With Korone, the person they had been pursuing, Hiroshi, and everything else, Akuto did not get much sleep. He was a natural worrier, so he could only lie blankly in his room in the lodging facility. If Korone had been with him, she would have teased him regardless of what happened. Akuto realized that she had helped him out a lot with his past worries, but it now only made him all the more aware of her absence.

This vicious cycle wore him out and he began dozing off as dawn approached, but he was suddenly awoken by Junko early in the morning.

“You fool! What have you done!? Look out to the front of the lodging facility! The villagers are calling for you!”

Akuto jumped out of bed when he heard that.

Junko seemed to have come as is after waking up because she was wearing a T-shirt and track pants. The look on her face told him the situation had begun to develop in an odd direction.

Akuto immediately recalled what had happened the day before. The villagers were likely angry about what had happened with Yukiko.

“What a pain… But I suppose I was in the wrong.”

“You idiot! What did you do!?”

“It wasn’t my fault…but I think they’ve made a misunderstanding.”

He looked at the clock. It was 5 in the morning. He walked out into the pa.s.sageway to find Mitsuko-sensei and Hiroshi.

“What’s this? Some kind of riot? Maybe a big riot on a small island would be fun. …Or maybe not.”

Either because she had just woken up or because of her natural lack of morals, Mitsuko-sensei seemed quite excited. Meanwhile, Hiroshi’s expression was stiff and he was doing his best not to look Akuto in the eye.

—This isn’t good…

Akuto was feeling a bit depressed, but he was never lacking when it came to a sense responsibility or justice. He truly felt sorry for what he had done and decided to go apologize.

“I will explain the situation to the villagers. They should understand then. I cannot allow them to cause a commotion.”

“I think this is enough of a commotion already,” joked Mitsuko-sensei.

Hiroshi’s expression grew even darker, but he spoke to Akuto as he tried to move past Hiroshi.

“Aniki, I’m sorry the people of my hometown are doing this…”

“Don’t worry about it. After what I did, it isn’t surprising they’re mistaken about what happened. But I’m sure they’ll understand once I speak with them.”

Akuto walked toward the front door. However, he realized just how abnormal the situation was when he caught a glimpse outside the hallway window.

Approximately twenty villager men stood around the entrance. They were all middle-aged to elderly. Every single one of them held either a shotgun or large knife. They all had bloodshot eyes and abnormal expressions. However, Akuto could tell these expressions were based in fear, not a desire to fight.

—They’re scared… But that’s all the more reason I need to solve this misunderstanding.

Akuto gulped.

He had to prepare himself. These people were so scared no one could say what they would do. If he only had to worry about himself, he would not be too worried, but he could not let this cause problems for those around him. And even if he could handle physical damage, the mental damage was hard to bear.

He resolved himself and opened the door. He was met with a great muttering and many gazes.

The ring around the entrance spread out.

“I am Sai Akuto, a first year from Constant Magic Academy. You are here about last night, aren’t you?” began Akuto.

A man of about 40 who seemed to be their representative stepped forward with a shotgun resting on his shoulder. His hair was close-cropped and he was well built, but there was obvious tension in his step.

“Are you the one who attacked a child from the village?”

“If you are talking about the girl named Yukiko, then I am the one you want. However, I did not actually attack her. I only startled her a bit, thinking she was someone else.”

“Thinking she was someone else? You make that sound like nothing. Yukiko was crying and she called you a demon king.”

“Only the words of a child,” replied Akuto. When the villagers began muttering amongst themselves, he realized that may not have been the best thing to say. “No, I am only saying that no demon king exists. That was just a childish delusion.”

Akuto was simply trying to gloss over the issue, but his desire to make himself look good and his clear voice made the others think he was boldly proclaiming it.

Yet the man with the close-cropped hair did not back down.

“W-wait… That makes no sense. You were predicted to become a demon king in the future, weren’t you? And those predictions have never been wrong. How is that a delusion?”

“The prediction itself is a delusion. All of you are simply being manipulated. I have heard the prediction concerning this island. That is what you are afraid of, isn’t it? But as you can see, I am nothing more than a student. I do not have that much power.”

The villagers fell silent at that. When he stated it with such conviction, there was nothing they could say. And it was true that Akuto was nothing more than a boy with a slightly better than average build. This pleased Akuto.

“I of course apologize for what happened. It was indeed me who made Yukiko-chan cry. I am very sorry.”

Akuto gave a deep bow.

When he went that far, the tension surrounding the villagers began to lessen. The man with the close-cropped hair must have decided Akuto could actually be spoken with because he asked a question with a somewhat gentle expression.

“Sorry for putting it this way, but a lot of the students at your school are nothing but thugs. There have been a few commotions during past beach field trips. That’s why we were already on our guard. And then we were told someone known as a demon king would be coming. But I don’t see how someone you can have a normal conversation with could be a demon king. The people of the village will still be concerned though. Now that they think the demonic beast from the prediction is real, that isn’t too surprising.”

“If they have some form of evidence, I can see why. Did something happen?” asked Akuto to further eliminate the tension.

“Yesterday, people said they heard roars coming from the lake the legend says the demonic beast comes from. There were also reports of extremely isolated earthquakes. And for a while now, people claim to have seen a suspicious man walking around. But it seems that man was not you. When that man pa.s.ses by, people say they hear a strange noise and get a headache.”

That man sounded familiar to Akuto. He decided the misunderstanding would be easier to deal with if he told them the truth.

“If you rationally inspect these incidents, I think you will find they all have different causes. As for the suspicious man, I may have seen him too. I was pursuing someone last night. It was that pursuit that Yukiko-chan was accidentally involved in.”

“So that’s it.”

“I too am worried about this man. I will help in any way I can.”

Akuto smiled at the man with the close-cropped hair and the man smiled back.

“I like the sound of help from an excellent student who knows a lot about magic. I hope you can-…”

Just as the man reached out for a handshake, a high-pitched voice cried out from within the group of villagers.

“Liar! He’s lying! If there’s no demon king, there’s no hero either!”

It was Yukiko’s voice. She pushed her way past the adults’ legs and glared at Akuto.

“Eh?”

Akuto was confused, but the villagers only laughed.

“Ha ha ha ha! Oh, that’s right, that’s right. If there was a demon king, then there would have to be a hero, wouldn’t there!? But that also means no demon king means no hero.”

The man with the close-cropped hair rubbed Yukiko’s head as he said that. Yukiko listened with a frustrated expression. She looked as if she could start crying at any moment.

Akuto was visibly puzzled, so the villagers explained.

“Her family seems to think that her older brother is the predicted hero.”

“But none of us believe it. Sorry, but he just isn’t the type.”

“He’s just so weak.”

“Yeah, he’s no hero. He’s been a complete coward since he was little.”

“And he isn’t all that bright either.”

The villagers roared with laughter.

Yukiko began to cry. While sobbing, she raised a small voice of protest.

“Why do you all make fun of him…? He got into the magic academy, so he’s amazing… And once he makes something of himself, you’ll all gladly rely on him…”

She spoke so quietly that the villagers could not hear. However, Akuto heard her. It was possible his hearing had gotten better.

At any rate, Akuto grasped the complex situation.

“It isn’t right to laugh at people,” said Akuto.

He had meant it as a quiet voice, but all of the villagers turned toward him at once.

“Ah? Oh…did we make this uncomfortable for you?”

“Well, yes. You are laughing at someone who has left the island to do his very best.”

Akuto’s voice grew louder and deeper.

The villagers moved away from Akuto. This was not simply due to fear. The pressure around him had literally increased. Mana light burst out at his feet and instantaneously spread out in a ring. Power was leaking out because he was so worked up that he could not control it.

“W-wait… This was just a joke. Everyone talks about people behind their back like this. It’s a sign of affection…”

The villagers were obviously fl.u.s.tered.

“That is not what I am taking issue with. You talk about someone being weak while you yourselves are the weakest of all. You believe in the legend. However, you refuse to believe in the hero who says he will leave your village. You only believe in the demon king part of the legend and that makes you worried. If that is not weakness, then what is it!? You involve politics in your everyday lives. You always act as a group. You attack the timid first and try to curry favor with anyone who looks powerful. That is what I am taking issue with!” Akuto’s voice had raised to a shout at some point. And he was the type who could not stop himself once he got going. “This village will obviously be destroyed without anyone having to attack it! It p.i.s.ses me off that you bring weapons to confront a student yet you don’t even realize how laughable your cowardice is!”

Akuto grabbed the barrel of a nearby shotgun and pushed it out of the way, but the frightened man holding it reflexively pulled the trigger.

A blast rang out. The barrel had been pointed at Akuto’s gut. If a human body received that shot at close range, it would be left with a giant hole. However, this was Akuto. He shook slightly but was otherwise fine. Small pieces of lead fell to the ground from below where his shirt had been burned and torn.

“W-wah! He’s a monster!” shouted the villagers.

On top of that, the roar of a beast could be heard in the distance. This roar reminded Akuto of the demonic beast in the lake the villagers had mentioned. He did not know if the roar was actually produced by a demonic beast, but everyone there clearly heard it.

—Not good. I don’t know what that sound is, but this was the worst possible timing. This really makes it look like I’m a demon king!

Akuto finally calmed down. The villagers were frozen in place as they surrounded him. They clearly feared opposing him because they were trying to be as una.s.suming as possible in how they held their guns and knives. That was a bad omen. Even if they all charged at him at once, Akuto was confident he could neutralize them. However, he would have a hard time dealing with the situation if they all ran off at once.

—I really need stop taking things past the point of no return… Ahh, if only Korone was here. She could probably settle this for me.

That hopeless wish floated up in the back of his mind, but then help came from an unexpected place.

“P-please don’t…do anything to them,” said a voice behind Akuto.

Hiroshi walked out of the lodging facility entrance.

—Thank goodness. If Hiroshi stands up for them here and I give in, everything will be resolved.

Akuto breathed an internal sigh of relief.

Yukiko ran over to Hiroshi.

“Onii-chan! Help! You’re strong, right? You aren’t actually that demon king’s friend, right? You were only pretending so you could defeat him here on the island, right?” asked Yukiko while in tears.

The villagers looked toward Hiroshi as if to say “It couldn’t be…” or “Wait, really?”

Hiroshi was obviously unsure how to reply. His lack of confidence led him to fear the eyes of the villagers. For that reason, he could neither affirm nor deny what Yukiko had said. And yet clearly stating one or the other would prevent future sorrow for Yukiko.

—It’s because he acts like this!

Akuto could have given up here, but Hiroshi’s att.i.tude irritated him. The power still leaking from him began to whirl violently around him. This was the boy who had fought a 15 meter dragon barehanded. Only a very powerful person could approach him when he was p.i.s.sed.

And of course, Hiroshi was frightened. But this only further rubbed Akuto the wrong way.

He took a step toward Hiroshi. He was planning to speak his mind about how the other boy was acting. However, no one watching on thought he was simply going to speak his mind. It looked more like he was going to incinerate both Hiroshi and Yukiko until not even their bones remained.

“W-waaah!”

Hiroshi had either grown truly desperate or was simply trying to push Akuto away because he jabbed his right hand forward while holding Yukiko in his left arm. The hand struck Akuto in the chest.

It made a ridiculously soft sound, but that sound brought Akuto back to his senses.

—Oh, um… I’ve done it again. What do I do now? Oh, I know. I just have to lose the fight here!

Akuto thought this was an excellent idea.

“Y-you beat me,” said Akuto as he limply collapsed backwards. He closed his eyes and lay on the ground.

—That went well.

Akuto was the only one who thought the silence meant he had succeeded.

Then again, he had succeeded to defuse the situation. Just not in the way he had intended.

“Wh-what was that?”

“What a strange person.”

The villagers began to leave.

“I know what happened. The Miwa boy must have paid someone with powerful magic.”

“Oh, so the attack on his sister was an act, too?”

“I bet all of this was.”

They were all saying things like that.

—H-huh? Wait. This isn’t good. I get the feeling I did something inexcusable to Hiroshi.

Akuto opened his eyes.

He first saw Yukiko running off in tears.

Hiroshi looked over at Akuto who was still collapsed on the ground. Akuto received a direct look at the tears in Hiroshi’s eyes. He saw an unexplainable expression on his face. Akuto had never before seen the look in his eyes. It was a look he wanted to forget as soon as possible but that he doubted he could ever forget. Every time he recalled it, he was filled with regret.

However, Akuto and Hiroshi’s gazes only met for an instant. Despite being out in the open, Hiroshi shed tears as he ran away after Yukiko.

—c.r.a.p…

Akuto had felt regret a few times already on this beach field trip, but this was by far the worst.

“You fool! You have done something truly horrible!”

Junko slapped Akuto. He had been punched and kicked before, but this was the first time he had received a slap filled with such emotion.

“I…regret what I did.”

Akuto’s head hung down. Junko raised the corners of her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

“If you can regret it now, why did you let your feelings explode back then? They may have made a misunderstanding, but those villagers meant no harm. There is nothing wrong with protesting on the behalf of one of their children. The problem here is that you so thoroughly insist on doing the right thing that you cannot forgive the weak!”

“I know that… I know that now. I didn’t before though. It’s hard to explain…” said Akuto as he kept his gaze on the ground.

The villagers had left after finding it all to be laughable. Keena had pursued Hiroshi and Akuto trusted she would bring him back. Akuto was in his room at the lodging facility being lectured by Junko.

“You mean you do not understand how the weak feel, don’t you? I suppose you wouldn’t!”

“No…I understand…or I try to. I grew up poor in an orphanage and have been surrounded by plenty of misfortune.”

Akuto seemed truly depressed, so Junko found it hard to say any more. She placed a hand on her head, looked away from him, and began speaking as if it was not her problem.

“According to my father, those undergoing training become unable to forgive the weak. And you never had a tolerant personality to begin with.”

“I’m intolerant?” asked Akuto in a serious tone of voice.

Junko gave a bitter smile and replied, “You always insist that people must do the right thing. How is that tolerant?”

“Oh… I see.”

Akuto brought a hand to his chin as if he had never realized that before.

Junko could not help but laugh.

“You idiot. Why are you listening to my lecture so diligently? This is not like you.”

“Don’t laugh. I think this is one of the areas where we are similar,” said Akuto.

This must have surprised Junko because her face reddened and she stopped moving. She then began speaking quietly while almost mumbling.

“Stop that. This is why I cannot just leave you be.”

Hearing that, Akuto nodded and said, “And I am always thankful for it.”

Junko completely froze in place now.

“I am t-trying to lecture you.”

“And that is what I am thankful for.”

“But then it does not feel like I am lecturing you. Couldn’t you at least cry a little?”

Junko intentionally raised her voice a bit.

“I am diligently listening. I thought that was best.”

“No, I think that is the problem. If you would be a little more defiant this would feel more worthwhile.”

“I can’t be defiant just because you tell me to.”

“I suppose not… I am done here. Just remember that you need to be more tolerant. You also need to apologize to Hiroshi later.” Junko cleared her throat and changed the subject. “By the way, I noticed Korone was not with you. If she had been there, this could have been dealt with more easily.”

Akuto’s expression grew grim. He then explained the situation to Junko.

“Seducing you? Dismissed? I see… I had thought she was acting oddly.”

Junko blushed when she recalled what had happened.

“A-anyway, I cannot forgive whoever did something so cruel. You should make an official objection to have her brought back.”

Akuto nodded, but then spoke.

“The seduction is one thing, but if her dismissal was decided politically, we have no choice but to go along with it. What am I supposed to do?”

Junko sighed and said, “Remember what you said about making sure everything went well?”

Akuto’s expression once more said he had only just realized this.

“Oh, you’re right. I did decide that, didn’t I? But this will make it look like I want to oppose the government. Can I never escape that?”

Akuto looked troubled, so Junko spoke lightly.

“When you possess great power, you take on responsibility to match. If you do not want to become a demon king, you need to keep up with your studies and become a central member of the government. But for now, just go apologize to Hiroshi.”

Junko then waved her hand as she left the room.

Meanwhile, Keena caught up with Hiroshi. He had not wanted to return to the village or the school lodging facility, so he had been forced to wander around the woods in the area. It was not surprising that he had been found so quickly.

“Hey, A-chan didn’t mean any harm.”

Keena walked behind Hiroshi whose head was drooping down.

“I already know that. And that’s what makes this so hard,” said Hiroshi sadly before sinking to the ground as if he was sick of walking. “I know it’s my fault for being weak. What aniki said was right and I understand why everyone laughs at me.”

“But Hiroshi-kun, you’re better at magic than me and you have more friends than me.”

Keena crouched down in front of Hiroshi.

“That’s not the issue. What I don’t like are the expectations placed on me. I’m not strong enough to live up to those expectations.”

“Expectations?”

“The village’s expectations for me are just too heavy. And…this may be an odd thing to say, but I hate justice,” said Hiroshi as he raised his head.

“Justice?”

Keena tilted her head in confusion.

“Or rather, I hate people who force their ideas of justice on others. Most of the people in the village are like that. It’s a small village, so they decide these strange rules that protect the village are what justice is. But those rules also cause a lot of friction in a small village like this.”

“Oh, I think I know what you mean.”

“That was why I wanted to become one of the people who makes those rules if I got stronger. …But I guess thinking about that is pointless when I’m this weak.”

Hiroshi gave a feeble smile.

“No. I think you’re plenty strong, Hiroshi-kun. But you’re kind, so you’re afraid of getting too strong and hurting others.”

Keena smiled.

Hiroshi looked away in embarra.s.sment.

“S-stop that. That isn’t true.”

“But it was because you’re strong and kind that you fought for A-chan, right? You even got hurt.”

“I only got hurt because I’m weak.”

“No. Wasn’t that because you didn’t want to hurt your opponent?”

“You’re overestimating me…”

“Eh? But you’re a hero, aren’t you?”

“I’m no hero. In fact, it’s because I don’t want to be one that-…” Hiroshi trailed off when he saw that Keena obviously wanted to say something. He then stood up as if he had just realized something. “Okay, I’ll prove to you how ridiculous that legend is. Come with me. I’ll take you to the location from the legend.”

Hiroshi then began walking.

Meanwhile back at the academy, Fujiko was awakened by a call from Junko. It was still seven in the morning.

Junko wanted her to look into Korone’s dismissal. Fujiko was in a bad mood after being woken up and she had almost no connection to Korone, so she had no reason to accept.

“I do not think so. Why would I do anything for that intrusion of a L’Isle-Adam?”

As soon as she complained, the person on the other end of the telepathic communication changed. This was Junko’s strategy.

“Akuto-sama!” Fujiko’s att.i.tude completely changed. “Yes! Right away! I will get to the bottom of this!”

Fujiko then headed to the underground palace.

“…and that is what happened.”

She informed Peterhausen about what Akuto had told her. Her own network could not tell her what was happening in the center of the government, so it would be faster to ask that dragon that possessed functions equivalent to a G.o.d. Peterhausen knew a lot about the world, but he could not provide an answer about anything besides a direct question because the amount of data was so great. Fujiko did not know if that was a problem of ability or personality, but she had grasped that characteristic while speaking with him.

“I cannot obtain logs on those in the center of the government.”

What he referred to as a log was the record of a human’s actions that was transmitted to their G.o.d via the mana in their brain. Those records allowed the G.o.ds to evaluate people’s actions. Peterhausen was the G.o.d of the black magicians who opposed that system. He held the capacity to take logs from any human.

“I thought you could access logs from anyone.”

“If I was currently able to do that, the government would have been long since overthrown. Followers must register with their G.o.d. That is known as a baptism. While a baptism is not needed to offer one’s log up to me, it is necessary that the person acknowledges me and is willing to provide me with that log.”

“So that is it…”

“Even so, rumors of my presence have spread. The logs are beginning to gather bit by bit. However, I have nothing from anyone who knows about Korone. In fact, even if I did know, I could not tell you.”

“Why not?” asked Fujiko.

Peterhausen grinned.

“I have the same duty as a G.o.d. To preserve people’s human rights, I am forbidden from telling anyone the contents of others’ logs.”

“That is surprising.”

“Black magicians insist on equality. They do not spy on or use these logs as the government does. You too are a black magician, aren’t you?”

“Two of my favorite terms are ‘underhanded’ and ‘emergency measures’.”

“What a troublesome girl… At any rate, was that your only question?”

“Yes. If you cannot help with Korone, I will investigate using my own network. On a more personal level, I suppose I would like to know more about Akuto-sama. With his power, I would think he could take control of that entire village.”

“Something along those same lines is concerning me.”

“Eh?” Fujiko was confused by Peterhausen’s strange att.i.tude. “There is something that concerns you?”

Peterhausen nodded.

“When I choose a master, I am giving that master the right to control me. I cannot act autonomously, but my current master does not intend to fully control me. That has left me incomplete.”

—Does that mean…!?

That explanation led a lot of things to click into place in Fujiko’s mind.

“So Akuto-sama will become a demon king when the desire to become one settles in his mind?” muttered Fujiko.

Peterhausen confirmed it.

“My master must make the decision to destroy the current system and construct a new order. That is the moment I am waiting for.”

—That will be the moment when the demon king is born!

Fujiko’s body trembled in surprise. Akuto was not yet a demon king, but the key to becoming one was contained within his will.

“That makes me want to seduce him or use any other means necessary.” Fujiko licked her lips. “I too desire to start a revolution. This gives me all the more reason to bring Akuto-sama’s heart to me.”

“How reliable. I too am waiting for that moment. If he remains as he is, it will lead to problems.”

“Problems?”

“Yes…”

“Is this the lake?”

Keena let out a cry of joy in front of a lovely lake.

The lake was a pure blue. It was surrounded by white sand and was large enough that one had to move their head side to side in order to see the entire thing. The ring of white and blue within the green of the mountain was beautiful.

“Yes. This is the legendary lake.”

“It’s so pretty. I can see why people would make a weird legend about it!” said Keena excitedly.

But Hiroshi shook his head.

“No. This lake is in the very center of the island, so don’t you find it odd that it has a white beach around it and that the water is so blue?”

“Is that odd? I don’t really know.”

“Then I will keep this simple: this is the ocean. There is a cave underground that connects it to the ocean.”

“Oh, I see,” said Keena.

Just then, a great roar came from the mountain next to the lake.

“Kyah!”

Keena covered her ears and curled up on the ground, but Hiroshi only explained calmly.

“The underground cave has a large empty s.p.a.ce and a hole that leads to the mountain. That allows air to get in. About once a year, something about the morning and evening or the condition of the waves causes that noise. It is especially loud this year. That is why everyone believes in the demonic beast.”

“Eh? Really?”

Keena looked up at Hiroshi.

“Yes. I am actually not that good at swimming…but I guess you already heard about that. Anyway, I was secretly practicing with my little sister in this lake because everyone stays away thanks to the legend. I ended up sinking and would have drowned had I not found the cave down below. That was when I realized the secret of the noise. I could hear it roaring while I was inside. Ha ha ha,” laughed Hiroshi. “And as I said before, this island is only 100 years old. He’s dead now, but my grandfather was the first settler here. That’s why I know one other secret the others don’t.”

“A secret?” asked Keena.

Hiroshi pointed toward a narrow path leading around the lake.

“That path leads to the mountain end of the cave. There is a shrine inside and the proof of the hero has been left there.”

“Eh? The proof of the hero?”

“Ridiculous, right? Especially since that shrine has my grandfather’s name on it. By the way, the proof of the hero is a small sword stuck in a stone. Supposedly, only the hero can pull it out. I jokingly tried to pull it out once but couldn’t. When I told my father, he was angry but in an odd way. He told me to study. That was how I ended up coming to the academy. But that also taught me that it is all just a farce. It’s just a legend my family made up. Isn’t it ridiculous?” Hiroshi smiled, but his voice was growing more and more tearful. “That’s why it’s so…painful to be called a hero… It’s all an act put on by my family. Also, I was late to the apt.i.tude test when entering the academy, so I took it after everyone else was gone. Do you know what I got?”

“What’s wrong, Hiroshi-kun? And no, I don’t know.”

“My result was ‘hero’. But the teacher kept it a secret. I think that was because she didn’t believe it…unlike aniki and his ‘demon king’ result. Does that make any sense?”

As Hiroshi’s voice sank, Keena saw a pathetic expression on his face.

But she looked him straight in the eye.

“It makes perfect sense.”

“Eh?”

“After all, you believed that A-chan was a demon king. That was because you wanted to believe that you’re a hero, right?”

Hiroshi did not know what to say in response.

“N-no…I did that because…”

He tried to deny it, but he could not find a way to do so.

He had always yearned for strength. Whether it was for good or evil, he had yearned for strength. And so he had taken a liking to Akuto’s confidence. He had felt as if he would grow stronger if he stayed with Akuto. But whenever the situation threatened to remind him of his weakness, he would always run away.

Hiroshi was at a loss for words when he realized that. And Keena smiled at him.

“Hey, let’s go see that shrine.”

“Eh? But it’s only-…”

“I don’t mind. C’mon, let’s go.”

Keena pulled on Hiroshi’s hand as he hesitated. She then ran down the small path Hiroshi had pointed out.

After heading down that deserted path for a while, they came to a fairly open area. The surface entrance to the shrine’s cave was likely there.

But Hiroshi and Keena stopped in their tracks when they noticed someone standing there.

“Huh?”

Both of them grew suspicious. The person was so suspicious that they instinctually lowered their voices.

The man was looking out across the lake. He had his back to them, but they could still tell just how bizarre a person he was. He was wearing a long white coat even in the summer. Even over his coat, they could tell he had a tall, tough body.

“Wh-who is that?”

“Hmm, he looks like a very strange person,” said Keena despite being very strange herself.

“There’s no one like that in the village.”

“I suppose there wouldn’t be…”

Hiroshi and Keena hid in a thicket on the side of the path.

Suddenly, the man opened the front of his coat.

“Wait, is that-…”

“That’s exactly what a pervert does…”

The man then yelled loudly toward the lake.

“Lake! Hear my shout!”

The man then began shouting just as he had proclaimed. He was not simply speaking loudly. It was a shout. It was a cry with no meaning. And he was performing perfect diaphragmatic breathing. To put it bluntly, it was quite annoying.

“Nishugyuouuuwashaaagyoiimouudiemaotoouuuukorponooojibotsugamomorueodotsurirofuueemadoiimodooomedoooohhh!”

They were quite a ways from the village and there was no fear of the villagers approaching the lake right now. Whether he was taking that into account or not, the man cried out as loudly as he could.

After finally finishing, Hiroshi and Keena exchanged a glance.

“Wh-what was that?”

“H-he really is a dangerous person…”

Now that he was done shouting, the man said something surprising.

“Now then, my voice is in top form today. That is enough warming up for now.”

The man then shook his opened coat.

The coat began emitting noise. The inside of the coat seemed to have speakers installed. And loud ones at that.

Hiroshi and Keena instinctually covered their ears. The sound produced was even more unpleasant and even more meaningless than the man’s shouting.

The great din of noise coming from the speakers was a mixture of metal sc.r.a.ping together, explosions, electronic noises, and the static of a radio being tuned randomly.

And on top of it all, the man began shouting once more.

“Mhaouuuwakootottooojopooosareeedafwoonaaooeah!”

As he shouted, he bent over backwards, collapsed to the ground, and began writhing around. It looked like he was being shocked by electricity. Or perhaps like he these were his death throes.

Hiroshi and Keena were at a loss for words.

However, what happened next left them at even more of a loss for words.

The man finally ended the noise and shouting. He stood up while gasping for breath as if he had used up all his strength.

“The real fun is about to begin.”

That was enough to almost make Hiroshi and Keena fall over in shock, but what the man said next were even more shocking for a different reason.

“I have obtained the noise pattern of the demon king. Now, listen, you pathetic demonic beast!”

“Problems will arise if he tries to use me before he has fully awakened as a demon king,” explained Peterhausen.

“What do you mean?” asked Fujiko.

“I was created in order to provide magic for all of humanity. However, that resulted in me affecting other life forms as well. And that has caused serious bugs in some life forms.”

Fujiko was able to guess what he was talking about.

“You don’t mean…”

She gasped and Peterhausen nodded.

“The mana inside the life form’s body goes berserk and their form and nature change. That is what we call a demonic beast. A fully awakened demon king can control me, but otherwise demonic beasts will appear in various places. It could also resurrect demonic beasts that were sealed in the past.” Peterhausen continued. “Demonic beasts are activated by the wavelength of the mana inside the demon king’s body. As such, demonic beasts will listen to the demon king’s orders. That should hold true for my current master as well.”

“Come to think of it, I heard that Akuto-sama managed to remove the mana from a demonic beast in the mountain behind the school.”

“Demonic beasts can be useful in battle, but while my master is an incomplete demon king, he will only produce pitiable demonic beasts that hold no purpose.”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

A roar reverberated from the lake. It was clearly the roar of some sort of life form.

“This is…different from normal…”

Even Hiroshi was panicked.

“Different?” asked Keena.

Hiroshi’s face paled and he replied, “This isn’t the sound I know. Don’t tell me this is the real-…”

The center of the lake exploded. A pillar of water shot over ten meters into the air. The roar came from the center of that pillar and the seawater was blasted in every direction.

The torrential spray reached even Hiroshi and Keena.

“Hya ha ha ha ha ha! It has been resurrected!” shouted the perverted-looking man.

The spray had soaked him as well, but he did not seem to care. He spread his arms as if overcome by exhilaration.

The demonic beast that had come from the center of the lake was now visible.

It looked like a giant cylindrical tower. It was so thick not even three people would have been able to reach all the way around it. It was about the height of a five story building. The top had a large opening and whisker-like tentacles were stretching from it. It was a dark reddish-brown with a leopard-like pattern covering it.

“It’s a sea cuc.u.mber…” muttered Keena.

“The sea cuc.u.mbers in the ocean here were the demonic beast? W-we need to get out of here and tell someone…”

Hiroshi was just about to turn tail and flee, when…

“Kyaaah!”

He heard a high-pitched scream.

And Hiroshi knew the voice all too well.

“Yukiko…”

Hiroshi turned around to find Yukiko screaming upon seeing the demonic beast. If that was all there was to it, he could just take her with him when he fled. However, her scream had led the man to notice her.

The perverted man turned around. He had dark skin, his hair was kept short, and he wore sungla.s.ses.

None of that was all that odd, but his expression was far from normal. Even with the sungla.s.ses on, the way he smiled made it look like he was possessed.

“You saw it, didn’t you!?” said the perverted man as he slowly approached.

He should hardly have been surprised someone had noticed after summoning the demonic beast so loudly, but it was the perfect perverted comment.

“N-nooo…”

Yukiko’s legs froze up and she could not move.

The perverted man spread his arms as he approached her.

“W-wait!” shouted Hiroshi.

The man twisted his head at an odd angle. He looked back and forth between Hiroshi and Yukiko.

“Ahh, looks like I have a big and small version of the same face here. Not that the big one is all that big.”

He then began approaching Yukiko with unexpected speed.

“Stop!” yelled Hiroshi.

“Onii-chan!” screamed Yukiko.

The perverted man picked up Yukiko.

“I’ll be taking the small one as a hostage. And you, big one, don’t try to run away… But that’s the normal method for a villain, so it’s just boring. Well, I guess I have no choice this time. Still, it isn’t art unless it’s a strategy no one else could have thought up. Don’t you agree?”

The perverted man spoke amiably with Hiroshi.

—Dammit, who is this guy?

Hiroshi’s body trembled with both anger and fear, but he had to protect Yukiko at all costs.

“Let go of my sister.”

“No, I don’t think so. This isn’t art either, so it’s boring. But she saw this, so I have to eliminate her. And the same goes for you.”

The man had clearly used the word “eliminate”. Tension ran through Hiroshi’s body.

—Where’s Keena-chan…!?

He turned around to find only Keena’s clothes lying on the ground. It seemed she had succeeded in disappearing. It was possible Keena could help rescue Yukiko.

—If that pervert isn’t too skilled with magic, we should be able to manage.

Hiroshi took a fighting stance and slowly moved forward.

The perverted man burst out laughing.

“Are you from the academy? That means you’re trying to use magic, right?”

“What’s so funny!?”

“The fact that this is reckless. Then again, I need you to take this seriously. Remaining serious while doing something reckless is art. I have to do my best to ensure your efforts are truly reckless.”

The man’s reasoning was incredibly strange.

“Quit…joking around!”

Hiroshi tried to produce a mana ball in a hand behind his back. He would prepare a means of attack where the man could not see and then fire it when he had a chance.

But…

—What?

Hiroshi was dumbfounded. He could not produce the mana ball.

“Impossible…”

There was no way he could have failed simply from being nervous, and yet he found himself unable to gather mana.

“Ha ha ha ha haaa!” laughed the perverted man suddenly.

Hiroshi’s eyes opened in shock as the man pointed behind himself. He pointed toward the lake.

The demonic beast was still in the center of the lake. It looked like a great tower. Its body was pulsating as if it was drawing something into its body.

“…Ahh!”

Hiroshi realized what was happening. Light was gathering near the demonic beast’s mouth.

“Don’t tell me…it’s gathering mana…”

“Yes! This demonic beast absorbs mana! Almost everything in this world requires mana to function. So if this thing shows up…”

The perverted man laughed in pure amus.e.m.e.nt.

“What are you trying to do with that thing?” asked Hiroshi and the man began laughing even harder.

“Why would I tell you that? But what I will tell you is that I personally want destruction and chaos. This is anarchy! This is art!”

“This guy’s insane…” muttered Hiroshi.

The perverted man gave an incredibly menacing look and began yelling.

“Insane? This is the problem with people who don’t understand! They don’t understand what noise truly is! With destruction, you can’t just destroy things! Something cheap can only be destroyed in a cheap way! Chaos brings out the true essence of humanity!”

This only caused Hiroshi’s face to pale further, but the man’s calm expression returned in the next moment as if the fit of shouting had never happened.

“Well, I suppose normal people will never understand art even if you explain it to them. If you have never created art yourself, you will never understand a discussion of art. Now, enough pointless chatter.”

The perverted man began slowly moving toward Hiroshi. When Hiroshi realized what that meant, he felt a chill run down his spine.

—He’s really planning to eliminate everyone who saw him…

The man still held Yukiko, but Hiroshi could not use magic to try to save her. And Hiroshi was not so weak that he would run away here.

—Even if I can’t use magic, I can at least let Yukiko escape.

Hiroshi resolved himself for what had to be done. But then something happened that told him the situation would only grow worse. Something flesh-colored shot by in the corner of Hiroshi’s vision.

—!

Keena was naked and sneaking up behind the perverted man. She had likely not heard the previous conversation. She still thought she was invisible. She walked right up to the man and reached out to s.n.a.t.c.h Yukiko from him.

If she had been invisible, she would likely have taken Yukiko and created an opening to attack. And since Hiroshi had known she could turn invisible, he could have used the chance to attack. However, the area’s mana being absorbed meant Keena was completely visible.

—Aaaahhh…

Keena seemed to notice the worried look on Hiroshi’s face. She held her thumb up in his direction as if to say, “Don’t worry.” And then she circled around to the front of the perverted man to swipe Yukiko from him.

“Hey,” said the man.

Only then did Keena realize she was visible.

“Ehh!? Why!?”

The man used his open hand to swiftly grab Keena’s wrist.

“I don’t know what you’re asking about, but why are you naked?”

“Noooo!”

Keena resisted, but the man was too strong for her. He grew overly excited and began speaking about his nonsensical ideas once more.

“Sneaking up behind someone in the nude!? Now that is art! You can join the ranks of nude artists! They have used nudity to bring peace, harmony, and – most importantly – confusion to the cities!”

As the perverted man laughed, he held Yukiko and Keena in his arms.

“Kyaaah!”

“Noooo!”

Yukiko and Keena cried out.

“Yukiko!” shouted Hiroshi.

“Onii-chan, help!”

“Ha ha ha! That would be reckless! And therefore I must insist you try it!”

The man looked over at Hiroshi.

Hiroshi could instinctually tell he was no match for the man. He could not use magic. The man was much bigger than him. And the man had known ahead of time that magic would be unusable. He would have a method of fighting without magic.

—Dammit…

The situation drove Hiroshi to despair. He felt the most despair over his own weakness. It was not that he did not have the courage to face the man. He had the courage to confront an opponent who was doing something truly unreasonable. However, he had always avoided situations that were greatly altered by how much power one had. And in doing so, he had wasted any opportunity he might have had to grow stronger.

“Onii-chan is a hero! He’ll kick your b.u.t.t right away!” angrily shouted Yukiko.

—No, I’m not.

Hiroshi silently denied it.

He was not powerful. If some powerful person decided something, he liked going along with it. Sacrificing his life for that was simple. However, he would rather die than make a decision that would affect someone else’s life.

—I’m no hero.

Hiroshi stood in place.

The perverted man approached. Both of his hands were full, but Hiroshi did not move.

The man’s long leg drew an arc through the air. A kick shook Hiroshi’s head.

His vision flipped upside down. An instant after the world shook from the impact, he could only see the slanted ground before his eyes.

“Onii-chan!” cried Yukiko.

“So this is the so-called hero?” asked the perverted man. “But I’m here to stop that hero from being born. I will throw the plans of the hero’s birth out of order. That is part of my job.”

—Wh-what is he saying…? The plans? Come to think of it, did he also know the demonic beast would appear here…?

Those questions filled his head which seemed oddly calm. He may have reached a state of complete desperation. Hiroshi subconsciously stood back up.

“Excellent! You stood back up! That is how you show your recklessness!” The man kicked once more. “But it won’t change the situation! After all, you’re weak! You are bound by the common knowledge of this world! And that is because you do not understand art!”

The perverted man shouted out his personal opinion, but what Hiroshi found truly hard to bear was the next strike and the words that followed.

The man stood skillfully on one leg and sent a forward kick towards Hiroshi.

His heel jabbed into Hiroshi’s solar plexus and Hiroshi doubled over.

The man then raised his leg up high with his heel still jammed into Hiroshi’s gut. He lifted the boy up into the air.

The man’s balance and physical strength were both excellent. Even while holding two girls, he managed to lift Hiroshi up on his leg.

“And you are not letting your true self show through. You are prepared to throw away your life to hide it. Sorry, but someone like that has no right to complain no matter what you do to them. You have no right to hold a grudge against me. Goodbye.”

With that, the perverted man swung his raised leg.

Hiroshi flew through the air and landed in the lake.

“Onii-chan!”

“Hiroshi-kun!”

Yukiko and Keena cried out. Hiroshi made a violent splashing sound. And even once the ripples disappeared, he did not come back up to the surface.

The perverted man nodded in satisfaction when he saw that.

“Now then… I need to deal with the two of you.”

Both Keena and Yukiko had lost even the willpower to scream.

The man grinned as he looked back and forth between the two girls in his arms.

“Which one should I start with?”

He sounded like he was looking forward to it, but then he looked off into the distance as if he had detected something.

“Tch. The demon king has begun moving sooner than expected. He must have come after his cla.s.smates. And if I’m going to eliminate them anyway, it would be more artistic to do so while he watches.”

He then began walking while still holding a weakly resisting Keena and a limp Yukiko.

The demonic beast left the lake and began moving toward the village. It seemed to be seeking the area with the greatest concentration of mana. It could be seen even from a great distance.

Akuto and Junko had headed out to search for Hiroshi. They were left speechless for a moment after seeing the demonic beast.

As soon as Akuto saw it, he felt a sort of uneasiness in his chest.

—That monster… I feel like it’s calling for me…

“Wh-what is that? Do you know?” asked Junko when she noticed how Akuto was acting.

“No, I don’t,” he replied as he looked over toward her.

She looked extremely afraid. After all, this was a giant sea cuc.u.mber. She had already been completely traumatized by sea cuc.u.mbers.

“If you’re afraid, you can head back. I’m still going to check what it is, though,” he said.

Junko’s expression stiffened, but she immediately shook her head.

“I will go, too. I will not be a hindrance…but…if possible…”

Her words had initially held great force, but they gradually ran out of steam. Akuto smiled as he watched her.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to force yourself.”

“I-I am not!” she immediately denied before continuing in a quieter voice. “If…if you are with me, I think I can manage.”

Akuto smiled again.

“Then let’s go. I have a strange feeling about that monster,” he said as he began walking.

By the time they had spotted the demonic beast, they had already made it quite a ways from the lodging facility. Akuto a.s.sumed heading straight there would be faster than heading back to the lodging facility to check on the situation.

However, Akuto came to a stop soon thereafter. On the other side of a small path through the forest was a tall man. He had dark skin, sungla.s.ses, and a long white coat.

“Who are you?” Akuto asked cautiously.

The man was blatantly suspicious.

“I will give you the name I have given myself! I am Mister X!” cried out the perverted man.

The man’s odd behavior left Akuto confused. And the ridiculousness of that name left him even more confused.

“…That is the name you gave yourself?” cut in Junko from the side.

“Watch out. He’s probably a pervert.”

“Silence! Honestly, you do not understand art at all!” shouted Mister X.

“Art?”

“Yes. I thought the demon king would have a better understanding of art.”

As he spoke, Mister X stepped to the side. This revealed two hostages behind him.

“A-chan!” cried Keena.

She was nude and Yukiko stood beside her. They had collars on and Mister X held the other end of the chains attached to those collars.

“It looks like I didn’t even need to ask who you are,” said Akuto in a low voice.

His gaze was piercing straight into Mister X. Whether the man was a magician or not, this gaze seemed to hold enough heat to incinerate him. However, Mister X only grinned.

“You’re mad. I love seeing emotions expressed like that.”

“What did you do to Keena!?” shouted Junko.

“Nothing at all. For now. However, I thought I would let the demon king watch as I killed her. The boy I dealt with before you arrived just wasn’t enough fun.”

Mister X’s mocking words caused Junko’s face to pale. Keena had pursued Hiroshi and Hiroshi’s little sister, Yukiko, was with her.

“It can’t be…” The expression of anger had completely left Akuto’s face. He asked a question in a gentle voice. “Are you saying you killed that boy?”

“Yes. Was he a friend of yours? I kicked him and kicked him and kicked him and then threw him into the lake. If he could swim he might not have died, but the way I kicked him, he wouldn’t have the strength left to swim.”

“Then let’s go with that.”

“What?”

“I’m saying I’ll do the same to you. But there isn’t enough water to drown in around here, so I’ll need to borrow some stomach acid.”

“What are you-…?”

Mister X was unable to finish his sentence. His body doubled over. Akuto had thrown a kick and buried his foot in the man’s solar plexus.

“Gh…khah…”

Akuto drew back his foot and Mister X coughed up the contents of his stomach while bent over.

“I mean I’m going to shove your face in that!”

Akuto tried to throw another kick toward the back of Mister X’s head.

However, Mister X jumped back to avoid it while still vomiting.

—!

The man’s unexpected speed shocked Akuto.

And it seemed Mister X was just as surprised. After he was finished vomiting, he laughed in pure enjoyment.

“Hyaaaah ha ha ha ha ha! Amazing! You’re faster than the data said and you have a shorter temper than the data said! Now this is art! I take back what I said! The demon king really does understand art!” Mister X pulled on the chains attached to Keena and Yukiko. “But this means I can’t take care of these two without dealing with you first. I don’t like using hostages, but if you don’t-…”

Once more, Mister X was unable to finish speaking. Akuto moved even faster than before. He punched Mister X, sending the man’s body flying several meters through the air.

“Guhaah!”

Mister X slammed into the ground.

“I would prefer not to get used to fighting, but I can’t remain calm if I hear you killed my friend,” said Akuto.

He easily broke the chains he had swiped at the same moment as punching the man.

“A-chan!” cried Keena as she embraced him.

He lightly stroked her head before breaking the lock to the two collars with his fingers.

“Wait here. I need to ask that man a few questions,” he said.

However, Keena looked up at him worriedly.

“A-chan…”

“Hm? Don’t worry. I’m not going to lose to the likes of-…”

“No.”

“Eh?”

“Don’t kill him.”

Those words brought Akuto back to his senses.

—Not good. I didn’t realize it until she pointed it out, but I was a.s.suming it was only natural to kill him.

“I won’t.”

Akuto gave Keena a slight smile. He then removed his shirt, placed it over Keena, and turned toward Junko. She nodded and took Keena and Yukiko a short distance away.

Akuto then turned back toward Mister X.

“What is the goal behind all this nonsense?”

Mister X was only just managing to stand back up. He was still laughing. He appeared to be enjoying himself from the bottom of his heart.

“Oh, how amazing! No normal methods will cut it here!”

“What’s so funny?”

“Experiencing art simply drives me insane! Don’t you want to laugh at times like this!?”

“How should I know? And I’m asking you what you’re trying to do here.”

“Ha ha! You really know how to act stubborn! That too is art! And the answer to your question is quite simple.”

Mister X pointed behind himself. The demonic beast could be seen advancing while letting out a roar.

“You need to sit by and watch that destroy the village. All I need to do is keep you here.”

“What? What meaning is there in that?”

Akuto could not help but question that objective.

“Meaning? Even if there was any, I couldn’t exactly tell you.” Mister X sneered. “At any rate, I can’t let you through here.”

“You sure are full of yourself for someone who’s been hit twice now. I won’t kill you, but I’ll make sure you can never laugh again.”

Akuto took a step forward.

If he did not do anything, the demonic beast would attack the village. He had to break through here before that happened.

But then…

Junko shouted out after looking up toward a sound she had heard up in the air.

“Th-that is…!”

Akuto looked up. He could see his cla.s.smates flying through the blue sky. It was all of the students who took pride in their skill with flight magic. They had created a five-man formation. The demonic beast must have been visible from the lodging facility and the teacher must have given them permission to attack.

“So you want this monster to go on a rampage? Well, it looks like that won’t happen. The others can handle it,” said Akuto.

But when he looked back toward Mister X, the man’s att.i.tude had not changed in the slightest. Akuto found his unnatural lack of concern odd.

“Do you have other comrades here?” asked Akuto, but Mister X denied it.

“No. I simply know how this will turn out.”

Without turning around, Mister X pointed at the demonic beast with his thumb.

“Ah!” gasped Junko.

The students flying toward it stalled one after another and then began falling to the ground.

“They were shot down? No, their mana…” Akuto quickly realized the demonic beast had absorbed their mana. “Does that demonic beast absorb all mana from its surroundings!?”

“Exactly. No magician can defeat it. It seems the sea cuc.u.mbers of this island gain that characteristic when they become a demonic beast. Isn’t it truly wonderful? The threat of nature is art!”

“You want to destroy the village that badly? No, wait…”

Akuto’s thoughts raced through his head.

—What purpose does he have behind destroying the village? I doubt his goal is the destruction in and of itself. This place wouldn’t have any value. In that case, is using a demonic beast his goal? But if it absorbs mana, he can’t be controlling it. So if he doesn’t want me to approach it…

An answer occurred to Akuto.

“That means I have the power to oppose that monster.”

With that realization, he also realized the ident.i.ty of the strange feeling he had been feeling for a while now.

—I am feeling a kind of sympathy with that monster. I don’t want to think about it, but there is some sort of connection between us!

“There is a connection between that monster and me… You want to make it look like I destroyed the village, don’t y