episode_0095

1.

Summer vacation is over and academy life begins again.

“Hey class.”

“Ugh, ugh… Cariel…!”

As I entered the classroom breathlessly, Kariel raised her hand to greet me.

“I almost couldn’t even have the opening ceremony.”

“I must have been really busy. It was close.”

The only thing I did until the end of summer vacation was to become stronger.

Because I had the opportunity to get it now, I had to work hard to get through the tight schedule.

Murder, murder, murder, until the smell of blood seeps into your body…

Haa. If this continues, the black flame dragon sleeping in my left hand will wake up?

“What is it? Your eyes look bad.”

“Send.”

Even though I said that, it felt like raising a game character.

No matter how many monsters you kill in the game, what kind of guilt do you feel?

Because I just focus on becoming stronger.

but.

‘If you kill a human…’

The problem is that this creepy thought won’t leave my head.

But if it’s that bad, then it’s not the main character, the hero, or even a human.

I am a human, a warrior, and the protagonist of Akama-King, so I have no such thoughts.

“Did you train hard during the vacation?”

“Hey. What about training? I traveled a lot. What about you?”

“I was at home too. It’s vacation.”

You’re lying.

You must have just practiced at home.

Of course, I am also on a training trip.

While I was chatting with Kariel like that.

After a long time, a familiar face entered the classroom.

Since I came in the latest, of course I am the main character.

“Did you have a good vacation?”

“Yes~”

“No!”

“Hello.”

This is Instructor Tachibesus.

“Please note that today is a shortened class.”

“Yep.”

“Yes~.”

The kids felt somewhat comfortable with Instructor Tachibesos.

A blunt yet kind and detailed teaching style.

Or a proud smile that comes out from a rough-looking face.

Of course, that’s natural, since he’s a teacher who definitely loves his students.

“I won’t say much since you must have had a hard time coming this far. Self-study.”

He left the class so coolly.

For a moment, I felt like I was wondering what was going on.

The kids who had gathered in groups of three or five began to chat about what happened during vacation.

Like going on vacation, going back to my hometown, or going to practice.

‘I hope there will be a sequel.’

It’s completely different for me, who knows that the Demon King’s arrival is just around the corner.

The rumors have all worn off, so there is no longer any tense tension.

I wonder if the summer vacation is over and everyone’s focused topics have changed.

“Hoo…”

“What are you sighing about?”

“There is something like that.”

The thought of starting over again makes me feel a little suffocated.

At that time, like any other kid chatting, there were kids who approached Kariel and me.

“Hello class, Cariel.”

“Nice to meet you, nice to meet you…!”

Ignis and Tyna are sobbing.

Ignis was hanging on Taina’s waist, feeling a bit awkward.

“What’s wrong, Taina? Did you tease Ignis?”

“No! That can’t be!”

“Eww! Taina, don’t do that! Don’t leave me!”

“Oh my. It’s just stuck. I think it’s separation anxiety…”

hmm.

The symptoms seem a bit serious though.

“Did something happen during the vacation?”

“It’s hard to spend two months alone…”

“I see. Taina, did you have a good vacation?”

“Um, um… ma…?”

Both Taina and Ignis have a rough attitude.

Because I don’t even welcome greetings after vacation that warmly.

When you feel a little embarrassed.

-Druk

The classroom door opened and the chatter in the classroom stopped for a moment.

No matter how comfortable Instructor Tachibesus is, he doesn’t have the courage to chat right in front of me.

But contrary to my guess that it would be the instructor.

“Uh, um…”

The one who opened the classroom door was Srenya.

He shook his head as if he was embarrassed by the children’s attention.

Then, attention was focused on another meaning.

“Hey! Srenya!”

Taina stopped Ignis from running towards her like a dog to greet its owner.

“Excuse me, class! I have something to tell you!”

huh?

“Me?”

The absurd situation where the prettiest girl in the city, no, in the world, calls me during class.

In that awkward situation, I pointed at myself with my finger and checked again before sitting down.

Then Cariel put his hand on her back.

“Yeah. There’s no one else in this class besides you.”

“Ah, uh… uh, then.”

I couldn’t hide my bewildered expression and walked to the front of the classroom.

Even enjoying the warm gazes that I felt as I stepped forward.

“Let’s talk for a minute.”

As soon as we left the classroom, the atmosphere in Srenya changed.

He walked away from the classroom, looking around with great caution.

“Srenya. But is it okay for me to just come out like this?”

“Yeah. Teacher Casselina gave permission. It’s free time anyway.”

“You too.”

Unable to continue the small talk any longer, I followed Srenya’s tail.

When you wonder where you’re going.

“Go in.”

Srenya stopped in front of the student council room and spoke.

He hurriedly put me in the student council room first, closed the door, and muttered something.

“…..Soundproofing complete. Sorry. I have to make sure to do this so that I feel at ease.”

“That could be it.”

Srenya acted quite thoroughly, perhaps because of the leak of the prophecy.

I feel a little guilty because I know that this is where the rumors started.

“Now I can say it.”

Srenya took a breath.

I wonder what the big story is.

‘…Confession, I guess not.’

I’ve fantasized about it, but… our relationship hasn’t progressed enough to warrant a confession.

I just waited quietly for Srenya to speak.

After a brief wait, Srenya opened her mouth.

“I heard the second prophecy.”

“…What!?”

“During the vacation, directly to the world tree.”

I was so surprised that I jumped up from my seat.

A prophecy that may or may not come someday.

It could be a big hint to prepare for the Demon King in the future, but it could also throw the story into a maze.

Anyway, it allows the story to unfold.

“What’s the content…?”

“….The Demon King is strong.”

“Yeah. I’m listening.”

“…The Demon King is strong, that’s the prophecy.”

Hehe.

“This is awesome.”

“I knew it. I had a similar reaction to you when I first heard it.”

“Maybe I expected too much? There’s no way the prophecy would turn out exactly the way I like it. Hahaha.”

I held back laughter.

Because I was stupid for expecting that.

“If we synthesize it with the first prophecy, it won’t be that simple.”

“Huh?”

Unlike me who had given up on myself, Srenya’s eyes were filled with gunfire.

But is it possible that only one spirit eye is shining through the tired eyes?

“The first prophecy was, ‘There is a Demon King in the Academy.’”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right.”

It’s a prophecy similar to the saying that the Demon King lives in the Academy.

I didn’t really care because it was similar to the theme of the work.

Could this prophecy have a greater meaning?

“The Demon King in the Academy is strong.”

…ah.

“So, the strongest person in the Academy is the Demon King. It’s not like their power is weakened or sealed. Only the strongest people in the Academy have the potential to become the Demon King.”

“If we look at it simply… half of the Academy is not a suspect for the Demon King.”

“That’s right.”

What Srenya said was more useful than I thought.

We have very little information about the Demon King.

I managed to find some information during this vacation, but it’s still not enough.

In the meantime, excluding half of them is a more valuable classification than you might think.

“Wait a minute. Isn’t it weird to think of a strong person as someone who is above the Academy average?”

An idea suddenly occurred to me during that time.

“Actually, I also have some doubts. Who should be the standard for being strong? The standard for being strong may not necessarily be limited to the academy.”

“It’s not important how you set that standard.”

“Yeah.”

Everything is relative.

What is big compared to what?

What is less than more?

It can be perceived differently by each person and cannot exist as an absolute indicator.

But what if there is a standard that most people agree on?

“How about being in the ranks of the Academy powerhouses?”

“…What is that?”

“Oh, I didn’t take the midterm exam in a tournament format.”

“Yeah. I took the midterm exam individually.”

Srenya didn’t participate in the tournament, so we don’t know.

“There is a level at which one is considered strong in the academy. You could call it a national rule.”

“There is something like that…”

“A person who advances to the round of 16 or higher in the midterm exam tournament is said to be among the strong.”

“Then…!”

“Yeah. It’s not unreasonable to consider someone who is stronger than the Round of 16 as a strong person within the Academy.”

Of course, we must take into account that there is a certain amount of leap in thinking.

It may not be that the strong ones only consider those who are above the round of 16, and there are also seniors in the academy.

But what’s important now is.

“Because it narrows down the suspects to the Demon King even a little bit.”

I got my own harvest.

I guess we’ll have to talk about this in more detail at the warrior club meeting in two days.

That concludes my conversation with Srenya.

Then come back to the class.

“……..”

I had to endure the stares of the kids looking at me.

Half of the kids mistook him for Tachibesus, while the other half looked at him with suspicion.

I tried hard to ignore those gazes and returned to my seat.

“Hoo.”

“If something happened, your complexion has gotten worse.”

“It won’t be a big deal.”

“What are you talking about?”

Kariel gives me a worried look.

My expression might be a little shabby.

Hmm, I understand.

Hearing about the Demon King through the prophecy really makes me nervous.

‘Is this how I gradually get closer to the Demon King?’

Because I felt anxious about doing it.

Whenever I read a novel about a warrior party, I always thought it was easy.

The warrior will win anyway?

The Demon King will lose anyway.

The outcome is already decided.

It’s a bit boring because the happy ending where the hero or good wins is already decided.

But now that I’ve become a warrior, I understand.

Because I was thinking from the character’s perspective, not from the observer’s perspective.

‘I’m so frustrated I’m going to die.’

It’s quite scary and extremely difficult.

Even if it’s a cool title like warrior and the role of protagonist.

“Why me of all people…”

The thought keeps coming to my mind.

Just as a child cannot choose his parents, I cannot choose my warriors.

It’s almost as if God chose me as a warrior.

A person who struggles with helplessness and grows up to be destined to defeat the Demon King.

‘Is that what it means to be a warrior?’

I thought that the sense of responsibility would be much heavier than the honor of a warrior.