chapter_0132

Are there about three days left now?

I wiped the blood off the Dragon Tooth Sword and thought about the time left.

I was thinking about the time left until the final exam. Even though attendance doesn’t matter, I still have to take the exam.

I could just not take it at all, but I felt a little guilty for neglecting the final exam even though I had the title of Academy Cadet.

I reduced the clean Dragon Tooth Sword to the size of a dagger, tucked it into my waist, and looked around. Compared to the beginning, the number of dead bodies lying around had decreased significantly.

This was because the rumor about the existence of a being who only kills chieftains who call themselves demons had spread quite far. Now, people often recognized me even without an introduction.

By the time the battle was over, the enemies had scattered in all directions and fled, so it was impossible to catch and punish them all. The rumor must have been spread by those who escaped. It was inevitable to miss a few of them while dealing with a whole tribe alone.

The interesting thing was that even though people knew there was someone like that, almost no one believed that the person inside was human. They often reacted with disbelief, wondering if the person was really human, only after meeting me.

‘That werewolf was wiser.’

The first werewolf chieftain I met immediately prepared to fight with all his might, even though he realized I was human. His subordinates openly looked down on me, but he didn’t care.

I went to a rock that wasn’t covered in blood and spread out a makeshift map on it. It was a map I made by interrogating a few of the fleeing enemies.

It seemed that I only needed to take care of about three or four more places before I could return.

‘What is it?’

As I was about to put away the map and move on to the next location, I felt a large presence approaching me. It was accompanied by a much more powerful aura than any of the enemies I had killed so far.

The only beings capable of emitting such power were the Legion Commanders.

‘It must be the Dullahan.’

There were only two Legion Commanders left, and if it wasn’t the Dullahan, it would be the Elder Lich. However, the Elder Lich wouldn’t come alone like this; he would surround the area with undead first.

-Kwaaaaaang!

“I’ve finally found you.”

As I expected, a knight appeared in front of me, smashing the strangely grown trees like straws.

His black armor was of medium thickness and size, somewhere between heavy and light armor. There was something missing from his shoulder, which was wedged between his left arm and his side.

“Are you the one who has been dealing with the disloyal ones who call themselves demons?”

“Yes, that’s me. Why?”

I aimed Dragon Tooth at him and asked back. Fighting a Legion Commander here wasn’t a problem. However, the problem was that if the Dullahan died at this point, leaving only the Elder Lich, no one knew what the Elder Lich would do.

According to Elysier, there was a high probability that the Elder Lich had remained quiet so far because of the Dullahan.

“I didn’t come here to fight, loyal one. For the one who acts for the Demon King, I will personally—”

The Dullahan’s words stopped abruptly. His body trembled as he examined me carefully, and then he spoke again.

“Are… are you human?”

“Whether I’m human or not doesn’t really matter. Why don’t you explain what you were planning to do personally first?”

The Dullahan, who seemed to be hesitating for a moment, regained his composure and sheathed his drawn sword.

“Yes, whether you are human or not is not important. What matters is that you serve the true ruler and sovereign, the Demon King. Thank you for opening my eyes. You have excellent insight. I recognized your loyalty from the moment you acted for the Demon King. Just as your eyes, which serve the true ruler, are not wrong, my eyes are not wrong either.”

Clap, clap, clap. The Dullahan clapped leisurely. I was speechless. I became very curious about what was going on in his head.

“Sheathe your sword and kneel, excellent human. In recognition of your loyalty and honorable actions for the Demon King, I will personally bestow upon you a token of loyalty. You are a knight worthy of receiving this.”

“… .”

I was surprised by the reason for his sudden appearance here, on the opposite side of the Demon King’s Castle. Even taking into account that my actions might make me seem like a pro-Demon King faction, his behavior was still beyond my imagination.

Even though it was just an act, I felt uncomfortable receiving something from a demon. I thought hard about what to do with it and came up with a good idea.

‘Didn’t he say that I just have to do things that seem loyal or honorable?’

If Aria was a pushover, then the First Legion Commander was said to be obsessed with honor and loyalty to an extreme degree. The fact that he was comparable to Aria said it all.

During the final battle, he mobilized his entire legion, but when it came to fighting, he considered it dishonorable for many to fight one, so he fought the hero in a one-on-one duel. So it was definitely worth a try.

“You’re out of your mind. Who are you to bestow tokens of loyalty to me, disregarding the Demon King? Are you telling me to serve you instead of the Demon King?”

“…!”

“Bestowing something is solely the right of the ruler. Why do you decide that on your own? Is that what you consider loyalty and honor? Is it honorable to act on your own accord?”

The Dullahan froze in place as if he had been hit on the head. I quickly drove the point home.

“You’re so eager to act on your own that you must be one of those who secretly want to ascend to the Demon King’s throne, aren’t you?”

“Krrrrrrrrrr!”

The Dullahan knelt on the ground, letting out a metallic scream. Then he began to pound his shoulders on the ground and wail.

“No! That’s not it! I only serve the Demon King! I… I…”

The Legion Commander was indeed a Legion Commander, as the ground shook and a crater began to form around the Dullahan, as if it were about to become a crater. I stepped back to avoid the flying debris.

‘This is actually working.’

I had just said whatever came to mind, but I hadn’t expected it to be so effective. His personality perfectly fit Elysier’s description of him as a bit crazy.

The Dullahan kept pounding his shoulders on the ground until his armor was covered in dust, throwing his helmet aside and berating himself, before finally stumbling out of the dusty crater in a dejected state.

“You’re right, human… As a knight who serves the Demon King, I have committed an act of disloyalty that I should not have. This sin can only be repaid with my life… Where is the Demon King…!”

A mournful groan escaped from the helmet in his hand.

‘Elysier is probably in the club room, eating desserts with Rosalia.’

They were probably still raiding the refrigerator.

.

.

–

“… So you’re saying you’re on the same side as one of the Demon King’s Legion Commanders?”

“Sort of. He didn’t care at all that I’m human. In fact, he praised me for having excellent insight.”

“Hahahaha! That’s so like him!”

Elysier burst out laughing, holding her stomach. Rosalia and Laura looked exasperated as always, while Priscilla clung to me and purred contentedly, though with less desperation than before.

“I’ve fought him a few times and know what he’s like… I didn’t know he was that stupid.”

“I agree. It’s the personality I set up, but I never imagined it would be so extreme.”

Laura, who had been nodding in agreement, put down her teacup and asked a question.

“How is your task progressing, my friend?”

“It’s going too well, to the point of being a problem. The rumors have spread so fast that many surrender without a fight. Since those who claim to be demons are killed if they’re captured, they’re told to fight to the death, but when I see the surrendering ones, it doesn’t seem to be working at all.”

“As expected. That’s a very demonic thing to do.”

“Isn’t fighting to the death the demonic thing to do?”

“If all demons were like that, they wouldn’t have formed such a large force. Strength is everything, but the weak completely submit to the strong, didn’t you know? Once the difference in power is clear, they give up the idea of fighting altogether. Of course, humans are an exception.”

As I nodded in agreement, I heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. There were two of them, and from their stride, I recognized them as Leona and Aria.

“Leona and Aria are coming.”

“…… It’s time for us to face the Sword Saint, isn’t it?”

“Ah, it’s that time again. Lately, I’ve been wondering if I made a mistake by setting the Sword Saint to be that strong.”

Elysier and Laura sighed deeply, and even Priscilla looked sullen as she got up. Soon, a dishevelled Leona and Aria entered the club room.

“It’s your turn, it’s your turn! Get out! Oh… Your Highness the Crown Prince, and Priscilla too?”

Leona shouted without honorifics and then cautiously glanced at Laura and Priscilla. The two of them didn’t mind at all and bid farewell before heading towards the martial arts hall.

Aria sat neatly on the sofa with her knees together, while Leona slumped down next to her. I took out cold drinks from the refrigerator and threw one to each of them.

“Ah! Thank you, Mira!”

“I was thirsty. Thanks.”

“Is the sparring going well?”

Leona emptied her drink in one go and exhaled. Aria, on the other hand, held the bottle with both hands and sipped it like a squirrel.

“It’s exhausting. Now I understand why she said she was holding back with a teaspoon or a toothpick.”

“Yes, yes… It was really hard……”

Even Aria, who usually had a smiling face, was groaning, indicating that the training was indeed intense.

“I know. I can tell by how tattered your clothes are.”

The two of them looked down at their clothes for the first time and, after a beat, jumped up as if they had been burned.

“Mi, Mira! I’m sorry! I should have taken a shower first!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I was so focused on wanting to rest that I forgot……”

As they hurriedly got up to leave, I used magic to make them sit back down on the sofa and took out another drink for each of them.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“But… we’re not fine. We must smell of sweat and all……”

“I don’t smell anything.”

It was true. Whether it was because they were the protagonists of a romantic fantasy novel, or something else, both of them exuded a subtle floral fragrance instead of any unpleasant odors. Despite their tattered uniforms, their skin remained flawless and spotless.

“……”

“……”

As soon as I said that, Leona and Aria shrank back and trembled as they looked at me.

“Mira, did you really smell us? Are you serious?”

“Did you really? Please tell me you didn’t!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I just happened to notice it when I walked by to give you drinks.”

Their faces turned pale.

“Hey! You should have warned us beforehand! I’m not mentally prepared yet!”

“Yes! If you had told us, we could have at least prepared ourselves……”

“You would have let me smell you on purpose?”

At my question, Leona and Aria, whose faces had turned bright red, froze in their tracks. It seemed like they had just realized how their words could be interpreted.

“Th-that’s……”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please forget about it……”

Both of them looked like they were about to explode, bowing their heads and fidgeting with their thighs. I hadn’t sniffed them on purpose, so I didn’t understand why they were so embarrassed.

“It’s okay, Mira. I can respect your preferences, whatever they may be. How about it? Do you want to take a whiff?”

Rosalia, who had been covering her mouth and watching the unfolding tragedy, now revealed her snow-white neck as she threw her arms back, her silver-white hair falling to one side.

A playful yet seductive smile appeared on her face.

“I already know. It’s the scent of milk.”

“Milk?!”

I had felt it before, unintentionally, when she hugged me to comfort me.

“Ye-yes, the scent of milk……”

At my reply, Rosalia, who had been so confident a moment ago, now fidgeted, unable to meet my gaze. She mumbled quietly.

“Pervert……”

“Are you in a position to call me that?”

She had no right to say that, considering what she had done.