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Back to Daily Life
A town not far from the Imperial capital.
Three days had already passed since I'd left the prison at the frontier and headed here.
It was late afternoon by the time I arrived at the mansion where Flora resided.
It was one of several safe houses located in a place with a fine view yet close to the bustling streets, and it was her favorite.
"You've returned sooner than expected."
When I finally reached the front gate, the butler who had been tending the garden in the distance spotted me.
He approached to verify my identity straight away.
He had started with a leisurely stride, but the moment he recognized who I was, he came dashing over in a fluster.
And so, through the gate, we exchanged warm pleasantries.
"Y-Young master?"
"It's been a long time."
"Please, come inside."
The butler opened the gate wide and welcomed me in.
With a genuinely pleased expression, he fell into step beside me.
"If you'd only sent word ahead, I would have come to escort you. My apologies."
"Not at all. I prefer not to impose unnecessarily."
At those words, the butler dipped his head and expressed his thanks once more.
"As it happens, the young lady is waiting for you in the study, wondering when you would arrive."
"That's welcome news."
"I'll show you there right away."
As I followed the butler, scattered memories surfaced.
He was a crucial cog in the machine here, serving as the mansion's head steward.
Having looked after Flora since she was a child, he had built a deep foundation of trust with her.
In truth, despite his modest skill, he had met his end at the hands of the Demons while trying to protect Flora to the very last.
His loyalty to the organization had already been proven.
How much further had I walked? I passed through a beautiful garden and entered the mansion's interior.
In that short span, I confirmed that the barriers and Magic Circles I had installed were operating without issue.
The absence of intruders was a positive sign that the Empire had yet to discover this place.
I climbed the stairs and arrived before the study on the second floor.
"Please wait a moment."
The butler gave the door a light knock.
And then, a nostalgic voice rang out, as though it had been waiting for this very moment.
―Come in.
"You may enter."
"Thank you."
I offered my thanks to the butler as he stepped back and opened the door.
A familiar sight unfolded before me: elegant furnishings and stacks of documents arranged in neat rows.
There, set against this backdrop, jet-black hair and crimson eyes stood out vividly.
A girl who, at a glance, appeared no different from any other noble young lady smiled softly with her eyes.
"Boss, welcome back!"
"It's been a long time."
Flora greeted me exuberantly.
Recalling our first meeting, this reaction was only to be expected.
The first time I met her was in a slum during an early spring rain.
She must have been outside for a long while, since she was soaked through and shivering from the cold.
Though her eyes held no hope for life, I took note that her potential was exceptional.
Reaching Level 5 at such a young age was a considerable talent, after all.
So I reached out first.
I told her that if she stayed with me, she would have a better life than she had now.
And that if she didn't feel that way, she was free to leave at any time.
Flora accepted that proposal and remained at my side for a very long time.
She exerted tremendous influence over the growth and operation of the organization.
When we were last separated, there was not a single part of Flora that remained unscathed.
I had hoped that even if I sacrificed myself, she would survive no matter what…
The outcome was truly terrible.
Perhaps that was why the corners of my lips lifted on their own the moment I saw Flora.
Having observed this, Flora approached me with a puzzled expression.
"It's really been a long time since you smiled like that. Did something happen?"
"I just suddenly recalled the day I first met you."
"Hmm, why would that be? I'm not sure I understand."
"Because the young Flora was cute."
At those words, Flora pursed her lips for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders, which had crept up toward her ears.
"Heh, it seems you must have missed me during your prison stay? Three years would be more than enough time to grow fond."
"If you missed me, then why wasn't there so much as a single letter?"
"That just means I was quietly waiting for you, Boss. If I set my mind to it, a jailbreak was possible, wasn't it?"
As Flora said, the original plan had been a jailbreak.
After all, I had long since finished analyzing the Magic Circles covering the entire Prison Block.
Paralyzing the internal facilities would have been child's play.
The real obstacle had been the Mana-suppressing cuffs locked around my wrists.
Why?
Suppose you had captured a vicious criminal.
How would you go about keeping that criminal restrained?
The answer is to deprive them of Mana.
Without it, they would be nothing more than an ordinary human.
Thus, the Special Prison Block utilized a unique ore called Resistance Stone to forge its restraints, unlike ordinary cuffs.
The nature of this material was its capacity to absorb Mana.
In a coin-sized piece, it absorbed a day's worth of a Level 5 mage's Mana.
The cuffs I wore would have required absorbing Mana for at least two hundred years to destroy, so I should have been left to rot there for a lifetime.
But for me, whose total Mana was innately low yet had reached the apex through extreme Mana manipulation ability, it posed no problem whatsoever.
Three years and six months, to be exact.
In just six more months, I could have escaped.
However, the Demon incursion coincided precisely with that moment, leading to a disastrous end, just as before.
Unaware of this fact, Flora, who had been awaiting my return, must have been bewildered by the current situation.
Tapping her own wrist, she voiced her doubt.
"Wasn't there about half a year left until you could destroy the cuffs?"
"Circumstances forced me to revise the plan."
"In that case, I'll need to make time to tidy things up."
We promptly moved location and continued our conversation in the lounge.
While Flora prepared sweet refreshments, I brewed coffee with a practiced hand.
Once all the preparations were complete, Flora spoke first.
"Boss, you didn't get out smoothly, did you?"
"That's right. I made a deal with the Empire during the release process."
"A deal… a deal with the Empire. What were the terms?"
"They said they'd reduce my sentence if I hunted Demons."
At the word 'deal', Flora's expression grew complicated.
I handed her the detailed terms of the agreement and the letter I'd received from Welton.
Flora read the letter with serious eyes.
"The pact isn't forged, either… and there's nothing incorrect about the contents. Wait just a moment, please."
While I waited for Flora, I drank my coffee in silence.
Before long, Flora nodded her head and spoke.
"So it really was true that the Empire is having headaches over the Demons. And that's why they reached out to you, Boss."
"Even if the Empire were going down in flames, they'd normally never do that, so they must be quite desperate."
Flora took a sip of her coffee and added:
"So, as long as you don't cross the line, they'll probably turn a blind eye."
Flora's remark gave me a rough picture of the situation the Empire faced.
While they had kept me in prison and tried to meddle with the organization, the Demons had started making subtle moves, shifting the circumstances by the minute.
Even if you could fight shoulder-to-shoulder in battle, there would be a shortage of people capable of standing against the higher-level Four Great Demons.
At best, there were figures like the Magic Tower Master or the knight order commanders, but even they were busy defending their assigned territories.
Thus, the method the Empire devised was simple.
To oppose a powerful force, you needed a force just as strong. So you dragged a hostile opponent over to your own side.
As I mentioned before, because gaps kept appearing in their internal ranks, they hastily slapped a leash on me to plug one of those holes.
It was obvious that I'd be sent to the most dangerous and unpleasant places.
But for me, having resolved to repay the Demons double for what they'd done, that was perfectly fine.
"From now on, you're planning to catch and kill any Demon you see, aren't you?"
"Of course. Did you have something else you wanted to say?"
"Well, you're going to be tearing all across the Empire day and night…"
Flora met my eyes, and just from looking at my face, she guessed exactly what I was thinking.
"I don't care what you do to Demons, but with people, only hand them over at your own discretion. I'll abide by that rule too, so promise me!"
"Your reason?"
"If both the Demons and the Empire become our enemies, we're the only ones who lose out. So we've got to side with the Empire that made the deal."
I nodded and accepted Flora's words.
"You're right. I'll be careful."
Flora's judgment was sound.
Now that I had returned, there was no one left who could truly threaten the organization.
As for what came next—this was information I hadn't disclosed to Welton.
Soon, during the Belua Academy practical exam, a Golem rampage incident would occur.
It would be a plot where the Demons brainwashed an academy custodian and swapped out the Golem Cores intended for the practical exam.
Afterwards, the Golem would rampage, causing significant casualties—dead and injured students—and the sole lead, the custodian, would die, plunging the investigation into a quagmire.
To make matters worse, it wasn't until long after that the Demons' involvement was uncovered, which delayed the response even further.
So I intended to eliminate the one who would be the root cause of this incident before the situation could grow complicated.
Therefore.
I planned to secure Belua Academy as a new base of operations and move swiftly.
Straight away, I asked Flora for something essential before I headed to the academy.
"Now that I've returned, I suppose it's going to be very busy from here on."
"Not at all. If there's something you need done, please tell me."
"I need an identity that will let me operate easily within the academy. Is that doable?"
"Of course. This isn't something I've done just once or twice, is it?"
Flora tilted her head thoughtfully for a moment, then, with practiced ease, asked for the necessary details.
"In that case, by when would you need it?"
"Have it done within one week."
"I'll have everything finished within five days at most, including the required documents and vetting. Until then, please get some rest."
Watching Flora as she welcomed my return, I felt myself settle back into the everyday.
And so, while reviewing my plans, I filled in the gaps that had accumulated over the past three years.
Time passed, and a week later.
I arrived at the starting point of it all—Belua Academy.