chapter_0210

I chose a time frame shortly after Nika, as the Succubus Queen, appeared in the Imperial Palace and proposed a truce. It was before Aria had incited the demons by offering them the Demon Sword, but after all the remnants of the Demon King’s Army, including the Elder Lich, had been wiped out.

I would have preferred to start from the very beginning, from the day of my enrollment in the Academy. However, Latina had warned me that going too far back in time could distort the causal relationship, so I had to settle for this period.

‘I wonder if the Sword Saint was already missing back then.’

Oddly enough, the Sword Saint had already disappeared by that time. In my original timeline, I had only received news of her disappearance after returning from the Demon God’s Domain, which was much later than the current timeframe. Somehow, she had managed to travel back in time on her own, even more drastically than Beatrice, whose experience was limited to a mere dream.

Nonetheless, I wasn’t worried about her. She was the Sword Saint, after all. Not only was she capable of handling anything in this world, but even the strongest monsters from the first world wouldn’t pose a threat to her. Moreover, she had taken her own sword, crafted from a dragon’s fang, with her, so I was confident that she would be fine. I believed that if fate willed it, we would meet again someday.

‘Now that I think about it, I wonder what became of the Elder Lich.’

My thoughts turned to the Elder Lich. At this point in time, he was probably being subjected to live experiments by the wizards in the underground of the Magic Association.

‘I might as well ask while I’m at it.’

I decided to inquire about it, using the opportunity to also ask if they had experienced any unusually realistic dreams, like the one Beatrice had. I picked up one of the many communication artifacts lined up, a crystal ball connecting to the Red Tower Master.

During the incident with Aria, we had framed the explosion in the dormitory as a result of the aftermath of our battle, and in exchange, I had agreed to teach the Red Tower Master  Demon Sword Arts and Status Effect Release Magic a month earlier than scheduled. Of course, in this timeframe, that agreement held no meaning, but it made him the perfect person to ask about any memories of the now-erased timeline.

“Red Tower Master, can you hear me?”

As soon as I made contact, I heard a loud crashing noise, followed by the sultry voice of a woman.

—Yes, I can hear you loud and clear, Mira Crate. What brings you to contact me?

“I was just wondering if you still remembered the promise we made. You were the only one I agreed to teach Demon Sword Arts and Status Effect Release Magic a month earlier.”

—Of course, Mira Crate. I remember it clearly.

A sense of surprise arose within me.

‘Really? You remember it?’

This was unexpected. I hadn’t anticipated anyone besides Beatrice to have experienced the now-erased timeline as if it were a dream. If there were others, it could become a problem. One or two people could be dismissed as a coincidence, but if dozens or hundreds of people shared similar experiences, they would undoubtedly try to find a common thread between them.

Out of curiosity, I decided to probe a little further.

“Then, do you also remember why I made that promise to you?”

—…

The Red Tower Master remained silent.

‘As I thought.’

I smirked as I looked down at the crystal ball, which had gone mute.

Her claim of remembering was undoubtedly a lie. She probably had no idea what I was talking about but agreed without hesitation because she would have been taught a month earlier than the other Tower Masters.

“I, offered, your, body, as, compensation…”

“Hmm, that doesn’t quite match my recollection. The reason I remember is quite different.”

“… .”

I cut off her pointless attempt at guessing. Despite failing multiple times, she still hadn’t given up on that fantasy.

“Just in case you’re confused, I’ll give you one more chance. If your answer doesn’t match my memory, something very interesting might happen. For example, the delivery of the magic meant to be taught to the Red Tower might be delayed by a decade, or an invitation to a magic-teaching session might accidentally omit the Red Tower Master. Now, does your memory seem to be coming back to you?”

It wasn’t a matter of being different; it was simply wrong. This was because the people here couldn’t have experienced the now-erased timeline.

—I’m sorry, Mira Crate! Please forgive me! I was wrong!

As expected, the Red Tower Master immediately caved, apologizing profusely.

I had anticipated this reaction, so I pretended to be lost in thought, tapping the crystal ball lightly. With each tap, the Red Tower Master let out a frightened squeak.

‘Was Beatrice an exception?’

My parents, both of my older sisters, and even Ibrante had denied having such vivid dreams, so it seemed that Beatrice was a special case.

Perhaps it was because she was connected to me, just like Leona, Nika, and Erestika. While they couldn’t move within the stopped time, they could experience the erased timeline to some extent.

—Hieek… Hng… Hng…

Somewhere, I heard the sound of someone gasping for air. I snapped out of my reverie.

The Red Tower Master was making choking noises, half-dead. I must have been lost in thought for too long, tapping the crystal ball continuously.

“Let’s put aside your attempt to deceive me for now. What about the Elder Lich? Are the experiments still ongoing?”

—Yes, yes! That’s right!

Seizing the opportunity to divert my attention, the Red Tower Master eagerly shared the details of the experiments they had conducted, even those I hadn’t asked about. A string of specialized magical terms followed.

After listening for about five minutes, I interrupted him. In summary, the Elder Lich still showed no response to any external stimuli, not even when they directly manipulated his brain by opening his skull.

“Alright, I understand. Make sure to take turns and not overwork her. If she breaks, it’s your loss, not mine.”

—Yes!

“Also, be six hours late for the next meeting.”

—Ah.

The moment I said that, the Red Tower Master burst into tears.

Truly, these people were insane.

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“It’s been a while since I last saw this scenery.”

“I thought I’d miss it, but why do I feel tired already?”

“Because you’re a student?”

If we had the pride of being Belium Academy students like the others, it would be a different story, but for us, who were already far removed from being students, it was just an ordinary academy.

“…… Yeah. I guess so.”

Leona replied, but she looked to her right, which was empty, with a bitter smile, as if she were still expecting someone who was no longer there. Originally, there should have been one more person, making it a group of four.

But that was no longer the case. In this world, Aria, as a human, had never existed.

Aria’s parents had three completely different children, and Leona grew up without a childhood friend, according to the entire village. The runner-up at the Academy was not Aria, but someone else.

Only we remembered her existence.

“……”

I didn’t know what Leona thought of Aria now. She might still be haunted by the harsh words she had heard, or she might have forgiven her after witnessing her sacrifice.

One thing was certain: Aria’s absence left a huge void in Leona’s life. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have known how to fill it.

“What are you doing, standing in the middle of the road like that?”

Elysier suddenly joined us, interrupting our thoughts.

Unlike before, when she was a symbol of strength as the Demon King, she was now dressed in a school uniform, and since the Demon Sword no longer existed, I should refer to her as Ciel.

“Nothing, Ciel. I was just thinking.”

Leona already knew Ciel’s true identity. During the seven years they spent on Earth before I arrived, they had shared countless stories and revealed all their secrets to each other.

When Leona learned that the Demon King, who had pushed her to the brink of hyperventilation, was actually Ciel, and that all of her actions had been staged to help her grow, she apparently wore a very ambiguous expression, according to the others.

In the end, she let it go, reasoning that it was for her own good, as it had led to her successful awakening and the lifting of her burden as the Hero.

“What is it that you need to think about?”

“I was wondering what will happen from now on.”

“That is indeed a question worth pondering.”

The Demon King would no longer appear, and neither the Goddess nor the Demon God had returned yet. Even if demons or demons invaded, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat.

So, what would become of this world?

Laura had abruptly ended the series after killing Ciel, so no one knew what would happen next. As I pondered this while walking towards the classroom, I noticed a group of students gathered in the distance, whispering among themselves. This was another scene I hadn’t witnessed in the original timeline. Curious, I approached them.

The students parted ways as they noticed my presence.

“……”

I felt a strange sensation as all eyes turned to me. There, on the ground, was a stack of paper flyers. It was oddly analog for this world. I picked one up and examined it.

“A summer festival……?”

It was a summer festival flyer with the principal’s seal on it.

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“A festival out of the blue? It doesn’t make much sense.”

“That’s how it is.”

There were various events held at Belium Academy, but most of them took place after the midterm and final exams of the second semester. It was too early in the second semester for such events.

“And a joint festival with other academies? What brought this on? In all your time as principal, you’ve never organized anything like this.”

Moreover, it wasn’t just Belium Academy; two other academies, known to be the next best after Belium, were also participating.

“I saw Earth’s culture. Wouldn’t it be fun to have something like that here?”

Perhaps she was referring to inter-school competitions. Since they had no choice but to learn about Earth, they must have discovered this aspect during their research.

Suddenly, I recalled the loud chants of “No Mo University, No Mo Department, No Mo Class” that had echoed throughout the competition grounds. My body shuddered at the memory. At least there wouldn’t be anything like that here, thankfully.

“Alright, if it’s already decided, there’s no point in arguing about it here. What are you planning to do at the festival?”

“I have a few ideas, and I’ll leave the rest to the students’ discretion. There’s one thing I need your help with, though……”

The principal wore a mischievous smile.

“Would you be interested in playing the role of a boss monster?”