Ch.104. Have You Never Read a Romance Novel Before?

“What are you grinning about like that?”

Annoyed by the girl floating above his head and snickering during his walk to school, Kariel questioned her accusingly.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing special. Just had a pleasant dream.”

“…Do ghosts even dream?”

Kariel asked with a bewildered expression.

“If you’re curious, you could always end up like this yourself.”

She snickered again.

He couldn’t tell if her words were a joke or just idle chatter.

It was clearly not sincere, but still.

Like a giant tree in a forest that even misty fog couldn’t conceal.

Yet upon approaching, not a great tree at all, but a rotted, twisted dead trunk or something similar.

This woman seemed to reveal everything, yet disclosed nothing truly essential.

It was rather unfair, humanly speaking.

No, expecting something human from a Demon Lord was problematic too.

At this point, Kariel swallowed a bitter smile, thinking he wasn’t quite right in the head either.

“The Great Demon Lord said that when one becomes obsessed with euphoria, their tastes become quite depraved, you know?”

“…And?”

What’s euphoria anyway?

Regardless, she continued rambling, caught up in her own excitement.

“I almost became the Demon Lord of Ecstasy or the Demon Lord of Obsession instead of Wisdom. Wow, it’s still chilling to think about. But perhaps that kind of corruption wouldn’t have been so bad?”

“…?”

He knew she wasn’t right in the head, but sometimes he wondered what was going on in that mind of hers.

‘They say geniuses are eccentric.’

But she was the kind of outrageous being who would treat even exceptional geniuses like flies.

Still, compared to her usual listlessness and bored attitude, she seemed somewhat livelier now, which was slightly better.

‘Is that a bad thing?’

A Demon Lord showing enthusiasm for something.

How terrifying!

Even when she lacked motivation, she was a disaster for Kariel, but now something even worse might…

“Knowingly or unknowingly, your resolve and determination have been acknowledged—is that unfortunate or fortunate for you?”

“What acknowledgment? What misfortune or fortune…?”

He had no idea what she meant.

However.

‘That woman, Melineos’s filthy foresight activating means that this Kariel fellow has become a significant potential threat.’

She had no intention of forcing anything or steering him in that direction.

…But watching them fight to mutual destruction might be entertaining in its own way?

“Well, it’s just one possibility, not a fixed future—which is somewhat disappointing.”

In the Demon Lord’s judgment, the boy didn’t have the temperament to easily fall to corruption like in that woman’s prophetic dream.

At least not without several critical incidents and accidents piling up.

…He might become a dropout or a recluse.

But he didn’t have the disposition to sharpen a blade of vengeance while shedding tears of blood.

Of course…

…If the Demon Lord herself deliberately pushed him into the abyss, that might be different.

“Stop keeping things to yourself and explain so I can understand too.”

“I don’t want to. Why should I? What’s so cute about someone like you?”

“……”

“Don’t you think my mercy is incredibly deep just by allowing and overlooking your presumptuous intentions?”

“Sigh…”

Her words were exactly right.

The Demon Lord who claimed she had achieved her purpose.

Her intentions and objectives.

And how the aftermath affected the continental situation.

There was good reason why Kariel had been frequenting the library lately.

Since he regularly visited the library anyway, no one would find it particularly strange.

It was also the best place to organize his thoughts in peace, rather than for reading.

However, with the second quarter exams finished, vacation was the only thing left to come.

As a result, the overall classroom atmosphere had become much more relaxed.

…Of course.

Not everyone felt that way.

“Kariel! Can’t you maintain proper posture?!”

“……”

What a meaningless time.

The hour of repeatedly practicing the grand Imperial swordsmanship.

Kariel deliberately trained with obvious indifference.

This promptly earned him a reprimand from the swordsmanship instructor, who began lecturing him in front of everyone.

“Running out of patience? You used to put your heart into classes at least, but what kind of game is this now?”

“……”

“What? Have you finally decided to give up on becoming a knight? Or do you think that since your father is a hero and knight commander, and your grades are decent enough, you’ll manage somehow just by graduating?”

“Sigh…”

“A sigh? You…”

“I apologize.”

Kariel bowed his head obediently.

“I’m not feeling well today.”

“You call that an excuse…”

The instructor exhaled with a “huh” and nodded slightly.

“…If that’s the case, you should have said so earlier and excused yourself.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kariel bowed his head deeply again.

Afterward, the two reached a compromise where he would legally observe the training instead.

‘What’s the point of persisting or putting effort into training that’s completely meaningless to me?’

How could he possibly be motivated when training was actually counterproductive at this point?

“The more you train, the more your muscles get tangled and useless sensations build up, so you’re right.”

The Demon Lord floating above his head cackled as she spoke.

Even after the form training ended and moved on to sparring.

He sat on the side, blankly wasting time.

“……”

The Imperial Princess watched him for a moment.

But truly, just for a moment.

====

Arrows fly toward him.

Not just one, not dozens, but at least hundreds.

In total there would be even more, but right now Kariel only needed to worry about those hundreds.

Gripping his shield, eyes wide open.

He advances.

“Ugh!”

The arrows’ momentum throws him backward despite blocking them.

Sprawled on the ground, he tosses aside his shield, then scrambles forward to grab another fallen shield.

“Oh shit?!”

But the shield was in pieces.

The continuous volley exposed his entire body to the rain of arrows like a straw target.

“Gah!”

This process repeated dozens, hundreds of times.

Finally, he managed to advance about twenty paces.

However.

That was merely the starting point.

“Either annihilate the enemy or die yourself—those are the only two solutions in this training battlefield.”

And then.

“Aaaaargh!”

“This battlefield too.”

Hundreds of armored cavalry charge toward him with lances pointed.

The ground shakes as if struck by thunder, violently trembling as if in an earthquake.

The cavalry charge hits.

“—?!?!”

There’s no time to scream.

Compared to the arrow rain, dodging at first was easier, but what came after was the problem.

The cavalry charge swallowed him instantly like a massive tidal wave.

Even if not pierced by lances, the sensation of being struck by horses, trampled under hooves, his entire body becoming rags, breaking, crushing, shattering—it was an unbearably horrific experience.

“Urgh!”

Opening his eyes.

Another shower of arrows falls.

Another twenty paces.

No, this time he was lucky—despite taking arrows to his arms and chest, he advanced further to twenty-six paces.

But that was the end.

And again.

The arrow shower.

Just as he was getting used to it.

The cavalry charge unfolds again.

“Be consistent at least!”

There’s no time to complain.

This time he’s impaled by a lance.

“Gah!”

He wasn’t completely skewered, but the impact pierced his arm, leaving it dangling.

Before he could even register the shock of it.

Again struck by horses and sprawled on the ground.

Then, like before, repeatedly hit and trampled by horses’ legs and hard horseshoes until his entire body disintegrated into tattered rags.

“How is this supposed to be training?!”

Isn’t it common sense to at least provide conditions that allow for resistance?

If you throw a child to beasts and tell them to survive, would any child actually survive?

But regardless of Kariel’s inner thoughts.

He died and revived repeatedly.

“Ugh!”

Upon returning to reality and opening his eyes, nausea and the urge to vomit surged up, forcing him to cover his mouth and take deep breaths for a while.

“Reality is merciless. Remember that there is no world or country made for you.”

“Huff… Huff!”

“If you’re frustrated, your only option is to become stronger and wiser. The truth of the world is that if you’re ignorant, you suffer, and if you’re weak, you suffer.”

The Demon Lord, laughing gleefully, looked like a beautiful little devil incarnate.

Clearly she was his ideal type in appearance, yet somehow the more he looked at her, the more his hatred swelled like rising bread dough.

“Hey, you… are you okay?!”

Suddenly, hearing a familiar voice, he looked up.

“……”

“You look…”

“Didn’t I ask for some time?”

Seras Esdina.

“That’s not why I came here. Do you think the library is some place to meet you?”

Seras frowned as she retorted, and seeing her point, Kariel apologized readily.

“…I’m sorry if I reacted sensitively.”

“Y-you don’t need to apologize.”

Seras let out a breath that could have been either relief or a sigh.

“Since we’re on the topic, do you need more time to think? It’s not like you’re planning to consult your parents anyway, right?”

“……”

Kariel fell silent at her direct question.

“Oh, this is getting interesting!”

Interesting?

What on earth did that Demon Lord see that was so interesting…

“I believe I might be relevant here.”

Huh? This voice…

Seras straightened her back and reacted sharply.

Her tone openly dripped with hostility.

“…What brings Your Highness Elehermina to such a place?”

“Seras. I haven’t come somewhere I shouldn’t be, have I?”

“Of course not, Your Highness. However… for you to visit personally…”

“I didn’t come here to browse books. More precisely, Seras, I came to see you.”

Then, after briefly gazing at Kariel with her blue eyes.

“Kariel. The engagement ceremony is in a month. You’ve already heard the news, I presume?”

“…?”

No, I haven’t heard anything.

“Wow, is this what they call a catfight? How fascinating.”

What nonsense is that Demon Lord spouting now…

And catfight? Cat fighting?

“Huh, you don’t know? Have you never read a romance novel?”

Kariel took a deep breath, suppressing his irritation.

“Then I’ll quietly withdraw. It seems you two have business to discuss.”

Suddenly, Seras moved in close.

“Kal. Wait. Are you really okay?”

Seras pressed against him, touching his chin and carefully examining his complexion.

“……”

And the Imperial Princess watching this indifferently.

For some unknown reason, Kariel suddenly felt as if he’d been thrown onto thin ice—a very strange sensation.

‘Why is it so cold?’

Only after Seras realized her impropriety and stepped back did Kariel regain his freedom.

“Well then…”

“That’s rather careless behavior toward your fiancé.”

Seras jumped in as if she’d been waiting for this.

“Not yet. Isn’t your eagerness getting ahead of itself?”

“Seras. This is the Academy. There’s no need to speak formally to me here.”

“If that’s what you wish, gladly.”

“The atmosphere is heating up!”

Ignoring the mad Demon Lord’s mad ramblings.

Kariel left his seat.

“I’ll stay and watch a bit longer! Can’t miss an event this juicy!”

…Do as you please.

Kariel gritted his teeth and practically ran through the corridor.

He feared they might call him back at any moment.