Epilogue
The next day, it was also brought to light that the Empire was cheating, which became a big deal.
The Empire did not admit to it, but still, there were many witnesses, such as Erika-sensei and Desmond, so it would be quite difficult for them to get away with this.
“At any rate, they were trying to kill us…”
Incidentally, the outcome of the exhibition game has become undecided since then.
Oh well. The Royal Capital will now denounce the Empire thoroughly. It will be a nice touch if the Empire is put in a difficult spot as a result of it.
On the other hand, I…
“Now… then. That’s about it, huh. I don’t have much stuff to begin with.”
After cleaning up, I put my hands on my hips and looked around the room again.
To be honest, there is nothing more I can learn from this magic academy, and it also doesn’t seem like there is anyone here who is stronger than me.
More importantly, I would like to investigate more on the decline of magic in this world and the ‘Truth’ that Arnold talked about.
“Even so… I never knew I would be called the ‘Demon King’.”
Arnold had said that, a thousand years ago, there was a demon king in this world. The magic and theories of the demon king were so terrifying that the Empire worked hard to seal them away.
“It’s all a lie”
At the very least, I wasn’t called the ‘Demon King’ in my previous life.
And while everyone was enjoying the convenience brought by the magic, they did not seem to be afraid of it.
Why would the Empire be spouting such lies?
Why was the Empire that was destroyed by demons restored again?
It seems to me that therein lies the truth behind the decline of magic in the last thousand years.
“Well… I wonder what I should do first.”
I muttered to myself and was about to leave the room.
*Knock Knock*
Hm?
The sound of knocking came from the door.
“The door is not locked.”
I called out to the other side of the door.
“Kurt! Please don’t quit school!”
“I won’t let you!”
Lara and Marise came rushing in from the hallway.
They came so close that they made physical contact with me.
“W-What’s the matter? What’s up with that face?”
I could feel their soft touch on me and could not help but slur my words.
“Because! Because… I had a feeling that Kurt was going to quit school…”
“At first, it was just Lara’s intuition… but after the exhibition game was over, Kurt was always thinking about something the whole time. That’s why we got the feeling that you are really going to quit school and became worried…”
They drew their faces close to mine.
…So, they are saying that they had a hunch that I was going to quit school?
And here I am, trying to prevent them from knowing anything about it.
What a mess. I think I have said it before, but Lara’s intuition is really something not to be reckoned with.
However,
“Even If I were to quit, what does that have to do with Lara and Marise? Even if I’m gone, I’m sure the two of you will still be able to perform well in school.”
A sense of mischief arose, and I asked them the question.
Lara’s face then scrunched up as she looked at me.
“Ueeeeeeeeeeeee! Kurt is…! Kurt is a meanie!”
Ultimately, she started crying.
…Hey-hey. What is this situation?
“Kurt! What you just said is too heartless! Please take it back now!”
Marise got angry at me.
Haa… This is getting out of hand.
And so, I let out a sigh.
“I’m sorry. But you two are wrong about me quitting the magic academy.”
““Eh?””
The two of them spoke at the same time.
“Is that true…?”
“Yeah, it’s true.”
“But you cleaned your room? As if you were trying to pack up and leave…”
“I was just cleaning up my room because I had some free time. Having said that, I didn’t have much baggage, so it was done quickly.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
That said, I even considered dropping out at one point since I could not learn any more about magic here. But I have made some good friends here, and they are Lara and Marise.
It would have been unthinkable for me a thousand years ago, but I am beginning to think that having friends is a good thing.
And so, I don’t think I can abandon this kind of life now.
Besides ── I could continue to be a student while also investigating the truth of the decline.
It would be easy for me to balance school life and off-campus activities.
“There’s still so much left to teach you two.”
“T-That’s right! I’m not going to allow you to slip out in the middle of it!”
“What was the magic that you used on the <<Four Great Sages>>? And what is that <<Demon King’s Magic>>?”
Lara, who had been crying until a while ago, was already smiling.
Marise seemed to be her usual self, but she sounded slightly excited.
I cannot get serious in this declining world. But surprisingly, this world which is a thousand years in the future, is not boring either.
As I was patting their heads, my heart was pounding with excitement at what was about to come.
