The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 3 - Chapter 38

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CHAPTER 38

The Ex–Demon Lord on a Sweet School Trip…with a Twist

Under the cerulean sky, the sun’s unfiltered rays illuminated the earth.

Summer was nearing an end in the Laville Empire of Sorcery.

With even spaces between them, a row of carriages proceeded along the main road at a leisurely pace. All around them spread a pastoral scene…and the voices inside the carriage chattered with equivalent euphony.

“Argh! I got the Frenzied King of Dragons card again! Hey, Olivia! I bet you’re trying to pull one over on me, aren’t you?!”

“Hmph. Don’t blame others for your screw-ups, you novice.”

“You know, I’m starting to get bored of Old Fiend.”

“Should we do something other than a card game? There’s still plenty of time before we reach our destination.”

My fellow passengers were Olivia, Sylphy, Ginny, and Ireena. The girls were engrossed in a friendly game of cards.

To think Elzard would be the bad draw in a card game. Of course, the Frenzied King of Dragons was the notorious bad guy in this era, but this seemed excessive. It made me feel a little bad for my former enemy, even though we hadn’t been on good terms.

…Anyway, we were on our way to the destination for our school trip.

This inevitably brought back memories of my former life.

Back when I was called the Demon Lord, I had worn a disguise to blend into society, attempting to sneak into school with some commoners. In those days, I remembered we’d had a class trip, too.

I knew most students associated these school events with making lasting memories among friends or engaging in some wholesome romantic moments. I had those lofty hopes, too.

…And yet, I ended up spending it completely alone.

It must have been because I tried in every conceivable way to make friends before the trip. In the end, that got me nowhere, and I became the class clown—not the good kind, either.

“Your entire existence is just…aggravating,” decreed Michael, the most popular kid in our class, judging me hard. I must have been real annoying back then.

Because of that, I didn’t have a single good memory of my school trip. Merely the thought was making me…

“U-um? What’s wrong, Ard? You look like you’re about to cry…,” Ireena asked.

“No need to worry. It’s just… The sun can be blinding.”

You know, Michael had basically been our sun. Our class had orbited around him. The school trip then had been no exception.

In comparison…

Let’s not go there.

We shouldn’t be held captive by the past. It was vital that we face the present and live on.

In my past life, I was so lonely that I had chosen death, but now…

“Hey, Ard! I heard there’s gonna be a beach near our inn. Why don’t we go for a dip during our free time? I prepared the wildest swimsuit for this very occasion. ” Ginny leaned over, flaunting her enormous chest.

“Is. That. So? If that’s the case, I’m going, too! I’ve always wanted Ard to teach me to swim!” Ireena cradled my arm between her breasts, squishing them beside me and glaring at Ginny threateningly. She looked like a puppy refusing to share its master. It was seriously adorable.

“G-guess you guys give me no choice! I’ll come, too!” Sylphy shouted, her pale cheeks flushed slightly red.

Honestly, letting her tag along was more trouble than it was worth, so I wished she would just stay behind…

“Heh. Swimming, huh?” Olivia turned her gaze to the ceiling as if deliberating on something.

Don’t you dare. Seriously, don’t come along with us.

…Obviously, things were more spirited compared with my old life. We’d overcome and dealt with a bunch of stuff, but I felt lucky to be here. I hoped these undisturbed days would continue forever.

…I was deep in my thoughts.

“It’s fine to let loose, but don’t go forgetting this is part of your schoolwo—,” Olivia cut herself off midsentence.

Was something wrong? I looked over at her, and I was instantly confused. Her mouth hung open, but she wasn’t moving an inch.

“…Lady Olivia? Is something the matter?” I asked, but there was no answer. It was as if she’d been frozen in time. This was totally boggling my mind.

…Wait a second. I suddenly turned my gaze to Sylphy.

And then, my bewilderment turned to vigilance.

“H-hey? Sylphy? Hellooo?” Ireena waved her hand in front of Sylphy…but there was no response. As with Olivia, she didn’t even bat an eye.

It really was as if time had stopped completely.

“Th-there is something off about the carriage…!” Ginny exclaimed, voice trembling.

I peered outside. Until a second ago, we had been proceeding forward, slowly but surely, but the carriages were apparently frozen in their tracks.

This was a strange situation. My voice became clipped.

“Ireena, Ginny. Be on your guard. This is most likely the demons’ attac—” But I didn’t even get to finish my sentence before I blacked out—completely out of the blue.

I was standing in pitch darkness a few seconds later.

“Wh-where are we…?!”

“D-don’t worry…! A-as long as we have Ard…!”

But I wasn’t alone. Ireena and Ginny were both right next to me, trembling slightly, probably out of fear. I wanted to try and offer them some words of encouragement.

“Wel…come… Chosen…Ones…”

Through the silence rang out a young-sounding voice. We all shot our gaze in that direction. Standing there was a small child who appeared to be around ten years old.

With shoulder-length hair that was light blue and an elaborate outfit, this figure was hard to miss and young enough to look androgynous.

Based on outer appearances, this being was the exact picture of a sweet, young child. And yet…their true nature had to be something else entirely.

“Could you be a demon?” I asked.

The child didn’t spare me a glance, sleepy eyes gazing out into void.

“Humans always refer to the incomprehensible as…‘demons.’ Following that line of logic, I…might be… But if you witness my true identity…you’ll see that I am not one of them.”

“Then what would you call yourself?”

“If I were to describe myself…in your own tongue… I think a god would be most appropriate.”

A god. The same expression was plastered on all our faces—one of suspicion.

A god…? Really? …On any other day, I would have scoffed. But in this situation, that statement wasn’t lacking credibility. That said, I couldn’t just go about blindly taking the child’s words at face value.

“…All right, that’s fair enough. At the very least, you’re not a demon. Let’s leave it at that for now… Well, what do you want from us?” I asked.

Without looking at anyone, the self-proclaimed kid-god answered nonchalantly.

“There are infinite worlds… The past and future will repeat themselves forever, forking at every possibility… However…when a singularity occurs…the story…is different.”

“…Um.”

“It transcends law…and transforms the world… The results bring forth…either chaos or hope.”

“Pardon me.”

“The past…cannot be rewritten… That is the limit… However, a certain singularity…is trying to overturn that…”

“I’m sorry, but could you please explain in simpler terms? Your speech is too poetic—”

“I want you to…eliminate the singularity… And meet the Demon Lord… That will shake your world… One of the two will disappear… I pray you are the one to live on…”

“Please listen to what I’m trying to say—”

With my brows knitted, I tried to reason with the self-appointed kid-god, but this being clearly had no interest in listening to anyone.

“Well then… Safe travels…,” the kid-god interrupted, talking over me and waving us off lethargically—

In that instant, our vision went black once more.

Moments later, we returned to consciousness, immediately seized by confusion.

“This is…,” I blurted out.

But I wasn’t the only one.

“Wh-what in the world is going on?” exclaimed Ireena.

“I never realized people could get headaches from being tossed into weird situations.”

Ireena and Ginny had broken out in a cold sweat, scanning the area anxiously.

In front of us was a wild terrain in the dark of night. The moonlight illuminated the plains and the huge holes that riddled it…

It was all too familiar to me.