* * *

“Keureung, it ended too quickly. How boring! Did you go easy on him because you’re supposedly master and disciple?”

“Can I get up now? I have things to do.”

“Shouldn’t the Demon Lord give you permission first?”

The crowd grew restless the moment Chris left her seat.

Already shifting in their seats, all eyes fixed on the Demon Lord’s mouth. By any measure, it was time to disperse.

Finally, the Demon Lord, who had been calmly surveying the arena below, spoke up.

“I quite enjoy duels, you see. Both fighting in them and watching them. Even this war, viewed broadly, is a duel between the gods and myself, is it not?”

Ah, what? Isn’t he going to dismiss us? Someone muttered quietly and yawned. Probably quite a few felt the same way they did watching a principal who didn’t know how to end a speech on time.

They would all shut up soon enough, however.

“Especially the fact that it produces a loser. The process of the defeated being trampled underfoot is all part of the duel.”

Thwack. The moment the Demon Lord finished speaking, both of Aron’s thighs were pierced by black thorns.

“Urk, gwaaagh…!”

“Whether you’re overly sentimental or not even worth exerting power on… either way, leaving the cleanup to me is quite presumptuous of you. Isn’t it?”

Thwack. Thwack.

The Demon Lord was merely watching Aron. Yet the number of thorns burying themselves into Aron’s body only continued to multiply.

Aron barely managed to stay standing on two legs, panting heavily.

“Kuh, ugh… Demon… Lord…”

“Your eyes are good. I’ll admit it—when it comes to toughness, you’re the best here. You didn’t crawl out of that pit for nothing. Thanks to you, our Demon Lord’s army was able to grow at a remarkable pace, and for that, I’m grateful.”

The Demon Lord’s benevolent smile twisted.

“But the stench of a loser is wafting all the way up here. That, I do not appreciate.”

The Demon Lord’s one-sided assault continued until Aron finally collapsed face-down on the ground.

“…”

During that time, not a single soul dared to rise from their seat or voice a complaint.

Aron was currently one of the strongest fighters in the Demon Lord’s army, countable on one hand.

Though he hadn’t yet received an executive position due to his long absence before returning, no one dared take him lightly.

Seeing someone like him squirming like a bug without a single act of defiance reaffirmed what kind of being they served as their king.

“Don’t worry. I told you from the start, didn’t I? It won’t cost you your life.”

The Demon Lord lightly brushed off his hands and rose from his seat.

“You may begin treatment after a week. Until then, endure it.”

Leaving the battered Aron behind, the Demon Lord walked away.

He didn’t like Aron. As the Demon Lord who had raised Chris from a very young age (or so he believed), Aron was a thorn in his side.

Because of that one, Chris had changed. Her essence remained the same, but a tiny crack had…

‘In the end, that’s what brings down the levee.’

That must not happen. She possessed a talent that even those who had inherited his blood lacked. At the most crucial moment, Chris would deliver victory to the Demon Lord’s army.

‘I have high expectations for you, Chris.’

When that day came again, he wouldn’t go easy like today. She would have to prove herself then.

* * *

“Now then, Lady Chris. I can’t take you far, so I’ll offer you this instead. One of my specially cherished creations.”

[Quest Complete! You have received ‘A Slightly Old Horse’ as your reward.]

I never expected Bandage to be the one giving me this reward. That aside.

‘You said slightly old. There’s nothing but bones left!’

Indeed. The horse Bandage had offered me was a monster with nothing but bare bones rattling together. Since it had been touched by Bandage’s hand, I could ride it like a normal horse, but.

‘The visual aesthetic… matches ‘Chris’ a little too well. That’s the problem.’

If I went outside with this combination, I’d be called the Grim Reaper and send several elderly people fainting.

‘I’m not sure it’s a good idea to show the kids either. They won’t mistake me for an undead knight or something, will they? I never thought matching the roleplay too well would be a problem.’

However, the prospect of traversing this wasteland on my own two feet was even more horrifying, so I had no choice but to snatch the reins from Bandage’s hand.

“How is it? The ride isn’t bad, is it? I made this one with you in mind, Lady Chris, so its speed should be quite respectable.”

Don’t make someone your muse for chimera crafting. It’s disgusting.

I shot him a look of open contempt, but Bandage didn’t budge. Right, this was the kind of bastard he was.

[Bead: Are we there yet??? You might be swimming in free time because everyone treats you well and fusses over you, but I’m stressing so hard my surface is starting to crack—]

Ugh, is there no block function on the chat? But I couldn’t exactly fail to understand Bead’s feelings, so I decided to pick up the pace.

“Lady Chris, let’s meet again. Next time with a more presentable face…”

“Hyah!”

I tuned out Bandage’s bullshit and kicked what was supposed to be the horse’s flank but was closer to its ribcage, and set off.

‘U-uwaaak! Why is this so fast!’

My agility had clearly returned to F-rank, yet it felt like I was repeating my earlier experience. Thanks to that, my back and hips were on the verge of giving out, but—

‘Bandage is definitely watching from behind, so maintain posture! Maintain posture!’

‘Chris’ had to be elegant when riding a horse! Learning horseback riding on a brief whim in Korea was actually paying off. Of course, even back then, I was told my form was the only thing that was perfect.

At any rate, at this speed, I should be able to smoothly exit the Demon Realm and rejoin X-Class.

‘According to Bead, they’re currently fighting the gatekeeper monsters, so if I show up after assessing the situation and they seem to have finished them off…’

However, my thoughts were cut short. Someone appeared, blocking my path.

“Chris Dotten. You’ve finally come out of the Demon Lord’s castle. Let’s have a quick word…”

But there was one fact that could be either unfortunate or fortunate—

I never learned how to stop the horse.

“H-hey! Wait, I said let’s talk! Why are you just passing through! Chris! Stop right there!”

Eventually, after a chase had gone on for a while.

“Hah… hah… you son of a bitch… where do you think… you’re running to…”

He had grabbed the horse’s tailbone. Thanks to that, I was able to come to a stop—should I be grateful?

“What the hell are you, clinging to me like that.”

Of course, outwardly I had to put on a thoroughly displeased expression and throw a fit.

Truth be told, I already knew him. The wolf-human whose seat I had stolen during a meal at the Demon Lord’s castle.

‘So he’s ranked second among the Demon Lord’s army executives?’

No wonder he was terrifyingly fast even on two legs. What kind of scheme was he plotting, waiting outside while avoiding the Demon Lord’s eyes?

“State your business.”

“Bleurgh, cough cough… just wait a moment, let me catch my breath…”

“I’m leaving.”

“Ah, understood! I’m talking about Bell, your student!”

Bell? Is he talking about the Healer?

“Ahem. That one is our youngest. Though she’s temporarily run away from home.”

Bell’s father? He looked nothing like her. To think I’d be having a delayed parent-teacher conference here of all places.

‘Well, from the Healer’s perspective, he’s not a proper father anyway.’

Wolf-humans made up a significant portion of the Demon Lord’s army. They were one of the first races to cooperate with the Demon Lord.

‘But the Healer didn’t want to participate in the war for the Demon Lord.’

Staying in the Demon Realm would have guaranteed being forced into it, so she fled.

“I considered it a childish whim and let it slide until now, but isn’t it about time? She should return to her family’s embrace by now. I was planning to fetch her myself, but since I happened to run into you, I have a request.”

Smooth talker. He just hadn’t had the courage to approach Bedallua Academy all this time. Now that life was getting a bit more comfortable, the Healer suddenly became precious to him, huh?

When I glared at him with an expression that openly said ‘None of my business,’ he straightened his back, trying hard to look dignified, and added:

“Just take her to the Demon Realm entrance and we’ll handle the rest. I’ll compensate you for looking after our child all this time. If there’s something you want, just name it. Wealth? Power?”

Prettying up the bullshit about selling off your own child—that takes talent.

‘Well, there is exactly one thing I want from him in this situation.’

“Will you grant it?”

“Of course. I may not look it, but the chief of the wolf-humans is none other than yours truly—”

“Shut your trap and get out of my sight. That’s the only thing.”

“What…!”

His eyes went wide as saucers, and then his face flushed red and blue with rage.

As expected of the wolf-human chief, the speed at which he got riled up was beyond compare. And this was only a tiny fraction of ‘Chris’s’ usual rudeness.

“Y-you insolent…! You haven’t changed a bit since you were a bloody infant! I try to speak nicely and you won’t listen at all!”

Look at those ears popping out. He must be seriously pissed.

‘Oh, at this rate I’m going to get torn apart.’

I could feel the wolf’s breath right against my nose. There were probably several ways to get through this more smoothly. But I couldn’t abandon the persona. Especially not in front of a bastard targeting my student.

‘Well, what can you do.’

Time to get the hell out of here.

I wonder if I can recall it. The cloak with the halo effect I used when facing Lion.

‘Halo Illusion Stage 10, activate.’

“Urk, gwaaagh! My eyes…!”

Fired off one blinding flash with that.

“There’s nothing more worth listening to. Hyah!”

And I bolted like hell.