STM 010

I left the lecture hall with Zeon for a while and headed to the Maze Garden behind the central building.

It was a garden with a round-roofed marble pavilion, a small stream flowing in front of a maze made by cutting bushes, and an arched wooden bridge in between.

Aside from a few people chattering as they entered the maze, it seemed like no one was around. After looking around, I headed to the gazebo in the corner of the garden. Zeon quietly followed behind me.

“So, what is it you wanted to say?”

After double-checking that no one was around, I turned to Zeon.

Zeon, who was looking at me with a face that seemed to be forcibly suppressing some intense emotion, knelt down on one knee as if he had been waiting for this moment, placing his hand on his chest.

“This insignificant being, Astarzel! Please forgive me for only now formally greeting the sole lord of the Demons. And I congratulate you on your return to this land.”

Seriously.

I was glad no one was around.

“What… what are you?”

I was so taken aback that I instinctively took a step back.

This guy. He knew my identity.

Zeon, equally flustered, gestured and spoke.

“Huh? It’s me! Astarzel. A direct descendant of the Ballyhard Family, who made a Contract of Eternity with the lord! …Ah, that’s right. Now that I think about it, I changed my appearance to look younger when I entered the academy, so I look a little different from before. It’s understandable that you might be confused.”

Then, he put his hand on his eyelid and took it off.

The next moment, his eyes, which had been a slightly reddish-brown, were now completely crimson.

‘Ah.’

This guy. He was definitely a Demon.

“Lord… 500 years have passed since that day. I never thought I would see you again…. But lord? Surely, you don’t really not remember my existence, do you?”

…Hmm.

It’s not like I only had one or two servants who made a Contract of Eternity with this body. But I didn’t know he was a direct descendant of the Ballyhard Family.

Demons are a mixed-blood race of devils and humans.

The Ballyhard Family has inherited the blessing of their ancestral devil for generations, and because they maintain the devil’s blood most purely, their lifespan is said to be incomparably longer than that of other Demons.

For the record, I was not a direct descendant of Ballyhard.

Anyway.

Even if it was a Demon who had lived since I was Mephisto, it wouldn’t be strange if he was a direct descendant of Ballyhard.

I subtly avoided his gaze and changed the subject.

“I understand, so get up. You’re attracting attention.”

“Yes!”

“Just one question, Astarzel. How did you know?”

My appearance and race were different from when I was Mephisto.

I used Black Mana, but it wasn’t like I was the only one who knew how to use it in the first place, and he could have easily considered the appearance of a new third party. As if reading my thoughts, Zeon bowed deeply and added an explanation.

“Yes. It’s been so long that you seem to have forgotten for a moment. To explain, the ‘Contract of Eternity’ is a contract between souls, so the servant can recognize the individuality of the soul that the lord possesses. Of course… it is impossible for the lord to recognize the individuality of the servant.”

So, it was like a one-way street.

The reason why I didn’t feel anything particularly different, and Zeon recognized my identity at once, seemed to be because of that.

“Other than knowing my name…. But how could the name of a trivial being like me be individually included in the immeasurably deep will of the lord! Is that how it is? You forgot about me, didn’t you?”

Zeon wiped away tears in a sickening manner, emphasizing strangely barbed words. He was clearly sulking about not remembering his name. I was dumbfounded, but it was close to a tantrum, just wanting the master’s attention, so I couldn’t scold him.

‘…Right, this guy.’

His appearance was slightly different from what I remembered, perhaps because he had slightly changed his appearance to look younger. But seeing him like this, I vaguely remembered.

He was the guy who used to make my head ache by mixing strange sarcasm into everything he said and blatantly showing when he was sulking.

I now knew why I felt a strange burden from this guy. It was because my instincts were feeling repulsed!

I swallowed a sigh and then feigned composure.

“Of course, I remembered. I was just joking.”

“As expected! I knew it. You’re mischievous. I’m truly happy to meet you again like this…. My one and only lord whom I love so much!”

Ah. He’s annoying too.

Still… well, he was a guy who had an extraordinary loyalty to me, so it wouldn’t be bad to keep him by my side in the future.

While I was thinking that.

Zeon, who had suddenly been twisting his body, asked shyly.

“There is one thing I would like to ask….”

When I looked at him to tell him to speak, his eyes lit up.

“Although that treacherous human Tom stole the glory of being the first servant, I thought there was still a second spot left! Lord, you will make me the second servant, right? And you won’t scold me even if I overthrow that guy someday and take the first spot, right?”

It was as if it was natural for that to happen. I pretended to be ignorant and acted innocent.

“I will allow you to become a servant. But.”

“…But?”

“Unfortunately, you are third.”

“Wh-Why?!”

“Herman was first. Tom was second.”

“……!!”

“Hmm. You have two mountains to climb. If you want to become my first servant, then put in that much effort by my side from now on.”

The order didn’t really matter, but it was a small revenge for him trying to get ahead so cheekily.

“Th-Third….”

He couldn’t continue speaking, his face greatly shocked. Leaving Zeon like that, I went down from the gazebo, and Zeon, belatedly regaining his senses, hurriedly followed me.

I walked around the deserted area and asked a question that came to mind.

“Come to think of it, your surname is different. Was it Revygild?”

“…Yes! It is the alias that Demons have come to use externally in modern times.”

Zeon had been very sulky, but his face quickly brightened at the attention I gave him. He often whined and sulked, but he was quick-witted and knew his limits.

“After you left, the Valhalla Empire granted our clan the land of Revygild and the title of Count, as we had nowhere to go. It was a reward for the small help we gave to the humans during the Niflheim War. So, we are currently using the name Revygild and managing a small territory.”

…Huh? The empire gave land and a title to Demons?

“Of course, in the case of direct descendants like me, we still use Ballyhard within the territory.”

Zeon didn’t seem to care much, but if you thought about it carefully, it was a strange thing.

The Valhalla Empire was, so to speak, a country rooted in Gilbert. No matter how much help they gave during the war, the relationship with Mephisto… the Demons, who had opposed Gilbert, could never be good, yet they even gave them a title and land.

“You. Why did you enroll in the academy?”

“It’s because I recognized that the faint ‘spiritual aura’ of the lord had become strong again. However, the distance of the aura was too far… This Merzel Academy is also called the essence of information, so I thought it might be helpful in finding the lord’s whereabouts. I never thought I would meet the lord right here, though.”

“Hmm.”

“I can freely change my physique and appearance, and if I use Mana Concealment, my Mana reserves won’t be easily detected…. Ah, of course, there are humans who have noticed.”

“Polajigen, I presume.”

“That’s right.”

“Does that depend on achievement?”

“If you’re asking about ‘Mana Detection,’ then yes. My current achievement has reached 8-star, so if a 7-star expert uses Mana Detection, my Mana Concealment can be penetrated.”

Mana Concealment, huh.

Come to think of it, I couldn’t detect this guy’s Mana either. It seemed that they called that trick Mana Concealment.

Even if you use Mana Concealment, it will be penetrated if the opponent’s achievement is similar to or higher than yours.

“However, it’s not like Polajigen detected me directly… It seems that it was indirectly revealed through the Apocalypse Exam.”

“I see.”

In any case, it seems that there is no connection between the empire caring about the Demons and this guy enrolling. It’s a part that I feel uneasy about, but it doesn’t seem like there’s anything more to find out….

Let’s think about this matter later.

“Lord.”

At that time, Zeon, who had been staring at me, asked.

“May I ask you just one thing?”

When I nodded in agreement, he continued.

“Why… why did you enroll?”

I wondered what it was, but it was that question.

After a moment of silence, I soon told him the original purpose of enrolling in the academy. Now that my identity had been revealed, there was no reason to hide it from him. Zeon, who had been listening to my words, was greatly shocked.

“Oh no! I didn’t know the lord’s great intentions!”

“That’s how it is, so you should help too.”

“It is the greatest honor for me. Please allow me to assist you from the side so that you can achieve your grand ambitions.”

“Good.”

I chuckled softly.

Even with all the fuss, he was a reliable guy.

“Also, as a precaution, it would be difficult to mistake the titles in front of humans. You are Zeon Revygild, not Astarzel, and I am Raymond Valentasia, not Mephisto. Do you understand?”

“Don’t worry. I will never disappoint you.”

After we finished talking like that, we headed to the lecture hall where the next class was held.

But somehow the atmosphere was chaotic. While passing through the lobby and climbing the stairs, I could see children gathered here and there, whispering while looking at newspapers or video scrying orbs. They seemed to be students from Class B.

‘Is something going on?’

With that question in mind, I opened the door to the lecture hall.

The students in Class A were just as chaotic.

“Ah! Raymond, Zeon! You’re here.”

While standing at the entrance and surveying the atmosphere, Tom, who soon discovered us, greeted us. Herman, who was looking into the video scrying orb with a serious face next to him, also raised his head.

I exchanged a brief glance with Zeon and approached. First of all, it seemed necessary to figure out what this situation was.

“What’s going on? It seems noisy for some reason.”

“That’s….”

A shadow fell over Tom’s hesitant face. Regret for something was evident in his expression.

Instead of Tom, who was hesitating, Herman, who turned to me, carefully opened his mouth.

“The Emperor suddenly passed away this morning.”