To breathe, one needs oxygen.
To live, one must eat.
"The winner of Student Council President Selection, Group B — Luciana Speda!"
The announcement from the opposite arena was as natural and undeniable as those truths.
"What, the final match is between first-years?"
"They say the second and third years all forfeited?"
"Wait, the second-year top student? He just lost? Against a first-year?"
"And that 'Tempest Robert,' who always opposed Reisia Pannel? A duke's son, strong enough to contend with the former Student Council President! And yet he lost?"
Hearing such foolish chatter ripple through the stands, I couldn't help but slap my knee.
They still couldn't recognize Luciana's greatness!
How dare they compare her to the chaff of the Robert ducal house, famous only for producing too many children!
"There's no time to waste. The Student Council President is the one who decides the academy's affairs! It's a position that must always exist!"
The judge's words had barely finished when—
The opposite entrance opened, and Luciana climbed the stairs toward me.
"..."
Her face was as cold as usual.
But to my eyes, always by her side, I saw it.
The faint upward curve of her lips, subtle enough to be mistaken for a straight line.
The blue eyes shining brighter than ever.
It was the same expression she sometimes showed after our duels.
"It seems you had no regrets in that match."
"You read me well. The duel with the so-called rival of Lady Pannel was satisfying enough. But before that, frankly, it was disappointing."
Her sharp gaze carried a hint of reproach.
"Each opponent just forfeited. Against me, a mere first-year."
"Haha… well, sometimes peace is the better choice, isn't it?"
"I suspected it was by your orders, Hans. Am I wrong?"
I had lied to Luciana plenty of times,
but never as Hans Byron, her attendant.
"You saw correctly."
I lowered my gaze, ready for a stinging rebuke.
A soft sigh drifted over my bowed head.
"Raise your head."
But instead of the scolding I braced for,
her voice carried no blame.
"Next time, at least report it to me. A lord mustn't be ignorant of her attendant's work."
"…That's unexpected. I thought surely you'd punish me."
"Then take the hint and restrain yourself. The exchange program incident too—you always take action first, and it's troublesome."
"I'll reflect on it."
Yes, not accounting for her temperament had been my mistake.
When I apologized, she waved it off.
"Enough. I was personally dissatisfied with the measure, but in the end, you did it for me. What kind of lord dismisses or belittles the loyalty of her attendant?"
'…What a commendable thing to say.'
My beloved character recognizing my efforts.
What more could I ask for? It was the greatest motivation.
"And… I still feel incomplete."
"Not enough, even against Robert's son?"
"Yes. I even borrowed a move from Lady Pannel, but it wasn't enough to bring out my trump card."
She clicked her tongue, clearly unimpressed.
It seemed even fellow heirs of ducal houses didn't satisfy her.
Her blade suddenly leveled at me.
"I was sure you'd make it to the finals. You, my attendant, above all."
The disappointment was gone—replaced by fighting spirit and expectation.
'True, it's been a while since we sparred.'
I'd been too busy scheming in the shadows, neglecting our usual duels.
"I don't know how to thank you for such trust."
"Then prove it. Just like at the Colosseum, let's face each other with everything we've got."
To be honest, though—
I had no intention of giving it my all.
'What would I even do as Student Council President?'
That position requires charisma and leadership to flaunt power upfront.
Me? I preferred working subtly from behind the scenes.
'Besides, I can't go all out right now.'
I'd already stripped Colt of his unique magic.
There was no way to give Luciana the all-out battle she wanted.
'Still, I can at least draw out some of her unique techniques.'
I wouldn't just lose pathetically.
Failing to make her show even that much would be a true disappointment.
"Hehe, come on, Luciana. Didn't I tell you last time? In big fights, I always win."
"Kuh, you strike where it hurts. But this time is different. I've grown too, and I'll show you proof of it."
Her confidence suggested she'd mastered something formidable.
"Well then… get ready—"
As the referee's signal came, Luciana lowered her stance.
Not relying on her reach, she wanted a direct clash.
'With her physique, that's possible….'
Fine by me.
That way, I could make the most of my dagger's strengths.
I bent my knees, preparing to sprint forward.
"The final match of the Student Council President Selection—begin—!"
—BOOM!
The referee hadn't even finished speaking before a deafening crash shook the arena.
"Uwaaah!"
"Wh-what is happening?!"
The stands crumbled, students scrambling to shield themselves with mana or aura, avoiding serious harm.
But that wasn't the real problem.
"…Why here?"
What mattered was the voice.
An old, gravelly voice.
Though cloaked, a long beard jutted out.
Revine horns, sharp and rising.
A thick, dragon-like tail.
Most of all…
[Boss]
[Four Heavenly Kings]
[Jaihin Brutaltus]
The status window screamed a truth that chilled me to the bone.
An enemy who should not be here.
"Damn it, what the hell? Are you planning a massacre in the academy—"
"Silence, weakling human."
A being born with absolute power in body and aura—Revine.
And one who tore away obstacles by the roots.
—CRASH!
Like that.
"Ghhk!"
"A-attackers! Is this the Calamity Cult again?!"
'If only it were the Calamity Cult…!'
Their officers were strong, yes, but nowhere near this.
This was a Four Heavenly Kings.
The lieutenants beneath the Demon King himself.
Though Jaihin would later be surpassed by Recton,
right now, none of us could face him.
"Where are the golems?!"
The Headmaster's golems, guardians of academy security, should've intervened—
'As if they could stop him…!'
By now, they were probably scrap metal.
Even the Headmaster couldn't guarantee victory here.
'But why is a Four Heavenly Kings here?!'
The Revine nobility were too powerful, too entrenched in the Demon Realm.
They rarely moved.
And this was imperial territory.
Even if he caused havoc, he'd be hunted down quickly.
So why take such a risk?
"..."
"Luciana, no! We must retreat!"
"…My heart pounds, like when I faced that vampire. Forgive me."
What kind of blood runs in the Speda house…
At least she controlled herself this time.
"It's a high-ranking demon. You recognize it?"
"…Of course. But to see one brazenly in the Empire's heart…"
Damage was inevitable now.
"Ghhhk!"
"As expected… human flesh is so fragile, so easy to tear."
Even the professor who'd just been refereeing fell while trying to protect students.
"Quiet. Think of this as a storm passing…"
At the same time, I whispered telepathically into the shadows.
—Lady Bathory!
—Forgive me, but if you tell me again not to act… I'll disobey, even if it earns your hatred.
Her rare tension was evident in her voice.
Bathory knew well how dangerous a high-ranking Revine was.
—Perish the thought. I'd rather borrow your strength.
To counter a high-ranking demon, one needs equal force.
Thankfully, Bathory—useless as a maid but invaluable as a bodyguard—was on my side.
—But keep hidden as long as possible. Only intervene if he targets me or Lady Luciana.
Perhaps we could stall him with Bathory's help.
But then—
'The academy won't tolerate Bathory once she's revealed.'
She was a demon.
Her mere existence would spark hostility.
They'd leash her with restrictions.
I couldn't waste such a trump card.
"For now, we must escape—"
I was ready to abandon everyone except Luciana if needed.
But then—
"Hans? What's wrong?"
"…Damn it. This just got complicated."
Because the old demon wasn't even looking at us.
In one leap, he landed in the most luxurious seats of the stands—
and grabbed someone by the throat.
Beneath him, a blue-haired youth lay smashed into a wall, unconscious from trying to intervene.
"Khh! L-let go!"
"How annoying. And why does this woman trigger a response from the artifact? She's neither Queen nor demon…"
If it were some irrelevant extra, I would've fled.
Even Elizabeta or Frigia—I'd hesitate.
"Hey, you bastard! Hands off!"
But the woman in his grip—
I lost all rationality, my throat tearing as I shouted.
"Hans! You told me not to lose my head, and now you rush in?!"
Luciana's restraint was wasted on me.
Because the woman strangled by Jaihin Brutaltus was none other than—
the Saint.
My sister.
René.
More than blood.
More than the bond of shared past lives.
She was the Saint.
Without her blessing, humanity had no hope of surviving the Demon King.
"So these humans are enthralled by the Queen? First that blue-haired fool, and now another fly buzzing in."
Egg against rock.
I didn't even have my unique magic anymore.
But for René's sake,
for the future with Luciana I dreamed of,
there was no other choice.
"..."
"What's wrong? Scared? That other brat at least rushed in swinging. Your kind are more suited to cowering."
Facing a beast—that must be what this feeling was.
Even locking eyes with his mocking grin made my knees tremble.
But fear alone wouldn't solve this crisis.
I forced my trembling tongue to move.
"Seems you're curious where the Queen is. What luck. By chance, I know exactly where she is."
"...!"
He said nothing.
Persuasion? Worthless.
To Revine, there was only domination and plunder.
"Ahhck!"
"Then you'd better show me."
He released René's neck—
and in one bound, he was right before me.
"Haha, by all means—try and make me."
Clad not in aura or armor, but sheer bravado,
I stepped forward to tame the beast before me.
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