Ch.264Side Story: Elder Lich? – 3

The rumor that Saint Rosaria Leone de Michaela was keeping a captured Demon Lord Army Commander by her side for rehabilitation spread throughout the academy in an instant, even without any special announcement.

The saint had been walking around the academy as usual with an unfamiliar woman beside her. When students curiously asked who the woman was, the saint simply answered that she was Elder Lich, who had been the 5th Commander of the Demon Lord’s Army.

After that, things moved quickly. Surprised students scattered in all directions, others who heard the rumor gathered around, and after seeing for themselves, they spread the news further.

“…Is this woman really Elder Lich, Saint?”

“Yes, she is. Come now, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

“Ugh… H-hello… there…”

“Ooooh…”

Many students marveled at the fact that this demon woman, who wore an expression of utter humiliation, was the Elder Lich who had caused the undead invasion incident.

Some who had been part of the clergy for a long time were beyond reverence for Rosaria—they were practically worshipping her.

“Saint, is this truly the Demon Lord Army Commander Elder Lich?”

“You’re asking the same question as the students.”

Even professors came in groups to see for themselves. That said it all—surely professors would have heard something from the Mage Association, yet they still came to see in person.

“To answer your question, yes, but she can no longer be called Elder Lich. Having embraced a fragment of the Life Vessel, she has regained her living form. Isn’t that right, demon?”

Rosaria answered with a truly saintly smile.

“Y…yes.”

Though she wasn’t Elder Lich anymore.

She seemed to be looking for any opportunity to cause trouble and get herself executed, but the command authority given through the activation word was absolute. All Elder Lich could do was faithfully follow Rosaria’s words.

“You’re quite terse. Is your education still lacking?”

“Y…yes… it is…”

“Ooooh…”

The professors left, repeating the same exclamations as the students. It was only natural, seeing a former Demon Lord Army Commander wearing a humiliated expression while still obeying the saint’s words.

Everyone praised this situation as a great victory for humanity and went around proclaiming that the day of the Empire’s victory in the war was not far off.

“Wouldn’t that make Bellium Academy less valuable?”

“If any academy disappears, others will go first. This one will remain intact until the end. And now that the concept of gates has emerged, they’ll just change the curriculum and survive. Most of them, anyway.”

There was a reason for people’s particular excitement. A considerable amount of resources had to be devoted to dealing with the newly appeared gates.

The gates born in this world were, on average, about seven levels stronger than Earth’s gates, and the gap was continuously widening.

Thanks to this, frontline soldiers who had been mobilized to stop demons were now being deployed to block gates. In this situation, people couldn’t help but be excited about the news that the war with demons might end.

Otherwise, they might have had to fight a war on two fronts.

‘The demons must be busy dealing with gates too, anyway.’

Of course, contrary to this common belief, gates didn’t discriminate between humans and demons. Nika also occasionally left, saying that gates too difficult for her subordinates to handle had appeared.

This was the first time she’d been gone for so long, but given that Erestica had said there was no need to worry too much, things were likely fine. She wasn’t the type to say such things without reason.

However, not everyone was enjoying the current situation.

“……”

“……”

The two people who had been given the bomb of a group project, Leona and Elysier, were slumped in the club room, half-limp.

“Is it that hard?”

“It’s not hard, but there’s so much of it. No, is that what makes it hard? Sorry, Mira. I don’t even know what I’m saying. I think my brain is overloaded.”

“What about you, Elysier?”

“It’s certainly taxing. I never thought it would be this much.”

Elysier showed what they had done so far and what remained. It was certainly a disgusting amount.

The assignment required mapping the internal structure of each gate, and meticulously categorizing the number, types, and characteristics of monsters emerging from them into a detailed report.

This would have been fine, but the scope of “meticulous” was so narrow it was downright filthy. It was enough to make one wonder if the professor had some sort of organizational compulsion.

“Should I make a complaint? That there’s too much work?”

“Rest assured, Mira. You’re both in the first semester of your first year, right? This is a regular process around this time, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I did group projects in my first year, first semester too. Every time I regressed. I could write it all down now if asked?”

Seeing these two people, who had experienced Bellium Academy’s first-year curriculum more than anyone else, talk like this, it seemed this really was a regular event around this time, not just an excuse for being distracted.

I picked up a few sheets from the pile of papers and sat down beside them.

“I’ll help. It feels wrong for me to do nothing, and I created these gates after all.”

“…I’d appreciate that. I won’t refuse.”

Even Leona, who would normally smile bitterly and say it would be unfair for only them to receive help, was like this—they must have been truly fed up. I helped the two by filling in the blanks according to the report format.

“I’m here!”

After writing about ten pages, the club room door was flung open. Rosaria strode in.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and come in.”

“I-I’m coming! Stop pulling!”

Behind her, Elder Lich crawled in on all fours with her head bowed low. She had a dog collar around her neck, with the leash held in Rosaria’s hand.

We had gone our separate ways midway through the day since I had lectures to attend, but I wondered what on earth had happened while I was gone.

“Just kill me… no, please just kill me…”

“People who say that rarely actually die. Especially women—they usually end up suffering fates worse than death. Oh, though I hear these days the cliché is often subverted and they really do get killed. Anyway, do you really want to die? Should I do it like Mira did?”

“Ugh… ugh…”

Rosaria, in the middle of this mind-numbing conversation, caught my eye and awkwardly looked away. It’s good that she at least knows this isn’t something others should hear.

“What have you been doing?”

“Just walking around with her didn’t feel like proper rehabilitation, according to some opinions. They said putting a leash on her and dragging her around would be more effective, so that’s what I did.”

“Who on earth suggested that?”

“Her Imperial Highness over there.”

Laura, catching my gaze, protested.

“I merely suggested the collar. I did not tell you to drag her around or make her walk on all fours, so please do not misunderstand.”

“Huh? Wasn’t that obvious? If she’s wearing a collar, shouldn’t she crawl like a dog?”

“…The student has surpassed the teacher.”

“The teacher has to be thorough in such matters.”

While the two bickered for unknown reasons, Elder Lich, who had been hanging her head in despair, slowly looked up. Then, looking in one direction, she opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

“How did you… what is this…”

“What are you looking at… Oh.”

She was looking at where Elysier was sitting.

Since there was no need to maintain the appearance of Ciel in the club room, he wasn’t using transformation magic. With his appearance as the Demon Lord intact, it was natural for Elder Lich, who had once been a Demon Lord Army Commander, to react this way.

“How… how are you here…”

“Isn’t it obvious? Because I side with humans.”

Elysier answered with a sneer. Her expression twisted further.

“A Demon Lord siding with humans…? Is that true?”

“Didn’t you know? That I threw you all into death’s jaws one by one, that I deliberately retreated the front lines, that I didn’t annihilate humans, that humans could roam freely in the demon realm—all because of me. For someone who claimed to be a strategist, it’s laughable that you didn’t even realize that.”

Elder Lich gritted her teeth. Her eyes bulged.

“I thought it was strange that with such power, you didn’t end the war! Since when have you been in league with humans?!”

“When do you think? Use that brilliant mind of yours to guess.”

In the original story, Elysier didn’t annihilate humans because he fully trusted his own power.

According to Laura, if he had acted directly before the hero became strong, he would have swept away everything, sword saint or not. That was the original Elysier, with both the reason and qualification to do so.

But with the possession by Kang Ye-na and his meeting with me, the original story had been twisted considerably. For Elder Lich, who didn’t know this, he must have seemed like a traitor.

“And you call yourself a demon! Having no shame, with humans of all—ugh.”

“Ah-ah. Polite speech, polite speech.”

Rosaria sat on her back and slapped her buttocks. Elder Lich trembled, whether from shame or anger was unclear.

Elysier crouched down to meet her eyes and sneered.

“Are you frustrated? Do you feel betrayed? But what difference does your anger make now? You were defeated and fled shamefully, while I am comfortably living out the rest of my life like this.”

“Y-you… if it weren’t for you…!”

“If you’re upset, you should have chosen the winning side. No matter how much a loser barks, nothing will change.”

“You—!”

“Ah-ah, I said be quiet.”

Rosaria pressed a switch. Abruptly, Elder Lich’s voice was cut off like a knife. Not just her voice, but her movements as well. She didn’t move at all, as if she had become a mannequin.

“Had a lot built up, huh?”

Elysier stood up with a pleased smile.

“Was it that obvious?”

“Very. What’s been building up?”

“Thanks to that one, I’ve wanted to vomit my guts out more times than I can count. Imagine having to face things that are half-rotten zombies every day.”

“That’s terrible.”

Rosaria turned the switch back on and recited the activation word. Elysier watched and said:

“So, how much longer will you keep her?”

“About a week? Since she’s here for experimental purposes anyway, she won’t stay long.”

Though from her perspective, it probably doesn’t feel that way at all.

“That’s good.”

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

“Cough!”

A long diagonal wound appeared on the body of a high-ranking vampire. Spewing blood from the wound, the vampire staggered and collapsed.

“You… lowly succubus…”

“That’s a lot of talk for someone about to get beheaded by this lowly succubus.”

“If it weren’t for that demon sword, the result would have been different…!”

“How ridiculous. You can’t wield a demon sword without qualification. Not that someone like you would know.”

Like Elysier, who was once called the strongest Demon Lord, Nika, wearing a long coat that reached her ankles, approached with clicking steps. A succubus appeared behind her.

“The cleanup is complete, my queen. The remaining individuals pledge their loyalty to you.”

“Is that so? Then there’s no need to kill them. Understood.”

It was a brief exchange, but the vampire’s eyes blazed as she grasped its meaning.

“You sided with a mere succubus?! Damn traitors!”

“Traitors? I’d call it being rational and realistic. They recognized a succubus who will soon become a Demon Lord.”

“A Demon Lord? You—”

With a slash, the vampire’s head was severed in an instant. The disembodied head rolled on the ground. Nika crushed the head, which had frozen with an expression of indignation, under her foot.

“How much is left now?”

“About half, my queen.”

“We’ll increase the pace. Any objections?”

“I will follow you forever.”

The succubus bowed deeply. Nika, having sheathed her demon sword, spread her wings. The wings that always fluttered cutely in front of Mira now bloomed with majestic size and shape.

“After this is over, I’ll no longer be a virgin. It doesn’t make sense for a queen to have never experienced energy absorption, does it?”

“Of course not, my queen.”