Chapter 177: Urban Legend (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 177: Urban Legend (1)
A few days passed. During that time, I received tutoring from Ryozo to catch up on my schoolwork.
I had been a bit neglectful of my duties as a cadet lately because so many things had been happening.
I wasn't the only one; Chloe, who had recently returned to the Academy, joined the tutoring sessions as well.
"...President, once you graduate, getting a job is a done deal. Is that all? Whether it's a hero agency or some other institution, you'll probably bypass the usual procedures entirely. Your very existence is a passing resume."
I agreed with Weapon. Today alone, calls from unknown numbers had been flooding in. Leading agencies were now openly trying to contact me.
I ignored them all. If it had been a few months ago, I might have given those offers some thought.
It wasn't that I disliked money. Whether in my past life or my current one, I've always loved money.
But recently, I had changed my mindset. I wanted to be more faithful to my life as a cadet.
We didn't have many days left to laugh and enjoy our Academy life like this. Two and a half years at best. Until then, I wanted to enjoy a life befitting a cadet as much as possible.
After that, the Human-Demon War was scheduled to break out. And the ominous future was gradually taking a clearer shape.
Half a century ago, the 6th Corps Commander was subjugated by the old Seven Stars, and recently, the 5th and 3rd Corps Commanders had their heads cut off one after another.
Yet, despite this, the demons remained dead silent. This was because the gate connecting the Demon Realm and the Human Realm was still intact.
The gate would be destroyed the moment the Demon King resurrected, and that would serve as the signal flare for the start of the war.
To be honest, the power of the two Corps Commanders, Agor and Vesna, felt somewhat diminished. If I had faced them in the Demon Realm, Gehenna, victory would have been hard to guarantee.
The main reason I was able to slay the 3rd Corps Commander, Vesna, on my own was that her vessel was Supervisor Ha.
I wasn't being humble. In their home ground of Gehenna, the Corps Commanders were truly overwhelming existences. There was a reason why the demons, who only followed the law of power, were so obedient.
Furthermore, even now, with three Corps Commanders missing, the remaining two Corps Commanders ruling over all demons was an ongoing reality.
By the way, according to what I heard from Medea, the place where the Seven Stars fought the 6th Corps Commander, Basmon, was near the Gehenna Gate.
Since it was adjacent to his stronghold, he was said to have drawn out power almost equal to that of the Demon Realm.
If so, it made sense that three of the Seven Stars had died.
Otherwise, there was no way the Seven Stars in their prime would have fought for seven days and nights.
'It did seem strange that they struggled so much against Basmon, the weakest of the Corps Commanders.'
In other words, it was proof of just how strong the Corps Commanders would be in the Demon Realm.
The remaining Corps Commanders were probably quietly biding their time. Waiting only for the Demon King to resurrect and collapse the Gehenna Gate.
'But thinking about it now, just how much of a monster was the Hero of the Origin, who invaded the Demon Realm and sealed the 1st Corps Commander, Lycan?'
Even if it ended in mutual destruction, it defied all common sense.
'No wonder those demon bastards throw a fit whenever Balor Joaquin is mentioned...'
The Hero of the Origin was a figure shrouded in mystery.
Nurturing the seven disciples, blocking the passage of the Gehenna Gate, and founding Joaquin Academy. All the major milestones in human history were achievements accomplished by that man.
Yet, his appearance and subsequent whereabouts remained unclear. It was likely the game developers' intention to completely block Balor Joaquin from reappearing.
He was a figure from a whopping 700 years ago, and since he was a super munchkin, the story would end right there if he showed up again.
He was probably just a mythical figure existing only in the lore.
"Geomma, are you even listening to me?!"
Ryozo's sharp voice shattered my thoughts. She tapped the textbook with the tip of her pencil.
"How are you going to get a perfect score on the midterm written exam if you're spacing out like this?"
"I don't really plan on getting a perfect score."
"If you've started, you should aim for a perfect score! With that kind of half-hearted attitude, you'll end up like Weapon, stuck as a perpetual second place forever."
Weapon flared up at Ryozo's sarcasm.
"Do you think I want to be in second place forever? I want to get first place on the written exams for once, too! And Ryozo, you sleep all day, so why are you always at the top of the class?!"
"Do you want me to tell you how I study?"
"..."
Weapon's face turned quite serious. His pride was hurt to nod immediately, but he coveted Ryozo's study method even more.
Weapon groaned and reluctantly nodded. Ryozo shrugged lightly and said,
"Previewing and reviewing."
"...?"
Weapon's expression went blank. Ryozo chuckled mockingly and added,
"Ah, I forgot the most important thing. Just study focusing on the textbooks. And listen carefully to the professors' lectures."
"..."
"And you always nag me about sleeping face down, but I actually listen to all the lectures while doing that. You know how dolphins, among mammals, sleep with one half of their brain at a time? It's similar to that."
A thick vein popped on Weapon's temple. But it soon deflated. He knew her words weren't entirely sarcasm.
However, the ending was absurd. She was comparing herself to a dolphin. And this was Saki, famous for her high intelligence, saying it. Weapon felt a strange, complicated emotion.
"..."
I watched the two bicker before turning my gaze to the side. Chloe was diligently scribbling something in a notebook.
However, she wasn't taking notes on Ryozo's lecture. That notebook with the teddy bear sticker...
I knew what it was. It was a diary. A page of it was densely packed with the words "I love you" written over and over again.
The so-called "I Love You" notebook. To me, that was far scarier than a Death N*te.
Chloe had returned to the Academy the day after the Pertinax Auction House incident. She was so happy that she hopped around like a rabbit.
The club members welcomed her back. I, too, welcomed her without hesitation. Although the memory of her rushing at me with a knife that day was still vivid, I let it slide. It wasn't the first or second time.
Since we had been filming a horror movie together since our very first meeting, what was there to be surprised about?
'The roles were: Chloe as the ghost, and me as the human.'
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Chloe gave an embarrassed smile and slyly hid her notebook. Then, she began writing down Ryozo's lecture in a different notebook.
'If you slack off so openly, the other person won't even notice, huh?'
Or maybe she had activated [Raven's Blessing].
Whatever the case, it was clear that studying was the last thing on Chloe's mind.
"This part is especially important. There's probably a 90% chance it'll be on the exam. Even if the questions are essay-style, each professor has their own question patterns. The professor who analyzes the deep layers of the Demon Realm usually has a three-year cycle..."
Given Ryozo's lazy personality, I thought she would only point out the key summaries, but she was explaining everything with utmost sincerity. She didn't miss even the barely visible scribbles in the corners of the textbook.
And Weapon, pretending not to listen, secretly took notes on his phone.
...And so, the two-hour tutoring session came to an end.
"Let's call it a day. We'll do the next study session tomorrow after school."
Closing her teaching materials, Ryozo added,
"Ah, and tomorrow's 5th and 6th periods, Human History and Blessing Aesthetics, are lectures with a high grade weight, so don't doze off and pay attention, Chloe, Geomma."
"Thanks. Good work."
"Yeees~"
Only then did Weapon stand up from his seat. He ruffled his hair and grumbled.
"I guess I should go train my blessing. To survive in this damn practical-oriented Academy, written exams aren't enough."
"Come to think of it, Weapon, you've been going somewhere after school lately. Was that the training room?"
At my question, Weapon shook his head.
"No, the music room. My armament is in the form of an instrument, after all."
Right. It was a recorder.
Weapon continued,
"The training room is too sweaty, so I don't really like it. Instead, there's a music room in the Aaron Annex, which is on the southwestern outskirts."
"The southwestern outskirts? That's completely in the middle of nowhere. There aren't even any buildings around."
Ryozo tilted her head. Weapon retorted.
"There are actually way more people visiting than you'd think. I practice alone in the wind instrument room, but the piano room is always packed. I happened to see it through the hallway window yesterday. Female cadets were lining up in front of the piano, waiting for their turn."
"To the point of waiting in line? People don't usually take a number ticket just to play the piano. Especially in this day and age when there are plenty of instrument apps on tablets."
Weapon clicked his tongue like an old man.
"Sigh, Saki, what do you know about instruments? There's a difference in tone between electronic sounds and real instruments. No matter how advanced the times get, you can't replicate that."
Ryozo's eyebrows knit together in a frown. But she soon waved her hand dismissively, as if it were too much trouble.
Meanwhile, Chloe tilted her head repeatedly with a doubtful expression.
"Hearing this, it sounds a bit strange. Actually, the Aaron Annex was closed down last year. They said the facilities were too outdated, so they were doing renovation work."
Weapon shook his head, sounding flustered.
"T-That can't be! I just told you. There are tons of people! And Chloe, how do you even know that?!"
"My older brother, Nox, is a second-year. I heard him mention in passing last year that the Aaron Annex was shut down. I remember it clearly because Nox used to frequent it because it was quiet. And..."
Suddenly, Chloe stomped her foot, thumping the floor. Then, with a stiff face, she spoke.
"In the first place, the only music room is on the second floor of this main building."
The moment she finished speaking, Ryozo's and my gazes snapped to Weapon. His face began to turn ashen.
* * *
"Black hair, is it?"
The one who murmured was a man in white robes atop an altar. Covered in white cloth down to his feet, he existed only as a form without substance, like a ghost.
Below the altar was a grayish-white world completely devoid of any trace of vitality. It was a place, yet also an abyss that felt like a phenomenon itself.
A deer-headed demon bowed flat on the ground, pleading with the man.
"T-This is all due to my inadequacy in failing to stop them. B-But I simply could not have imagined the blasphemous thought that the Lords would fall at the hands of those human bastards. P-Please, show mercy."
The white-robed man turned around very slowly.
Rumbleeeee.
At that minor movement, the entire area vibrated. The only place spared from the earthquake's impact was the altar where the white-robed man stood.
Step.
The man's foot stepped onto the stairs. The demons, who had been gathered in disarray, bowed their heads in unison.
"Do you wish for mercy?" the man asked.
It was a voice close to pure emptiness, carrying no emotion whatsoever.
"Tell me. If I show you mercy, can you, in turn, show mercy to me?"
"...!"
"Mercy is originally something only an existence that defies heaven can bestow. Yet, I too am merely a lowly creature beneath the heavens. Why, then, do you beg me for mercy?"
The white-robed man stopped in front of the deer-headed demon.
"I ask you."
Looking down at the demon, the man spoke once more.
"Was the one who killed my siblings an existence that defied heaven?"
The deer-headed demon raised its head involuntarily. The countenance of the great being came into view. Behind his head, a black sun was greedily sucking in the light of the world.
As if by prearranged agreement, all the demons shed black tears.
"Ah. Lord Kuarne, Master of Gehenna—"
Sssss.
At that moment, the deer-headed demon dissolved, as if swallowed by space itself. As if its very existence had vanished, leaving not a single trace behind.
The man, the 2nd Corps Commander Kuarne, looked up at the sky. With eyes filled only with emptiness, he stared endlessly at the black sun.
"The day we meet is not far off, O Beyond the Heavens."
The black sun merely watched in silence.