Isn’t it funny?
Having lived in the Forest of the Demon Realm for a full 10 years as a Sherpa, I find it ridiculous that they would dare to challenge me with the abilities of the magical beasts living there.
I’m not joking when I say I’ve baked, boiled, and steamed Doppel Slime, and even tried brewing alcohol with it. I even thought about raising one because it looked cute.
Whoosh!
I burn the body of the one who has already lost consciousness. It was so tiny that it caught fire quickly, and I didn’t even hear a scream.
“……”
It felt like I was back in my Sherpa days, and I exhaled. The cold emotions slowly sorted themselves out as I relaxed my body.
First of all, they say they’re part of an organization called ‘Tudogs.’ I’m wondering if there might be such organizations that do the dirty work of high nobles somewhere.
Are they a rival to the Chokugen Faction that Sen belongs to?
Anyway, this incident can be summed up simply.
The first is the test from Tudogs themselves. They caused this uproar to conduct a practical experiment on the difficult Cockatrice’s witchcraft, and it was successful.
Of course, I confirmed that it reached not only the professors from the renowned academy but also the dean.
They attempted to erase Halre’s memory and information to disappear smoothly, but due to us being variables, their plan didn’t go cleanly.
Of course, in the end, they took the treasure of the late king.
The second is the Leiros family. They commissioned Tudogs to take me down, the commoner who knocked down the dean and Fenil, who had insulted them.
It seemed like an easy target, but Fenil Leiros clumsily moved and lost his life.
“The monster.”
As he was dying, he only repeated the word monster towards me.
Recently, I had been enjoying my academy life with blossoming students and had almost forgotten my past.
In truth, I didn’t feel like I was that different from them, but someone who has lived for 10 years in a forest widely regarded as hell can’t exactly be considered normal, can they?
Hrumph!
I subtly turned my gaze toward the academy, noticing the rising sun.
It was time to be a student again.
*
“……”
Since Fenil Leiros was assassinated in his room, all classes today were turned into self-study.
The culprit is the Tudogs, but that’s a problem for Haini to solve, not mine.
The accusation that she killed the eldest son of the Leiros family during the arrest now falls on her.
“Do as you wish.”
She attempted to arrest us without proper investigation to kill us. She should know she could end up in such a situation herself.
I sincerely hope she’s competent.
“……”
More than that, the stares from the two female students targeting me were incredibly uncomfortable and hard to endure.
Though they said it was self-study, with no professors watching over us, the classroom was quite noisy.
Tana and Eve seemed like they wanted to say something, but they didn’t.
“Ugh, what’s wrong?”
Finally, I opened my mouth first, and they jumped in unison to ask me.
“Is stalking your sexual preference?”
“Do you like Rin?”
Different questions, but they shared a common theme. I sighed and shook my head.
“Neither.”
Since they seemed to want more explanation, I hesitated for a moment before I spoke again.
“I just judged it was necessary. That’s why the dean helped me. There’s no other reason I can share with you.”
In fact, even the dean didn’t know the reason, but once I brought him up, both of them seemed lost in thought.
After that, I continued to receive several awkward questions, which gradually seemed to downgrade my impression from trash to a somewhat weird preference.
‘More importantly, the fact that Rin was monitoring me.’
No wonder the exposures and pictures turned out quite pretty.
“……”
Thinking again, a headache started to form.
First, I needed to sort things out regarding her, so I moved my feet.
The chatter of students echoes in the empty corridor.
Although all classrooms were in self-study, the usual uproar echoed down the hallway.
I quietly opened the door to Class A and looked around, but the kids, busy chatting and playing, didn’t even glance my way.
“What’s up?”
However, two others spotted me.
May and Rin.
May walked over with candy in her mouth and her hands in her pockets.
“Are you here to stalk again?”
“Go ask Tana and Eve. I’ve already explained everything to them.”
I waved my hand in annoyance, and May furrowed her brow, thinking she was being cast aside.
“Are you really going to speak to someone who’s been fighting with these kids all day because of you like that?”
“……Okay, what do you want?”
Though I found it annoying, I felt I had to say it since this time May had timed her move just right or she would have ended up being captured.
“Uh, um. I’ll tell you later.”
“There’s a time limit.”
“Oh, come on!”
Ignoring May’s grumbling, I walked past. Though her followers glared at me as though trying to monitor me from behind, I ignored that too.
They still didn’t realize who the real power was.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
Rin, who had been puffing her cheeks while staring at me, nodded with a smile.
The direction I headed with Rin was the school rooftop.
I just wanted to talk in a nearby empty classroom, but Rin insisted we come here if we were going to talk.
A refreshing breeze blows.
Despite the many events that happened, it’s finally sinking in that things have stabilized, at least for now.
“Are you okay?”
This was a question for both Rin and myself. The pain in my chest was easing from a sharp sting to just a dull ache.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Even though she must be struggling mentally after Halre’s disappearance, she wore an indifferent expression.
Of course, she might have other friends, but I knew there was a wound in her heart.
What should I say?
Rin, smiling as she watched my restless hands, urged me.
“Did you call me because you have something to say?”
“Exactly.”
I took a breath.
Oddly enough, this was more nerve-wracking than fighting.
“I have someone I like.”
“……What?”
Her expression changed.
A chilling voice that felt icy.
The sparkle in her eyes faded, and the stinging pain in my chest turned into a throbbing weight.
‘Just as I thought.’
Recalling the time when Rin got strange, I now got my answer.
When her emotions rise, she gives off a similar aura to that of the master of armies. Comparing it to that time, it was faint but undeniable.
‘If so.’
She must be eliminated.
If her emotions decide the extinction of humanity on the continent, then killing her seems like the only option, though.
“……”
Rin took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, then tightly clenched her fist, looking at me.
“First, I want to ask, it’s not me, right?”
“……Yeah.”
Once again, her emotions waver.
But she was holding it together. She was definitely controlling her emotions, suppressing the dark energy within her.
Then, she tried to speak with effort.
“You know… I feel a bit strange lately. Whenever I see you with someone else, I feel really bad. It makes me angry. Sometimes I even have bad thoughts.”
“……”
“Driven by such impulsive feelings, I acted that night and caused you harm.”
I recalled when Rin suddenly charged at Ares while Hayun was confessing. Trembling, Rin held my hand with her shaky fingers.
“I’m sorry. Like I said before, I apologize. I know you like someone else. I know you don’t like me.”
“……”
“But can I ask you something?”
Now completely back to her usual self, she was shedding tears.
She asked me desperately.
“Do you hate me?”
Her slightly parted lips.
I didn’t even need to think about how to answer. My response came out before I even realized it.
“I’ve never hated you.”
Though she stabbed my heart and carried the weight of humanity’s destruction, making me feel uneasy and pressured, I never hated her.
That was my honest answer.
Even while crying, Rin smiled brightly in response.
“I’m glad.”
There had been many misunderstandings.
I intentionally avoided her, severing our relationship unilaterally.
During that time, she broke down, yet she remained sane.
“I really liked you when I was younger.”
That right there was the last thing I could offer her.
Then she wiped her tears and didn’t lose her smile.
“I’ve liked you from childhood until now.”
“……”
“And I always will.”
The girl who said it with a smile slowly wrapped her arms around me, and I naturally let myself be held.
For the girl, this was a confession of unrequited love that has lasted for a long time.
But for me, this was a possibility.
If Rin could control whatever mysterious thing inside her, just like she did a moment ago, if she could manage it.
I thought so, and I too slowly embraced her.
‘It seems it’s still too early to give up on you.’
