episode_0111

000

The light appeared, brilliantly illuminating the sky like the sun brightening the dawn.

If there were light seeping in when I opened my eyes, should I compare the shape of that light to the radiance emanating from opened eyes?

Tearing through the void, the brilliant golden light appeared with a sharp cracking sound.

The light possessed warmth like that of the real sun, and it was a light of mercy that healed the wounds of the injured when it touched them.

It was a manifestation of divinity with the power to burn away impurity, purify evil, and embody justice.

Faster than sound, the light swept through the entire academy, erasing all the impure things that were within it.

Traces of mud scattered on the ground, the legion of undead haunted by spirits, and the malice of the ancients possessed by runaway artifacts.

And even a small grudge left behind by a young man who had already suffered much and was disappeared by his former friend, the hero, were swallowed up.

It was to cut off the possibility of another tragedy by leaving the ancient beings who used him to remain on this land.

The light of the golden holy sword, Caliburn.

The true power she possessed, which had never been shown even once in the hands of Albein, its original owner, was.

It was truly the ability to control immense divine magic, encompassing everything to the point where it would be no exaggeration to call it the light of salvation.

And divine magic is the purest magic that holds the attribute of that star.

It closes the opened dimensional rift, removes all the erosion that had escaped from it, and heals people.

The people of the academy, who had been feeling their bodies gradually getting heavier, were freed from that binding.

They could easily tell that the battle had come to an end.

“Cleon!”

The first to run to Cleon was Kuon, who was nearby.

Having played a major role in the fight against the undead alongside Iona, she ran faster than when she fought them and hugged Cleon’s body.

Watching that scene, Iona had already returned to her human form and was letting out a sigh of relief.

“I’m so glad…. You came back…! I was worried about what would happen if you didn’t come back…!”

Seeing her holding onto him with large teardrops flowing, Cleon patted her back.

The next moment, Galatea, who had been hanging on his hip, changed from the form of a sword into a human and briefly glared at Kuon.

But, perhaps thinking that she would have reacted the same way if she had been in the same position, she couldn’t bring herself to show a strongly cold attitude.

And one by one, students and colleagues from the Sacred Studies Department gathered around Cleon.

Trace, who had gone in a different direction and was injured, or Sasha, who supported him and brought him over, running as soon as she saw Cleon.

Beatrice, watching the situation, shook her head at Layla, who asked as if to say she didn’t have to go, and conceded.

And Aruru, walking over with the `Soul Capture` that he had carried in his hand after burying the precious friend with his own hands.

Riomes was only smiling, holding the nape of Pairu and Luzley, who were trying to run while shouting something like `Keep your promise!` to Cleon.

“Amazing. It’s like the return of a hero.”

As Aruru approached and said that, Cleon gave a bitter smile and looked back at her.

He knew well that her words were not malicious sarcasm, but a pure feeling she felt.

“It’s the modifier that suits me the least.”

As Cleon replied, Aruru shook her head and answered.

“No. Cleon, who did not succumb to malice, fought with the hopes of the people on his back, and restored peace, is a wonderful `hero` no matter what anyone says.”

At Aruru’s honest words, Cleon blushed slightly and scratched his head.

He still wasn’t used to receiving such gratitude from others so directly.

During his childhood spent in Elesia, and later during his life as an adventurer, the basic gaze of people towards Cleon was far from goodwill.

`Distrust` `Suspicion` `Hatred`

The reason he was able to endure all the abuse and contempt he received for being a member of the Black Magic clan and a demon swordsman was.

It was because even such a person had been saved by the `Hero` Leshia and a small belief in humanity he received from her was deep in his heart.

That belief had been shaken once by Albein, but for Cleon, rather than being angered by `Albein` and making the feelings received from `Leshia` meaningless.

Even if he were to embrace the darkness with Galatea, he would protect the city of Elesia and Luti, where he had memories with her, by any means or method he could.

He chose the path of defeating Albein, who was endangering the people around him with the power of the holy sword, and avenging her.

Aruru was a hero shining with the same golden light as Leshia whom Cleon had seen in his childhood.

Hearing such a story from Aruru, who was the closest person to a hero that Cleon himself knew, not a mere imitator like himself.

A sense of pride in his own actions arose along with an embarrassing feeling.

Perhaps, this is also an emotion that arose from resonating with the holy sword Caliburn.

[That’s different~ Cleon doesn’t get eaten by the `light` of the holy sword like the weak-minded Albein.]

At the languid voice coming from his hip, Cleon briefly looked down at his holy sword.

It was definitely her who told him not to talk about Albein, but it seemed like it was okay for him to talk about it.

“That’s… the holy sword?”

Suddenly, Cleon nodded at Aruru’s question, who looked at Caliburn, which was emitting a weak light.

“Then, Cleon has really become a hero.”

Come to think of it, if a person who uses a holy sword is called a `hero`, then Cleon, who resonates with Caliburn, could also be called a hero.

“Wait! Cleon is a demon swordsman. Not a hero or anything. Even if he uses a holy sword.”

However, Galatea denied Aruru’s words and pulled Cleon’s arm.

“If you really want to talk about using a holy sword, call him a `demonic holy swordsman`.”

Looking at her making up and talking about the name of a new class as she pleased, both Aruru and Cleon gave a bitter smile.

[Since demonic holy swordsman doesn’t sound very good, how about holy demonic swordsman~?]

Galatea strikes the palm of her hand towards Caliburn, who is subtly trying to put the holy sword in front.

“…Anyway, is this really all over?”

“No, we haven’t restored everyone’s memories yet.”

As Cleon said that and looked at Beatrice, Beatrice nodded and approached Cleon.

“The Demiourgos factor that Rail had has now been transferred into Aruru. And since we have to recover the factors that everyone in the Sacred Studies Department has…”

Hearing those words, Cleon narrowed his eyes for a moment.

There are two ways to hand over the `Demiourgos factor` that they know.

The first is to defeat and take it from someone who originally had the factor like Aruru.

The second is to weaken the barrier of the soul by mixing bodies and then transfer the factor.

“Wait. Does that mean, with everyone who has the factor-”

Beatrice’s face also turns red at Cleon’s words.

“If it’s the Sacred Studies Department, I can do it with everyone again, but wouldn’t it be better to leave the other people to Instructor Cleon?”

“Ehhh!? We like the instructor too!”

The twins protest Riomes’s words. And Demis, for some reason, seems to be a little expectant.

No, wait, why is Demis…

“I don’t have any complaints about mixing bodies with Cleon either….”

Aruru also clears her throat and blushes, but soon laughs as if it was a joke and hands over the object she was holding.

It is the ancient artifact `Soul Capture` in the form of a leather glove that Rail had, which steals the soul of the opponent.

“If I use this, can I take out that Demiourgos factor?”

It is possible to do so if you use it as Aruru said, but Beatrice is in a state where her soul has been injured by that artifact.

“…I see, then. After all, is it the fastest way to be held by Cleon…?.”

Aruru, who was listening to Cleon’s explanation, tries to take off her clothes on the spot.

“W, what are you doing!?”

At Cleon’s objection, who was horrified by the sight, Aruru answers.

“No, I thought it would be better to do it a little faster…. Is this place not good after all? The floor is also hard….”

“I meant there are many other people around! Why? Weren’t you that lacking in common sense!?”

At Cleon’s question, Aruru puts her hand on her chin and thinks hard.

“Ah, maybe. She absorbed the 20% of the factor that he had whole, so maybe her self-control has disappeared a little….”

Cleon sighs, resting his forehead on his hand at Beatrice’s words.

“Haha. You look troubled, Cleon.”

“Really. I’m sick of anything related to Demiourgos now-”

Suddenly, Cleon turns his body as he hears a somewhat familiar, but very old voice from behind.

There, a tall woman was standing.

She was taller than Cleon, who had grown quite tall, by more than a head.

Long purple hair that stopped at a precarious height just before touching the ground.

Stretchy pants and a thin cloth outer garment.

Wearing a wide-brimmed navy blue witch’s hat and amber eyes with a cross engraved on them.

“Teacher!?”

“So, Sophia…!”

The area around them becomes noisy because of Cleon’s reaction, as if he had seen something the world feared, and the identity of the woman that came out of his mouth.

“Sophia…? If it’s Sophia, then she’s the one who defeated the Empire with the hero in that war….”

“Great Sage Sophia…? That person?”

The person in question ignores such a commotion with an attitude as if she is used to it, or as if she doesn’t care, and approaches Cleon.

“Yeah! Aren’t you happy to see your sister after a long time?”

Looking at Sophia, who grabs Cleon’s shoulder as he tries to step back, Cleon lets out a groan.

“Who’s your sister…! Don’t act friendly on your own…!”

Beatrice and Aruru could not help but question Cleon’s attitude, which was close to hostility.

“Why are you like this~? I’m just happy to see you after a long time. Uncle Talcheck is also dead, so now the only remaining Four Heroes in this world are me and that kid, right? You’re the only one who can share memories of our youth, Cleon~”

“… … Is that really the only reason?”

As Cleon spoke suspiciously, Sophia nodded, saying `uh-huh,` and tried to stroke Cleon’s head.

“…Well. That’s also one of the reasons, but I also came to get my item back. `Soul Capture`.”

At Sophia’s words, Cleon looks down at the glove he received from Aruru.

“So this was yours after all. Where did you drop it that that guy had it?”

“No, well… I made a mistake in a gambling bet and got a lot of debt… I gave it as collateral at that time?”

The people around them are once again stirred by those words.

“Great Sage Sophia is gambling…? To the point of getting into debt…?”

Cleon presses down on his throbbing temples as his head starts to ache, and asks Sophia.

“Is there a way to take out the Demiourgos factor without damaging the soul using this?”

“Ah, there is. What, if you wanted to know something like that, why didn’t you ask?”

Sophia smiles purely and takes out the other Soul Capture that is paired with the glove she recovered and hands it to Cleon.

“You need to use both of them at the same time to add more stability to the control. With this, you should be able to move the Demiourgos factor without touching the soul.”

Cleon’s face becomes suspicious at Sophia’s explanation, but still, he doesn’t think that she, who is a sage, would deliver the wrong information or lie.

As Cleon, who equipped both of them, looks at Aruru, Aruru nods and holds out both hands.

And when the two people’s hands are held together, a channel of magic power – no, a channel of souls – is felt to be connected, similar to when they mixed bodies.

And Cleon could see the `factor` like an impurity mixed in her soul.

He gently touches only that, separates the guys sticking to it, and brings it to Cleon’s side.

Cleon, who succeeded in recovering the factor from her body through a short spell deployment, looked at the Soul Capture as if something was amazing.

“Aruru. How’s your body?”

“I’m fine. There’s nothing hurting, and I actually feel a little lighter.”

All that remains for Cleon, who lets out a sigh of relief at her answer, is to separate the factor from all the students in the Sacred Studies Department as he did just now.

As that happened, a situation like a handshake event unfolded because of the students in the Sacred Studies Department lining up in front of Cleon.

Students who come in front of Cleon one by one and receive the factor by shaking hands with him.

Among them-

“Please touch me here! It’s okay wherever the part that’s touching is, right!?”

“Don’t overdo it!”

There were also students who caused the same small commotion, but he safely recovered the factor from them as well.

“Let’s talk when the work is over, Cleon? I have so much to tell you.”

After patting Cleon’s shoulder, Sophia walks away from the academy and is followed with his eyes for a moment.

He concentrates on the work of recovering the remaining factor from the students in front of him again.

And until the last person. When he finishes recovering the scattered factors, he looks at Beatrice.

“Then… with this, can we release the mind alteration?”

“Yes. Concentrate your mind, the power of the factor will react to your will from inside your soul.”

As she advises, he closes his eyes and reaches out his senses towards the inner soul, he can definitely feel a new magic engraving throbbing, extending from the factor and sticking to his heart.

Like a magical tool that invaded the body from the outside, he can know how to use this power by running magic power through it.

The power that this demon has is, literally, the power to subjugate the human soul.

The five Demiourgos divide and rule the five strong elements that humans have.

Among them, the power of the demon that dominates the mind and even changes memories.

If he thinks that a part of that power is dwelling within him, he feels more fear that he might accidentally succumb to the temptation of this power and wield it recklessly than anticipation for that power.

However, Beatrice grabs Cleon’s hand and speaks.

“It’ll be okay if it’s you, senpai. There must have been countless temptations while coming here, but if it’s you, senpai, who has endured all of them….”

And she smiles slightly as she looks straight into his eyes.

“And because there are many people by your side, senpai, who are with you.”

Eventually, Cleon gains reassurance from her words and slowly starts to circulate his magic power.

The power of Demiourgos is the power of the devil.

But even the power of the devil changes its results depending on who uses it.

Just like his demon sword.

“Demiourgos factor, activate.”

The light that slowly spreads out from Cleon envelops the entire academy.

It was the same kind of light as the light that had messed everything up.

But this time, it was a light that returned everything to its original state.

001

The next morning. Cleon was lying on his bed with bandages wrapped around his entire body.

He remembers having a similar experience to this someday.

That’s right. It was after defeating Albein, after Galatea swallowed Caliburn’s core on her own.

Was it a side effect of using the power of the Demiourgos factor this time? He passed out on the spot with pain as if his bones were twisting.

Next to him were Layla with a sobbing face and Beatrice with a troubled face.

As the light that returned everything swept through the academy, all those who were affected by the mind alteration were said to have collapsed on the spot.

Except for Kuon, Sasha, Aruru, and the students of the Sacred Studies Department, who had regained their memories before that.

Of course, those who were not affected from the beginning, like Iona, Galatea, and Beatrice, were also excluded.

The group, who brought Cleon, who suddenly spewed blood and collapsed, back to Layla’s mansion, moved Layla, who had also fainted, to her room and then treated Cleon.

Sophia said that it was because the types of magic power he had in his body were too many, and they were causing a reaction against each other.

She said that his body would gradually get used to it over time, but Cleon remembers her laughing and saying that it would be a little painful until then.

And Layla, who naturally woke up after some time, ran to Beatrice, who was tending to Cleon without even getting dressed as soon as she woke up.

She buried her face in her chest and started crying.

She calmed down after a while, but she was still clinging to her and sniffling.

“Layla. I understand that you remembered things about your friend, and that you’re relieved that she’s actually alive even though you thought she was dead. But Sophia-ssi said that Cleon needs absolute rest, right?”

Kuon, who prepared porridge for Cleon, says to Layla as she comes in with food.

“Uhhh. Bub…”

Cleon, whose mouth was wrapped in bandages so he couldn’t speak properly, tried to say something but soon gave up, and Sasha quietly lowered Cleon’s bandage next to him.

“…No, it’s okay. It can’t be helped that this guy is like this….”

“That’s right. It seems like she doesn’t want to be separated from me and senpai…”

“While looking at Bea being alive, she lived while forgetting about it…. She must have said a lot of embarrassing things to Cleon and must have been hated…”

Layla’s mentality was crumbling and she was clinging to the two of them with an attitude almost at the level of infantile regression.

“It’s not like I’m that petty…. And. When you lost your memories, you had an attitude that reminded me of the old days, shall I say.`

“It’s the worst…! Why didn’t I have the will of the stars or a god…!”

“Hey, but it’s okay because I’m here, right? Master? I was the first to go to Papa, too~”

Inis comforts Layla, but Layla glares at Inis once and then buries her face again.

“Hmm~ My disciple is so popular with so many women, I’m a little complicated.”

And Sophia, who is in the room as if it were natural.

Cleon can’t turn his head, so he only turns his eyes and looks in the direction she is.

“In the end, if you were going to show up, why didn’t you help from the beginning?”

“That’s no good. I made a contract with the Elders a long time ago, so it was impossible for me to directly interfere with the things happening inside the academy. So, I delivered things through Iona. The situation has been resolved, so I came out thinking it was okay to show up now.”

“Ah. I see….”

Cleon gives a sighing answer to her words.

“Th, that… is Sophia-ssi Cleon-ssi’s sister?”

Whether she was concerned about the relationship between the two, Sasha raises her hand slightly and asks.

“No”

“Yes”

And the two give conflicting answers.

“There’s no way I, a member of the Black Magic clan, would have a sister like that. She’s just calling me her sister because we spent some time together when I was young.”

“Spent some time together! Leshia left you with me because she was busy, and we took baths together and slept together! How much did I cherish you!”

“I was the one who dragged you, who didn’t want to wash, into the bath, and I must have been the one who put you to sleep when you were trying to stay up all night for days….”

Everyone except Sophia and Cleon, perhaps drawing a rough picture of their relationship from the conversation between the two, silently let out a sigh of relief. Along with a slight envy.

“Hahahaha…. Is it okay to say such things~? Cleon. You haven’t forgotten, have you!~”

“What…. No, wait. No way-”

As Cleon, who had a bad feeling looking at Sophia with a sly smile, tries to raise his body to block her mouth-

Crack…!

With a sound, he collapses helplessly.

“The fact that I was the one who took your virginity, Cleon…!”

“… …”

“V, virgin!? Cleon’s first experience!?”

At those words, Kuon almost drops the tableware she was holding, but barely manages to grab it and avoid a major accident.

Cleon was collapsing and not reacting at all.

“Yeah~ When he was young, he was like `So, Sophia. I’m…. Here….` and~”

“No, I’m really envious! How old was Cleon back then!?”

Iona overreacts to Sophia’s words.

“Galatea.”

“Okay, okay. The patient really needs to rest now, so everyone get out for a bit!”

As Cleon muttered quietly, Galatea, who had appeared, gets annoyed and sends everyone except Sophia out of the room.

Soon, in the room that had finally become quiet, Sophia looks at Cleon and speaks.

“You’ve really become popular! Cleon. Leshia would be proud if she saw you.”

“What did you come here to talk about.”

At Cleon’s words, Sophia closes her mouth for a moment.

“…Uncle Talcheck’s death and you working as an adventurer are all because you’re chasing `Leshia`’s traces, right.”

“You were also wandering through the cracks in dimensions, weren’t you. I heard it from Beatrice.”

“I used to be. Not anymore. It’s a little hard even for me.”

Cleon frowns and feels the remnants of the other dimension’s magic power that he feels from her body.

Not as much as Talcheck, but she had also been quite affected by that erosion.

“Are you going to continue?”

“Of course. I’ve also caught a small clue. A memoria cube, Talcheck left it behind.”

“I gave that to him. I said that he was free to check the contents…. I also only saw the contents inside slightly. To the extent that I realized Leshia’s figure could be seen.”

Cleon closes his mouth for a moment at Sophia’s words.

“…Have you given up?”

“To be honest…. Yeah. Even if I chase after Leshia any more than this, I don’t think she’ll come back. As a sage who maintains the balance of the world, there are more problems to concentrate on than that.”

“The guardian is busy, I see. I’m glad that I’m just an ordinary adventurer so I’m not chased by such obligations.”

Sophia shows a smirk at Cleon’s words.

“Ordinary… you say. Can you really say that you, who have both a demon sword and a holy sword at the same time, and have built up so many relationships, are ordinary, Cleon. Causality is converging. The time of choice will come for you.”

“… A prophecy?”

“Sages don’t make prophecies. They only predict. Using the Philosopher’s Stone to check the contents of the memoria cube. That’s the turning point.”

“… …”

Cleon closes his mouth for a moment at Sophia’s words. He had to find what he had to ask her from among the miscellaneous thoughts floating in his head.

But the conclusion did not change.

“Even if all of you give up on her. You guys have things that you have to protect.”

“… …”

“But everything I have was received from her. So I have to find her.”

As he said that, Sophia, who had a sad face for a moment, approached Cleon.

She gently kisses the forehead wrapped in bandages and strokes Cleon’s head.

“Good kid. Leshia will definitely be proud of you. And at the same time, she’ll worry endlessly. She might even get angry.”

“… …”

“But you’re an adult now. If you can carry out your will to that extent, it might be rude to call you a kid, Cleon.”

Sophia said that and then slowly disappeared. It was a teleportation spell.

“I’ll wait for you a little in the future. Cleon. Tell me your will again when that time comes.”

“In the future or in the past. Even in another world, my will will not change, Sophia.”

Eventually, Cleon quietly closed his eyes, looking at the place where she, who had disappeared, was standing.

002

The room of the mansion where darkness had fallen as the sun had set.

Cleon, who spends his time lying on the bed all day, eventually woke up from his sleep and was blinking, waiting to fall asleep again.

At that time, the sound of the door opening with a creak-

Ah. This pattern. As Cleon quietly opens his eyes.

He could see Layla and Beatrice coming in together.

“As you can see. I’m an immobile patient.”

“W, we asked Riomes. About how to dissolve tangled magic power. That’s her specialty.”

“I think the answer she’ll give you is only one.”

Beatrice also nods at Cleon’s answer.

“It’s, it’s okay! Senpai! We’ll do something about it! We borrowed a book called the basics of bedchamber arts from Riomes-ssi and read it all!”

“If it’s Bea, she remembers the contents of all the books she’s read once. There won’t be a problem.”

As they said that, the two of them gulp down the bottle containing the magic potion they brought.

Phew…. The eyes of the two exhaling in the darkness, shone.

“…Cleon♡”

“…Senpai♡”

A moist voice is heard from both sides, signaling the beginning of the night.