Chapter 261

Chapter 261

“Teacher…”

Seere instructed the messenger who had delivered the report to return. The astonishing news he brought was that Nahun had conquered both the 21st and 20th floors simultaneously.

She knew about the targeting of Naverus and had heard in advance about the strategy to utilize them for conquering the 21st floor, but she never expected that he would manage to clear the 20th floor as well through that route.

“Just as expected from the teacher.”

Seere felt a great joy. It was only natural since her beloved teacher had achieved great feats. However, for some unknown reason, she also felt a slight bitterness.

Compared to Seere, who had barely conquered the 23rd floor, Nahun had taken down two tiers in one go, albeit with some damage.

It wasn’t envy towards Nahun’s achievements. She thought she was just catching up, but it became clear to her that there was still a long way to go.

Noticing the odd expression on Seere’s face, Cecili spoke up.

“Your Majesty, it’s okay to be honest.”

“Hmm…?”

“Do you think you’re feeling resentful?”

“…Me? Towards the teacher?”

Seere shook her head after a moment of contemplation. However, knowing that her answer wasn’t sincere, Cecili asked again.

“Do you think it’s strange?”

“…It is strange. The teacher has worked hard for me, so there’s no reason for me to feel resentful.”

“Why not?”

Seere looked at Cecili as if asking what she was talking about. Then, Cecili gave a slight smile, indicating that her feelings were not strange at all.

“Nahun is your precious mentor, but at the same time, he is a goal you wish to catch up to someday.”

“That’s…”

“It’s only natural to feel resentment when you think your goal is getting further away.”

Cecili said.

“It’s okay to be honest about those feelings; those feelings will drive you to a higher level, after all.”

“…But I still worry that the teacher might feel disappointed.”

“Of course, it wouldn’t do to skip the part about congratulating him. Nahun’s recent achievements are remarkable.”

“Congratulations?”

“Yes.”

Cecili smiled broadly and asked Seere.

“Nahun has frequently given you gifts along with compliments since you were little, right?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“Nahun is human too. Naturally, if someone celebrates and praises what he has done, he wouldn’t feel bad about it. In fact, he’d probably be happy, right?”

After reflecting on Cecili’s words, Seere remembered that Nahun had given her many things, but she hadn’t given him much in return.

“Hmm… I did give him my first kiss and my virginity, but apart from that…”

“…What?”

“Never mind. Hmmm, a gift…”

Seere imagined Nahun’s delighted expression upon receiving the gift she had prepared. Just picturing it brought her immense joy. She was especially looking forward to how cute Nahun’s reactions would be.

“Let’s get ready right away!”

“Why don’t we prepare a simple celebration? Keep it a secret from Nahun.”

“A surprise party, huh? Sounds good, let’s prepare immediately!”

From that day on, preparations began for the celebratory event that would start as soon as Nahun returned.

#

A week passed since the ownership of the 21st and 20th floors had changed. A woman arrived on the 21st floor, which was undergoing stabilization. This young woman, with white hair and a pair of black horns, stepped boldly into the ongoing restoration of the Demon King Castle on the 21st floor.

However, no one attempted to stop her. Instead, they pledged their loyalty as she moved forward without hesitation. As she passed by, she spotted someone and asked.

“…Cecili, where is the teacher?”

It was Veronica, the commander of the 2nd legion. As she supervised the corridor repairs, she bowed respectfully and replied.

“She is currently overseeing the repairs in the audience room.”

“Understood.”

Continuing down the hallway, she burst through the audience room door. Inside, she found Nahun commanding workers who were busily moving about.

He was so focused on his work that he didn’t notice her arrival until she puffed up her cheeks and shouted.

“Teacher!!”

At her cry, both Nahun and the workers turned their heads. The workers, at first, could not recognize her, but soon realized her identity upon seeing her horns.

They quickly set down their tools and knelt on the floor, bowing their heads. Only Nahun remained standing, looking slightly flustered as he called out her name.

“…Seere?”

It was clear he was wondering why she was there. Seere approached Nahun with a firm frown.

“When exactly are you planning to return!? It’s already been a week!!”

“Uh… Um… Yeah, that’s true.”

Seere’s frustration wasn’t unfounded. There was a reason for it. Nahun had mentioned he would return after finishing the 20th floor, but the stabilization work took longer than expected, resulting in a week passing.

“So… did you come to see me directly?”

“Why else would I come?”

“……That makes sense.”

Nahun scolded himself for not even making an effort to contact her during that time, now facing a fuming Seere.

“I’m sorry.”

“…Haa.”

Seere let out a sigh. Although she still felt displeased, she couldn’t reject an apology that felt sincere. Especially when it was from someone she truly loved.

“…This is why people say the one who falls first is at a disadvantage.”

“…Huh?”

“When will it end?”

Seere continued to ask in an aggrieved tone. Nahun glanced at the workers. The workers, having no knowledge of their relationship, quickly picked up on the situation and spoke.

“Oh, what need is there for the esteemed person to command anymore? Only simple tasks remain, so our foreman can handle it.”

“Exactly. Nahun doesn’t have anything left to do, so you should take him away now.”

“What do you mean…?”

Before Nahun, who was about to respond clumsily to their consideration, Seere grabbed his hand.

“They said so, didn’t they? Let’s go!”

“Wait, Seere? There’s still work to…”

“The war is over, so it’s time to retrieve your authority! The teacher has no more right to work!”

“…Huh?”

Thus, suddenly becoming unemployed, Nahun was dragged out by Seere, and laughter erupted in the audience room after a small commotion.

“What an amusing pair.”

“Indeed. They’re far more human than that tyrant.”

Seeing Seere drag Nahun out, Veronica offered a simple bow and said.

“Should I take over…?”

“Commander Veronica will manage it.”

“Yes. I’ll do my best.”

Having received a brief delegation of authority from Seere, Veronica looked at Nahun and couldn’t help but smile. Seeing that, Nahun let out a sigh.

‘…Everyone’s in on it except me.’

As he was dragged along by Seere, Nahun cautiously turned his head and said.

“Seere, but what about the 20th floor?”

“Is that really important right now?”

“…I misspoke.”

It seemed Seere had no intention of letting Nahun go. Naturally, he was placed onto Bicon, and Seere set off with him on the ride. It resembled a Demon King abducting a princess.

…Of course, the roles were reversed now.

As Seere kidnapped Nahun, she opened a gate magic to create a passage. The connected location was the restored Demon King Castle on the 23rd floor. Although the base was still on the 25th floor, the 23rd floor was ready for use at any time.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

Upon arriving at the 23rd floor, Cecili was there to greet them. Hearing her greeting, Nahun looked slightly confused and asked.

“Congratulations?”

“It means that you were successfully kidnapped, Nahun.”

“It’s not really kidnapping, just the presentation looks that way…”

“Well… even if Nahun had said no, I’m sure Your Majesty would have brought him forcibly, so it’s close to kidnapping, right?”

“……?”

Nahun wondered what he had just heard, but Cecili merely smiled without explaining further. Just as Nahun was about to ask further, Seere suddenly yanked him off Bicon and started dragging him back inside.

“Seere, what on earth are you planning to do?”

“What do you think I’ll do?”

With a knowing smile now on her face, Seere, who had previously harbored a frown, seemed to gain a hint of mischief. Nahun felt a slight anxiety and looked towards where Seere was dragging him. Following the hallway, he saw a room with a firmly closed door.

“…Seere? You’re not thinking….”

Worrying that she might lock him inside that room and do all sorts of things with him for several days, Nahun glanced at Seere. Upon making eye contact with him, Seere merely smiled.

“That, I barely managed to get through a week without sleep…”

Despite his best efforts to escape, Nahun’s pleas were lightly ignored by Seere, who continued to pull him without resistance.

‘…I hope I can survive this.’

Already in a state of giving up internally, Nahun approached the door with apprehension. Observing him, Seere giggled and met his gaze with an innocent smile.

“Teacher, what are you expecting?”

“……Huh?”

“I’m sorry, but what I prepared isn’t ‘that kind’ of thing. Well, of course… if you want it, I’m always ready.”

As Seere said this, she flung the door open. Inside, a familiar voice was heard.

“Oh, you’re here.”

“Finally made it! Hey, why are you so late?”

Allies Gremony and Citri.

“Congratulations on the victory.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Nahun.”

Even though they were still bandaged, the 4th legion’s Lin El Lazine and Baruna welcomed Nahun with bright faces.

“Congratulations!”

“Conquering two tiers at once is something we should strive to emulate!”

Other military officials who couldn’t participate due to injuries and newly appointed administrative personnel were also present.

“What in the world…?”

“When I thought about it after you left, it turns out I’ve received from you all this time… but I hardly remember having done anything for you. I asked for a gift this time too, but I realized I had never given you anything in return. So, I prepared this.”

The corners of Seere’s mouth curled up in a wide grin. She looked directly at Nahun and cheerfully offered him a piece of cake as she smiled brightly.

“Teacher, truly congratulations on this victory. You’ve worked so hard! Thank you for always striving for me!”

“…….”

Nahun stared blankly at her. He could see the piece of strawberry cake held in her hand. Though its shape was a bit awkward, it was Seere’s favorite cake.

“Seere, did you make this?”

“Oh, you noticed? I guess it’s quite different from the one Mark made.”

Nahun accepted the congratulatory cake from Seere. It didn’t feel like the perfect gift that would typically be associated with celebration, but the sentiment was conveyed properly to Nahun.

“……Haha.”

Thus, a smile came naturally.

“Oh my?”

“What? I didn’t know you could make that kind of expression!”

Both Gremony and Citri marveled at the sight. It made sense because Nahun wore a genuine smile on his face.

“Thank you so much.”

Seeing Nahun’s heartfelt smile made Seere blush unexpectedly. Feeling a bit giddy, she said in a hurried tone.

“Now, now…! Hurry and come inside, you’re the guest of honor after all!”

“…Alright.”

Nahun felt happy. He had no choice but to feel happy. It was heartwarming to have a disciple and lover who thought of this unreliable teacher and created such a gathering for him.

“It’s not bad.”

He was happy.

#

“…Jeruel has been extinguished, and Baz has not been recovered.”

“Yes.”

At the center of the tree of life sustaining the heavens, the Sephira known as ‘Geburah’ existed. Its lord, the Archangel Camiel, was known to have created the greatest power in the heavens.

Because of this, he commanded many powerful angels, including Jeruel. However, among those powerful angels, two had met their end in the demon world, and Camiel couldn’t help but worry about their fate.

“Indeed, Metatron’s concerns are not unfounded. It seems the same cause has led to Mikael’s downfall.”

Camiel narrowed his eyes.

“I’ll need to check on this myself.”

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