It has been three days since then.
Fortunately, Aria was safe.
Not only Aria, but Albert was also completely unscathed.
While it was said they were safe, Aria’s body was not in good condition.
The shattered walls and floor, drenched in blood, were so grotesque that it was hard to imagine what had happened there, and Aria’s body was in a state of incomplete regeneration.
What on earth had happened in that place? Aria still had not regained consciousness.
Whether it’s fortunate or not, just the fact that everyone was safe could be considered a blessing.
Naturally, the exam had been suspended.
The boss monster had suddenly perished shortly after the exam started, causing the barrier to be released.
Thanks to this, Principal Arhen quickly sensed something was amiss and halted the exam, allowing them to head to the spot where the boss monster had been defeated. However, the students seemed to have been thrown into a frenzy by the abrupt end of the exam.
When the commanding entity, the boss monster of this exam, arrived at the scene, as mentioned earlier, they found the injured Aria and Albert.
Aria was still unconscious, and Albert, who was presumed to have gone through the same ordeal, was mentally overwhelmed and unable to answer questions about what had occurred at that time.
Even a great magician wouldn’t know what had happened without firsthand accounts, so they spent their time meaninglessly.
Due to the countless complaints from students who were completely unaware of the incident’s details, the placement exam was retaken excluding the victims of the incident.
And I…
“You’re here.”
“Yes.”
Having arrived at the office, I looked around with curiosity.
The place was in complete disarray, with unfinished documents piled high on the desk.
‘Is that… candy…?’
In addition, an immense quantity of candy and desserts formed a mountain.
‘Wow…’
Even though he was a great magician who could perform all sorts of nonsensical spells, it seemed that life was still pretty much the same for people.
“Yes, you said you saw everything with your own eyes.”
Oh, right.
Recalling the reason I was here, I turned my head back towards the source of the voice and swallowed hard.
– There’s no need to be nervous, Evan. Arhen isn’t scary.
I knew he wasn’t someone who would do harm, but recalling the recent events made it impossible not to feel tense.
When I remembered how he had used absurd magic to freeze time and easily capture a high-ranking demon…
“Is that voice… Estelle?”
– Long time no see, Arhen! I didn’t expect to see you like this!
“You were awake? That means…”
– That’s right. Evan has already awakened his powers as a hero. It’s still at the beginner level, though.
“What…?”
Now that I think about it, he had mentioned knowing Principal Arhen beforehand last time.
“Well, if that weren’t the case, it would be unthinkable for you to have done something as crazy as cutting off a limb from a high-ranking demon…”
“…”
It felt strange as the party involved, the great magician who had simply captured a high-ranking demon, spoke such obvious words.
“Yeah… it wouldn’t be appropriate to keep standing here and talking, right?”
“Yes… well…”
Is he telling me to sit?
That thought crossed my mind. Unconsciously looking around, there were no places to sit and have a conversation together.
“Um… is there a place to sit…?”
“What are you talking about? I’m not planning to talk here.”
“Excuse me…?”
What does that mean…?
“Follow me.”
The principal said this with a sly smile.
*
“Sigh… this sweet scent… I love it~!”
– You still love sweet things just like before?
“It’s because I didn’t have this kind of leisure back then. This is my paradise on earth!”
I said while deliciously scooping up the parfait full of all sorts of desserts laid before me.
I awkwardly smiled and looked down at the parfait on my table.
Is it really that delicious?
“I think this is the first time I’ve had such a treat.”
“Of course. This dessert is only found here.”
“Really…?”
– Looks like you’ve finally achieved your dream?
“Hehe.”
Seeing Principal Arhen smiling like a girl of that age, I couldn’t help but think of how he had lived for hundreds of years as a great magician.
“But is it really okay to talk here?”
“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, it’s class time now, so there’s nobody around.”
That wasn’t what I was worried about; I was wondering whether it was okay to have such conversations with the owner of this dessert shop…
‘It should be fine.’
If it wasn’t fine, we wouldn’t have come here in the first place.
“Alright, then… I guess we should get to the main topic soon.”
“Yes.”
Right, I came here to talk about this.
I began to tell the story: the encounter with the demon of temptation, and everything I experienced while being drawn into that nightmare.
.
.
.
The principal’s expression after hearing everything was not very pleasant.
In fact, it was twisted.
“Are you… okay?”
“What do you mean…?”
I responded that way, though I understood what he meant by asking if I was okay.
He had witnessed Aria dying countless times with his own eyes. Considering we had just spoken of that, if he asked if I was okay after seeing that, it must mean he was wondering if I was mentally fine after witnessing such things.
To be honest, I didn’t feel okay.
The scenes I witnessed that day kept haunting me in nightmares.
The nightmares were even worse than before, to the point where falling asleep had become frightening.
“The saint is always the same, both then and now… playing with the hearts of those around her.”
Was the previous saint the same?
Hearing that made me feel even more sympathetic.
“The power of the saint is peculiar. According to her, it’s because she directly receives divine authority from the god… to be honest, one would think that the god has some kind of dark taste with such a terrible ability.”
…
There was sadness on the principal’s face as he spoke.
It was well-known that Principal Arhen had once been a member of a hero party in the distant past; perhaps he was reminiscing about those memories.
As we fell into silence, each lost in thought, that’s when…
– Ugh, I dislike this atmosphere.
From Estelle, a voice of dissatisfaction emerged, apparently displeased with the atmosphere.
– Given the situation, I guess Evan will have to mimic the words you said back then.
“Yes?”
What did I just hear?
– You know, Arhen! When you were trapped in the nightmare, your will was so strong that your voice could be heard outside your consciousness!
“W-wait a second!!”
– Back then, you clearly said you thought the current saint was good… AAH?!
Bang! Bang!
In a panic, I grabbed the sacred sword and repeatedly slammed it into the floor.
That story must never get out.
Absolutely not!!
“Pfft… I think I know what you said.”
“Ugh…”
“Don’t worry. I also think the current saint is really impressive… It’s not strange to start liking such a person.”
“No, um… I mean… I never said I actually liked her…”
That moment… Aria was just so amazing, wasn’t she?
Despite her pain, she didn’t give up and somehow turned Albert back to his original self; I was so caught up in feelings that stirred deep within me that I mistakenly said strange things.
But…
“Are you worried about her?”
“… Yes.”
I was so concerned about her constantly putting herself through such hardships.
What if she were to crumble under the pressure?
“That feeling, hold on to it.”
“Um…?”
“You just need to become strong enough to protect her.”
“…”
Can I really?
I let that demon of temptation slip away again.
“But… I let that demon slip away.”
“… That’s unavoidable. Even in my time, it was difficult to catch that one.”
“It was difficult…?”
That sounded like they had already subdued it before…?
“Right. I’m pretty sure I annihilated it back then… so how is it still alive?”
Is it back to life even though it was killed?
I had heard that to kill a demon, you either need to annihilate or purify it…
“What exactly is that demon?”
Upon my question, the principal sighed deeply, holding his forehead as if he had a headache.
“The name is the Demon of Temptation, a servant of the one known as Nightmare.”
“A servant of a skull-headed monster…?”
“Well… I don’t really want to praise that skull-headed monster, but it doesn’t sound right to underestimate him as simply a servant of the Demon King’s Army.”
A high-ranking member of the Demon King’s Army…
Just calling that existence a skull-headed monster makes it sound like a trivial matter, showing just how remarkable this person is.
“Did you know? The great magicians, who are beings that break the laws of the world, each have a nickname related to their own unique magic.”
“Yes… I heard it from Stella.”
“Oh my, are you talking about that top-ranked magician who ran away without taking the oath?”
“Do you know Stella?”
“How could I not? I once wandered just like that child.”
As the principal said this, he seemed lost in a nostalgic thought.
– Back then, I was just a fool pretending to be a magician.
“Be quiet, Estelle.”
– Ugh…
The light from the sacred sword disappeared.
Could it be that she had hidden herself…?
“And in my case, I use the unique magic called ‘Invocation,’ so I am the Great Magician of Invocation.”
“Oh.”
It seemed quite overly confident.
Creating such a title would give a significant advantage to the opponent, as it would make them aware of what kind of magic I wielded.
Though I doubt it matters for someone as powerful as he is.
“Anyway, to return to the main topic, the one I just referred to as the skull-headed monster is a high-ranking member of the Demon King’s Army named Maleficent.”
“A member…?”
“Now I’m sure. The only one who could bypass my magic is that one.”
Upon hearing that, I finally understood why this topic had come up.
“Are you suggesting that…”
“Yes, you’re right.”
Principal Arhen lightly tapped his empty cup with a spoon and quietly spoke.
“That one is my archrival.”
As he spoke those words, Principal Arhen’s expression was filled with hatred.
