Chapter 6

After my death, the thinning of the mana caused the magical civilization to not only fail to develop but to deteriorate—something even I, the former Demon King, could not have predicted...

Because of this, now.

"Let me ask you again, Ard Meteor. Who are you, really?"

I am being attacked by my former right-hand man.

"Oh, Lady Olivia is smiling..."

"The famous Lady Olivia with the iron mask..."

"Sure enough, the son of the Great Mage! To be favored by Lady Olivia right after entering school, that's amazing!"

No, this face of his is not the one he makes when he likes someone. It's the face he makes when he's thinking, "Should I kill this guy? What should I do?"

Olivia tends to talk more and her expression brightens when she's in a bad mood. Conversely, when she's in a good mood, she becomes even more quiet than usual and pulls childish pranks.

Additionally, you can gauge her mood from the movement of her cat ears and tail.

So... now, Olivia is completely suspecting that I am the Demon King Valvatos. No, it's not just suspicion; she is almost certain.

"Son of the Great Mage. Is there anything you want to say?"

Ha, no, right? Olivia, it's not that you want to hear what I have to say, but what I have left to say, right? You're planning to kill me, aren't you? Right?

...Why did it come to this? I need to question the person in charge. Someone, bring the person in charge.

...Sigh, is this the end? But I will struggle until the very end.

I, sweating profusely, looked straight into Olivia's eyes and said,

"I am the son of the Great Mage. Nothing more, nothing less."

We stared at each other for a moment, and then,

"Alright. I'll accept that answer for now. For now."

Saved...! ? I exhaled deeply as I watched Olivia turn and leave.

To me, Olivia was the most trustworthy right-hand person... and a sister-like presence. I believe she loved me like a brother.

Until I became known as the Demon King.

From a certain point, she began to draw a line between us as master and subordinate.

That's how I ended up... completely isolated.

I thought Olivia would always remain on equal footing with me. So, being betrayed by her was painful and difficult...

Reincarnating in this era was, in a sense, a way to annoy her. So, I'm not the one at fault. It's more like 80% Olivia's fault.

...No matter how much I try to justify myself, the situation won't change.

If my true identity is revealed, I will face unjust private punishment, and at best, I'll be half-dead, and at worst, I'll face social death.

So, I want to run away from the academy. But I have to consider my parents' reputation, and if I do, Olivia will be certain that I am the Demon King.

Probably, she is still wavering. Therefore, I should stay at the academy, live as a normal student, and clear Olivia's suspicions.

So, I was about to attend my first class at the academy.

As the clock in the classroom struck the start of the class, the instructor entered.

It was Jessica. She entered the classroom, her long silver-white hair swaying, looked around, and confirmed my and Irena's presence. She smiled charmingly and said,

"Hehe, we meet again, you two."

As soon as she said that, the students murmured slightly.

"You have a connection with the genius of the Marquis family...!"

"Should we try to get close to them now? They might be useful connections later."

The commoner students were genuinely surprised, while the noble students showed their cunning.

Then, Jessica moved to the podium, looked around the students, and then her eyes fell on the corner near the entrance.

"By the way... why is the legendary 'Apostle-sama' here? The instructor is supposed to be one person, right?"

'Apostle-sama' refers to Olivia. She has been standing in the corner, glaring at me the whole time without leaving the classroom.

"...There's a student I'm interested in. I won't interfere. Just treat me as if I'm not here."

The room buzzed again.

"The student she's interested in must be him."

"Sure enough, Ard, to capture Lady Olivia's heart like that..."

"Having Lady Olivia as a rival... I don't think I can win..."

They are all misunderstanding. Our relationship is not a romantic one.

"Hmm. Well, if that's the case, please feel free."

After responding calmly, Jessica turned to me.

"Alright then. In today's Alchemy class, I'll first talk about the history of potions in the first half. Then, we'll do a synthesis experiment in the second half. I'll grade you based on the results. The passing score is 50 points. Those who fail will have to endure merciless remedial classes, so be prepared."

She placed her hands on her hips, puffed out her large chest, and smiled. Most of the students, especially the boys, found her appearance adorable. A certain number of them looked enchanted.

Then, she took the chalk and began writing on the blackboard.

"As you know, the history of potions is still relatively short. They were developed about 500 years ago by Apostle Veda, one of the Four Archmages, as an alternative to recovery magic, which could not be sustained indefinitely—"

The lecture proceeded smoothly. There were no particular issues. The room was filled with Jessica's beautiful voice and the sound of the chalk on the blackboard. But—

"Potions have been very useful as an alternative to recovery magic. For example, in the terrible incident that happened a little over a decade ago, when the 'Demon Clan' tried to revive the 'Evil God,' many humans were harmed. At that time, there were not enough recovery magic users, so potions—"

The moment the words 'Demon Clan' and 'Evil God' left Jessica's mouth, the atmosphere in the room changed.

Until then, everyone had been calm, but as soon as they heard those two words, everyone showed signs of discomfort.

Well, it can't be helped. In this era, where the religion of the Demon King is prevalent, those who were opposed by the Demon King are considered enemies.

Moreover, the Demon Clan still exists and continues to carry out terrorist activities, causing social unrest. It's natural for everyone to have strong negative feelings.

But among them, Irena alone looked sad and bowed her head.

Why? I wondered, and just then,

"Alright. Let's move on to the synthesis experiment."

A woman who seemed to be an assistant brought in the materials and a magical device for potion synthesis.

Jessica, holding a palm-sized box, said,

"This will measure the effectiveness of the potions you synthesize. When you pour the potion into this tube, the effectiveness value will be displayed as a number on the side. I'll grade you based on that number. Everyone, try to get over 50 points!"

After that, Irena and I, like everyone else, moved our materials to our desks and started the synthesis.

"Hey, Ard. Let's see who can get the higher score!"

"Sure, I don't mind."

"Hehe. I won't lose this time!"

Irena, with a competitive smile, pointed at me energetically.

Ah, it's heartwarming. It's soothing. The stress I accumulated from Olivia is easing.

But for her sake, I'll intentionally lose this time.

I plan to make a normal potion.

So, I immediately got to work.

The potion we were synthesizing was for healing wounds.

The materials were [Neligi Grass × 3], [Mitsumi Root × 2], and [Morgan Butterfly Wings × 2].

I ground these well-dried materials into a powder in a mortar, mixed them with water in a container, and then drew a special magic circle on the desk with a reagent. I placed the container on the circle and infused it with magic power.

The concept of potions didn't exist in my previous life, but my parents' library had a book on potion-making. I learned the synthesis method from it.

...Still, to use a special magic circle for something like this.

In the ancient world, special magic circles were only used to cast special-grade magic that couldn't be handled alone or for special rituals.

It seems that the magic of this era has declined more than I thought.

Anyway, I made the potion according to the method described in the book my parents owned.

Good. It's extremely ordinary. The color is the same bright green as everyone else's.

In contrast, Irena's potion was different from everyone else's. It was red.

"Hehe~n. It feels like my victory is already decided?"

"Ha, we'll see. The outcome isn't clear until the end."

While I said this, I was fully prepared to lose.

I want to see Irena, my cute friend, proudly puffing out her chest in victory.

So, everyone finished making their potions. Jessica nodded and said,

"Then, let's gather at the podium in the front row, one by one."

Following the instructions, the students moved in unison.

"Hmm, an effectiveness value of 300. You get 35 points. How about a fun, fun remedial class with me?"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Despite the exclamation, the boy looked delighted.

Many others also needed remedial classes, but all the boys looked happy. Well, that's understandable. If a beautiful girl with a good figure like Jessica is your teacher, you'd want remedial classes too.

Anyway, the measurements proceeded smoothly until it was Irena and my turn.

We stood up and went to the podium like the others to have our potions measured.

Finally, it was Irena's turn. She confidently poured her potion into the box-shaped magical device. Then—

"Oh...! An effectiveness value of 12,000! Amazing, Irena, you get a perfect 100 points!"

Jessica's eyes widened in surprise.

Irena, puffing out her large chest, glanced at me and said,

"Hehe~n! Well, that's about it! (Glance)"

Her expression was a mix of "You can praise me now," "Actually, praise me," and "Woof woof!"—a clear plea for attention. It was such an adorable look of pride.

Of course, I will fully meet her expectations.

"Excellent. You are the best, Irena."

"Hehehehehe. Well, it's me! Of course!"

I stroked her beautiful silver hair, and she relaxed, her cheeks drooping and her eyes narrowing in happiness. She looked like a happy dog being praised by its owner. Irena, the dog, is so cute.

"...What a straightforward girl. She's very different from Weiss in her student days."

As soon as Olivia muttered this, Irena looked at her,

"Really!? Lady Olivia, you know Dad when he was young!?"

"A, ah, yes."

Irena, her eyes shining, approached Olivia, who looked slightly bewildered and stepped back.

"Tell me! What was Dad like when he was young!?"

"I, it's during class now. If you really want to know, come to the staff room later."

Irena, looking delighted, and Olivia, unsure how to handle her.

For Olivia, someone who approaches her so innocently is rare.

It's been a long time since I've seen Olivia with such an obvious troubled expression.

This girl has some cute sides—

"Hey, son of the Great Mage. What are you looking at with that smug face? I'll cut you down."

No, she's still scary. My sister is.

After a few more students had their potions evaluated,

"Alright, next is Ard. It's your turn. ...Hehe, I'm looking forward to it, genius boy."

It wasn't just Jessica. Everyone in the classroom was looking at me and my potion with tense faces. Olivia was glaring at me with a stern expression.

Hehe. It's no use staring so much. This is a genuine, ordinary potion. The scenario you're thinking of—

"Th, the effectiveness value is... unmeasurable...!?"

—What?

"W, what does this mean...!? This device can measure even elixir levels... N, no, wait... C, could this be... the Philosopher's Elixir...!?"

No, wait.

"Th, the Philosopher's Elixir!?"

"The Philosopher's Elixir, the one from fairy tales...!?"

"The one that can turn humans into superhumans or resurrect the dead...!?"

Hold on. Hey. Just a moment.

"Um, this is... an ordinary potion. It's not the Philosopher's Elixir. I synthesized it exactly according to the book my parents owned, so there's no mistake."

"By the way, what's the title of the book?"

Um, I think it was...

"Altria's Alchemy History, I believe."

"A, Altria's Alchemy History!?! The legendary alchemy manual said to be written by the legendary alchemist, Altria!?"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE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