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The headmaster, who was supposed to be leading the closing ceremony, was nowhere to be seen.

Only the instructors stood around the students.

The students were chattering amongst themselves, excited about the upcoming break.

Well, I couldn\'t blame them.

I, too, felt a strange sensation at the mention of vacation.

‘Could it be… excitement?’

Perhaps not quite.

Thinking about it, I knew I’d be busy during break, so it was silly of me to be looking forward to it.

As I stood there, grappling with this complex mix of emotions…

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Several students glared at me the moment I entered the auditorium.

Naturally, I was taken aback.

Why were they giving me such looks?

I didn’t think I had done anything wrong to them.

Just as I was about to ask them directly what I had done, someone shouted,

“The headmaster is here!”

All eyes turned to the podium at the front of the auditorium.

As if on cue, the headmaster, still in the form of a small child, strode onto the stage.

…Though ‘stride’ might not be the most accurate word.

I wouldn’t dare tease the headmaster about her appearance.

If I did, she might just tear me limb from limb.

Risk my life for a little joke?

I wasn’t foolish enough to even consider it.

‘She’s so tiny, and that face… she really is an old woman…’

So I cursed her in my mind instead.

Surely, even the headmaster couldn’t hear my thoughts.

Just as I was thinking this…

Swish-.

“……!”

The headmaster’s gaze landed on me, and I instinctively stiffened.

Did she notice?

No, it couldn’t be.

Even the headmaster couldn’t have mastered telepathy.

Feigning composure, I curved my lips into a smile and waved at her.

She smiled back.

It seemed she was simply looking around.

But why did I feel even more nervous despite her smile?

‘Please, accept my request.’

If she refused…

After a moment’s contemplation, I shook my head.

Even if she refused, I can\'t harm her.

I would just be… disappointed in her.

And who knew what kind of butterfly effect my change of heart might have on Sytan…

[There you go again with your pointless thoughts.]

“What was that?”

[Tsk, tsk.]

Samuel’s words easily cut through my arrogant imagination.

The truth was, even if the headmaster refused my proposal, it wouldn’t make me betray the academy.

I would simply be disappointed in her, that’s all.

Besides, the proposal I was about to make was far from detrimental to the headmaster.

In fact, it was something she couldn’t refuse.

She wouldn’t refuse, not after deciding to take me under her wing.

Because…

‘It’s the easiest thing in the world for her.’

All she had to do was give me a few items crafted with her own power.

In return, she would gain my favor and the top-grade elixir I received as a reward for the final exam.

It was a profitable deal for her.

A win-win situation for both of us.

Anyway, since I had obtained Adel’s Mana Method, I decided that it would be better to get it from the headmaster rather than trying to increase my total amount of mana.

Especially since my current mana capacity was nearing 5000.

There was no need for greed.

What mattered now was obtaining usable weapons from the headmaster.

What I was about to receive were a few ‘stones.’

‘Stones engraved with the headmaster’s own magic, no less.’

These stones allowed for a one-time use of the magic engraved on them by the headmaster. Think of them as similar to scrolls.

However, unlike scrolls, magic engraved directly onto mana stones was far more potent.

They were definitely worth trading the elixir for.

The ability to wield the magic of one of the most powerful figures in the Demon Realm…

How incredibly useful.

One day, the leaders of the Seven Deadly Sins would witness the might of the headmaster’s magic.

And they would realize just how extraordinary it was to have been granted the opportunity to wield such power.

Anyway,

“You’ve all worked hard this semester.”

The headmaster began her speech.

With her characteristically warm smile, she showered the students with words of encouragement.

Her voice had a certain… uplifting quality to it.

A power that seemed to boost morale to its very limits.

“What have you learned this semester? The sorrow of losing comrades? The fear of imminent death? Some of you may have gained something more. But the most precious thing you’ve gained is…”

Thump, thump.

The headmaster paused, tapping her chest.

“A mission. You have been recognized as true warriors, destined to carry this heavy burden for the rest of your lives. And you, my students, are worthy.”

The headmaster smiled once more.

Touched by her words, the students began to sniffle and shed tears.

Thinking back, during the Sytan entrance exam, the headmaster had called us “foolish.”

She said our lives would be extinguished like mere flies.

But now?

She acknowledged us as true warriors, as soldiers.

No wonder the students were so moved.

‘…She’s quite something.’

If I were just an ordinary Demon Realm resident, I might have been bawling my eyes out like the rest of them.

Even I could feel a surge of emotion welling up inside me.

“Do not fear, for no one can stop our advance. As we march forward, the humans will only bow their heads and offer their necks.”

And of course, she ended her speech with a display of her contempt for humans.

In any case,

“Well done. I, the headmaster, am incredibly proud to call you members of Sytan. With that, I conclude this closing ceremony.”

“Waaaaaaaaah-!”

As soon as the headmaster finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted from the students.

I, too, was impressed by her speech and clapped along.

With the headmaster’s address concluded, Instructor Hebram, the theory instructor, took the stage to announce the schedule.

Not that there was much of a schedule to speak of.

He simply stated that the closing ceremony was over and that we were free to pack our belongings and leave Sytan.

Except for the top students from the final exam, of course.

So, I waited for the top students to be called…

“…….”

“…….”

The students who had been staring daggers at me when I entered the auditorium hesitantly approached.

What was this?

I could tell they wanted to say something to me.

Finally, one of them spoke up.

“…Class president.”

“Yes, please speak freely.”

The student’s voice was trembling, so I tried my best to ease his nervousness.

At this rate, it might take him ages to get his words out.

As if he had finally found his courage, the student continued.

“I was… afraid of you, Class president. I hated you. I think everyone here felt the same.”

“……?”

A sudden provocation from the student.

My face hardened.

The students behind him were nodding in agreement.

They agreed with him.

The nerve of these…

But I couldn’t afford to lose my temper now.

I decided to hear them out.

Let’s see what you have to say for yourselves.

“You were always emitting this… killing intent. You were always ready to fight other students… like you were showing off how strong you are.”

“…….”

He wasn’t wrong.

I had acted strong to avoid being disregarded in Sytan, to attract the instructors’ attention.

And it wasn’t like I wasn’t strong.

But to the ordinary students, my behavior must have been quite intimidating.

However,

“But now we know.”

“Know what?”

“We know that you were working hard for us, that you were struggling because of the responsibility you carried.”

“…….”

I stared at the student without a word.

This student, whose name I couldn’t even recall, was trying to comfort me.

“We won’t ask you to rely on us, Class president. We know we’re not as strong as you, nor as eloquent.”

“So, what is it you want to say?”

“…We just wanted to say thank you. Thanks to you, Class president, our friends are still alive.”

“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for myself.”

“Yeah, yeah. We figured you’d say that.”

“……But it’s the truth.”

I wasn’t some noble hero.

I was just an ordinary person trying to make amends for my mistakes.

I didn’t deserve their respect, nor did I want to bear such a heavy burden.

But…

Why?

Whum—.

The red dagger in my arms began to hum, a mournful sound.

…A sorrowful cry, like a mother weeping as she held her child.

A cry filled with grief.

Why was the red dagger reacting this way?

Just as I furrowed my brows in confusion…

“Class president, it’s time for us to go.”

One of the students said, a wistful smile on his face.

“It seems you plan to go home now that it’s break.”

“No, we have somewhere else to be.”

“Where do you…?”

I froze, my words caught in my throat.

The students had vanished without a trace.

“You…”

I gasped.

For some reason, the letter Idea had given me felt incredibly heavy.

After a moment of silence, I parted my lips and muttered,

“…I’m sorry.”

A feeling I had buried deep inside me, a feeling that refused to fade away, had spilled out.

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