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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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This was enough.
Lilac, who was about to swing his sword, and the chairman, who hesitated for a moment but then steeled her resolve, were both acceptable.
One of the essential abilities for a hero was, ironically, the ability to decide what to give up.
You couldn’t always achieve the best outcome, that is, saving everyone and ending things with a smile.
Whether it was due to insufficient manpower, unfavorable situations, hostages being involved, or the villain being simply too strong…
In such situations, it was a necessary virtue for a hero to accept criticism and decide what to protect by giving something up.
And they met my expectations when they showed the will to choose the next best option when the best was impossible.
The others were the same.
Professor Cathy and Ha-ni’s expressions were soured, but no one lost their will to fight.
Now that I’ve confirmed your wills, there’s no need to dirty your hands.
It’s too early for you to feel despair. So I’ll become the best option you couldn’t choose.
At first, I thought about using the mark on my right hand since the opponent this time was a devil, but the others had already seen the mark, so I didn’t use it as there was a risk of me being discovered.
So, I used my shadow instead.
The Dragon’s Shadow, which had consumed a vast amount of my life force through Enhancement, regained its original form and descended upon the world as a brilliant darkness.
At the same time, it, which had devoured all the surrounding light and magical power, discovered new prey and became eager all of a sudden.
It seemed quite interested.
[Pathetic. I don’t like it. So, I will intervene.]
Right. You’re hungry, aren’t you? You can eat as much as you want. After all, it’s been a while, Black Shadow.
Devour.
The ability of Black Shadow, which devoured anything it could digest, consumed the hardened demonic energy overflowing from those below, and then, Devil’s Touch in my pocket stole the contract from them.
I felt a bit dizzy from the sudden loss of so much innate qi, but thanks to my increased capacity, I wasn’t struggling like before.
The heroes and the devil alike stopped and stared up at me, mesmerized by the scene I created.
Hmm, this was fine, but it lacked a bit of flair.
As if reading my thoughts, Black Shadow digested the demonic energy it had consumed and created a new shadow.
A pair of huge dragon wings made of black shadow spread behind me, and with a single flap, crimson particles scattered.
Oh, this was actually pretty cool.
I looked around, and it seemed like the other cadets who had been taken over by the contract were all taken care of.
It was time to start the real performance.
[Now this is more like it.]
It was important for me to maintain a cool attitude, as if I had no intention of saving them.
I slowly manipulated the wings and landed on the ground, and then I looked at the devil past the chairman and the fighting cadets.
It was gaping, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Hmm, would someone please ask me something? It would ruin the mood if I just started explaining like a know-it-all.
“…What did you do?”
Oh, as expected of Lilac. He always got the hint.
[I believe I told you already. I didn’t like it. So I simply intervened.]
But if I answered too honestly and kindly, it wouldn’t have that mastermind feel, you know?
“…Are they all dead?”
…What kind of novel nonsense was this? I saved them so you wouldn’t go into a depression.
[I’d like to say ‘So what if they are?’, but I’m not here to test you today, so don’t worry. They’re all alive.]
Well, some of them might have had their heads or organs damaged because this was too late, but they were all still breathing at least.
Most of their faces brightened at the news.
“Lies…!”
But there were also those who screamed as if they didn’t like what I said.
“Stealing and nullifying the contract itself!? That’s impossible! Are you a noble of the devil world, or even a devil king!?”
…Was it that difficult to believe? I didn’t know. I didn’t do it myself.
[You think that just because something is impossible for you, then it’s impossible for others? Not only is that belief pathetic, but it’s also foolish.]
“Ah…! It’s slipping away. The potential…! The things I gained through the contract…! The tribute for my master…!”
The devil’s human-like face contorted grotesquely.
Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve seen such an over-the-top bastard.
I thought it would lose its temper and charge at me, but surprisingly, the devil suppressed its emotions and faced me.
“…I don’t know who you are, but I can guarantee that you’re not stronger than my master.”
I nodded, as if telling it to continue, and it indeed continued while desperately clinging to its fading reason.
“Let’s stop here. I’ll concede. I’ll consider your rudeness and insults as stemming from ignorance and endure it. No, you probably think it’s not a fair deal for you to just stop here when you have the upper hand.”
[So?]
“Half. Half of it. If you just return half of the contracts, I swear on my true name that I will end it here without any retaliation. I also promise to return the people here without a single scratch.”
The devil nodded, as if it were a very reasonable proposal.
“Isn’t this a reasonable deal? If you knew who my master was, you wouldn’t be acting like this. So, let’s just…”
I sneered at the devil, who thought I would be persuaded, and cut it off sharply.
[I was trying to listen to what you had to say, but this is absurd.]
“…Yes?”
The devil, perhaps not immediately realizing that it had just been insulted, expressed its confusion, and then, after a pause, it started trembling.
“So you want to find out who my master is. You’ll regret it. Even if you bow in submission after seeing his mark, I won’t offer you such a generous deal again!”
I know who it is, you bastard.
Before I regressed, I even watched that bastard descend to the mortal world and die without being able to be recalled.
Why are you acting so tough when you’re just a lackey of the weakest of the seven devil kings?
“Let’s see if you can maintain that attitude after seeing this mark!”
The devil tore its own shoulder, and a strange mark was revealed…
…And that was it.
…What? When I showed my mark, demonic energy swirled around. Was that it for him?
“You must be speechless with fear. That’s why you should have taken the deal.”
But as I was just watching, it started acting like a third-rate villain, perhaps because it misunderstood my silence.
[Afraid? Me? Because of that pathetic mark?]
The devil’s face contorted with shock, then with anger.
“What did you just say?”
[Did I say something wrong? That pathetic mark. Ah, I see. Like a dog, you can’t stand your master being insulted? I’ll praise your loyalty, at least.]
Devils were creatures who lived in a world of betrayal and backstabbing, but that was why they had a habit of completely submitting to a strong individual they had truly sworn allegiance to.
So, how would a devil react when its proud master was insulted?
“…You don’t know your place. How dare you, how dare you say such blasphemy…!?”
[Who’s the one who doesn’t know their place? You’re just a grunt who serves a devil like yourself, yet you still haven’t bowed your head. You deserve to die.]
“I didn’t expect to show my full power in a place like this. But I don’t think I can stand it without tearing off that mouth of yours…!”
Devils always fought with enough energy left to escape through forced recall.
That was why it wasn’t easy to finish them off completely without holy power, but if they drew on all their power and fought to the death, it was a different story.
Their danger and strength would increase, but if you defeated them, you could kill them even without holy power.
If this guy died, the additional distribution of the drug would probably stop for a while.
Since the source of the contracts would be gone, the contracts themselves would most likely be nullified.
And it went without saying that I could screw over the King of Sloth, who was probably just chilling in hell.
The devil tried to release and wield its demonic energy, but since most of it was being devoured by the Dragon’s Shadow, it couldn’t even put up much of a fight.
So, it changed the direction of its threat.
“You’ll regret this! You arrogant fool! Do you think you can fight while protecting everyone here! You’ll be the one killing them!”
Demonic energy swirled.
At this rate, the ones I just saved would die.
If I were alone, that is.
[Ridiculous.]
I turned my gaze and looked at the heroes.
Under the command of Professor Cathy and the faculty, they were protecting the fallen in an organized manner, and Lilac was blocking the demonic energy with a shield of holy light.
[I don’t think you can kill even a single one of them.]
“You vermin! You interfered while I was distracted…!”
[Vermin? Are you talking about yourself? I thought that you didn’t know your place, but now I see that you do. A very appropriate expression.]
“Shut up…!”
It was truly going for its last resort. The devil’s aura was unusual now.
A dense demonic energy, so thick that I would have to endure some internal damage to break through it without my other artifacts, enveloped it.
I could easily solve it with Devil’s Touch, but I decided not to.
It was common sense to let the heroes have the last hit.
[I think that’s enough. How long are you going to just watch?]
Why should I use my strength when I don’t have to?
My eyes met the chairman’s, who was loading an Arrow of the Storm as if waiting for an opportunity.
She seemed ready to shoot at any moment, but she hesitated, perhaps because she didn’t trust me, or perhaps because she was worried about the aftermath of killing the devil.
Our eyes met.
If she didn’t shoot, that was fine.
I looked at her without any expectation, and she finally aimed her arrow at the devil, as if she had no choice.
“Ugh…!”
The devil, realizing the arrow was dangerous, also tried to dodge, but I wasn’t just chatting with it all this time.
The Dragon’s Shadow I had secretly released bound its arms and legs, preventing it from escaping.
It’s pathetic, isn’t it? To be so easily defeated after releasing your true form.
That’s how it is.
It’s so cliché for villains to brag about having a hidden power and then release it at the end.
If you had it, you should have used it from the beginning. Or if you weren’t sure you could win, you should have left enough energy to escape.
Why did you get so agitated just because you were provoked, you idiot devil?
“Let… let me go!”
The devil’s face, perhaps because it realized it could really die, completely lost its composure.
The warmth in the chairman’s face disappeared, replaced by killing intent.
The magic bowstring was drawn, and the storm, compressed to its limit, rotated with a roar.
The moment the storm in the form of an arrow was shot and the violently rotating compressed wind pierced the devil’s heart, the devil, having lost its core, shook its head as if it couldn’t believe it.
“You fools… Do you really think it’s over just because a devil in its true form dies…?”
Well, no.
When a devil died, the surrounding area became a land consumed by demonic energy, so it wasn’t common to kill a devil in its true form just because you were stronger.
Now, it was our turn to work.
Black Shadow devoured the demonic energy flowing from the devil’s heart, but it wasn’t enough.
Since I hadn’t developed Black Shadow much, it couldn’t digest all of it, and the overflowing demonic energy slowly oozed out.
But it didn’t matter.
There was no way he hadn’t prepared for this.
[Prove yourself, hero.]
I just looked straight ahead and said that to the many heroes and cadets, but he didn’t hesitate to step forward.
He held the Holy Sword with both hands and scattered the light of purification, burning the overflowing demonic energy.
The sword was swung.
The sight of the evil energy being destroyed without resistance before his Holy Sword was quite beautiful.
“Wow…”
Whose gasp was that?
It was understandable since the sight of the purified demonic energy scattering into particles of light was both holy and beautiful.
The moment the Dragon’s Shadow and the Holy Sword’s light collided, not a single trace of demonic energy remained.
Only the devil, who was watching the scene in its final moments, denied reality while saying it was impossible. I retrieved Black Shadow and shot a spear made of shadow at it.
The shadow then devoured the dying devil.
Hmm, since it ate both the demonic energy and the devil, Black Shadow must have grown by quite a bit.
I wish I could say that this was the end, but the world didn’t work that way.
[What is the meaning of this?]
The heroes were surrounding me.
Well, I expected this.
As the director and faculty became hostile towards me, the cadets and external personnel on the scene started to get confused.
“We appreciate your help, but you don’t look like a hero.”
The academy must have a bad impression of me because of my previous villainous behavior.
I knew it would turn out like this.
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T/N – I dunno why, but I feel like this chapter got stretched out just a tad bit too much. That devil took his sweet time dying. 😅
Also, I feel like White Oni Mask was a bit underwhelming this chapter. I was expecting a bit more flair from the MC, but he was pretty passive here.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
