WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 19 of Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-Kun!, "Clara's House," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Despite being born into a noble demon family, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun!'s Asmodeus Alice struggles to make a name for himself at the Babyls demon school. Iruma accidentally humiliated him in their first duel, but Alice eventually became his loyal retainer and friend. By this point, however, he doesn't think that's enough to succeed in life.
The Babyls students won a hard-fought battle at Walter Park, working together as heroes to overcome the three beasts Kiriwo summoned. Alice failed to do his part though, and after being scolded by Sabnock, self-doubt has begun to settle in. As Welcome to Demon School! continues with Episode 19 of Season 2, Alice visits the Valac household with Iruma and grapples with his insecurities.
Unlike the ambitious Sabnock and the high-strung Alice, Valac Clara sees everything in terms of food, playmates and fun. In the latest episode, she invites Iruma and Alice to her family home in the forest, where her mother and younger siblings greet them with a delightful song and dance. Alice wants to project a cool, regal air like the powerhouse Azazel Ameri, but to Clara, Alice is simply another playmate.
Alice reluctantly plays along with the Valac family's activities, including hunting dinner ingredients in the forest. He picks the wrong ones and fails to help the others take down the shobu shobu, the massive beast on tonight's menu. Iruma became the entire demon realm's hero by defeating Kiriwo's final monster, but somehow Alice cannot even slay a food-beast with his best magic until Clara's mother arrives and deals the final blow. Alice seeks to prove his superiority time and again in Welcome to Demon School!, only to be made a fool. At this rate, he will have to cut his losses and reassess what's really important in life -- and that's where Clara comes in.
Alice had believed acting like a prince would lend him strength and dignity, but it's only made him complacent and even miserable. Clara now helps Alice get a good night's rest with a lullaby, and the next morning they all take part in the harvest at the family garden. Alice is clearly in a better mood, more like Iruma. Bit by bit, he lets go of his vain exterior and assimilates into the carefree Valac household, enjoying everyday life for what it is rather than what it could be.
Iruma and Clara both set an example for their friend by having fun in their humble lives, thinking nothing of the demon king title or noble status. Sabnock had urged Alice to get aggressively ambitious in pursuing demon king status, but he was only speaking for himself. Shonen titles like Iruma-Kun! put more emphasis on friendship, loyalty and trust than selfish ambition, and Alice is learning this lesson one step at a time. He may find true happiness not with a crown on his head as demon king, but with beloved friends by his side.
