We Defeated The Demon King And Disbanded Without Any Conflict – Chapter 44

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“Thanks for getting me the newspaper, Tolman. I can’t even go outside with Prion lurking around, trying to pick a fight.”

“Ah, come on… It wasn’t that bad…”

Tolman’s shoulders slumped slightly as he looked at me with a mixture of pity and concern.

Just a while ago, I had been cornered and beaten in a secluded corner of the dorm, away from the watchful eyes of the dorm master.

It was a relief that it had finally happened.

Not that it hurt, or anything.

Judging by the sheer size of the attacker, I had a pretty good idea who it was.

Tall, with a protruding belly…

Right.

I needed to tell Rain.

And while I was at it, I should probably clue her in on my plan and get her cooperation.

Actually, maybe telling her earlier would have been better…

Anyway, since it was an internal academy matter, Rain’s help was essential.

Informing her was the obvious course of action…

But this time, I wanted to try resolving things on my own, just once.

Humming cheerfully to myself, I began deciphering the magically inscribed newspaper.

“…Lian?”

“Yeah? What about Saint Lian?”

“Uh… I mean… Her name is Lian Serwin, right?”

“Of course. Did you read that article?”

“Something about Saintess Lian is happening.”

“Yeah, I don’t understand it either. Maybe something big is about to happen…”

For some reason, Tolman seemed to be forcing himself to act normal.

He didn’t need to be so considerate, honestly.

Wait, was I the smelly one?

I had been doused with food waste today, so it wouldn’t be surprising if I reeked.

I discreetly sniffed at my clothes and arms, but couldn’t detect anything particularly offensive.

I had scrubbed myself clean as soon as I got back.

I folded the newspaper.

Aside from the news that Lian had left the temple, there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy.

Well, the fact that the Saintess had left the temple was big news in itself.

“Ha… Whatever. Let’s just sleep.”

Tolman and I had an unspoken agreement not to pry into each other’s business.

He seemed like he wanted to say something but he stopped himself, scratching his head before collapsing onto his bed.

At least the bullies didn’t target Tolman.

Maybe they were intimidated by his massive physique.

As I had no intention of doing anything else, I lay down on my bed.

Speaking of Lian…

She had asked me to let her know how I was doing every day.

But I hadn’t contacted her once since we parted ways.

I pulled out the mana stone that was rattling around in my pocket and activated it.

It must have been expensive, because it was still charged with enough mana for even someone like me, with zero mana, to use.

After sending a brief message assuring her that everything was fine, I tucked the stone back into my pocket.

It was a little late, but it should be fine, right?

It wasn’t like I hadn’t contacted her for six months straight or anything.

…Right?

She didn’t leave the temple because of me, did she?

Well, tomorrow’s me could deal with that.

I switched off the light and closed my eyes.

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I opened my eyes.

Something felt off.

It wasn’t exactly that I felt unwell, but my eyes were strangely itchy.

I got out of bed and headed outside.

I needed to eat, regardless of how I felt.

As expected, the usual harassment from the other cadets continued.

The only difference was that it was more intense than before.

“Hey, demon spawn! How can you even stomach human food?”

Clang—!!

Thump.

Someone, I didn’t even see who, overturned my tray, sending a wave of steaming soup, bread, and side dishes crashing onto me.

“Ouch… Hot…”

“Oh yeah? How about this?”

Splash—

Something lukewarm, probably noodles soaked in soup, landed on my head.

Some of the cadets seemed slightly taken aback by the escalation and tried to intervene, but it was too late.

They couldn’t stop the mob mentality that had been building up for weeks, fueled by my lack of response.

The layers of bandages wrapped around my face started to unravel, soaked through.

Naturally, everyone’s eyes were drawn to the most peculiar part of me.

“Hey, why are you even covering that up? You’re hiding your demon eyes, aren’t you? Three pupils in each eye, I bet. Been enjoying yourself, tormenting everyone?”

Someone grabbed my arms and legs, while another started pulling at my bandages.

I felt a surge of pressure as my eyes bulged.

The tightly wound bandages, a testament to my meticulous efforts, came undone.

“What… You regretting it now?”

“The hell are you talking about? Regret? You’ll be the one regretting this.”

The cadet who had ripped off my bandages laughed triumphantly, pleased with the reaction he had elicited.

And then, the moment arrived.

Everyone in the silver dorm stared at the part of my face that had been hidden for so long.

Thump.

The sound of the discarded bandages hitting the floor was the only sound that broke the silence.

“Uh… Uh… Ugh…”

“Ugh…”

Several cadets stumbled backward, while others covered their mouths in horror.

Some looked at me with pity, others with confusion.

But there was not a single positive reaction.

Well, that was to be expected.

“W-what? Why are you all acting like this?”

The cadet who had ripped off the bandages, still oblivious to my appearance, sputtered in confusion.

And at that moment, the dorm door swung open.

It wasn’t time for anyone to come in, but there they were, standing in the doorway—Rain and Sola, the two people I least wanted to see at that moment.

Rain frowned at the sight that greeted her, while Sola took a menacing step forward, forcing herself to speak calmly.

“You… You crazy bastards… What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Actually, she didn’t sound calm at all.

Her voice was laced with barely suppressed rage, her lips twitching into a snarl.

“Uh… Professor… It’s not what it looks like…”

“If you even try to explain yourselves, I’ll kill you right here, right now.”

“N-no, really… It’s not… It’s just…”

“Answer the question.”

Sola’s voice dropped to a low growl, sending chills down the spines of every cadet present.

Her words, imbued with the raw power of the Archmage, had the weight of a death sentence.

All movement ceased.

Even the cadets who had been holding me captive loosened their grip, their legs trembling.

No matter how much they ridiculed them, Rain and Sola were the heroes who had helped defeat the Demon King.

It was only natural for them to be terrified.

I glanced at the two cadets who had been holding me.

Their faces were ashen, their eyes wide with fear.

Even the burly cadet who had ripped off my bandages, the ringleader of this little tormenting session, was shaking like a leaf.

It was almost funny.

These kids… did they seriously think they could get away with bullying the Hero’s comrade?

Rain and Sola were fiercely protective.

…Too late now, though.

“…You.”

Rain, who had been silent until now, spoke.

Her voice was even, devoid of any inflection.

But everyone could sense the barely contained fury simmering beneath the surface.

The cadets, sensing the impending explosion, all looked at Rain, their faces pale.

The atmosphere was thick with tension, as if they were walking on thin ice.

“…Sigh.”

Rain took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure, but the sigh that escaped her lips betrayed her true feelings.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes, Professor? Me?”

“Yes. Tell me. Everything they did. Every single detail.”

“Well…”

As I started to speak, I felt all eyes on me.

Every single one.

And among them, Rain’s gaze felt particularly heavy.

Her clear, blue eyes, like a deep lake, seemed to pierce right through me.

I averted my gaze.

Sola’s eyes met mine.

The burning intensity of her crimson irises, filled with barely restrained rage, made me look away.

More than ten pairs of eyes were fixed on me.

I could sense the emotions they held: disgust, disillusionment, confusion, malice, aversion, pity, suspicion, fear…

And countless others I couldn’t decipher.

But there wasn’t a single positive emotion among them.

The familiar, almost comforting feeling of self-loathing welled up inside me.

My hand instinctively moved to my face, but I forced it down.

But the urge to scratch, to claw at my skin, wouldn’t go away.

It was different this time.

Something had shifted.

Itchy.

‘Why are you creating a problem and then hating yourself for it?’

‘I don’t even understand myself anymore.’

Dizzy.

‘You’re useless.’

‘You can’t do anything without relying on others.’

A low voice whispered in my ear.

Who was it?

‘You’re pathetic. No talent whatsoever. You would have failed again without someone to help you.’

‘Why do you insist on doing things alone when you could easily ask for help? Look what happened—you messed up again.’

Ah.

I realized it wasn’t someone else’s voice.

These were my own thoughts, echoing in my head.

Itchy.

The gazes, those countless eyes, felt like they were crawling all over me.

I wanted to scratch.

To claw at my skin until it bled.

I wanted to gouge out these eyes.

“Uh…”

A gasp escaped one of the cadets, followed by the sickening sound of tearing flesh.

Rain and Sola were too late to stop me.

They watched in stunned silence as I clawed at my face, my vision painted red.

I had never done this in front of them before.

They had never seen me lose control like this.

I wanted to tell them everything, but the words wouldn’t come.

I couldn’t think straight.

“They… They were bullying me.”

I managed to choke out the words.

“Hic…”

Someone hiccuped.

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[Bro forgot to take his meds]