdoor clothes and went to the common room ahead of everyone else.

　Not long after, Aurora came down.

　The two walked side by side and left the castle.

　The rain has stopped, and the air is fresh.

　They entered Traveler's Street and arrived at the All-People Duel Club's shop, where they saw three maids and two magical spirits—"Vampire Heiress" Victoria and "Phoenix Girl" Phoenix.

　Since the goal was to have a "video call" with Arvit, it was impossible to leave them out.

　On Sundays, as evening approaches, most of the people on Traveller Street head towards the food street.

　Dak had booked a private room last night, so there's no rush.

　The group chatted and laughed as they waited inside the shop.

　It wasn't until nearly 5:30 that they finally saw the newlyweds who had traveled a long way to arrive.

　Nana and Josie's eyes lit up, and they each walked towards one of the maids.

　Eve was actually a member of the "Scorpio Maid Corps" and immediately recognized the "Scorpio Maid" among them.

　She immediately leaned closer and whispered, "Lacy's here too! I thought she was still out on a mission..."

　"Who is Lacey?" Dark wasn't very familiar with her.

　Guided by the academy staff, I found the two new maids here. Like Nana and Josie when they first arrived, they were all wearing maid outfits with their own unique styles.

　One of the maids was slender, with legs that seemed to start right below her neck.

　The other maid was slightly plump, with a seductive look on her face.

　Eve whispered, "It's the thinner one."

　“It looks like it.” Dark looked up and examined it.

　Lacey is tall and has long legs, with short brown hair, making her look like a long-legged version of Nana. However, compared to Nana, who is at least cute and charming in appearance, Lacey has a serious face and a "business-like" look.

　In short, she doesn't seem easy to get along with.

　Another maid from the "Lion Palace Maid Corps" is named Grace.

　Grace was only slightly shorter than Lacey, and both of them had long hair. However, she tied it back with a hair tie, making it a very neat long ponytail.

　Her face is a soft oval shape with very delicate features, and she doesn't actually look fat.

　But as mentioned before, she looks alluring and, unlike Josie who is clearly a "Leo," she seems more like a "Pisces" maid.

　“And the other one?” Dark asked.

　Eve hesitated for a moment, then thought, "Josie knows her, I'll ask her later... never mind, she should introduce herself."

　“That’s true.” Dark continued to scrutinize him.

　……

　A moment later, Lacey and Grace were brought before Dark.

　Nana proactively introduced, "Young Master, this is our famous Lacey from the 'Scorpio Palace Maid Corps.' You might not know, but she's also known as the 'Mission Maniac,' spending 366 out of 365 days a year on her way to and from missions."

　Lacey remained expressionless, neither refuting Nana's sarcastic remarks nor protesting against Dark's surprised gaze.

　In short, she does seem like a "mission maniac," and the only reason she came to the academy is to "go on missions."

　In fact it is.

　After Nana finished speaking, Lacey said in a formulaic manner, "Hello, young master, I am Lacey from 'Scorpio Palace'."

　Then there was silence.

　Dark smiled and asked, "Did Chris send you?"

　“Yes, young master,” Lacey explained earnestly, “because I go on many missions and need to use my strength more often, I was asked to come and cooperate with the experiment.”

　Dark nodded, then looked at Grace and asked, "And what about you?"

　Grace smiled charmingly and said softly, "Young master, you can call me Grace, 'Lion Palace.' My purpose in coming here is for treatment. Head Maid Janice's abilities are causing some side effects on me. If possible, I would like to remove the 'Netherworld Fire' from my body as soon as possible."

　"Treatment?" Dark pondered. "I can roughly guess what your problem is. How about this, after tonight, I'll take appropriate action based on your situation. You shouldn't be in such a hurry, right?"

　Grace nodded and said, "When I came, Head Maid Trina told me to follow the young master's orders in everything."

　Dark said, "Then let's go to the restaurant first."