The Wise Man's Grandson Volume 1 Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 "Kurt is under house arrest?"

For some reason, I ended up starting a study group and became its president. The next day, after picking up Sicily and Maria and heading to school, I was told this by Aug.

"It seems so. This morning, the academy received a message stating that 'Kurt is to be under house arrest for the time being, with a focus on reflection.'"

Thus, the former troublemaker who I had to protect Sicily from is now under house arrest. Should I feel relieved...?

"Hey, I've got a question. Why does Kurt act like that? It's common knowledge that acting with that kind of superior attitude is a no-go at the Three Great High Academies, right? Yet even after being directly admonished by Aug, he still doesn't change. It feels off..."

A noble who refuses to listen to words from a prince of his own country, who stands nearly at the top of the social hierarchy. I can't make sense of it.

At that, Aug, Thor, and Julius all exchanged strange looks.

"What’s going on?"

"Well, to be honest, we're just as confused," Aug said.

"We were attending a middle school that mainly catered to nobles and the wealthy…" Thor added.

"And Kurt was there too," Julius chimed in.

"Huh? Really?"

This was news to me. But considering they’re all nobles... or at least Aug is royalty, it's not so strange that they would have been in the same academy.

"Then I’d like to ask—was Kurt always like this?"

"That’s the thing, we’re confused because he wasn’t. Sure, he was confident, but he never acted like he was superior to others because of his status," Aug explained.

"Yeah, even though my rank was lower than his, he never treated me like that," Julius added.

It's hard for me to believe, since all I know is the current Kurt. So what happened to him?

"Now that you mention it, Your Highness, didn’t a teacher in the third year of middle school approach you?"

"Oh, right… I think it was a magic teacher?"

"Yes, he approached just about anyone who could use magic, saying, 'You all have amazing magical talent. Would you like to join my research lab?'"

"That's right. He was going around making these offers so frequently that it seemed suspicious, so I didn't end up accepting."

"I wasn’t approached myself…" Thor muttered.

"Well, that’s not surprising…"

"So, what does this have to do with anything?"

"Well… I think Kurt started attending that teacher's lab."

"Really? And?"

"After he started going to that lab, his magical abilities improved quite a bit. Back then, he would boast about his magical skills..."

"Wow, was that teacher really that amazing?"

"Yeah, he was definitely skilled. Plus, he had a certain charm and was quite popular, even though there was something off about him."

"Something off about him?"

"Yes, he was blind and wore an eye patch covering both eyes. But despite that, he still moved around like normal..."

"Huh? What’s so impressive about that?"

"Well, it wasn’t just about him being blind. He could sense magical presences around him. Of course, this only applied to beings with magical powers—he couldn’t sense inanimate objects, which you’re probably aware of. So, this means that teacher was using magic outside of that. Honestly, if you hadn't said anything, I might have wanted to join that lab too."

"Suspicious, though."

"Right, that part was suspicious."

But could that be connected to Kurt’s current behavior? He became more confident, but did that lead to his current attitude...?

"I’m not sure if it’s related, but it’s been on my mind."

"Yeah, that teacher... who exactly is he?"

"I think they said he was from the Empire?"

"The Empire, huh..."

There’s a neighboring country to the Arlshide Kingdom where I live. It’s the Blue Sphere Empire. In this country, the nobility and their power are very strong, and the common people are oppressed. There are constantly people fleeing the Empire to seek refuge in the Kingdom. Perhaps this teacher is one of them.

"Would someone so skilled in magic really be fleeing, though?"

"Maybe there's a reason behind it? That’s why he seems so suspicious."

In the end, we couldn’t come to any conclusions, and the conversation ended when Professor Alfred arrived.

"By the way, there's an explanation for the study group this afternoon. You guys are already assigned, but you still need to attend for formality's sake."

A study group, huh... It was decided before I even realized, but I wonder if this will make the upperclassmen resentful. I hope it’ll be okay.

The morning class was about the countries of this world. For me, it wasn’t that necessary, but for everyone who had attended the middle school in this country, it seemed to offer a different perspective, especially when looking at the relationships with neighboring countries from the standpoint of a mage.

During the lesson, there was also an explanation about the Blue Sphere Empire, which had come up earlier.

The region where the Blue Sphere Empire is located was originally made up of many small nations. One of these countries began annexing the others, eventually forming the current Empire. The king of that nation became the first Emperor.

The annexed nations were given to those in the imperial nobility who had made significant contributions, turning the capitals of these small nations into the homes of high-ranking nobles, while surrounding towns were given to lower-ranking nobles. As a result, the Empire's nobility grew immensely powerful. With this historical background of military conquest, the Empire still places significant emphasis on its military power.

However, there hasn't been a major war in recent times. When the Kingdom and the Empire fought in the past, both sides neglected to eliminate the surrounding monsters, leading to a massive outbreak.

Still, rumors persist that the Empire is quietly eyeing neighboring countries. Even though they have sufficient means to deal with the monsters, they are still expanding their military forces.

Given this, the words of Aug and the others earlier make sense. If someone possesses considerable magical power, it would be hard to believe the Empire’s military would leave them unchecked. The fact that the person ended up coming to the Kingdom suggests something must have happened.

This person has been approaching talented mages, and that raises suspicions about their intentions. Aug’s unease comes from this.

However, I just can’t connect this to Kurt’s actions.

As I sat in class, these thoughts continued to swirl in my mind.

◇

While Shin and the others were attending their classes at the academy, a certain individual paid a visit to the Ritzburg estate.

"Ah, Professor Strom, it has been a while."

"Yes, indeed. The last time I was here was when Kurt took the entrance exam for the Advanced Magic Academy."

The visitor was none other than Oliver Strom, the magic instructor from the Middle School Academy whom Shin and the others had been discussing earlier.

Although Strom was a teacher at the Middle School Academy, Kurt had personally requested him to be his private tutor in preparation for the entrance exam for the Advanced Magic Academy. Because of this, the guards and staff of the Ritzburg estate were well acquainted with him.

As Thor and the others had mentioned, both of his eyes were covered by an eye patch. However, with his sharply defined features and straight nose, he appeared to be quite a handsome young man.

"So then, what brings you here today, Professor Strom?"

"I heard through the grapevine that Kurt has been placed under house arrest. As his former teacher, I couldn’t help but be concerned."

He presented himself as a concerned educator, worried about the well-being of his former student.

"I see… To be honest, we are at a loss ourselves regarding what has happened to Master Kurt."

"Kurt held me in great esteem as his teacher. I thought that if I spoke to him, he might be willing to open up."

"I understand… The master of the house is currently away, but the mistress is present. I will go seek her approval; please wait here a moment."

"Of course."

The gatekeeper hurried into the mansion, and when he returned, he was accompanied by a middle-aged woman.

"Oh, Professor Strom! Thank you for coming!"

"It has been a while, Lady Ritzburg. How is Kurt faring?"

At his words, Lady Ritzburg—Kurt’s mother—collapsed into tears.

"I just… I just don’t understand anymore! To think he would say such things, even to the royal family to whom he once swore his utmost loyalty…"

Overcome with emotion, she could barely continue speaking. Strom gently addressed her.

"I see… This situation must be addressed. I will need to speak with him myself."

"Professor… You are our only hope! My husband intends to punish Kurt! Please, I beg of you! Help him come to his senses!"

"Understood. I will do what I can."

With that, Strom was led into the mansion and directed toward Kurt’s room.

"Kurt, it’s me, Strom. May I come in?"

There was no response.

"Lady Ritzburg, may I?"

"Yes, please."

With her permission, Strom stepped inside and immediately cast a soundproof barrier.

"My, my… What a pitiful sight you’ve become, Kurt."

Kurt lay bound hand and foot on the floor, unable to escape.

This world has no artifacts capable of sealing magic. Since magic is intertwined with a person’s life force, suppressing it completely would be fatal.

However, the moment he attempted to manipulate his mana to cast a spell, the guards stationed outside the room would immediately sense the fluctuation and intervene, preventing him from using magic.

Because of this, simply binding his limbs was enough to render him powerless.

"Professor Strom…"

"I told you, didn’t I? That you are special. I said so just the other day, didn’t I?"

"Yes…"

"You are special—both in status and in power. There is nothing beyond your reach."

"But… I couldn’t have her… That guy… That guy got in my way…"

"Hmm… I see. So this person is an obstacle to you?"

As Strom spoke, a faint glow of mana began to surround him. However, the guards outside the room did not react. He had cast not only a soundproof barrier but also a magical interference barrier, concealing all traces of his spellcasting.

"Listen to me, Kurt. You must make that obstacle understand. You are…"

Sometime later, Strom emerged from the room.

"Professor! How is he?"

"Hmm… It’s not looking good. He is in a state of mental disarray. He will need time to recover."

"No…! If we wait too long, my husband will punish him!"

"Of course, I cannot allow that either. No matter what has happened, he is still my dear student. I will speak with Count Ritzburg myself and advise him that punishing Kurt in his current state would not be in his best interest."

"Oh… Thank you, Professor!"

"For now, I must take my leave. I still have classes to teach at the academy."

With that, Strom left the Ritzburg estate.

A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.

"Kurt, I hope you put on a good show for me."

As he walked away, he glanced back at the window of the room where Kurt was being held, a faint smile playing on his lips.

◇

After the morning classes, everyone was having lunch together. Since Class S has only ten students, we usually stick together. Today, we were occupying one table as usual.

"By the way, Shin, we didn’t get to talk this morning, but what are you going to do about the commutes? Who's going to pick you up and drop you off?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Kurt’s under house arrest now, right? That means there’s no longer any danger either at the academy or in the town, right?"

"Yeah, I guess that’s true."

"Then, doesn’t that mean you don’t have to be escorted anymore?"

"Yeah, I suppose there’s no need for an escort now."

"Huh… oh, right… an escort… I see."

"But if it’s not an escort, does that mean we can’t commute together?"

"Eh…?"

"We live in the same direction, so it’s fine for us to commute together, right? Is that a problem?"

"It’s not a problem! It’s totally fine! We live in the same direction, so commuting together isn’t strange at all!"

Sicily stood up and shouted, drawing attention. She was really making a scene.

"Ah… I-I’m sorry!"

"Geez, Sicily, you’re too excited."

"N-No, I’m not!"

"Maria, you’re commuting together too, right?"

"Of course! I was planning to commute with Sicily from the start. Is that a problem?"

"No? Not at all."

"No, no, no! What are you saying!?"

"You’re overreacting, Claude."

Aug chimed in with a teasing remark, and of course, he was smirking.

"Ha, as expected of you, Shin."

"Huh? What about me?"

"Well, I can’t pull off something like saying 'stay with me' in front of everyone."

"I didn’t say that!?"

"Stay with me..."

"Sicily is getting caught up in the wrong things!"

"Well, jokes aside, commuting together seems like a good idea. Both Claude and Messina are beautiful ladies, after all. There might be some unsavory people around them."

"Stop making jokes and messing around..."

Well, since both of them are beautiful, there might be incidents like when we first met.

"By the way, Shin, you’re using your mana detection magic while commuting, right? Why’s that?"

"Huh? Why? So I can sense if anyone’s harboring malicious intent toward us."

"Malicious intent?"

"Shin, what do you mean by ‘malicious intent’?"

"Just what it sounds like. In the royal capital, since there are so many people, most of them are indifferent to others. But when someone directs hostile or harmful intent toward us, I can immediately sense it."

"I don’t understand, I can’t sense any malicious intent."

"Huh? You can’t sense it? Oh, I get it now."

"Tor, have you ever hunted monsters before?"

"Of course not! I’ve just been a middle school student until recently!"

"Monster mana has this ominous, unsettling feel to it—it’s not like regular mana at all. Hostile intent? Malicious intent? When that’s directed at us, I can feel it. Even though the royal capital is said to be safe, when there are so many people, you can occasionally feel it."

"Monster mana, huh..."

"Have you, Wolfram, ever hunted monsters?"

"Yeah, I have."

"By the way… how old were you the first time you hunted a monster?"

"Ten years old."

"Ten!? That young?"

"Yeah, it was a bear about three meters tall."

"A bear!? What did you do?"

"It was huge, and its arms were in the way, so I cut both of them off, then chopped off its head."

"…"

The story of Wolfram’s first monster hunt left everyone dumbfounded.

Wait, what? Was it the bear? Or the fact that he was ten years old?

"Ha, so this amazing person has been protecting us all this time."

"Feels reassuring."

Maria said with some disbelief, while Sicily smiled brightly. I wonder which part of the story made Maria feel that way?

"Well, shall we get going?"

"Oh, right, it’s already that time?"

Looking at the clock on the wall, I realized lunch break was almost over, and the cafeteria was nearly empty.

"Such a waste of time."

"Don’t say that, Yuri-sama. If we don’t attend, we’ll draw resentment from our upperclassmen."

I’m more worried about getting on the bad side of the upperclassmen than the other students.

Since we’ve already been assigned to the study group, we headed to the research group briefing. It was held in the auditorium where the entrance ceremony had taken place. It’s quicker to cross the grounds than go around the building. As we were about to cross the grounds...

Shiver!

I felt an eerie presence through my mana detection. Could it be? Is someone targeting us with malicious intent!?

Where!?

I scanned the grounds and spotted... Kurt, staring at us from the edge of the field.

What’s he doing here!? He was supposed to be under house arrest!

As my thoughts froze, Kurt finished chanting his spell.

"Sicily! Aug! Coat yourselves in magic!!!"

His voice alerted Aug, Sicily, and the others. They realized something was wrong. They never imagined an attack would happen on academy grounds. Everyone froze.

"Damn it!!"

Kurt unleashed his spell. I stepped forward to shield everyone.

Can I make it in time!? Only Sicily and Aug are wearing their uniforms!!

"Dammit!!"

"AHHHHHHHH!!!"

The spell hit.

BOOM!!

And then I... extended both hands in front of everyone and cast a magical shield.

Whoa! That was close!!

It was such a spur-of-the-moment thing that I couldn't properly visualize the spell before casting it!

I managed to block it, but since my visualization was incomplete, I couldn’t fully suppress the spell’s power, and I ended up getting a burn on my hand. The only things protected were my clothes.

"Shin-kun! That...!"

"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. Are you okay though?"

"I’m fine because you shielded me..."

It looks like everyone behind me is safe.

The automatic healing of my uniform activates, and the burn on my hand begins to heal.

"...The burn is... healing..."

Someone behind me muttered, but I couldn’t focus on that now.

"That’s... Kurt, isn’t it?"

"Why!? He was supposed to be under house arrest, right!? Why is he here!?"

That question is completely justified. I thought the same thing. But right now, it’s not the time to be pondering that. The real problem is that he’s here and just cast an offensive spell at us.

"Aug... This is bad, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, up until now, we’ve let it slide as an attempted attack, but this is attempted murder. There’s no way we can overlook this."

As Aug and I discussed Kurt’s situation, Kurt’s behavior suddenly changed.

"You... YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU!!!!!!"

He screamed as if mad, and an enormous amount of magical power began to surround him.

"Hey, Aug."

"What?"

"Do you think he can control that?"

"...I don’t think so."

"...This is bad, isn’t it?"

"...This is really bad."

Hearing that, I rushed toward Kurt.

"Aug! Get everyone to safety! This is bad!!"

"Got it!"

If that magical power goes out of control, it will explode and cause devastating collateral damage.

With this much magical power, the damage would be catastrophic.

I rushed at Kurt to stop him, but the overwhelming release of magic blew me away before I could reach him.

"Shin-kun!!"

Sicily shouted, but I couldn’t afford to pay attention to that.

I controlled my posture midair and landed. Then I locked eyes with Kurt...

"...No way..."

There, releasing ominous magical power...

Kurt, with bright red eyes, stood there.

"He... he’s turned into a demon!!"

◇

Throughout human history, there had never been a case of a human transforming into a monster.

It was always wild animals that became monsters—creatures unable to control their mana. Humanity believed itself to be a special race, immune to such transformations.

But then, decades ago, that belief was shattered.

A human transformed into a monster—a demon.

The world was thrown into shock.

Humans were not an exception.

The realization sent waves of fear across the globe, and the overwhelming threat posed by demons plunged people into despair.

The sinister mana they emitted struck terror not only in skilled mages, who could sense mana keenly, but even in ordinary people.

Overflowing with magic, demons could cast spells without incantations and without limits, rampaging unchecked.

The Earlshide Kingdom’s military mobilized all its forces to subdue the demon, but the destruction only continued to escalate.

In the end, only two people succeeded in slaying it—the legendary hero, the sage Merlin, and the revered master, Melida.

Because of this, the two of them are still honored as heroes to this day.

◇

In front of me stands Kurt, transformed into a demon.

His body is enveloped in the ominous mana typical of monsters, his eyes are a glowing red all the way to the sclera, and he stands still, staring into the void.

The others who were witnessing the scene up close were stunned, as if seeing a monster for the first time. It’s no surprise—seeing a human turned into a demon is an incredibly rare occurrence.

But now isn’t the time to be pondering such things!

"Everyone, run! He’s turned into a demon! If you stay here, you’ll get caught in the crossfire!!"

At those words, the students snapped back to their senses.

"Uwaaa! A demon! A demon!?"

"We have to escape! We have to escape! We have to escape!"

"Help meeee!!"

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

They screamed and scattered, fleeing in all directions.

That’s fine. As long as they spread the word while running, the others will get the message.

The real problem is what to do with him...

"Aug, you need to run too."

"Shin, you… don’t tell me!?"

"Yeah, I’m going to try and stop him."

"You’re crazy! You need to run too!!"

Aug tried to argue, but I couldn’t listen to him.

"If we don’t stop him here, we’ll have a demon unleashed in the royal capital. I can’t just leave him."

"Then we’ll stay and help!!"

"What do you know about hunting monsters!? You’ve never even hunted one before!!"

I feel bad for Aug, but I need him to evacuate.

"Shin… are we… in the way?"

"…Yeah, you’re in the way."

"…I see…"

Aug clenched his teeth, then turned away.

"Everyone, we’re leaving!!"

"What!? We can’t leave Shin-kun.”

"Gooooaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!"

Kurt charged toward me, releasing his mana as he came.

"Woah, his mana is stronger than a monster’s now that he’s turned into one!"

I shot a fireball at Kurt to slow him down.

Kurt didn’t even try to dodge and took the fireball head-on.

If he’s a demon, this probably won’t cause much damage, but it should slow him down.

But to my surprise, Kurt actually seemed to take damage from it.

"Huh? That actually hurt him?"

Wait a second, this doesn’t match what Grandpa told me about demons. Looking at Kurt, I noticed something else.

"Wolford! You... YOU YOU YOU!!!"

Kurt screamed my name.

"A demon is talking!?"

This was completely different from what I had been told. I thought demons completely lost their reasoning.

"I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL KILL YOU, WOLFORD!!!!"

He recognized me and screamed, throwing a fireball at me.

Whoa! I was thinking too much and almost got hit by that spell!

I quickly cast a mana barrier and stopped the fireball.

"Ah, damn it!"

Crap! I can block the magic, but I can’t block the heat! My face is burning!

"You..."

It was so hot that I cast a water spell to cool down the surrounding heat.

"Phew... now, what should I do?"

From the exchange of magic so far, I could tell Kurt wasn’t as strong as I thought. There were a few differences from what Grandpa described about demons. So I started to think.

(Wait a second… Maybe he hasn’t fully transformed into a demon?)

It would be easy to just end Kurt’s life right here. But he was originally human, and he’s still a fifteen-year-old boy. If he hasn’t fully turned into a demon, could there be a way to return him to normal?

It might be impossible, but it’s worth a try.

"This is gonna hurt a little, but hang in there!"

I said, then cast small explosion spells around Kurt, setting them off.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosions went off around Kurt, briefly halting his movements.

Taking the opportunity, I leapt into his range and punched him in the stomach with a strengthened fist.

"Gaahh!!"

While Kurt was stunned, I tried to flow mana into his body, hoping to neutralize the dark mana and return him to normal.

"GAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

But instead of helping, Kurt began to writhe in agony.

"Huh? What’s happening?"

What I thought would help was only causing Kurt more pain.

"Damn it! What can I do!?"

If this keeps up, the only option will be to defeat Kurt.

"Think, think, think! What can I do?"

I was certain Kurt’s demon transformation was incomplete, yet I had no idea how to reverse it. I tried to restore the flow of his mana, but all it did was cause him to suffer more. I’ve never heard of anyone turning a monster back into a human.

Is it even possible?

"Wolford…"

Kurt muttered, his glowing red eyes fixed on me, filled with hatred.

He released more ominous mana and tried to cast another spell.

"Tch!"

I used another spell to disrupt his magic, scattering it.

"What now? What should I do?"

But Kurt didn’t give me any time to think. Even though his spell was blocked by my barrier, he started to swell his mana and began to push it into a violent, uncontrollable state.

"Wait! Hey! That amount of magic—!!"

Crap! He’s gathering an insane amount of mana!

If he lets that magic go wild, this whole area will be obliterated!

"I don’t have time to think anymore!"

I pulled the Vibration Sword from my inventory and charged toward Kurt.

I have to do something, but there’s no time left. His mana is about to go out of control!

"Damn it! What else can I do!?"

I have no other choice! This is the only way!

"Damn it! I’m sorry! Kurt!!!"

With that, I swung the Vibration Sword.

I surrounded Kurt with a mana barrier in preparation for the mana overload and waited.

For a moment, Kurt remained in the same stance, but then...

With a faint shudder, his head slumped...

And his body collapsed.

The immense mana Kurt had gathered dissipated harmlessly, and the threat of it going out of control was gone.

Then, looking at Kurt’s headless body, I regretted that I could only stop him this way.

"Damn it… what the hell… what the hell is going on!?"

I felt regret and helplessness for not being able to save Kurt, and I felt an intense sense of discomfort at how things had turned out for him. As I looked at Kurt’s body, I realized for the first time that I had taken someone’s life. Even though he had become a demon, Kurt’s consciousness had still remained, and so a weight lingered deep in my heart.

“Are you okay?! Shin!!”

“Shin-kun! Are you hurt?!”

Cecily, who had come running, started touching my body and asked in concern.

“Yeah... I’m fine...”

It seemed like I was still troubled by having killed Kurt with my own hands, so I couldn’t respond with much strength.

“Shin-kun... What’s wrong?”

“No... That guy... He was targeting you, Cecily, and even became a demon... I’m just frustrated that all I could do was defeat him... kill him...”

“...Shin-kun…”

“Something’s definitely wrong. There has to be something more to this!”

“Shin...”

From the beginning to the end of this incident, there had only been a sense of discomfort. I didn’t understand what had really happened, and yet, after defeating Kurt, the incident was over. That left me feeling more and more frustrated.

“Still... I can’t believe it. When he became a demon, I thought it was over...”

“I was prepared for death myself.”

“Wolfort-kun was amazing.”

“Yeah! What was that? The magic was incredible, but he also cut off the demon’s head with his sword!”

“That was a magnificent sword strike. Wouldn’t he be able to aim for the top spot at the Knight Training Officer Academy?”

“Right. I’ve never seen such a clean strike, not even from my father or older brother.”

“Wolfort-kun really is an amazing person, huh?”

“You guys were watching?”

“Yeah, we got to the exit of the grounds, but when we looked back, we saw you overpowering the demon... and we kept watching the battle.”

“I see.”

“But still... Shin, this is going to be tough for you.”

“Tough? What do you mean?”

“Don’t you realize? A demon appeared!”

“Ah... Yeah, you’re right.”

“This is the second time in history that a demon has appeared. That alone is a huge incident. And you... handled it so easily... And moreover...”

As Aug was talking, it seemed like he was called by some of the students, and knights, soldiers, and magicians started gathering.

“Prince August!! Are you safe?!”

“We received a report that a demon appeared! Where is the demon?!”

“We’ll risk our lives to eliminate the demon! Where is it?!”

“Ah, it’s over there, lying down.”

“Lying down?”

They turned to the direction Aug was pointing.

There, lying on the ground, was Kurt’s body, his head severed.

“No way... You actually defeated the demon?!”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t me.”

Aug looked at me as he spoke.

“A student from this magic academy did that?!”

“What do you mean by ‘this’? His name is Shin Wolfort, the grandson of the demon slayer, Merlin Wolford.”

“Grandson of the Sage Merlin?!”

As we were having this exchange, other students gathered to check the situation.

“Hey! Is that a demon lying over there?”

“Huh? No way!”

“You’ve already defeated the demon?!”

“What? What happened?”

The students began speculating aloud about the situation.

Eventually, realizing that Prince Aug was present, the students focused their attention on him.

“Everyone, don’t worry! The demon was defeated by Sage Merlin’s grandson, Shin Wolfort!”

Realizing he had everyone’s attention, Aug raised his voice to announce the situation, and then...

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

A cheer erupted.

“No way?! Is that for real?!”

“Amazing! As expected of the Sage’s grandson!!”

“Hero!! A new hero!!”

“The grandson of Sage Merlin! Shin Wolfort!!!”

“Shin!” “Shin!” “Shin!”

A chant of “Shin” started.

“Ah, no! Stop! This is so embarrassing, don’t call my name so loudly!”

I wanted to run away, but the knights and magicians who were surrounding me made it impossible to escape.

“Well done! Well done!!”

“Really, the hero’s grandson is a hero!”

“Wonderful! Truly wonderful, Shin-kun!!”

“Please, stop it already! Being praised like this... I can’t take it! I’m just filled with regret that I couldn’t save Kurt, but now everyone’s cheering for me!”

“I knew it...”

This was what Aug was about to say earlier! I never imagined it would turn into such a commotion.

With the discomfort I felt about this whole incident and the guilt of not being able to save Kurt, I couldn’t join in with the cheers of those around me.

As I looked at everyone, as if it was someone else’s business, I kept trying to figure out what felt off.

In the end, the explanation meeting for the research group was canceled due to all the commotion, and we were all asked to return to the classroom for now.

◇

"Shin-kun... Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you've been acting strange for a while now."

"Yeah... It’s not just that I killed Kurt... There's something that’s been bothering me."

"Something bothering you?"

"Let’s talk about it after we get back to the classroom."

Once we returned to the classroom, Professor Alfred was there to greet us.

"Oh! You’re all safe! I was worried! Especially you, Wolford—are you hurt?!"

"I'm fine."

"I see... That’s a relief..."

He sounded genuinely concerned. He really is a good teacher—his worry for us was sincere.

"More importantly, Shin, what is it that’s been bothering you?"

Alright, I’ll explain.

"This whole incident... from start to finish, there’s just something off about it."

"Something off?"

"First of all, Kurt’s behavior itself was completely unnatural. You all noticed that, right?"

"Yeah, it was hard to believe he was the same person as before."

"Everyone in this country knows that flaunting one’s status is strictly forbidden at the Three Great Advanced Academies. And yet, Kurt acted as if he could wield his authority freely. If I hadn’t resisted, there’s no doubt he would have followed through with his actions."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Then, even after being reprimanded by Aug, he tried to go after Cecily a second time. Normally, someone who takes such pride in their noble status wouldn’t so easily disregard the words of someone of nearly the highest rank in the kingdom. So why did he ignore Aug?"

Everyone turned to look at Aug, who simply shrugged.

"That’s the part that everyone already found suspicious. But here’s what I noticed today that struck me as even more strange."

The room fell silent, and everyone held their breath, waiting for me to continue.

I began explaining one step at a time.

"First of all, why was Kurt even there? Wasn’t he supposed to be under house arrest? And more than that, it was the Ritzburg family who insisted on it in the first place. Why was he allowed to leave so easily?"

"I was wondering about that too."

"I didn’t expect him to be here, so I completely froze in that moment."

"And then... he transformed into a demon."

I scanned the room before speaking again.

"Is it really that easy for someone to turn into a demon?"

Everyone looked uncertain. Professor Alfred’s eyes widened in shock.

"Now that you mention it... That is strange!"

It seemed Professor Alfred had realized something as well.

"Wait... What do you mean?"

"In the past, the only recorded case of demonization involved a high-ranking mage who had spent years honing their skills, striving to master the pinnacle of magic. It’s said that they lost control while attempting an extremely advanced spell, which led to their transformation into a demon."

As soon as he said that, everyone seemed to grasp the implications.

"But Ritzburg had only just entered the Advanced Magic Academy. Even if he lost control of his mana, the worst that should have happened was an explosion. I’ve never heard of someone turning into a demon just from that."

"Exactly. If failing to control mana could turn someone into a demon, the world would be crawling with them by now."

"That is odd."

"Yeah. It’s not uncommon for mana to go out of control. I’ve done it myself before."

"Lin, that’s dangerous! You could blow everything around you to bits—be more careful!"

"Okay, I’ll be careful from now on."

Sigh... Seriously.

"Anyway, up until now, there’s only been one documented case of demonization. In fact, it was believed that humans simply couldn’t turn into monsters. So why did it suddenly happen so easily?"

"Why indeed?"

"I have no idea..."

"! … No way!"

Aug suddenly seemed to realize something.

"W-What is it, Your Highness?"

"No, it’s just... that couldn’t be..."

"Aug. I think you and I are thinking the same thing."

"It’s impossible!"

"It might be artificial... That’s the possibility I’m considering."

"Ridiculous!! You’re saying demons can be created?!"

Professor Alfred shouted in disbelief. And yeah, I get why he’d think that. But...

"Well, this is just speculation. I have no idea how it would be done. But I can’t say the possibility is zero. And after fighting him, I believe it even more."

"After fighting him?"

"My grandpa used to tell me stories about the time he fought and defeated a demon..."

"You’ve heard firsthand accounts of a demon hunt from the Sage himself?!"

"That’s incredible!"

The others’ reactions were... missing the point.

"No... it’s not about that. What I meant was, I’ve actually heard about demons directly from someone who fought and defeated one. The demons completely lose their reason and can only howl, unable to speak. But Kurt, after he became a demon... he was still able to speak."

"Does that mean... he wasn’t really a demon?"

"No, he was definitely demonized... transformed into a monster. The ominous magic power, his eyes turned bright red, and his aggression—these are all characteristics common to demons."

I continued, noticing everyone listening intently.

"When I actually fought him, I thought he was much weaker than I expected. I was thinking, 'Is this the same kind of demon my grandpa fought? Or is it something different?'"

"A demon is weak...?"

"Well... I do think he was strong enough..."

"Honestly, in terms of strength, he was a little stronger than a tiger or lion monster."

"Tiger and lion...?"

"That’s already a pretty hopeless level of strength..."

That may be true for students, but for knights and mages, it probably wouldn't be as serious. I glanced at Professor Alfred...

"Lions, huh... I once encountered one in the past. Back then, I thought... this is it, I’m going to die. I thought it was the end... over and over again. I still sometimes dream about it."

Wait, is that a trauma-level story?

"Well, even so, it’s not like it was impossible to defeat, right?"

"...Yeah, I guess so."

"Past demons nearly destroyed the kingdom. Entire towns and villages were annihilated. Can tigers or lions do something like that?"

"No... there’s no way they could do that."

"Given how easily he turned into a demon, how weak he was, and that he still had some consciousness left... when you take all that into account..."

Everyone waited for me to continue.

"I think... Kurt might have been used for human experimentation."

"Human experimentation?!"

"So... it really was... artificial?"

"I have no concrete proof, but I think the possibility is high."

"I see... So that’s why Shin has such a complicated look on his face. It’s hard to feel happy about this."

This is still just a theory. But if it’s true... then there’s someone behind all this with malicious intent. Who that person is, and for what purpose, I have no idea.

Everyone must have sensed it too. They all looked uneasy.

◇

A short distance away from the Advanced Magic Academy, a figure stood atop a building, gazing down at the academy. It was Oliver Strom, Kurt’s former instructor.

"Hmm... So, Kurt did undergo demonization. But was it because his original abilities were too weak? To think that was all he amounted to... Well, I suppose the experiment can be considered a success."

He chuckled softly to himself.

"And then there’s Shin Wolford... I do hope he won’t become an obstacle."

Muttering those words, he vanished from the spot.

No one had noticed his presence.

◇

The news of the demon’s appearance and its subsequent defeat quickly reached the royal castle. Well, there were soldiers nearby, so they probably reported it right away. When I got home, a messenger from the royal castle had arrived.

"Welcome home, Shin-sama, Prince August, Julius-sama, Tor-sama, Cecily-sama, Maria-sama."

"Welcome back, Alex."

"Shin-sama, a messenger from the royal castle has come."

"A messenger from the royal castle?"

"Of course. A demon appeared. That alone would cause a huge uproar in the royal castle. And now that it’s been defeated, they can’t avoid honoring the one who defeated it."

Honoring?

sigh... This sounds like it’s going to be a hassle.

"What are you saying, Shin-sama! It’s only natural!"

"Alex?"

"When we heard that you, Shin-sama, had defeated the demon, we were naturally worried, but we also felt very proud! Being honored is the least that should happen!"

The other gatekeeper was nodding vigorously as well.

"I... I see..."

As I passed by the excited Alex and the others and entered the house, I found the royal messenger and Uncle Dis there.

"Why is Uncle Dis here? The messenger is standing stiff as a board."

"Hmm, given the situation, I thought it was best to personally talk to you, Shin-kun, Merlin-dono, and Merida-shi."

"Why?"

"Before that... hey, the official notice."

"Yes! Shin Wolford-dono! In the face of the national crisis brought on by the appearance of the demon, you disregarded your own safety and defeated it! As a result, the Kingdom of Earlsheid has decided to award you the First-Class Order of Merit in recognition of your actions. We humbly request that Shin Wolford-dono attend the ceremony!"

He rattled it all off in one breath.

A medal... When those words were spoken, Grandpa and Grandma’s atmosphere changed completely.

"Diseum... You said, didn’t you? That you wouldn’t use Shin for political purposes. So what’s with this treatment?"

"I also heard that..."

Grandpa and Grandma’s faces were terrifying. It was a level of tension I hadn’t felt before, and everyone gasped.

"I expected you would say that, which is why I came here personally."

Uncle Dis began explaining why he was here.

"Recently, a demon appeared for the first time in several decades. When a demon appeared in the past, the Kingdom of Earlsheid faced the brink of collapse. The people of this country will never forget that threat. And now that threat has reappeared. This news has already reached the ears of many of the citizens. And, naturally, it has also been reported that it was quickly defeated. The appearance and defeat of a demon is something that cannot be hidden from the people."

"We understand that... but what’s with this medal?"

"That... Merlin-dono and Merida-shi, when they were awarded their medals for defeating the demon, it would be strange not to award the same to you, given your similar achievements."

"Hmm..."

"Indeed, that’s true, but..."

So, in terms of actions, Grandpa and Grandma did the same thing, right? That’s why it would be strange not to give me the same medal as them. I get why the medal is being awarded, but to say it’s the same...

"Of course, I know there will be those who try to take advantage of this, but I will do everything in my power to stop them. If necessary, I’ll even declare it at the ceremony. So please, I beg you, allow it. Not for my sake, but for the sake of the people!"

He bowed deeply as he said this.

"Your Majesty!"

"Father..."

The messenger and even Prince August were shocked. Of course, they would be—the King, whom they revered, was bowing to an old man, a mere commoner, despite calling him a hero. There was no way they wouldn’t be surprised.

"Merlin-dono, Merida-dono, I also ask you. Please, forgive us."

"Even you, Your Highness?"

Prince August bowed as well. Seeing this, the messenger also...

"Please, we beg you!"

He bowed his head too.

With the King, Prince, and the messenger all bowing, Grandpa and Grandma...

"...Sigh... Fine. Diseum, I’ll trust your words. But if you go back on your word, we’ll leave this country and never have anything to do with it again. Is that acceptable?"

"Understood. That’s perfectly fine."

"And one more thing, a king should not bow so easily."

"I judged that it was necessary to do so in this case."

"Even so... one thing after another... you really know how to stir up trouble."

"Hey! This isn't my fault!"

"Yeah, I never get bored when I'm with Shin."

"Um... Sorry... I guess I’m partly to blame for this trouble..."

"Cecily, don’t worry about it. This kid here always seems to gather trouble wherever he goes."

"It’s not my fault!"

Everyone looked at me with pity. What the heck...?

"Yeah, we do tend to get caught up in trouble a lot. This time’s a prime example. If you don’t mind, could you tell me the details of what happened?"

Since I was asked about the commotion, I began explaining the entire story to Uncle Dis. And then...

"You’re saying the demonization was done artificially?!"

Uncle Dis looked shocked, but it didn’t seem like he was shocked by the unbelievable news. What is it?

"Is that really the case?"

"Well, it’s just a theory. I have no proof."

"Hmm... this is..."

Uncle Dis looked serious. Well, I can understand why, considering what he just heard.

"Shin-kun, August, Tor, Julius, Cecily, Maria—I'm giving you all an order. This matter is to be kept under wraps. Do not speak of it to anyone. Understood?"

He issued a gag order.

"Fine, but I already told my S-Class classmates and our homeroom teacher."

"We’ll handle that. We’ll send messengers to each of them to ensure they don’t speak of it."

"Got it. I really wanted to tell them myself, but..."

"Sorry about that. I’d prefer to handle this quickly."

With that, Uncle Dis left. He said he would contact me later about the date for the award ceremony.

And it seems the investigation into the matter will begin soon. The Ritzburg family will also be investigated. As for Kurt’s father’s fate, that hasn’t been decided yet.

Looking at the circumstances, it’s clear that Kurt’s actions were a result of his own reckless behavior.

However, even though Kurt was placed under house arrest, they’ll hold someone responsible for allowing him to leave the house and for not noticing and intervening before he turned into what he did.

But, since there’s a possibility he was a victim of human experimentation, the Ritzburg family might receive some leniency. Everything will depend on the investigation going forward.

One thing is certain though: the person who served as the Deputy Secretary of Finance will likely have to resign. After that, the head of the family will probably return to their estate, which is the general consensus.

"An estate?"

"Yes, all nobles have estates. The people here are no exception."

"Our family’s estate is a port town."

"My family’s is a hot spring town."

"My family’s is a craftsman’s district."

"My family’s is a resort area."

A samurai family with a resort? That sounds super interesting!

"But why do you live in the royal capital instead of your estate?"

"It’s a symbol of loyalty to the royal family. By living in the royal capital, we are showing that we have no intention of rebellion. We do visit our estates from time to time, though."

I had noticed there were a lot of nobles in the royal capital, but I didn’t know it was for that reason.

Then, the discussion turned to the matter of how to handle the commuting arrangements starting the next day. In the end, it was decided that it would continue.

The reason: for my sake.

"Look, look! It's Shin-sama!"

"That's the new hero..."

"Sigh... So cool..."

"Who are the people with him?"

"Well, someone like Shin-sama must already have a special someone."

"I'm so jealous..."

Just as Uncle Dis had said yesterday, the people of the Kingdom of Earlshide already knew that someone had defeated the demon. The citizens had a deep respect for Grandpa and Grandma, so it was easy to imagine that, upon learning that their grandson was the one who accomplished the feat, many would want to approach me.

That’s why I was bringing Cecily and Maria along—so no one would try anything unnecessary.

Incidentally, this was Grandma’s idea. Cecily and Maria’s parents agreed as well.

"Sorry, Cecily, Maria... for making you play the role of my buffer..."

"It’s fine, don’t worry about it."

"Yeah. After all Shin has done for us, this is nothing."

"Exactly."

"Even so..."

"This is my choice, Shin-kun. Don’t ignore my wishes."

She threw my own words back at me—the same ones I had said when I insisted on protecting her.

"You really had to say that?"

"Hehe, I did."

"What’s this? ...Am I intruding? Should I step away?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, we’re not leaving you out."

"Ugh, these two..."

Maria held her head in exasperation. There was no way we would leave her out.

Before long, we arrived at the academy. Even on the way there, I felt an overwhelming number of eyes on me.

People were whispering. I couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying, but it was obvious I was the topic of discussion.

"Sigh... This is annoying..."

"It can’t be helped. A new hero has emerged, after all."

"If I were in another class, I might have come to see you too."

"Please don’t..."

Once I stepped into the classroom, I finally felt a sense of relief. The people here were the ones who had heard my explanation yesterday.

"Good morning, Shin."

"Good morning, Shin-dono."

"Good morning, Shin-dono."

Everyone was acting normal. That was a relief.

"Hey... A royal messenger came to my house yesterday..."

"They came to mine too."

"Same here."

"Mine as well~."

Alice was already here today.

"On my way here, I looked around town. Everyone was in high spirits, celebrating the birth of a new hero."

"I noticed that too. But after hearing what you told us yesterday..."

"I can’t be happy about it."

"My family asked me about it too. I told them what I could, and they got so excited... But since I couldn’t share the same enthusiasm, they gave me weird looks."

It seemed everyone had their own thoughts on the matter.

But we all shared the same uneasy feeling. That alone gave me a sense of camaraderie. It also made me happy that they didn’t treat me differently.

"Alright! Everyone, take your seats. We’re starting soon!"

Professor Alfred arrived and began homeroom as usual. Since he had been there yesterday, he wasn’t acting any differently either.

"The whole academy is buzzing after yesterday’s incident. Wolford, you especially need to be careful. Try to stay with other students and avoid being alone. You’ll get swarmed."

"Shin. No joke, don’t be alone. You’ll be completely surrounded, and it’ll turn into chaos."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Seriously."

Everyone nodded.

So that’s how things are… I thought people were just whispering about me from a distance.

"If possible, stick with one of the girls. If you’re only with guys, you’ll get swarmed by women."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Just imagine being surrounded by a bunch of girls you don’t even know. It’s a hassle..."

He sounded like he was speaking from experience… Well, Aug is a prince, after all. He probably gets mobbed at parties.

"Sigh... This is such a pain..."

"Give it up. Once you receive your medal, the commotion will only get worse."

"You’re kidding..."

This was getting more and more out of hand.

Today, we finally had the research society explanations that were postponed yesterday. But after that, things got chaotic.

"Wolford-kun! Please, you must join our Offensive Magic Research Society!"

"What are you saying?! He’s learning Enchantment Magic directly from Lady Melida! He belongs with The Lifestyle Enhancement Research Society!"

"No, no, no! I heard he finished off the demon with his sword. Someone who can use such incredible Body Enhancement Magic should join The Combat Arts Research Society!"

"Wolford-kun! As the grandson of a hero, there’s no one more suited to The Heroic Studies Research Society! Please, join us!"

The recruitment battle was intense…

In the end, I told them that I had already established my own research society and couldn’t join another. That finally got the upperclassmen to back down, albeit with disappointed sighs.

But then, first-year students flooded me with requests to join my research society instead.

"U-Um! I heard Wolford-kun started his own research society!"

"Can I join too?!"

"I want to join!"

"Me too!"

"Whoa, hold on! I can’t process this all at once!!"

It was too overwhelming for me to handle, so I left all membership decisions to Professor Alfred.

Obviously, we couldn’t accept everyone, so we had to set a minimum requirement for admission.

The condition Alfred set? The ability to use Dimensional Storage.

It was a skill that everyone in S-Class could use and had a decent level of difficulty, making it a fair benchmark.

In the end, two students from Class A qualified and joined. There were no eligible students from Classes B or C.

The two new members were childhood friends—a boy named Mark Bean and a girl named Olivia Stone. Mark was the son of a blacksmith, and Olivia was the daughter of a restaurant owner.

Since they had to help out with their family businesses, they were quick to learn Dimensional Storage during their time in the Intermediate Academy—mainly for deliveries and grocery runs.

Completely exhausted from all the commotion, I finally returned to the classroom.

"See? I told you it would turn into a huge deal."

"Yeah… I really felt that…"

"That must’ve been rough…"

"Sorry… We couldn’t do anything to help with the recruitment chaos…"

"No, no, you two did nothing wrong."

"Well, that’s one hassle out of the way. Now, as long as nothing else happens, things should stay calm until the medal ceremony."

Aug sounded confident. And sure, now that regular classes were starting, there wouldn’t be any more major events. Things should quiet down a bit.

As long as I stayed out of trouble… or so I thought.

I had no idea that an even bigger commotion was just around the corner.