Hey Geukwang-sis! Kekekek!
"Help me, Geukwang-chan~!"
-Kueeeek!
"Ugh, it splattered again."
I roughly shook the blood off the back of my hand and continued walking peacefully down the forest path today as well.
…Peaceful?
Saying that after just twisting off a monster's head a moment ago lacked a bit of persuasiveness. But what could I do? This much was everyday life by now.
The problem wasn't that. Lately I had developed one very big worry. An absolutely massive worry.
"How am I supposed to keep up with the Academy?"
That's right. This was a real-time ultra-ultra-ultra emergency. My future life plans had gotten just a little—no, massively—twisted.
Our Pink-chan. No, my current big sister Isabelle was the original heroine of the novel.
The author must have wanted to give the protagonist something special no matter what, because they had set the Spirit Mage class to an absurd level. An ultra-rare talent that appeared maybe once in a hundred years. A chosen being who could form contracts with spirits.
And of all people, Isabelle had been born with that talent.
So what happened in the original? The Academy headmaster came to personally escort Isabelle away.
That much was the original story. The problem started from here.
The world I remembered had clearly been an ordinary romance fantasy. Meeting the male leads at the Academy, catching feelings, a jealous villainess young lady showing up. In the end everyone lived happily ever after—that kind of completely common story.
Combat? Catching a few goblins in the midterms. Hunting kobolds during practicals. That was about it. The world itself had been on the peaceful side. Demon King? None. A dark mastermind dreaming of world destruction? None. At least not in the original I remembered.
It should have stayed that way.
"…Weak."
This world's overall combat power was low. Well, it was a romance fantasy, so up to here was okay, right?
Get real!
Demons that never existed in the original. And demon worshipers. The moment those appeared, the story changed.
If the demon those bastards tried to summon was on a similar level to the ones I had faced in the Tower? Just imagining it was horrifying.
From the Empire's greatest crown prince to the northern grand duke's heir, the Magic Tower Master's disciple, the professors, and even the heroine Isabelle—all of them getting wiped out would become the main content. With the power of love and friendship, for my friends, aja-jat—?! It would just end before that.
A novel titled something like [I Was the Weakest Demon of the Demon Realm, But in This World I'm the Heavenly Demon?!] might even be born. Of course with the demon as the protagonist.
"……."
The more I thought about it, the worse it got. So the conclusion was one: I would follow Isabelle. The problem was that I had no method.
Astel Imperial Academy did not care about status. Noble, commoner, royalty—as long as you had talent and the tuition, they accepted you regardless of birth. But there was exactly one admission requirement.
Age. Fifteen years old.
Hmm. Isabelle was currently fourteen. She would enroll next year.
And me. Mental age twenty-three. Body… even looking at it generously, ten years old.
"……."
Everyone! I'm fucked!
Do you know what happens when you share a worry?
Answer: now two people have the worry.
Sorry, I'm a T so.
Anyway. Instead of fretting over this worry alone, I decided to dump it on someone else. And on a very strong someone else at that. One of the four strongest beings in the world! The self-proclaimed Four Sovereigns!! If it was Geukwang among them, something like Academy admission shouldn't be difficult. Probably something that would end with a single finger flick.
Of course, I hid everything about the original story. There was no need to bother saying that I knew the future.
"…So that's why you came looking for me, you know?"
Geukwang looked down at me with her arms crossed.
"Aww, what are you talking about."
I shook my head and smiled casually.
"You're the one who came looking for me, Geukwang-nim."
"……."
A brief silence. Geukwang's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean by that, you know?"
"Well."
I raised one finger.
"You clearly said it last time. 'I'll keep an eye on you, you know!'"
"……."
"So you came to monitor me, didn't you?"
"…You."
Geukwang's eyebrows twitched.
"You're a really annoying little brat, you know."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"That's not a compliment, you know!"
How did we meet? Nothing special. I released the Heavenly Killing Star for just a tiny moment. More precisely, I let a little killing intent leak out. Before long, Geukwang came looking for me on her own. She had said she would watch me from the moment we parted, after all. It really felt like pressing a single summon button.
Of course, I had no intention of maintaining the Heavenly Killing Star for long. My body was still only nine years old. If I recklessly pulled up power like before, I would break first. That would be the absolute worst situation.
"Uuuugh—this is so annoying, you know! So annoying, you know!"
Geukwang scratched her head furiously and glared at me.
"As I thought!"
"As you thought?"
"It was you who took care of those demon worshipers, you know."
"Wow."
I put on an impressed expression.
"You just hit the real core of it, huh?"
Thwack.
"Ow."
"This isn't the time for jokes, you know!"
Geukwang raised her hand to hit my forehead again but barely stopped herself. Apparently beating up a little kid too much bothered her conscience.
"The Academy problem is a problem, but."
Geukwang's expression turned serious.
"There's something I'm more curious about, you know."
"What is it?"
"You."
A small finger pointed at my face.
"What is your true identity, you know?"
"……."
"That's not killing intent a nine-year-old can produce, you know."
Geukwang's gaze sharpened.
"How do you possess that kind of power, you know?"
As expected. This person was sharp. She hadn't recognized the Heavenly Killing Star itself, but she could feel that something was off. A power no ordinary child could possibly have—and the little brat right in front of her possessed it.
"Hmm."
I propped my chin and pretended to think. Then I opened my mouth.
"Actually, I am……."
"……."
"A super kawaii frail pretty boy from an ordinary countryside village?"
"……."
Silence. Geukwang's expression hardened. It looked like a fist, not a knuckle sandwich, was about to fly. Better stop at a reasonable point.
"I'm a regressor."
Of course, it wasn't the truth.
"…Eh?"
Geukwang's eyes widened.
"Once."
I continued slowly.
"I watched the world end."
"……."
"And then I came back."
Yes. A regressor. It was the most plausible lie I could think of.
Saying I had transmigrated was dangerous. Demons were also beings that had crossed over from another dimension. In that situation, if I said I had come from another world too? From Geukwang's perspective, I would be no different from a demon.
But a regressor who returned to save the world was a different story. Hero. Prophet. A being who knew the future. It was a setting that could easily exist in this world's worldview.
"…How am I supposed to believe that, you know?"
As expected, she didn't believe it right away. A natural reaction for Geukwang.
"You."
Geukwang narrowed her eyes.
"You're actually a demon, aren't you, you know?"
Good. The question I had expected. I slowly let out a breath.
"Hoo."
"……?"
"I wasn't going to say this much, but."
Geukwang's expression stiffened slightly.
"Geukwang."
"W-why are you suddenly… calling me that, you know?"
I opened my mouth with a serious face.
"You sleep in teddy bear pajamas, don't you?"
"……!"
"You hug a rabbit doll while you sleep."
"……!!!"
"And because your chest being small is a complex, every day—"
"S-stop it, you know!!!"
It was instantaneous. Geukwang's face turned bright red. Her small hands flailed wildly through the air.
"How do you know that, you know?!"
"……Heh."
"No, wait."
Geukwang looked at me with a confused expression.
"This is information that absolutely no one knows……."
Hmph. Information known only to Geukwang and original novel readers. Geukwang's greatest weakness. The fact that she liked cute things. Other beings might not know, but a demon would never know, right?
"I believe you, you know!!"
Geukwang shouted urgently.
"I'll believe you for now, you know!!"
"Kwahahahahaha!!!!"
"Huuuugh……."
Pathetic Geukwang! Kyaaaaah!!!!!
After parting with Geukwang, I flopped straight down onto the grassy field in the middle of the forest.
I could see the sky. The blue sky visible between the tree branches. Warm sunlight. And a pleasantly cool breeze. It was a peaceful scenery I had never once experienced in the Tower.
"…Nice."
I muttered without realizing it.
Anyway. First, the biggest problem—Academy admission—was solved!
'If that's the reason… I understand, you know. Leave it to me, you know!'
When I explained it as the demon worshipers having targeted the Academy before my regression, Geukwang accepted it surprisingly quickly. Of course it wasn't actually a regression. But as long as the result was good, that was enough, right?
As expected. This was the fun of using the strongest beings. Knowing one powerful person made things this convenient. And she would even take care of the Academy admission problem for me, so even better.
Honestly I had been a little worried. Anyone would find it strange if a kid who wasn't even ten suddenly enrolled. But well. I could just make a method.
'Why are you so small?'
'Ah. I'm a commoner so I grew up without enough to eat!'
The perfect excuse. If you're jealous, buy me a meal.
I looked up at the sky again. And suddenly I thought. Heavenly Killing Star. My trait had an ominous name from the start.
The killing star bestowed by the heavens. Exactly as it sounded. Slaughter. Destruction. Massacre. An ability specialized in those things.
The method to grow stronger was simple too. See blood. Kill enemies. Get covered in even more blood. A really convenient ability. The problem was that it was equally dangerous. It was a power that would completely ruin the atmosphere if I brought it into a pink romance fantasy Academy.
During class, while chatting with friends, I accidentally leak a little killing intent. Then what? Nearby students faint. Professors go on guard. The Academy designates me as a dangerous individual.
And. Happy Academy life. Over.
"……."
Just thinking about it was horrifying. So should I go looking for a different combat style at this point?
I don't wanna? It's a hassle.
I had lived my whole life with this power. Swordsmanship? Magic? Archery? I could manage basic attacks, but…… did I really need to?
The Heavenly Killing Star was definitely a dangerous power. But if I could control it, the story changed.
Normally you get drunk on blood. You get eroded by killing intent. In the end you forget even who you are. That was the truly terrifying part of the Heavenly Killing Star. Not the power itself. The fact that it turned the user into a monster.
But. I had a way to stop that.
It was around the Tower's 55th floor? Or 56th? I couldn't even remember exactly. What I met there was an old Buddha statue with not even a speck of mercy. It was smiling, but what it did was more vicious than a demon. I don't know how many times I nearly died to that old man.
I got beaten until my mind nearly left me. I was driven to the absolute limit. In the end I almost forcibly tore out a trait.
What I obtained as a result was:
【Pinnacle of Control】
You completely control yourself.
No matter what it is.
When I first saw it, I thought it was a nothing special trait. But it wasn't.
Because of this trait, I could use the Heavenly Killing Star without losing myself. The raid leader and my teammates could look at me as a comrade instead of a monster.
"…So."
I raised my hand.
A small hand. A nine-year-old's hand.
"The problem right now isn't power."
The power I had was enough. No. It overflowed.
The problem was the vessel to hold that power. My current body. If I fully opened the Heavenly Killing Star? I would explode before the enemy did. The opponent would be fine while my muscles tore and my bones broke. That would be a bit unfair, wouldn't it?
So for the next year, what I had to do was simple. Eat well. Sleep well. Grow my body.
"Let's start with growth."
Slowly. But surely. I would reclaim the power of my prime.
When that time came, there would be absolutely no being in this world who could stop me. I stood up from my spot with satisfaction.
Hmm. Should I head home soon? I think tonight's dinner was turkey.
…
Wait. The path visible between the trees. And the sky growing steadily darker.
"……."
Come to think of it. Me entering the forest. I didn't get caught… right?