episode_0154

“One of the people who tried to kill you was me??”

“Yeah. I remember it clearly.”

After hearing Elle’s words, I fell into thought for a moment. Was there someone wearing an academy uniform during the demon king’s subjugation?

Ah, there was.

Chris.

“Even I should wear this uniform. People need a focal point.”

Chris, who draped her tattered academy coat over her shoulders like a cloak after its protective magic had long faded, drew attention—in a good way. As humanity’s last hope and the final ember proving that the academy hadn’t yet died out.

By the time former student council president and academy professor Rin Saishi died, and the Demon King’s army began frequently invading imperial territory, Phend Academy had nearly lost its purpose. It had become a place of despair, where many gave up, convinced that no matter how hard they studied, they would either serve as mere shields against the demons or fail even at that.

And then, when it seemed far too late, Chris wrapped herself in the academy uniform, just as President Rin once had. She boldly declared that as long as she stood, the academy would never fall. Thanks to the Grave family pouring an insane amount of resources into it, the academy regained some semblance of its former prestige. In fact, when the hero party, including Lucilla, fought the Demon King in the final battle, the students and graduates of the academy were the ones holding back the Demon King’s forces outside.

In any case, there was no doubt that Elle’s memory was accurate. Though I didn’t know how Elle remembered it, the fact that it remained so vividly in her mind meant it had some connection to the Demon King.

“Alright, so what next? I get that you have those memories.”

“I wanted to find the person wearing that uniform and ask if they knew anything about it. It wasn’t easy. I barely managed to track down people wearing it once I reached the imperial capital.”

“Well, of course. Students from Phend Academy wouldn’t have any reason to wander around rural areas or foreign countries.”

Even if they did wander, few would be vain or stupid enough to stroll around in academy uniforms. Most idiots like that wouldn’t even last at the academy in the first place.

“After finding out those people were in the capital, then what?”

“I sneaked in and searched for the people in my memories. Without anyone noticing, of course.”

“Don’t lie. You just walked into the academy?”

“I’m not lying.”

“Phend Academy has barriers layered with all kinds of magic. And you’re telling me you passed through them like it was nothing?”

“…It just let me through. It was a bit stuffy, but I got used to it quickly?”

“……”

Hearing that, I realized how Elle had bypassed the academy’s barriers. It wasn’t due to some special trick—but because of her overwhelming innate talent.

Magic resistance. A biological defensive mechanism possessed by all living beings to prevent their own magic from destroying them. Of course, this resistance applies not only to one’s magic but also externally. In Elle’s case, her body was born with absurdly high magic resistance, rendering the academy’s barriers nearly powerless against her.

Not that I blame the professors who built those defenses. If they could hold back the Demon King’s forces, they shouldn’t be wasting time as mere professors.

“Alright, I understand how you got into the academy. And I’m guessing you moved around carefully to avoid being noticed. But why me? According to your memories, I wasn’t the one in the uniform, right?”

“I found Eric first. And… Eric seemed the weakest-looking.”

“Compared to Chris?”

“Chris?”

“That person in the uniform.”

“That person’s name is Chris?”

“Yeah. Chris Grave. My younger sister.”

“Chris Grave… Chris Grave… Yeah, I remember now. Anyway, besides Chris, Eric seemed like the weakest among them. So the moment I saw Eric, I told him to follow me.”

Damn. Somehow, her reasoning made too much sense to argue against.

“So I kept hiding and waited to call you out.”

“Call me out for what? You only know the demon tongue.”

Back in the forest, Elle seemed flustered when I spoke Demonish. So why did she deliberately reveal herself to talk to me?

“I planned to force a contract. There are plenty of contracts besides that could let me talk with you. But then that demon beast showed up out of nowhere…”

“Hey.”

So, in Elle’s words:

“You mean you stayed hidden all the way until you found me?”

“Mhm. The people here don’t pay much attention to others.”

Her blunt remark about the cutthroat competitive culture of the academy stung. I asked:

“But why the forest of all places? We could’ve both died there.”

“There are too many people in the buildings. If I got caught, it’d be harder to fight back than in the forest.”

“Yeah…”

I took a deep breath and steadied my mind. The outcome of this conversation could drastically change my destiny. Ideally, I’d discuss this with the others before deciding, but the hatred those four hold for the Demon King runs too deep.

“Alright, now let’s talk about what happens next.”

“About the future?”

“Yeah. You can’t just keep hiding forever. You came to this empire, and you’ve met me, your top priority. So now we should discuss what to do afterward.”

“Ooh… I see.”

“First, I can’t just let you roam outside carelessly. This room will be your new living space for a while. Don’t even dream of stepping out.”

“This entire room?”

“It may feel cramped, but it’s unavoidable. If I let you out recklessly, who knows what could happen? The moment rumors spread that a demon is wandering the imperial capital, the whole empire will be on high alert.”

“I can avoid getting caught!”

“Against those four?”

“……I don’t know.”

At least she’s honest. My real worry isn’t ordinary people—it’s those four, former members of the hero party.

“All four people you remember are now students at Phend Academy. Wander the capital long enough, and word about you might reach them somehow. And Elle, isn’t staying here more comfortable than roaming the streets?”

“Uumm…”

We’ve been lucky so far, but Elle and I are bound by contract now. Keeping her somewhere I can monitor and manage is far easier. I’d rather avoid suddenly dropping dead without a clue.

“Really think about it, Elle. Those four are nothing like you or anyone I’ve met before. Frankly, I’m not even sure we can perfectly hide you in this house.”

“This isn’t Eric’s house?”

“I live with Chris. We’re family.”

“Then—”

“But this is still the safest place for you. Far safer than wandering outside—I can guarantee that.”

Even if Chris and I share a house, she won’t barge into my room without my permission. Sure, she has a reckless streak, but that’s only for my safety—she wouldn’t invade my privacy. Plus, I’ve already given her strict warnings.

“As long as you stay here, you’ll have everything except freedom—your life, food, shelter. It’ll be uncomfortable, but isn’t it worth it to stay alive?”

“…Yeah.”

Elle nodded slightly in understanding. Good, she gets it.

“And one more important notice—starting now, I’ll be your teacher and teach you language.”

“Speech? I can talk.”

“The common tongue of the continent. Who’d look kindly on a shady person who only speaks Demonish outside? Even I didn’t know how to react to you at first since you were stumbling around like a mute.”

“Human speech…”

“It won’t be too hard. The basic sentence structure is similar to the mainland tongue, and the etymology of the words…”

“If I learn it, will it help Eric?”

“Of course!”

If Elle knows the common tongue, she can at least defend herself in the worst-case scenario. First, flip the script—ask if they’ve ever seen a demon speak it. Argue that dissecting an innocent girl just because she resembles the Demon King is cruel.

If they still doubt, appeal to sentiment—Here’s a demon who wants to blend in, mastering the continent’s common language as if it were her second tongue!

And if that fails?

Well, I’ll just confess outright—if Elle dies, so do I. The fallout would be disastrous, though I’d rather not think about it.

But Elle had a far simpler solution than my plan.

“If learning the human tongue helps, I’ll do it. Give me your hand.”

She extended her small palm.

“Why my hand?”

“I need to take something from you. Your memories of the language.”

“…Take my memories? You mean, from me?”

“Yeah. So, Eric’s memories—give them to me.”