The Demon Prince goes to the Academy

“The day I saw with my own eyes the scene of an Immortal being created.”

Bertus spoke.

“Someone had to take responsibility for all of this.”

For a brief moment, Bertus and I had a conversation.

"We're not just talking about the responsibility for the Gate incident."

"Then, what responsibility?"

"The responsibility for the Great Demon War as well."

“Since everything began with the Great Demon War, we had to take responsibility for it from that moment on.”

That's what Bertus said.

From that conversation, it was clear who Bertus was referring to when he spoke of responsibility and its subject.

If the true cause of the Gate incident was the Great Demon War, then who was responsible for the Great Demon War?

It would be humanity.

However, not all of humanity was bearing responsibility; they were paying the price.

Someone had to take responsibility for everything.

So, humanity, who was the origin and beginning of it all.

The Gardias Imperial Family, who decided on that war.

The royal family must take responsibility, Bertus said.

"Did you start the Great Demon War?"

Obviously, the occurrence of the war was not a matter decided by Bertus.

And had that war ultimately occurred due to the unilateral decision of the Gardias Imperial Family?

Although the royal family started the war, it was bound to happen eventually. If it had been a war that no one wanted, the royal family would not have been able to mobilize such a large force in the first place.

"Do you remember when I said this long ago?"

"What did you say?"

"That everyone is equal beneath me."

Yes.

He had said that.

"But, I'm not here because I actually did something. I won't deny that."

"..."

"Just as you're the Demon King because you're an Archdemon, I was able to do that because I'm the son of the emperor."

Indeed, Bertus said he was above everyone else, but it wasn't because he was great that he said he was above everyone.

It was inherited.

Whether wise or incompetent, power is granted to the royal family.

It was not a matter of right or wrong, but simply how things were.

"If you're born holding glory unrelated to your own achievements, you must also bear responsibility unrelated to your own achievements."

"..."

"If you enjoy glory and power, but claim that responsibility is not yours, isn't that a rather ridiculous and disgraceful act?"

If one was to deny responsibility, they should not have enjoyed inherited power and glory in the first place, since both were not derived from oneself.

"Now is the time to take responsibility. After all, I can't say that I had no role in all of this."

Being treated as a noble existence from the moment of birth was not due to one's greatness, but because it was inherited.

Therefore, one had to take responsibility for everything that happened due to the unrelated Great Demon War.

If one inherits power, one must also inherit responsibility.

In front of Bertus's solemn expression, I couldn't find the words to say.

If you have enjoyed glory unrelated to your own achievements, you must bear the responsibility.

Wasn't this story applicable not just to Bertus but to me as well?

Everything I had enjoyed because I created this world.

Then, shouldn't the responsibility for everything that happened in this world be mine, rather than Bertus's?

In the end, no matter how much was said, Bertus was a victim of my actions.

The fact that I was the perpetrator of all this remained unchanged.

"There's no need to make such an unfortunate expression."

I wondered what kind of expression I had been making.

Nonetheless, Bertus said so.

"Is it harder to let go of the world or to swallow it? Do you have to compare them to know?"

What Bertus had to do was difficult.

Then, was what I had to do easy?

"It might sound ridiculous, but just as I bear my own responsibilities, you'll have to bear yours too."

Yes.

That was right.

Letting go of the world.

Digesting the world.

Both would be difficult tasks, but the latter would be even harder.

There was a way for Bertus to take responsibility, and a way for me to take responsibility.

Bertus wasn't giving me the world.

He was passing the world on to me.

If I could manage the aftermath of the violence brought on by the emperor, the world would become mine, and I could survive.

But if I failed, even if the world didn't perish, everything I had and myself would be destroyed.

"I think you should be angry."

Bertus snickered, seemingly unable to comprehend why I was making such a strange expression.

"How odd."

Then, Bertus laughed.

He laughed as if he couldn't bear it without laughing.

I couldn't laugh in front of Bertus.

------

-Grrrrrrrrrr!

Back on the battlefield once more.

I swung my sword in the midst of hell, where flames, ice, and lightning boiled.

I didn't use Tiamata or Alsbringer.

-Kyaaaaaaak!

I vaporized a liquid-form monster that charged at me with just a glance, along with the flames.

Flames of Tuesday.

Many people mixed on the battlefield.

So they didn't know that everything happening originated from me.

I picked up a broken spear, its owner unknown, and charged toward the enemy lines.

-Kwajik!

The spear accurately pierced through the head of a huge monster that had been trampling soldiers on the battlefield.

-Krooooooo!

But it didn't fall.

There were countless times when what appeared to be the heads of differently-shaped monsters were not their weak points.

While not as much as Ellen.

I had killed countless monsters.

I dashed toward the still-standing monster and, at the same time, struck it with my fist.

-Ppoong!

The sound wasn't from my fist.

Strictly speaking, it was the sound of the magical shockwave I detonated the moment my fist made contact.

As half of the monster's body flew away in an instant, I passed by the bewildered soldiers who stared blankly at me.

There was a benefit to the Immortals appearing.

If I wore a helmet with a faceplate, I would be roughly considered one of the Immortals.

Even if a soldier they didn't know slaughtered monsters and advanced, they wouldn't think the Demon King was participating, but that it was a hidden force of the empire.

That's why it's better to wear a helmet than to move around with a transformed face.

Soldiers gawk at me but don't doubt me, and likewise, the Immortals don't doubt me either.

In the midst of the battlefield's noise and clamor.

As I watched the trajectory of the Void Sword cutting down monsters and advancing in the distance.

I, too, ran toward the Warp Gate as a part of the battlefield.

It wasn't just me.

Within the Immortals, there were also mages.

Golden light filled the battlefield, healing the wounded and casting blessings. Among the lights were the shots fired by Olivia Lanze.

And then.

-Flash!

In the rear of the battlefield, among the lights flying towards the city, there were those shot by Harriet.

-Rumble!

From the lightning pouring down from the sky, some were summoned by Liana.

How should one bear responsibility?

Just as one's life alone could not bear all responsibility, there must be various ways to bear responsibility.

Was this the right way to bear responsibility?

However, I did not want to bear the responsibility of death.

So, to pay the price or responsibility in another way.

I swung my weapons as if possessed.

------

Before arriving at the next major city after Wallen, Ruboten, the allied forces paused at a distance.

They waited until Immortal had taken care of all the warp gates in the smaller cities.

After Immortal had completed their mission, the allied forces advanced to Ruboten.

The battle was more intense than the one in Wallen, and the fighting itself took longer.

But in the end, there were fewer casualties than in Serandia.

The expressions of the allied forces as they looked upon the ashes of Ruboten were somewhat different from when they had successfully captured Serandia.

While it was a great victory with fewer casualties, it wasn't because the atmosphere was heavy with sadness.

There was only one left.

Now, the end was truly near.

Everyone knew this, and on their faces, a sense of solemnity was felt more than joy in victory.

Knowing that the moment they had longed for and wished for was not far away, the allied forces cleared the battlefield with a solemn atmosphere rather than being intoxicated by victory.

The clearing of the battlefield was the responsibility of the allied forces.

They returned to Lazac.

Liana shrugged her shoulders as she looked at me.

"But, did we really have to fight ourselves?"

"It's better than nothing."

"Well... You're not wrong."

At my words, Liana nodded with a gloomy expression.

He wanted to fight directly rather than just watch the battlefield from afar. He could have disguised himself as one of the allied soldiers using the Dreadfiend ring, but he did not participate in the battle since having an unknown but very powerful soldier would be strange.

However, after the appearance of Immortal, it was no longer strange for the allied forces to have an unknown but very powerful ally.

So, he had planned to join the battlefield wearing a simple helmet. He just had to avoid wearing the eye-catching Tiamata and Alsbringer.

But when he tried to go alone, Harriet, upon hearing it, decided to join as well.

As a result, not only Olivia but also Liana joined.

In the battlefield, they could fight with their faces hidden by helmets or robes, and even the Holy Knights were theirs, so it was easier for someone like Olivia to operate.

Moreover, Eleris and Lucinil joined the battle as well.

While it may not have been a significant number, it was better than nothing.

There was no harm in killing the monsters faster.

Whether or not it was meaningful to insert themselves anonymously into a battle they were bound to win, they did not know.

It was a victorious battle, but in the end, there were still deaths.

Some were injured, and some had died.

It was not I who killed the most monsters in today's battle, but rather Liana and Harriet.

Harriet stood silently on the open field in front of the Lazak Castle as night fell, staring down at the valley below with a stern expression on her face.

She must have had a lot on her mind.

-Eek! Eek...! Eek!

Meanwhile, Olivia sat on a rocky ledge in front of the castle, grumbling as she struggled to remove her plate armor, stained with monster blood.

“Ugh, so annoying!”

-Clang!

Olivia cursed as she threw her armor to the ground.

It was more like she tore it off than merely removed it.

"Can you believe I find her cute sometimes? Am I going insane?"

Liana laughed softly as she watched Olivia's antics.

Well, calling that cute might have been a stretch.

From a distance, Olivia glared at me with narrowed eyes.

“Reinhardt! Stop staring and help me out, you idiot! I couldn't even put this on by myself!”

"Alright."

I approached the grumbling Olivia and untied the knots in her armor.

"Why did you wear full plate armor instead of a simple breastplate like me?"

"Rowan, the commander of the Holy Knights, kept pestering me to wear it, so I did."

She must have sought out Commander Rowan right before the battle began.

"It's enchanted armor, so it does have some effects. Do you think the Holy Knights would wear something like this if they were fools?"

Olivia explained that the armor, blessed with divine power, enhanced physical abilities and sometimes magical power as well. Since she had disguised herself as a Holy Knight, like how I had disguised myself as a soldier, she had no choice but to wear plate armor.

Her platinum hair was tangled in every which way, making her look rather ghostly.

It was an inevitable consequence of close combat.

Although Liana and Harriet appeared slightly exhausted, they still looked radiant.

Eventually, Olivia was left in her undergarments once all her armor was removed.

Because she had to wear armor, her inner clothing was light and simple.

"..."

"..."

Uh.

Well.

Um...

"If you're going to look, either look properly or don't. You're making it even more indecent by looking like that."

Olivia glared at me with cold eyes.

"Ah, I didn't... I mean, I did look, but not like that...!"

"And I smell like blood right now. Don't come any closer."

"But you asked me to help you take off your armor!"

She tells me to come closer, then to go away! What's with her?

"That was then, this is now."

But really, Olivia did reek of blood, just as she said.

She glanced enviously at Harriet, who was still looking down at the valley from afar, before standing up.

"If I'm reborn, I'm going to learn magic... So annoying... Damn it..."

Leaving her armor strewn about, Olivia hobbled back into the castle.

As soon as she disappeared inside, Charlotte emerged.

"I heard the battle ended well."

Although our group's combat abilities were quite impressive, Charlotte's role was not on the battlefield. She was dressed in her most modest gown.

"Well... Fortunately."

We did participate in the battle, but ultimately, it was the Titans and the Immortals who played the biggest roles.

Charlotte crossed her arms and took a deep breath.

"Now... Only Diane remains."

"Yes."

At those words, I couldn't help but feel a cold sweat break out on my hands.

Now, the end was truly in sight.

The Immortals had taken care of all the other locations.

The capital of Riselen, Diane.

This was really the last one.

Only the final assault remained.

Everyone couldn't help but become solemn.