Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou

Akuto awoke feeling frustrated.

—Honestly, why do I have to remember something like that?

He was good looking but had a mean look to his face. When he scowled, no one wanted to be anywhere near him.

However, he did not need to worry about anyone he did not know well seeing his face. Constant Magic Academy was on a long break, so few people were left in the dorms. Akuto was all alone where he had been napping under a tree behind the dorm. He looked up to see birds flying peacefully through the sky.

—This weather is so nice I feel like nothing bad is going to happen. I must be a really rebellious person to remember something like that at a cheerful time like this.

Akuto smiled in self-mockery before hearing a distant voice.

“A-chaan! There you are.”

Soga Keena was running over to him with a huge smile on her face. That was the expression of someone with no worries. A few tufts of red hair on the top of her head swayed back and forth. He could never stay in a bad mood while looking at them. Keena plopped down on the ground next to Akuto.

“I had nothing to do, so I felt like going outside.”

“I see.”

Keena looked like she wanted to say something, so Akuto tried to get it out of her.

“What is it?”

“Um, well. Do you know when your birthday is, A-chan?”

“Well, I was an orphan. The orphanage often had to choose an arbitrary one, so they went with the day we were abandoned. For me, it was December 25.”

As soon as he said that, Akuto recalled that Keena had been an orphan, too. It was a difficult topic for those who were not orphans, but Keena replied cheerfully.

“I see. I didn’t know mine, so I decided on one for myself.”

Keena suddenly began to fidget around.

“What is it?” Akuto asked once more.

Keena smiled shyly and said, “Um, when my birthday comes, will you celebrate it with me?”

“Of course.”

When Akuto naturally agreed, Keena’s shoulders relaxed in relief.

“Thank goodness. After all, it’s the birthday I decided for myself. I can get lost in my own thoughts sometimes, right? I thought you might be too shocked this time.”

“You’ve shocked me more than enough already. In fact, you shocked me enough the first time we met,” said Akuto with a shrug.

“Eh? Don’t be so mean.”

“You randomly decided to call yourself my observer.”

“But I was so lonely before meeting you, A-chan. And it is true that I watch over you…”

“What day is it?” he asked.

“Eh?”

“Your birthday.”

“U-um, it’s coming up soon, but I’ll tell you once it’s here.”

“But then I might not be with you that day.”

“That just means you have to be with me every day, right?”

“I see you’re being selfish again.”

Akuto sighed and Keena shook her head as if to shake free of something.

“H-hey, A-chan! This is really nice weather! Let’s play!”

Akuto could not simply refuse her. He might have done so before, but he had started to feel mysteriously at ease while with Keena.

“Play? But I’m not too good at just having fun. I suppose I can play some kind of game with you, though. What should we do?” he asked.

Keena energetically replied, “Let’s take a nap!”

“Eh? A nap? But I just woke up from one…”

But by the time he said that, Keena had already leaned up against him and fallen sleep.

—In a way, she has some amazing talents.

Akuto decided to remain still so as not to wake Keena. He pulled out his student handbook and activated the library function. A mana screen was projected in front of his chest and he began to read a book he was interested in. He had a feeling he might be able to learn something from an ancient religious studies book. He received some suggestions for his own thoughts from the book, but he could not grasp how he could think like that gentleman had.

—If thinking about it will only make me feel self-important, maybe I should just not think about it. Like Keena does.

Akuto looked up from the book and began playing with Keena’s hair as it swayed in front of his face.

“No, no. That isn’t a good place for a seedling to grow. A better place would be…”

As she slept, Keena muttered something nonsensical in a serious tone of voice.

Akuto had no idea why, but he got the feeling a moment like this would never come again. A premonition seemed to numb the core of his mind. It made him feel like some change was coming and he felt nostalgic for only five seconds ago.

—I don’t pray to any G.o.d, but it’s almost like I have religious faith in Keena.

Suhara could be summed up as a G.o.d that valued nationalism. The military forces protecting the country were divided into two large categories: the knights and the imperial army. However, only Suhara followers were allowed in the latter.

Suhara was pa.s.sionate about protecting the law, family lineage, and honor. Suhara also gave permission to use powerful attack magic for those who took courageous actions. This was why Suhara followers were generally viewed as polite and family oriented yet inflexible and violent.

The top position among Suhara followers was the high priest. The man who currently held the position was named Teruya Keizou. He was the father of Teruya Eiko who had troubled Akuto in the past. The Teruya family primarily carried out intelligence work. During the many years without a war against an external enemy, their power had only continued to grow. In the present day, they had succeeded in gathering the influence needed to take the position of the family in control of both the army and navy. They had long been in conflict with the Hattori family that protected important members of the government. Neither wished to let the other hold the position of high priest. However, it had been decided that the Hattori family had already earned enough honor in their direct service to the emperor, so the Teruya family had won out in the end.

Teruya Keizou was a rare sort of man who proudly and boldly carried out cowardly and evil actions. Those who had been driven to ruin by him all agreed on that point. He had stolen and a.s.sa.s.sinated without fear, hesitation, or even growing drunk on the pleasure. Even after becoming high priest, he had directly ended people’s lives more than just once or twice.

At some point an evil shadow had appeared on his face. Everyone could feel it, but his actual expression had grown gentle and bright as the years had gone by. As Keizou adjusted his posture as he sat in j.a.panese clothing, he was a bizarre existence who was clearly evil yet could only be seen as a saint.

Keizou currently had a rare look of concern. His eyes that usually appeared to be smiling were now emitting a sharp light upwards.

Keizou was inside the temple of Suhara. It was a large shrine in a quiet forest outside of the imperial capital. A majestic tile-roofed shrine could be seen past the torii. Inside the actual shrine, the bamboo blind was opened. Enshrined within was the G.o.d tree which held the G.o.d. The G.o.d tree was a stump about the size of a human being. It stood straight up in front of Keizou who sat atop woven rattan. The G.o.d tree was the device used when a human needed to contact Suhara. No one except Keizou was currently inside the shrine. He was directly speaking with the G.o.d.

“Is this really the individual?” asked Keizou in a probing voice.

Two shrine maidens then walked out from behind the G.o.d tree. They possessed identical beautiful faces. They moved to the left and right and stood before Keizou.

“That is Suhara’s decision.”

“Leave the final decision to us.”

They were L’Isle-Adams. They existed to provide a.s.sistance when the conversation between G.o.d and human was not going well. Their official position was that of bishop which was higher than high priest. However, that was in name only. The high priest was the only one with the authority to change the actual program of the G.o.d. In effect, the position of high priest was higher than that of the G.o.d.

However, the situation was slightly different in Suhara’s case.

“Is this really who we are to a.s.sa.s.sinate?” asked Keizou once more.

Suhara would occasionally inform the high priest if it was confirmed that an individual had committed treason. The G.o.d monitored people’s actions via the mana that filled the atmosphere. If proof was obtained that someone was a rebel, the high priest would be sent the evidence and the individual’s location.

This system was of course kept a secret from the public and many of the high government officials who did know about it were critical of it. However, those officials were forced to admit it was effective. It allowed any rebellion against the empire to be stopped before it reached any large scale.

“You are not being told to a.s.sa.s.sinate this individual.”

“However, the individual’s treason has already been confirmed.”

The shrine maidens both spoke.

“But I have been given no evidence.”

That was why Keizou was so concerned. He had been given data on the alleged rebel’s location. However, he had been given no specific charges or evidence.

“The evidence cannot be revealed.”

“Not even to the high priest.”

Keizou was keenly aware of how abnormal this announcement was. A high priest of course understood that a G.o.d was nothing more than a system.

—Should I use the cancellation code?

Keizou worried over whether he should use his authority as high priest. If he used the cancellation code, he would be able to rewrite the G.o.d’s program. In the off chance that something had gone wrong with Suhara, he could handle it.

—But the priests would likely criticize me for overturning the G.o.d’s decision based on my own will. And if an error in the system is found now, it would mean the previous a.s.sa.s.sinations were mistakes as well.

The G.o.d merely provided information on rebels. It was up to the high priest whether they would be killed or captured. And Keizou was fond of a.s.sa.s.sination. When he had only been a normal priest, he had tricked his political enemies into rebelling and then used that as evidence to kill them. If the past killings were thrown into question, it could easily lead to his downfall.

—I would usually use a special unit from the military, but I will stick with my personal troops for this one.

“In that case, I will take this data. Leave the rest to me.” said Keizou.

The shrine maidens nodded.

“Understood. Please do. However…”

“Even if you are a high priest, how you handle this data could be deemed a rebellion against the empire.”

“Do not forget that.”

As the shrine maidens took turns speaking, they spun around.

—What?

They had never made a threat like that before. In fact, it should have been impossible for the system of a G.o.d to do so. The only possibility he could come up with was that the G.o.d had gained something akin to free will.

“Wait. What was that threat?” he asked, but the two shrine maidens had already disappeared behind Suhara. And Suhara said nothing. “Either way, I just have to kill the target. That’s what I was planning to do anyway.”

After that announcement to Suhara, Keizou stood.

—Suhara is gaining a will? No, it couldn’t be. Either way, once this has been taken care of, I can reveal Suhara’s odd behavior to the priests as a separate matter. This is only the life of a single young girl. It will be over quickly.

Data floated before Keizou’s eyes on a mana screen. He flicked it to mark it as secret. The data displayed a red-haired girl with a huge smile on her face. Her name was displayed as well.

“Soga Keena. I have never heard that name before, but she appears to be about the same age as my daughter. Poor thing.”

The Hattori family had an antagonistic relationship with the Teruya family. The eldest daughter of that family, Hattori Junko, was currently seriously worried.

—What am I supposed to do? I can only think this is a problem I can never resolve…

She held her student handbook which could be used as a communications device. It currently displayed a message from her family. The subject was “The preparations for the marriage interview are complete.”

—If they have already made the preparations, it means father has already heard. I cannot back out now.

Junko was hiding in the woods behind the dorms. She had a mana screen set up in front of her to camouflage herself among the trees. No one could find her if they simply glanced around.

And Junko was currently watching Keena nap and Akuto read a book next to her.

Akuto was the one she was to have a marriage interview with. Junko had not done anything, but it seemed Korone had already contacted the Hattori family.

Korone was an artificial human called a L’Isle-Adam sent by the government to be Akuto’s observer as it was thought he would become a demon king. The political situation behind it seemed to be complex. Some hardliners wished to eliminate Akuto to eliminate the risk of the demon king. To prevent that, it had been suggested that he could marry into the distinguished Hattori family. That was the situation when Junko had received this message.

—Father seemed in a good mood from the message. It is a political marriage, but women of the Hattori family have walked down more tragic paths when it comes to love. He said I could have a happy marriage compared to some other examples… He also cheerfully said that a heavy burden has been taken from my younger sister’s shoulders. With the continuation of the family resting on my shoulders, she can do whatever she wants just as before. That is a good thing I suppose. But one problem remains.

That problem was the fact that she had not told Akuto about any of this. The day of the marriage interview was drawing close. Junko needed to tell him before long.

—Wh-wh-what am I supposed to do? Can I just tell him the day of the marriage interview has been decided? But how am I supposed to say it?

—“The day of the marriage interview has been decided.” “Eh? Whose?” “M-mine and yours!” “Wait a second. You decided this without asking what I thought? Please do not treat this like I do not have a will of my own. I thought you at least would understand…” He’s sure to make that complaint! So how am I supposed to say it? Like this?

—“Please marry me!” “W-wait a second. We aren’t old enough for that. Are you teasing me?” No, that will not work. I cannot start with the marriage. I-I know. I need to see how he feels about it first.

—“Do you like me?” “Of course, Hattori-san. You do everything properly and I can trust you.” Yes, that is the kind of guy he is. That will not work either. What am I supposed to say? Wait, isn’t it my feelings that are the issue here?

—“I love you. Please be my husband.” No, no, no. I can’t say that! And is that really how I feel? What do I want between us? I thought I simply wanted to be by his side and to see him? And if his heart belongs to another woman, I am completely fine with-…

—“If you are that worried about this, how about I tell him?”

—No, I have to take responsibility here. I have to do it myself.

“I see.”

—Yes. Wait, why is someone else entering my thoughts!?

“You are speaking out loud. This camouflage was meaningless.”

“R-really? How much did you hear?”

“From the point when you began those strange one-man plays.”

“Eh…?”

Junko looked over to find a feminine face so beautiful it took the breath away from even another girl. It was Korone. She was looking at Junko expressionlessly. Junko’s own face froze over in an instant. Her face reddened with a soft bursting sound and she curled up.

“D-do not peer into people’s hearts! Such humiliation!”

“Again: you were speaking out loud. But do not worry. I will keep this information secret. It relates to my mission.”

“R-really?”

Junko looked relieved.

“Really. I have come to understand that humans wish to hide their s.e.xual desire,” stated Korone calmly.

“S-s.e.xual desire? Y-you idiot! Marriage is sacred… And a political marriage is not about that!”

“In that case, you should be able to tell Akuto-san without difficulty. Even if he initially refuses, he should rethink his decision if you explain that it is a political decision.”

Korone had a point, so Junko was not sure how to respond. After being told that, she had no choice but to tell Akuto herself, so she felt cornered.

“Y-you are right. Yes. I was just thinking of going over there.”

Junko removed the camouflage and began walking.

But the area Akuto and Keena had been in was deserted.

“Wait… They are gone. Th-that means I have to wait until tomorrow to tell him. Yes, I have no choice. That is what I will do.”

With that stiff comment, Junko turned around.

And found Korone’s face waiting for her.

“It seems Keena-san woke up and announced she was hungry. They went to the dining hall for some food. This Sai Akuto Detector pinpoints his location as the dining hall.”

Korone held up a strange-shaped device.

“That certainly is a convenient device,” complained Junko.

However, Korone was not lying.

“The dining hall,” said Korone as she brought her face in close to Junko’s.

Her face was as cruel as an expressionless face could be.

“F-fine! I just have to go, right!?” shouted Junko as she turned toward the dining hall in the dorm.

Not many students remained at the school and it was not meal time, so Akuto and Keena were the only two in the dining hall. Akuto sat at the center of a long table while reading a book on a small screen. Keena was at one end of the dining hall scooping white rice directly out of a rice cooker. This seemed the perfect chance to speak with Akuto alone.

Junko cut across the dining hall while stepping extra loudly to make sure he noticed her. She was too embarra.s.sed to look him in the face, so she walked to the center of the table while still facing to the side. After she felt she was close enough, she spoke.

“Hey, could you go along with me somewhere the day after tomorrow? Oh, it is nothing difficult. It is just a bit of business at my family home. I just wondered if you would go along with me. I mean nothing more by this. It is simply a political matter and my father and family would like to meet you. My home is fairly far away and a feast will be held, so I am afraid you will have to spend the night. My home is large though, so it will not be a problem.”

“Wait a second. What kind of business are you talking about?”

“You will see when you get there. It is a political matter, but it should do a lot to help. Do not worry. I will make sure there are no problems for you. The feast will be plenty large to make up for your time. My hometown of Iga has excellent food.”

“I see. That’s great and all, but I don’t think I should be going.”

“No, this is about you. If you do not go…eh?”

Junko finally looked forward. Her cla.s.smate Hiroshi was standing there. He was short and still gave off a mischievous impression.

Junko looked around. It seemed Hiroshi had arrived next to Akuto without her noticing.

“You’re talking about aniki, right?”

Having realized Junko’s mistake, Hiroshi was grinning. That grin made Junko want to dig in her heels and refuse to admit her mistake.

“W-well, yes. I was talking about Sai Akuto there. But what I told you was not a mistake! You come, too! That will make everything more lively,” roared Junko as she pointed at Hiroshi.

“Please don’t say that. I’m actually pretty busy.”

“How are you busy? You are a student just like us,” argued Junko in displeasure.

Hiroshi scratched at his head with a troubled look.

“Well, yes. That’s true. Ha ha. I’m not busy at all.”

“You really are acting strange. Anyway, did you hear that?” said Junko as she turned toward Akuto.

It seemed he had. He looked up from his book and nodded with a steady expression. He seemed confused by Junko’s odd behavior and must have decided opposing her was not the best option.

“Oh, sure. I heard you. The day after tomorrow, right? That sure is sudden.”

“I-I actually knew about this earlier, but never had a chance to tell you… No, that does not matter. At any rate, we will be taking a flying bus. It will pick us up that morning, so come with me. Hiroshi, you too!” said Junko quickly.

“Are you sure this isn’t something that has nothing to do with me?”

Hiroshi did not seem convinced, but Junko glared at him harshly.

“I am not simply inviting Akuto here!”

“I-I get it. You don’t have to be so stubborn…”

“What was that?”

“No, nothing. I understand.”

Hiroshi seemed to have given up, so he sat next to Akuto.

“Good. Remember. It is the day after tomorrow!”

With that parting comment, Junko left the dining hall.

With the bare minimum of her job complete, she breathed a sigh of relief.

As Korone pa.s.sed by her on the way into the dining hall, she spoke quickly.

“As his observer, I will be going with him. That is not a problem I hope.”

Junko grew angry but did not actually say anything.

At the same time, an eerie scene existed underneath the academy. Etou Fujiko trembled as she saw it illuminated by the orange circle of mana light in her hand.

She could see a lake of black liquid that’s depth she could not even guess at. Something board-shaped was floating on the shiny, oily surface. The light must have been too bright for it because it dove down into the liquid. In its place, something rod shaped with bristles growing on it poked out of the liquid. A hand covered in claws and scales then pushed that out of the way. Quite large creatures were squirming about within. And it was a mixture of everything including insects, mammals, and reptiles.

“Demonic beasts! And so many of them!”

Fujiko brought a hand to her mouth as she gave that exclamation of surprise.

Before, demonic beasts had only suddenly appeared and damaged human society. They were creatures other than humans in which an abnormality had occurred due to the mana sent inside them. In most cases, they were exterminated as dangerous beasts. Some research inst.i.tutions would artificially create them to study the effect of mana on other living creatures, but it was of course banned to own them as pets. Demonic beasts usually had repulsive appearances, so people generally abhorred even the weakest of them. The demonic beasts appearing one after another from the liquid all looked like monsters from a nightmare. There was a giant centipede, an ape with long fangs, and plenty of others. Fujiko had never expected to find something like this below Constant Magic Academy.

“…How wonderful!”

Fujiko’s expression was one of pure joy. She even had heart marks in her eyes. Her long black hair and almond-shaped eyes were befitting of her position as a sworn black magician.

She had come here due to the events of a week before. During Akuto’s encounter on the beach field trip, Fujiko had learned that demonic beasts were activated by the waves of the mana in his body. And this also gave the activated demonic beasts a limited level of intelligence. Fujiko adored Akuto, so she had decided to keep this fact from him.

—He is just too kind. If he knew about this, he would feel the need to protect the demonic beasts being persecuted. He would force his body too far by splitting off his mana to strengthen them! I must find a way to control the demonic beasts before that happens!

That was Fujiko’s decision. In actuality, Akuto would be more likely to blame himself for the demonic beast issue, but that did not matter to Fujiko.

“If I can find a means of controlling them, Akuto-sama will surely thank me by saying this! ‘Now, let us rule the world together.’ And then he would embrace me… Yes, just like that…wait.”

Just as Fujiko was about to embrace herself, she was brought back from her fantasy world. A tentacle was wrapping around her body.

“Hyaaaaaaaah! It’s so slimy!”

The tentacle was pink and it covered her body in some kind of sticky liquid. This seemed to be a sh.e.l.led demonic beast. A giant sh.e.l.l could be seen at the base of the thick tentacle wrapping around Fujiko. Several other thinner tentacles and two antennae with eyeb.a.l.l.s on top also extended from the sh.e.l.l. It was something like a snail with tentacles. That meant the thicker tentacle must have been used as a leg.

“Wh-why is it going into my clothes!?”

The tentacle skillfully worked its way up Fujiko’s body and the tip slipped into the chest of her uniform.

“Nooo! Don’t undo the hook so skillfully! Ee! No! Don’t circle around to the fronnnntttt!”

Fujiko reached out to move the tentacle away. She did manage to grab onto the tentacle, but it was so slippery that it easily escaped her grasp.

The owner of the tentacle smiled indecently with the eyes on the end of the antennae. It seemed to have a fair bit of intelligence for a demonic beast, but that intellect had developed in a problematic direction.

“Ee…! F-fwah! No!”

The tentacle lifted Fujiko up into the air and one of the thinner tentacles wrapped around each of her legs.

“W-wait… That’s going too far…”

The tentacles spread Fujiko’s legs wide and held her in place in midair.

The look in the giant snail’s eyes grew even more indecent as it stretched all the rest of its thinner tentacles toward Fujiko’s skirt.

Once it did, the look in Fujiko’s eyes completely changed.

“I said that’s going too d.a.m.n far!”

With the expression of a fearsome G.o.d, she quickly pulled a potion bottle from her pocket and threw it at the giant snail. The giant snail easily brushed it aside with a tentacle, but the bottle exploded when it landed.

The explosion was small, but it was enough of a blast to surprise the giant snail into withdrawing its tentacles. In that instant of freedom, Fujiko took a position looking down on the giant snail.

“You have some guts to be so perverted while being a hermaphrodite! I’m going to fry you up and eat you with some garlic bread, so just wait here!”

Fujiko held several potion bottles between her fingers.

The giant snail’s tentacles drew in and it looked up at her with fearful eyes.

It seemed less afraid of the exploding potions and more afraid of the look on Fujiko’s face as she held them. With a despondent look in the eyeb.a.l.l.s at the end of the antennae, it rubbed its tentacles together as if to apologize.

Fujiko placed a leg on its sh.e.l.l and began rubbing her foot against it.

“As long as you understand.”

But the giant snail somehow appeared to be enjoying being stepped on. Also, the eyeb.a.l.l.s on the antennae were looking up Fujiko’s skirt while she lifted up the one leg.

Once Fujiko noticed the look in the giant snail’s eyes, she shouted, “You still don’t understand!?”

She kicked the giant snail through the air and it seemed to finally surrender. It bowed down and began waving its tentacles up and down toward Fujiko.

Finally, Fujiko’s fearsome look grew gentler.

“You still look oddly happy,” complained Fujiko.

Apparently the giant snail was the type that enjoyed being kicked by a beautiful woman.

“Are all demonic beasts like this?” asked Fujiko as she turned around and a voice replied from the darkness.

“They are not all like this. This one has special preferences.”

Claws suddenly lifted up the giant snail. The snail seemed confused about what was happening, but the look in its eyes changed once it turned around.

A 15 meter dragon was staring back at it with a bored expression.

His body was covered in black scales that shined like metal. His claws and the fangs visible in his mouth were clearly meant for battle and a great sense of intimidation rose from his entire body.

That black dragon named Peterhausen tossed the giant snail into the pool it had come from.

“If I was not here, you would only be able to control the ones like that giant snail.”

Peterhausen indicated the pool that several demonic beasts were attempting to leave. They were all filled with hostility. Fujiko quickly realized that Peterhausen’s presence was the only thing keeping them from coming up.

“What is this?” she asked Peterhausen.

“They will not oppose anyone stronger than themselves. They are animals, after all.”

“Why are so many of these animals here?”

“This pool is filled with a liquid that cuts off the effects of mana. Some of the poor demonic beasts have a long lifespan, so this was created to let them sleep.”

“A long lifespan? So did the previous demon king leave them here?”

“Yes. Occasionally, one of them would awaken, but they have all been filled with energy as my current master has awakened.”

“That means I was actually in danger.”

“Just be glad that one was the one that attacked you first.”

Peterhausen pointed toward the giant snail that was attempting to leave the pool once more.

“Then I will make convenient use of it to thank it,” said Fujiko.

At any rate, she could not help but be filled with some joy. The academy’s underground labyrinth was famous for demonic beasts occasionally appearing within it, so she had guessed its greatest depths would hold some clues about them. However, this was more than she could have hoped for. It seemed Peterhausen had known the truth from the beginning, but he seemed to avoid interfering too much. If she did not act on her own to determine the truth, he would not explain it to her. Entering the deepest depths of the underground labyrinth without Peterhausen’s support was dangerous, but it had been worth it.

“But I get the feeling the others in here could be quite useful,” commented Fujiko with a grin.

“And what exactly do you plan to do with them?” asked Peterhausen with a grin of his own as if he already knew the answer.

Fujiko’s smile grew even fiercer.

“Akuto-sama cannot yet fully control demonic beasts as the demon king, correct? In that case, I will find a way of controlling them.”

“No one besides the demon king has ever been able to control a demonic beast.”

“That is because the demon king has never had someone like me at his side. And research never went anywhere because everyone a.s.sumed demonic beasts were merely a bug caused by mana. Now that I know they are activated by Akuto-sama’s characteristic mana waves, my research should proceed at an accelerated rate. And you will help, won’t you?”

“What a pain. Why do you think I would?”

“You are avoiding interference because Akuto-sama needs to awaken of his own free will, correct? Surely you would like to interfere with those around him as long as it will not affect his free will.”

Fujiko and Peterhausen exchanged a grin.

“That is mostly accurate. However, that is not the only reason I am avoiding interfering. And I cannot yet tell you what the other reason is.”

“By any chance do you like conspiracies? I certainly do.”

“Ha ha ha. This is a bit too big to call a conspiracy. It may even be beyond human understanding.”

Peterhausen skillfully raised a single eyebrow.

Keena was scooping rice from the rice cooker as usual. Junko had left, so Akuto and Hiroshi had nothing better to do than watch her.

“Aniki, how much is Keena-chan going to eat?”

“Who knows. It may not look it, but she’s actually taking her time here. She usually eats three rice cookers full, so she has to savor every bite when she only has the one.”

“That’s amazing,” said Hiroshi admiringly. “But more importantly, what was with the cla.s.s rep? Is it really okay for me to go to her home?”

“How should I know? Even if it didn’t seem like she meant to invite you, a promise is a promise. And I would prefer to not go alone. Apparently, it’s a political issue… But anyway, are you okay? You’ve seemed tired lately.”

Akuto turned toward Hiroshi.

He did not look well. However, he did not look exactly ill. It seemed he had been performing frequent exhausting jobs without getting much sleep.

“I-I’m fine. It’s nothing,” denied Hiroshi as he waved his hands in front of himself.

He then brought up a mana screen showing a television broadcast to further dodge the question.

“I hope you’re right,” said Akuto as he looked over Hiroshi.

He looked exhausted, but a sense of fulfillment could be heard in his voice and seen in the glint in his eye. Akuto felt Hiroshi had somewhat changed recently. He had always been cheerful and sociable, but it seemed as if confidence had been added on top of that.

“Has anything changed recently?” asked Akuto, but Hiroshi smiled bashfully.

“No, no. Nothing really. I’ve just started to understand how you feel.”

“How I feel?”

“Y’know, that desire to help people out.”

“No, I don’t really know,” replied Akuto with a smile.

For some reason, Hiroshi blushed, averted his gaze, and pointed at the television broadcast.

“L-look. It’s a live report by the popular idol Hoshino Yuri-chan.”

On the screen, a short and beautiful girl was smiling and waving her hand. It seemed to be a report on an event occurring somewhere. Behind the idol named Hoshino Yuri, advertis.e.m.e.nt panels and tents were lined up. It seemed to be some kind of corporate exhibition.

“Is she popular?” asked Akuto who was fairly ignorant about such things.

“Yes. You’re really behind the times, aniki. She’s a singer, an actress, and is even great at witty talks. It hasn’t been long since her debut, but she’s already standing at the top of all sorts of fields,” explained Hiroshi excitedly.

“That’s amazing. But I get the feeling I’ve seen her somewhere before…”

Akuto tilted his head in puzzlement. He did not recognize her face at all, but he could not help but feel he had met her somewhere before.

“C’mon, aniki. You probably just saw her on TV without realizing it.”

Hiroshi jabbed Akuto with his elbow.

“I suppose you’re right. Honestly, I can be pretty stupid, can’t I?”

Akuto smiled at almost the same moment as screams erupted from the screen.

They looked over in shock to find people screaming and fleeing within the event grounds. The cameraman seemed to have panicked because the footage waved around and alternately showed the sky and ground. This allowed occasional glimpses of nonhuman black shadows cutting across the screen.

“Demonic beasts?” said Hiroshi.

In the next moment, the camera focused in on a large bird demonic beast. It soon became clear there were a large number of them and they were wildly attacking the people and tents.

“This is an emergency! Where is that?” asked Akuto.

Hiroshi stared at the screen as he answered.

“That’s the floating island at the bay. I’ve been there before. It’s a location made specifically for events that floats using mana. Unless they can use flight magic, they can’t escape!”

“Surely they have boats in case of accidents.”

“They do, but they’re just for accidents. It will take several minutes to line up and board them, but there will be a lot of victims if they’re being attacked like this the whole time!”

“What about the knights?”

“They should be sent out, but only the light knights can fly…”

As if to back up Hiroshi’s words, several knights flew into view on the screen. The people cried out, thinking they were saved, but it seemed the knights’ magic and guns were ineffective against the demonic beasts. They were easily knocked from the sky by the demonic beasts.

“This is bad. Can’t the heavy knights do something?”

“It will take time for them to be sent out. They have to take a flying landing ship,” said Hiroshi while looking at Akuto with a troubled look. “A-aniki…I need to go and-…I mean, I just remembered something I have to do.”

“Eh?”

Akuto looked back at Hiroshi thinking that was an odd thing to say at a time like this, but Hiroshi looked completely serious. He then said something even odder.

“Th-this will probably become something really cruel, so it would be best not to watch! I-I’ll turn off the TV.”

Hiroshi deactivated the mana screen and quickly left.

—What was that?

Akuto was confused, but he had an obedient personality at least in a certain sense. As Hiroshi had asked, he kept TV off and instead simply watched Hiroshi run off. Even so, it would leave a bad taste in his mouth if he did nothing and gathered no information on the incident. Akuto stood up and told Keena he was leaving the dining hall. He wanted to speak with the student council president who he had heard had not returned home for the break.

After Hiroshi ran outside, he made sure no one was around and held the bracelet on his wrist up to his face. He spoke a single word.

“Brave.”

A mechanical voice played from the bracelet.

Hiroshi heard a slight bursting noise and his body was wrapped in light.

Before the voice finished speaking, Hiroshi’s body was completely covered by a suit. Other than the helmet that left his mouth exposed, he appeared to be wearing a skintight riding suit.

The suit did not rely on mana to run. That was a rarity in this era. It was a piece of anti-magic combat equipment that had been pa.s.sed down by Hiroshi’s family due to bizarre circ.u.mstances. It acted based on Hiroshi’s will and had tremendous combat ability.

“Show me the map. Display my current location,” muttered Hiroshi and an image appeared on the helmet’s visor.

“I want to arrive in one minute…no, within thirty seconds.”

While wearing the suit, Hiroshi floated up into the air from just lightly kicking off the ground. He quickly accelerated upwards high into the sky and then began flying horizontally.

The dot on the map indicating his location quickly approached his destination at the floating island.

Once he had learned the demonic beasts were activating in response to Akuto’s internal mana waves, Hiroshi had secretly begun hunting the demonic beasts. He was not doing it for Akuto’s sake, but he felt the situation would improve if he continued doing it. He had only begun hunting recently, but rumors of a mysterious hero exterminating demonic beasts had already begun to spread. Some had even reached Hiroshi directly. Helping others and acting as a true hero gave him an incomparable feeling of pleasure.

Fortunately, his ident.i.ty had not been revealed. The suit he wore was illegal. If he was to continue his hunt, he needed to hide his ident.i.ty. On top of that, he wished to keep this a secret from Akuto and the others.

The instant after he spotted the floating island, he had already arrived directly above it. He could see a great number of people in the plaza down below. To Hiroshi, it looked like more people were standing still than were fleeing. They were likely waiting for their turn in the emergency exits and escape boats. They could only form small groups and watch the demonic beasts in fear of them approaching.

The light knights were resisting, but they appeared more focused on protecting themselves than anything. Even so, they would draw the demonic beasts’ attention, move away when they approached, and then draw their attention once more. Their expressions were perfectly serious as they repeated this process.

“Confirm the locations of the demonic beasts and track them. Let’s use the high frequency blade,” said Hiroshi.

Claw-like blades extended from the hand guard on the back of his right hand. After lightly swinging his hand once, Hiroshi let gravity take over to begin his descent. He accelerated to a tremendous speed and slammed into one of the demonic beasts.

The large bird demonic beast was trying to crush a light knight’s head with its talons, but it froze in place when an object dropped down right next to it.

The light knight’s expression changed from fear to confusion. His vision had been blocked by the talons, but it suddenly cleared.

The demonic beast split into three pieces along perfectly straight lines. Before it could even cry out, the demonic beast burst into blood and feathers and fell to the earth.

The people on the ground quickly noticed what had happened in the sky.

“Look…!”

“It’s the rumored Brave! It’s the demonic beast hunter Brave!”

Once one person cried out, people all over began cheering.

Hiroshi waved at the people down below and some elderly men and women even waved back while smiling like children.

Hiroshi’s body trembled as fresh joy welled up from the bottom of his heart, but this was no time to lose focus. He checked the dots indicating the locations of the demonic beasts on the map displayed on his visor. He circled around behind another nearby one and easily sliced it apart with the high frequency blade. As that demonic beast’s corpse fell, he moved toward his next target. His speed and the splendid sharpness of the blades kept even a single drop of blood from reaching his suit.

It seemed the demonic beasts had decided Hiroshi was a priority target. They gathered around him one after another. By the time he took out a third, a ring of demonic beasts had formed around him. They began circling around him at a distance of about 10 meters.

“I’m surrounded. With the people down below, I can’t use any of the explosive weapons. Can I avoid it if they all attack at once?” muttered Hiroshi.

Their wild instincts must have picked up on that fear because the demonic beasts all moved in closer as they continued to circle him. Sharp talons and beaks attacked Hiroshi from every direction.

“Transfer in the monomolecular cutter.”

A dull light appeared on the suit’s left hand. At the same moment, the demonic beasts moved in close enough from every direction that he could not see beyond them.

The faces of the people watching on from below clouded over for an instant. A stir came over them that might have been due to surprise or despair.

However, the people saw an unbelievable sight in the next moment.

As the demonic beasts almost seemed to form a single sphere, the center split open. Pills and giant spherical capsules used at parties were made to split down the middle. This looked almost identical.

“This is the first time I’ve used the monomolecular cutter…”

Hiroshi’s voice trembled in surprise and a bit of fear.

A slight glimmer extended as a string from the fingertip of the suit’s left hand. At the end of that string floated a small unit like a detached fingernail. Between the unit and the finger was a wire only as thick as a single molecule. It functioned exactly like a sharp blade.

The gathered demonic beasts had been sliced to pieces in an instant by it.

From what the suit’s computer said, it seemed the sharper the blade, the more quickly it dulled.

Hiroshi avoided the demonic beast corpses raining down from above and checked how many were remaining. There was only one left. He instructed the suit to dispose of the monomolecular cutter and it disappeared in an instant. It seemed the main body of the suit was located in a different dimension and everything from the equipment to the power was transferred over. Apparently, the reverse was done for disposal.

He could not see the final one right away, but he hurried to the location of the dot on the map. The crowd below cheered for him. They did not seem to realize one still remained.

The final dot was in the very back of a row of advertis.e.m.e.nt tents. Hiroshi shot by between the tents and discovered why he had not seen it. At the end of the row was a warehouse. The demonic beast had to be inside.

The large warehouse had also been turned into an exhibit. The large delivery door was closed. There was also a door for people to pa.s.s through, but Hiroshi decided it was faster to fly through a window than land and use the door.

After making sure no one was down below, he broke through the window and into the warehouse.

He quickly grasped the situation. A single person had escaped into the warehouse but had unfortunately been spotted. The piles of boxes created a labyrinth of pa.s.sageways. At the end, a demonic beast was repeatedly slamming its body against a door. The door was made of bars, so Hiroshi could tell someone was hiding behind it. The door seemed to lead to the manager’s office. The person had managed to escape inside, but the demonic beast could see they were there and it was a dead end.

Hiroshi approached from behind the demonic beast and severed both its wings from its body with the high frequency blade before it could notice him and turn around. It was shaped like a bird, so it used its wings to maintain its balance even while attacking a door meant for humans to pa.s.s through. The demonic beast toppled to the floor and let out a strange cry. Hiroshi thrust the blade into it and put it out of its misery.

“Hoo…”

Hiroshi stepped over the demonic beast’s corpse and tried to open the door, but he found unexpected resistance. The person beyond the door seemed to be in a state of complete panic. A frantic voice leaked out through the door. It seemed this was a young woman. Hiroshi spoke in an attempt to calm her down.

“Do not worry. The demonic beast has been eliminated.”

The strength holding the door in place suddenly lessened. Hiroshi turned the doork.n.o.b and a girl fell out.

Hiroshi looked at her in surprise. She was Hoshino Yuri, the idol he had seen on TV earlier.

After seeing Hiroshi, Hoshino Yuri began crying in relief.

“W-waaahhhh! It was so scary!”

Her crying was quite loud. Even Hiroshi was surprised. He was forced to adjust the volume in his helmet. But…

—She really is cute…

Hiroshi was entranced by Hoshino Yuri.

After a bit, Yuri stopped crying and she looked Hiroshi over from top to bottom.

“You saved me! Thank you. I really don’t like demonic beasts! You’re that Brave who has become famous recently, aren’t you? You really are cool!”

Yuri suddenly embraced Hiroshi. And even more surprisingly, she gave a quick kiss to the lips his helmet did not cover.

—Wow…

In his surprise, Hiroshi straightened his back. Once Yuri moved away, he looked at her more closely.

She was shorter than Hiroshi and her face looked more youthful than his, but she had a hint of maturity she hid from others as if she held a great intensity in private. Her expression was mischievous and she gave off an aura that brought unease. It was as if she would try something the instant you let your guard down. And along with all that, she seemed like the kind of girl who would always be the center of attention.

“Keep this a secret.”

Yuri brought a finger to her lips and winked.

At the same time, the warehouse’s large door opened and a group of knights entered. Hiroshi could see it on his visor without having to turn around, so he spoke to Yuri in an attempt to look good.

“Then keep me a secret too. It seems the knights want to know who I am.”

“Really? But you can tell me! I’ll keep it a secret. I want to meet you in secret later!”

Hiroshi actually wanted to give in to the temptation, but he somehow managed to keep quiet. He waved at Yuri, jumped up, and flew toward the knights. The knights began flying after him, but they could not keep up with his speed. He left the warehouse door in an instant. He circled through the sky while listening to the applause and cheers of the people, but then charged high into the sky to lose his pursuers.

Keena finished eating her rice after Akuto left the dining hall. She felt tired, so she left the dining hall to go take a nap in Akuto’s room.

But then she stopped. A man wearing white stood in the dorm hallway.

He was tall and had perfect style. His hair was perfectly arranged and a bit long for a man. He had clear eyes and a graceful face. He was so beautiful that a look at him would put any girl in a good mood. He appeared to be the same age as Keena or a little older.

When he saw her, he gave a silent bow and walked toward her.

“Hm?”

Keena tilted her head in puzzlement because she did not recognize him.

“Good day.”

Keena gave a deep bow in response to that polite greeting.

“Good day. Who are you? Do you need something?” asked Keena.

His expression clouded over slightly, but he quickly formed a smile as if to say that had been nothing. He then pulled a handbook out of his pocket.

“I work for the Cabinet Office. I have business with this school, but it seems I am a bit lost.”

Keena checked the badge in the handbook he opened. It looked splendid, so she a.s.sumed it was real.

“Where would you like to go? I can lead you there.”

Keena spoke different from normal. This caused the man’s face to cloud over once more.

“I would like to meet with whoever is in charge of security.”

“Understood. We do not hire anyone specifically for that purpose, so the student council handles it. I will show you to the student council room… What is it?”

Noticing the man’s expression, Keena peered at his face.

The man returned her gaze and narrowed his dazzling eyes.

“Oh, nothing. Seeing you simply gives me a somewhat nostalgic feeling.”

“What a lovely thing to say. But have we ever met?”

“Now then, my name is Bouichirou. Yamato Bouichirou.”

Keena tilted her head in puzzlement once more.

“Sorry. I do not recognize that name.”

“I see.” Bouichirou let out a sigh. “You do not need to lead me to the student council room. If you simply tell me where it is, I can find it myself.”

“Is that so?”

Keena explained where the student council room was. Bouichirou bowed and walked away.

“Thank you very much. Until we meet again.”

“Eh? We’re going to meet again?”

Keena returned to her usual tone of voice. It was as if a different personality appeared on the surface only while she was facing Bouichirou.

He turned around and smiled.

“We will. As long as you remain who you are, we most certainly will.”

When Akuto knocked on the door to the student council room, the student council president, Lily Shiraishi, was inside. She was working at her desk, so she looked up and invited Akuto in.

She was a short girl wearing a stylish hat. She had a determined and mischievous face and did not look much like a student council president, but she acted as if she was used to standing above others.

“What is it?” asked Lily cheerfully as she tipped up the brim of her hat with a finger.

“Oh, it isn’t anything too important.”

As Akuto explained the details of the demonic beast attack, Lily’s expression grew tense. Lily knew that the demonic beasts were essentially born from Akuto. However, she had decided not to inform him of this for the time being. She a.s.sumed the government had a reason for leaving the issue alone and she planned to investigate what the situation was behind the scenes.

“In that case, why not check the news from each location? I make a habit of viewing the news from every station,” said Lily as she slid a hand across the desk.

Several mana screens appeared and they all displayed a different broadcast. When Lily narrowed it down to only the incident in question, the number of screens decreased to about 20. They were all showing footage of that incident. The footage showed the actions of Brave Hiroshi. The two of them did not know Brave’s ident.i.ty, but Akuto had felt something during his run-in with Brave during the beach field trip. However, Akuto trusted people a little too much, so he tried as much as possible to not touch on Hiroshi’s strange actions.

“Is that guy in the suit popular?”

“Yes. He has been exterminating demonic beasts all over the place. The knights can’t teleport in because the mana cost is too high, so they can’t respond as quickly as him. He always takes all the credit just before they can do anything about it, so they seem to be feeling resentful. That’s why he’s popular with the general public, but the knights are desperately trying to capture him since what he is doing is illegal. For some reason, there are no records of his actions and his mana cannot be traced. That suit must have some kind of mana canceller in it. Possessing an illegal object like that is a serious crime.”

“I see.”

“Oh, but the biggest worry is that his equipment is specialized for anti-magic combat. He seems to be trying to help people for now, but who knows what he could do later. He could easily become what they call a vigilante.”

“A vigilante?”

“Yes. Someone whose sense of justice is a little too strong, so they choose to take the law into their own hands. I have a fair bit of that myself. Ha ha ha,” laughed Lily.

“In that case, why are you worried about him becoming a vigilante?”

“A vigilante isn’t that bad a thing in and of itself. However, a great fight can break out if there are two of them.”

Lily turned a remarkably intense smile toward Akuto.

Akuto fell silent just as a knock came on the student council room door. Lily invited the person in and it turned out to be someone neither of them expected.

“Do you have a moment?”

It was a man with long white hair and a long white beard. He was so old it felt the concept of age had lost all meaning. People lived long lives in this era, but he was likely one of the oldest. At the very least, he had certainly lived over 100 years. He had said he had taken part in the war. He was the headmaster of Constant Magic Academy.

“Headmaster.”

For once, Lily actually straightened her back. Akuto also corrected his position.

“What do you need?”

Normally, the headmaster did not show up in person because he would settle everything via communications. And there was not much business of his that required he speak with a student.

“I happened to be nearby, so I decided to stop by. Okay, that was a joke. I actually had a feeling that an old acquaintance of mine would be here. I saw it in a dream. Okay, that part was a joke, too.”

The headmaster laughed, but this was no laughing matter for Lily and Akuto. Just seeing that shrewd old man left them at a loss for words.

Suddenly, the eyes mostly hidden by the headmaster’s long eyebrows grew sharp. He turned toward the door where a man had appeared at some point.

Akuto and Lily’s bodies both stiffened in surprise. This man’s presence was not normal.

He was only standing there and his expression was gentle. He was beautiful and he was sociable enough that anyone would let their guard down around him. And yet it almost seemed as if he was emitting a visual pressure.

“Nice to meet you. I suppose,” said the man, Yamato Bouichirou.

Akuto stared back at him. Bouichirou was certainly looking directly at Akuto.

Akuto was surprised, but he nodded in greeting all the same.

Bouichirou’s gaze was too gentle to be thought of as hostile, but the look in his eyes was by no means warm.

Also, Akuto recognized him. He was not entirely sure, but when he first met Peterhausen, he had seen some images that may have been a mysterious hallucination or may have been a type of mana communication. Those images had shown the man who killed Fujiko’s older brother. Akuto did not remember the man’s face clearly, but the aura surrounding Bouichirou was identical.

Lily may have noticed this as well because the look on her face had changed. She had been there when they had seen those images.

“I see this is a collection of extraordinary people,” said Bouichirou with a smile.

In the next instant, Lily shot her fist toward Bouichirou. However, she did not get up from her desk. She used mana to extend the tissues of her arm itself to send her fist toward the distant door. Her fist approached Bouichirou’s jaw with the speed of a bullet.

The dry sound of flesh striking flesh reverberated throughout the student council room.

But it was Akuto’s palm that Lily’s fist had struck. Lily had not aimed for his palm. Akuto had been standing next to Lily the instant she had thrown the punch, but he had moved next to Bouichirou faster than her fist in order to catch it.

“At least let my hand slip,” said Lily in amus.e.m.e.nt.

She had a smile on her lips.

“President, if someone enters the school unannounced, they must be working for the government, right? I do not know what this is about, but it seems wrong to suddenly punch him,” said Akuto in a restrained voice.

“I know what I’m doing. The badge on his collar is enough to tell you he’s from the Cabinet Office. My hand just has a bad habit of slipping when I see government officials. And look at him. That trick where you moved faster than my fist wasn’t even necessary.”

On Lily’s instruction, Akuto turned toward Bouichirou.

He had not moved even slightly from where he had been before. His expression had not changed either. He had only moved his right hand. It was inside his inner coat pocket.

“He moved his hand without moving his center of gravity in the slightest. And it’s stopped in his pocket because he saw you move and decided he did not need to remove it,” said Lily.

If that was true, it meant Bouichirou had seen through both Lily and Akuto’s actions. The time between the fist being thrown and Akuto stopping it had been less than 0.2 seconds.

“I would prefer if you did not suddenly do that when you first meet someone. It would be setting a bad example if I did not get angry over it,” said Bouichirou with a smile.

His tone was still gentle, but the pressure floating around him suddenly increased.

“Don’t get carried away, you petty official.”

Lily’s voice lowered and she smiled as well.

The tension grew unbearable and it was blatantly obvious the strained atmosphere would burst at any moment. Akuto turned toward Lily and squeezed her fist even tighter.

“President, you have no reason to do this.”

“Do I need a reason for a fight?”

“That is not what I mean. He has yet to say anything,” said Akuto.

Bouichirou shrugged exaggeratedly and broadened his smile.

“I came here with a warning. I want to know if this academy has the proper level of security.”

“The student council takes care of that. You have no right to find any fault in it.”

“Is trying to punch people when you first meet them part of your security?”

“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

Lily shook off Akuto’s hand. The look on Akuto’s face changed and he took a defensive stance.

“If you’re gonna get in the way, I’ll just take both of you out…” warned Lily as she brought a hand to her hat.

Bouichirou smiled fearlessly as he saw that and began to remo