“…With that, I will conclude the class.”
Time flowed quickly after the skeleton dungeon exploration.
Before long, it had become Monday.
Even after Professor Ronda Magret finished the class, Sion was staring absently at the blackboard.
‘Apostolos… I’ve never heard of it no matter how much I think about it.’
Until now, he had simply thought of it as another ‘world.’
Apostolos, the Demon King, and even the Hero.
With settings that seemed fitting for a medieval fantasy world, Sion’s mind was in turmoil.
For now, he couldn’t recall ever hearing of an organization called Apostolos.
It meant that at least the world he knew was not the same.
While Sion was lost in thought, Professor Ronda Magret’s closing remarks followed.
“And as you all may know… the Byzantium Sports Festival is scheduled for next week.”
“…?”
A sports festival?
“It is a sports festival boasting the ancient traditions of Byzantium Academy, and I hope as many students as possible will participate… The head professor has personally said so. Please refer to the academy’s announcements for more details.”
Click-click.
Having said what she needed to, she left the classroom just like that.
‘A sports festival…’
Sports festivals are one of the common events in universities.
They are often held in large categories like the College of Humanities and the College of Sciences.
In cases where a department has a lot of people, they sometimes hold separate sports festivals to promote camaraderie.
Of course, Sion, who was a study bug, did not know much about sports festivals.
“Patrick, do you know anything about the sports festival?”
“You don’t know about the Byzantium Sports Festival? It’s the empire’s famous festival!”
“…Is that so?”
“Of course!”
Patrick’s eyes sparkled.
“I’ve never seen it myself, but it’s super famous! Especially since distinguished guests from other countries attend, and there are seniors who get hired after shining at the sports festival, they say!”
“…Aha.”
So in terms of Korea, it wasn’t just a simple festival but a ‘Yunkojeon’-level big event, and since the Combat Department was prominent, it seemed that achieving results in the sports festival could earn one a recruitment opportunity.
It was perfect for showing off one’s abilities.
“But doesn’t the Magic Department not do very well in the sports festival?”
“That’s a misunderstanding of the Byzantium Sports Festival!”
Snap!
Geivolg appeared, raising his index finger.
“Although it’s called a sports festival, that’s just the name stemming from past traditions! There are stages prepared where students of the Magic Department can shine!”
“Geivolg is right. There are also magical duels, magical academic competitions, and original magic contests.”
“……”
“Why are you looking like that? You don’t have a good expression.”
Sion’s complexion turned rapidly worse, enough for Patrick to worry.
It was because sad memories from the past flickered through his mind.
‘…I had forgotten about academic competitions, but to hear about it here…’
An academic competition.
It refers to a contest where professors and graduate students present their papers or give lectures.
Naturally, Sion, who had come from a graduate school, had participated in academic competitions.
‘Ah… memories I’d rather not recall are coming back.’
Sion had participated in an academic competition for the first time on the recommendation of a professor.
Back then, young as he was, he thought he had gained recognition from the professor and earned the opportunity.
As he prepared for the paper presentation, sacrificing sleep, the moment came… Sion realized.
He hadn’t been chosen for recognition; it was just that he got caught in “capacity filling.”
‘Just thinking about how badly I was torn apart… still makes me shudder.’
The barrage of sharp questions during a 15-minute presentation.
Not only people working in the industry but also professors from other schools, and even professors from the same department.
The paper that Sion, as a mere graduate student, had worked hard on was shredded to pieces by their questions.
Sion’s young heart, lacking social experience, was similarly shattered.
“Sion-kun, are you okay?”
“Yeah… it’s nothing. Just some unpleasant memories popped up.”
“You don’t have to worry. Participating in the sports festival is entirely your choice! Of course, if the competition is fierce, it can also be determined by a professor’s discretion and a lottery, so be careful!”
“Thanks for the information.”
Sion forced a smile.
He understood enough about the sports festival.
Although he didn’t know what events were available, he had no desire to participate.
Until Geivolg’s last words were finished.
“Oh, by the way, the sports festival is sponsored by various countries and companies, including Byzantium Academy! If you achieve high results, they say they give substantial prizes!”
“…Prizes?”
“I heard that even placing third earns you gold coins, and if you place first, you’ll receive over a hundred gold coins as a prize… but I don’t know the details! Hahaha!”
Sion’s eyes widened.
Just for winning the sports festival, they’d give over a hundred gold coins?
It wasn’t just a benefit; it was a massive jackpot.
He wanted to ask Geivolg a bit more, but…
“Sorry, I have somewhere to go.”
“Eh? Didn’t we say we’d have lunch together?”
“Sorry. I’ll see you in the afternoon class!”
“Alright? I guess it can’t be helped.”
Sion left the classroom, leaving Patrick and Geivolg behind.
Acquiring information about the sports festival was important, but…
In fact, as soon as this lecture was over, there was something he wanted to look up immediately.
Sion’s footsteps headed toward the library.
‘So this is… the Byzantium Academy Library?’
As expected of the empire’s top academy, the library was quite large and beautiful.
It was a high three-story building with an open feeling and aesthetically pleasing interior.
It was the best library Sion had ever been to in his life.
And at that place, Sion was looking for some information.
“Phew… it’s heavy.”
Thud!
A mountain of books piled up in front of Sion’s desk.
The titles of those books were as follows:
– The Great War of Humans: A Ten-Year History.– Why Did Humans and Demons Go to War?– The Demon King and the Hero: A Theological Analysis of that Prophecy.– The History of the Demon Race.– The Demon King Who Does Not Resurrect: What Is the Reason?– The Hero Myth of the Bonestia Religion.
Thick books that seemed like they would make one drowsy just by looking at them.
Sion began to devour them in a single breath.
‘…The Demon King.’
While the king of humans maintains power through election and inheritance, the king of demons is simply selected by overwhelming strength.
Strength-first principle. Just as he had seen in fantasy worldviews.
The difference was that the former Demon King had been prophesied to resurrect.
‘The Demon King should have resurrected 20 years ago. If he had resurrected, a hero should have been chosen from the Bonestia religion, which is the religion of humans… but neither has happened.’
There was no news of the Demon King resurrecting, nor of a hero being born.
If there is no Demon King, there is no hero, and if there is no hero, there is no Demon King.
In some books, it was harshly criticized with phrases like “What meaning do you give to the words left by the Demon King before he died?”
Many people had risen above the pain of the Great War of Humans and called the current era the ‘Era of Peace.’
‘But historically, times that are called the Era of Peace are the most dangerous.’
Among the famous quotes from the Roman era is “If you want peace, prepare for war.”
It means that if there isn’t sufficient deterrence to prevent war, peace will be broken.
In Sion’s view, the current empire was… like a frog in boiling water.
‘Why is there no information on Apostolos?’
As if someone had wiped it clean, the word ‘Apostolos’ was nowhere to be found in any of the books he was reading.
Was this organization newly established? Or was there… some reason for it?
At that moment, while Sion was diligently searching through the books.
“Hey~. You seem very interested in demons, don’t you?”
“…!”
“You don’t need to be that surprised. If I startled you, I’m sorry?”
A female student appeared without a sound.
She was wearing the uniform of Byzantium Academy, but her skirt was short and the uniform was quite rebellious.
Like a ‘gyaru’ character from a Japanese anime.
However, there was one difference…
“…A tail?”
“Oh, this? I’m a half-demon. Isn’t it real odd? I’m just like a human except for the tail… Ah, look, I even have horns! Isn’t that amazing?”
She had a tail like a little devil.
Moreover, when she smiled and shyly fiddled with her forehead, small horns popped out.
If it weren’t for the tail and horns, one would not think she was a demon at all.
“You seem to have a lot of questions about demons; should I help you out?”
“About demons?”
“Yep. Since I’m a demon, even if I’m half, I can definitely help, okay?”
“U-uh….”
She winked and linked arms with Sion.
Sion was flustered by the sudden physical contact.
Her tail wrapped around Sion’s leg.
“I can see you have a lot of questions about demons~. Even though I’m only half, I know a lot, so feel free to ask me anything!”
“……”
“Ah, by the way! We should start with introductions.”
She slyly loosened her arm around Sion and put some distance between them.
Then… she formed a peace sign with her hand and placed it next to her eye.
“My name is Reiko! You can just call me Rei. I don’t have a family name~. Since I’m half-demon and half-human, it’s only natural, right?”
“…I’m Sion. I don’t have a family name either.”
“Wow, you don’t have a family name either? That’s a real fate~.”
Reiko giggled and took Sion’s book into her arms.
Then, she brought her face close to Sion’s ear and whispered in a ticklish manner.
“It’s not good to chat in the library, so let’s go to the discussion room where we can talk? It’s just been vacated. It’s really great for chatting~.”
“……”
“Shall we go together?”
At Reiko’s cheerful whisper, Sion, without realizing it, nodded his head.
