At my question, Gilisiris, the Scarlet Monument King, huffed and laughed.
âVery well. But please donât think that youâve won. If it werenât for the Sword of Annihilation, certainly you would have lost.â
I asked Gilisiris mockingly, who looked relaxed.
âIs it because you tampered with the answer sheet?â
Gilisiris was taken aback by these words.
Then, he turned his magic eye on me.
âYou think I havenât noticed that you canât cheat in the Great Tree of Eniyunien? Thatâs what you made me believe, and thatâs why youâve been tampering with the answers of everyone except me. You made it so that they would never get the correct answer, and you tried to get less than ninety points.â
As if trying to mock, Gilisiris deformed his gelatinous face with a limp.
âDo you have any proof?â
I pick up the white book that was there.
Itâs Zeshiaâs answer sheet.
With a flick of my finger, the pages are flipped one after another.
Gilisiris turned his evil eye on it.
âThere doesnât seem to be any cheating, though.â
âThatâs because you erased the evidence.â
I held the page with my finger and used the <Time Manipulation Rivide> magic to change the time on the answer sheet back to what it was during the exam.
Then the questions on the page changed.
The first question.
[Look carefully and think carefully. A Spirit is a Spirit, but what is a Spirit based on a rumor?]
The original question was: âWhat kind of spirit is not based on rumors? The original question was, âWhat is a spirit that is not [based on] a rumor?â
The answer to this question is not clear.
Some other sentences in the question have been changed, making it impossible to answer the original question correctly.
âHoh. This is a surprise. But do you have any proof that I did it?â
Gilisiris taunted bluntly.
âYouâre the only one who could pull off a trick like this.â
âThatâs not proof, is it? Isnât that right, the Great Tree of Eniyunien?â
When the Scarlet Monument King asked that, Eniyunien snorted.
ââŚHmmm⌠even I canât see the injustice in it. I will take care to prevent such injustice from occurring in the futureâŚâ
Then, with great pride, the Scarlet Monument King said.
âYou heard him right, Demon Lord. That was a false accusation.â
Oh dear, you remained the same sore loser.
âI canât keep up with your sour grapes. In any case, youâve lost. Just tell me whatâs going on.â
As he glared at me, his magic eye flashed, and he said.
âMy [Superior] is the Spirit King.â
Hmm. I had a feeling that was the case.
What was decisive was that he had crafted the Book Fairy Leeran so that the Great Tree of Eniyunien would not notice.
Without the help of the Spirit King, it wouldnât work.
âI didnât expect you to work for a Spirit King.â
âAs long as I can do my research, it doesnât matter to me if Iâm below or above. As I said before, this place is perfect for magic research. By studying the power of the spirits, my magic will be able to peer into even deeper abysses.â
âHuh. If thatâs the case, why donât you stop being the Spirit Kingâs subordinate and join my team? I will show you an abyss of magic that far surpasses the results of your two thousand years of research.â
Gilisirisâs gelatinous face contorted violently as if to show his anger.
âDo not patronize me, Demon Lord. Did you think I would join you in your disdain and desecration of the study of magic?â
âWhat, I thought Iâd ask you out. If you want to surpass me in magical research, the most direct way is to join me.â
Gilisirisâs body glowed black, and the surrounding plants and flowers burst into flames.
In his body, particles of magic power were colliding with each other, causing violent sparks to fly.
âHow long have you been looking down on me? I told you that in the past two thousand years, Iâve surpassed your old magic by far.â
âIf you think youâve surpassed me, you donât need to throw such a tantrum. If youâre going to react to every little nonsense, youâre not going to know what youâre made of.â
I received the gaze of the Scarlet Monument King, who glared at me without hiding his anger.
âRemember this. It is not you who will reach the bottom of the endless abyss. Itâs me.â
Well, I donât dislike your enthusiasm for research.
âInteresting. But I have more on my mind right now than the depths of the abyss.â
Gilisiris twisted his face languidly to show his annoyance.
âWhat kind of spirit is the Spirit King?â
âYouâll have to find out for yourself. Itâs not within <Contract Zecht>âs scope to answer that question.â
After saying that, Gilisiris sat down in his seat.
If he had targeted Eleonore and Zeshia for research purposes, then it could be assumed that he had been instructed by the Spirit King to say something that would lead to a contest of wits.
If the Cursed King and the Dark Lordâs subordinates also acted in such a way that a comparison of wits was possible, then the three parties must have been in an alliance at a certain point. If that was the case, then the whole thing might have been a plot by the Spirit King.
Could the Spirit King be cooperating with Nousgalia?
Or did they threaten it?
In any case, it seemed that the reason why he hid my subordinate 2,000 years ago was not just because he was following the rules of this spirit school.
âHmm. Then let us continue our studies.â
The great tree of Eniyunien echoed his voice.
âWell. Aside from the new students who scored a hundred points, everyone in the classroom this time is eligible to take the trials of the spirits. All students who wish to take the trials must leave this classroom, go up the stairs, and go to the trial room before the next bell rings.â
Then Gilisiris, the Scarlet Monument King, Eges, the Underworld King, and Jiste, another personality of Kaihilam, the Curse King, all stood up at once and walked out of the classroom.
âLetâs go!â
I called out to Misha and the others, and I too got up from my seat.