Chapter 232
Chapter 232
Zephyros’s injuries were not particularly severe.
Since he had handled ranged attacks using wind, his injuries were limited to simple abrasions.
As the Academy had somehow entered a full class suspension for an entire week, Zephyros tried to brew tea and enjoy a leisurely morning for the first time in a very long while.
Had Theo Lisitoel not suddenly appeared by breaking through the glass window, his wish would surely have come true.
“Cough!”
Before he could resist Theo with wind, Zephyros’s wind was blocked by Lou. Then he arrived at Golden’s mansion, half kidnapped by Theo.
Lucian had arrived at the office first.
“Lucian, why on earth are you here….”
“Hm? I got kidnapped too.”
The word ‘kidnapped’ coming from the Hero’s mouth felt quite unfamiliar.
This kidnapping must have worked only because the culprit was Theo Lisitoel, one of the Hero’s friends.
“How did you get kidnapped?”
In truth, Lucian’s situation was ambiguous to call kidnapping.
After all, while Theo was kidnapping Lucian, he had explained the situation and asked for his understanding.
“Do people usually call that kidnapping?”
“Well, Theo himself called it kidnapping.”
Zephyros wore a bizarre expression and glanced around the room, which was filled with documents.
Seeing Lucian, who had arrived first, neatly sorting documents by type, was document organization Theo’s goal?
“So where did that Theo bastard go after leaving only us here again?”
Did he make only us work while he went off somewhere to slack?
If so, I absolutely won’t forgive him!
Zephyros’s violet eyes blazed with anger.
“He said he was going to kidnap someone else?”
“Hm? Who on earth is he kidnapping now….”
Zephyros let out a groan and heaved a deep sigh.
It was truly damnably forceful, but the fact that he felt willing to go along with it was even stranger.
If it had been his original personality, he would have tried to tear Theo apart with wind from the very moment Theo attempted the kidnapping.
Lou had blocked his attack at first, but that had only been a temporary defense.
Even while being kidnapped, Zephyros ended up coming here, carried by Theo like baggage, without putting up a single proper resistance.
“Damn it, that bastard.”
He had definitely been tamed.
Otherwise, this situation could not be explained.
Looking at Zephyros clenching his fist tightly, Lucian handed him a document.
“Zephi, stop fooling around and work.”
At those strangely cold eyes, Zephyros swallowed his sorrow.
In any case, the people who had once saved the world were now about to be kidnapped by their friend and made to work in a room.
Life was truly not easy.
---
The next person kidnapped was none other than Fel.
Even if Lucian was not used to paperwork, Fel was a former Sword of Doctrine, so I thought he might be somewhat used to this kind of document work….
“Young Master, I was blind until recently, you know?”
Ah, right. He had been.
Since the guy could see well now, I had forgotten.
Then that made two people who could not properly handle paperwork and three people skilled at paperwork.
“The ratio is awkward!”
With this ratio, we were half doomed.
If document organization was fast, but the processing speed could not keep up with it, problems might arise!
“It is not impossible. I am only a little slow.”
“Fel…!”
Sniff, I was moved.
When I covered my mouth with my palm and looked at Fel with touched eyes, Fel spoke as if he found it absurd.
“So you kidnapped me here to help with Golden’s handover paperwork? You are serious, are you not?”
“Lucian and Zephyros are already doing it.”
“Yes, thanks to having such a wonderful friend, we are.”
“Thanks for the praise.”
“Do you think that was praise?”
“It wasn’t praise?”
The exchange that followed between Zephyros and Lucian was truly getting more and more absurd.
It was not that Lerwon Sunbae did not trust the juniors, but did he really have to entrust such children with an important handover that would determine Golden’s future?
Lerwon Sunbae’s eyes seemed to ask that.
Regarding this… it was time to cast no words to offer.
“Sunbae, still, they should be of help, even as borrowed cat paws.”
“Even as?”
Zephyros asked crookedly.
I was entrusting it to him because I believed he would do well enough, so what other meaning could there be?
He spoke with an incredulous expression.
“So you really think we can organize all these documents within a week?”
“Five of us have gathered like this, so it should be possible. Surely. If it’s us, we can even save the world.”
I spoke to Zephyros with wistful eyes.
I thought I had done a fairly good job of striking a pose, but Zephyros’s gaze only grew colder.
To say, ‘Why is this X-bastard acting up all over again now? Did he catch some X-disease?’ with nothing but his eyes—perhaps he had reached the realm of considerable inner skill.
Unfortunately for him, his gaze did not damage me in the slightest!
“Somehow, your hands are idle?”
“Damn bastard.”
The guy chewed out a grumbling curse, then seemed to focus on work again as if nothing had happened.
So he talked like that, but his hands didn’t stop?
What a tsundere.
Come to think of it, how on earth had Zephyros’s image, which had practically monopolized the love of the few female users with its chic impression, collapsed like this?
Throwing away my idle thoughts, I joined my diligently working friends and began handling the documents in earnest as well.
---
It was probably true of most things, but war was not over just because it had ended.
Another true war was what happened in the administrative procedures after the war ended.
At least this side was not an ‘administrative’ procedure, but the difficulty was the same.
“Damn it….”
I never imagined I would really spend the entire one-week Academy break helping with the handover process.
In a tattered state, I half sprawled on the floor and quietly caught my breath.
“Theo, you damn bastard.”
“My head feels like it’s going to split.”
“Young Master, even I can’t cover for you on this one. This is too much.”
Resentment poured out from the three people I had forcibly kidnapped and mobilized for work.
“I suffered with you too, you know.”
I had my own share of grievances, so it was unfair to just sit there and take the blame.
“Maybe that is enough.”
“Buy us something delicious later, you damn bastard.”
“Yes….”
As soon as I answered, Zephyros collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut and fell asleep, even snoring.
His hearty snoring was enough to make me admire him.
Wow, who could see this and believe he was that Young Lord Nevera?
Lucian had already fallen asleep sprawled out on the floor, and Fel, catching his breath while drinking tea, was clearly exhausted.
With a cheerful Tiring, a System window appeared.
+++
<Sudden Quest> [Complete]
For the time being, Lerwon will not leave Lapis Academy’s Main Story.
But crises can come at any time, so be careful!
-Reward: EXP 4000
+++
Good. That finished the Sudden Quest.
I was lying with a FLOP on the sofa when Fel suddenly approached and used Holy Magic.
The moment I entered the Subspace of Light, I knew I had messed up.
“Theo Lisitoel.”
“…Yeah.”
“You are a contractor of a demon, are you not?”
As expected, he found out, didn’t he?
Thinking that Albedo was probably resting happily at the Academy right now, surrounded by beef jerky, made me feel a little sad.
“What are you talking about?”
First, I tried playing innocent.
Well, there were no traces of mana corruption on me.
The corruption of one’s unique mana by a demon’s mana was a fate no contractor of a demon could ever avoid.
As long as Fel did not know there was a way to avoid that fate, I just had to keep playing innocent like this.
“While sorting through ancient books from the Levian family, I happened to find this phrase in one book.”
Ah, wait. This was way too unexpected a variable.
“It said that if one contracts with an ancient demon, one’s mana does not become corrupted.”
…Maybe the real fraud character was not me, the Possessor, but Ferdiel.
The strongest Holy Power among all Saints in history, granted by Lucius, plus the top-secret information the Levian family had gained over 1,000 years while monopolizing the papal seat.
Was it not too unfair for one person to enjoy all of that?
I thought of Albedo, who was probably rolling around on my bed.
I had been prepared to be discovered, but I had thought that since my mana was not corrupted anyway, I could play innocent to the end. Damn it.
“So what do you think? Young Master.”
“…This is why I hate sharp-eyed brats.”
It was practically an admission.
If I kept playing innocent against a guy who was already certain, I would only provoke a backlash.
Most of all—
“Aren’t you admitting it too quickly?”
“If you had intended to reveal it in the first place, you would not have brought me here.”
A subspace created by Holy Magic.
It was a perfect shelter that no one could see except Ferdiel, the owner of this space, and invited guests.
To glimpse even a little of this space, one would need stronger Holy Power than Fel, and that would require being something like a god, so there was no issue with security either.
If he had intended to expose me outright, he would never have gone through the trouble of pulling me into a subspace.
“Which ancient demon did you contract with?”
“…Baal.”
“The demon that came out of that dungeon?”
“That’s probably right?”
“Young Master, are you insane? Or do you maybe not value your life?”
“Of course, my personal safety was included among the contract terms.”
“Only yours?”
“Anyone I know as well.”
“There is a stupid demon who would make such an unfair contract?”
And that was none other than Baal, the so-called Primeval Demon.
Looking back on it, Albedo had to be insane.
Even if it was for amusement, to think that a demon who made such an unfair contract at a glance actually existed.
“You really must be insane, Young Master.”
“Well, it’s not exactly a new thing.”
At my absurd excuse-like words, Fel’s expression became subtle.
He looked as though he hated himself for not wanting to admit it, but having no choice but to admit it.
I chuckled and looked at Fel.
“It feels a bit strange saying this to you, a Heretic Inquisitor, but anyway, he isn’t enough of a piece of trash for me to distrust him.”
Rather, he had helped me constantly, and there had been several dangerous moments when I would have been in trouble if not for him. I even felt grateful to him.
That was why I had bought him plenty of his beloved beef jerky.
“What are you going to do about Lerwon Sunbae’s curse?”
“It’s an ancient curse, so I’ll have to harass the demon I contracted with into coughing up some information somehow.”
Fel listened attentively, and after a while, he slowly nodded as if he understood to some extent.
Then did that mean the possibility of a problem had disappeared?
Relieved, I was about to return to reality when Fel spoke first.
“I will close Hartain’s mouth as well, not only mine.”
“…Considering you mentioned Hartain, I don’t think you’re doing it for free.”
For some reason, anxiety came over me.
Ah, I think I’m a little screwed.
“I have one request to make of you, Young Master.”
At Fel’s confident smile, I finally became certain.
Ah, I was screwed.