âDonât tell me that⌠heâs headed for <b>that</b> seat?!â (Student boy A)
âO-⌠Oh, crap. H-Hey, Anosh. Donât go to that seat!â (Student boy B)
I looked back at the student who called out to me.
âIs that seat already taken?â (Anos)
âWell, no itâs not, butâŚâ (Student boy B)
âThen there should be no problem.â (Anos)
Unfazed, I kept walking.
To the seat between Misha and Sasha.
ââŚM-Maybe he doesnât know because heâs a childâŚ?â (Student girl A)
âBut itâs bad enough that he doesnât know! That seat⌠itâs Anos-samaâsâŚâ (Student boy A)
âBut Anos-sama doesnât go to class anymoreâŚâ (Student girl A)
âNo, but the thing is, there was that one time when I went and sat there as a prank.â (Student boy A)
âYou did what ?!â (Student girl A)
âIt was just a joke! A harmless practical joke!â (Student boy A)
ââŚSo what happened next?â (Student girl A)
âWell, unfortunately, it was then that Sasha-sama came back to her seat and just sat down next to me. She was smiling, but with her <Magic Eyes of Destruction> on. I prayed that she never makes eye contact with me.â (Student boy A)
âWell yeah. If you had made eye contact with her in that situation, you wouldâve died for sureâŚâ (Student girl A)
âBut that wasnât all. Misha-chan was just staring at me. Without changing her expression, and without saying a word. She was just staring at me real hard!â (Student boy A)
âIf Misha-chan of all people was being furious, then you should know this was a huge deal!â (Student girl A)
âBut the one who finished me off was Eleonore-san! She told me in a casual tone, âIf you choose to sit here, donât complain if you get murdered.ââ (Student boy A)
âWhy didnât you get out of that seat already?!â (Student girl A)
âMy hips gave out, so I couldnât even stand up!â (Student boy A)
All eyes in the classroom were on me.
âActually, I think that seat over there is even more dangerous than this guy described it⌠Sitting there as a prank isnât just thoughtless. Itâs straight up suicide!â another student uttered.
âJust look around it. Thereâs the Hero Kanon, the exchange students from the Hero Academy, the former fake Demon King, and the Necron sisters. I reeeeally donât wanna be anywhere near themâŚâ (Student boy B)
âWhaaaat? But theyâre all nice people, so Iâm sure itâs fine.â (Student girl B)
âNo no. No matter how you look at it, their group is bad news! Are we sure the Hero Kanon is truly our ally? And the same goes for the fake Demon King. Besides, thereâs no reason for those two to attend the academy, is there?â the student said in a grave tone.
ââŚTheyâve <b>got</b> to be plotting something. Just think about it. Do you seriously believe those two are just trying to live as ordinary students? Donât you think theyâre planning to hide in the Demon King Academy and wait for the right time to betray the Demon King of TyrannyâŚ?â (Student boy B)
âYeah⌠Maybe Sasha-sama and Misha-chan are keeping their eyes on them to look out for thatâŚâ (Student boy A)
âIf they werenât, there wouldnât be so many monsters gathered in that one spotâŚ! Itâs like a powder keg around that seat. They may look like theyâre having a friendly chat at first glance, but you never know when they might explodeâŚâ (Student boy B)
âAnd the reason no one talks about that seat is that weâre too afraid to say anything. Even the teachers bow down to it every morning, yâknowâŚ?â (Student boy A)
âHmm~⌠Well, I can see why itâd be difficult to sit thereâŚâ (Student girl B)
Hmm. Apparently, things had changed while I was gone, with my seat being considered a sanctuary, and Lay, Misa, and the others being feared by everyone.
Well, those students were gossip-lovers.
They were free to say whatever they wanted.
I used my magic power to move my chair back.
I sat down there and turned to the side.
âWhat do you think? None of them noticed a thing.â (Anos)
Sasha gave me a look of dismay.
Misha thought for a moment before giving a short reply.
âThey still havenât?â (Misha)
âActually, will you be able to go unnoticed forever? Itâs you weâre talking about, so thereâs no way youâll manage to keep a low profile, right?â (Sasha)
âDonât worry, thatâs the point of the boy genius persona.â (Anos)
âAhh~. So no matter what crazy stuff you do, youâll attribute it all to being a prodigy.â Eleonore exclaimed, as if she had just realized it.
ââŚItâs⌠a perfect planâŚâ Zeshia acquiesced, clenching her fists.
âAnd there you have it, Sasha.â (Anos)
ââŚAt least try to hide your identity a little more seriouslyâŚâ (Sasha)
âThat wonât be a problem. I have excellent subordinates, after all.â (Anos)
âAnd⌠who would they be, specificallyâŚ?â (Sasha)
âAm I wrong? Knowing you, I was convinced that you would make things work out for me.â (Anos)
Sasha blushed and looked away.
ââŚOkay, sure. Anything you say, O Great Demon King. I have a feeling weâve got hard times ahead of usâŚâ Sasha grumbled.
âSasha is happy.â Misha whispered into my ear.
âMisha, donât say anything weirdâŚâ (Sasha)
âAhaha~. But still, Iâm glad that we can study with Anosâ⌠I mean, Anosh-kun once again.â Misa said with a warm smile.
Lay knocked over his chair and leaned back with a refreshing smile.
âWhat about your official duties as the Demon King?â (Lay)
âI can do them after school just fine. As I said earlier, I have excellent subordinates. For the Demon KIng, being a symbol is good enough. As for the peopleâs petitions, Erio, Melheis, and the others can handle most of them.â (Anos)
Being nothing but a symbol would be the most ideal situation for me.
If this were a situation where the Demon KIng of Tyranny needed to work so hard at his official duties he had no time to sleep, It would mean that thereâs no peace.
âLooks like this is going to be another fun school year.â (Lay)
âYeah.â I said with a chuckle.
The other students, who had been watching us while bracing themselves, sighed in relief.
ââŚL-Looks like heâs fineâŚâ (Student boy B)
âTheyâre being so friendly to him. No idea what theyâre talking about, thoughâŚâ (Student girl A)
âBut why?â (Student boy A)
ââŚIâd say, because heâs a child?â (Student girl B)
âKh! So itâs a kidâs privilege. Thatâs so unfairâŚâ (Student boy A)
Once again, I heard the sound of a cane tapping the floor.
The students hurriedly turned to the blackboard.
âToday, I have one more person Iâd like to introduce: your new swordsmanship instructor!â (Eldmed)