“If you don’t have a single thing you wish to protect from the dragons, then you have no reason to take this class. All of you. If you have no motivation, then get out.” (Emilia)
As Emilia uttered those words, Ledriano stood up from his seat.
Heine followed, then one after another, all the Hero Academy students stood up and left the auditorium.
Raos, who was last, stopped as he was about to walk out the door.
He turned around and glanced at Emilia.
“You sure about letting us leave? Ain’t we your responsibility?” (Raos)
“I don’t care. Do whatever you want.” (Emilia)
“Hah! That so? In the end, you’re just the same as them!” (Raos)
After voicing his frustration, Raos also left the auditorium.
Emilia was the only person left from the Hero Academy.
The Demon King Academy students watched her with concern as she bit her own lip in discomfort.
“Khahaha! Quite the show you all put on! But that’s what it means to be young, wouldn’t you say!” (Eldmed)
The students were taken aback by Eldmed’s comment.
“Don’t you agree, Shin-sensei? This never happened back in our days.” (Eldmed)
Shin quietly shared his sentiment.
“Such is youth.” (Shin)
“Umm, sensei, is it really okay to treat this situation so casually?” asked Bookworm Naya.
“Now that’s a good question, Naya. Unlike with demons, this is what humans need. Because their trump card, the <Sanctuary Aske> spell, shows its true worth when their feelings are united. Humans are creatures who put on lots of facades, but that’s why when they truly unite their hearts, their <Sanctuary Aske> spell becomes both a spear and a shield against us demons.” (Eldmed)
After getting off the podium, Eldmed walked up to Emilia.
“If so, then conflict is unavoidable. You clash with people and they clash with you, allowing you to know yourself and know them. Heroes fight with their heart. And you got to put it into practice yourself, Emilia-sensei. You exposed your own unsightly heart and clashed with your students. Isn’t that a nice display of courage, hmm?” (Eldmed)
The Demon Academy students agreed with Eldmed’s statement.
“Well then, you guys, why don’t we demons fight like the demons we are? Today, I’ll teach you an effective way to attack dragons. It just so happens I’ve found the perfect practice targets in the desert to the east.” (Eldmed)
“Um, sensei… I’m just asking, but could it be that those targets are dragons?” (Demon student A)
“That’s right! Khahaha! Good, very good! I see your perceptiveness keeps growing!” (Eldmed)
Predictably enough, the students looked dispirited at that.
“Now, let’s get going! And we’re gonna have fun practicing <Transition Gatom> as well.” (Eldmed)
Eldmed drew the spell formula for <Transition Gatom> on the blackboard for all the students to check before casting it one after another to teleport.
Next to me, Sasha was about to cast <Transition Gatom> when she suddenly spoke up as if she noticed something..
“Aren’t you coming?” (Sasha)
“I’ll catch up later.” I said while looking at Emilia, who was standing alone.
“Make sure you don’t rub salt in her wound, okay?” (Sasha)
“Did you think I would do that?” (Anos)
“Well, you looked like you were about to. …Oh well.” (Sasha)
Sasha teleported away.
After a while, Emilia and I were the only ones left in the main auditorium.
I slowly walked up to her side, but she kept her head down, not moving one bit.
Regardless of that, I drew a magic circle around her neck.
It was for storage magic, and what I pulled out of it was a necklace with a small bell attached to it.
Emilia slowly looked at me.
“…What is this?” (Emilia)
“Oh nothing, just a lucky charm. It’s a magic item called the Bell of Thoughts, which enhances thought-based magic such as <Thought Communication Leaks>. It’s said to make it easier to convey your feelings to another, and thus to reconcile with them.” (Anos)
Emilia squinted her eyes a bit.
“At the end of the day, you really are still a child, Anosh-kun…” (Emilia)
She lightly stroked the bell on her necklace with her fingers.
“…No teacher is supposed to tell students to leave. It might as well be a dereliction of duty. It’s only natural for them to be angry with me. So reconciling with them is…” (Emilia)
Emilia looked down and cast a somber gaze on the floor.
“But what you said was for their sake, wasn’t it?” (Anos)
Emilia looked at me in surprise.
“Emilia, you thought that the fate of Heroes who had to protect even those who oppressed them was cruel. That’s why you told them to leave if they didn’t have the motivation for it.” (Anos)
Emilia remained silent, but her eyes were filled with sadness.
“Am I wrong?” (Anos)
She looked down and remained silent, then she opened her mouth.
“…That was short-sighted of me… All things considered, I shouldn’t do something I’m not used to… In the end, I didn’t tell them the right thing to say…” (Emilia)
When I remained silent, Emilia muttered.
“But… How they felt earlier reminded me of myself…” (Emilia)
She paused and resumed.
“No, perhaps they’ve always been like that… Since way back… That’s why they never listened to me…” Emilia said as if looking back on her own past.
“If the adults from the Hero Academy had raised them better, nothing so horrible would have happened…” (Emilia)
She immediately shook her head in repudiation.
“No… that’s not true. This is just my personal grudge…. I guess I just couldn’t bear the resemblance to what pushed me into the depths of hell… I didn’t consider my students’ feelings…” (Emilia)
Emilia smiled sadly.
“I’m a terrible teacher.” (Emilia)
“I don’t think so.” (Anos)
My words flew straight to Emilia.
“You wanted to protect their dignity. You didn’t want them to stand on the battlefield for people they didn’t want to protect.” (Anos)
“…Now you sound like an adult…” Emilia whispered to herself.
“But… Nobody sees it that way…” (Emilia)
“Then I guess I’m the only one who does.” (Anos)
Emilia looked at me in the eyes, looking surprised.
“You were a good teacher today, Emilia.” (Anos)
As soon as I said that, tears suddenly soaked the floor.
She quickly wiped her cheeks with her hands to hide them.
“…I wasn’t… Not one bit…” (Emilia)
Holding back her tears, Emilia looked forward.
“…But I think !I’ll put up a bit more of a fight… I’ve come this far, after all…” (Emilia)
She walked towards the door.
“Emilia.” (Anos)
She turned around when I called out to her.
“You’re working hard.” (Anos)
“…Where does that even come from…?” she replied while smiling somewhat happily.
“Anosh-kun, you should hurry over to Eldmed-sensei’s class quickly. If you slack off just because you’re strong, you won’t make a good Demon Lord.” (Emilia)
“Right. Later, then.” (Anos)
Emilia waved her hand lightly and ran out the door.
