Chapter 46: Academy Exchange Meet — Conclusion (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46: Academy Exchange Meet — Conclusion (4)
The party hosted by the shareholders of Parsi Academy dragged on long after the second event had concluded.
In other words, they spent an entire week eating, drinking, and gallivanting around. It was a situation where the saying, "the bear does the tricks, but someone else pockets the cash," fit perfectly.
"Drink up, drink up! Glory to us, and glory to Parsi—!"
"May the Blessing of the Origin be with us!"
"Bwahahaha! The Hero of the Origin is the founder of Joaquin, my good friend! Why bring him up here?"
"If the Hero of the Origin had been born in this era, he’d be popping champagne right alongside us! Who knows? Maybe he only lived a noble life back then because there was nothing else to enjoy!"
...And so forth...
An outsider might wonder why on earth they were making such a fuss. But aristocrats were creatures obsessed with parties by nature. If demons lived off mana, nobles lived for champagne and perfume.
"...Even so, there ought to be a limit..."
Standing in a corner, the principal of Parsi Academy muttered darkly under his breath, gritting his teeth. He was a noble himself. As the principal of Parsi Academy, his high social standing was beyond question.
He was moderately corrupt too. Naturally, he loved money, and his vanity was great enough that he had proudly erected a statue of himself right inside the academy.
But that did not mean his conscience as an educator was entirely paralyzed.
Using his students—
In other words, their own children—
as mere tools to line their own pockets, treating the Exchange Meet as nothing more than a promotional event to boost Parsi Academy’s stock prices.
"This isn't right."
If he didn't do something now, this pus would fester into cancer. And soon, at that...
Before the golden hour passed, he had to step up himself. He had catered to the shareholders' whims long enough. If any of those fools got offended by a little constructive criticism, he might as well nip them in the bud right here and now.
Nodding gravely, he made a firm resolution. Just as the resolute Parsi principal pushed off the wall in the corner—
BAM!
The champagne glasses stacked like towers rattled subtly.
"Hiccup! What the—?"
The festive heat simmered down. Everyone inside the hall turned their eyes toward the doorway.
An unexpected, uninvited guest. The nobles made no effort to hide their annoyance.
"...Hey, what do you—"
"..."
"..."
"...?"
Through the opened doors stood the figure of a man. His identity was hard to discern. Backlit by the light behind him like a halo, his entire silhouette was pitch-black.
However...
"B-Black hair...?!"
An ink-black darker than the shadows shrouding his body. From beneath his messy hair, a demonic aura resembling pure darkness spilled forth heavily.
Step.
He walked inside.
"Freeze."
He took another step forward.
"If anyone moves from now on, even I don't know what might happen."
"..."
"Hic!"
Along with the sound of a hiccup, a champagne glass crashed against the marble floor, shattering into pieces. At that very instant, the uninvited guest reached for his waist.
Flash.
A flash of sword light gleamed in a split second. In the next moment, the man who had dropped the glass rolled his eyes back and collapsed.
"I always keep my word."
The Heavenly Sword declared from the center of the ballroom.
"Everyone, put your hands behind your heads and sit down."
A warning straight out of a terrorist's handbook. Yet the opponent was far too formidable for anyone to rebel.
The Heavenly Sword, Kang Geomma.
"If you move, you'll end up just like him."
This man was a crazy, mad demon.
*
Side Episode. Death Sashimi
Despite my sudden raid, the faces in the banquet hall regained their composure surprisingly fast.
Since this wasn't a surprise party, I wasn't particularly disappointed. If anything, their expressions said, "Ah, what was bound to happen has finally happened." Thanks to that, I quickly realized my appearance was within their expectations. However—
There is always an exception. Just one person, the principal of Parsi Academy, was startled out of his wits and rushed forward.
"H-Heavenly Sword! What on earth is the meaning of—!"
"What do you mean? I just came to take a look around."
"Take a look... at what...?"
As the principal said that, he darted his gaze around the room. Then, like a young boy caught red-handed with an adult magazine, his face flushed bright red.
Trembling his fists in shame, he eventually took a step back. The principal submissively yielded the floor to me.
Only then did tension begin to flicker in the nobles' eyes. Apparently, they had expected the principal to actively fight back against me.
His reaction and attitude confirmed it. The Parsi principal was unrelated to this "shareholders' meeting." That didn't mean he was completely uninvolved, but at least he didn't seem tangled up in their shady profiteering.
'The guy who looks the greediest turned out to be surprisingly decent.'
I glanced at the principal, whose face was steeped in worry. The conversation I had shared with Nox on the way here flickered in my mind.
'...I think there’s a mistake on this list?'
—Are you talking about the principal's name not being on it? I doubted it at first too, but it's accurate. I double-checked the facts multiple times.
'Even if he's not involved, look at this—he's been meticulously keeping accounting ledgers.'
—Like a whistleblower. Is that what you're trying to say?
'That's basically spitting in his own face. Does he really look like the type to do that?'
—If we're judging by looks, Heavenly Sword, you look like... Anyway, enough idle chatter. We haven't confirmed Parsi Principal Dante's true motives yet, but it seems certain there's friction between him and the nobles.
To put it in raw fish restaurant terms: Dante, the principal, had compiled a comprehensive list of spoiled fish. He likely intended to dispose of them eventually, but lacking the skill to slice them up properly, he was stuck in limbo.
The truth came as quite a shock to me, a refreshing plot twist. To someone like me who had been harassed by nobles my whole life, Dante looked undeniably like a corrupt aristocrat. It was time to update my internal prejudices.
"Heavenly Sword."
Right on cue, someone stepped forward to shatter my musings. When I cast a glance her way, a middle-aged woman flinched. The fur wrapped around her shoulders practically bristled up.
"E-Even if it's you! Isn't this crossing the line too far?! Do you even know who you just killed?!"
"You folks are the ones who crossed the line."
She managed to keep asserting herself quite well. While the so-called grown men were crawling on the floor, she possessed considerable nerve. Though it was only a handful of courage at best.
"I received a report that you've been eating, drinking, and partying day and night for a week with the money embezzled from this Exchange Meet."
"..."
"If anyone doubts it, speak up."
I threw the folder in my hand onto the floor and spoke.
"If needed, I can make name tags for each of you."
"W-W-Whatever the reason! You won't escape responsibility for murdering a noble, Heavenly Sword...!"
"You must be the ringleader."
At my words, the vitality drained completely from her face. She then violently shook her head.
"...N-Not me..."
"Evading responsibility isn't a good look."
"H-Heavenly Sword, you're the one constantly straying from the main point! You must take responsibility for murdering a noble—"
"No."
I clicked my tongue in disdain.
"Who on earth said anyone died?"
"There are no life signs at all, so of course he's dead—"
"Look again."
"...?"
Everyone followed the woman's gaze and turned their heads. Immediately after, their lips fluttered open like fish.
The man who had fallen first was groping at his solar plexus with his fingers. As if he couldn't distinguish up from down, he gasped continuously for air. He even scratched fiercely at his own cheeks to check whether he was dreaming or awake.
'Authority of the Fierce Horn.'
A special authority unique to Murasame, obtained by using a Manticore's magic stone as enhancement material. It neutralizes enemies by terrifying or knocking them unconscious with Fear.
Normally, its effect is restricted to 'targets possessing magic power.'
'Normally, at least.'
Currently, magic power was mixed into the atmosphere of the Human Realm like fine dust. Which meant humans also had minute traces of magic power coursing through their bodies.
Because the authority originally hailed from a top-tier magical beast, there used to be a vast difference between its potency in the Demon Realm versus the Human Realm. But that was a thing of the past now. Even in the Human Realm, where supernatural phenomena occurred, it displayed power comparable to the Demon Realm. I was growing stronger day by day.
It was an ongoing process. Thinking I had reached the ultimate terminus of power after awakening the power of the Sword God was a miscalculation. I had to push "physical strength" beyond the horizon. Only then would I be able to face the Apocalypse.
"Ha."
Someone let out a sigh—or perhaps an exclamation of awe. Following the expected sequence of events, everyone turned their eyes back to me.
"I-I saw it! I definitely saw his breath stop!"
"If you're not certain, don't run your mouth. Didn't anyone teach you that?"
I finally got to say this line. How thrilling.
"H-Heavenly Sword."
As a gloomy atmosphere settled over the room, Principal Dante was forced to step up.
"I will explain everything. So please, hold your hand today, and let us meet... let us promise another time."
"And what has ever changed by doing that?"
"What do you mean..."
I let out a sigh.
"Isn't postponing it day by day exactly how you ended up getting danced around by these fraudsters pretending to be shareholders?"
"Who are you calling a fraudster?!"
"Shut up."
"Gagh!"
I handled another one with the Authority of the Fierce Horn. The background chatter was silenced instantly.
Leaving the woman behind, I continued speaking to Dante.
"Complicity is strictly a crime as well."
"..."
"You know it too, don't you? That right now is the only time to set things straight. If we let this Exchange Meet pass by like this, sweeping it under the rug, the Parsi cadets won't gain a single thing from any future Exchange Meets."
"..."
"And why should kids suffer for the mistakes of adults? Because they get nothing no matter how hard they work, the kids are gradually becoming just like their parents—shrewd and cunning like these people."
The first society a human encounters is the home. Next is school. Finally, the workplace.
And among those, early foundation—the home—is crucial. Growing up in a twisted family causes the trajectory of one's life to derail uncontrollably. Fixing that requires grueling effort and a guardian willing to bleed even more than the child themselves.
That's right. I'm talking about myself.
"An educator is someone who shows students a proper portrait of society. Dante, that is your role."
"..."
"If you want to walk away like this, feel free. I will do what I came to do. I’m going to give these subversive elements a true education right here."
I was done talking. The choice was his. For a man who had lived his life swept along by the tides of the world, making an independent decision would be unfamiliar and difficult.
Dante instantly became the center of attention. The piercing glares of the shareholders weighed down on his shoulders like tons of lead. Gutless bastards. I should lighten his burden a bit.
"It's the 'Exchange Meet' period, isn't it?"
"...!"
"It's an event held so everyone can freely exchange with one another. Although there was a 'slight' bit of noise during the process, anyway."
"Haha... Heavenly Sword, you are quite eloquent yourself. People call you 'Sashimi Faster Than Words,' so I thought you'd draw your blade first, but you're surprisingly good at persuasion."
Following his hollow chuckle came an abrupt silence.
It was a moment later when Dante took a deep breath.
"Lend me your blade. In return, I will restore all the funds they illegally embezzled."
"Principal!"
The woman's voice pierced sharply toward Dante. Neither of us paid her any mind.
"Where do you plan to restore it to?"
"Not long ago, a proper sponsor appeared for our Parsi Academy. Using the epithet 'Kitty', that person informed me that an organization called the 'GM Foundation' is operated with the utmost transparency in the world. I will donate over ninety percent of the funds there. And then, I will announce Parsi's fresh start."
"Hmm..."
Official name: GM Foundation. Unofficially, between me, my family, and my old classmates, we called it the Kang Geomma Foundation.
The money collected from the Parsi Academy shareholders going to me—or expanding the scope, into Joaquin Academy's pockets, huh...
It was a flow of events that fit the word 'Exchange Meet' quite well. So I nodded obediently.
"Good decision."
"If this is settled smoothly without casualties, I will also financially compensate the Heavenly Sword with the remaining ten percent."
The conclusion was that 100 percent of it would end up dedicated to me. Your generosity is a bit much, old man.
I ignored my twinging conscience. Then I stepped forward, slowly drawing my two sashimi knives.
[Blessing of the Sword God — Heart manifests.]
Sword light flared outward. Every single one of the nobles squeezed their eyes shut and opened them again.
"W-What is this...?"
The background of the stage suddenly shifted—from a party hall to a lake.
As the uninvited guest of the party, I gladly invited them into my Mindscape Domain, the World of Swords. Except, with every single one of them tightly bound to massive wooden stakes with ropes.
It was one of the divine abilities I acquired after awakening the Blessing of the Sword God. It allowed me to give these fools a true education while lessening the burden of actual murder.
"Since you all seem hot-headed, stand in the rain and think about who and how much you've deceived."
"This! Untie this right now!"
Ignoring them, I tilted my head back until my neck hurt. As I did so, everyone followed my gaze upward.
"Try to hold on."
"...!"
"This is the glare of the world."
It was a split second.
Swooooosh!
Thousands of Daixo sashimi knives pulverized them as fiercely as a heavy frost. The tearing sounds devoured their screams, and the bloody water running down the stakes devoured the blueness of the lake.
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《May the Blessing of God be with you》
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