In a garden on the academy grounds, where they had agreed to meet once the operation was over, Lola glared at the clock on her Mana Phone as it struck midnight.
“When is he getting here?! It’s already been over four hours! He won’t even answer his phone!”
Lola vented her frustration by kicking an innocent pebble across the ground.
The hooded figure standing beside her watched and gently scolded her.
“A young lady shouldn’t behave like that. You need to conduct yourself with a little more dignity.”
“Ah, um… Yes, Sister.”
For some reason, Lola immediately became meek in front of the hooded figure.
Even so, her anxiety continued to creep higher, leaving her fidgeting restlessly.
“I’m here…”
Just then, a familiar voice came from the distance. It was Ex.
Lola’s face instantly brightened, but her relief quickly turned to anger.
“What took you so… What the hell happened to you?!”
Ex looked absolutely wretched.
His clothes had been reduced to tattered rags.
On top of that, his formerly black hair had turned completely white.
“Did someone attack you? And what happened to your hair? You don’t need to keep up the disguise anymore.”
“Well, about that…”
Ex explained everything that had happened.
Even after hearing the whole story, Lola could hardly believe it.
“So, the demon got furious because you ruined her plan, cut you in half, but somehow you were still alive, and when you woke up, your hair had turned white?”
“That is correct.”
“And you were attacked in the middle of teleporting, got thrown into some random place, and only took this long because you had to wander around looking for a nearby gate?”
“That is correct.”
Lola was dumbfounded by the entire story, but at the same time, she was relieved that he was safe.
“Well, I guess it’s fine as long as you didn’t die…”
“You could sound a little more concerned, you know… By the way, is this the friend you mentioned earlier?”
Ex pointed at the hooded figure standing beside Lola.
He wondered just who she could possibly have befriended at a place like that, much less someone so enormous that they looked nearly two meters tall.
‘Wait. That build…?’
“My, how disappointing. You really don’t recognize me?”
The hood slipped back, revealing a face Ex knew very well.
His thoughts ground to a halt for a moment when he saw her identity, but he immediately put on his thickest mask of shamelessness.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady. Have we perhaps met somewhere bef… Gah!”
“Don’t bother trying to fool me now. I already heard everything. I’ll call that little attempt even for all the times you’ve deceived me.”
It was Marlene.
Rubbing the spot on his head where she had rapped him with her knuckles, Ex turned to Lola for an explanation.
“My lady, what exactly is going on here?”
“Well, what happened was…”
At the banquet hall, Marlene had discovered Lola’s true identity.
Marlene had then pressured Lola by threatening to expose her for impersonating a high-ranking noble, leaving her with no choice but to explain the entire situation.
After hearing the story, however, Marlene had surprisingly offered to help Lola.
The reason lay in Marlene’s own identity.
“I’m a member of the Imperial Guard. I’ve been tracking the distribution route of an illegal potion. The ‘Mana Awakening Potion,’ to be precise. That was how I happened to cross paths with you.”
‘What kind of coincidence is that?’
Marlene continued her explanation.
“After hearing Lola’s story, I realized this was far too large an incident for me to handle alone. An unknown host invited nobles straight into a den of demons… Had I known that from the beginning, I would’ve called for reinforcements immediately.”
‘So she wasn’t tracking this because she knew exactly what was happening. Then, could it be?’
A hypothesis suddenly came to mind, and Ex asked a question.
“When did you begin investigating this case?”
“We received intelligence about it two weeks ago. That’s when I started.”
Two weeks ago was exactly when the course of the story had changed.
It was also the same time Andras had received outside assistance.
‘I’ll need to look into this more closely.’
“Anyway!”
Marlene tossed the hood she had been wearing to Ex. It was a considerate gesture, telling him to use it to cover his body.
Then she bent down until she was staring directly into both their eyes and spoke in a low voice.
“I was also waiting because it’s an adult’s responsibility to discipline students who recklessly involve themselves in dangerous situations. And impersonating a high-ranking noble is a serious crime.”
“Urk…”
“Ah…”
Neither of them could argue.
Marlene was a member of the Imperial Guard.
Naturally, she was obligated to arrest two people who had committed the crime of impersonating high-ranking nobles.
But she wasn’t finished.
“However, my duty is to uncover the distribution route of illegal potions, not to drag away a pair of naive but courageous children. So I’ll only say this once.”
She gently stroked Ex and Lola on the head, then gave them a single warning.
“Never do anything like this again. And you in particular need to remember that you very nearly died.”
“…I’ll remember.”
That was a relief.
If Marlene had arrested Ex here, he might genuinely have ended up dead.
‘After all, I’m a demon now…’
Just as Ex finally began to relax, Marlene took out a notebook and pen.
“Would you help me organize the details of the case before we part ways? Lola said I should ask you for the full account.”
***
This was the information Ex gave Marlene.
The hosts behind the gathering were high-ranking demons, and they had arranged the entire affair to turn the nobles into demons.
There had been two demons in total, and all of the ‘Demonization Accelerator’ had been disposed of.
What the nobles had consumed was merely a hallucinogen.
There had been a mysterious cage in the mansion’s basement, but its purpose and contents were unknown.
“Two high-ranking demons have infiltrated the empire…”
By the time the questioning was over, Marlene’s expression had darkened.
Ex did not reveal the demons’ true names or identities.
He still needed to keep those details hidden for the sake of future scenarios.
He also remained silent about the ring that imprisoned souls.
‘It’ll be a problem if the Guard learns the academy is going to be attacked. The sensible response would be to evacuate everyone… but if the demons notice, they’ll scatter in every direction.’
Ex’s objective was not merely to escape the immediate crisis.
His ultimate goal was to make Leon awaken as the Hero.
After brooding over the matter for some time, Marlene released a heavy sigh.
This incident was far beyond anything she could manage alone.
“Still, I’m glad we found out before it was too late. It looks like I’m going to be busy for a while.”
At the very least, the worst possible outcome had been avoided.
Having set aside some of her worries, Marlene suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to the two of them.
“Oh, right. Once this case is officially resolved, I could recommend both of you as the primary contributors. What do you think?”
It was an unexpected proposal.
Then again, they had prevented an incident that could have placed the entire empire in danger.
It would be unfair if they received no reward for that.
After giving the matter some thought, Ex answered.
“As for me…”
***
The night passed, and dawn broke.
As though the previous day’s commotion had never happened, the academy gates opened exactly as they always did.
Today was the day of the Hero Memorial Ceremony.
Rather than heading to their classrooms, every student made their way to the grand auditorium.
Following the teachers’ instructions, they filed neatly into their assigned seats and waited for the event to begin.
The students chatted leisurely with the friends sitting beside them.
Only a handful of teachers were running around so frantically that they might as well have been sweating through the soles of their shoes.
“Leon! Where is Leon Brave?! Where did that boy go?”
“They said he went to the bathroom!”
“Tell him to hurry back! And who else is missing?”
“Lady Frey, Circe, and…”
Ex watched the scene from his seat, his leg bouncing anxiously beneath him.
Lola, sitting beside him, frowned and smacked his knee.
“You’re driving me crazy!”
“Ah, sorry.”
“Is this because of what happened yesterday?”
“Something like that. That’s part of it, and there are a few other things.”
Lola snorted at his deliberately vague answer.
“Why did you refuse the recommendation?”
The previous night, Ex had asked Marlene to leave his name off the recommendation for primary contributor.
The reason was obvious.
‘If I attract attention right now, I’m finished.’
Ex had currently become a ‘demon.’
Even if he wanted to understand his condition properly, his status window was in no shape to help.
『Temporary measures in progress…』
That message was all it displayed, while every other function remained completely unresponsive.
Ex sighed at the suffocating uncertainty.
“I have my reasons.”
“Reasons you can’t even tell me?”
“Everyone has a few secrets.”
“What? That’s no fun…”
Lola sulked and sank deep into her chair.
Seeing her like that only made his conscience sting.
He could have told her almost anything else, but becoming a demon overnight was an exception among exceptions.
‘Once the status window comes back, the first thing I need to do is find out whether I can turn human again. More importantly…’
Ex discreetly glanced at the Soul Trap Ring that was still on his finger.
‘It definitely absorbed divine power.’
Before dawn, Ex had conducted a few tests on the changes to his body.
If he had truly become a demon, there was one thing he needed to check before anything else.
He needed to find out what would happen when he was exposed to divine power.
‘Hey, Deuslute!’
The result had been something that should have been impossible.
The Soul Trap Ring had absorbed the divine power.
It had done so despite not containing a sealed soul.
‘How did that happen?’
When he removed the ring and tried again, it felt as though his entire body had been seared with fire.
Considering that reaction, there was no doubt he had become a demon.
And somehow, it had happened without his soul being stolen.
‘Forget it. I have no idea. I’ll think about it later.’
For now, he needed to see whether the little trick he had pulled before dawn had worked.
Though calling it a trick might have been an exaggeration.
All he had done was send each of them a letter.
A letter containing something they couldn’t possibly ignore.
To Maria, he had written something along the lines of, ‘I know that you’re actually a dragon.’
To Lung, he had written, ‘I challenge you to a duel to the death, with the title of Greatest Swordsman of All Time at stake.’
And to the Reincarnated Hero Party, he had sent messages such as, ‘I know your true identity. If you don’t want the secret of your reincarnation exposed…’
‘If they catch me, I won’t get off with a quick death. But all I have to do is not get caught!’
「The Hero Memorial Ceremony will now begin. We ask everyone to please take their seats…」
The Hero Memorial Ceremony, an event that had never existed in the original setting, finally began.
Then the predicted incident occurred.
“Demons! Demons have appeared!!”
The auditorium doors burst open, and the people who had been waiting outside erupted into a commotion.
The professors froze in confusion when they heard the news, but only for a moment before springing into action.
The students reacted with disbelief.
“What is this, some kind of prank?”
“Was the memorial ceremony supposed to include something like this?”
“Damn it, I was planning to sleep through the whole thing…”
Their reactions made it painfully obvious how far removed their lives had been from demons.
Ex ignored them and simply observed the situation.
‘Everyone is in position, so there shouldn’t be a problem.’
“C-Commoner! Did the demons come to take revenge on us?!”
As an added nuisance, he had to spend quite a while calming Lola down.
***
By the time thirty minutes had passed, the situation was over.
“Students, the area has been secured! Please remain calm as you exit! Follow your teachers’ instructions and return to your dormitories or homes!”
With such a major incident having occurred, it was impossible for the academy to continue operating normally.
Classes were canceled immediately for the rest of the day.
It was being treated as a major disaster, but there had been no casualties.
The instant the demons that had been lying in hiding charged in as a group, the students and teachers who just happened to be nearby had fought them off.
Among the teachers were Lung, Maria, and Roxwell.
Among the students were Leon and four others. The Reincarnated Hero Party.
‘Did Roxwell just have the rotten luck of getting caught up in it?’
They displayed dazzling skill as they exterminated the demons.
The attackers had been little more than low-ranking monsters, but eliminating nearly a hundred of them could not have been easy.
And yet they had accomplished it.
‘So that’s the protagonist for you. He’s strong.’
On top of that, there was news worth celebrating.
“It’s the Hero! Leon awakened the Hero’s power!”
A colossal pillar of light, the phenomenon that accompanied a Hero’s awakening, descended upon Leon.
Leon had now become one chosen by the Goddess Deuslute.
For the first time in a hundred years, a new Hero had been born.
Only after witnessing it did Ex finally feel relieved.
‘We’re finally back on the original storyline.’
Just as in the original novel, Leon had awakened the Hero’s power.
And after fighting side by side against the demons, the members of the Reincarnated Hero Party had probably discovered one another’s true identities.
‘Please, just let nothing else happen for a while.’
There was no telling what scheme Elysia might attempt next.
Ex might have been able to relax if she had no Author Points, but he had received a mysterious penalty whose cause he still didn’t understand.
She must have gained points when that happened, so it wouldn’t be strange for something else to occur.
‘Wait. That’s right. How did she find out?’
Something caught Ex’s eye.
The Soul Trap Ring.
The moment he saw it, Ex understood.
‘Ah… Don’t tell me…’
There had undeniably been another presence at the scene.
Someone other than Ex and the two demons.
***
‘Ex, just what in the world are you?’
Imperial Princess Beatrice, imprisoned within the Soul Trap Ring, was deeply troubled.
‘How did he know the demons’ true names?’
Ex had unmistakably spoken the true names of high-ranking demons, names that even most demons did not know.
He had even called himself ‘Berith’ and displayed a form that could only be described as thoroughly demonic.
There was no way to explain it unless he was a demon himself.
‘Are you truly a demon? Is your human appearance merely a disguise, while Berith is your real form?’
And yet that explanation created problems of its own.
Ex had interfered with Andras’s plan that day.
He had not merely interfered. He had torn the entire plan apart beyond repair.
The demonic attack on the academy that happened today could not have been stopped unless Ex had prepared for it in advance.
“I’m going to kill that bastard Berith no matter what it takes!!”
Why else would Andras have completely lost her mind like this?
“How could this happen…?! How could this happen!!”
Ever since the day her plan had been ruined, Andras had returned to her room and smashed everything she could get her hands on.
Then she would suddenly collapse to the floor, trembling with anxiety, only to rise again and resume destroying things.
She looked as though she had gone completely insane.
Beatrice was the only person capable of restraining her.
「Andras, I would appreciate it if you refrained from abusing my body.」
“Shut up! Just shut up!! Our plan, a hundred years in the making…! Ruined by one filthy little con artist…!”
As Beatrice watched Andras’s deranged behavior, a question occurred to her.
‘Does she not know Ex is Berith?’
Now that she thought about it, that was understandable.
Ex’s face had looked completely different from the first time Beatrice had seen him.
Back then, his face had been so awful that it was almost painful to look at, whereas his appearance as Berith had been strikingly handsome and full of dignity.
‘What exactly are you?’
Unfortunately, the mystery remained unsolved.
「Andras.」
While Andras was still raging, someone called her true name.
Beatrice knew exactly who the voice belonged to.
Andras immediately dropped to her knees before the place from which the voice had echoed.
“Lord ‘Paimon’…!”
A dark crimson shape hovered there.
It resembled energy more than a familiar, and Paimon spoke through it in an icy voice.
「Explain.」
“Well, you see…”
「It had better be a satisfactory explanation. The Archdemon is watching you as well.」
“Urgh…”
The situation Andras had most desperately wanted to avoid had finally arrived.
She would have to tell her superior, ‘I had every part of the operation ruined by a con artist who might not even be a real demon.’
Beatrice found the sight far more entertaining than she had expected.
‘Is Ex one of the good ones?’
That was what she decided to believe.
***
‘Come to think of it…’
A sudden question occurred to Ex.
‘What happened to Pallon?’
That existence had vanished overnight.
Had it simply ceased to exist, or had everyone forgotten it entirely?
Of course, no amount of thought produced an answer.
‘Well… I’m sure it worked itself out somehow.’
『Temporary measures have been completed.
Activating system functions.』
As if on cue, the system functions returned.
Now it was time to see what had changed.
Then Ex opened his status window.
“…What the hell is this now?! Status window, you piece of shit!!”
–TL Notes–
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