We Defeated The Demon King And Disbanded Without Any Conflict – Chapter 4

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Rain detected a voice laced with magic power coming from the auditorium and furrowed her brows slightly.

‘Became an instructor? I don’t recall approving…’

Of course, she would have allowed it if Al Sora had asked, but Sora hadn’t even mentioned it to her before suddenly making that announcement.

Maybe Sora was too embarrassed to tell her beforehand.

That was just like her.

Rain didn’t know what kind of psychological change Sora had gone through, but maybe she developed a desire to teach students.

It could also be that she’d begun to aim for raising successors.

Either way, it was a good thing.

There was no reason for the academy, which cultivates talent, to refuse a capable instructor.

Setting aside Al Sora’s matter, Rain was currently looking for the academy application of a certain man.

The man, whose eyes were concealed by bandages, strangely reminded her of the past.

“…What’s this?”

Finding the application wasn’t difficult.

There was one that stood out.

Even in the picture, he had bandages wrapped around his face and was making a peace sign with both hands… a far cry from a standard application.

There was no name written on it.

His specs were all C-rank.

There was nothing remarkable about any part of it.

There was no information, making Rain wonder why the admissions officer had even chosen this suspicious person.

However, the experience section was filled to the brim.

“…Hmm…”

Rain let out a groan and put the application away.

She had too much to do to be concerned about this.

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His name was Ron.

As a special note, he had been a member of the First Hero’s party.

Not that anyone would recognize him.

Well, that was what he wanted in the first place.

He couldn’t honestly say that he had joined the journey to defeat the Demon King for the sake of bringing peace to this chaotic continent…

To be honest, he hadn’t been thinking much at all.

It was all thanks to connections that he was even in the party.

He knew Rain Garden, after all.

He never would have imagined that the girl from that rural village would actually become a hero.

Who in their right mind would think, ‘This person seems like they’ll become a hero, so I should be friends with them!’?

If he ever encountered a kid who built friendships with that kind of mindset, he would flick their forehead ten times in a row to set them straight.

Anyway, somehow, his days had become ‘the days when a girl he was casually friends with became a hero and he tagged along.’

It sounded like the title of those long-winded books that had become popular lately, but that was none of his business.

He truly busted his ass to prove his worth back then.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he survived on reading the room.

He had watched the other party members’ every move with bloodshot eyes, diligently anticipating their needs.

As a result, they acknowledged him to some extent, but there was no way his pride could survive amongst those perfect and overwhelming heroes.

Whenever he thought, ‘I’m pretty good at fighting, aren’t I?’ Odros and Rain would be decimating their opponents with their swordsmanship.

Whenever he thought, ‘I’m getting the hang of magic’ Al Sora’s magic would be scorching the earth.

Whenever he thought, ‘At least I’m perfect at first aid’ Lian’s healing would instantly fix everything.

He was nothing more than a machine, building fires and setting up tents day in and day out.

In any case, he had somehow managed to tag along and defeat the Demon King.

Now, he wanted to wander around the peaceful continent and do whatever he pleased.

To be clear, he didn’t mean anything like sex.

He meant things like exploring local cuisine and enjoying scenic views.

He wanted to soothe his eyes, worn out from the dreary Demon Realm, with beautiful natural landscapes and vibrant cities.

He also wanted to loosen up those tense muscles.

That’s why he liked Rain’s declaration of “This is where we part ways.”

That’s right.

They had finished the most important task, so it was time to leave the rest to the future generation…

Or, to be honest, to slack off.

Well, they had done their part, so the rest was up to the new generation.

If they kept spoon-feeding them, they would never learn to be independent.

Sounding like an old geezer?

He admitted it.

Still, he wished they understood.

Just by surviving alongside those monsters and defeating the Demon King with an ordinary person’s body, he had done more than enough!

“Where are you going?”

“I’m heading back to my hometown.”

“I’m going back to the Magic Tower. I’ve got time to kill, so I might as well develop some new spells.”

“I’m thinking of settling down at the Temple of Pelbern. Of course, I’ll keep in touch with all of you.”

Lian said, clenching her fists.

The gesture, usually a sign of shyness, seemed to convey a silent plea of ‘Don’t you all dare run away.’

It sent chills down his spine.

The fact that she used formal language, directed only at him, made it seem like she was reading his mind.

“How about you?”

Wanting to escape the weight of their gazes as they awaited his answer, he turned his attention to Rain.

Rain tilted her head in thought for a moment before opening her mouth.

“I’m going to the academy. To train heroes.”

Her eyes blazed with an unwavering sense of duty as she spoke.

He could see his own reflection in them.

His dull, unmotivated black eyes, which he himself found unpleasant to look at.

Disliking the way her clear gaze seemed to see right through him, he averted his eyes slightly and nodded.

Regardless of his own feelings, Rain’s goal was as noble and pure as her actions had always been.

“I see. We all have our own paths to take. We’ll be quite busy from now on if we want to achieve our goals. Well, there’s no need to prolong this since we all know each other, right? How about we wrap things up here?”

When he said that, Rain smiled faintly and nodded.

It seemed like his own lack of a concrete plan had been glossed over.

Somehow, they were too trusting of his words, allowing him to slip away without much scrutiny.

“Alright! Let’s end this with a fighting cheer!”

It was a bit cheesy, but he said it anyway, and everyone gathered their hands.

Even Sora, after grumbling as usual, quickly joined in, as if aware that they wouldn’t be doing this again for a long time.

Ah, right.

Come to think of it, she was around his age.

He always got confused because of her appearance.

The memory of Sora’s final spell in their last battle was still vivid in his mind.

‘Al Sora’ the spell named after herself.

The absurd speed of her chanting, the sheer magical power she had mustered, had felt as if it would incinerate his very veins just by being near it.

It had been a pure, overwhelming display of magic and talent, even burning away the dark, sticky competitiveness that had been stirring within him towards Sora.

Well, it was all over now.

Goodbye, you talented bunch of heroes!

“Fighting!”

With those words echoing in his mind, he shouted out loud, putting his heart into it.

And so they parted ways.

He saw, felt, and enjoyed many things.

When there was no one else around, he would take in the magnificent views of nature.

When people were gathered, he would cover his face entirely with bandages.

Why the bandages?

The biggest reason was that he would rather receive suspicious stares than be subjected to looks of pure disgust.

The second reason was that it helped to somewhat conceal the involuntary movements of his hands, which had become a habit.

Covering his face, which could ruin his first impression, had initially felt awkward.

But after doing so for a while, it had become natural.

Of course, it came at the cost of being unable to properly recognize people’s faces.

Half a year had passed since he embarked on his journey, cutting off ties with his former companions.

While wandering around and enjoying his life, he set his sights on Hidin’s Academy.

Applying and being accepted wasn’t particularly difficult.

His experiences during his travels across the continent were more than enough qualifications.

Though his application lacked a name, he was confident that the experiences listed in it would surpass any other student’s.

And so, he entered the academy.

The very academy that Rain was running.

If anyone asked him why he had returned after leaving, he wouldn’t have a definitive answer.

‘Well, I guess I could just say hi if I run into them.’

With that nonchalant thought, he had been smiling and clapping along, when he suddenly heard Sora’s voice.

He hadn’t heard it in about half a year, but that sharp tone was unforgettable.

He had run into his former companions after all this time.

And of all people, it had to be Sora, who seemed like she would never leave the Magic Tower.

It felt awkward to pretend to know her now.

He was the one who cut off contact and disappeared.

If he suddenly went up to her with a bright smile and greeted her, her reaction would probably be, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’

No, wait.

Knowing Al Sora, she would definitely say, “What the hell is wrong with you?”

He could almost hear those rough words in her cute voice, and a chuckle escaped his lips.

It seemed he missed his old comrades more than he thought.

Well, there was no point in dwelling on the past.

“It’s really you… I found you…”

What?

That was definitely Sora’s voice.

But something was different.

It was like a slimy, writhing mass.

The voice was so unlike the Sora he knew that he reflexively turned his head, even though he couldn’t see properly.

His vision remained blurry.

Footsteps approached through the noisy crowd, and then he heard Sora’s familiar, confident voice, as if trying to erase the chilling tone he had just heard.

“I will be joining the academy as an instructor!”

Cheers erupted.

It was only after hearing those words, spoken with the same confidence as always, that he could erase the previous voice from his mind and join in the applause.

The vice principal’s boring lecture finally ended, and he found himself standing among the other cadets.

He had no intention of flaunting his past as the hero’s companion or acting like a know-it-all despite his experiences.

Just blending in, having fun, and then disappearing was his style.

“You remember the evaluations we had three days ago, right? Based on those results, we have assigned your dorms. Each of you will receive your assignments. Please check them carefully and gather here again tomorrow! Tomorrow, I’ll explain the overall schedule and curriculum!”

The vice principal finally finished her speech.

At the same time, a piece of paper landed in front of him.

Perhaps because it was the largest academy on the continent, the paper had been written with a magic-imbued pen.

This kind of meticulous detail was definitely Rain’s doing.

It seemed she hadn’t changed a bit.

Chuckling to himself, he checked the contents by sensing the flow of magic.

The student ranks were divided into bronze, silver, gold, and platinum.

He had been ranked 140th, placing him in the silver rank.

Since he had never possessed any outstanding talent for combat, he considered this a rather generous evaluation.

Perhaps because it was their first day, things were concluded with the dorm assignments.

Besides, he didn’t know much about the academy either.

He found it more enjoyable to dive headfirst into things rather than researching or preparing beforehand.

It allowed him to forget a lot.

That’s why he had applied to the academy without much thought.

With his practically nonexistent luggage, he headed towards the dormitory.

‘It’s been a while since I slept in a bed.’ he thought with a tinge of excitement as he threw open the door.

Inside, perhaps having arrived earlier, was another student.

“Huh? You…”

“Ah! You’re that unique guy! What, we’re in the same room? Uh… What was your name again?”

“I didn’t write my name down.”

“Really? Well, you’re easy to recognize. With the bandages and all.”

Judging from the magic power he emitted and his silhouette, the guy was a muscular giant, a bit shy of two meters tall.

Of course, he wasn’t intimidated.

Compared to this guy’s physique, his own attire was far too suspicious to feel intimidated.

As he finished speaking and looked around the room, setting down his small bag, the giant spoke.

“I’m Tolman Ul Gros. Call me whatever you like. By the way, can you actually see with those bandages?”

“Yeah, nice to meet you. Well, I can’t really see faces or expressions well, but I can see most things. You said I could call you whatever, so can I call you ‘Big Guy’?”

He said it playfully, but Tolman, as if he didn’t mind at all, simply nodded.

He seemed like a chill guy, despite his intimidating physique.

It seemed that the first button of his academy life had been buttoned properly.

“Let’s get along.”

He lightly shook Tolman’s outstretched hand.

After briefly introducing themselves, they went outside.

Of course, he had just made up whatever came to mind when talking about himself, but Tolman seemed to believe it.

Or maybe he didn’t care.

They stepped out of the dorm building.

The chatter of other students filled the air outside, creating a lively atmosphere.

As he walked among them, he began to explore the academy.

Lost in his own world, he eventually found himself standing before a massive door on the top floor, the only one on that level.

‘What is this place? The headmaster’s office?’

Without much thought, he opened the door.

His body moved before he could even think, a consequence of living several months without using his brain.

By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late.

He could sense two presences beyond the open door.

“…Uh?”

“Hello?”

The taller one spoke with a puzzled tone.

As he bowed his head slightly in greeting, the other person, a woman, spoke.

“A new student, correct? Is there something you need?”

And perhaps a little too late, he recognized the owner of that clear voice.

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