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After class, I went to the library.

To be honest, I don’t really like studying that much, but—

This world doesn’t have smartphones or game consoles.

With so little to entertain myself, all I can do is—

Level up my stats or copy abilities.

Those are my only options for leisure!

“Wow… it really is huge.”

The library affiliated with the academy is a towering ten-story building, each floor packed tight with books.

The variety of books available is vast: novels, essays, poetry, biographies, workbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, comic books, philosophy books, fairy tales, newspapers—all sorts you can think of; it’s easier to find what’s missing instead!

I have a lot of information about this world, but all of it is knowledge I picked up from playing the game.

So cross-checking is a must!

How much do the game and this world actually match?

If it’s just another world similar to the game, then my knowledge would be utterly useless.

“My understanding has already been hit by more than a couple of unexpected twists compared to the original.”

For starters, history.

The invasion of monsters from the Demon World began about a thousand years ago when the ‘Time Rift’ opened up out of nowhere, and the monsters poured out around that time.

That era was one of chaos.

There weren’t any systematic responses like hero parties or tenfold strikes, and many nations met their doom in that crisis.

Death became routine as people died and died again.

Eventually, humanity started to fight back.

At the front of that counterattack was the first hero, Aegis.

The noble spirit of the first hero wanting to save humanity manifested into reality, creating the world’s first Unique Ability.

Under his lead, the number of Unique Ability users gradually increased.

Humanity began to resist the demonic monsters from the Demon World.

After being driven to despair, humanity succeeded in pushing the demon race back into the Demon World.

“And here we are today…”

This part matches the game’s storyline perfectly.

“Is there anything different?”

I want to find information related to the Demon World as much as possible—

“Demon World… Demon World… Found it!”

[Records of Past Demon Kings]

The first appearance of the Demon King was about a thousand years ago when the first hero drove back the demon monsters, and the demon race was heavily retreating.

They devised a certain strategy.

This was to entice humans to their side.

Of course, humans wouldn’t ally with the demon race that was trying to annihilate them.

So they dug into human weaknesses.

Unique Abilities manifest from human emotions, and they infiltrated and corrupted the powers and bodies through negative emotions.

Thus, the first Seven Demon Kings were born.

They hesitated to show their corrupted, ugly faces and wore masks instead.

They would later be known as the rulers of the demon race, the Demon Kings.

The first hero, Aegis, began to be pushed back by the now powerful Demon Kings and their legions.

“…Isn’t this about the Executors? Those guys are the Demon Kings?”

The ones who helped him were the Astra clan and the Clorind clan.

The Clorind clan worshipped the God of Sun and Time, Diannos. They were born with strong mental powers and had the ability to control time.

The Astra clan believed in the God of Fate and Space, Asteria. They were born with mighty magical powers and possessed the ability to dominate space.

“Clorind… wasn’t Ariel’s territory Clorind? Then are they Ariel’s descendants?”

The Astra clan…

All perished in the war against the demon race…

Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen a character in the game with the last name ‘Astra.’

“Hmm… I really can’t remember.”

They formed the first hero party in the world to help Aegis.

One by one, they defeated the Seven Demon Kings.

The weakened Demon Kings, having lost their powers, hid their last strength in their personal belongings before fading away.

Those demon followers who worshipped the obliterated Demon Kings appeared to resurrect them in the human realm…

“That has to be the Sacred Relics.”

I know about this.

In the game “Eternal Fantasy,” this is exactly what the Masked Demon is searching for.

Executor of Gluttony, Alastor—’Corrupted Skull.’

Executor of Sloth, Astaroth—’Frozen Incense Burner.’

Executor of Lust, Lilith—’Heart Pierced by Black Thorns.’

Executor of Jealousy, Igares—’Sword Wound by Sea Serpents.’

Executor of Greed, Baphomet—’Broken Cross.’

They use these to awaken the Demon Kings.

The problem is, the humans aren’t aware of the existence of the Sacred Relics.

Even if they’re vessels holding power,

This book doesn’t mention what those Sacred Relics are either.

It’s information I’ve learned only by playing directly.

Therefore, if the Demon Kings are resurrected, we’d be completely helpless unless I create trusted companions to protect myself.

I could find out this part in the game, but—

The Sacred Relics of the Executor of Wrath, Murkibel, and the Executor of Pride, Paimon, haven’t been disclosed.

“So that’s the tricky part…”

Given my copy ability, it seems the Demon King coming next is indeed Satan.

The other Demon Kings are surprisingly straightforward.

If I succeed in stopping the Executors from finding the Sacred Relics, I could clear the game early without facing the Demon King.

However, Wrath ‘Satan’ and Pride ‘Lucifer’ are different.

The vessels for their resurrection haven’t been revealed.

To clear the game, I have no choice but to strengthen myself and invade the Demon World to defeat the Demon Kings.

“One thing. There’s a point that worries me…”

It’s the incident that occurred during the academy entrance exam, the Holy Kingdom disaster.

Deep underground in the Holy Kingdom lies the ‘Broken Cross’ sealed away.

To prevent the battle with Greed ‘Mamon,’ I absolutely need to protect that Sacred Relic.

If Baphomet attacked to retrieve that Sacred Relic, that would make sense…

“Crazy… what in the world is going on?”

So who will the Demon King appearing this time actually be?

I can’t believe I want to imagine it, but what if all seven Demon Kings resurrect?

“…That wouldn’t be true, would it?”

Then we’d really be in deep trouble.

If that’s the case, I’ve got a mountain of work ahead.

I need to find the hidden Sacred Relics quicker than each Executor and either seal or destroy them.

But hold on…

Not just one, but all seven Demon Kings?

Unless the First Hero Party comes back, that’s an absolute impossibility.

“No matter how extreme the difficulty is, it can’t be that jerkish.”

I decided to stop my wild thoughts and closed the book.

Looking out the window, I saw the sunset.

“Already… dinner time? Huh? Is that…?”

Turning my head, I spotted Siel reading a book in the corner.

“…”

Our eyes met.

Her gaze was still cold.

“Hey.”

To my greeting, Siel just stared at me, saying nothing.

“What book are you reading?”

Then Siel quickly turned her head away, avoiding my gaze.

She concealed her face behind the book.

“Um… this book is…”

With my excellent eyesight, I read what was written on the book’s title.

What kind of book is that… “99 Ways to Please a Man…?”

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU READING?!”

My voice burst out loudly, surprising everyone in the library, including the librarian.

“…I’m sorry…”

After bowing my head and apologizing to those around me, I turned back to Siel.

“Wait, where’d she go?”

Thud.

Just then, Siel suddenly appeared beside me, grabbing my hand.

Then she dragged me out of the library.

“W-Wait, where are you taking me?!”

To my question, Siel remained silent as ever.

But when I looked closely at her face, it had turned slightly red.

We arrived at a small resting area where I first met Siel.

Since it was already well past school hours, no one was left there.

“Why did you pull me out here…?”

Siel tried to speak but ended up swallowing nervously instead.

“…I’m ready…”

“…Ready for what?”

Her face was flushed as she struggled to voice her thoughts.

“Gruwein doesn’t break promises…”

“Promise… promise? Ah!”

Now that I think about it, we did make a bet last time.

During a training bout, she did say—

“I said I’d never lose.”

At that, Siel flinched.

Yeah, if I win our duel…

“That’s right, I told her. Since I lost, I’ll let you do whatever you want…”

“Um?!! N-No, wait! What are you doing?!”

The shocking scene that unfolded before my eyes was—

Siel throwing off her school uniform and undoing the buttons on her blouse!

“What the hell are you doing! Are you crazy?!”

Even if no one’s around—

I mean, I’m here! What do you think you’re doing!?

Then Siel, suppressing tears that seemed ready to burst, said—

“But… but this is what guys want… only beasts want this…”

Wait, are you really doing this because you lost to me?

You think I’d want this…?

“Are you an idiot?! Seriously? Who believes such ridiculous crap?!”

Who do you think I am, some beast driven by lust?!

“My father said so…”

“Stop talking nonsense and put that back on right now!”

I could get torn apart by that guy!

 

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