Chapter 87

"There is no return spell. If there was a return spell, the first hero would have been sent back to his original world when he became the demon king. In this summoning, there would have been no need to prepare the slave bracelet. If it went against my will, I could have just sent him back."

Xiaoming tried to reject understanding the meaning of the words, but Kamila's words flowed into his ears and drilled into his brain.

"The summoning spell is a spell to find and attract someone who meets the conditions. The summoner has no idea where in the world that person lived. There is no way to send them back, and there is no place to send them back to... I'm sorry."

Across the table, Kamila bowed deeply.

Kamila's words made sense, and it was a concern that had been discussed with the teacher. However, being confronted with the truth, he couldn't even move.

"I'm really sorry. Do whatever you want with my body. But please don't harm the people. Right now, Reisenburg is facing the desertification of the western farmland, and we are forced to clear the Demon Forest. For that, we need troops..."

"Are you kidding me!"

"Ugh..."

Kamila, who was explaining the situation in Reisenburg, was punched hard with a fist.

Since coming to this world, he had engaged in fist fights with wooden swords, but this was the first time he had ever hit a person, let alone a woman.

"I don't care about that! Your situation has nothing to do with us! You should solve it yourselves! Not enough troops? There are plenty at the second prince's place, who does nothing!"

"But, Bernst is in conflict with Alphonse..."

"I don't care! What does that have to do with us? If the king and prince are useless, just kill them and take control yourself!"

"That... that's..."

"What's the matter? Afraid of being labeled a patricide or fratricide? In the end, you just want to look good! You say you don't care what happens to you for the people, but you're just playing the tragic hero and getting drunk on your own act!"

"That's not true, I'm serious..."

Footsteps in the hallway approached as they heard his shouts.

"Fred! Kick them out!"

"Understood..."

"Wait, my subordinates..."

"Shut up! You treated us like monkeys, and you didn't even bury Kusayama's body, leaving it for the goblins to eat! Don't touch your subordinates? Don't make me laugh!"

"Ugh..."

He punched Kamila's left cheek hard again.

As Kamila fell to the floor, a groan and a thud were heard from the hallway.

"What kind of apology is this? Do you think apologizing will make everything okay?"

"Sto... stop..."

Unconsciously, he had taken a knife from his shadow storage and was gripping it.

He stumbled towards Kamila.

"I kept you alive until now because I needed to find out about the return spell, but that's no longer necessary..."

"Sto... stop..."

As he took a step forward, Kamila, as if her legs had given out, sat down and backed away.

"Let me tell you something. I can use dark necromancy. My lizardmen and kobolds are undead I created by killing and then using necromancy. It worked with monsters, but I wonder how it will work with humans..."

"No... don't... come any closer..."

"What's the matter... you said you don't care what happens to you, right? I'll add you to my undead minions. As one of my minions, you might even enjoy embarrassing things."

"No... please... help..."

"Ah, right, the second prince Bernst wanted you, so maybe I'll use you as a bargaining chip? The third prince Christoph said he would take care of you too."

"No... I'd rather die than be a plaything for them..."

"Don't worry. You'll die and become a minion, so you won't die again. Plus, it seems you'll retain your memories from life."

"No... I don't want to become an undead..."

Kamila, cornered against the wall, was trembling and pressing herself against it.

He gripped the knife in reverse and raised it.

"See you... insolent princess..."

"Ah..."

The knife he swung was stopped just short of her neck, but Kamila collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

The knife was stopped not by his will but by Reinhardt grabbing his arm.

"Reinhardt... why?"

"Your anger is justified, sir."

"Then why did you stop me?"

"There are times when killing is necessary. However, I don't want you to take someone's life out of emotion."

Reinhardt, a former Reisenburg knight, had stopped him, but he was concerned about his future.

Reinhardt's straightforward words helped him regain his composure.

"Let's go back to Wolzard..."

"Understood."

He sheathed the knife and put it back in his shadow storage.

It felt like a taut string inside him had snapped.

Kamila lay unconscious on the floor.

Though he had regained his composure, he couldn't just leave like this.

"What will you do, sir?"

"Hmm, just..."

He took a sleeping potion from his shadow storage and made Kamila swallow it, then healed the bruises on her face with a healing spell.

"You didn't need to heal her, sir..."

"It's fine, it's fine. I can't just leave it like this..."

He took a blank sheet of paper from Kamila's desk and wrote a note.

"Hahaha, just as I expected, sir."

"I look forward to when she wakes up..."

"Fred, what about the soldiers in the hallway?"

"Just knocked out... not dead..."

"Then let's go... Ah, I'm dreading reporting to the teachers..."

He slipped the note into her paperwork and asked Fred to keep an eye on Kamila.

"My minions, continue your life as usual without being noticed. I will deal with you later. The Demon King."

He didn't tell Kamila that he could use light magic.

She might think the bruises on her face were healed because she was turned into a minion.

He looked forward to her reaction when she found the note.

He moved through the shadow world to the temporary barracks of the guard but hesitated to open the door.

Everyone wanted to return to Japan.

There might be a few who wanted to stay like him, but they were in the minority.

After taking a few deep breaths, he finally opened the door.

In the reception area, the teachers, who had been waiting, turned to look at him.

The pressure of their gaze made him take a half-step back.

"Welcome back, Kunito."

"Yes, I'm back."

"How did it go? What did she say?"

"Did she agree to the negotiations?"

"More importantly, the return spell, what about it?"

"When can we return to Japan?"

Unable to bear the teachers' hopeful gazes, he knelt on the spot.

"The... return spell... doesn't exist..."

The room felt as if time had stopped.

The silence was so profound he could hear his own heartbeat, and then it was shattered by a flood of words.

"No way! If there's no return spell, how are we supposed to get back to Japan!"

He was grabbed and shaken by Professor Nakagawa, who had rushed over.

"Did that princess manipulate you? What are we supposed to do, how are we supposed to get back to Japan!"

"Professor Nakagawa, Kunito is also shocked. Calm down."

"Professor Kato, this guy is planning to stay in this world, he doesn't understand how we feel about wanting to return to Japan."

"What are you saying! If he didn't care about us, he wouldn't have worked so hard to help us! Are you mocking Kunito's efforts?"

Shouted at by Professor Kato, Professor Nakagawa seemed to come to his senses and released his grip on Kunito's shoulder.

"Sorry, Kunito, I lost control. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay..."

Professor Nakagawa's voice was filled with deep disappointment, making his heart feel heavy.

"Kunito... are you okay?"

"Sorry, Professor Kato..."

"Idiot, you don't need to apologize... Can you stand? Tell us more about what happened."

"Yes... I understand."

He sat in the same spot as before and recounted the story of the hero and the demon king, the summoning, and the revelation that there was no return spell.

When he finished, Professor Oda asked:

"So, you didn't kill Princess Kamila?"

"No, I only threatened her..."

"If I had been there, I would have killed her with my own hands..."

Professor Nakagawa, who had initially been deflated, was now red-faced and shaking his fist.

"However, Professor Nakagawa, if we can't return to our world, we need to increase the compensation to make our lives sustainable. For that, we need to keep her alive as a cash cow."

Professor Kogane, who had said he was fine staying in this world, seemed to have already accepted the situation.

"Then what are you going to do with this frustration?"

"Like Kunito said, we can make her pay with her body when the time is right."

"Professor Kogane, this is in front of a student."

"Professor Chisaki, Kunito is the one who brought back this information."

"But..."

He had listened to the teachers' discussions and thought together with them, but now he found it hard to listen to them.

"Kunito, go back and rest for today..."

"Yes..."

He responded automatically, thinking he had heard something.

"Kunito... Kunito!"

"Huh? Yes... what is it?"

"Go back and rest!"

"But..."

"Is your head working properly?"

"Yes... no, it's not working..."

"The negotiations with Reisenburg aren't over yet, so we still need you to work. Go back and rest for today."

Nodding to Professor Oda, he decided to return to his boarding house.

Everything felt like a chore, so he slipped into the shadows and returned to his room.

"Ah, welcome back, Kent."

Misa was arranging boxes and making the bed when he returned directly to his room.

He felt a sudden release of tension.

"Welcome back... Misa."

"Mmm, something happened?"

"Huh? How do you know?"

"You don't seem to be in a good mood. I get it! Manon dumped you!"

"I was not dumped!"

Misa, as always, had a knack for reading people.

"Ah... then, I get it, Beatrice scolded you for being naughty!"

"I didn't get scolded!"

"You were naughty..."

"Ugh... it was Beatrice who..."

"Kent, you pervert!"

"Hmm... it's fine to be a pervert, but you can't sleep with a pervert like me. Misa, go to your room..."

"Wait, wait! Kent is not a pervert. It's okay..."

"Alright, I'm going to take a bath, so you can go to sleep."

"Ugh... okay."

He left the room with his change of clothes and towel, bumping into Amanda.

"Welcome back, Kent. Did you eat dinner?"

"Ah... I was busy..."

"Really, you're hopeless. I'll make something for you, so eat after your bath."

"Thank you."

Amanda ruffled his hair and went down to the kitchen.

He had formed bonds with many people in Wolzard, including Amanda, Misa, Manon, Beatrice, Merine, Muell, Klaus, Donovan, Marianne, Dino, Marcel, and many others.

But his classmates had just arrived in Wolzard, and if they couldn't return to Japan, they would have to build new relationships.

If he, who had been a failure, could do it, most of his classmates could too, but some might struggle.

He couldn't think that he was fine and ignore the others.

If they couldn't return to Japan, he wanted everyone to be happy so he could be happy too.

The teachers might already be spreading rumors, but it would likely cause a big commotion.

What would the group led by Kizuka Sumika, who had no interest in working, do?

Tomorrow, after breakfast, he would check on the guard's cafeteria.

He also needed to report to Klaus and Donovan.

After his bath, he found a plate with a sandwich and a cup of milk on the first box in the room.

Misa was already asleep, snoring softly.

If he hadn't been living in this boarding house, he might have been completely devastated tonight.

He didn't fully understand, but this must be what family bonds feel like.

"Reinhardt, can I ask you something?"

"What is it, sir?"

"Can you and Zae cut down trees in the Demon Forest and stack them at the Lastock garrison's training ground?"

"Is that okay?"

"Yes, and send a few kobolds to the castle to take useful items like ropes and metal from the warehouse and stack them at the training ground too."

"Ah, you're going to help that much?"

Reinhardt sounded surprised, but he had made up his mind.

If they couldn't return to Japan, they needed to extract as much compensation as possible from Kamila, as Professor Kogane had suggested.

For that, it would be better if Kamila had control over Reisenburg and access to the royal treasury.

"Leaving them in the castle won't do any good. Useful items should be used where they are needed. And add a message to the wood and materials. 'My minions, use them wisely.'"

"Hahaha, you want her to think she's been turned into a minion."

"Yes, it will make future negotiations easier."

"Understood, I'll do as you say. You should rest, sir."

"Thanks."

To extract compensation from Reisenburg, it would be better if there were no major disasters.

If Lastock was attacked during a major disaster, he would do his best to protect Wolzard.

"Master, aren't you going to sleep?"

"Hmm? I am, I'm just about to."

He petted Malt, Mirt, and Murt thoroughly, then decided to abandon all thoughts and go to sleep.

Misa was rubbing her cheek against Murt.

At least tonight, he wouldn't be used as a pillow.

He slipped in next to Misa, careful not to wake her.

"Good night, Misa..."

"Mmm... mmm... Kent... pervert..."

"Alright, I understand..."

As he closed his eyes and got under the covers, Misa rolled over and clung to his arm.

Sigh... it looks like he would be a pillow again...

"Kent can't leave... stay with me... mmm..."

"Alright, I won't leave... actually, I can't leave..."

He petted Misa's head, smiling, and drifted off to sleep.