The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 2 - Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24 

The Ex–Demon Lord’s Plans for the School Festival, Part I 

Sylphy, the Walking Natural Disaster. The recent incident must have really rattled her because from second period on, she played the part of the poster child for obedience… Well, except she kept shooting daggers at me, observing my every move.

In any case, I’d managed to make it to lunchtime, navigating my way through a school day that seemed almost riddled with explosives. It was then that a woman entered the classroom, bespectacled and donning a jet-black suit—the private secretary of the headmaster.

“Mr. Ard, Miss Ireena. The headmaster has summoned you. Please, follow me.”

We had no reason to refuse. Following her orders, we made our way to his office, which showed off his expensive furnishings and where we found Olivia with a stony look and…

“Hey there, folks. Thanks for coming all this way, and sorry for calling on you during lunch,” said a friendly elderly man seated before us. He was Count Golde, the headmaster of this academy.

“Please, think nothing of it… And what can we help you with this time?”

“Ah, right. Let me cut to the chase. I’m sure you know the academy plans to host its annual school festival in a month, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Uh-huh, I can’t wait!” Ireena practically chirped, beaming, to which Golde nodded and responded with a smile of his own.

“Yes, yes. I mean, I can see how it’s a real party for the students. That said…I think you know school festivals have their own kind of educational value, too,” Golde started, clearing his throat. “Ahem. Well, all students are expected to organize something for the event on their own—from securing a location, prepping necessary materials, gathering resources, and attracting customers. We prohibit them from exerting social power from their family standing, which means the students are left to their own devices to figure everything out. I’m sure this is a formative experience and important asset, regardless of their future occupation.”

I saw no issue with his argument. In fact, he was entirely correct.

However—

“Well, there are other motivations, too.” Golde scratched his head, flashing the wry smile of a brat caught making mischief. “If I’m being frank, a school festival at any magic academy is a nice way of saying ‘cash cow.’ Of course, it is a perfect environment to learn, but that’s a front for the real reason: to rake in money. Every school knows this.”

“That’s impossible to avoid,” I observed. “Our public school might receive aid from the government, but other schools are on their own, meaning their management is often in dire straits.”

“Right. Not that we’re in a situation that’s much different. We’re unique in that we offer a wide range of subjects, which means those costs pile up… Plus, we lost a valuable instructor just the other day.”

By that, he must have meant Miss Jessica. She’d been the eldest daughter of a marquis, and she was a girl genius who’d become an instructor at the tender age of eighteen…but that was all in the past. Following the recent incident with the demons, her existence had been wiped from the face of this planet—forever.

“…How is her household faring?” I asked.

“Flipped upside down, and that’s putting it lightly. Miss Jessica was supposed to be the next head of the family, and now she’s suddenly gone missing.”

I wished I could do something to help, since I couldn’t really say I was unrelated in the matter…but I was between a rock and a hard place.

“Anyway. In order to fill the void Miss Jessica left behind, I’m hoping to rake in some cash at the school festival. I apologize for getting you wrapped up in impure adult schemes, but I would like your help.”

“…It depends. What sort of plan do you have in mind?”

“Yes. Well, we’re planning two special events to draw in crowds. We’ve got the Sword King Battle Tournament, which is our annual event… But no one is forcing you to participate. I know this isn’t really your cup of tea, Mr. Ard.”

“I appreciate your understanding. I do not want to wield my power for public display—only to protect others.”

This wasn’t a lie but the absolute truth. That said, I had an additional reason for not wanting to participate—namely, that I didn’t want to arouse the suspicions of my older sister, who had been sullenly staaaaaaaaring at me for a while now.

“As for our second event, I was thinkin’ we could put on a play.”

“Oh. A lovely idea. It seems they’re doing well with the common folk these days. I can see how it might draw a crowd—though it’ll depend on the actors, too.”

“Keeping up with the latest trends. I’d expect no less from you. I’d like to ask that your class put on a play, Mr. Ard and Miss Ireena. After that last incident, your names have traveled the capital far and wide. With the two of you as the stars, we could ask for no better advertisement.”

“I see. And, Ireena, how do you feel about this?”

“I really wanna try it! I’ve never acted before, but I’ve admired actresses since, like, forever! Which is why when I think about standing on that stage…it gets me super-hyped up!”

Ireena the actress, huh? Imagining it made me break into a smile. I mean, it’s Ireena for crying out loud. I could see her putting on the performance of a lifetime and taking the world by storm in the blink of an eye. She was almost too talented for her own good.

“I understand. In that case, I may not have much to offer, but I will cooperate with your plan.”

It was just a play. Even if I killed it, there was no chance it would make Olivia more suspicious of me—nor cause the public to fear me, which would drag me back to my solitary days. And think of it this way: If I could be placed in a position that was a smidgen more special than my peers, it would make it easier for me to make friends. I’d get this situation to work for me and reap the benefits.

“Great. Feel free to write the script in whatever way you see fit. Ho-ho-ho, I can’t wait for the festival.” Golde chuckled, stroking his mustache.

On the other hand, Olivia sighed. “Yes. I’m looking forward to it, too… As long as no nuisances pop up.”

“Nuisances?”

“Yes. Golde, might I discuss the subject at hand?”

“Of course, Lady Olivia.” Golde assumed a serious expression, nodding, before opening his desk drawer to retrieve a piece of vellum paper. “Would you mind taking a look at this?”

We huddled around his desk and scrutinized the paper, which…basically said that the school festival had to be canceled, or else. In short, it was a threat.

“Well, we get this sort of thing every year. Normally, I wouldn’t have even bothered to show you…if this was any usual circumstance.” Golde rested his chin in his hands with a tired expression. As he had said, this was no typical letter.

The parchment was made from human skin, and carved at the very end was a peculiar crest.

According to it, the sender was—

“Are you saying this was sent by Lars al Ghoul?”

Lars al Ghoul: a name for the demon crime syndicate who revered the Evil Gods as their masters. Their plan was to revive their gods—those I had either sealed away or erased altogether in my past life—and they’d spent their days operating behind the scenes for the most part…until they made a big splash at the royal capital.

With an anxious expression, Ireena chewed on her lip as if she was reliving those memories. “…Based on the last incident, I’m their target.”

“It’s very likely, considering their goals,” Golde replied.

The organization needed a ceremonial sacrifice to revive the Evil Gods, scouring the land for the appropriate person. And that was Ireena—the true royal heir to this nation and a descendent of the Evil Gods, which meant her spirit was akin to theirs and that she made the ideal sacrifice. With these circumstances in mind, Lars al Ghoul had been targeting her, but…

“I haven’t the faintest clue why they would involve themselves in the school festival. If their target is Ireena…I fail to see the connection between her abduction and this note.”

“Yes. Both Lady Olivia and I have been at our wit’s end over it.”

“It’s impossible to figure out their motives at this stage. Which means they could pull off something more terrible than we could ever imagine. That’s why we admitted Sylphy to the academy—to act as backup.”

…I see, so that’s what they were plotting.

“That idiot is a huge pain in the ass for any number of reasons, but she’s strong. You gotta give her that. It must be because she’s spent so long cooped up in a place with a high concentration of magic. I haven’t seen any indication that her magic has deteriorated. That’s why right now, even if you search the world over, you could say Sylphy’s battle skills are ahead of the pack.”

Sylphy, a global powerhouse, huh. It must really be the end of the world.

“And not only power…she’s fought the demons alongside us. That earns her more than a bit of trust,” Olivia added, holding her in high regard.

Ireena blinked back. “U-um, Lady Olivia… Is that brat the Raging Champion?”

“That’s right… I understand if it’s hard to believe. After all, champions are painted as larger than life. Finding out this was all a sham must come as a shock, but she’s the real deal. Better just accept it.”

Ireena assumed a dejected expression. I get it. I’m with you on this one. 

Olivia continued. “Anyway. She may be a troublemaker, but she doesn’t have bad intentions. There’s no one clumsier, and she’s bound to mess up, but her heart’s in the right place. Looking back on it, she’s helped out plenty of times. I’m sure this time will be no different—”

This never happened. A rarity among rarities. Olivia was speaking highly of Sylphy.

In the midst of that…

“Whaaaaaaaat?! C’mon, say it to my face this time! I dare you!” 

…an idiot shouted at a stupidly loud volume that rattled our eardrums as it echoed through the entire school.

Olivia scrunched up her face, looking like she’d sucked on a sour lemon. “……Sorry. Scratch that. I was a fool.”

Oh, Olivia. I totally understand how you’re feeling right now. 

“…May we go check on the situation?” I asked.

“S-sure. Go ahead.”

With permission, we left the room and searched for the voice, sprinting up one floor—and there she was. The situation before us looked like a real pain in the ass.

Sylphy was standing with her arms folded all imposingly, surrounded by some hooligans who were seriously jacked. In front of her were noble students, who had fallen on their butts and had goose eggs on their heads.

Sylphy had to be the bad guy here. It didn’t matter how you looked at it.

“Hold it, Sylphy! What’s going on here?!” Ireena shouted, causing Sylphy to jolt.

She looked in our direction with the expression of a frightened puppy. “Sis?! Th-this is, uh… They started it!”

Promoted to “older sister” tier, Ireena stomped over to Sylphy. “Explain yourself! If you’ve got a poor excuse for hurting people, I won’t go easy on you!”

“I-it’s not a poor excuse! Th-these guys were insulting my classmates! They were saying how commoners shouldn’t get full of themselves! And it got me riled up…!”

My classmates. 

…I see. Now that I took a closer look, the tough boys accompanying her were our classmates. Trying to stick up for Sylphy, they turned to Ireena.

“Please go easy on her, boss!”

“Sylphy only clobbered them for our sakes!”

Matching their oafish looks, their voices were coarse and vulgar, as they stared the nobles down. This shook the nobles for a moment, but they soon snapped back with condescension.

“Ha! Insulted you? What are you talking about? All we said was the truth. Commoners can’t go head-to-head with the nobles. The Excellency Award at the school festival will go to Class A, which has the highest percentage of aristocrats. Classes swarming with commoners don’t even have the slightest chance at winning.”

The Excellency Award? …I could guess that it was awarded to the class that earned the most money at the school festival.

“There’s a fundamental difference between nobles and commoners, since the very beginning. I mean, we’re from a higher bloodline, descended from those who fought in the army led by the Demon Lord. On the other hand, the blood coursing through your veins is worthless. By this merit, one might say you’re obviously worth less than cattle—”

Something stopped him short.

As the noble student blabbed on and on, his head jerked backward, and he went sailing through the air.

Someone had kicked him. And that someone was—

“Don’t be dumb!”

It was none other than our very own Ireena, of course. It seemed absolutely no one had expected this from her. As the aristocrats looked on in mute amazement, Sylphy and her gang joined in on the scuffle. Now at center stage, my friend crossed her arms and flashed a look of a pure rage…before she pointed sharply at the student who’d been knocked back, mopping up his nosebleed as he got to his feet.

“We’re all from the same blood! Your blood and my blood and the blood of commoners! We all bleed red! It’s so stupid to discriminate against each other based on this stuff!”

…This reminded me of Lydia, too.

Though I shared the same starting point as Lydia, as we’d both been born as commoners, she’d upheld a creed of equality to the point that she’d picked constant fights against the bigoted nobles who’d believed their stance was justified. None of that had changed, even after we’d both risen in rank… And that’s what I’d liked about her.

“Boss…!” I could only assume that Sylphy had seen hints of Lydia in Ireena, as tears welled up in her doe eyes.

And then, Ireena pointed at the other aristocrats in Class A. “That Excellency Award is ours! There’s no way we’ll lose to you lowlifes!”

It was a declaration of war. At this, the nobles all showed their distaste, and their “leader” flashed daggers at Ireena.

“You’ve got some nerve. You’re the daughter of a baron. To think you spit out indignities to the eldest son of a count…!” He pointed at Ireena and made a declaration of his own. “It’s a duel, then. You and me. But it won’t be one of those uncouth magic battles. Well, I guess the school festival is coming up… Let’s just say the winner is whichever class earns the most. If you win, we prostrate ourselves before you and apologize. However, if we win—”

“I’ll do one hundred laps around the school naked and leave the academy!”

“Hmph. Well, you promised. Remember this well, you bottom-feeder— GACK?! ”

Another one of Ireena’s kicks sent him flying through the air and knocked him out cold. His followers collected him and hauled him off.

“Boss…! I’m so moved! I’ll follow you forever!”

“It’s never a good look to hurt others, but sometimes, there are special exceptions. Beat them back from now on. I grant you permission.”

Please don’t do it, Ireena. If you do… 

“Got it! I’ll annihilate every last prejudiced bigot in the whole entire world!”

Oh no… Things were about to get a lot more annoying around these parts… I heaved an exasperated sigh, prompting Ireena to turn toward me.

“I’m sorry, Ard. I decided everything on my own.”

It was an apology for involving me. As she lowered her gaze in embarrassment, I flashed her the slightest of smiles.

“What are you saying? We’re two hearts that beat as one, right? Your will is mine, Ireena.”

“A-Ard…!”

“As a matter of fact, their remarks got under my skin, too. If we’re in this together, we’ll show them a thing or two.”

“Right! Oh, I love you so much, Ard!” Ireena squeezed me tight, beaming. She was just too cute.

“You’re…kinda logical. If you were actually the Demon Lord, I bet you would be saying stuff like Commoners? Who needs them? and They can all just die. You know, just totally cruel and inhumane…”

Hey, now. Is that what you think of me? 

“…I guess you’re not so bad,” she admitted. I could tell from her smile that she’d accepted me.

For an outsider looking in, it could be seen as pretty charming…but honestly? It just grated on my nerves coming from her.

…Well, at any rate.

“Let us make them regret picking a fight with us.”