After the Empire officially announced Sertia’s death, there was a great uproar in the Empire.
Although she had stepped down from the position of headmaster, Sertia was still the most influential figure in the Empire.
She was the one who single-handedly lifted the crumbling Empire. The person who had slain the Demon King and held the position of headmaster of the Academy for a long time.
At least no one in the Empire was unaware of her name. Therefore, when the news of her death spread, the Empire was noisy all over.
The position of headmaster at the Academy was still vacant, and some mourned that the star of the Empire had gone out.
The cause of death was reported as due to illness.
It was quite well-known that Sertia’s health had not been good, and it spread that she had ultimately passed away due to a long-illness she had been suffering from.
Time passed since then.
Albert became the headmaster of the Academy.
He knew the entire truth behind the incident and returned to his daily life as if nothing had happened after being the one who killed Sertia.
Iria headed towards the Academy without anything seeming different.
*
Even though a considerable amount of time had passed since that day, the atmosphere in the Academy was heavy.
There would be various reasons for that, but it was because a string of misfortunes had befallen the Academy.
The damage from the monster attacks was significant as it was, and now another pillar supporting the Empire had vanished.
It seemed the people at the Academy did not want to acknowledge that fact. This was especially true for both the students and the professors.
Regardless of how the world reacted, all the professors at the Academy respected Sertia.
And then…
“……”
“……”
As time passed, I met Ariel again, who seemed to be deep in thought.
What could he be thinking?
Curious, I tried to meet his gaze, but I still couldn’t read him.
If it were any other time, I would have let it go, but now I thought I understood. The reason I couldn’t read his memories.
If the power of these eyes came from the Demon King as Sertia said, then the opposing starlight would offset it.
Starlight is the power that denies the Demon King. Therefore, no abilities would work on Ariel—unless one extracts all the starlight from within.
It was truly a twist of fate that both the Hero and the Demon King died in one generation, and the next generation’s next Hero and Demon King attended the same Academy.
Could this be a deliberate setup? I almost forgot that this world was just a story.
If Ariel, the Hero, is the protagonist of this world, then am I, the candidate for the Demon King, the worst villain blocking his path?
I stood next to Ariel. He seemed so preoccupied that he hadn’t noticed my presence until I got closer.
Only after I moved next to him did he turn his head toward me.
“Oh, Iria.”
“Is something wrong?”
I asked him. I had been curious for a while, but I simply couldn’t read his thoughts. That’s why I asked.
I understood there was something troubling him, but I couldn’t see how Sertia’s death was related to him.
He seemed to speak slowly as if he had nothing to hide anymore.
“I lost both my parents when I was young. The one who took me in was the headmaster. Or is she not the headmaster anymore? Anyway, yeah.”
“…”
“Then she sent me to an orphanage. Saying she no longer wanted to see me. Later, I heard that she also killed my mother.”
If we’re talking about his mother, then it’s referring to Saint Karen.
The curse spread before Sertia did, ultimately turning into a living disaster.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t Sertia who killed Karen. The moment she became a monster due to the curse, it was as if she was already dead.
It was the curse that killed Karen, while Sertia was the one who stopped the monster that had moved as a corpse.
And.
The one who suffered the most stress from that incident must have been Sertia herself.
It was clear from how she bore a deep hatred for the idea of being a Demon King. She must have gone through a lot alone.
I hoped he wouldn’t take out his anger on me since it wasn’t my fault.
Ariel continued speaking.
“I think it was when I was five years old. Back when my mother was still alive. She had a habit of disappearing somewhere now and then, and every time that happened, I would ask the headmaster about her location, and she would answer.”
Ariel seemed to ponder for a moment, with a face deep in thought, reminiscing about old memories.
“That day, my mother had disappeared somewhere. I was about to ask the headmaster as usual when…”
“When…?”
“That day, the headmaster’s clothes were stained with blood. And it wasn’t until a while later that I heard she had killed my mother. With no explanation, just that one line.”
“Oh.”
“She said she was late in telling me that my mother was dead because she had killed her.”
“…”
“And that I wouldn’t want to see her face anymore, so let’s not meet again. After that, she sent me to the orphanage with quite a bit of money. After that, it’s just like you know.”
He grew up with Sera in the orphanage, and now here they were. Sera had told me about this.
So that’s why he wanted me to convey her apology.
He wanted to tell her directly, which became clear from the last memory I had read.
The relationship between Sertia and Ariel was more complex than I had thought.
I understood the general situation. But how did Ariel view her? Did he still resent her?
“Do you resent her?”
I asked if he still held any resentment toward Sertia. This was something Sertia wanted to know the most before she died.
Ariel didn’t answer for a while. He seemed to be lost in deep thought as well.
But unlike me, Ariel was someone who could see a little more around him. After contemplating, he quickly turned to me and answered.
“I resented her. Back then, I truly didn’t know anything. I probably resented her until my admission to the Academy.”
“Didn’t she ever tell you why she killed her?”
“…She didn’t want to tell me the fact that my mother had turned into a hideous monster. She said she would rather bear the burden of being hated.”
To Sertia, Ariel was as precious a being as her fallen comrades. After all, he resembled them. A remnant of those comrades that had now faded away.
What must Sertia have felt to have even Ariel look at her with resentment?
Though I couldn’t fully empathize with the emotions of humans, I could at least understand it from the expression Sertia wore in her final moments.
I could see how she had walked her path all the way to the end.
Ultimately, Sertia tried to do what was right from start to finish. What could save humanity more than herself.
She had done it in the past, when left alone, and even just before her death, she tried to exclude me, the enemy of humanity.
It may not be for me to evaluate her, since I was the one who killed her, but at the very least, Sertia was not a person who deserved to be resented by anyone.
Especially not by Ariel, who shared the same righteous nature.
The depths of a twisted misunderstanding are something more cruel than one might think. This was what I thought after hearing the story.
Ariel was rife with thoughts. Surely Sertia’s death would have impacted him significantly as well.
At that point, I decided to convey the words of the deceased. I called out to Ariel, who seemed deep in thought.
“I met the headmaster once before she died.”
“Oh? How did that happen?”
“Do I have to say it?”
“It’s okay if you don’t say it. You must have your reasons too. So what did you talk about?”
I recalled her words as she whispered something while a sword was stabbed into her heart.
And.
“She said to tell you she’s sorry.”
“……”
That single phrase seemed heavy for Ariel.
I stood there for a while, waiting, but Ariel’s mouth did not open.
Perhaps it was enough to just relay those words. I decided to let him be for a while.
How he chose to take that was his own business.
If asked to name the most influential institution in the Empire, without a doubt, it would be the Academy or the Knights Order.
This was because they were the elite forces directly chosen by Sertia to manage the Empire.
Then, where would the next most influential place be?
There are many reputable institutions in the continent’s capital, the Empire, but excluding the Knights Order and the Academy, the most prominent would be the Central Church.
It serves the Sun God and bestows God’s grace upon the injured.
The Central Church is highly regarded not only for its long history and size but largely because it directly opposes the Demon King.
They distribute holy water to the Knights Order, who are hostile to the Demon King and produced the Saint from the former Hero party.
And this current Saint of the Central Church proudly is…
“Klana.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Get down from the podium. It looks undignified.”
She was lying down in the church, particularly in a sunlit spot.
Seemingly so lazy, as if she had nothing to do at all.
The head of the convent sighed and pointed out her overly relaxed posture for someone claiming to be a Saint.
Did the Saint even realize that her underwear was showing through her white outfit? Probably not. If she had known, she wouldn’t be lying like that.
“Klana.”
Now used to this sight, the convent head called her name.
“Yes! Is it about work?!”
Klana sprang to her feet and straightened her posture. It was boring in the church with no stimulation.
She was a self-proclaimed lively Saint eager to get outside.
“It’s work. I suppose you could say it that way.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“There was a letter from the Academy. They were wondering if there were plans to enroll the current Saint in the Academy.”
“Ah.”
Klana covered her mouth with her hand.
If it’s the Academy, then that’s where young men and women are passing their youthful days attending classes.
The last time she visited, she returned after only doing a job, but she wanted to explore a bit more.
“It seems they are facing a shortage of personnel. The Academy is always looking for talents. Of course, what’s most important is the person’s willingness. If you don’t wish to go, you can refuse…”
“I want to go!!”
Klana excitedly answered, thinking that her long-awaited opportunity had finally arrived.
