This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
TL Note: OK! I draw the line at a tsundere lion-faced huge beastman! I know this Moe-Macho was trending a decade ago or so but for the love of god don't bring it back! I'm getting flashbacks!
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(I can't believe that Nephira, who always wanted to be with me, told me to go back.)
As he and Excella walked through the Imperial Castle, which was hectic with the preparations for battle, Takashi thought back to the conversation he had just had with Nephira.
Although Takashi pretended to be unaware of it, he was sure the rebellion must have been Zhaviest's. After all, Zhaviest had already declared war on the Demon Lord's Army.
(Nephira and Kiru were both talking casually, but the opponent was Zhaviest. Will both of them really be alright?)
Takashi shook his head as that thought crossed his mind.
(No, it's useless even if I'm the one worrying. And if the demons are defeated and the world is at peace, what could be better than that?)
Takashi and Excella were heading for a fortress far from the imperial castle. According to Serphiano, they could board a dragon carriage bound for Leirune there.
As Takashi and Excella walked, a group of vicious-looking demons passed by, heading toward the Imperial Castle. According to the reports, half of the Demon Lord's forces in each local region were being concentrated in the Imperial Capital.
"What a huge army…"
Takashi muttered, and Excella nodded.
"I heard that the vanguard troops have already departed for the Miremia Plains."
"You mean... there will be even more troops."
"Yes. I heard them saying that they were quelling a rebellion… but this is more like a second Human-Demon Great War."
It was not surprising that Excella was trying to catch her breath. Right now, the entire imperial capital was being completely filled with demons.
Suddenly, Excella opened her mouth.
"Are you sure we… should go back to Leirune?"
"Even if I went to the campaign, I wouldn't be of much use, you know?"
"B-But! There is Lord Hero's Pritis!"
"Haha–. They have Aina, don't they?"
He said with a dry laugh. Then Excella fell silent.
At the dragon carriage, the demon apologetically lowered his head to Takashi. He told him that they seemed to be short on dragon carriages since they were being allocated for the battle in the Miremia Plains, and it would be some time before they could prepare one for setting out toward Leirune.
Takashi sat next to Excella in a waiting chair and waited, but the dragon carriage did not seem to be ready any time soon.
"I'm going to go for a little walk, you know, until it's ready."
"Y-Yes. Take care…"
Feeling awkward, Takashi walked out of the imperial capital alone. As time passed, most of the demons that had gathered in the imperial capital seemed to have departed for the Miremia Plains. As he walked through the sparsely populated Imperial Capital, Takashi suddenly remembered Excella's words from earlier.
(Aina… will she be alright working together with someone like Zhaviest? …N-No! Aina is a stronger Pritis user than I am! I should just leave it to her!)
He sighed loudly. (I mean, if there is a better Pritis user than me, doesn't that mean that my existence is completely meaningless?)
Until recently, Takashi thought that he could somehow save the world. However, that feeling had completely faded away.
Thump, the fingers that Zhaviest broke hurt. Takashi looked at his bandaged hand.
(I just wanted to live a heartwarming, another-world life. Why do I have to go through all this!?)
There was no anger towards Zhaviest. Or rather, perhaps Zhaviest had broken his finger because he was in the wrong. That was right. If you think carefully about it, Zhaviest had a point. Human sacrifice is essential to save the world. As Zhaviest had said, even the victorious side would come with casualties. The defeated side... with even more death. That is reality. Without shedding blood, there is no such convenient power that can achieve it ——— "I have revealed myself to you only because I have seen the awe-inspiring power of a hero. Because I thought you could bring about a revolution without nearly any bloodshed and save the world." Recalling the words he heard when he first met Leelou, Takashi gritted his teeth.
"…It's impossible, of course it is."
At that very moment, just as he was talking to himself and feeling as if he was going to throw up.
"Oh no–! I'm running late! Gotta hurry!"
"Older brother. Do you need something like a spaulder?"
"I DO! Commander Raigus died from a slash in the shoulder because he didn't have one!"
He heard a coarse voice that he had heard before. The lion beastman, who was racing in a fluster, saw Takashi's face.
"Su-Suzuki–!?"
He expressed such astonishment that his jaw seemed to drop off.
"Instructor Leos…"
Takashi muttered. The surprised expression on the face of the demon training instructor Leos, however, quickly turned to anger as he walked over to Takashi.
"YOU, Idiot! You haven't been coming to class at all since then, have YOU? You delinquent student!"
"I'm sorry for worrying you."
"I wasn't particularly worried about you or anything…!"
Leos cleared his throat with a "gohon." After the awkward look on his face, he left the tiger-faced beastman who was accompanying him.
"Come here for a bit!"
He forcibly pulled Takashi's arm and took him into a back alley.
"W-What is it, Instructor Leos?"
Once they were alone, Leos crossed his arms and said to Takashi.
"IT'S NOT 'what is it?'! Let's hear it? The answer to your homework.
"Huh? Homework… you mean, what was it again?"
"Don't FORGET about it!! You, seriously, are a delinquent student!!"
(Eh-uhm… that's right. If I remember correctly, 'Can demons and humans coexist?' I think that was the question.)
Takashi laughed bitterly as he remembered. At that time, he insisted that they could coexist. And then Instructor Leos told Takashi to think it over more carefully and not to give an answer right then and there.
(Yeah. As you would expect from a demon-training instructor. After much thought, I have figured out the real answer.)
"So Suzuki. The correct answer is?"
Takashi said clearly to Leos, who looked a little embarrassed.
"From that time, I... will change my answer. Sure enough, since we are from different races, I don't think getting along is possible."
"The correct answer is: 'If you work hard, you can coe…' HUH!? EH!? Wai– What did you just say!?"