CHAPTER 71
The Ex–Demon Lord and a Friend in Crisis
“Nice! Leave it to you, Ard, to catch that huge boar with your bare hands!”
“Ha-ha. Look at yourself, Ireena, carrying such a bounty of unusual mushrooms. It seems Lady Luck smiles upon you.”
On a mountain path that saw heavy foot traffic, I walked with Ireena, shouldering my prey, as the dappled sunlight poured down on us.
Summer vacation was upon the students of the Laville National Academy of Magic. A solid twenty days, so Ireena and I had decided to return to the village where we were born and raised. I was long overdue for a bit of R&R as a typical nobody.
“It’s been quite some time since we spent some time alone, Ireena.”
Summer break looked the same for all students—from nobility to commoners. They were all homebound. Our friend Ginny was no exception.
With no place to call home, Sylphy had set off on a journey, saying that she had “a bad feeling about this” and that she was “gonna use this time to level up!”
Hence, why Ireena and I were spending some moments by ourselves, which didn’t happen often…
“You know, it’s a bit sad, not seeing the faces we see every day.”
“Yeah… To be honest, I’ve been a little down, but…” Ireena said.
“But?”
“If you’re with me, Ard, it has nothing on me!”
I’d like to announce that our Ireena had as brilliant a smile as ever.
As we carried on our conversation, we arrived back at the village.
“Oh! Welcome home, Ard!”
“Glad to have you back, Ireena!”
“Looks like you got a bit burnt. You take care of that, you hear?”
A trail of villagers wishing warm welcomes followed us all the way back. There’s truly nowhere like home.
We returned to the Meteor house.
“You’re back!” bellowed my father.
“Oh my. And you’ve brought another big catch with you.”
“Heh-heh. It seems the mountains have bestowed their blessings on us.”
My parents—Jack and Carla—and Ireena’s father, Weiss, ushered us in. We were all going to stay here for the night.
Our parents were friends, and the Olhydes had made frequent visits to our home since Ireena and I were kids, so we were basically like siblings.
“Tonight,” I announced, “we’ll be preparing an exquisite course of boar and mushrooms, dressed up in a medley of herbs. I ask for your patience while I put together the dish.”
“I’ll help you!” Ireena volunteered.
“What?” Jack said. “Ireena, stay here and, um, chat with us!”
“T-that sounds great. Why not leave the cooking to Ard?” Carla asked.
“Tell your old man how school is going,” Weiss coaxed.
Sweat beaded on their foreheads, seeing that they were intimately familiar with Ireena’s skills in the kitchen. Her cheeks puffed up at the sight.
“Hey! I’ll have you know that I’ve gotten better!”
“Ireena’s right. Do not fret. I imagine you will all see how much she’s improved tonight.”
We got to work and butchered the boar.
The dining table was soon lined with a whole course of dishes—from a simple steak to a refreshing cold stew.
“Dig in.”
They gingerly exchanged looks before venturing to take a timid bite.
“Mmm!” Jack said. “Tastes like Ireena wasn’t even involved in making this!”
“I-incredible…! I guess humans do have unlimited potential…!”
“I hate to doubt my own daughter, but…did you really help make this, Ireena? To think you could assist in the kitchen… I’m floored by this change in you.”
Showered with praise, Ireena straightened up and snorted.
“The sorry cook I’ve been is long gone! In fact, I’m the best cook at the Academy now!”
She wasn’t wrong. As proof, she had gone up against a boy who came from a family of world-famous chefs and beat him in an on-campus cooking throw down.
…So much had happened at that school. I looked back on all these memories fondly.
“Heh,” Weiss laughed. “Seems like sending you to the Academy was the right decision after all.”
“Even Ard has some common sense now!” Carla commented.
“And it seems like you’ve even made some mates,” noted my father. “You look happier, unlike your kid days.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “The Academy is full of great people.”
We could talk forever about what was happening at school.
Weiss looked like he remembered something. “By the way, how is Lady Olivia?” he asked. “Ever the one to run about, isn’t she?”
“Yes. After all, she’s now essentially head of state after everything that went down recently. She said she would be spending the entire summer traveling from nation to nation.”
“Damn,” Jack said. “Sounds rough.”
“Yeeeah. Seems the entire continent has been dealing with a lot,” commented my mother.
“I do hope no storms will pass our way.”
It all started within the holy nation of Megatholium and spiraled the entire continent into a cold war.
On one side was our nation—the Laville Empire of Sorcery—and its allies. On the other side were the states, Megatholium included, that had come together to form the Anti-Laville Alliance. We were sizing each other up, seconds away from pouncing at each other’s throats.
“With Lady Olivia hard at work, I don’t imagine we’ll engage in a full-blown war. There may be a few skirmishes, but they’ll be like little ripples in a river. Soon enough, it will be as if nothing ever happened.”
With time, this tension would dispel. And if it didn’t, I would make it disappear.
The doorbell rang through the house, I steeled myself…
“…A guest, it seems.”
Who could it be? Did our neighbor Medius decide to mooch a free meal?
I swiftly stood and headed to the entrance to greet the newcomer. Ireena followed behind me as if that was her role.
As soon as I opened the door, we looked alarmed.
“You’re…”
I can’t say I expected this visitor.
Standing at the door was a girl. Lovely like Ireena, but without the oomph. We had met this girl—beautiful in a plain way—back in Megatholium…
One of the Queen’s Shadows, our nation’s secret organization of specialized forces.
“Umm, I’m sorry… What was your name?”
“…Kalmia,” said the girl, expressionless and monotone.
“And what might I help you with today?”
She must have come all this way for a good reason. I mentally prepared myself.
When we heard the response from those tiny lips…Ireena and I looked at her with wide-eyed shock.
“The Asylas Federation has declared war on us. They invaded the lands ruled by the Salvan and Spencer families the other day.”
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