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228. The Last of the Festival (2)

A few days had passed since the incredible incident at the Magical Banquet.

Thanks to the golems, the Ruined Village was quickly restored, and they were able to regain their original happy village.

The Shopping District resurrected in an instant, and businesses resumed. The village returned to its ordinary bustling state, and people regained their sense of security.

Although the festival they had prepared with so much effort had turned to dust, they were thankful to be alive.

Thanks to the swift response from the academic staff, they were safe, and an unidentified demon had destroyed a meteor, ensuring the safety of the continent.

– Did you see the newspaper today? Princess Mirona was escorted to the capital today.

– In reality, she was dragged there. What kind of suffering does a young girl like her have to endure because of her father?

– Who would have thought the Emperor would turn out to be such a person? What crime did that bloodline commit?

However, with the news that had recently circulated, the merchants expressed their regrets as they went about their business.

The chief culprit of all the incidents at the Magical Banquet was Emperor Kamain.

More precisely, it was the Demon King who had possessed the Emperor’s body, putting countless dignitaries’ lives at risk.

Although there were no casualties, it was enraging that the continent nearly faced destruction because of one individual.

Taking advantage of the Emperor’s absence, an investigation was conducted, revealing the corruption and conspiracies that had been carried out all this time to the whole world.

People were astonished to learn that the plans to ruin the Magical Banquet had been years in the making.

– So this was all part of a deliberate plan to bring about the world’s destruction.

– They secretly colluded with the Beastman Tribe beyond our borders, who are our enemies!

– So that’s why those thoughtless Beastmen caused chaos in the village during the festival.

That guy Makia had been slowly building his scheme since the moment he possessed the Emperor’s body.

As it became clear that he had been manipulating the Doomsday cult from behind the scenes, the people’s anger grew even stronger.

Many had been harmed by that sinister group.

– Shouldn’t we execute everyone related to the Emperor?

– Hey, that might be going too far.

– But most of them were involved, right? It seems that people like Karis and Meloin also collaborated to bring in the Beastmen.

– So does that mean that Princess Mirona should be executed too?

– …

With many people wanting executions, there couldn’t be better bait for the nobles who were eyeing the Emperor’s position.

Especially with so many citizens outraged, conducting public executions of those who were involved with the Emperor would be easier under the guise of cleaning up.

They were envious of Kamain’s status as a Sage Monarch, and now was the time to erase all traces of him.

Moreover, executing on a grand scale could present a good opportunity to bolster their own positions.

Of course, this included Princess Mirona.

– But that’s out of the question! I hear Duke Chain Silver is right next to her.

– Plus, both Saints are supposedly out on a trip with the Princess to the capital, right?

– Hahaha! That makes it impossible!

– Is there any point in executing innocent people?

However, using Mirona as a political tool had become a distant dream.

The Saints, who held power equal to the royal family, and the Chain Silver family, currently the most powerful faction in the Empire, were protecting the Princess.

Moreover, the nobles who had been trying to intimidate the princess backed off, terrified by the gaze of a white-haired young man who stood next to Mirona.

– People blinded by approval ratings. Serves them right!

– This is why you shouldn’t become a noble. We should live moderately like us.

– Is that so?

– Hahaha!

While the villagers chatted and laughed, a guest arrived.

A girl with pink hair like cherry blossoms and a small stature, always fluttering about in her school uniform.

The girl requested supplies to buy materials for her magic assignment, and the merchants spoke to her kindly.

– Little lady, what do you need?

As soon as the merchant spoke, a fellow merchant immediately admonished him to take it back.

Only then did the merchant realize his mistake.

He should never have called this girl “little.”

Bang! –

Suddenly, a large explosion went off right in the middle of the shopping district.

*

“I really don’t understand. Where do they see a ‘little’ in me?!”

The genius mage, Mary Ryudshiel, walked down the street with her arms drooping.

She had gone to buy supplies and heard the merchant call her “little lady.”

What he meant as a light greeting sounded like a grave insult in Mary’s ears.

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to stomp around and throw a fit.

As the guards rushed in due to the explosion, she quickly escaped with flying magic.

“But those merchants must remember my face.”

Once again, a point penalty was certain.

She would surely get over ten points, and if she hadn’t been at the top, she would have likely been held back.

“Sigh… Why am I behaving like this?”

With a sigh that felt like the ground was about to swallow her, Mary sat down on a nearby bench.

Was she truly that small? She had pondered this question hundreds of times.

She had compared herself with her friends while looking in the mirror, and she had measured her height several times.

In fact, she knew the truth all along.

She was a short little girl.

But she didn’t want to accept it.

“I’m the same age as Jenny and Crona…”

Everyone else had grown past the average height upon turning 17, but she was still the same as those in elementary school.

It was as if nothing had changed since her elementary days.

“Aaaaah! I’m so angry! Bug! Where’s a bug?!”

Sitting in her chair, flailing her arms and legs while yelling, Mary attracted quite a few puzzled looks from the villagers, as if they were wondering, “What is wrong with her?”

In times like this, bugs were the best remedy.

And enjoying a novel record would relieve all her stress.

Yes, just forget everything! Reset her thoughts and start fresh!

Just then, she spotted a line of ants carrying a grasshopper’s carcass on the ground.

Seeing that, Mary reached out her hand to grab it.

“Is that tasty?”

“Yes! It’s super delicious! Huh?”

Suddenly, someone sat down next to her and struck up a conversation.

Not feeling any approach at all, Mary turned her head with great suspicion.

“Hello there, little one.”

“Huh?! You are—!”

Mary was taken aback the moment she saw the woman’s face.

The being who should absolutely not be here… the Spirit King of Life, Shaikar.

Technically, it was her avatar and not the true entity, but her existence was still astonishing.

“How did you get here? More importantly, you just called me ‘little’ again!?”

“Fufu, don’t get too angry, Mary. It’s basically the truth anyway.”

“Ugh!”

As Shaikar spoke bluntly, Mary bit her lip in frustration.

She wanted to unleash explosive magic again, but the other was the Spirit King.

If she acted carelessly, she could bring danger upon herself due to the forces of spirits led by her.

“Auntie, how did you come here? I thought you’d exhausted your power?”

“You heard, right? Your Student Council President was taken to the capital.”

“Oh, you mean our comrade Mirona?”

“I originally made the avatar to watch over her…”

In her previous life, Mirona was the foster daughter of Shaikar, known as Saint Maria.

Thinking she might fall victim to human politics this time too, she hastily created the avatar.

But it was unnecessary; she was already under the protection of a powerful force.

However, since the avatar had already been made, she wandered around Aligieri out of boredom.

“I just happened to get here. When I can walk around, I should take the opportunity to do so.”

And Aligieri’s ground was filled with mysterious life energy. Just stepping on it felt like it was replenishing her strength.

She had even used that power to raise the full moon in the night sky before.

“Why don’t you ask me if you have concerns? I’ll listen to anything.”

“Really?”

“Of course, just go ahead and say it.”

Mary needed someone to unload her current worries upon.

Even though it was a distant being, Shaikar could surely help.

“Please make me taller!”

At that bold declaration, Shaikar’s expression turned blank, and a chilling silence overtook the conversation.

After the sound of crows flying away faded, she finally managed to respond with a smile.

“Hahaha! So you’re finally admitting you’re ‘little,’ huh?”

“Ugh…”

“But I’m curious. What brought on such a concern?”

Having lived for 17 years, Mary had never wished for anything like that from anyone.

She had felt attractive even in her current state, and had never envied her taller friends.

But strangely, recently, that feeling had been growing within her.

“I want to look good in front of my friend.”

“Friend?”

“My one and only friend.”

That friend was certainly not just some girl to hang out with.

Having observed Mary for many years, Shaikar could see it in her expression.

It was undoubtedly about a boy. And that boy was none other than…

“Are you perhaps interested in that Spirit Mage?”

“Actually, I don’t want to call him my friend anymore. Because…”

Now she wanted to call him “my dear.” Adding that, Shaikar smiled with intrigue.

“Radon Crawler… do you like him?”

“Yes! I really like him! I’m going to make him my husband soon!”

“Oh… I see.”

A normally shy girl in love would be blushing at this moment.

However, observing Mary act the opposite of that, Shaikar wore a reluctant expression.

Among the wild ones she had seen, this one was nothing short of extraordinary.

“But that friend of yours has a lot of other friends. There’s Jenny, Luthis, and even Saint Nebia has been sticking around lately.”

“You’re the same with your friends, aren’t you?”

“That’s true. But it feels like he’s the only one avoiding me.”

The reason for his avoidance was obvious. Anyone would hesitate to get close to Mary, who would unleash magic at the slightest misunderstanding.

At least Radon Crawler seemed like a saint for being willing to stick around her.

However, Mary also knew she had qualities that made her worthy of being liked.

Despite possessing the power of a Demon King, she hadn’t mentally been overpowered, and she had witnessed her humanity during the fight with the knight Luthis.

“I’m not lacking in charm either.”

“That’s true. You are certainly attractive. Your charm is alive and well at this moment.”

“Really?”

Mary’s eyes sparkled at the compliments she had long wanted to hear.

She was indulging in the sweet words she always craved, but soon the words that followed were hard to digest.

“But you have to admit your flaws. Otherwise, you can’t bring out your true charm.”

“Flaws…?”

“For example, you get really angry every time someone calls you ‘little.’ Can’t you fix that?”

“But that’s a… no, that’s not a lie… it’s not…”

She was short. A little girl. It was not a lie but a straightforward fact, and she could not refute it.

Yet she didn’t want to acknowledge it, so she had been distorting her memories and acting out violently.

How could her mindset still be so childish?

What kind of man would ever fall for a girl like this?

“Yes, you’ll admit it. You can do it. If you don’t, that guy will run away and abandon you.”

“That can’t happen!”

As Mary cried out, seemingly sensitive, Shaikar sternly replied.

“Then face reality! Humans are creatures of courage. With that courage, they can overcome any harsh reality that comes their way.”

Even though being called ‘little’ was a reality, it didn’t mean there wasn’t a way to overcome it.

To build that foundation, one must first start by recognizing the truth.

“Alright, can you do it?”

“Yes… yes!”

Thus, the Spirit King of Life and the future Demon King gripped each other’s hands.

It felt as though they were sharing a toast beneath a peach tree.

Within her steadfast expression, Shaikar thought to herself.

‘This is actually more fun than I thought?’

*

The newspaper department was finally operating again after a long hiatus.

With a mountain of backlogged news articles, ten hands would not be enough.

The Princess and the two Saints had gone out on a trip to the capital, and Lyman had also received permission from the department head to accompany them.

There would be no trouble for the girls as long as Lyman was around. Unlike the main story.

“Ah… my arms are going to fall off.”

I tapped on my writing tablet, stretching out my wrists.

I felt like I was a prolific author.

“Radon, this isn’t the time to be resting. Do you know how many exclusive stories are flooding in at the Academy right now?”

“Of course I know. There was even a statement released wishing that the Princess wouldn’t become a political pawn. Do you have any idea how much trouble I had covering those guys?”

“You’re not the only one, everyone here had the same struggle, so stop whining.”

“Yes~ yes~”

Even Trisha, the head of the newspaper department, seemed busy, only saying what was necessary and then falling silent.

Last time, the novel I submitted for a Nobel Record received such good reviews that I also needed to write up an explanatory note about it.

If I were judged at the review meeting, they’d outright scoff and say, “Is this even a piece of work?” But who would have thought the citizens would actually like it?

‘Did I just throw in that ninja plot for no reason?’

Just thinking about the fox mask was getting on my nerves.

The ninja of slaughter could freeze to death.

Suddenly—

A girl barged into the newspaper office.

“Excuse me.”

When I saw it was Mary coming in, I felt greatly disappointed.

Moreover, she was wearing the fox mask again.

What kind of prank was she planning while we were busy?

“Mary, what brings you here? We’re busy, so keep it short.”

Yes, at that moment, Trisha’s statement matched our thoughts perfectly.

This time, Trisha seemed so reliable, as if she were our protective shield.

“I came to tell you something.”

“…?”

I tilted my head at what Mary said.

She had acted out of character plenty of times, but when had she ever spoken so politely and intellectually?

It was Mary, who usually acted like a lunatic even in the prestigious Unique Hall.

“I…”

Mary slowly removed her mask and continued.

“I accept that I’m short!”

….

….

Silence fell.

Everyone couldn’t handle the shock and was silent.

Did I misunderstand what I just heard?

Then came an enormous commotion.

“I was a little girl!”

The busy activities of the newspaper members abruptly halted.

Even the usually composed Trisha was wide-eyed and suddenly frozen in place.

The atmosphere felt as if time had stopped.

I too found it hard to open my mouth…

『….』

『….』

Even those spirits in my head blinked and seemed confused.

“Vi… vi…”

Soon, Trisha shook her hands.

Then, she jerked up from her seat and shouted.

“Emergency!!”

Immediately, the other members rushed out, shouting the same.

“Quick, let the professor and department head know!”

“What unfolded resembled a civil defense drill… no, it was a scene akin to a real-life crisis.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer!

 

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