Thinking that I was favorable to his claims, Ramon kept going with his spiel.
âWe, the Royalists, must correct this distorted history of Dilhade. Even if it means defying the current Demon KIng. Thatâs the mission imposed on those of us of noble blood. We must take back the demon nation, for the sake of the now deceased genuine Demon King as well.â (Ramon)
Maybe he let his guard down because I was a kid, but he kept babbling on and on about his true feelings.
Or maybe this was to hide the fact that there was something going on behind the scenes?
âAlright, I got your message. In other words, the Demon KIng of Tyranny is the bad guy.â (Anos)
When he heard me reach that short-sighted conclusion, Ramonâs mouth twisted into a grin, as if this was what he wanted out of me.
âExactly. I think you and I are gonna get along just fine, Anosh.â (Ramon)
Ramon held out his hand.
I responded with a handshake, and asked him a more in-depth question.
âIf possible, Iâd like you to introduce me.â (Anos)
Ramonâs complexion changed.
ââŚWhat are you talking about?â (Ramon)
âI heard there was a resistance group called the âRoyalistsâ. I donât know the details about it, but âresistanceâ means that theyâre on the side of justice, right?â (Anos)
Ramon made a brooding expression.
ââŚDonât be ridiculous. The Royalist faction has already been dismantled. Well, I used to be one of them, so I just accidentally ran my mouth out of old habits.â (Ramon)
I see.
So that was his way of searching for who opposed the current Demon King.
âBesides, those on the side of justice donât reveal themselves so easily, Anosh.â Ramon said, as if he werenât as annoyed with my question as he would have me believe.
âAlthough, if you and I are on the same page, I could introduce you to my pals.â (Ramon)
Ramon smiled suggestively.
I had no idea how big it was, but it definitely looked like there was a resistance group at work behind the scenes.
I had a feeling that if I kept up this pace, I could have him introduce me to them, but he was still not certain about it.
Maybe I had to show him my worth.
As a resistance group, surely they were desperately searching for a military force that could oppose the Demon Kingâs army.
Even if I was a student of the Demon King Academy, judging from the fact that he approached a child like me, it was obvious that they were lacking in human resources.
âI can be useful to you.â (Anos)
âHaha! Donât get so carried away when youâre just a kid.â (Ramon)
âLet me show you.â I said while leisurely holding my iron sword.
As if treating me like a child, Ramon laughed again.
âAlright, then. How good are you with a sword?â (Ramon)
âNot too good, unfortunately. I specialize in magic.â (Anos)
âHaha! Figure as much. Well, even if youâre a boy genius, with a small body like yours, thereâs only so much magic power you can cram into your muscles.â (Ramon)
Ramon moved away to put some distance between us, and readied his demon sword in front of his eyes.
âAlright. Iâll go easy on you. First, Iâm gonna hit you from above with my sword, so try and block it. If you can do that, Iâll give you a bit of approval.â (Ramon)
âHmm. Fine by me. Challenge me all you want.â (Anos)
âOh-ho. Where did you even learn to speak like a grown-up? Still, words alone wonât make you a champion of justice, yâknow?â (Ramon)
Ramon slowly raised his demon sword.
Then he took one step in my direction.
âWell, letâs go!! Better defend well if you donât wanna get hurt!!â (Ramon)
He broke into a run.
At that moment, I was wondering if I wasnât watching him in slow motion, as I could clearly see Ramonâs every move.
And I donât mean that as a metaphor. He was slow. Slow beyond measure.
Ramonâs attack was so slow that I even wondered when his sword would actually reach me.
âTAKE THAT!!â (Ramon)
As he announced, he swung down his sword from above.
âHmm. A good way to defend against it would beâŚâ (Anos)
I effortlessly intercepted his swing with the iron sword in my hand.
The moment it collided with his demon swordâŚ
[GUHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!â (Ramon)
Ramon, who had attacked me, was unable to withstand my magically enhanced defense, was blown far backwards, and plunged deep into the arena wall.
ââŚLike this?â (Anos)
His magic power faded away.
He died instantly.
Right after that, the students in the arena started chattering.
ââŚEhâŚ? Just now, the one who got blown away was⌠Ramon-kun, rightâŚ?â (Student girl A)
âWas it⌠Anosh-kun who did thatâŚ?â (Student girl B)
âN⌠No⌠All he did was intercept Ramon-kunâs swordâŚâ (Student girl A)
âHow come the attacker is the one who ended up bouncing away like a ballâŚ?â (Student boy A)
âI hear ya⌠What kind of swordsmanship is that for a kid? If thatâs what happens when he defends, what would happen if he swung his swordâŚ?!â (Student boy B)
âActually, hey⌠Isnât Ramon-kun⌠deadâŚ? I canât sense his magic power at allâŚâ (Student girl A)
The moment the students expressed their thoughts, Ramon opened his eyes in a snap.
Using <Resurrection Ingall>, I brought him back to life.
âEEEEEHHHHH?! He came back to life?!â (Student girl A)
âHey, was that⌠<Resurrection Ingall>âŚ? The spell Anos-sama used during the entrance examâŚ?â (Student boy A)
ââŚWas it⌠Anosh who cast it just now? It was him, and not Eldmed-sensei, right? But heâs only six years oldâŚ!â (Student boy B)
âHe can use the same spell as Anos-sama at the age of sixâŚ? He really is a freaking geniusâŚ?!â (Student boy A)
I slowly stepped forward and walked in front of Ramon.
âDid you think just because Iâm a child, I wouldnât be good at defending myself?â (Anos)
Ramon stared at me dumbfounded, and gulped.
âY⌠You⌠Just who are youâŚ?â (Ramon)
I smiled and replied.
âAnosh Polticoal. Just a boy genius who yearns to become a champion of justice.â (Anos)