《Inoru Kami Wo Sirazu, Negau Kokoro no Katachi wo Miezu, Soredemo Tuki Wa Yozora Ni Noboru》 CH 1 ¡°Good morning. I apologize for asking you this when you just woken up, but I wish for you to save this world, Hero-sama.¡± She is dazzling. The beauty, whose charm would make anyone swoon when they wake up, gave a smile to the person. The young girl¡¯s light and wavy silver hair and oval-face shape were very captivating. The vibrant color of her cerulean eyes were enhanced by her long eyelashes on her face. She is cladded in a predominantly white robe and was almost like a doll with her calm demeanor. However, a certain body trait of hers is very conspicuous compared to the rest. That is, the two horns protruding from the top of her head above her ears. ¡°A Draconian?¡± A little hoarse male voice could be heard asking a question. It was then the person realized it. The realization that ¡°they¡± are a man. The fact that he is inside a dimly-lit room. Furthermore, he came out of a glass container. At the moment, pink liquid is gushing out of the glass container and flowing into the drain. The room he is in is filled to the brim with unfamiliar experimental tools and specimen jars that contain eyeballs, ears, arms, and many other body parts floating inside the translucent glass. ¡°This is a project to manufacture human bodies, no, could it be a rapid-aging project? May I ask how many months has passed since this body was created?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been 3 months since you were born into this era, Hero-sama. It is amazing that you grasped everything brilliantly. Our greatest concern during the transmigration process is if your knowledge would remain intact from one body to another. But it seems that worrying about that was unnecessary.¡± The young girl¡¯s expression and voice were brimming in elation. Soon after, the young man made a cute sneeze in front of her. ¡°Oh no, it slipped my mind. I can¡¯t let you stay undressed. Let me aid in dressing you before you catch a cold.¡± Using a cloth, the young girl wiped the pink liquid off of the drenched naked man. After wiping him dry, she efficiently dressed the young man in the garments she prepared beforehand. During the whole process, the young man wore an absentminded expression. ¡°Where am I? I, actually rather than that, what¡¯s today?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been 1,000 years since the Hero-sama defeated the Devil.¡± The young girl informed, while she kneels down to put on the shoes for the young man. Even when the young man was looking down from above, the two curved horns on the young girl¡¯s head were still striking to the eyes. The man unconsciously reached out and casually grabbed the horns with both hands. He found it to be easier to hold than expected in his hands and stroked it while checking the hardness of it for no particular reason. Then, a weak plea rang out. ¡°Um, I apologize for requesting this of you, but what you¡¯re doing is a bit uncomfortable. I beg of you, if you could refrain from continuing.¡± Her pale skin was flushed in a deep crimson color from mortification. Immediately, the man took his hands off the horns. Then, while he was being compliant, he inquired to her. ¡°That thing that is attached to your head. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s heavy?¡± For a brief moment, the young girl¡¯s expression was like her blood had runned cold. But her next action also took a short moment too. She immediately made an amiable smile and answered composedly. ¡°Yes, I concur. But it¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary for Draconians like me.¡± Her smile and the tone of her voice didn¡¯t waver once; there were no gaps in her mannerism to exploit because it was so perfect. The young lightly nodded like he was convinced. ¡°So, who are my foes?¡± He continued on. ¡°Please allow me to guide you. Let¡¯s discuss as we travel to the destination.¡± She opened the door and encouraged the young man to leave the room. It was then that she put her hands near her mouth like she had noticed something odd. ¡°Oh no, I forgot about this entirely. We should have done this from the very start.¡± The silver-haired girl turned to face the young man. ¡°This is our first time meeting. I am Lamia Them Hymsept. I hold the position as a Saint in the Astral Order and serve to aid you as an attendant to the mighty Hero-sama.¡± Something about her eyes, that reflects the azure firmament, were so modest, and yet alluringly captivated the young man. ? The echoes of the footsteps accompanied Lamia¡¯s strings of words just like a song with their accompaniments. She was reciting the hymn of a legend like she was telling a story. ¡°Long ago, the Devil that threatened the world was defeated at the cost of the beloved Hero¡¯s life and brought 1,000 years of peace for generations. During the battle against the Devil, there was a comrade who fought alongside the Hero. Her name was Selena, the Sage, and after the battle, established the Astral Order. It was for the sake of letting the Hero¡¯s tale be told to the future generations and prepare for the approaching calamity confrontations. ¡°The approaching calamity?¡± ¡°There exists retainers of the Devil, who was supposed to have been sealed at the same time when their leader died. There¡¯s been an increase of activities with the surviving retainers. However, because of the long eons of peace, we no longer have the power we had before. We have lost the numerous spells and ancient mysteries that were commonplace in your era, and now humanity¡¯s lives are at stake. It¡¯s embarrassing to ask, but we have no choice but to rely on the powers of the Hero-sama.¡± ¡°I see. I understand what you are saying. So that¡¯s why I¡¯m the ¡®Hero¡¯ .¡± The young man said in a somewhat vague manner of speaking. ¡°Huh? Yes, that is the case.¡± Lamia looked at him with a mixture of perplexity and anxiety, but the clouded face was immediately covered up with a soft smile. They reached the end of the passage and arrived at the stairs. It seems this facility was underground. Also, considering how high up they were traveling up around the circular stairs, the facility was fairly deep below the surface. But the young man in regards to that had no particular interests in it. Sure enough, he was listening to Lamia while having a blank expression. ¡°Although Hero-sama lost his life in the decisive battle against the Evil God, Our Founder-sama has taken measures to prepare for the next time the world is in a predicament like this. That is the ¡°Transmigration Ritual.¡± It is a very difficult ritual that rebirths the Hero-sama into a baby that inherits your soul.¡± It appears that the Order rapidly aged the baby who inherited the Hero¡¯s soul by 10 or so years and achieved in bringing the Hero-sama in the current form of a young man. Lamia stopped in her tracks. When they reached the top of the stairs, there was a large spacious room. The spacious ceremonial room had an altar, murals on the ceiling, and near the pews that were lined up had tall pillars that were sculpted beautifully. However, it was somewhat dark, and a putrid smell was wafting in the building. It looks like the building was not receiving any natural light from outside. The only source of light comes from the many mosses that are spread about on the pillars, clinging closely and faintly glowing on the structures. The young man was gazing at the church mindlessly, but Lamia hurriedly guided him. ¡°Please come this way.¡± They headed toward the exit passing through the center of the church. Passing through the gentle-curved arch, the two of them stood in front of a large door. Remia placed her hand on the door, and whispered something quietly. The door creaked open as the world revealed itself slowly. The young man squinted his eyes against the dazzling light. And then, he saw it. ¡°Hero-sama, we need you to lend a hand to save us from this world of nightmare.¡± The town was dyed in a deep crimson. It was the color of the flames that consumed the people that were trying to flee the town. At the same time, it was the color of the flying blood when the ugly beasts gnaw, rip, and hold the citizens body with their pointy fangs and hairy hands and legs. Large beasts, neither wolves nor bears, were howling at the moon. Responding to the large beasts¡¯ calls, stone beasts who had wings like bats swooped down from the sky. The giant spider stretches its threads between the buildings and bides its time to catch prey. It seems that the spiders have already captured some, as seen by the many limbs peaking out of its mouth. An unpleasant cacophony reverberated its tune through the town, made up by the death cries of the fallen and the outcry of the beasts. The color of the sky was as if a child had splattered and dumped paint onto a drawing. If hell existed, then this place was truly where the purgatory was. Showing such a world to the Hero, Lamia, once again, appealed to the Hero just in case. ¡°Hero-sama, you were the grand savior who sacrificed themselves for the world in the past. Additionally, you are the guiding light to our Order. We humbly ask you once again, to use your power for the sake of the powerless and vulnerable humanity.¡± Children were wailing, parents were being torn apart, and the elderly were being mercilessly stampeded on in the town. Even though people and buildings were burning into ashes, the young man still showed no signs of stirring, more or less, lacked emotions. All of a sudden, the young man whispered. ¡°I can hear it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can hear the cry of a baby.¡± A maelstrom of noises was being maintained due the chaos in the town. Therefore, a baby¡¯s crying is as expected given the chaos, the young man¡¯s words seem to imply something else. Lamia looked at him with a puzzled expression in her eyes. This young man, is he really the ¡°Hero¡± that the girl wished for? And then, the young man, who had been absent minded like he was looking at something far away, suddenly was transforming. It was a very moving scene for Lamia. Lamia¡¯s eyes widened as if she had finally witnessed the person she had wished for and was trembling heavily. ¡°If that is how you wish for me to act, then I¡¯ll conduct myself according to your wish.¡± His hair turned into a golden hair that was shimmering within the flames and his jasper eyes hid a gentle glow. His tense expression captures how he is very much aware of the threat that stands before him. Not only that, the fierceness of his gaze shows how resolute he was. Wouldn¡¯t this person be the kind of legendary Hero that everyone dreams to see? Following the transformation, the young man ran out towards the town. Lamia will surely never forget for the rest of her life the figure sweeping away the battlefield where the carnage took place in the time it takes for a single zephyr to blow. The young man, who was supposed to be empty-handed, exploded the grotesque beasts to nothing one-by-one whenever he passed near them. His five fingers on his hand were moving like he was pulling a string little by little, and in answer to that, beams of light flew and gathered in the air. Before anyone realized, golden swords made out of light arrived above the young man¡¯s head. The swarms of the impure beasts were decimated by the slashes of the light that tore up foes across the battlefield in tandem to the signal of his fingers. Wherever the light blade travels, the path follows behind it, and dimly shining particles flutter down as an aftereffect. Subduing the enemies like he was dancing; it was difficult to believe that he was fighting. At the sight that was like a scene from a painting, Lamia¡¯s breath was taken away. There he was, the hero of light that Lamia had seen so many times in her dreams. After obliterating his opponents in his surroundings with his fierce strikes, the Hero soon relaxed and surveyed the area around him. Then, he walked up to the injured that were lying on the ground. A child was frightened by the person who the child had never seen before, but the young man smiled like he was emitting a warm light, and gently extended his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s safe now. I won¡¯t let them hurt anyone any further.¡± His clear voice caused the whole air to tremble. Immediately following after, light particles enclosed the area around the Hero, and the light traveled through the nooks and cranny of the injured that is reminiscent of a refreshing breeze. One after another, the cries of astonishment, relief, and joy rang out. The gash wound in the male¡¯s stomach, the woman¡¯s neck wound that was bleeding heavily, a child whose arm was ripped to pieces, and even the fractured leg of an elderly¡ª it was all cured in an instant just like a miracle. That was certainly like the Mystery power that has been lost for eons. The eyes of the people who had witnessed hope were looking at the Hero. He who mercilessly judges evil and he who gives merciful benevolence to the weak. If there was such a thing as a saint, then he was the personification of it. The Hero tenderly took it in all the emotions of the people: respect, worship, and all other emotions. ¡°Lamia, can I entrust his care to you?¡± Although startled from being called suddenly, Lamia instantly nodded. ¡°Please rely on me. The Cathedral also works as a sanctuary that prevents all impurity from entering. The Order will protect him. Please allow me to take care of evacuating all the citizens, Hero-sama.¡± ¡°I got it. I will head towards and attack the ring-leader of this.¡± Right after saying it, the Hero lightly jumped into the air. A group of light blades had assembled and formed wings on his back. He jumped heights that no other person can reach, then immediately landed onto the roofs of buildings, and continued to repeat that process throughout the town. His objective is the large castle found in the middle of the town. It was the source of the monsters that were running amok in town. He continued onward without stopping, cutting down his foes by swinging his blades of light. Lamia instantly touches her horns while the figure of the hero is burned into her eyes. She stroked the entirety of her horn as if she was checking something and whispered. ¡°Sure enough, that is my Hero-sama.¡± ? A hideous pig was guffawing while sitting bolt-up on the blood-strained throne. There were two soggy spheres that had a reddish color and placed on top of his swollen stomach. It¡¯s already unrecognizable to what the spheres originally were. The pig toyed with the spheres with two hands along with displaying the crown that he had stolen. But there is no way a pig could comprehend the value and such of the crown. The pig had finally usurped the throne that he was supposed to have longed for. One of the spheres he was playing with was the severed head of his brother and the other was the woman that he had loved. Despite having the crown that he had yearned to the point of insanity, he grew tired of playing with them and threw away the spheres and crown to the floor. The bloodstained remains tumbled to the floor. A shaking hand stretches out towards the bodies that met its end in the cruelest way. ¡°My Dear Father, my Dear Mother¡­¡± The red girl embraced the remains of the bodies. Even though the girl¡¯s medium-length hair that reaches her shoulder were styled prettily, she was covered in filth and had the fragrance of decomposing flesh. Her hair tufts and the cute dress she was wearing had the lingering entrails of her parents body. ¡°Just why, why would you do such a thing, dear Uncle, why?¡± The young girl cried to the large pig who snorted loudly on the throne. But words will never reach a beast that lacks human intelligence. He was a traitor who accomplished his wish to take the throne for himself. But in exchange, he had become a mindless beast. ¡°It¡¯s pointless, your Highness, Princess Angelica. The Kingdom will drown in a nightmare alongside that imprudent swine.¡± The man scoffed at her, standing like he was looking down at Angelica who was sitting on the floor. A tall lean man, wearing a bluish purple robe held a metal pocket-watch in one hand. His demonic-like beautiful face turned into a wicked look, guffawing at how the royal castle had met its end in the most beautifully wicked way. ¡°Soon, my retainers will soon fill the kingdom and this land will become the cradle for a nightmare. This time, by the will of our magnificent master, the ¡°Sowing¡± will start.¡± Angelica could not understand the words the man was cackling about. This shady man claimed to be a sage and curried favor with the King¡¯s young brother. Since he was able to enter the castle as he pleased, everything went down from there. Every evening, strange rituals were taking place. There was the drug being spread across the land and the earthy aroma that lingered in the air. Her vassals were becoming crazy and could no longer keep their composure. And finally, her soldiers turn into grotesque monsters that go on a frenzy on the nights of the full moon. Squirming behind the man was the fate of her former vessels: nothing more than a lump of meat. The mass of flesh, while making inarticulate screaming, was dispensing mucus while giving birth to monsters. The monsters that were birthed from this headed outside the castle. It¡¯s easy to imagine the horrific state of the royal capital outside. ¡°Why would you do this sort of deplorable thing! You are a demon!¡± In response to the glares that were emitting all her hatred and blame, the person only had a faint smile float on his face. A clapping sound resounded into the room. Then the sound of the man opening his pocket watch. ¡°There is no need for discussion, for that it¡¯s because I¡¯m a demon. More precisely, I am part of the Daemon race. We are devout believers who desire in our great master of nightmare revival, and for that purpose we will change this world.¡± There was no point denouncing the man who prides himself on his depravity. There¡¯s a rumor that there was a heretical group that believed in a fallen wicked god, and wanted to change the world into a nightmare. This was a rumor that Angelica knew of too. However, she had never even dreamed how horrifying that event would be when it came. In the throes of helplessness, terrified, and tormented, Angelica cursed her irrational fate. She can remember her beloved parents that poured out so much love to her. Her gentle and kind vassals. Her heart was filled with unbearable hatred towards the man before her eyes, who played with her innocent people of her Kingdom. And yet she can¡¯t stand up against him, in spite of all her frustration. ¡°Oh, here we go again, I can¡¯t be having you die a dog¡¯s death on me. It¡¯s getting too boring.¡± The man¡¯s swift kick-motion passed before Angelica¡¯s eyes. The dagger she had hidden for killing herself was flung away. ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll have you become the hostage for the Hero who will be arriving. I have known from the previous loops that this is very effective for the man of sickeningly nice noble nature.¡± ¡°A Hero? A hostage? What in the world are you spouting?¡± ¡°I hope it¡¯s the last time we¡¯ll see that good-mannered face. Even though he is stupidly strong, we were able to analyze his fighting patterns after battling him more than a 100 times. And the result of that is that it¡¯s possible to win against him.The last loop we did, we ended in a draw. This time, through this bout, we¡¯ll succeed in making this the final loop.¡± For some reason, the man was irritated and stressed, and was engrossed in opening and closing the lid of his pocket watch as if he was pressured. Even after all that said and done, the man was in fear of ¡°something¡±. He was very wary. His subordinate beasts were lined up in an ostentatious manner and there were troops lying in the cover of the pillars and such. And the person in concern was crouching, laying low and on guard, as if he could move swiftly at any time if anything happens. When she saw that, Angelica could only think of despair. Supposing that she survived the calamity and someone came to her rescue, how could anyone think of defeating this man? Even the Imperial Guards, the most elite force in the Kingdom, could not defeat this man. No matter how quick the blade hits, no matter how many strikes are made, that means nothing when that man walks about and evades like he could predict every moves. Perhaps, the ¡°Heroes¡¯ ¡® that are recognized by the ¡°Alliance¡± could win against him. But even then, it¡¯s meaningless. A ¡°Hero¡± is a ¡°protector that protects pure-blooded individuals¡±. For that reason, the Hero won¡¯t save this country. At the same time, they won¡¯t help Angelica. If she was allowed to pray to somebody, at most, she could only pray to a God. But that merciful god had perished a long time ago. It is only now merely a large corpse. He was a cruel Creator, who brought unreasonable ordeals in the form of calamities, famine, and diseases. But may he punish mercilessly to this evil man. ¡°Just die.¡± Crouch lower, get lower, she cursed, casting her eyes down like she was looking into hell below. Please, please God, hear my plea. Please punish this man with the same amount of suffering that my mother and father suffered. I offer my life, so for the sake of my plea¡ª- ¡°Kill him, kill this deplorable man!¡± In response to the throat-piercing plea was a chilling question. ¡°So all I have to do is to kill them, right?¡± At that moment, a foul breeze came into the spacious room. Angelica curled her body at the rancid stench and the dreaded screaming. She squeezed her eyes shut to protect herself. There was something, a being, even more terrifying than the nightmare that had ravaged the castle. And it was getting closer. Her anxiety swelled and her body was shaking. The reverberating sounds around her were the cries of agony of the beasts. She was so scared of the threat who came in, and begged for help inside her heart. ¡°A bunch of small fries. Know your place before me.¡± Angelica opened her eyes timidly, realizing that the being that had a ruthless and cold-hearted voice had no intent on killing her. The girl couldn¡¯t figure out if her trembling was from blissful admiration or shaking from fear. The arrogant young man who was standing there was as beautiful as a nightmare. His hair was as black as the night sky and had eyes like obsidians. But his eyes that evilly expressed that he wanted to kill and intimidating facial expression pretty much ruined his beautiful face. But even more, to describe the mayhem he is creating, ¡°nauseating¡± is too lacking of a word to picture the scene. The two hands weaved through the impure haze and what came out in numbers were large insects, bugs, and aphids. From centipedes to worms, scorpions to spiders, and locusts and beetles crowd the beasts one by one. They enter the body from the noses or mouths and eat from the inside. The air had poisonous fumes swirling and acidic fluids dissolved the floor to swallow the beasts. The military forces for this nightmare were being swallowed by an even stronger nightmare. Angelica gulped to repress the physiological disgust. And, the person who was panicking more than anyone else, was the one who was supposed to be the most scary individual, the Daemon man. ¡°Just what is this? Just what is going on? Where are your light swords you always used? And the color of your hair is different. A different person, no, are you the same person?¡± The other man looked at the being with fear in his eyes, as he was eaten alive and suffering from the burning pain of what was supposed to be skin. It was as if he was looking at something that shouldn¡¯t be there. Even in the middle of writhing his body, the man did not let go of the pocket watch. That was his lifeline. He continued to grip it while opening the lid again and again. While the minute hand ticks away, and a harmony of the death throes echoes through the room. ¡°The baby cried so much tonight. Even though they couldn¡¯t sleep tonight, there is no reason to wake up from an alarm clock if there are no sweet dreams to wake up from.¡± ¡°The baby cried so much at night. Even though they have lost a lot of sleep tonight, there is no meaning to waking up by an alarm clock if there were no dreams to wake up from.¡± The meaning behind the cryptic words made its presence known well, and the dial of the pocket watch cracked with a snap. He watched it happen, and the dumbfounded man whispered. ¡°This can¡¯t be happening, I can¡¯t rewind time, I can¡¯t go back to the save point.¡± The body that was supposed to be a male ran, and was stomped by the young man by the head to the floor. ¡°No, this can¡¯t be real!¡± Angelica felt a tad disappointment seeing the man¡¯s unsightly stupefied face. The wicked person who has destroyed her whole world was only a tiny villain that was easily kicked aside. The man cried and screamed in front of the young man, being devoured by the insects and pushed down to the darkness. ¡°This is impossible! This, for this to happen! Our God, our great Master, punished this person with a calamitous fate!!¡± ¡°There is no such thing as God. You¡¯re just someone who respects the filthy trash of a being. Just an idiotic fool.¡± He said cold heartedly. For the young man, everything is judged as equal, Angelica thought. In his eyes, life and death are equally meritless. His dreadfulness, his arrogance, his huge presence, the girl¡¯s heart fell into the depths of it all. ¡°Suppose there is someone who is creating a world of nightmares as they please and for some reason that someone is bestowed the name of god. But that title is only for one person¡ª me.¡± He nonchalantly crushed the skull with his foot and the brain spinal fluids were sent flying. The body of the fallen man was dissolving and swallowed by an unknown poison. The army of insects, the rotting smell of decay, the stagnated liquids, these were all part of the massacre that was truly nauseating. The young man does not allow any parts of the nightmare to exist any longer. He attacked everything and left everything in dust. ¡°Enjoy a sleep with no dreams, well, forever, anyways.¡± And so, the ring-leader of the calamity is dead and the monsters were consumed by a stronger threat. But the more fearsome young man was still standing. But Angelica felt a strange sense of relief and satisfaction. If she is going to die, then it would be fine to leave it to this young man, thoughts like that clouded her mind. It¡¯s forbidden for a princess to think this, but if this Kingdom is destroyed by this kind of overwhelming destruction, then that would be a beautiful ending to this Kingdom. She was engulfed in such thoughts. The fantasy that she wasn¡¯t supposed to dream about was very pleasant. But, it was too hasty of her to taste the forbidden fruit. The unpleasant sounds of the pig snorting broke her free of her trance. The rebel¡¯s laughable end by turning to a beast to gain the power to dethrone. A foolish man who met his end for his own means after being used by the devil-like man. Her uncle who used to be nice is nothing more than her parent¡¯s enemy now. Her hatred wells up inside her. She may have only lived because she was a harmless child who did nothing but cry in the back of the room, but that charade made her all the more vexatious. The girl searched for her dagger that was flown out of her hands by the fallen man. But what am I even doing?, she reflected. There is no point in finding revenge. There is no merit to her urge. Revenge won¡¯t bring back her dead parents. It won¡¯t make her happy. To be kind to others, be benevolent, to forgive, and live with compassion. Those teachings were betrayed by the sacrilegious urge that she held. Angelica held the dagger by its hilt, and looked at the huge big, steadied her hands, and stood there. Her breathing was in a disarray like she had forgotten how to breathe. It was at that moment, a voice ranged out. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± The young man who was like a nightmare said, looking straight at the girl. He had jet-black hair like a crow and eyes and had a piercing gleam in his eyes. The look in his eyes can only be described as not a penetrating gaze but more like a malicious expression. He was glaring at everything in his surroundings. Everything in this world, in essence, is just the same thing in the young man¡¯s eyes. From the feelings of hatred and anger, and scorn and disappointment. Angelica feels like her answer was reflected in the young man¡¯s eyes. ¡°Also, don¡¯t be ashamed to follow your heart. Your desire for revenge is right. Whether you¡¯re furious or resentful, those feelings become righteous indignation in face of evil and set the world right. Burn in your desire for revenge, woman. The evil in your heart will never triumph against the good you hold dear.¡± Those words were like a divine message. Just like the moment when a believer who found enlightenment and opened their eyes, Angelica¡¯s world had opened. But then, it closed. For this girl, her everything was summed up in this one moment of exchange. ¡°If you sweep all the little bits of trash in this world, then the world will be a little better. If you take him, that brought the calamity, as your foe, then throw away that useless sympathy. If you can¡¯t do it, then I¡¯ll do it in your place.¡± The young man, more demonic than a demon, declared after boldly laughing. ¡°I, I¡¯ll do it! With my own hands!¡± Although she had hesitated and anxious, her fury won over all of her feelings. She will not forgive him, she will not let him live. Even though he was a victim who was used and was punished already enough, the feelings of ¡°hers¡± had nowhere to be vented at! Rushing over to her foe, she swung her blade down wholeheartedly. One strike. A second, and a third. The pig made a high-pitch shrill, and the beast tried to escape from her grasp. She pinned him down and slashed him, laying with all the hatred that she held. Be it the foot and buttocks that were sheared up, ripping the meat from the back, the arms that were thrusted with the dagger, and the intestines were dragged out. His last moments were one full of pain. When she woke up from her trance, she was breathing heavily, drenched with the blood of her foe. She was dressed up in a red and black dress, the entrails being a fragrant perfume, and just danced a fast-tempo waltz. The young girl who was beaming fits perfectly in the world where heaps of corpses were piled up. Seeing that kind of girl, the young man, who was pondering, suddenly mumbled. ¡°Now then, this woman, Lamia, had told me that I was some kind of Hero, but no matter how I look at it, it doesn¡¯t feel right. In the first place, who am I? Hey, woman.¡± The young man, without caring that the blood-dyed girl laughed loudly, asked the question only for his own convenience. The girl looked back at him with a vacant look on her face. ¡°You, when you look at me, what do you think of? You better say it seriously. If you tell a single lie to deceive me, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± The question was a troubling, but simplistic question. But Angelica thinks it¡¯s very much like him. Just who is this young man? She had just met him, so there was really no way she would know. But for Angelica, there was one answer that she had already chosen. ¡°You are,¡± Angelica said with ease. Even though it was a coincidence, to the young male who stands in front of the throne, it¡¯s only fitting to say so. ¡°You are my God.¡± On the back of the young girl, her wings were shown in all its glory. This was the Kingdom of Angels. The Kingdom had a long history for Angels to reside in, and those Angels were moderately faithful. They had beautiful wings to serve the heavenly gods. However, the wings on Angelica¡¯s back were red in color. They are stained with the weight of a sinful murderer and blemished the weight of the blood that was shed. It was the wings of a fallen angel who had fallen from heaven, the firmament made only for the pures. ¡°Ha, it¡¯s an answer worth laughing about.¡± The young man said, after taking a moment to look at the wings and her smitten eyes. The blind faith of the girl with a broken mind that is held only by her blind trust. He could have discarded her right then. But even then, there were no lies found within her words. ¡°But, I don¡¯t hate the answer. Woman, be pleased, you are now a servant of a God. You will think of me as your Master and serve me till the end of your life.¡± Thus, a contract of master and servant was concluded. And this is where the story begins. ? The world has gone through a decline. It¡¯s been 1000 years since the Salvation Day. Humanity, who can no longer bear its fang due to centuries of peace is now in dire straits. Once again, the nightmarish era is invited again, but at the same time, the revival of hope comes forth in a savior. But the long years brought oblivion. The name of the fallen Hero is still unknown to the world. CH 2 It goes without saying that Lamia had understood. She had understood that she had succeeded. The story was starting, as was arranged. The leading actor of the story needs to have a perfect heroine and that role is only for one person. She hid her inner emotions with unwavering self-confidence. To exemplify that she is a Saint of the Order, she wore the pure-white robe. Alongside fixing her appearance she also readied her heart. ¡°My smile, check. My clothes, also good. My voice, perfect. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t look strange at all.¡± Even though an unexpected situation had happened at the battlefield, she just needed to calm down and choose a different way towards the goal. For her to lose her this much composure, she worries about what will happen in the future. She left the sleeper car¡¯s room that was prepared for her. A peaceful rural landscape was flowing by in the windows from walking across the aisle. Occasionally, there are slight tremors that¡¯ll shake the passengers¡¯ feet, but the train prides itself in being a comfortable ride, so the tremors aren¡¯t that much of a problem. They were going on a journey by using the train. What awaits the group ahead is more difficult than what they had faced before. Lamia, especially, who thinks of it as an enemy territory. The reserved train car was extremely silent. Lamia stood in front of the door, took a deep breath, and made an exceptional smile on her face. She knocked on the door in a respectable manner. After that, she gave a morning call that was reminiscent of bell chimings. ¡°Good morning, Hero-sama.¡± ¡°Good morning, Lamia. I have just finished changing my clothes, so feel free to come in.¡± The young man said, already up and ready beforehand. Upon hearing that, Lamia stepped inside the room and unconsciously had her breath taken away. His blond hair was glittering from the morning sun¡¯s rays entering through the window. Even though he was just wearing a plain shirt from the Order¡¯s provisions, the clothing, when he wears it, makes it seem like a first-class product made by a tailor. The dazzling man who smiled at her was so breath-taking handsome, that she had to admonish herself to not get swept away. Not letting herself be carried away, she continued on while keeping composure. Well, more accurately, she tried to continue. ¡°Take you for giving me permission to enter your room. The breakfast preparation has finished so if you would please wait shortly in the dining car.¡± She felt something was odd. Furrowing her brow, she glared at the strange thing in the room. On the bed of the sleeper car¡¯s room, there was a red-haired girl, who was sleeping face-down, stretched her body and showed her naked back with her red wings that were spreaded out. ¡°Angelica? You, just what do you think you¡¯re doing? Ill-mannered! Discourteous!¡± The angel exposed her well-proportioned bare body and took a big yawn. She tilted her neck like she was puzzled. Of course, this was on purpose. It was a clear declaration of war. ¡°Morning~. Hm, why is Lamia here?¡± ¡°That is my line! Isn¡¯t your room elsewhere? We went out of our way to prepare a vertical bed that¡¯s meant for Angels!¡± ¡°It was just a chair with a blanket on it. Rather than sleeping in a chair and being wrapped with a blanket, I prefer to sleep face-down. If I had to be wrapped around something, then being held by Master-sama is my preference.¡± ¡°Stop saying such foolish things and put on some clothes! How, just how dare you, doing this kind of slovenly act!¡± Lamia was flushed in red and quivering her body in anger while Angelica didn¡¯t mind at all. Angelica jumped out of the bed and ran up to the young man who was reading a book near the window. Although the young girl was embarrassed, with her blushing face, nevertheless stood in front of the young man like she was showing off her body. ¡°Master-sama, my dear Master-sama, good morning!¡± ¡°Morning, Angelica. It¡¯s not good if you continue to cause trouble for Lamia. The clothes you flung off are on the table. You should change into those before you catch a cold.¡± ¡°Hmph, so you noticed that instead; so you¡¯re that type of person. I misjudged you. I have to think of a different strategy.¡± The handsome young man who was being shone upon by the morning sun, was unfortunately a gentleman. Angelica, realizing that, made a blatantly disappointed expression and turned on her feet. ¡°He¡± wasn¡¯t Angelica¡¯s master. Hiding her chest by putting her hands over it, she started to change her clothes. On the other hand, Lamia, while shaking all over, prattled on in one go. ¡°I just can¡¯t believe you! Just how many times has it been, Angelica! Please stop entering the Hero-sama room without permission. ¡®My¡¯ noble and pure Hero-sama will not keep your company. Trying to tempt him into the wrong path is futile.¡± ¡°Ok ok, I got it, don¡¯t need to make the sermons any longer it needs to be. You know, Lamia, you¡¯re just like Aunt Haan. Ah, she was my private tutor in the castle, ok?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say stupi-¡± ¡°Can I call you Aunt Lamia?¡± Angelica said. Although the words came out of her mouth, even Angelica thought it was over the top and had an awkward face herself. However, the effects of her words were astonishingly effective. Being called a grandmother as a girl in her mid-teens, Lamia, who was so shocked that she lost the words to say anything back, was shaking fervently. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t take it too seriously, Lamia. Angelica is saying those things because she wants to close the distance with you.¡± When Lamia heard those words, she finally came to her senses. He had a refreshing smile and a gentle gaze. The young man with the glittering blond hair continued to talk to Lamia. ¡°Thank you for looking after us, Lamia. It¡¯s because of you that we can live normally even in foreign lands. Although her attitude is like that, Angelica is really grateful to you from the bottom of her heart.¡± At his kind words, Lamia loosened her cheek muscles like she was melting and then took in a small breath. ¡°It is an undeserving honor, Hero-sama. You¡¯re as merciful and forgiving as the compassionate Hero-sama depicted in legends, even to a thoughtless, foolish, and impudent girl who doesn¡¯t have a lick of self-control. Simple words cannot express how moved I am by your actions.¡± ¡°As always with the flattery, it¡¯s nothing much, Lamia.¡± But Lamia was tearing up while looking at the young man. Even a single tear dropped out, so her words weren¡¯t out of flattery, but a serious statement. At the very least, she was consciously and seriously moved from the bottom of her heart. ¡°And, let¡¯s end it right here! Master-sama, my dear Master-sama! It¡¯s time for you to change! Change into ¡°my¡± Master-sama!¡± Angelica said, who ruined the atmosphere with her eagerness. For some reason, the girl who was wearing a frilly nightgown, was for some reason clutching a knife and eagerly swinging it around. Lamia shrinks back seeing Angelica¡¯s dangerous rush of attacks. ¡°Master-sama, just like you did the other day, are we going to hunt for magical beasts? I really want to be stronger. I want to kill, slaughter, and murder even more so that I can spill even more of those bastards¡¯ blood!¡± Angelica brushed aside her rival, and asked eagerly. She examined the young man¡¯s face with glittering eyes. Her words were dyed in an innocent murderous intent; the passion to kill is very disproportionate to her carefree voice. Even her hand wielding the knife was clenching tightly despite the smile on her face. Just before Lamia was about to restrain her, the young man¡¯s low voice resounded first. ¡°What an irritating servant. Hurry up and get out of my way or else I¡¯ll kill you. Finish this foolish farce by yourselves.¡± The voice owner had black hair like the night sky and had a scowl on his face. It would be unthinkable to think that the voice now and the person just before the transformation were the same person. The two girls had the exact opposite reactions when he transformed. ¡°Kya, I love that attitude! Let¡¯s kill!¡± ¡°Ah, my pure Hero-sama has turned to that.¡± The boy who stood up ignored the two girls. Flinging the book aside, he was headed outside the room. ¡°I don¡¯t need to be told to kill or not, as anyone who opposes me will get the guillotine. Also Angelica, stop with the stupid coquetry plays. You are my servant. You just need to be by my side at my beck and call.¡± ¡°Yes, Master-sama!¡± ¡°Founder-sama, Ancestor-sama, please lend me your power.¡± The three of them had their own attitude and expressions. This one act, for them, was even becoming a routine in their daily lives. A Hero and a Master. The young man who was called both and was also that at the same time, hasn¡¯t settled on an identity. This is a story of the young man whose identity is swayed between the two young women. ? The calamity that struck the Angel¡¯s Kingdom was swept away by the hands of the revived Hero. However, the root of the problem hasn¡¯t disappeared yet. The malicious actions that destroyed Angelica¡¯s peaceful life was just the start. Even the Devil¡¯s retainers that threaten the world are only merely one chess piece on a chess board. There is someone in this world who wants all of humanity to be destroyed. Alongside the Devil, the majority of the retainers perished in the great war a thousand years ago and the remaining survivors were sealed. But, after some 100 years, there have been countless occasions of war that caused the world to be in chaos. As a result, there were people who wanted to resurrect the sealed retainers. The people who betrayed humanities became the Devil¡¯s worshippers and became known as the Daemon. They release the sealed ¡°Devil¡¯s Children¡±, also known as ¡°magical beasts¡±, and carry out destructive activities around the world. In order to counter the Daemon and the magical beasts, each nation decided to work together regardless of national borders. After the battle that took place at the Angel¡¯s Kingdom, Lamia showed the young man the path that he should take as the Hero. ¡°There are 6 regional countries that reigns in this continent. These countries have ¡°Academies¡± that gather the best of the best people to raise them as the next generation soldiers. This is to prepare for the decisive battle against the Daemon in the future.¡± The stronghold of the Daemon stretches across the forbidden lands in the southern part of the continent. It is also called the Darklands, where no man has walked on nor been marked on maps. In order to advance towards the world¡¯s destruction, the Daemon and magical beasts forces continue to pressure humanity. Their constant invasions have made humanity have too much on their hands.¡± The Hero has been cooperative in helping humanity. For now, for both Hero¡¯s self. And that was the issue. The Hero isn¡¯t just one person in mind and body. A millennium ago, during the violent fight against the Devil, the Hero¡¯s soul took a big damage and was injured. Due to the fatal injury, it was unable to heal in time, so it seems that the soul, when it was being transmigrated, was still in tatters when it entered the young man. As a result, the young man lost his memories and even his individuality had split as an after-effect. When the scholars researched and the doctors had examined him, the answer that the Order gave was that ¡°the Hero has split personalities¡±. ¡°It is possible that it was due to the imperfections of the ritual. For the situation to end up like this, we deeply apologize.¡± Lamia said while bowing. But even after all that is done, it doesn¡¯t mean that the Hero¡¯s memory will return. ¡°If you pass the mountain range to the south from the Angel¡¯s Kingdom, the Shiptoshelm Kingdom¡¯s ¡°Academy¡± lies there. How about attending the Academy to find a way to get your memory back?¡± Lamia proposed to substitute for the lost memories. Research on ancient ceremonies is a project that is done by the whole country. Furthermore, the colleges are joint in researching the ancient ruins that contain Mystery that existed a millennium ago. On the other hand, the Academies train the students as soldiers who use the power of Mystery in order to exterminate the magical beasts. In this continent, there are six Academies that train the students. Among those is an Academy that gathers all the ¡°world¡¯s knowledge¡± in one place. This is the Academy they are headed to get his memory back. ¡°An expansive otherworld library lies underground of the Academy. Even though it is a dangerous place where even the greatest adventurers can lose their life when traveling deeper in the ruins, if it¡¯s the Hero-sama, then you may have a chance to find your answers.¡± When hearing more about it, the Academy has students who are part of respectable households from young masters from influential Nobles to childrens with a knight¡¯s lineage. For the Hero who just transmigrated and only has the ¡°Order¡± as their backing, then it¡¯s important preparation for the future to have connections with these individuals that will one day fight with the Hero, Lamia stressed. ¡°I will also attend to serve as the assistant to the Hero-sama. And I also prepared the name you will use from now on.¡± After saying that, Lamia presented the name. ¡°Your name will be Serot Protagonist. But let¡¯s keep the name a secret for now. It¡¯s possible that you may get into chaotic situations and rebellions wherever we go, so let¡¯s gather as many achievements first before revealing your name.¡± The young man, now being called Serot from now on, nodded in understanding. Then out of nowhere, a lively voice crashed into the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s unfair! Even though I thought of a name, too! Listen, Master-sama! I thought of a cool name that resembles Master-sama! Add-sama! What do you think about the name, Add-sama? Add-sama, kyaaaaaaa, it¡¯s such a good name!¡± ¡°You again, doing things out of order. It¡¯s impolite to Serot-sama.¡± Serot-sama and Add-sama. As they call the name one after another, the form of the Hero ambiguously wavers like a mirage. It is necessary to stabilize the Hero¡¯s form as quickly as possible. Their changes don¡¯t just stop at their image, but their outward appearance, voice, personality- it is a matter of the change in their existence. Can it really be called a case of a split personality? Of course, it wasn¡¯t a case of split-personality. While Angelica was tugging on the young man¡¯s hand, the image of him was fluctuating to her side. Lamia pursed her lip, and took a deep breath to raise her spirits. The two girls who considered each other as rivals glared at each other plainly provocatively, and grabbed the arm of the young man. The young man¡¯s existence was swaying. This was also a story where the young man¡¯s heart was being swayed by the two girls who were holding onto him. ? And with this, the three¡¯s travel to the ¡°Academy¡± continued on the train. The young man who was called into the dining car had a form that was palely wavering. It was choosing in respect to the girl¡¯s callings. When Lamia saw the face of the person who was wearing a nice shirt and jacket in blue and white undertones, she gasped in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s a blessing that you have calmed down.¡± ¡°Sorry, it seems that I¡¯m still a bit unstable.¡± The exchanges of smiles between the young man and the young girl. Angelica, who was away from them, had a ugly expression, like she was pouting. She was wearing a black robe, one that was used for general clergymans, and the simple plain color of it doesn¡¯t really suit a cheery girl like her. ¡°Stuuuupid, stuuuuupid. Aunt Lamia is a violent person.¡± ¡°Hm? Was that the wind? Did I hear something?¡± ¡°I said nooothing at all.¡± Angelica immediately straightened up in her chair, and Lamia approvingly nodded at that. Serot, who was wearing a bitter smile, sat down in his seat. The breakfast was overall considerably modest. There was a flat and dense whole-grain bread, and a pale soup that consisted of thin root vegetables and beans. There was also a boiled egg and smoked meat. From the young man¡¯s facial expression, it seems that he was slightly sad, compared to Angelica who was clearly very happy. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s been a long time since I saw a bread that doesn¡¯t have roots inside!¡± The young man¡¯s eyes became welled with a deeper sadness. Lamia, questioned the Hero after seeing him with such an expression. ¡°Hero-sama, are you not satisfied with the meal?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s nothing that I hate or like, so be at ease.¡± The young man replied with a flawless smile, but Lamia¡¯s expression had clouded. ¡°Hero-sama, please have my share.¡± ¡°Then Lamia would lose her share, wouldn¡¯t you? But thank you for offering. It was very kind of you.¡± While watching the bitter smile of the young man and the girl who dropped her shoulders, Angelica said something in dissatisfaction. ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty unsatisfactory.¡± The scenery of the agriculture farms that were flowing in the train¡¯s window was really a tragic sight. The fields were being burnt away, and the farmers who tried to run away were torn up by the grotesque beasts. The glass windows had pulsating veins crawling and stained the glass crimson. The red dark sky had ominous dark clouds gathering. The damage to the grain-producing region was severe. The food situation was unavoidable. ¡°Even at the best of times, because of the grain-tax it gets taken away. As a result, the royalty could only ever eat the leftover nasty bread!¡± Angelica puffed her cheeks and said. ¡°The revival of the Angel¡¯s Kingdom is gradually getting better. The other day, I heard that the Crystal Kingdom has decided to finally send troops to be stationed there. Although at this stage I ask about this, are you fine with not staying behind at the Angel¡¯s Kingdom, Angelica?¡± Lamia asked, seriously concerned. ¡°What is left there even if I stay there? Will I become a governor¡¯s mistress? Or perhaps a puppet leader? Or just waiting to be killed? All those options are horrible, I¡¯d rather stay by the Master¡¯s side forever.¡± Angelica replied feebly. The Angel Kingdom¡¯s princess threw away her social status and decided to lead a new life. The royal family, due to the Angel¡¯s Kingdom befalling to disasters, has been destroyed. At the very least, for the girl who was formerly a princess, had felt that everything was over. Her world has changed forever. As if he was trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere, the Hero switched the subject. ¡°The Crystal Kingdom that you mentioned, is that Kingdom the most powerful Kingdom in the Eastern region?¡± He asked Lamia. ¡°Yes. The formal name of the Kingdom is the Shiptoshelm Kingdom. The Shiptoshelm family, a family of Nobles, is the monarch of that Kingdom.¡± ¡°So they¡¯re the ¡®King¡¯. So Angelica¡¯s country was swallowed into that country.¡± The man mumbled like he was pondering. ¡°The Shiptoshelm Kingdom has their troops stationed at their bases in the surrounding countries. Even though we and the other countries were promised protection from the Devil¡¯s retainers for the stability of the continent, and continue to pay an enormous sum in exchange, they didn¡¯t do a single thing during the time we needed them most. Only when the Master ended everything that they did as they pleased.¡± Angelica added. They should have a taste of hell, Angelica cursed. While Serot was looking outside the windows of the train car, he nodded in agreement. Even though beasts were trampling on the humans, almost like a nightmarish and very one-sided fight, the help that was promised is nowhere to be seen. Lamia connected the conversation in a slight cold-hearted tone. ¡°In reality, the destruction of the Angel¡¯s Kingdom was a blessing for the sovereign Shiptoshelm Kingdom. As a person who needs protection, there is no reason for the Order to refuse to let you come in order to protect you. Not only that, we welcome anyone to join as an attendant who will support the Hero. But of course, we¡¯re talking about an attendant that knows moderation and knows her place.¡± ¡°So what does that mean? Does that mean that I can kill magical beasts and Daemon? Speaking of which, different-color Master-sama, are you not hungry? Do you have no appetite? Then is it ok if I eat it?¡± While saying that, Angelica approaches the man¡¯s plate with a wooden spoon. Lamia, seeing the unreserved attitude of Angelica, twitches her expression. The young man gives his plate calmy, and Angelica inhales the food with an ever-growing appetite. ¡°Lamia, you don¡¯t seem to have an appetite either. If you don¡¯t want it, then I¡¯m going to take some.¡± ¡°Wait, you haven¡¯t received any permission yet. Haven¡¯t you been taught about moderation and humility?¡± ¡°I learned it, but at the most important time it didn¡¯t help me at all. I learned something when everyone died. It¡¯s that in this world, there is only to kill or to be killed. It¡¯s pretty much the survival of the fittest.¡± On one end, Lamia succumbed to the feeling of guilt and was at a loss for a reply. On the other hand, Angelica was looking seriously at Lamia¡¯s plate and was gradually coming closer to her side. Only a month has passed since Angelica had confronted the tragic and gruesome event. Lamia, imagining the painful emotional scars that Angelica, who was in the middle of eating someone else¡¯s meal, held, felt her chest ache. ¡°Yep yep, it¡¯s really delicious. Lamia, you make a worrying face and don¡¯t say anything, so gullible.¡± ¡°Angelica, who is the one who should be saying that, exactly?¡± ¡°Hm? What, even though what I said was the truth?¡± When she saw the innocent eyes of Angelica, Lamia shut her mouth. Angelica changed her whole self after the event. The rulers of the Angel¡¯s Kingdom were monarchs that were beloved by their citizens, especially the princess who was famed to be a kindhearted and benevolent princess. And it took only one night for her to change like this. It wasn¡¯t only her heart that was scarred. She was looking forward with a strange positivity. She possessed a cheerful hatred and aggression. The fire of revenge is trying to overpower the mental state of an innocent girl. Lamia turned her gaze to the nonchalant young man. He had a refreshing face and was a handsome young man. A flawless being and the revived legendary Hero. But inside of him was something beautiful, even now, that was made to live in there. And that something was the transformation that Angelica caused. ¡°I ate a lot in order to gain the power to defeat a lot of Devil¡¯s underlings. As the Master-sama servant, this is a necessary action. It¡¯s not because I am a glutton, ok?¡± ¡°You, again, just which are you?¡± Lamia was looking at Angelica who was chewing her food with a suspicious look. ¡°You asked a question of whether I¡¯m just trying to keep it together or if I¡¯m shameless, well,¡± Angelica crammed food into her mouth and gulped. Then she picked up the knife from the table and rotated it easily on her palm. ¡°The answer is that Angelica is super strong.¡± She easily drove a knife to the back of her, piercing the eyeball of a cabin crew member who had turned into a furry beast. At the same time, Serot brandished the light blade he had on standby and sliced in half the beast that was headed toward Lamia. ¡°What?¡± In one instant, the normal dining car was changed into a battlefield. The passengers that were sitting at the evenly-aligned dining tables turned into wolves that walked on two legs. They made a ferocious roar while also gnawing on dried meat, and showed their fangs to the three as if it wasn¡¯t enough to feed on dried meat alone. In front of the bewildered Lamia were the train car windows opening by itself. From outside, where the scene of the Nightmare was happening, the beasts who ran amok outside started to board the train. ¡°Lamia, get down.¡± Serot waved his hands and numerous light swords flew in the air. They soared everywhere as Serot pleased, and in a blink of an eye exterminated seemingly a group of beasts, but abnormally, the scenery hadn¡¯t changed. Lamia was confused. She did not know what was going on at all. Upon seeing that, Angelica was shocked. ¡°Did you not notice the scenery from the window was getting strange? Lamia, are you still half-asleep?¡± Angelica exclaimed. Finally, Lamia noticed. That this situation is very unusual. She took everything as normal. The gory rural landscape to the disgusting lump of meats and blood vessels that were crawling inside the train car. This was the intention of the enemy. ¡°When you become imprisoned in a Nightmare, it¡¯s difficult without the proper mental preparations to realize it quickly, Angelica.¡± ¡°Hmph, I feel you¡¯re bad-mouthing me.¡± The lumps of meat at their feet swelled up, soared into the air, and pounced at Angelica while sharply baring their fangs. But, the young Angel girl calmly evaded, hit the beast in the air with her knife, and nailed it down to the table. The struggling and raging beast¡¯s foot scratched a bit of Angelica¡¯s fair skin. Although blood had flown from her, Angelica showed no signs of being in pain, and gouged the beast with a knife. Was it that she never even felt pain from the beginning? She neither flinched nor hesitated, and until it was dead, she never stopped gouging at it. Her will to make sure it is deader than dead is very bizarre. The scene reeking of blood made Lamia retreat while holding her mouth. Angelica¡¯s expression had the same atmosphere as she did when she was eating earlier, but only her eyes were flaming radiantly. This was the face of someone who wants to kill, or was it the face of someone who is deranged? A short while ago, Lamia asked ¡®which are you¡¯, but the way Angelica is right now, was for some reason, dreadfully terrifying. ¡°Angelica, will you let me handle this soon? I¡¯m going to go attack the real form of the enemy.¡± ¡°Eh, but I also want to kill the Daemons toooooo.¡± ¡°Sorry. But, I think it¡¯s more efficient if you help protect Lamia and the other passengers here.¡± ¡°Fine, I understand. I just wanted to say that line at least once.¡± Lamia could only see the give-and-take exchanging with a dazed expression. Serot was clearly treating Angelica as a ¡°person to fight with¡±. On the other hand, he was treating her as ¡°someone to protect¡±. She could only send him off when he cut a hole in the roof above and jumped above. She knows she doesn¡¯t have the qualifications to ask ¡°Is there anything that you want me to do?¡± to the Hero. But what is this impatient feeling that she is holding in her chest? Lamia felt that on top of the roof, the young man was facing a violent fight. But while she was feeling that, she examined the girl who was next to her. The figure of the girl who was covered in blood was not only terrifying, but also daring. The figure of the girl that Lamia sees wasn¡¯t easily frightened by the grotesque shadows that came gushing out of the adjourned train car, and easily wielded her blade just like she was already a soldier. In Lamia¡¯s eyes, she could only think of this figure who was single-mindedly killing as unsettling. To put it in one way, it was like the angel was perfectly suited for the Nightmare world, as an incarnation of bloody violence. The angel, who was supposed to be a common princess that can be found anywhere, had a decisive change that changed her everything. And Lamia knew the cause of it. When she thinks about the battle that is happening above her, that she can¡¯t even witness, she unconsciously puts her hand to her chest like she is praying. She was supposed to have succeeded. In the story where the right route was the Hero Serot and being supported by Saint Lamia, and anything else that happens are just insignificant details. But is that really all there is to it? It¡¯s undeniable where her feelings of impatience come from. It¡¯s because there was an opposing force by the name of Angelica. Angelica, who doesn¡¯t hesitate and pounces on the monsters, causes the role of Lamia, who was supposed to be the ¡°Heroine in distress¡±, to be in danger. ¡°Lamia, come here.¡± After leading her by the hand, there were fangs being bared at her right before her eyes. In the next moment, Angelica had already cut the monster¡¯s neck. Lamia couldn¡¯t even follow the fighting sequences because of how fast it was. ¡°You see, I am God¡¯s servant. You can¡¯t even be considered my opponent, small fry.¡± Angelica said excitedly and with out-of-the-ordinary strength, utterly defeated the enemy. She was no longer a heroine who cried in the corner and feared everything, Lamia thought while being protected by such a girl. It was like in this fight Lamia didn¡¯t exist. It was like she had no value on the battlefield. Because she wasn¡¯t hyperfocused on the battle like Angelica was, she noticed something when she was looking around in a daze. There was a small beast, who was lurking secretly behind the fallen chair, and was looking for a chance to bring Angelica down. Waiting for a chance to pounce at Angelica, it sharpens its claws in the meantime. It seems that the only one who noticed that was Lamia. One thought came up in Lamia¡¯s head. If her rival disappeared, then she could monopolize ¡°the Hero, Serot,¡± for herself. It¡¯s certainly a rational impulse, she thought, but furthermore, if she did that, then it would also mean that she had accepted that she is inferior to Angelica. Will she accept that she had lost to her? She, the honorable and proud Draconian Saint, to lose against the likes of her? Is that really the appropriate actions of a story¡¯s heroine? ¡°Get away!¡± Acting without thinking, Lamia moved her whole body. ? In the Nightmare, the scenery that is flowing at high speed has remained unchanged. The train tracks are a continuation from where they have already passed; the train is stuck in a loop between the last stop and the starting stop. ¡°I guess it¡¯s better than having time turned back.¡± Serot sprinted across the train cars while moving with his hands to manipulate the numerous light swords. There was a large wolf-like lump of meat that was clinging onto the train itself that Serot was cutting into indifferently, while destroying the wolves that came out of it. For a moment, he stopped and stood there, giving a frown. ¡°This is difficult without a trump card.¡± By all means, it isn¡¯t that it¡¯s a hard fight. He had time to spare in the battlefield to help the passengers who were being chased by monsters in the train car below him. Serot¡¯s light swords can be thrown with perfect accuracy to cut only the enemies, and protect as well, so that all attacks are blocked. It is his duty to protect the people, and could easily do that too. ¡°If the enemy is this big and is the regeneration-type, then rather than me, he is better suited for it.¡± He held memories and knowledge about the other person in him. The wide range of that person¡¯s destructive and overwhelming power could exterminate the enemy regardless of its regeneration ability. The problem is that if the other person uses his full power, then the train and the passengers wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it. ¡°I¡¯ll manage it in some way or another, so let¡¯s start.¡± He bisected the jaw of the beast who was coming at him, and sent one of his light blades in the other direction towards the dining car. He breathed words into the sword he had at hand, and the sword resonated with the other and sent a message. ¡°Lamia and Angelica, can you hear me? I need a little of your help.¡± After a slight pause, Lamia replied. ¡°Yes, please give us any orders you wish.¡± Serot noticed that she was breathing heavily. Although he thought it was strange, he had to focus on fighting the enemies as the Hero who needs to save everyone. It wasn¡¯t the time to worry about one person¡¯s state. ¡°When I give a sign, one after another, I want you to say my name. First one should be Angelica. The next should be Lamia.¡± ¡°Is that all you need?¡± ¡°Do it just like you two did before. I just need you each to wish for the person you wish for. I¡¯m leaving it up to you two, bye for now.¡± After saying that, Serot manipulated the swords to collect or push the passengers and gathered them into one place. Soon after remembering everyone in the space without any visual aid, he uses the light blade to call to Angelica. ¡°It¡¯s time to start, so Angelica, could you call him for me?¡± ¡°Ye-Yes. Um, Add-sama! Please come for me!¡± Although a bit perplexed, she called out her Hero with a serious voice, and in response to that, the body of the young man was swallowed into the light. The change only took an instant. The one who was standing there now was a being who was like a form of darkness, an incarnation of terrifying power. ¡°How dare he use me, what an insolent guy.¡± He spit out while having a scowl on his face. From his palms rises a jet-black sphere, a terrifying mass of substance that is even more nerve-wracking than black clouds or smoke. The grotesque insects in that mass, due to a poisonous ecstasy, were swelling, and just by the after-effects of the swelling were blowing away the beasts alone. ¡°But that resolution you have is interesting. I¡¯ll lend my power.¡± Add lightly laughed like he had some expectation, and threw the black ball towards the back of the train. From the future to the past. Add¡¯s will flies over the loop in the opposite direction. The projection of the ball took a loop when it reached the back, and soon after came to be a threat that came from the front to hit the enemy. ¡°Snake-woman, hurry up and call out your Master!¡± ¡°You¡¯re calling me a snake? Ugh, Serot-sama!¡± Lamia called out her Hero, while showing a little opposition towards Add¡¯s words. The young man¡¯s body changed into Serot and immediately manipulated the light swords. There are advantages to this split-personality state. One advantage is that multiple abilities can be used simultaneously in a small span of time. The always-changing soul of the Hero has different personalities and different powers. If the train passengers cannot handle Add¡¯s attack, then Serot¡¯s power can be used to protect them. The beast that was clinging onto the train car screamed. The jet black sphere hit its target and brought forth destruction. At the same time when the spreading darkness was swallowing the beast, was the sword covering the passengers like a shield, and its particles were falling and clinging everywhere in the train car. The sleeper car¡¯s exterior was gaudily dissolved into nothing by the darkness and the glass shards of the window were being scattered. On the other hand, when the engines and the other important parts were going to be included in the destruction, particles of light were protecting it like a shield. Serot, standing on the train car, held out his two hands. Although he still had the same refreshing aura, his hands were hideously burned red and was puking out blood from his mouth. He took a lethal curse straight on, and said with a pale face. ¡°I¡¯ll keep the other one as a reserve.¡± As the frenzied darkness continues to earnestly destroy slowly, gradually the Nightmare that had captured its surroundings was disappearing along with it. After he checked that the disaster that had befallen on the train had been resolved, the young man staggered his way to meet with the two girls who were waiting at the dining car. ¡°I¡¯m back. First off, the passengers and train cars somehow made it through all that safely.¡± ¡°Serot-sama?!¡± The two girls gasped seeing the worned-out figure. Lamia called out to him in a sorrowful voice while holding him up. ¡°You went too far, far beyond your limit. ¡°If anything happens to you..¡± Lamia stopped speaking, in fear of what she would have said next. But Serot answered her concerns calmly. From within the transparent smile, you could see his vacant-like real feelings somewhere inside. ¡° ¡®He¡¯ is inside there, right? In the first place, in the end, I¡¯m someone who doesn¡¯t exist in this world; an existence that is only supplemented by people¡¯s wishes. If I exist here because people wished for it, then it¡¯s fine to become a sacrifice and die instead of someone else.¡± Lamia¡¯s facial expression was frozen, her face crumpled like she was shot. Lamia looked down, stifling her voice. Serot was gazing at her with a facial expression unlike him, and realized that he was strangely trembling. For some reason, there is a ripple in the heart of the young male who was a blank canvas. ¡°Lamia, are you hurt?¡± There was impatience mixed in with Serot¡¯s voice. It was because he discovered there was a big scratch in Lamia¡¯s chest. Angelica, who was right by, was going to say something in an uneasy manner, but Lamia shook her head and said it first. ¡°When compared to the Hero-sama, it¡¯s not a big injury for you to worry about.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good! We have to treat it immediately! Show me your wound.¡± The young man put his hand over it and it was covered with a brilliant light, and miraculously it was healing. Even though the young man¡¯s injury on his arm was an even more hideous and serious injury. But surely, Lamia will raise her head to look at him. ¡°Just what is with you all?¡± Not understanding what she said, Serot stared at her in puzzlement. Lamia, getting even more irritated, and her tone was rising. ¡°What do you mean that you don¡¯t exist? Don¡¯t say it like you have no value!¡± Lami cried out, who had hit the chest of the Hero with her head. That figure was one full of grief. ¡°You are here, right here, standing here! Even if there is no one else, I am looking at you! If it¡¯s just me, does that not satisfy you? Am I someone who isn¡¯t necessary to you?¡± ¡°Lamia, you have it wrong. I don¡¯t mean it that way.¡± The young don¡¯t understand why she became so frantic and so desperate. The emotions that she is feeling, for a person who she had just met, it¡¯s too heavy for the young man. But he can see that she is being very sincere. That one feeling isn¡¯t a lie, he believed. ¡°Then put yourself in my shoes and take care of yourself better. I don¡¯t want to see you anymore putting yourself in danger like how you did.¡± Lamia¡¯s words taught Serot one path. Compared to the other hero, Add, Serot¡¯s sense of self is low. He was someone who was fine with losing himself as a feeble existence of the world. He was a blank canvas with no stirring feelings. But if there was someone to throw a stone into still water, then there will be a ripple in the water. ¡°If that is what you wish, then I¡¯ll become a Hero that is yours truly. That is all, right?¡± It¡¯s because she wished for it that he acts like this. His words are just nothing more than a one-sided, crooked, rehash of the contract. But even though the answer is like that, it brought a smile to her face. While also feeling restless for some reason, Serot continued to gaze at Lamia. ¡°Yes, you are my Hero-sama.¡± And now the unstable relationship between the two has become settled. For the young man who was starting from a blank canvas, this was the start of his story. But for the young girl, it was a little different. Lamia pressed her forehead against the young man¡¯s chest as if trying to avoid being seen. But there was a little pain that pricked him in the shoulder from the horn that protruded on her head. It¡¯s a small pain caused by a childish action. But the meaning behind that, the young man still hasn¡¯t realized. CH 3 Under the blinding sunlight peeking through the foliage of the tree leaves, in a good mood, girls and boys that were walking down the path had faces full of aspirations. There were flower petals that were palish whitish red coloring the wide avenue. ¡°Although I said this before, this is a big place.¡± The young man mumbled, as he passed through the eroded main entrance and looked at the grounds inside. In the middle of the grounds was a towering clock tower, and to the left and right of it were school buildings that stretched surprisingly far. It was most likely the depth corresponding to the length of it as well. It was likely because it is also an Academy that is affiliated with the research-focused University, and right next to it had gigantic facilities lined up on another huge plot of land. The amount of students walking was equivalent to the size of the school. If you combined the teachers, the administrator, and the related personals with it, the population of people was to the degree of a small-scale city-size population. ¡°This is so amazing! This is my first time seeing a school this big!¡± ¡°This Academy prides itself on being one of the continent¡¯s most distinguished institutions. By the way, will you stop being discourteous and let go of his arm, Angelica. If you stick so close, then Hero-sama will have a hard time walking.¡± Lamia scolded the exhilarated Angelica. ¡°Eh, I won¡¯t! As a servant, it¡¯s my duty to be near Master-sama at all times!¡± Angelica exclaimed to Lamia, who was giving stern admonishment while smiling. In response, Angelica clutched to the arm of the young man who was by her and refuted with an innocent face. ¡°It¡¯s because the Hero-sama has a kind soul and will not push you away; a simple act of kindness with no strings attached. Please practice proper conduct near the Hero-sama. You could return to the Order to let your citizens be at ease with their princess. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. If I go there, there won¡¯t be any Daemons to kill, y¡¯know?¡± Hearing the stubborn words of Angelica, Lamia suppressed any more words. Having casted away all her bonds and social position, this princess¡¯s fixation on the young man didn¡¯t simply come from a faint love or a dreadful experience. Her vengeance is sharpened by her killing intent and her anger and hatred that flares up in jet black. Those are the origin of her proactive approach to kill. ¡°I, with the Master, will kill the retainers at the hands and feet of the Devil. At this Academy, I need to study the techniques in order to kill them all. Don¡¯t get in my way.¡± For the Order, the gathering of more military strength is, if anything, is what they wanted. The princess of the annihilated Kingdom had faced many casualties and destruction. If she and the Hero stand together on the battlefield, then the morale would increase if they participate. Furthermore, the Order¡¯s public image will become better because they are the princess¡¯s backing. Regardless of Lamia¡¯s feelings, the organization that is the Order, have decided to leave alone the issue of Angelica, the Angel¡¯s Kingdom¡¯s Princess, being near the Hero. They have already finished all the procedures and passed with no problems the Academy¡¯s entrance exam, so complaining now is meaningless. Although that is the case, whether Lamia agrees with the decision is a different issue. Lamia, who puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction, went around to the opposite side of Angelica, who was still clutching one arm. She reached out her hand towards the Hero. She reached out in a timid, or so we call it, manner, and although it wasn¡¯t to the level of boldness of Angelica, she rivaled Angelica by grabbing onto the cuff of the uniform. At the very least, it conveyed that she was seriously putting a fighting chance. Lamia and Angelica¡¯s eyes both collided, and sparks arised. Although the boisterous three had strange eyes piercing into them, the new students took a glance that way and immediately, briskly escaped their surroundings. Not only the two girls that were fighting were gaining attention, it was also an event that students were avoiding. The wings that were the color of blood and the feared horns. Those were the features that none of the students wanted to keep in their field of vision. It was at that moment a person who wasn¡¯t hiding their disgust in their voice called out. ¡°What a shameful being! As a lowless Noble, at the very least you could do is discipline your servants.¡± The boy had a high voice for a male, the echoes of it are even hard on the ears. He was a tall and lean young man in the same uniform as Serot with an aquiline nose, and was looking at the three with a cold look. ¡±Although you have Demi-humans as your attendants, it seems that you didn¡¯t train them at all as the Demi-humans should be treated. This is the long-established Crystal Royal University Affiliated Academy after all, so we have to divide the social boundaries properly.¡± Behind that man was a gloomy-looking female student in-waiting and hiding her face with her long bangs. What was eye-catching about her was the steel collar that was fastened on her neck. It seems it wasn¡¯t the case of it being a fashionable item nor a piece of accessories, and the overbearing young man was holding the chain that was connected to the collar in his hands. When he pulled the chain strongly, the black-hair girl made a small groan and collapsed onto the floor. The young girl tumbled into the crawling position and the young man stopped on her back with his shoe. ¡°Look before you. This attendant! It¡¯s a Daemon that I got from winning my first battle as a spoil of war. I¡¯m different from you guys, as I already know what war is all about.¡± While he was trampling on the back and the hand of his servant, the young girl continued to leak out groans in a small voice. Angelica¡¯s and Lamia¡¯s faces stiffened, and although the students in the surroundings were looking at the attendant from the distance as a pitiful being, there was no one who thought ¡°it is a strange spectacle¡±. Except for one person. ¡°You¡¯re setting a bad example of treating the low-born ingrates as equal to us, powerful beings since birth. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s my duty as a pure-bred Noble to take the initiative and show you the way we are supposed to act? That¡¯s right, let me give you my spares. Show your goodwill and put these on those Demi-humans right here.¡± The man tossed two chains to Serot, who frowned like he was troubled. For him, to treat Daemons like slaves is an idea yet still beyond comprehension, that no matter how he looks at it, it¡¯s strange. ¡°That¡¯s not my taste to do, so I¡¯ll respectfully decline. As far as the bystanders are concerned, it seems that it¡¯s not part of the school¡¯s regulations. In the first place, Lamia, is this normal in this time period?¡± ¡°Although it is an extreme opinion, I have heard in the Shiptoshelm Kingdom it¡¯s a firmly rooted principle among the pure-bred Nobles. However, Nobles are seen as a higher-class than Demi-humans is a social norm shared in all Kingdoms in this continent.¡± The young girl in the vincity of Serot said it in a small voice. ¡°What are Nobles? Furthermore, what are Demi-humans?¡± Serot, who made a questionable face, the bystanders in the surroundings collectively were in disbelief at him. ¡°Um, sorry, did I say something oddly?¡± ¡°That is, Nobles is a term for people who exhibit no features like Serot and are considered as the ¡®legitimate humanity¡¯. For Demi-humans like me, even if they are royalty like Angelica, there¡¯s a separation of status between us and Nobles.¡± Not only the Hero¡¯s memory is fuzzy, for the Hero who¡¯s been sleeping for 1,000 years, the current social norms are, as expected, surprisingly unusual. Although Lamia had explained to him beforehand, even though he spent time learning the modern language, there were some things that were common sense in this period that had escaped him. Especially in terms of very evident assumptions that don¡¯t need self-explanation. ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand, but I presume the attitude is all based on merits? I and the two of them have taken the same entrance examination and passed and they are very cultivated individuals. I¡¯m sorry to ask this, but just for succeeding in your first battle, are you supposed to be that carried away?¡± It¡¯s a level of praise when Serot, who is an Ancient from 1,000 years ago, speaks very eloquently in the modern language, but since the other conversation partner does not know Serot¡¯s circumstances, that¡¯s an irrelevant detail. The atmosphere chilled. At Serot¡¯s plain words of contempt, the other young man¡¯s face was twitching. ¡°How dare you mock Valon Duke¡¯s son, who is famed as the greatest genius, Volks, the ¡®Violet Flame Scion¡¯! I guess I¡¯ll have a talk with the school¡¯s board and get you expelled!¡± Volks, who showily displayed his two titles, angrily resounded. The critical situation, the point where the students who were in the middle of going to school stopped in their tracks and gulped, suddenly had a voice from the school building breaking the tense atmosphere. ¡°This is the Student Council! Continue this disturbance any further and we will hand out punishments! New Students, you must break up at once and immediately head toward the auditorium! The Entrance Ceremony will start soon!¡± A mass of people, with a peculiar air, who wore capes with their uniforms came. A woman, who seemed to be the leader of the pack, stepped forward to be a mediator, but when the students who were there saw her face, they all became lost for words. Even Serot, while still having a blank face, had opened his eyes wide. She had glittering honey-colored hair and purple eyes; a beauty so beautiful that it¡¯s almost like she was outworldly. Her facial features were very radiant, with no blemish on her flawless white skin and her bridge of nose was beautiful. She had an otherworldly look that charmed both males and females alike, and the students were very engrossed in gazing at her in fascination. But immediately following that were the many students who clicked their tongues when they saw the long and narrow ears. According to Serot¡¯s knowledge, those were the traits of Elves, also called the likes of Fairy, but nevertheless, those were still a Demi-Human race. As ¡°Demi-human¡±, they weren¡¯t excluded from being a target of discrimination. Volks, in indignation, lashed out at the upperclassman. ¡°For a lowly Demi-humans to give me orders? What high horse did you come galloping from to give me orders?¡± ¡°As the current student council vice president, let me give you a warning. We, the student council, have the duty of protecting social order and hold the authority to punish troublemakers on this campus. If you are Nobles of the Shiptoshelm Kingdom that places order and courtesy in high regards, I hope you understand what I mean if you take my warning lightly?¡± At the fairy¡¯s, who is also the student council vice president, strict words, Volks was at a loss of words and pointed his fury towards the female student under his foot. Just like a pendulum swaying, he set his foot up and was going to kick the sharp tips of his shoes to his servant¡¯s stomach, but just before that, Volk¡¯s posture fell apart due to acute pain from some impact. Holding onto his shin, he was in agony. Serot had flung the collars, and it was a direct hit to the leg that Volks was going to use on his servant. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll give it back to you. It¡¯s an unnecessary thing for me so I¡¯ll give it back.¡± Volks was glaring at Serot with nothing but pure anger in his gaze, but remembering that the student council upperclassmen were watching him, he clenched his teeth to settle his volatile emotions. ¡°I¡¯ll remember this.¡± Volk declared while passing past Serot, and escaped while dragging his servant. The two girls by Serot¡¯s side released their nervousness and took a sigh of relief. The two girls clearly feared the young man called Volks. The Nobles and Demi-humans. Serot, who was made to realize the power dynamics between the two, quizzically titled his head. ¡°It would be preferable if you would restrain from doing excessive actions as much as possible. The Order doesn¡¯t want to stir up trouble with influential Nobles at this stage. You see¨C¡± Lamia who approached Serot¡¯s ears to whisper quietly, but the scolding from the upperclassman made her stop. ¡°Hey, you three! I will let this go as a warning this time, but next time trouble occurs we will start applying punishments, so keep that in mind!¡± The upperclassman who put her hands on her hips, smiled when they nodded when she said if they understood her. Even if she had a soft expression on her face, her facial features are still one of perfect beauty. But, just as soon as she looked face to face with Serot, her facial expression had stiffened. ¡°You, do you have an older brother that goes to this school?¡± ¡°No? This is the first time I came to this country and I don¡¯t have any blood relatives here.¡± For a second, after exchanging a glance with Lamia, Serot answered. A Noble that came from an outside Kingdom is the background that the Order set up for Serot. When the upperclassmen heard that, her facial expression slackened like she was relieved. ¡°If I was mistaken, then it is fine. I¡¯m sorry, you have the same atmosphere like a person I know. Don¡¯t worry about what I said, you can¡¯t tell the difference until I look carefully. In the first place, your hair color and physique are also different, so it was just my imagination.¡± The upperclassmen smiled and laughed. Her view of them completely changed from before to one of favorability. ¡°Let¡¯s push that question aside, but I am very impressed how you protected that girl. I like the attitude you presented but are you going to be fine? Don¡¯t you think it was a mistake to come to this Academy? You are probably a different Kingdom¡¯s Noble, but will you be able to survive in this country that makes a big deal of how pure their blood is? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be better if you enter the mixed-races Academies like Rodisshue Academy, right now?¡± ¡°No, I want to study at the Academy¡¯s Underground Library.¡± ¡°Ah, of course that is the case. This place is a goldmine of historical ruins after all.¡± The upperclassmen nodded in agreement. Then she said this to the three people who straightened up their posture. ¡°Fundamentally, the student council aims to treat all Demi-humans and Nobles equally. If you ever feel like you¡¯re being treated unfairly or have any troubles, please rely on your upperclassmen executive in the Student Council. We also welcome first years to join, so please consider joining as well.¡± She gave a reliable and pure smile. She gave off a form of righteousness and virtuousness, and had a beauty that encompasses it all. Angelica and Lamia looked at the upperclassman in awe. On the other hand, Serot noticed the way the other Demi-humans who were passing by were admiring the beautiful fairy. ¡°I am student council executive vice president, and 2nd year, Mead Holwen Reavallion. I¡¯m pleased to have met you all.¡± Mead, who gave her name as such, left the scene with the other student council members. At a closer look, they were all Demi-humans, and were accompanying Mead like in a straight line. ¡°The Rivarion House is a royal family in the western Kingdoms. That means there¡¯s a princess attending this school with the other students too.¡± Angelica said, as if she didn¡¯t realize about her own status. Then Lamia explained. ¡°It¡¯s because even if they are Demi-humans, if there was a strong area of any kind, then this Academy will accept them as students. The two of us, as well as the collared girl from before, have a different option of being the attendants of Nobles.¡± Serot, for the umpteenth time, had a quizzical look on his face. ¡°I feel like we have differing views. That phrase, ¡®Even if they are Demi-humans¡¯, the way you are saying it sounds as if there is some sort of superiority and inferiority system going on.¡± To have that depth of prejudice, Serot asked a question, assuming that some sort of circumstances happened in the past within the 1,000 years span. But Lamia, on the contrary, answered in a bewildered manner. ¡°No, that is, for this generation, all the 6 Academies in this continent share that same point of view. At the very least, the best users of Mystery are the most excellent Nobles, and the Demi-humans are clearly inferior at using it.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s supposed to be common sense?¡± ¡°I apologize. The Order had judged that it would be best for you to witness it first hand. For not informing you until today, please forgive me.¡± For a short while, Serot was thinking while casting his eyes down at the ground, but then took a deep breath. ¡°For now, let¡¯s head to the auditorium. If we become late, then we¡¯ll be in a pickled situation.¡± Serot said. The two girls nodded, and tagged along the master who holds a different view of the social norm. ? There was a crowd of new students being crammed together into the auditorium, and what became the focus of attention for them was an old man who austerely opened his mouth. ¡°To you, the magnificent, pure-bred, top-tier students, and to you, the low-born since you were born but, I¡¯ll admit, resourceful low-tier students, I¡¯ll congratulate you for entering this Academy. As the vice principal, as well as the chancellor¡¯s proxy, I welcome you all.¡± The vice president, who gave his name as such, did not really have a neck to be seen. Because he was very fat, it was very difficult to ascertain the line that separates his jaw and body, and it was hard to hear his voice because of how muffled it was. But, his intention in his words was made very clear. There was a clear division in the students. Whether they were Nobles or Demi-humans. ¡°However, the low-tier students, I can¡¯t have you misunderstand. For people, there is this thing called ¡°doing your own share¡±. At this Academy, we do not need people who do not know the proper manner that they should conduct themselves. And to the top-tier students, you must conduct yourself in a manner that won¡¯t embarrass the precious bloodline you carry. Suppose, for some chance, if you think you can be lazy and your grade is inferior to the low-tier, then we won¡¯t hesitate in expelling you. Of course, there won¡¯t be any shameful individuals that are present in this school, I would believe.¡± The proxy chancellor¡¯s words, showed off frankly, in regards to this era, this Kingdom, and this school, a sense of the value system. A system that has no distinction whether they¡¯re adults and children; it¡¯s a shared viewpoint amongst all ages. The school entrance ceremony was moving smoothly as Serot¡¯s thinking continued. How should I conduct myself from now on,¡± Those kinds of thoughts arise in Serot¡¯s mind. ¡°And with this, as a final note, we will have the top-tier students take the stage and have them take an Aptitude Test. I¡¯m sure there are many of you who feel ¡®why now?¡¯, but it is of great importance to show your power as a Noble. Furthermore, the results you show here will determine how you will rank within this school from now on. I hope, to the top-tier students, that you will work diligently.¡± The Noble students, otherwise called the top-tier, head up to the stage one by one to stand in front of what seems to be some sort of tool in the shape of a platter, which is right before a teacher. The Demi-humans, who were titled as low-tier, were left only to watch the scene, and it seems that they didn¡¯t need to take the Aptitude Test, or so it is called. Although he felt strange, Serot waited for his turn. When he got up to the stage, Serot asked the teacher in a low voice. ¡°What kind of examination is this?¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s obviously an Artifact¡¯s Aptitude Test.¡± Just what is this kid saying, the teacher had a puzzled look. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, and hurry up and give a droplet of blood, just a little is enough.¡± I see, Serot thought, looking at the disc and feeling convinced. The disc had numerous grooves and messy ancient languages carved into it, and had a thin needle protruding out of the center. It seems that is where to prick your finger. In one go, he pricked his index finger, and a trickle of blood fell alongside the length of the needle, and passed through the grooves. Following that was the characters glowing a faint light, and the teacher told the results while being dumbfounded. ¡°H-His Artifact Aptitude is 10th-grade. You really have the guts to show up to the entrance ceremony with that low of an Artifact Aptitude.¡± The results had everyone in uproar. The lowest rank so far were 7th, and those belong to the lower-class Nobles. More importantly, anything lower than 7th was an odd situation. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Isn¡¯t that level basically a Demi-human level?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this a mistake? Is that person really a Noble?¡± In the first place, what are Artifacts, Serot was thinking to that level as he went down the stage without caring about the other students¡¯ views. ¡°Ha, as expected from someone who supports Demi-humans! He is as incompetent as Demi-humans!¡± The one who declared it with a scornful laughter was the Noble man he quarreled with earlier, Volks. He dropped a droplet of blood to the disc and stared at Serot condescendingly in pride. ¡°You should know your position, you low-class Noble! This is the difference between the status between you and me! Now, Sensei, please yell in your most loud voice so that everyone in the hall can hear my Aptitude Level!¡± ¡°This is amazing! Your Aptitude Level is 1st Grade, a perfect pure-bred individual! It¡¯s rare to find such an outstanding individual.¡± Volks was laughing loudly, the teacher was observing him with cold eyes like they were satisfied, and the students were looking on in jealousy and envy ¨C Serot was ignoring all of that and approached the Demi-humans lines to ask something. ¡°Lamia, what are Artifacts?¡± ¡°Um, Serot-sama, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit too carefree?¡± ¡°Bastard! How courageous, that you think you can disregard me while being the level of trash!¡± Serot, who frowned a bit at the jeering from behind, and lightly waved his hands. Just as he did that, the noise of Serot¡¯s and Lamia¡¯s surroundings disappeared. Lamia was surprised at what occurred, and Serot asked the same question again along with another. Just what are Artifacts and what does it mean to have Aptitude. ¡°Artifacts are Mystery weapons that are discovered from historical ruins and underground labyrinths. It is also at the same time the only weapon that can defeat the Devil¡¯s retainers. It is because they can use it, Nobles are respected, and are considered a privileged social class.¡± ¡°In other words, Demi-humans cannot use them either?¡± ¡°It is said that the highest Aptitude grade that a Demi-human can reach is 10th grade. Do you think that Angelica and I are the same? That is, do you think that we cannot use Artifacts, Serot-sama?¡± Do you not believe it? Lamia asked with anxiety in her eyes to her Master. The absolute trust she felt for her ¡°Perfect Hero¡± was wavering. ¡°Artifacts, huh. I wish I could see it.¡± Serot said, without turning around, and casually grabbed something that was approaching the back of his head. Burning violently, the whip tips were almost like a living being, writhing in circles, and even though Serot grabbed it with his hand ,there were no burns at all. The result of Serot having isolated the sounds in some way, and Volks who thought of it as a provocation, so he wanted to hit the back of the discourteous low-rank Noble. However, his plan was very easily crushed. When Serot tightly gripped the whip, the flames on the whip were very easily extinguished, and the movements of the whip were stopped. Most of the students present did not know what had happened, but judged that Volks did something dumb and failed, and they were howling in laughter. The boy who was embarrassed had his face flushed red. Lamia, who had doubted her Hero for a second, felt embarrassed at herself and answered Serot like this. ¡°Just now, the thing that Serot extinguished is what the powerful power that higher-class Nobles uses, otherwise known as Artifacts.¡± ¡°And this is what you call powerful?¡± Serot¡¯s face became serious. It was very striking how humanity has declined, even more than what he had thought. The world¡¯s crisis is even more of a problem, to the point it¡¯s not a laughing matter. For no reason, a sense of duty welled up in him. ¡°I have to lead them to the correct future.¡± Lamia was the only one who heard that whisper. In her gaze of respect and admiration, there was a moment of anxiety. The dazzling light in the Hero¡¯s light was dangerously flickering. ? The full moon was approaching the horizon, while the color of the sky was a vividly bright red like an evening glow. It was as if the color of the sky was the color of blood, the young man thought, but then became flustered and shook his head. The young man held his whip just like he was finding the sandbag to let out all his anger. ¡°Shit, shit, how dare you make me a laughing stock.¡± Volks then remembers the way his servant looked when he hit her with his whip and felt much better. Maybe he should call her out from the Demi-human dormitory and treat her ¡°kindly¡± as a Noble¡¯s noblesse oblige. A deep sadistic smile floated onto his face. But that face was just for a second. His face immediately froze. There was something outside of his window. That being outside had black hair, an ominous look, and an arrogant smile. It was a stranger who had a devil-like look who swooped down to his room. ¡°So this is the room. Hey, that isn¡¯t the attitude you should give to your guests if you lock the windows. How rude that I can¡¯t enter through the window. Yep, screw it, I¡¯m just going right ahead to break it.¡± ¡°Hero-sama, that is not allowed! If someone finds us here, what are we going to do!? At the very least, do it quietly!¡± ¡°On a 1, 2, and a 3! Master-sama, go for it!¡± The glass window was broken in with a large impact, with the broken glass noises being reverbated. Volks turned his head around slowly, and witnessed it. A form of dreadfulness who had broken the glittering glass and dropped into the room. He was like the incarnation of night, a figure of a devil that gave him shivers. Following after the man invaded his room were two girls that were quarreling. Although it could be perceived as a laid-back scene, there was no mistake. He was in a critical situation. Volks tried to scream, but a hand covered his mouth. It was a muffled scream that made no sounds. Volks, who had fallen into fear and confusion, tried to raise his whips against the insolents, but swarms of unfamiliar snakes and small winged insects were on both of his arms. He could no longer feel his arms. He had a hunch that the disgusting insects on his arm were due to the intruder that broke his window. I don¡¯t want this, I don¡¯t want to die, why am I suffering this? But his laments will not make the absurd situation go away. This has to be a dream, Volks tried to believe, and that if he waited it out, then it¡¯ll be okay. But he was too naive. ¡°Rise and shine, look up and open your mouth wide and big, it¡¯s time to cram insects into your mouth!¡± ¡°Hey hey, my God-sama, my Master-sama, Add-sama, what are you doing?¡± Angelica asked, while flapping her blood-soaked wings with her eyes brimming with curiosity. It¡¯s obvious, he answered with just a glance instead of responding normally, and summoned his insects. He held a scarily long insect with his fingers. And then, while holding it slowly in one hand, he used his other hand to force open Volk¡¯s mouth. Predicting what will happen next, the two girls gulped. And as expected, it happened. Add held a grotesque blackish greenish long insect, that had curled antennas, many flabby legs, and it was as thick as a girl¡¯s arm. The atypical beast was fed to the young man who was in tears. The man called Volks had already fainted. Towards the situation that could be called ¡®overboard¡¯, Lamia shivered and clung close to Angelica. Even Angelica, who admires Add with all her heart, was almost on the verge of tears. ¡°Master-sama, was that necessary? For a punishment¡­ that is a bit.. Overboard.¡± ¡°It¡¯s necessary. If people like these are what you call the ¡®brilliant individuals¡¯ of this era, then it¡¯s hard to be optimistic about the future.¡± The actions that Add took weren¡¯t wholly for some sadistic pleasure or to punish someone. Either one takes too much effort to do after all. ¡°For 1,000 years, the military has been swarming with prissy nobility officers who can¡¯t use a damn Artifact properly or take a command. If we let people like this guy continue like this, then they¡¯ll be perfectly useless baggage. If they don¡¯t get their shit together and train, then it¡¯s not worth talking about.¡± ¡°Oh so could it be that it¡¯s a good insect-san then?¡± ¡°Ah, would you guys also like to have them live in your stomach? Although it¡¯ll be easy to be hungry, it¡¯s a good method to destroy laziness in people. If you try to escape training, then you¡¯ll feel a sharp pain. It¡¯s an easy way to become strong, the best way don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll refrain from it.¡± ¡°Even without that I will work hard.¡± The two girls vigorously shook their heads. While the insect was squeezing into the inside of the young man¡¯s throat, Add made a serious expression on his face. ¡°Even if we are to fight the Devil¡¯s retainers, the first thing we need to do is to raise the military level. Even if I can continue to win local battles by myself, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that the army behind me will end up a wasteland.¡± ¡°Master-sama, you¡¯re so cool! Ok, let¡¯s continue with this charge and dominate over the Nobles!¡± ¡°That¡¯s wrong. This isn¡¯t the right way that a Hero should conduct themselves. If it was Serot-sama, then he would have captured the hearts of humanity in a more intelligent way.¡± Add¡¯s actions were perceived in two ways. Angelica had glittering eyes of admiration and Lamia had a darkened look. A gaze that was like they were looking at a dream, and the other was like they were looking at a nightmare. Seeing hideous insects enter the body is a very raw image of reality. But that scene, in an instant, disappeared. ¡°What?¡± The young man¡¯s quizzical look came around the same time. His arm, which was supposed to be in the mouth of the Volks, slipped away. The helpless victim that had his body invaded by the unpleasant ancient Mystery that Add used, was at some point, standing still next to Add. Volks was standing in a trance-like state, like he was almost like a doll. When Add tried to that him, the figure of the disappeared. It wasn¡¯t just Volks who was also disappearing. The room, the broken window, and even the scene of the red moon that was shining in the night was disappearing. The world was disappearing, fading away into a white cloud. Before they realized, Add¡¯s group were standing outside of the student¡¯s dormitory. When they looked up, the window of the room that was targeted was cleanly put back together. Volks, behind the window, was looking outside in anxiety. Everything was cleanly put back together. It was like the things that happened earlier were just from a bad dream. ¡°I understand what¡¯s going on. It is the same to that time when that Daemon bastard, to my dear mother and father, and to my dear people messed up their lives.¡± ¡°Then could it be the same thing that happened during the train too?¡± The two girls were shivering in fear in front of Add, who was silent. A little while later, Add waved his fist. The black insects went around the arm like a vortex. The hand strike that was imbued with a foul storm, pulverized everything that was in front of him. Let¡¯s say that even if it is the school¡¯s dormitory, a large building, everything would just turn into rubble by his move. An overwhelming violence was blown, and the large building was turning into rubble. The two girls were lost for words at the crazy cruelty they had witnessed, but immediately after they had a different reason to be speechless. Right in front of them, the school dormitory, that was supposed to have been reduced to rubbles from the destruction, was back in the state before with not even a little bit of change. It was as if time had rewinded. The young man touched the wall, and stroked the wall up and down as if to confirm if it was real. ¡°It¡¯s a world loop. But it doesn¡¯t feel to be the work of the Devil. The Nightmare¡¯s master seems to be unconscious.¡± ¡°Eh? Um, Master-sama¨C? What do you mean?¡± The girl who didn¡¯t know what was going on, unlike her Master, asked. The young man languidly answered back. ¡°In regular cases, this phenomenon would have been because of the Devil¡¯s power to manipulate space-time. But, this is different from what happened at the train and castle. Also, the phenomenon orchestrator isn¡¯t a Daemon either. At the very least, as of now, there is no ¡®Pollution¡¯ yet.¡± The two girls gasped. The Daemon, who is the enemy of mankind, is also a race. At the same time, they are also mutants who acquired ¡°Pollution¡± from being affected by the Devil¡¯s power. ¡°Although we can say it¡¯s a blessing in disguise, it¡¯s troublesome to not be because of the Devil. If we don¡¯t find the central owner of the Nightmare, then we won¡¯t be able to wake up from the dream.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying this is some person¡¯s dream?¡± Lamia asked while Add answered with a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a dream, for an example. By using the power of Mystery, it can make what you want a reality. If the bastard who created this phenomenon is unconscious and wishes to preserve the Academy, it¡¯s probably someone related to the Academy. The well-mannered boy Serot would be better suited for this.¡± ¡°Although you are saying a lot about yourself, when you¡¯re speaking badly about Serot-sama.¡± Lamia raised an eyebrow as she found a fault in Add¡¯s words, and what came in response was a sigh of delightful excitement. Then the young man gave a ferocious laughter. ¡°Well, it¡¯s because we attacked that we were able to find this. We¡¯ve been taken into a genuine Nightmare, so let¡¯s prepare ourselves.¡± As proof to what he said, the scenery started to distort itself. The stress of the distorting world captured the three of them, and was swallowed whole. CH 3.5 For the third time, they will experience another Nightmare world. The otherworlds that the two girls have visited till now were truly like nightmares, being nothing more than a prison to lock up helpless sacrifices that¡¯ll die for the pleasures of others in the end. The first Nightmare was the tragedy of the attack on the Angel¡¯s Kingdom. The second Nightmare was the train that would loop, never reaching its final stop. Just how terrifying will this Nightmare be this time around? ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been peaceful for too long?¡± ¡°It seems like a festival.¡± ¡°I guess this is what a dream is like for dream-masters who aren¡¯t Daemons.¡± But there was something strange about this dream. Races like Fairies, Draconians, Angels, Mermaids, Ancients, and even the Nobles were crossing paths with each other. The students, despite having different body features, were for some reason masquerading as different races and were in a festive mood. Fireworks were flying up here and there. Also, several students were playing their instruments and singing a foreign country¡¯s song on the stage built in the courtyard. Right by where the Mermaids were grilling their fried squids, the Draconian were selling their homemade accessories. The female Fairies were handing out free samples of their baked sweets, which contain plentiful amounts of honey, while advertising for others to try it. ¡°So this is what you call a school festival?¡± Angelica whispered, while greedily looking at spherical-cut fried potatoes, otherwise known as tornado potato. ¡°This is so idiotic. Hey, call out Serot. He can handle this instead.¡± Add, who was right by, sighed and said to Lamia. Add completely thought it was annoying from the bottom of his heart. Lamia, while still distraught by the current situation, nevertheless calls out her Hero. The young man who looked at his surroundings came to a conclusion quietly after thinking about it for a bit. ¡°It¡¯s a harmless dream. The dream-master most likely dreamt about having a peaceful school life.¡± ¡°Is it necessary to eradicate this?¡± ¡°Right now, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary. But it¡¯s imperative to investigate though.¡± Serot observed the scenery that differs from the real world. The students that are mingling in the festivals are not real. When you carefully look at them, you can immediately realize they are nothing but fakes made with gray clay. But there is more to the festival than just the recreation of its liveliness and feverish atmosphere. The food stalls runned by the students were lined up and students were in their costumes of different races yelling in a loud voice. Next to the shooting booth was the wiener-on-a-stick stall which was wafting a delicious fragrance. The executive committee members with their armbands were walking around in a busily manner, but their faces were one full of accomplishments, a sense of completeness, and vigor. This is really a school festival. The world is overflowing with the kind of enthusiasm that makes one think that this scene is a fruition of a ¡°fun school life¡± that new students dreamed about when they enter the Academy. ¡°Even though it¡¯s a realistic world, it¡¯s obvious that this isn¡¯t the world that we live in. This is only merely a fantastical dream.¡± It¡¯s just an illusion. Moreso, merely a fictitious world. ¡°This dream is a world that was created by a person or something who has their head in a flowerfield.¡± ¡°Perhaps, although I didn¡¯t want to agree with you, I also share the same feeling.¡± Just like Lamia and Angelica said, this dream is outrageously naive. A school festival is an event where students work together to create it. Because of that condition, this scene where Nobles and Demi-humans take each other¡¯s hands and work together amiably for the success of the school festival of the likes is too absurd to think about. Just by listening to the briefing during the mid-day school entrance ceremony, they know it far too well that it will never work out. That¡¯s why this kind of event is impossible to achieve in the real world. In the case of Nobles, then it¡¯s possible that they view this dream as a disgusting dream, a dream that they want out of their sight. Well, if that¡¯s the case, then the dream-master has good tastes. ¡°What shall we do, Serot-sama.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s explore a little first. If it becomes even a little dangerous, then let¡¯s cross the bridge when it happens. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary, to be honest, ¡± And Serot continued, without voicing the next words aloud. This foolish kind of pipe-dream, I don¡¯t really hate it. ? After the exchange, the three people explored the school festival which was displaying blatant peace. There were no dangers like a beast attack. To be honest, the most dangerous-like thing that happened was experiencing the haunted house attraction, where Lamia was genuinely scared to the degree of bursting out crying. Angelica, on the other hand, was eager to go around the haunted house while eating sweets and small snacks to her heart¡¯s content with a happy face. ¡°Having no limits when eating, and for free on top of that, isn¡¯t that the best thing ever?¡± ¡°Even though it won¡¯t fill you up because it¡¯s a dream.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I won¡¯t get fat, it¡¯s great! I wouldn¡¯t mind going into a dream like this again!¡± Angelica frolicked in a happy manner. In contrast, Serot was reserved and docile. ¡°Lamia, don¡¯t you have any places you are interested in? Perhaps, you want to eat your favorite food?¡± Serot looked behind and asked. ¡°There is none of sorts. Please don¡¯t mind me. Wherever the Hero-sama wishes to go is where I wish to be as well.¡± The girl, who also held the role of a Saint, always replied like this. She is consciously restraining her true feelings. The only exception to that is during her rivalry with Angelica. Serot thought about different options and then came up with a proposal. ¡°I just heard it a while back though, I heard there¡¯s a play showing at the gymnasium. How about going there for a little peek?¡± ¡°Eh, really? I want to go see it! What¡¯s it going to be about?¡± Unexpectedly, it was Angelica who jumped on it. When asked about it, it seems that when Angelica was still in the Angel¡¯s Kingdom, it was her hobby to go to theatres. She often went to the theatres with her family. Although those were the days that she can no longer return to today, she speaks of it fondly. Lamia, unable to find the right words to reply with, stayed silent. In exchange, Serot continued the conversation. ¡°For now, let¡¯s go. Albeit, the quality of a play that is performed by professionals for royalty and a play that is performed by students for students is really different though.¡± A large set was arranged in the gymnasium which had been turned into a theater-like hall. A man and woman, separated by the balcony and a garden, cried their love to each other with a tragic expression on their faces. It seems that the play was about a tragic interracial love; it was about the love between Noble and Demi-humans. A love that will only be forgiven in a dream. Without a doubt, this play will never be forgiven in the real world in this country. The man and the woman had a series of misunderstandings and were unable to meet situations that verge on comedic themes, but soon the two were heading to a tragic end. But when you thought they were going to have a tragic end, through some absurd forceful nature by the playwright, even the final confrontation between Demi-humans and Nobles was resolved. It became a happy ending, that if the playwright didn¡¯t cause the event to turn its course, the finale would have left the audience with a bad taste in their mouth. ¡°This is a pipe-dream play.¡± Serot gave a mixed reaction chuckle. However, Angelica was silent, clapping and staring at the curtain call. ¡°But you see, I may be fond of these things. Although that scene was forced there, I think they took it from another play writer¡¯s play. But, even though they went through tough times, they were able to marry in the grand finale. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s like redemption from all they went through?¡± It¡¯s because we know that dreams are unable to form in the real world, that we can fully understand that they are just a figmentation of our imagination. Serot, who thought of those things, realized that Lamia, who was sitting next to him, had a somewhat strange and antsy expression. For some reason, she was looking at Angelica like she wanted to say something. He thought for a bit, and then asked in a quiet voice. ¡°Could it be that Lamia likes these sorts of plays?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t really have an interest.¡± Serot regrets full heartedly for making a careless remark. While the performance continued on, Lamia and Angelica had the same expression while focusing on the stage. It was strange that Lamia didn¡¯t try to make herself more active, taking a stubborn step back, but yet watching the stage fervently. If at least they shared something in common, then they didn¡¯t need to fight as much. ¡°I have greatly enjoyed the beautiful play. Thank you for inviting me to have a pleasant time with you. It¡¯s just like you, Serot-sama, to have a taste in such arts. You must be very cultured on the inside.¡± ¡°Lamia, you know the way you praise is so blatant, it conversely seems ironic, don¡¯t you think?¡± Angelica points out with a sneaky look to Lamia, who was always smiling with her regular smile. ¡°Wha-What do you mean? That¡¯s a false accusation!¡± Lamia, in a panic, tried to mend her statement, and like in the regular routine, Lamia reprimands Angelica. It was just how their relationship was structured, and there doesn¡¯t seem to exist a single day where their relationship will change. ¡°A daydream is just merely a dream. Such things like this in a dream don¡¯t come as easily in the real world.¡± Serot sighed, looking at the peaceful dream¡¯s world. It was really a foolish idealistic world. But Serot has to concede ¨C Although this world is fictitious, it is a fun and beautiful world to be in. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s fine to not destroy this yet.¡± Anyhow, they still don¡¯t know where the dream-master is after searching the perimeters. If the goal is just to escape, then just using Serot is enough for that. For now, there is no problem to leave with the two girls and postpone the resolution of the situation. It was a reverie that just exists, and does not connect to reality in any ways. The school life that Serot needs to experience isn¡¯t here. At the very least, not right now. It was time to wake up from the beauty of the Nightmare and return to the ugliness of the real world. The three of them traveled back towards the destruction-bound world, which is very far from the pipe-dream of coexistence between Demi-humans and Nobles. CH 4 As a common part of life, students are people who will give nicknames to their teachers. Those nicknames get passed down from upperclassman to underclassmen, and once a new school year starts, the teacher will have a new nickname. On the bright side, the nicknames are full of the student¡¯s affection towards the teacher. On the other side, discontentment. But in the end, the purpose of giving nicknames can be described in just one word: laughing-stock. ¡°Weakness is a sin. First, it should be carved in the weak¡¯s hearts that no matter what strong people do, they have no right to complain. Demi-humans trash who don¡¯t come to class should be killed off. Even the incompetent Nobles trash should be whipped 10 times, shave their heads, and clean up the lavatory. If you don¡¯t like it, then keep up like you¡¯re going to die. And no talking back, you hear me.¡± The drill teacher was an overbearing giant that had his whole body cladded in bulky steel armor. There was no room, not even a little, for the students to think of a nickname. According to the whispers and rumors, the teacher was a former soldier in the military. The students had assembled in the spacious gymnasium, and weren¡¯t going to really oppose the male teacher and kept their mouths shut. Because of the wafting of an overwhelming violent stinky stench, it was even impossible to look him in the eyes. ¡°Since it¡¯s the first class, let¡¯s have the Noble test their abilities! See that sword I gave you? That sword is the 10th Grade [Flux Blade], that draws from the user¡¯s Mystery power to change its sharpness and resilience. I want you to use these today and understand your current strength.¡± The drill teacher, while having his armor clang around, drew out his sword. He faced the straw puppets that were prepared for the training, pointed his sword towards it, and took a deep breath. ¡°Concentrate on your Artifacts and pull out the power of Mystery. Although it¡¯s simple when put into words, in order to activate it quickly, this training is necessary. Just like this.¡± He raised his sword, and casually swung down. In spite of the speed of the slash, it just only stopped at the puppet¡¯s shoulder without a gash. The teacher continued his explanation. ¡°Just swinging the sword like this won¡¯t do you any good. We need to continuously chant a specific chant and concentrate.. When the chanting and movements of your body are subconsciously linked, such that the chanting directly leads you to the concentration state, then you have succeeded. This is the goal for the first semester.¡± The teacher repeated his actions from earlier. But this time, an extra step was added, of which it was saying a simple order: ¡°Tear up¡±. Shortly after, compared to earlier, the puppet was cut up diagonally from the shoulder. The students who can see the clean slice leaked out a sigh of astonishment. The teacher nodded in great satisfaction. ¡°There are two ways that I advise for chants. The first is ¡®Order¡¯, the one I used earlier. It goes without saying that the ideal ¡®Order¡¯ should be aligned with your purpose. The next way is calling out the Artifact, ¡°Naming.¡± The teacher continued. The teacher gave a short pause for dramatization, and built up a dramatic atmosphere. ¡°¡®Naming¡± is to rip apart the original definition of the Mystery phenomenon in the Artifact with your own view, and redefine the phenomenon. Once you understand what ¡®Mystery¡± are, which you are going to learn in school, in the future you may be able to find an ¡®Artifact that is made just for you to use¡¯.¡± While he said that, he stroked the hilt of the sword. When he did that, the places where he stroked were glowing a faint light. They looked at the mysterious phenomenon, drawn to the sight. ¡°Even though it¡¯s a low-grade Artifact, the nature of the artifact can change greatly depending on how you want it to cut things up. For example, like this. Bare your fangs, ¡®Voracious Savage¡¯!¡± The sword transformed, showing its fangs through its large mouth, making chattering sounds. The sword had changed to a steel monster and voraciously tore apart a straw puppet, ate, and swallowed it in one gulp. ¡°As you can see, the Artifact turned into a predator. The Mystery had pulled it out from beings¡¯ instinct of ¡®Consumption¡¯ and ¡®Transformation¡¯. For the rest of this year, striving to perfect this technique is the goal that is set for the end of the school year. If you can¡¯t do it, then say goodbye to entering the next grade level. Keep what you saw today in your head and work hard in your training everyday.¡± The student¡¯s attitude turned 180 degrees after that. There were those that immediately started out ¡®Naming¡¯ their Artifacts, challenging the techniques with no success. And there were those who were completely incapable to even try it out, holding their Artifacts with gloomy expression. The former had many Nobles. The latter had many Demi-humans. But the situation of the class didn¡¯t matter to the drill teacher, as he only gave guidance to the Nobles. But the guidance is only just him reprimanding, jeering, and even punishing students. It was very clear that his behavior inclined to humiliating his targets. ¡°Just what the hell are you doing? And you¡¯re supposed to be a Noble. It¡¯s like you¡¯re a Demi-human!¡± And when it comes for Demi-humans to ask questions, the teacher just blatantly ignores it. The attitude of the drill teacher was embodiment of the school¡¯s principles. ¡°If you aren¡¯t serious about this, then go home and cry to your mommies and daddies!¡± The drill teacher, who was looking at the Nobles students in turn, came to a stop. Serot looked back towards the teacher after tapping the straw puppet with his sword, that doesn¡¯t seem to be able to cut. He quizzically inclined his neck. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m being hated by the sword? Although I can feel power flowing through.¡± ¡°Stop whining. Look at your servants! Even though she¡¯s a Demi-human, she could even cut it, and you¡¯re supposed to be a Noble! A sh*t Noble like you not being able to do that much means you have no determination! Do you even expect to fight against the Devil¡¯s retainers with how much of a weakling you are?¡± Serot, who took the complaints, wore a serious expression and swung the sword, but as expected, the straw puppet still remained intact with no wounds. The teacher, it goes without saying, grimaced at the scene, ordered him to attend detention and supplementary lessons and moved onto the other students. It seems that no matter how strict the drill teacher is, he seems to have no intention of adding more punishment to Serot. But it seems that plans changed not so long after. ¡°Hey, you! What is with that pitiful sh*t?¡± ¡°N-No, you have it wrong! I-If it¡¯s with the Artifact that I always use I can easily do it, that¡¯s the truth! I-it¡¯s just I haven¡¯t gotten used to this damn low-grade Artifact that I can¡¯t wield it well.¡± The one taking the reprimand this time is the student from the other day, who was quarreling with Serot the other day, Volks. Volks was making the same mistake as Serot, and while it may be the case that Volk¡¯s failure was due to what he said, the teacher wouldn¡¯t accept it. ¡°Cut it out! Listen to me, you¡¯re not always going to fight on the battlefield in the perfect conditions. There are times where a true soldier must even take their enemies¡¯ weapon and kill each other. Forget about surviving if you complain about not having your perfect weapon.¡± Although Volks had finished his first battle, it was only because he was perfectly well-equipped and had a powerful guard that he had his ¡°flawless victory experience¡±. Unable to come up with any more words, Volks lowered his head. ¡°However, you are different from that weak Noble there. Aren¡¯t you the son of a top-class Noble, with incomparable powers hiding in you, unlike those Demi-humans who can only be used as meat shields? I wonder just who should be giving respect to a scaredy-cat like you. Whether it¡¯s the disgraceful behavior you displayed at the new student¡¯s ceremony, your damn attitude can literally be called the disgrace of all Nobles.¡± And then the teacher approached Volks and whispered into his ears. ¡°Listen to me. That Serot, the nameless Noble, at some different place, shows him who¡¯s the real boss in front of all the first-class Nobles and Demi-humans as a top-class Noble . It¡¯s time to show him the top-class pride you¡¯re supposed to hold. Heck, I don¡¯t even mind if you kill off one of his dang servants. If you do it now, I¡¯ll dismiss it as an accident in the midst of training drills.¡± The young man was quivering. He knew that the teacher¡¯s words were serious. If you¡¯re going to oppress and dominate through violence and fear, it means that you lose all that power if you are looked down even once. The drill teacher knew that feeling very well. ¡°So Pollux, have you finished warming up? Listen, I¡¯m going to have you battle in a mock battle with Serot. Just how much of that excellent Mystery powers you possess in that top-class Noble blood, make sure you witness it and learn from it!¡± Volks¡¯s face flushed in red as he was pulled forcibly in front of all the other students. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Do it! I won¡¯t allow Nobles to retreat on me. If you are a top-class Noble, then all the more. Even defeat isn¡¯t a question for you. There is no merit for a trash to live!¡± Volks is scared of being seen as a disappointment, but he didn¡¯t run away and stood still. Finally, the drill teacher raised his fist in the air and it became time for the mock battle. ¡°More importantly before doing a mock battle, I want to ask you for guidance as a teacher. Although it¡¯s embarrassing, I have to admit that I don¡¯t really understand how to use Artifacts.¡± Serot took a step forward. Serot, while having his refreshing expression on his face, was walking towards the teacher. ¡°By showing off their military prowess on the frontlines of the battlefields is the Noble rightful duty. I believe that is a wonderful teaching. It even left a deep impression on me. With that said, is it fine to have expectations that you will do the same for me like the other Nobles?¡± ¡°What is it you¡¯re trying to say?¡± ¡°As a novice with very little and meagre battle experience, I¡¯m a little anxious about having a sudden fight against Volks. You see, he is a top-class Noble who can also expertly use a powerful Artifact. That being said, the teacher¡¯s Artifact doesn¡¯t seem to be that good. It seems so calm, that it¡¯s not even scary, that I wonder if I can even fight against him with such a weapon.¡± The armor noises were clanging around. The drill teacher casually approached Serot, gave a low chuckle, and repeatedly clenched his empty-handed fist. ¡°You are really looking down on me.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it the truth that the teacher is very kind and that he won¡¯t hurt anyone at all? You¡¯re not as harsh as others say.¡± There was no preparation towards what was coming next. The teacher¡¯s fist was aimed towards Serot and swung down. Right under the violent and merciless fist was a scattering of flickering light. Serot¡¯s slash was just like light. His path and speed weren¡¯t only sharp. The sword that was beautifully shining wasn¡¯t reflecting light from its surroundings to create the effect, but was producing the light itself. No matter who saw it, they knew it was a Mystery phenomenon. But his slash didn¡¯t cut down even one person. The teacher¡¯s fist was flung back, a light was released, and that was how it ended. There was silence. That was the result that Serot brought out. And he continued to speak. ¡°Behind that helmet, you¡¯re hiding a friendly and gentle expression, right? I completely understand. You¡¯re pushing yourself to be a scary individual, but I can see your good points clearly.¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be happening, just why? Why won¡¯t my Artifact react to me?¡± Since before, the drill teacher was repeatedly chanting, in a small voice, his ¡°Order¡±, and continued the process over and again. He was cladded in his armor, and was trying to show off the Mystery power hidden inside of his favorite Artifact. But he couldn¡¯t do it. The Artifact remained silent, not even activating once. ¡°I apologize, along with this sword, it seems that I made the teacher¡¯s armor Artifact unusable. It seems that whenever I try to use the Mystery power, for some reason, it just becomes a priceless art piece.¡± ¡°Wha-?¡± The drill teacher who gave a dumbfounded look at Serot. Certainly, the sword that Serot is holding has no sense of Mystery inside. Even when trying to concentrate again for the powers, it¡¯s so empty, that nothing is happening. ¡°I think it could be called Purification? No, maybe Bleaching? At any rate, it seems that the Mystery that was in the Artifacts from the beginning is disappearing when in my hands. Ah, it can affect Volks¡¯s sword. I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s a novice mistake.¡± While showing that it will be difficult to continue the practical training any further, Serot gave a soft smile to the teacher. ¡°Teacher, I am very sorry. Although it¡¯s discourteous to ask from the me who is hopeless weakling in class, can the rest of this be my homework of today for tomorrow?¡± At any rate, Serot is completely unable to use Artifacts. The teacher looked at Serot like he is a strange anomaly, and stepped back, and tried to smooth over the scene by declaring the end to the lesson and ran away. The remaining students whispered and gossiped, until a shrill voice broke the atmosphere. ¡°Isn¡¯t Serot-kun super cool? Seeing the teacher¡¯s expression at the end of the lesson makes me want to laugh.¡± ¡°But his Artifact¡¯s Aptitude is the absolute lowest, but his face is so cool.¡± ¡°I also agree~ Actually, don¡¯t you think he is more cute than cool? Serot-kun! Look this way!¡± Serot gave a small wave in response, and the whole crowd in his surroundings broke out in screaming. The other students in the back, every one of them were talking about Serot, and sometimes when watching him coolly walk, another eruption of gossiping would start. And then the two servants were lined up behind him. Lamia gave a small cough and gave some advice. ¡°Serot-sama, you exhibited splendid blademanship, as expected of a Hero, but I believe you made yourself stand out a bit too much.¡± ¡°Lamia, you¡¯re so stiff! Isn¡¯t it fine to show off that much for today? In the first place, I didn¡¯t like the actions of the armored oldie, so that serves him right.¡± Angelica, although having no interest in Serot, is close to his stance on school activities. Their trend is to ignore the likes of self-modesty and reservation. Angelica, in regards to the trend, completely expressed it in the next lesson. The old teacher who had his students in the large spacious classroom moved his desk aside and brought out a large cage. What was inside was a magical beast, an enemy of mankind, ferociously groaning. ¡°My soldiers, I will start by talking about the ecology of magical beasts, which are the enemies that you are going to fight¨C huh wait, you! What do you think you are doing? You shouldn¡¯t come close, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°I will kill, I will kill my enemies. Whether it¡¯s Daemons or Magical Beasts, I will never forgive them. All retainers of the Devil will disappear from this world with no remnants left behind.¡± Angelica said in a lowered voice with a killer intent and moved forward. What she was grasping was a thin and dreadful sword that she was hiding in her uniform somewhere. Volks, who was right by, was so scared that he fell over, holding a ghastly pale face. Angelica¡¯s appearance made the other students fear her, and even the teacher perceived that she was unusual and took a step back. It seems that she had forgotten that this was only just a lesson. Angelica easily took the key from the teacher¡¯s hand, and released the magical beasts from its restraints naturally. This beast had numerous legs, a lively scorpion tail, wings of a bat as a bonus, and took a roar. The class was in an uproar. The beast that was released charged at Angelica who was in front, and swung its claw to make the thin figure become a sea of blood. Well, more accurately, it seems like it had swung its claw down. However, the wrist was cut in a cross-section, and the hands and the claw had flown up in the air. ¡°Die.¡± The sweet voice said chilling words with no feelings. After that, the slaughter that started was like an outrageous scene that would make fun of any experienced soldiers. Angelica keeps avoiding the attacks with a paper thin margin, in which even trained soldiers would have accepted death from the magical beast, and counter attacks each time. She then cut off the magical beast arm. The fresh blood scatters, and her wings were glazed with a deeper rouge. ¡°You don¡¯t even deserve to even be alive. Just die. Die right now and pay for your sins.¡± The sword that she wield was distributed from the Order for self-defense, and it was nothing more than a low-grade artifact. There was no difference in the power and features of the sword that was given in the previous lesson. However, she had an innate ability. She has the instinct and sight to determine the trajectory of the magical beast. A natural ability to immediately make judgments and move her body accordingly to it. It¡¯s just pure killing intent. Not only that, her Aptitude Level. The word, ¡®Die¡¯, had the power to bring death to its target. Through Angelica¡¯s ¡°Order¡±, the normal sword turned into a sword of pure destruction. In an instant, the bloodstained girl had defeated the magical beasts. No matter who it was, all the students in the room felt dread at looking at such a figure. But soon, that feeling immediately turned into something else. There were some who endured the nauseous and ominous feelings, others who felt a strong sympathy, but there were others that had tears in their eyes of admiration and respect. The way that Angelica works is right in this Academy that trains soldiers. Feeling dark emotions and an intense hostility towards enemies isn¡¯t just a feeling shared by Angelica. Putting that case aside, the teacher, whose lesson plan had gone rouge, was in a rage. ¡°Just what is this farce! Not only was it extremely dangerous, but it¡¯s against the norms, my precious test subjects! How dare you make my teaching materials look like these hideous remnants!¡± ¡°You¡¯re noisy, shut up already. Are you saying that you are an ally to the magical beast? Then you¡¯re my enemy too. You¡¯re a Devil¡¯s retainer. If that is the case, then I gotta kill you too. I should behead you too in the name of my enemy.¡± There was no hesitation in Angelica¡¯s words. The teacher was still standing still, still not understanding Angelica¡¯s words. At that moment, Serot¡¯s words ranged out. ¡°Angelica, there are no more enemies to kill.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll stooop.¡± The small sword that was about to cut the neck of the teacher changed its trajectory midway and instead struck the teacher in the jaw, and then to the head. Despite using a blade, there were slashes on the body at all. Despite not learning how to adjust the Mystery power she has, she did it naturally so that there were no injuries. She displayed overwhelming talent. An Aptitude Level where no one can complain even though she is using a low-grade Artifact. A hostility stronger than anyone in regards to the Devil¡¯s retainers. The Demi-humans who had just entered the Academy have placed their ideals on Angelica. ¡°Angelica-san, you are amazing!¡± ¡°You are so cool! I have never seen such a spectacle like this!¡± ¡°The pair of them, master and servant, are so strong! Don¡¯t you think they¡¯ll be able to beat the upperclassmen?!¡± There was an explosion of excitement just like what happend with Serot. Especially popular on the girl-side. There was a crowd of female students around Angelica. The surprised ones weren¡¯t only the Demi-humans, but even the Nobles students were mixed in. Surpassing the differences between the races, it brought force a common feeling of killing their natural enemy, the Devil¡¯s retainers. Immediately, the superstars in the class were these two. Remia, who was watching, covered both of her eyes with her two hands, and took a deep sigh.