Maou Gakuen no Hangyakusha - Volume 5 - Chapter Pr

Prologue

My name is Himekami Lizel. I’ll  become seven years old this year. 

Himekami House is a marquis house. It has extremely strong influence in the devil world. However, there is one problem. 

It’s how Himekami House has been carrying the fate of succeeding Lovers arcana for generations in the Devil King Great War. 

The Devil King Great War before the last one happened sixty years ago. At that time Lovers was quickly eliminated and Himekami House also lost a lot of territory and our financial situation waned drastically. For a moment we even almost lost our rank as marquis, but thanks to the previous house head’s skillful maneuvering, the loss could be kept at minimum. 

Even so, Himekami House’s history for these past several hundred years is a history of decline. We are still a distinguished family and we also have high status, even so our influence is clearly decreasing compared to the past. 

And then the previous war happened ten years ago. In other words three year before I was born. It seemed at that time Lovers couldn’t even participate in the battle properly. 

However the current devil king is a weirdo. It seemed he didn’t levy any kind of penalty to the defeated devil king candidates and their subordinates. He didn’t even dispose the surviving devil king candidates. 

Because of that, I can live without any inconvenience and received high class education. 

However, who knows how it will be next time. 

People said that I’ll be the next devil king candidate. Of course I myself also thought so. 

It might be strange to say this myself, but I’m a genius. 

I would get bored with my private tutors within several days no matter what kind of people was brought here. They would soon run out of things to teach me. The adults sang their praises to me, but to me those adults looked terribly dimwitted. 

My magic power itself is still not strong because I’m just a child. However, that too is just a problem of time. I’ll surely become one of the strongest people in the devil world. 

Although, even for someone like me, it’s impossible to win the devil king great war as the devil king candidate of Lovers. However, fortunately the devil king great war had just gotten held ten years ago. 

The current devil king is still young. There won’t be any Devil King Great War in my generation that was what I thought. 

But, a rumor that the current devil king Gandou Barbatos is planning the Devil King Great War in not that far of a future spread. 

That’s something extremely troubling for me. 

No matter how strong I am, I have no chance of victory with Lovers arcana. 

What a misfortune. 

Even though I won’t have any worry at all if only Himekami House is a house that inherited other arcana. 

It’s unfair. 

I was made to pull the short straw. That’s what I think. 

I can also switch side and become a subordinate of other devil king candidate, but my position will be weak in that case. My status as noble will also fall. However my fate will be even more horrible if my house continue losing like this. 

Then perhaps it’ll be better if I cut my losses here. 

However why is someone excellent like me have to put myself under someone incompetent just because of the circumstance of my birth? 

It’s absurd. 

I vented my dissatisfaction to the current devil king Gandou Barbatos. 

He was coincidentally present in an award ceremony for outstanding children. It was unusual for the always absent current devil king to be present like that. That was why I requested a meeting with the devil king as a reward. 

My request was granted and I obtained the chance to talk alone with Gandou Barbatos. 

There I requested him please don’t hold the Devil King Great War. 

Then the easygoing Barbatos who didn’t look like a devil king at all made an apologetic smile and secretly told me. 

Sorry. Ten years from now when you are enrolling into the devil king academy will be the best timing for it. 

I was astonished. 

It was just the worst. 

There I tried to persuade him. I told him just how wonderful the present devil king is. How his current reign is the best. I feigned naivety and innocence as a little kid while including sharp perspective in my praises. 

The devil king showed a smile that was different from before after hearing that. 

Trying to manipulate this me huh you really got a promise eh, missy  

I felt a freezing chill on my back. 

Despite his carefree appearance, he was still the man who won the Devil King Great War. He had slaughtered notorious monsters with his strength and reached the peak of devil. 

For the first time I felt fear toward an adult. 

Listen well smart missy. You think that Lovers is the weakest arcana. Isn’t that right  

Naturally. There is no way there can be any other interpretation than that. 

That’s a mistake. There is no hierarchy between devil king’s arcanas, what they have is only their own idiosyncrasy. 

I can’t believe those words. In fact, the past data has clearly shown that there is clear difference in strength between the devil king arcanas. 

That’s because until now there is nobody who has discovered the way to use Lovers. 

Barbatos said that. That was why I asked him. What should be done to find it? 

Even I don’t know. But, in the first place the concept of love that Lovers arcana represented doesn’t suit the devil race. It’s an emotion that has good affinity with human. 

......Human. 

That’s why, if you want to draw out the power of Lovers, you need to get involved with human. That’s what I think. But you missy will be the one to decide. 

Like that our meeting ended. 

After that I thought. I thought, thought, and thought deeply. 

And then I went to the human world alone.