Chapter 47

Having been guided by the butler to the location of the Transportation Magic Circle, Jae explained the plan to Rena and Bailey.

"―So, since we're going to be technically trespassing, there will no doubt be people trying to attack us. Of course, I permit you to use any kinds of self-defence you deem necessary, but if you can help it, try not to kill anyone."

Kids shouldn't have to bear the weight of ending a life, but this is all I can say. Well, it shouldn't happen anyway.

They said nothing in response, only nodding silently in confirmation. They weren't worried about something like attackers, anyway.

After arriving at the site, which had just finished being fully prepared, they met Leila; apparently, she was here to see them off. She immediately dismissed the butler and waited until it was just the four of them left in the room to speak.

"It was only a short visit, but a lot has happened already, it seems. I'll miss you."

Jae was puzzled before he noticed that her eyes were directed not at him, but Rena. He quietly walked to the centre of the room, where the floor was covered in many strange markings and geometric shapes all seemingly drawn in a pattern. Looking at the complex magic circle, Jae subtly shook his head.

...Yeah, no, I don't get how any of this works. Aphy never taught me about magic circles directly; just that the method of using them existed. Because she said that they were an inferior way of using magic, she didn't bother...... Did that screw me up...?

"Hey, so is it ready?", he asked to clear his head. Leila turned to him and replied after a moment of hesitation.

"...It will activate once sufficient mana is supplied. By the way, there is still time to--"

"--Nothing you say will stop me from going. Kids, come here."

With his words and a single gesture of the hand, Rena and Bailey followed his command and walked over to the middle of the room with him. Suddenly, though, Rena stopped, and ran up to Leila, hugging and squeezing her tightly.

"Ah...?", Leila muttered in surprise before smiling gently.

Rena then looked up to her with eyes that gleamed with an ardent zeal and spoke enthusiastically.

"I'll come back soon this time!"

Everyone held their breaths at her words, and the two adults wore slightly darkened expressions, as they were the only ones who knew why she said what she did. When she felt she was done, Rena let go and rushed over to Jae's side.

As all of the mana required for the ritual was already prepared in the form of charged mana crystals, the only thing they needed to do was transfer that mana from the connected crystals into the circuit. Jae did that, and the magic circle soon began to light up; whirring into action like a machine.

Amid the splendid illumination, Jae, Rena and Bailey, all looked towards Leila. She opened her mouth and directed words to one person in particular.

"I'll be patiently awaiting your return."

Following this, Rena shouted, "I love you, Mama! Goodbyeee...!!"

The light finally swallowed the three of them up, and Rena's voice faded along with her departure.

"..."

Now alone, Leila stared wordlessly for a while, before uttering three words as she gazed at the spot they previously stood.

"...Come back soon."

"Bleuurrghh...!"

It was right after Rena had bid farewell.

"Haa... I didn't think about this... Bailey, are you alright?", Jae asked tentatively.

The instant the Transportation Magic activated, Bailey felt an extreme sense of nausea and vertigo, and it didn't even take more than five seconds before he started regurgitating his breakfast onto the ground. Jae created a ball of fresh water for him with magic and waited for him to get better.

It's only motion sickness, so he should recover quickly.

While waiting, he scoured the surroundings with the usual combination of magic radar and aura sensing, which he could once again use to full effect thanks to no longer being surrounded by anti-magic.

Hmm... She was right. We're just outside the city, on a small hill. Down there... is the capital's front gate. To get in, we'll probably need ID, huh? ...I can't show my Status, so... oh, wait, never mind. We can just sneak in. I'll need to have Rena wear her hood at all times, as well; at least, until we've made it into the palace since then it shouldn't matter.

He returned to the two, and, seeing that Bailey had just about improved his condition, decided to start moving.

"Rena, put your hood up as far as you can. Luckily, it seems to be a cloudy day today, so people aren't likely to be suspicious. It'll probably rain later.", he said while glancing up at the dark grey sky above. It briefly reminded him of the country he lived in on Earth, England.

"Okay."

The hood of Rena's fluffy white coat was deep enough to almost cover her eyes, so it easily managed to hide her horns, and the material of the coat itself was flexible enough for them to not stick through or look suspicious.

"Alright. Let's go then."

Master, what about you? Aren't people after you?", Bailey abruptly asked.

"Hm? How do you know about that?"

"I saw a poster in my house with your name on it... It was before my dad burned them all."

"Ahh... Well, yeah, that's true, but they won't know it's me until it's too late for them anyway. It'll be alright."

"Oh. Okay."

Jae smiled, "Thanks for worrying though. You can put your faith in me.", before turning around.

The three walked down the quiet hill and through the muddy long grass until they reached the city's outer wall―an enormous, marble barrier stood before them; a special kind of stone-like brick further reinforced through magic.

They purposely went around to an obscured place in order to not be seen. Confirming that no one but them was around, Jae placed his hand on the wall and opened the Inventory.

*crack, crack*

A small rumble sounded, as a part of the wall collapsed into "thin air" and vanished, leaving nothing but an empty, adult human-sized gap. Jae then passed through the hole, followed by the amazed Rena and Bailey.

Now, they were in Seronia's capital city. It was a much quicker process than anyone expected.

Jae muttered almost inaudibly to himself, "Never imagined I'd be coming back..."

Well, then again, I wasn't even here for a full day last time, so it's not like I have any attachment to this place. No, more than that, I wouldn't even care if it was all burned to the ground.

They found themselves in a back alley, void of life aside from the occasional rodent or bird. It was fortunate, as it meant that no one saw what happened, but Jae thought the hole would get found out quickly if the people here were competent.

...Then again, it is in such a concealed and dirty location. They might not find it for a long time. Anyway, it's not like it matters, really. Though, I did assume there would be some slums or something in this outer-city area, but maybe because it's so close to the entrance, they prevent such places from occurring? Or maybe the royalty just gets rid of them. Hm.

Making sure they were all set, the group headed out of the alley and into the bustling high street, which was surprisingly populated despite the grey weather.

"You two, stick close to me. There's a lot of people, so try not to get lost."

""Okay~~""

Jae led the two through the city as they each held onto the hem of his clothes―which, by the way, caused people to look at him strangely, as his current outfit was the same, dirty clothes he had made a few months ago (there was not enough time in the castle to make brand new ones, so he has only been roughly washing his current clothes with magic).

Since it made him look like an adventurer, people wondered why two kids were clinging to him, but nobody dared to go up and find out as, first of all, they were fearful of the adventurer's unknown reputation, and secondly, they didn't really care.

"Daddy, what's that?", Rena suddenly asked with a gesture. Jae looked towards where she was pointing―in that direction was a large building with a clear sign on the front.

That sign read the words "Adventurer's Guild" on it.

Perhaps it was because there were many strangely dressed people going in and out that she was curious.

"Ah!", Bailed yelled abruptly while staring into space.

"What's wrong?"

"T-The Adventurer's Guild! It's here!"

"...Yes? Do you want to go in?"

"U-Uhh... Mmmh... N-No, because you have important things to do... I'm good..."

Well then. Is being an adventurer in his blood? It won't hurt to take a small detour. And who knows, his parents might be there... No, what are the chances of that?

"It's fine. If you want to go, we will. It's not like the Dungeon will disappear if we go a little slower."

In fact, I'm also curious about it, since, Asphal doesn't have any Adventurer's Guilds. I might even sign up if the registration is easy.

"Ah... Okay. I want to see!"

Jae laughed at his glistening eyes, "Haha. Sure."

Rena was not fussed any way about it, so the three of them headed into the Guild.

*creaaak*

The great wooden door of the Guild creaked noisily when Jae opened it. As they walked further into the spacious ground floor, the boisterous interior atmosphere quickly quietened. With his excellent hearing, he picked up on some murmurs.

"...Oi oi, those kids're a bit fuckin' young, ain't they? The hell is this guy?"

"I don't know, but... I can sense extraordinary magic power emanating from him..."

Various things, and even completely unrelated topics, were overheard. However, the vast majority of it all was people wondering why someone brought kids into the Guild building. Especially since the boy looked only about 9 years old, and the smaller one, though her face was obscured by a deep hood, seemed around the age of 5; 6 at most.

Jae asked Bailey, "So, what do you want to do? Do you want to register?"

"Um..."

"―Hey."

But before he could answer, someone came over and spoke out to them. No, specifically, he was glaring at Jae.

"Are you making this kid sign up to the Guild?", he asked. Jae looked at him wordlessly for a moment.

It was a boy―17 years of age according to his Soul State―who was dressed just as how Jae imagined a veteran adventurer would look, surprisingly enough. However, he also had some kind of badge expertly sewn onto the shoulder of his coat. Though Jae didn't know what it meant, it was a crisp and fancy design that seemed rather odd for an adventurer to be wearing.

Judging from the boy's Soul State, and comparing it to the Soul States of others in the room, Jae thought that he was certainly impressive for his age, but no match for himself. Eventually, he opened his mouth.

"Who are you?"

It was a simple question. But, of course, he already knew the boy's name.

"...Aracia. Now answer my question."

"Huh. Why should I?"

The boy―Aracia clicked his tongue in annoyance. The room once again became rowdy as people were yelling both obscenities and cheers at him.

"Oi, ya son of a bitch! Why're ya startin' shit this time!? Just fuck off will ya!?"

"Woohoo! Go, kid! Cut his wrist like ya did that other poncy fucker! Then your card'll get revoked for sure! Finally!"

...Though, strangely, no matter which one it was, for some reason it was as if everybody wanted the boy gone. Aracia placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. Merely by looking at it, Jae could tell that it was enchanted.

Hm. My physical defence isn't that good, and certain enchants have the ability to almost completely bypass my passive barrier... It wouldn't be good to fight with the kids being here, too. What a pain.

With a long sigh showing his exasperation, Jae spoke to pacify the boy.

"Haaah... Look, kid. I'm not here to fight. To answer your question; no. I wasn't going to force anyone to do anything, alright? So back off."

He responded after a while, "......You better keep your word.", and removed his hand from his sword, although he still glared at Jae.

"Yes, yes, now leave us alone--"

*creaaakk*

At that moment, the entrance to the Guild opened once more, and someone entered. Jae couldn't see who it was, as his back was currently turned, but he almost immediately recognised the voice that sounded out from behind him.

"Heeey, Aracia~...!", she yelled with a wide grin on her face as she rushed through the room; seemingly oblivious to the tension in the air.

...That voice...... Ashley...?

No one saw it, but Jae's eyes widened slightly.

"Ah, Ash."

"I got it! I got the bow!", she waved around an expensive-looking longbow around as she ran.

Jae quickly spoke to Bailey, who stood beside him, and Rena, who still clung to his clothes.

"...We're leaving."

"O-Okay.", Bailey stuttered slightly, feeling a bit disappointed.

"Don't worry, you can come back later if you want."

Then, he turned back around to exit the Guild, but as he did so, his eyes coincidentally met Ashley's, who was just now passing them by.

""...""

It only lasted for less than an instant, and now all that could be seen was Jae's back as he walked towards the door, followed closely by two children.

But that one moment was more than enough to completely kill Ashley's enthusiasm.

*creaak...*

Ashley quietly stared at the Guild's now-closed entrance. The image of that man would not leave her mind for some reason.

"He seemed... familiar...", she murmured, "...Hey, Aracia, were you talking with that guy just now...?"

"Ah, not really. I wondered why he brought two kids with him to this place though, and 'cause he looked a bit suspicious I wondered if he was trying to force them to sign up to the Guild or something. I've never even seen him around here before as well, which is definitely strange. He certainly didn't look or feel like a rookie, so he's probably come from somewhere else."

"Hmm..."

But I swear, I feel like I've seen that sinister 'aura' before... His face also kinda resembled that guy...

*gasp!*

"W-Wait a second!", she abruptly shouted. Aracia stood dumbfounded as she rushed towards the door, thrust it open, and dashed outside.

"...H-Hey, what are you doing?", he followed her and asked. She was now standing in the middle of the street looking around frantically and talking to herself like a crazy person.

"I know it's him, I know it's him, I know it's him... It has to be! Right?! Argh, where the heck did he go?!"

"Ash!", he yelled. Ashley only snapped back, however.

"Crap! It has to be him! How did he get away so fast?!"

"Ash! Are you talking about that guy? Do you know him? Who is he?"

"Argh!! I swear! It's Jae, my old classmate! My「Instinct」is screaming right now! I need to find him!"

"H-Hey! Wait...!"

She ran down the street towards the one place she predicted Jae would head to. What was in the direction she was heading?

―The royal palace.

With the help of skills like「Stealth」and「Concealment」, Jae, Rena and Bailey were able to swiftly make their way through the city without too much trouble. It took a bit longer the further they went, however, because the city was situated atop some highlands and the more "important" places, like the palace, were the highest up.

Soon enough, they found themselves in the Nobles' District. This was where all the high-end, deluxe facilities were located, as well as fancy shops and the extravagant residences of nobles.

And of course, within this scope of things, includes the Royal Academy of Seronia.

"Hey! Who's there!?", all of a sudden, someone cried out. Jae instinctively turned his head towards the owner of the voice.

It seemed to be a teenager wearing a uniform, so he expected that it was a student of the Academy. Seeing the familiar badge sewn on the shoulder, he recognised it as the same one that Aracia wore, meaning that he too was a student of the Academy.

"Tsk."

Jae clicked his tongue.

I stopped using magic sensing so that no one could sense my magic in turn, but this guy is too perceptive anyway, huh? Those damn rogue-like skills are only good for civilians.

They were caught red-handed, and because of the way he was dressed, anyone who belonged to the Nobles' District would accuse him of being suspicious; especially since he was discovered sneaking around the place.

"Name yourself!", the student shouted. Wary of Jae, he unsheathed a longsword from his waist.

...Now, why does a student carry a sword? Haha, anyway.

Since he was exposed, Jae thought there would be no choice but to fight. Though, what he had on his mind wasn't exactly 'fighting'. He stretched his hand out towards the student, who assumed he was about to cast a spell. Because of this, he took the initiative and leapt forward, waving his blade.

Needless to say, he was correct that Jae was going to use magic. And it was right of him to think that, because Jae had no weapon on him, he was a magician. Hence, it was the correct choice to try and take him down before he has the opportunity to cast a spell.

However.

"Hah."

Jae looked at the student and laughed in ridicule.

His sword is shaking. He's afraid.

Then, the student arrived at Jae, who still just stood with his hand outstretched. He swung vertically downwards―

*grip*

"Wha--?!"

―But the unsteady blade could do no harm. Grabbing the sword with his outstretched hand, Jae yanked the weapon right out of the boy's hands.

The student, who was already too scared to take a human life to wield his sword properly, was now unarmed, and in no position to carry on fighting.

He met Jae's cold, piercing eyes; looking at him as if he were nothing but a stone at the wayside. It made him feel like his very soul was being gazed into.

*thud*

His knees gave in, and he collapsed onto the ground; tears streaming down his quivering cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't kill me please don't kill me―"

He began muttering prayers. Jae ignored him and walked away. Rena and Bailey, who followed him, were silent until Rena eventually said something.

"...Daddy. Humans are really weak, aren't they...? Oh! Not Bailey though."

"Hah.", amused, Jae replied with a snort, "Yes, sweetie... Yes, they are."

Then, Bailey spoke too, "Master, can I fight some people?"

"Well, that was the plan. As long as there aren't too many enemies, then I don't think opponents of this level will be able to do much against you two. Rena, you remember everything I taught you, right? About disrupting magic and all that."

"Yeah! I remember!"

"Good. Now, please shoot a fireball into the air for me."

"? Okay~!「Fireball」!"

She tilted her head but did as told. Conjuring a sphere of pure flame, Rena shot a ball of fire high into the sky, where it detonated as a small explosion, just like a firework.

*BOOM!*

It probably resounded through the entire Nobles' District. Then, Jae nodded satisfactorily and opened his mouth.

"Because this is a good opportunity for your two to prove just how much you've grown, I thought I would hasten the process a little."

"―Hm?"

"―What?"

They replied simultaneously, and just after they did, many screams and wails could be heard from all directions.

"Waahhh!! Intruders!"

"He's armed! Help! It's an emergency!!"

"Call the guards! No, the knights! Immediately!"

Because it was currently daytime, there were many nobles―both adults, children, and even butlers and maids―who were out and about, shopping, eating lunch, on other business, or even just out for a stroll. The exploded fireball was very distinctly visible to all of these people, and the dark sky only made it even clearer to see.

No matter who it was, their reactions were all one and the same: 'Eradicate these dirty pests'.

Since they were all people of high class and status, no one among them was willing to step forward to confront the intruders. But, within this Nobles' District, Jae knew of one place that would certainly be up for the job.

"We're here to help!"

―Students from the Royal Academy.

"What's going on!?"

"Over there! Intruders!"

"But those are children, aren't they?!"

Jae smiled.

I was right. Purely the fact that the first kid tried to fight me was proof enough that the rest of the student body would do the same. If I were to speculate why... there's probably a high chance that they'll get rewarded if they succeed or something. Also, because they're kids, they have high tempers I guess?

As more and more students gathered, they prepared for a fight. Jae smiled wryly, as there were more than he expected, however. Rena and Bailey were anxious but ready to battle at any time.

Hm...? Something's odd here, isn't it?

Jae noticed that, for some reason, the students were not doing anything. They simply stood back, weapons drawn. They weren't frightened, and on the contrary, they believed they held the advantage due to their sheer numbers, however, something seemed off.

It was as if they were waiting for something, as not one among them stepped forward.

The knights? That wouldn't be good. I doubt the kids could handle knights at their current level.

He soon found out what exactly it was they were waiting for. But it wasn't who he was expecting.

"Where's the enemy!? Just leave it to me guys, I'll take them down!"

"..."

Jae was shocked.

...Is that... Chris? What― Why is he here?

[Holy shit it's this bastard! I remember him!]

Behind him, about a couple dozen other students followed. They were all much stronger than the other students, and Jae recognised quite a few of them.

...The Princess is here too? What...? No, there's... Almost everyone from back then, bar a certain few... They've grown older, but it's only by a year, so I can easily tell who's who...

At that moment, Jae felt something wet on his face. Then on his wrist. Glancing up, he paid attention to the dark grey―almost black, in fact―clouds in the sky.

......Romantic timing. Wasn't there such a saying―that good rain knows when to fall?

Chris, who stood at the front of his class, shouted out to Jae in a voice full of confidence and spirit.

"You there! Intruder! Name yourself! I am the Hero, Chris, and I will punish you for interrupting our peaceful repose!"

Just the tone and contents of his voice caused an unpleasant expression to form on Jae's face, but he focused on what was important.

...This prick... He's stronger than I imagined. I'll need to take care of him myself. The rest of them shouldn't be a problem for the kids though, stats-wise. If I remember correctly, he also has「Limit Break」, so I'll need to keep that in mind...

After finishing his analysis, Jae opened his mouth to speak.

"Wait...!"

―But he was interrupted by a voice from behind him before he had the chance.

Twisting his head, Jae saw Ashley, roughly panting and gasping for breath as if she had just run here. Her dishevelled hair stuck to her face covered in sweat and droplets of rain, but she didn't mind it and continued.

"Haa... Jae, it's... Haa... really you... Haa... right?! What on Earth... Haa... are you doing here all of a sudden!?"

"..."

He didn't respond, but the large gathering of students and onlookers did. Among them, were two primary reactions.

"That's the 'Jae'...? Wait, no, really? The real one? He's real? A real person?"

―First, there were those who didn't know him from Earth. They only knew his name from the wanted poster that was going around with an absurd reward if he was caught, which unknowingly made him an infamous figure all throughout Seronia.

"...Jae...? ...He's... back? Really...? But he's so... different..."

―The second, were those who used to be his classmates. They were completely taken aback, and couldn't believe he had truly returned. Although he seemed about half a dozen years older now for some reason, they could still tell it was him after being told so by Ashley.

Just before, Ryan, Nicolas and Kaitlyn had suddenly disappeared, and now this was happening. It was such a fast and unexpected sequence of events that no one knew what to think about any of it.

―In either case, though, no one was really happy about his return, as it could only spell bad things for them. After all, the only thing they "knew" about his situation, was that he was conspiring with the "evil Demon race", as told by the Princess.

Ashley asked the one question that was on everyone's minds; her heart pounding rapidly.

"Are you here to kill everyone for the Demons?! Please, don't do it!"

"...Haaah..."

Jae facepalmed, heaving a deep sigh.

He didn't expect everyone he knew to be here, so he felt conflicting emotions. He was irritated that they were all acting so annoying, as well as confounded and shocked at his appearance, but in addition that, he was amused.

"...Haha."

He chuckled, resulting in his surroundings flinching in anticipation of his next move. The whole place was dead silent, allowing his deep voice to echo seamlessly throughout the plaza in which they all stood.

His carefreeness, combined with the ominousness of his presence, caused goosebumps to arise on the skin of all those present, and his terrifying figure was accentuated even further by the cold, drizzling rain.

"Ahhh, you guys...", he began to speak as a chilling, fearless smile crept onto his lips.

"...Are you guys really planning to get in my way? Well, you sure are jumping to conclusions... I never said I was here to kill anyone, did I? I have important business to attend to, if you don't mind."

"And, what kind of business is that?", Ashley bravely asked.

"Hah. And why should I tell you?"

"..."

She couldn't say anything, as her「Instinct」was screaming how bad of an idea it was. But Jae continued by himself.

"Oh, don't worry though. It's not anything that would hurt anyone here. Of course, if you were to interfere with my plans, then it would be an entirely different story..."

He glanced around, checking if anyone was trying anything, but it was safe for now.

"You......!"

Then, Chris called out something in a trembling voice. His dripping hair now drooped over his eyes as the volume of rainfall increased to a heavy downpour.

Jae swivelled his head to face him, hands in his pockets, "Hey, you annoying prick. What do you want?"

"Are you... really with the Demons...?"

"So? Do you hate Demons?", Jae asked back with a smirk.

"...If you are with them..."

Chris slowly drew a reflective blade from the sheath adorning his waist. It was shining a rich, golden lustre, and appeared to be heavily enchanted.

"―Then I will have to exterminate you. It doesn't matter who you are."

Brandishing his sword which, at a glance, seemed to cost more than a mansion, Chris took a stance against Jae. He wore a menacing look and directed eyes of conviction and condemnation towards him; as if he was a villain from a fairy tale.

[Oho! Would you look at this guy! Hey, uh, you might wanna be careful though. That sword has Holy Magic imbuement, which is your biggest weakness; both because the System classifies you as [Undead], and because of the sinful nature of your Title. Heh. I'd avoid it as much as possible, if you can.]

After a short silence, Jae licked his lips and spoke. He appeared to not mind the torrential rain as it drenched not only him but everyone around.

"...Perhaps, have you ever seen a Demon? With your own eyes, of course."

"What are you talking about? Why would I ever wish to lay my eyes upon such a vile thing? They are the devil's spawn!"

Jae was speechless for a second and placed his hand gently on Rena's head. He smirked once again.

"―Alright. So, what race do you think this child is?"

Chris could see where Jae was going with this, and so began to stutter his words.

"W-What? D-D-Don't do that..."

"Hey! What do you think you're doing to my Chris!?", someone abruptly cried. Glancing over, it appeared to be the Second Princess of Seronia, Eleanor. She held an umbrella over her head, so she was relatively dry when compared to everyone else.

...Witch.

As soon as she entered Jae's sight, the smile was wiped clean off his face and replaced with a scowl. He didn't forget what she had done to him, even after all the years.

"Using mental manipulation on my darling... I knew you were scheming with the wretched Demons, you scumbag!"

Jae's face momentarily froze in bewilderment, "...What?"

Mental manipulation? What the hell is she on about? Fucking hypocrite. It's obvious from that foul magic you're emitting that you are the one using mental-type magic to charm others.

"...Anyway. What would you do if I told you this child was from the Demon race?", he said, slightly retracting Rena's hood to show only her cute and innocent face.

"...You're lying.", Chris said in a voice that betrayed his scepticism, "Demons are the incarnation of evil. They must be eradicated for the good of humanity."

[Hah! This bastard is a bit delusional, isn't he? He really hasn't changed from a year ago. Wow. Guys, you wish you could've seen it.]

[What is special? This human is just a loser, borrowing power from a higher being.]

[Oh, wait! This is the shitbag I saw in your mind when I woke up!? I remember, hahah!]

"Am I lying? Let's see."

Well, if you want to get technical, then it's true that she's only half Demon, but no one here knows that, and it's not like it takes away from the fact that she is classified as a member of the Demon race.

"N-No, wait... D-D-Darling?! Let's not do this, shall we? Listen, wicked Demon follower! Don't you dare do what you're about to!"

As if Eleanor didn't exist, Jae fully pulled down Rena's hood, revealing her silky white hair and lustrous black horns to the world―well, one full horn and her other, half-broken horn.

"Well? You can clearly see that she is indeed a Demon with these horns right here. So, are you going to kill her or what?"

"...N-N-No......", Chris shook his head in denial. His hands, still clutching his sword, began to quake.

...Yeah. You're damn right you're not.

"Chris, darling! Don't listen to him! He's a devil spitting lies!"

"...Demons are... monsters... Not like t-that..."

His mutterings made Jae curious.

"Hm? What the hell did you think Demons looked like? You thought they were similar to the depictions of demons we had on Earth? And you believed that the entire time you've been in this world, without even trying to see for yourself whether or not it was true?"

He couldn't believe it.

"This isn't--"

"―Pathetic.", Jae's scowl deepened, "Do you recall what you said a year ago? About exterminating the Demons and whatever? Well, how do you feel now, seeing that Demons are just like humans? You've witnessed it with your own eyes."

"N-No, I--"

"What you were insolently claiming you were going to do, was, in fact, genocide. Aren't I correct?"

"You're not..."

"Ugh. Do you even have a brain in your skull? If so, try turning it the fuck on."

"I swore on my name as Hero... that I would protect this country...!", Chris shrieked, possibility as a consequence of Jae's continuous harshness.

Everyone stood for a moment in an atmosphere of silence. Only the heavy sound of unrelenting rain could be heard, before Jae opened his mouth again.

"......Fucking moron."

Chris widened his eyes in frustration, but Jae continued.

"Open your goddamn eyes for once... Ahh, whatever. It's not worth it anymore. My brain is going to explode because of your idiocy at this rate."

Wow. Just, wow. I thought I could convince him to stand down if I showed him that Demons and humans were just the same, but from how he's still holding onto his sword, it seems he plans to keep fighting. Stubborn bastard. It blows my mind just how much of a fucking idiot this guy is. Seriously, this dumbass really thinks that things will go wonderfully, but this isn't a fucking fairy tale.

"Haaa, fhuuu... Fine then.", he muttered after a deep breath.

Jae passed the sword he took from the first student to Bailey―it was higher-quality than the one the boy currently owned―and stepped forwards.

"Anyone of you idiots who plan to get in my way just come at me right now. Let's not waste time here."

"...A-Ah, no, Jae, wait!", Ashley yelled as his words snapped her back into reality. Now, Aracia had also arrived behind her and kept a hand on the hilt of his blade, though he didn't do anything more, wary of Jae's yet unknown strength.

"Oh, shut up, will you?", Jae replied sharply.

"No... Please, don't fight!"

"Huh...? I already said I won't kill those who do nothing to me, but whoever stands against me will get put down without mercy. This degenerate needs rewiring for his brain, and I'm offering that for free."

...I need to find the Dungeon as soon as possible. I can't keep stalling time here. If I'm too late, I might not be able to locate it at all.

"Well then? Who's my enemy here? Come up.", he looked around as he spoke, but no one stood against him aside from Chris, and Eleanor, the Princess.

Now that I think about it, I wonder where that guy―Ryan―is... Well, as long as he doesn't get in the way, I don't care.

When Chris―who had stabilised his 'Hero' mentality once again, thanks to the help of Eleanor―stood against Jae, it motivated some of his classmates. Both laughing and sighing internally, Jae called out.

"Is this all? One guy? Surely you don't think I can be killed by the likes of you alone?"

"As Hero, I am obligated to shoulder the responsibility of those who believe in me... Honestly, I don't know if I can beat you alone, but, if what must be done is to face you by myself, then I shall do exactly that. However, you are wrong about one thing."

"Hah. Oh yeah? And what might that be?"

"―I am not alone."

Chris stood resolutely in front of his classmates, resembling the look of a guardian knight. As marvellous golden light slowly emanated from his body, it truly did give off the impression of a hero. It clearly worked to rally the guys around him, as they also slowly began to equip their weapons.

...Huh. This guy really is a lunatic...

"I have the trust and support of all the people who believe in and depend on me. To not let those people down, I cannot lose, and I cannot lose because of that trust."

"Hmm~", Jae hummed in a disinterested tone as his eyes wandered. He was not amused in the slightest by this wannabe hero's fantasies.

"So, because I must protect and be the shining light for those people, I will do whatever it takes to defeat you. Even if it means killing you, a previous classmate, and an old friend, Jae."

...Don't you dare speak my name, you cringe bastard. But, "kill"? Hah. Hah! Isn't that funny?

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Jae began to speak slowly. The expression which then formed on his face, though full of ridicule and mockery towards Chris, appeared in the form of a smile as he spoke.

"Speaking of which... I have something to ask you before you foolishly rush towards your inevitable demise."

He only wanted to know one thing before crushing the dreams of the delusional hero.

"It won't be my demise, but victory. What is it?"

*RUMBLEEE...!!*

Thunder roared, and lightning struck violently, as Jae posed a nonsensical question.

"――Have you ever experienced death?"