Just as the grief over Princess Eliana’s death had begun to scab over, a massive bombshell was dropped.
Knights Order Captain Reinhard was dead—
And his son, Klaus, was missing.
The Academy was swallowed by a quiet, suffocating confusion. The students were jolted out of their post-holiday lethargy instantly, but it was clear that no one could actually focus on their studies.
Is something happening?
Is something about to happen?
Anxious whispers filled the halls like a low-frequency hum. I was no exception; my heart was in a state of constant unrest. My fighting spirit was stoked, fueled by a burning desire to face Verdict.
I had the strongest weapon and the strongest shield.
If he was coming, then let him come.
This time, I would kill him for sure.
Classes ended while I was still lost in thought, and after-school hours arrived.
I began the walk back to the dormitories with Aristia.
The sunlight was weak, and our breath came out in white puffs. Thanks to the winter chill, the snow that had fallen during the break still blanketed the ground, crunching rhythmically under our boots.
"…It looks like Verdict has started to move," I said.
"Uhee, really?"
"But don't worry. I’ll be the one to take him down. Anyway, thanks for everything—for all the help lately."
"Uhe, uhehehehe! W-well, that’s what friends are for!"
Aristia paused for a moment before continuing.
"…Do you think I’ve actually become friends with everyone?"
"You seemed to fit in well enough."
The days of winter break, the snowball fight—it hadn’t been a bad dynamic at all.
"If you can laugh together like that, you’re definitely friends."
"Uhehehe. I see. Friends, huh…"
She repeated the word "friends" over and over in a dazed, entranced tone.
"Why are you so obsessed with having friends?"
"Hmm… In my previous life, I spent all my time buried in magic research. Everyone was afraid of me, so I ended up dying all alone. It was pretty lonely."
She looked off into the distance, her eyes clouding as if she were peering back into that past life.
"I thought that this time around, I’d try to live a life where I wasn't so lonely."
"Couldn’t you have just gotten along with the other demons?"
"Hmm… They worship me, you see. Plus, they’re always pestering me to use my power as the Demon King. It’s just… not the same."
"Are you really not interested in your power?"
"Ahahaha, I told you, didn't I? If the world gets destroyed, I won’t be able to eat delicious food anymore. I’d hate that."
That was undoubtedly her true feelings on the matter.
Aristia, the girl who had become the Demon King despite having zero intention of destroying the world.
"…I keep forgetting that you’re actually the Demon King."
Aristia gave a small, somewhat lonely smile.
"…I’d like to forget it, too."
A Demon King who didn't want the job.
I truly didn’t know which way her fate would swing. Leon had been chosen as the key to the Demon King’s subjugation, but depending on what I did, was there a path where Aristia didn't have to die?
As I turned that thought over in my mind, we reached the fork in the path.
This was where the route split toward the boys' and girls' dormitories.
"See you later, Albert-kun. See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
I watched her small back recede into the snowy landscape.
It was our usual parting, but I had no way of knowing if a "usual" tomorrow would actually come. Now that Verdict was active, the gears of fate had begun to grind. It wouldn't be surprising if something happened tomorrow—or even tonight.
"I won't lose this time."
I clenched my fist tight and headed toward the boys' dormitory.
Aristia walked alone along the path leading to the girls' dormitory.
In the silence of the winter evening, small, colorful sounds stood out: the crunch of her own boots on the snow, the soft thud of a drift falling from a branch, and the distant laughter of other students.
(Uhehe, today was fun.)
It was a sincere thought.
Actually, it wasn't just today. Ever since meeting Albert, her life had been a series of fun events. The winter break sleepover and today had been the absolute highlights.
Even the part where she’d accidentally buried herself and Albert under a mountain of snow was hilariously stupid. She had laughed even while stuck in the drift. She was just happy to have met friends who could laugh off that kind of recklessness.
That was why she was certain.
She was glad she had come to this Academy.
She had made the right choice.
As she was reflecting on this, she suddenly noticed a change.
The only footsteps she could hear were her own.
The ambient sounds of the world had vanished, and the air against her skin felt heavy, as if the atmospheric pressure had suddenly spiked.
In an instant, Aristia saw through it.
She had stepped into a barrier.
She didn't know who had cast it, but she was certain they didn't have her best interests at heart.
Aristia stopped and slowly scanned her surroundings. Visually, nothing had changed. The snowy path, the trees, and the lights from the dorms were all exactly where they should be.
However, every living thing besides herself had vanished.
It was just her and—
"Hey, why don't you just come out?"
She had already pinpointed the "something" hiding nearby.
"It’s totally obvious you’re there, you know?"
She snapped her fingers, letting a spark of magic pop in her palm as she turned her gaze toward a ripple in the air.
After a few seconds of silence, the space wavered.
A figure emerged. It was a demon dressed in black, magician-like robes, with eyes that were nothing but pitch-black voids.
Aristia recognized him. It was Galvan, the counterpart to her confidant Zalgun, who had been killed by Albert in the forest.
(Uhee, what a pain.)
She had never liked him. He was a stiff, humorless man who constantly lectured her on how a Demon King ought to behave.
"It has been a long time, Lady Aristia."
His voice was formal and echoed grandly in the silence.
"Might I ask what you are doing in a place like this?"
"Uhehe. Youth?"
"…I beg your pardon?"
Galvan looked visibly repulsed by the sentimental word.
"Please, cease these jests. I am speaking with the utmost gravity."
"I’m being serious, too."
She really was. She was being perfectly serious about her youth.
"—This is your final warning."
Refusing to indulge her nonsense any further, Galvan took a steady breath and locked eyes with her.
"Lady Aristia, return to the righteous path of our King. You have a duty to lead our race."
"I don't want to. I'm not interested."
"I will say it once more. This is your final warning."
"Uhehehehehe! Final?! What are you going to do, Galvan-kun?"
"I will make you the Demon King, even if I must use force. It is clear that your impure ego is an obstacle. I shall strip it away and allow your true self as the Demon King to be reborn!"
Aristia understood the magical theory instantly.
He was right. Her consciousness was currently poured into the "vessel" of the Demon King. If her soul were sealed away, there would be nothing left to suppress the nature of the vessel itself.
"Even by forceee?"
"I am prepared to use whatever physical intervention is necessary."
"Fuhehehehehehe!"
Aristia pointed her right hand at Galvan. Without a moment’s hesitation, she fired a purple magic bullet.
It was a single strike with enough raw power to level a noble's manor.
"Ngh!"
Galvan instantly deployed a defense barrier.
It was a powerful construction, capable of repelling the combined efforts of a hundred high-level mages, and yet—
Aristia’s magic bullet didn't even slow down. It shattered the barrier like glass, and the residual shockwave slammed into Galvan, sending him tumbling through the air.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
Looking down at her former confidant as he sprawled in the snow, Aristia let out a dismissive snort.
"I might not have the motivation, but a Demon King is still a Demon King. You’re underestimating me way too much."