“Tch, what in the world is that…”

“It looks ominous. Just looking at it feels like being cursed.”

“D-don’t chicken out! No matter how it looks, if we follow the strategy the professor explained, we can take it down in no time!”

“You’re the one shaking the most, Nika.”

“That’s right, Gabana. He’s always been the sensitive type, you know~”

“Now, now, everyone stay calm and just like we discussed beforehand…”

They seemed to work together better than before, having some experience hunting monsters as a group.

‘That thing only has absurdly high stamina and defense—its attack power is nothing to write home about. Just keep wailing on it and we’ll see the end.’

That was exactly why I’d drawn up a map and pushed to arrive as quickly as possible. This was the type of fight that inevitably dragged on.

With that settled, I’ll just step back and watch the fight unfold.

The moment I casually shifted my position—

[Bead: …Wait, this presence—]

[Bead: Chris, dodge!]

‘Huh?’

Seogeok, space itself was cleaved.

That was the only way to describe the scene unfolding before my eyes.

– W-why…?

The bull’s head, which had been brimming with menace just moments ago, was split clean in two along with the labyrinth’s landscape.

As though someone had painted the scene before me onto paper and then cut it out with scissors.

Effortlessly. Simply.

As far as I knew, only one person in existence could pull off something like this.

Someone who could freely tear through and traverse spacetime—the domain of the gods.

A being for whom such ominous energy was simply par for the course.

And the one person who absolutely should not be here.

The Demon Lord.

“Damn it…!”

This was absurd. This wasn’t just unexpected—it was a full-blown catastrophe.

Even the System had gone silent, which meant no one could have seen this coming.

But then again, the worst things always strike when everything is going smoothly.

I’d already learned that lesson when I got hit by a car on my way to a job interview.

“W-who? How did you suddenly appear out of thin air—”

My body moved before my mind could catch up. My agility and everything else might be F-Rank, but I had to do what I could in this situation.

“Professor?”

I pushed past the dazed kids.

“……?”

I reached toward the feet of the Demon Lord, who hadn’t yet fully revived and still wore the form of a boy.

Then I scooped up the Demon Lord’s Horn and hurled it at the Protagonist with all my might.

“Uh, w-what?”

Thankfully, the Protagonist caught it on reflex, his face still struggling to process the situation.

‘That’s done.’

That covered most of the conditions for his Awakening. Even without me, he wouldn’t end up going on a Rampage and causing trouble for everyone.

[Bead: Chris, what are you thinking? You need to run right now! Don’t you know who this is? Th-this is—!]

The chat window before my eyes trembled.

Right, I should leave Bead behind. One of its skills enabled constant communication. Even at a distance, the chat function should still work.

[Bead: Hey, what are you doing? Why are you taking off the necklace? Wait, where are you throwing me—hey! Chris!]

You stay here and give me situation reports while I’m gone.

[Bead: Whatever you’re thinking right now, don’t do it. I said don’t! Chris, you crazy bastard! Please!]

There was no time. I glanced at the space that had been torn open by that earlier slash, then grabbed the Demon Lord’s body.

“……!”

And together with him, I plunged into the black void.

I had no choice. His attack had killed the boss, which meant the dungeon was cleared and would soon disappear. That would effectively drop the Demon Lord right in the middle of Bedallua Academy.

I had to prevent that at all costs. It would obviously be the catalyst for war.

‘It was only possible because the Demon Lord wasn’t fully revived yet.’

So I was lucky? Ha, damn it all.

As I plummeted into the unknown depths, I watched the rift I’d jumped through slowly narrow.

The last thing I saw through that gap was…

“No, Professor!”

Someone’s face, calling out to me.

After that, nothing but darkness.

* * *

When I came to, an unfamiliar landscape greeted me.

Ash-gray clouds drifting across a purple sky. Tree branches contorted into grotesque shapes. An ominous atmosphere, as though lightning could strike at any moment.

‘Anyone can tell this is the Demon Realm.’

At least I didn’t have to wonder where I was.

Everything else, however, was cause for concern.

‘But why did the Demon Lord appear in the dungeon? I don’t recall anything like this happening in the original work. What the hell is going on right now? This is driving me insane.’

The questions were endless.

‘First, calm down. I might be losing it inside, but I can’t let it show.’

My last memory was clearly of grabbing the Demon Lord and falling through the rift in space. It must have connected to his lair.

Maintaining a composed expression, I slowly pushed myself upright.

So where was the Demon Lord now…

“Oh, Chris. You’re awake.”

“……!”

The face that suddenly popped up startled me half to death. Thanks to that, I almost ended up in a coffin instead of standing up, you bastard!

“How are you feeling? You don’t have to push yourself and pretend you’re fine. You’ve had a frail constitution since childhood, so passing through a spatial rift must have been overwhelming.”

He looked like a pale-faced teenager, but he spoke like a seasoned old fox had taken up residence inside him.

While I was momentarily thrown off by that dissonance, the Demon Lord patted my shoulder lightly.

“Still, it’s better to go inside than to rest on the bare ground. Can you stand?”

Go inside? Where… Ah. Following the Demon Lord’s gesture, I understood immediately.

A building, half-collapsed, yet all the more eerie and terrifying for it.

The Demon Lord’s Castle.

‘Damn.’

I swallowed nervously, hoping no one noticed.

‘This is literally walking into a tiger’s den of my own accord.’

“You’ve been away for so long. Everyone will be thrilled to see you again.”

“…….”

That gentle smile looked like the grin of a tiger baring its fangs. Right, there was more than one person in there who knew the real Chris.

‘I need to stay sharp.’

I could say with certainty that from here on, staying in character would be incomparably more grueling than anything that came before.

Real Chris, about whom I knew absolutely nothing except that her personality strangely matched my character roleplay.

And the Demon Lord’s army bastards who had spent at least a few years watching and interacting with that Real Chris.

Just imagining what would happen if I slipped up even once sent chills down my spine.

They didn’t earn the name ‘Demon Lord’s army’ for nothing! Quietly getting killed would be considered getting off easy.

‘…And I need to go back.’

I was no longer the Chris of the Demon Lord’s army. I was simply ‘Chris,’ the homeroom professor of X-Class at Bedallua Academy. I belonged somewhere else.

As we passed through the main gate of the Demon Lord’s Castle, the Demon Lord spoke.

“Welcome home, Chris. I’m glad you’ve returned.”

I responded with an openly displeased expression.

“Since when do we call our(a cage for beasts) a home.”

“How remarkable—you’re saying exactly the same thing, word for word, as when you first came here. I’m glad to see you’re still as spirited as ever.”

I watched the Demon Lord respond with affectionate warmth, as though my insolence actually pleased him, and thought:

‘I went through hell to get my room back, and then this bastard steals the last hit on top of it… it’s infuriating…’

But no matter how well I played the ‘Chris’ character, landing a hit on the final boss and running away while being the weakest of the weak was pure fantasy.

“Then let’s talk over a meal later. For now, rest. Your room is just as you left it.”

And so, I found myself entering the Demon Lord’s Castle alone.

* * *

The Demon Lord was more well-disposed toward Chris than I’d expected.

He’d actually given up the room and excused himself, telling me to sleep for the night.

‘At a glance, you’d mistake him for a decent person.’

But I mustn’t forget. He was the Demon Lord. The absolute evil of <Hero Rampage> and the Protagonist’s sworn enemy.

If the Holy Emperor was a pervert with something to hide, the Demon Lord was a being with no moral compass whatsoever.

There was no telling when that benevolent demeanor would give way to a hand squeezing my heart.

‘Sigh… Isn’t the System enough of a threat to my life? It’s not like I smeared honey on my heart, and yet the dangers keep piling up.’

Then again, I did slather on S-Rank mana.

‘Anyway, this room… he said this was where the real Chris used to stay.’

I took a quick look around and found it remarkably similar to my Academy dormitory room.

The bare minimum of furniture and nothing else—it didn’t feel like a place where anyone lived.

‘Should I be happy about the synchronization rate between my character and Real Chris?’

As I was clicking my tongue internally, a System window popped up before my eyes. I’d been wondering why it had been so quiet.

[A network connection error occurred due to the sudden spatial displacement.]

[The issue has been resolved, and you may now use the System without interruption.]

[We appreciate your understanding 🙏]

It seemed the System had briefly glitched because of my sudden fall into the Demon Realm.

But what was with that emoji? Had it been influenced by the chat window with Bead?

‘Honestly, this System is a surprisingly funny one.’