CHAPTER 23
The Ex–Demon Lord Dealing with a Fool
With the podium in front of her, Sylphy surveyed the rowdy classroom with eyes that were strangely bloodshot—with enough heat to make you wonder if she were out to avenge a family member.
“…Hey, Stupid, er, I mean, Sylphy . Hurry up and introduce yourself. Or I’ll make you go through the same thing as last night,” Olivia barked. Paired with her piercing glare, it was enough to make Sylphy jolt.
I wasn’t clear about what happened yesterday, but she must have gotten her ass handed to her. Though she seemed scared shitless, Sylphy put on a composed air and flipped her red hair with a dramatic whoosh .
“I’m Sylphy Marheaven! I’m a little nervous because it’s my first time at school! But it’s nice to meet you!”
Nervous? You? How?
“Um… Sylphy Marheaven…?”
“Isn’t that the same name as the Raging Champion?”
“Didn’t she go MIA fighting the Evil Gods?”
“A transfer student in the middle of the term…with crimson hair…and the same name… N-no… It can’t be…!”
“Oh, come on, dude. That’s impossible. It’s just a coincidence. Plus, the OG Sylphy was a bombshell with a huge rack, right?”
“Well, it depends on the book you’re basing it on… But this runt? You’re right. No chance.”
…Historical accounts aren’t always accurate as they get passed down to future generations. This includes descriptions of a hero’s personality, too.
In the modern world, Sylphy is regarded as a reserved goddess type who transforms into a battle maiden in times of war…which is totally different from her true self. Who’s to blame? Take me to the person who came up with this crap.
There wasn’t an ounce of reservation in her. Her brains were basically just balanced on her head like an accessory.
In other words, Sylphy Marheaven held the record for the World’s Biggest Blockhead. And Soup for Brains was glaring about the classroom once again.
“I’m done with my intro! Okay, Olivia! Bring out Ard!”
All eyes immediately fell on me. Even Sylphy and her pea brain could tell from their reaction I was Ard…
“You mean you’re Ard?! Th-the guy from yesterday?! You tricked meeeeeeeeeeeeeee?!” In a rage, she made a beeline for me—the very definition of a mad dash.
She came to a screeching halt and caught enough air to flip up her skirt, exposing her pure-white panties. Not that she cared. Neither did I.
Her face flushed bright red with rage, and she yanked me by my collar. “A trick by the Demon Lord! As despicable as ever!”
…Hey. What’s Birdbrain tossing me into?
“P-please, wait. Hold on. What do you mean by Demon Lord?”
“Don’t play dumb! I know all about you: You’re the reincarnation of the Demon Lord Varvatos!”
…What the hell is this girl trying to do to me?
I’d been trying my damnedest to keep the truth from getting out, and now she’d barged in, spilling the beans…! I could feel my anger welling up at the moron in front of me.
If this had been in our past lives, I would have screamed What do you think you’re talking about, you dipshit?! and given her a taste of my fists…but if I did that now, it’d basically confirm her suspicions. I would bear it. I would endure.
Because no one was gonna believe her nonsense. No one would ever believe I was the Demon Lord—
“Ard is his reincarnation…?! I guess I could see that…!”
What?
“If I remember correctly, the Demon Lord left behind a message before he passed on: ‘Upon the passing of many eons, I shall return when Daemons once again rise to smite the Earth. ’”
What? I didn’t say that. None of that rings a bell.
The following is the exact phrase that I’d left behind: I’m gonna die because I’m so sad. Assassination? More like asSADination. Ha-ha-ha. I thought it was ingenious. What do you think?
…Anyway.
“Ard? The Demon Lord? I never would have guessed! But now that you mention it, it falls right in place! Oh, Ard, as expected of you! I’m falling in love all over again!”
Really, Ginny? As expected of me? How does that make any logical sense to you?
Starting with Ginny, around half the students in the class seemed to believe I was the reincarnated Demon Lord.
“Sylphy, you said you know all about him. Give us the details.” My nosy big sister was bursting with curiosity.
But Sylphy was so cross that she paid no attention to Olivia and stared me down in the worst sort of way. “Let’s duel! You and me in a face-off! I’m gonna totally destroy you! Get ready!” she blared, pointing at me sharply.
Let’s see. What do I do?
Well, first things first, I didn’t have the slightest intention of going up against her. She was one of the few I’d get serious fighting against; there was no question I’d end up blowing my cover. And there was no way I could let Olivia figure out I’m the Demon Lord.
I had to somehow make this conversation work in my favor…! I pondered.
“Hey, you! You’ve been going around saying whatever you want, and it’s making me mad!” A chair clattered as a girl of ephemeral beauty jumped to her feet, her silvery hair bristling like a menacing puppy. My Ireena. She narrowed her eyes as though she’d reached the end of her patience. I could almost see the flames roaring behind her. She looked hyper-dignified.
“I’ll fight you in Ard’s place!” She jabbed her finger in Sylphy’s direction, who took those fighting words to dish them right back…
Or not. On the contrary, her eyes widened in surprise.
…Oh, right. She could probably see shadows of Lydia in Ireena, too. Fair enough. I’d been surprised when I first met her.
…To Sylphy, Lydia the Champion had been a mentor, a mother, a big-sister figure. With her doppelgänger in front of her, Sylphy asked, “Wh-what are you to Ard Meteor?”
“I’m his friend! His best friend! There’s no one closer to him! Every other friend of his is below me! That’s our relationship!”
I had no idea what she was trying to say, but it was cute. And that’s all that matters.
“I—I see… Hmm…” Sylphy bumbled with a somewhat mixed expression. All her intensity from before was gone as she stared at Ireena and fidgeted.
Ireena let out a low growl, taking this as a threat. And honestly, watching her attempt to hit Sylphy with her scariest face was super -adorable.
A few second later, Sylphy broke the silence. “Y-you! B-become my friend! Th-then I’ll give Ard Meteor a pass!” she blurted out, managing to muster up all her strength.
Back to my Ireena. “No way! I don’t wanna be friends with anyone who thinks Ard is an enemy!”
“Gaack?!”
With her arms crossed, Ireena scoffed and looked away with a decisive Hmph!
Sylphy trembled like a newborn fawn. “U-uguuuuuuh…!” Her large eyes brimmed with tears before she glared at me for some inexplicable reason. “I-I’ll remember this, Ard Meteor! Waaaaaaaaah! ” She sprinted off dynamically, casting her spite onto me—an innocent bystander.
“…Sylphy Marheaven, absent without leave,” Olivia announced with a sigh as she took attendance.
Holy crap, I was exhausted. And it was still morning.
A little while later, the simpleton who’d theatrically blasted through the door now came crawling back timidly. I’d hoped she would just run off into the distance, but my guess was that she had nowhere to go.
Which is why we had no choice but to start the lesson with Sylphy the Ticking Time Bomb. We changed into our comfy gym clothes and headed to the expansive athletic field.
First period was sword training with Olivia. We started with practice swings and performed a choreographed warm-up routine. This was one of the courses where I could feel at ease because there usually wasn’t anything here to heighten Olivia’s suspicions, and time passed by without a hitch.
“Yah! Yah! Yaaaaaaaaaaah!”
But thanks to the dunderhead blasting our classmates away with her powerful swings, my safe place became an anxiety-inducing battlefield.
Why did things turn out this way?
“…Hey, Sylphy. Rein it in. We can’t continue class like this.”
“But I am ! Honestly! Everyone in this era is a bunch of weaklings!”
I could tell exhaustion and stress had even begun to seep through Olivia’s steely mask.
“That girl is something. Maybe she’s the Sylphy?”
“N-no way. Absolutely not. Sylphy is supposed to be a timid cutie patootie. That girl doesn’t even come close.”
Well, that version of Sylphy never existed in the first place.
Stupidity and barbarity in human form. That was the real Sylphy Marheaven.
With a living natural disaster tossed into our class, everything was topsy-turvy, but…it was less eventful than I’d anticipated. I hope this would keep up and conclude without incident , I thought.
“Okay, moving on to sparring. First up, Ard Meteor. It’ll be you”—Olivia flashed the smile of a schemer—“…versus Sylphy Marheaven.”
Well, she certainly seemed pleased to announce this crap.
“Bring it on! Out of all my skills, I’ve improved my swordplay the most in the past few years!” Sylphy burst with enthusiasm. Watching her puff out that flat chest proudly was an absolutely revolting sight.
“No, p-please wait! Lady Olivia!”
“Uh-oh, what’s this? Something wrong, Ard Meteor? Afraid to go up against me? Come to think of it, you have always lost your nerve when it counts most!”
Th-this damn brat…! N-no, hang in there. Don’t let her get to you.
“L-Lady Olivia. I’m sure you can see there is no need for me to spar with Sylphy. Her skill is beyond classroom instruction. Which is why—”
“Why don’t you want to go up against this kid? Is it because you’ll get all worked up? Reminds me of my stupid little brother, who was usually cool and collected but lost his mind whenever Sylphy got involved.” Olivia flashed a bright smile with an expression that revealed exactly what was on her mind.
She was seriously trying to bait me with Sylphy to get me to admit I was the Demon Lord. In that case, I wanted to spar even less. But…if I was to refuse outright, that would come with its own problems. She’d take that to mean I was declining this match because I feared my true identity would be revealed.
…Now that it had come to this, I didn’t have much of a choice.
“Very well. I humbly accept this sparring match.”
I’d give my all to ensure I lost this battle. I’d get beaten by stupid Sylphy.
…Wh-which was nerve-racking. In fact, I’d never been so anxious in my life—or my past life.
“Get her, Ard! You’ll have her KO’d in three seconds flat!” Ireena cheered.
“Gweh?!” This must have gouged out Sylphy’s heart because it triggered her to engage in full-on grudge mode as her eyes brimmed with tears. “I’m gonna beat you black and bluuuuue!”
She rushed forward violently, closing in on me almost faster than the speed of sound. The force of it blew back the hair of those standing in her vicinity—including mine. Both wooden swords clashed within moments, and a shock wave blasted out around us.
We exchanged one blow—two blows, then three in a dizzyingly aggressive performance. The air whistled as our swords came crashing down on each other, and the ground rumbled under our feet.
“I-incredible…!”
“They’re seriously taking it too far…!”
Not good. If we kept going, my reputation would soar against my will. I had to hurry up and lose, but…
“What’s wrong, Demon Lord?! Shaken by my new and improved sword skills?!”
I’ve gotta lose , I thought. However, say I did admit defeat…
Huh? You got something to say? Even though you’re weaker than me? she might say.
Hey. How about making me some tea? What? You talking back? Even though you’re weaker than me? I could almost hear her taunting me.
There was no question she would totally look down on me at every opportunity. If it was anybody else, I couldn’t have cared less. But from this dumbo? I absolutely would not be able to stand it.
I’m sure every single human alive has at least one person who drives them up the wall if they attempted to spurn them. For me? Sylphy fit that box perfectly, which was why…
“I cannot speak on your improvement—but you still have a long way to go.”
Sylphy had a tick of leaning slightly to the left after going in with a thrust. It was a tiny shift but enough to dull her movements… If an attacker cut in from her right side, it would take her too long to respond. Sure, her swordplay had gotten better, but she still hadn’t managed to outgrow her old habits. Which is why I could get her in the abdomen, like this. See?
“Argh?!” Sylphy yipped as she soared through the air, blasted away by my side swipe. She managed to land a dozen paces away from me.
I’d held back my strength. It shouldn’t have been a big deal.
“…One point. Winner: Ard Meteor.” To my surprise, there was no trace of Olivia’s smile. Maybe she’d never expected me to win.
Huh. I guess winning wasn’t so bad after all, if only for this outcome. If I had lost, I would imagine she would have accused me of losing on purpose and pressed me for answers.
At any rate, things had worked out well for me this time—
“I—I refuse…! I refuse to accept this! I’m strong now! Stronger than you! And way stronger than the Demon Lord!” Sylphy boomed sorely, facing me…and then shouted, “Demise-Argis! ”
From the palm of the hand that she thrust toward the heavens flared a flash of light like a lightning bolt, followed by a thunderous echo. In the next moment, a weighty sword materialized in her hand, with a golden blade wrapped in expensive ornamentation.
The Holy Sword Demise-Argis.
One of the three great Holy Swords, it was a weapon that Lydia and I had entrusted to Sylphy in the past. And this little shit had called it to—
“I’m not done yet! This battle isn’t over! ” she roared, seething, readying herself. “Vel. Stena. Olvidis. May Interlopers Vanish with One Stroke of My Blade.”
She released an incantation spun from the most ancient of languages and the key to unlatching the Holy Sword’s power—
“Stop! Don’t unleash that here!” Olivia screeched.
But her attempts to stop Sylphy were in vain as Sylphy came at me, hurling the Holy Sword that glided through empty space and unleashed a torrent of energy from its golden blade.
It was overwhelming, colossal, matchless. A deluge of destructive power.
“Ngh…!” Even I had no choice but to go all out and cast the special-class defense Ultima Wall without an invocation to envelop myself in a semitranslucent protective orb.
Seconds later, her attack collided with my barrier, pushing against my entire body with alarming force.
…That idiot had some nerve to charge up her firepower to the max and throw it at me.
I would have stood a chance at stopping her in our old world, but that was a tall order in my current form. And so, I cast another spell while still holding out against her attacks.
It was the high-level wind attack, Giga Wind , which generated a current of air and called upon the same destructive energy that fueled Sylphy’s attack. When it grew into a roaring magical gale, it pushed the ruinous torrent erupting out of the Holy Sword to the side—and into an abandoned old school building that blasted it into smithereens, wiping out everything in its vicinity before dwindling back to nothing.
“Wha…?! D-don’t get full of yourself just because you held off one attack—,” Sylphy barked, ready to unleash another huge spell.
“That’s enough, Sylphy Marheaven,” Olivia snapped, already positioned with a sword pointed at the base of the girl’s throat before I could even react. Her eyes blazed with unmistakable fury. “Any more of this, and I’ll have your head.”
“Ugh…” Even Sylphy cowed under Olivia’s present state, obediently lowering her sword.
Olivia drew her blade away from her pupil’s neck. “…Take a good look around you.”
Sylphy obliged, eyes reflecting with the same scene sprawled before mine—more precisely, hordes of students crawling and writhing on the ground upon being struck down by the power of the Holy Sword.
Demise-Argis expelled a destructive energy that was like a type of poison, seeping out toxic magic with each torrent to wipe out enemies in every direction. That’s how it earned its nickname: the Noble Treasure of Annihilation.
Sylphy somehow managed to subconsciously suppress the amount of poison diffused by the weapon…but the other students had fallen ill, collapsing to the ground, except for Ireena and Ginny due to their high tolerance.
Taking in the ghastly scene, Sylphy’s face turned pale. “I—I, ah…”
“…You haven’t changed a bit. You still don’t know how to control your power—and you act like a pathetic child,” sneered Olivia in a voice seething with anger.
Olivia could be harsh like this sometimes, but there was a part of her that was fond of children, even when it appeared that she kept her students at a distance. As an educator, she took good care of them. And now those exact children had been injured before her very eyes.
Under normal circumstances, Olivia was known for snappy scoldings that cut to the chase. But not this time.
“I’ll never be able to wrap my head around why that duo entrusted this sword to the likes of you. Imagine what Lydia would think if she saw you now.”
This must have really gotten to Sylphy because she flashed an indignant look. “Y-you don’t have to go that far! Even if there had been casualties, we could have done a ceremony to revive them!” she argued.
…Geez, she hadn’t matured at all.
I guess it couldn’t be helped. My true self may be found out, but I needed to rake this hopeless fool over the coals. As the one Lydia asked me to take care of, it’s my duty— I was in the middle of forming my thoughts.
“You dummy! You’ve got no right to talk back!” Ireena ran over, beating me to the punch. “When you do something wrong, you say you’re sorry!”
She clubbed Sylphy right in the head.
Conk. As the sound of impact echoed through the room, Sylphy crumpled to her knees. It must have really hurt because her doe-like eyes began to fill with tears.
Ireena looked down at her. Her face housed an anger with the intensity of a blazing fire—not out of spite for the transgressor…but like a parent admonishing their child. “We get it! You’re strong! But that’s exactly why you can’t hurt others! Think long and hard about what you should be doing with your power!”
This line. This whole situation between Ireena and Sylphy. I’d seen it all before in my past life.
“You damn idiot! When you do something wrong, apologize!”
“B-but that stupid Varvatos…”
“And don’t talk back!”
Lydia had always been easy on Sylphy—except when the girl was in the wrong, when she’d be treated to a good whack upside the head and a brutal scolding. But in the end…
“You’re crazy strong. Think hard about your purpose ,” Lydia would say with a wry laugh, running her fingers through Sylphy’s hair. “You’re helpless.”
Right now, Ireena was doing the very same thing, which must have set off some memories for Sylphy.
“U-uuuuurg… I-I’m so sowwwwy…!” she sputtered, fat tears rolling down her crumpled face.
At that, Ireena gazed at her with pure affection, continuing to stroke her head over and over.
…Sylphy Marheaven had managed to lose every last important thing in her life from a young age. Orphaned upon her parents’ murder at the hands of demons, she had joined the military after Lydia had taken her in, where she had found friends and a place to call home. But…during the war, those prized friendships fell apart. And that was why she desperately clung to her strength—to victory. It was all to avoid suffering the loss of being robbed of something again. But this stubborn will managed to guide her down the wrong path… And in the past, Lydia had been the one to stop her with a beating and also lend a hand to lead her in the right direction.
I had assumed this could never be re-created, but Ireena was spectacular. If Ireena stayed by Sylphy’s side, she would probably be okay… But was that a cop-out?
Ah yes. That’s exactly it. I’m searching for a way out.
Be that as it may, I’d have to tell Sylphy at some point.
I’d have to let her know that I was the one who took away what she’d held so dear.
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