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“One-act play?”

My voice was tinged with displeasure.

Now I understood. Elizabeth’s incomprehensible actions.

“Yes. It’s a one-act play. I prepared it for you, Instructor… Did you not like it?”

Elizabeth studied my expression for a long while before tilting her head in confusion.

“That’s surprising. I thought you would enjoy it.”

“Are you saying that with sincerity?”

My voice dropped low.

Elizabeth’s eyes blinked rapidly.

“…If you were uncomfortable, I apologize. Did you want something stronger? But please understand that I had considerable political burdens to consider today. I still lack the power to actively criticize the First Prince—”

“I’m not trying to say that.”

I took a step closer to Elizabeth.

At the same time, Elizabeth took a step back. She was startled by her own unintentional retreat.

But this was an outdoor terrace, and there was no way out behind her. Elizabeth had nowhere to go.

“So, you called me all the way out here just to show me this?”

Inviting me to the ball room where I had no reason to go.

Publicly humiliating me under the watchful eyes of the First Prince.

“Were you hoping I would enjoy watching that guy’s twisted face? Did you think I would find fulfillment in vengeance?”

“…Instructor?”

“Don’t call me that. The one who suggested we change titles was you.”

Elizabeth’s long eyelashes fluttered nervously.

“…Wolf, sir.”

It seemed that with that brief exchange, she understood my intention. At this moment, I would not regard her as a student.

With such good intellect, she committed such actions. This level of wasted talent was lamentable.

I continued in a considerably cooler voice.

“I don’t know how much you know about me, but you’ve greatly misjudged. Do you think I came here just to see the First Prince’s ugly face?”

“I merely… out of goodwill toward you—”

“Did I ever ask you for that?”

Elizabeth’s mouth clamped shut.

She had nothing to say. It was all true.

Everything was unbearably unpleasant.

“Have I ever asked you to take revenge on my behalf? Is this what your brilliant mind could come up with?”

And the displeasure slowly morphed into anger.

I stepped forward once more.

Elizabeth retreated to the edge of the railing, but there was no further place to back away.

It was as if we were face-to-face in the ball room again, but the atmosphere was starkly different from just a moment ago.

“Whether it’s revenge or forgiveness, I will decide that. If you thought I would genuinely enjoy handing that over to someone else, let alone a student… I’m truly disappointed.”

“Ah…”

There was absolutely no reason for me to be at the ball room. Why would I willingly step into a place filled with unpleasant memories and uncomfortable faces?

Yet, the reason I had come here was due to a student’s request. Because I thought it was my duty as an instructor.

But Elizabeth had repaid my goodwill in the worst possible way.

…By digging into the past of Ion Graham.

Elizabeth treated me not as her instructor, but as Ion Graham, the Faceless Hero.

So my attitude toward her was clear as well.

“Ah, huff— haah…!”

This was my first time genuinely exuding murderous intent toward a student.

The always composed Elizabeth, sporting an enigmatic smile, was now trembling, wrapped in her shoulders, with a terrified expression.

“Instructor… I can’t breathe…!”

Had she forgotten that she wasn’t supposed to call me that? Her complexion was pale to the point of being blue as she clutched her chest tightly.

“Hah…! Huff…! Haah…!”

Her small lips parted wide, gasping for air, yet her fear-stricken body wouldn’t respond to her will.

Just before she was about to choke, I withdrew my murder intent.

“Cough…! Cough, cough!”

Elizabeth sank weakly to her knees, sitting on the floor as she struggled to catch her breath. Her silvery hair and luxurious party dress dragged on the ground, getting dirty, but neither I nor Elizabeth cared about that.

With her reddened eyes from fear and lack of oxygen, she looked up at me and said.

“Instructor, I… I just wanted to repay you—!”

Right now, any words were nothing but excuses.

And this was not a situation where I would listen to anything.

I left Elizabeth on the terrace and jumped down below. Though it was about five stories high, it was nothing for me.

I could hear Elizabeth’s voice calling me from above, but I didn’t even turn back.

Thud!

I landed in some nameless garden.

I wandered aimlessly, not knowing my destination.

Inside the Imperial Palace, wherever I went, the palace that had no visible owner showed itself, and when I looked up, only the thick darkness filled the sky.

It was suffocating.

I wanted to break everything.

I had seen too many things I didn’t want to see lately. I had recalled too many things I didn’t want to remember. Today, that had reached a breaking point.

If I killed the damned First Prince who snatched Charlotte away, and the Emperor who had been a bystander to it all, swept away the Royal Guards and the army that were coming at me, and slaughtered everyone in this Imperial Palace, would it become a bit better?

If I killed everything that was displeasing, troublesome, and annoying, and wiped it all out as I pleased, would this impulse settle down?

If I allowed my fury to reduce this Imperial Palace, this Empire, and this world to mere ashes…

…What would that make me different from the Demon King whom I so despised?

“Ugh!”

Thump—!

My heart raced violently. Along with a squeezing pain, a dark energy rose slowly from my empty magic circuits.

In an instant, I felt dizzy and pressed my hand against the wall to steady my breath. But the once awoken impulse began rampaging within me as if it wanted to unleash everything that had been repressed until now.

The moment I regained my senses, dark magic was already swirling like mist around my whole body.

The grass beneath my feet quickly began to wither. The air contaminated with dark magic scattered the aura of death all around. The once bright and beautiful garden of the Imperial Palace transformed into a land of death moment by moment.

“Composure…!”

Maintain your composure…!

Ion Graham.

A voice echoed from deep within.

Become the Demon King.

It was a familiar voice.

The one I had killed with these hands, now the only will remaining.

The voice that incessantly urged me.

You are no longer human. You know that, don’t you?

“Shut that mouth!!”

It should not penetrate. I must not be swept up.

The more I respond to that voice, the less I can maintain my composure.

I can’t remain as myself.

Long ago, the words left by the Sword Master flashed through my mind.

‘Shake off the anger. Only then can you die as a human.’

The words of the Great Warrior also came to mind.

‘Faceless Hero. If you can’t end your current self, you will one day become a fire that burns the world. If that moment seems likely, come find me. I will honorably end it for you.’

I will let go.

Let go of the anger.

Let go of the resentment.

Let go of the sorrow.

“Grrgh…!!”

I’m fed up with this now.

I want to be happy.

I don’t ask for anything grand. Even something small is fine. I just want to feel the joy of daily life that lets me live one more day.

I wish for a little happiness where I can remain as myself.

Let’s burn the world together, Ion Graham.

I will not listen.

I will remain human.

I will not destroy the world the few precious ones I have tried to protect sought after, the world where they lived.

I desperately suppressed the pulsation of my heart that was squeezing out dark magic. Yet the dark magic that had risen like mist was already raging around me like a storm.

It’s fine. This much is nothing. Haven’t I managed it alone countless times?

In the thick darkness surrounding me, I fought to suppress the rampaging dark magic as if we were in a contest of strength. But restraining the force that had already started rampaging was as difficult as rebuilding a collapsed dam with human hands.

Thus far, I had opened a small side door with Ezetus, but this time, the main gate had been completely destroyed. It would take time to quell it again.

And during that time, the Imperial Palace would turn into a land of death.

That cannot happen. I needed to escape somewhere far away and calm down in a deserted place.

But at that moment.

Pwah—!

In a place where only darkness existed, a beam of light burst forth. And it approached me without hesitation.

The person wrapped in that light was someone I was very familiar with.

“Hah…!”

“…Charlotte?”

Charlotte was wobbling like a small boat caught in a storm, in the immense density of dark magic, looking like a flickering light that might extinguish at any moment.

But in the end, Charlotte came close and clasped my hand tightly.

Only light filled my vision.

 

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