As she walked down the road and surveyed her surroundings, Iria was surprised to find more people than she had anticipated.

 

She hadn’t realized there were so many students hidden away inside the buildings.

 

Now, with fewer monsters and no Seeds of the Demon King, they could finally venture outside.

 

She observed each one as she strolled along the street.

 

They were panicking, terrified by something they had witnessed.

 

Wondering if there was still a threat present, she looked closer and realized they were all afraid of her.

 

After all, she too was, in a sense, a Seed of the Demon King.

 

Closer to a monster than a human, she carried a fragment of the Demon King within her.

 

The red magical energy trailing behind her must have drawn their attention, amplifying her presence unnecessarily.

 

Yet, she was less menacing than other monsters.

 

Unless she was hungry, she had no reason to harm anyone.

 

Today, she wasn’t hungry, so she didn’t kill.

 

Among those who feared her were some who recognized her, yet her changed hair color left them oblivious.

 

They merely whispered about a mysterious red-haired student wandering the campus.

 

Iria chose to ignore them.

 

As she was about to head toward Ariel, she sensed something unusual.

 

Unbeknownst to her, she had been moving toward the location of the fragment.

 

Perhaps because she had unleashed the Demon King’s power, she was instinctively drawn to it.

 

This felt like a primal instinct.

 

Still, she resolved to collect it, knowing it might be useful later.

 

There might not be another opportunity if not now.

 

 

 

The last time she needed it, she had to go through the trouble of raiding the Empire’s underground.

 

 

 

And if she followed the fragment, she might naturally run into Ariel.

 

 

 

Realizing this, she changed the direction of her steps.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

The Demon King’s army had scattered five fragments throughout the academy.

 

 

 

They were hidden inside the building, near the sword training ground, in the cafeteria, and in the garden.

 

 

 

The last fragment was entrusted to Seir, an executive of the Demon King’s army, who was believed to use it appropriately based on the situation

 

 

 

“Haa……”

 

 

 

Professor Lena, who was guarding the cafeteria area, let out a deep sigh, her breath heavy with fatigue.

 

 

 

She had just defeated a Seed of the Demon King.

 

Near the cafeteria, which bore the scars of an intense battle, lay a giant monster, dead and frozen to the bone.

 

Lena sat atop the corpse, half-covered in blood, and placed a cigarette between her lips.

 

The woman with long blue hair leaned against a block of ice.

 

Among the generals selected as the strongest in the Empire, those ranked in the top three were said to be particularly exceptional.

 

Lena was the empire’s third general.

 

In other words, she ranked just below Freya and Albert.

 

A person in her position could defeat a Seed single-handedly when confronted.

 

Although it wasn’t an easy fight.

 

The combination of her delicate face and a cigarette didn’t quite match—especially not when she was covered in blood from head to toe.

 

Yet sometimes, that jarring contrast could evoke a certain decadent beauty.

 

She pulled an igniter from her pocket to light the cigarette.

 

Lena pressed the button, but nothing happened.

 

It had broken during her fierce battle with the Seed.

 

“Tch.”

 

Fire magic wasn’t her forte.

 

Frustrated, she pulled the cigarette from her mouth and held it in her hand instead.

 

Her gaze shifted to the blood-stained landscape of the academy.

 

She had thought it would be safe with so much power guarding it, but it seemed she was mistaken.

 

She stared at the scene she had failed to protect.

 

Even now, monsters swarmed the academy, while powerless students frantically fled.

 

She wanted to protect them, but exhaustion weighed her down.

 

So she rested.

 

Then a voice was heard as someone approached Lena; it was someone she recognized.

 

“I see you’ve defeated it. I had faith in you.”

 

“Albert.”

 

He was supposed to be overseeing the Seed near the sword training ground.

 

“How did it go on your end?”

 

In response, Albert held up a golden fragment.

 

It meant he had succeeded in defeating it too.

 

 

 

Unlike Lena, he had no wounds on his body and wasn’t bleeding.

 

‘Such a difference in skill,’ Lena thought bitterly to herself.

 

 

 

She spoke in a tone tinged with a bit of spite.

 

 

 

“You look relaxed. Why don’t you take care of the rest while you’re at it, senior?”

 

 

 

“That’s not the case. I’m tired too, you know.”

 

 

 

“Yes, well. I’m sure you are.”

 

 

 

Even for Albert, the Seed of the Demon King wasn’t an easy opponent.

 

 

 

Looking more closely, she noticed that his total mana had decreased significantly compared to before.

 

 

 

In the end, he wasn’t much different from Lena.

 

 

 

She let out a small sigh and put the cigarette back in her mouth.

 

 

 

Since a mage who could handle fire had come nearby, she planned to put him to good use.

 

 

 

Understanding her intention, Albert snapped his fingers and lit the fire.

 

 

 

Cigarettes taste good on rainy days,

 

 

 

And it is raining now.

 

 

 

But today, the flavor was lackluster, just acrid smoke.

 

 

 

“How many Seeds are left?”

 

 

 

Rena asked, exhaling a bitter breath.

 

 

 

The situation wasn’t looking good.

 

 

 

Albert responded, “It’s not accurately known, but there are reports of giant monsters roaming inside the building.”

 

 

 

“What about reinforcements from the knights?”

 

 

 

“I heard they’re trying to lift the barrier. It will probably be difficult until they remove it.”

 

 

 

“There are likely people still trapped inside. Given the nature of the place, those within the building will be the most troublesome.”

 

 

 

Since Lena and Albert had each defeated one Seed, the immediate threat was largely extinguished.

 

 

 

If the other professors could buy time, they could suppress the situation without incurring more casualties.

 

 

 

“I’ll head to the garden. Can you check inside the building, senior?”

 

 

 

The inside of the building was a dangerous place.

 

 

 

It’s a place where at least one, possibly two or more Seeds of the Demon King exist.

 

 

 

Therefore, Lena thought Albert was better suited for the task.

 

 

 

It wasn’t that she was scared; it was an objective assessment of the situation and an efficient distribution of forces.

 

 

 

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

 

 

 

Albert nodded, understanding her words.

 

 

 

That was the best course of action for now.

 

 

 

While the professors of the academy were certainly strong, they were not enough to defeat the Seeds of the Demon King.

 

 

 

The Empire also relied heavily on a small number of elite troops.

 

 

 

It was unusual for Lena and Albert to each have to confront two Seeds of the Demon King.

 

 

 

If only Freya were here, it would have been easier.

 

 

 

Lena let out a small sigh.

 

 

 

Freya was affiliated solely with the knights, not the academy.

 

 

 

The barrier that had confined the building was gone, but the barrier covering the entire academy still remained.

 

 

 

It was unclear when decoding would be possible, and it would take some time for support troops, including Freya, to arrive.

 

 

 

Just as Lena and Albert were about to leave for their designated locations, a low voice called out, 

 

 

 

“You can’t go.”

 

 

 

In that moment, an ominous energy gripped Lena and Albert’s ankles.

 

 

 

They hadn’t noticed her at all until just before she revealed herself, perhaps because she was confident in concealing her presence and appearance.

 

 

 

A red-haired girl blocked their path, holding a sword in her hand.

 

An enormous presence weighed down on them, and the air was thick with the scream of red magical energy.

 

“What are you doing right now?” Lena asked, recognizing the girl’s school uniform. 

 

Although she appeared to be a student, the unusual magical energy she emitted suggested otherwise.

 

Iria immediately showed hostility toward the two, pointing her sword at them with an almost expressionless face. 

 

While her intentions remained unclear, her hostility was unmistakable.

 

Lena and Albert assumed combat stances just as Lena drew her ice sword and Albert spread his mana domain.

 

The battle ended faster than expected.

 

“Ugh?!”

 

In a second – perhaps even less – Iria leaped forward and swung her sword at Lena.

 

Even for the third general, it was impossible to keep up with Iria’s movements as she drew her red sword.

 

Moreover, Lena was in a state of complete exhaustion.

 

She collapsed after being slashed across her body, narrowly avoiding any vital points. But the touch of Iria’s magical energy caused her to lose consciousness.

 

In an instant, one person was down, leaving only two standing.

 

Iria immediately pointed her sword at Albert as well, the air around them rippling with red magical energy.

 

“……”

 

However, she didn’t stab him right away.

 

Albert, sensing Iria’s purpose, held out the golden fragment. He seemed to recognize her despite her changed form.

 

Looking at Iria, who had revealed herself as a monster rather than a human, Albert spoke.

 

“It’s been a while.”

 

“Not that long, I’d say.”

 

After all, they had met in the Empire’s underground and again recently in the garden. 

 

Although both times he had his memories erased, so it might have felt longer to him.

 

He knew the red girl was Iria and that Iria was the alley monster. This was the consequence of erasing a person’s memories multiple times.

 

It’s best not to encounter someone whose memories have been wiped again if possible; the lingering sense of déjà vu can trigger similar phenomena.

 

At this point, erasing memories was no longer an option.

 

So Iria brought her sword closer to Albert.

 

“If you had pretended not to know until the end, you might have lived. You’re a foolish person, Albert.”

 

“Hmm……”

 

“Do you have any last words?”

 

Today was a rainy day.