Vol-10 Ch 5 – Sage’s Training

Part 1

It was decided that I would train for the battle with the false god's sentinel, but Zenovis-san did not start the training immediately.

"You must have exhausted your strength during the attack earlier. Therefore, we will begin the training after a short rest."

"T-that's…"

Just as I was about to reject the offer, my nerves began to fail, and fatigue began to take its toll on my body.

"H…huh…?"

"You should take a rest. You will continue your training anyway, even if you don't want to."

Whoops! This is the same as Master Usagi's, or even more spartan than that.

As my bad premonition continued, Zenovis-san lightly waved his arm, and a magic circle unfolded at my and Zenovis-san's feet.

"Eh?"

"We're going back to my house for now to rest."

When Zenovis-san said that, the scenery changed in the blink of an eye and… there was a somewhat familiar view of the forest.

"This is…"

"My home."

Yes, the place we were teleported to was ─── the very house of Sage-san in the [Great Devil's Nest].

This place was much the same as the house of the future Sage-san where I lived, and in the garden, very rare goods such as the "Complete Recovery Grass" were growing.

I was surprised to see the house with no major changes, but I suddenly remembered the magic that was used when we moved to this place.

…Huh? I casually went along with it, but can Sage-san use the teleportation magic?

Moreover, while I could not teleport to another place without manifesting the magic in the form of a door, Sage-san was able to teleport to the place he specified in an instant.

Surprised by this fact, I entered the house as Zenovis-san urged me and found that the house's structure was no different from that of the future Sage-san's house.

However, there were some differences. First of all, in addition to the weapons that I had already inherited, such as the [Omni-Sword] and the [Absolute Spear], there were many unfamiliar weapons and armor lying around haphazardly.

Then, Zenovis-san asked me.

"What do you think? Have you seen everything here?"

"Eh? N-no, I've never seen some of them before, like… those over there…"

"Oh… the ones lying over there are failures. I'll get rid of them soon."

"Failures?"

Those look like excellent weapons to my eyes, but according to Zenovis-san, those were failures.

"For example… the gauntlet lying there. Once you put it on, you'll never be able to take it off again."

"Eh?"

"Also, that sword requires a lot of the user's blood. The more you use it, the more it consumes your life force… Well, I don't have to explain it to you."

"It's very dangerous!"

They're all so dangerous, it's no wonder they were called failures.

"Well, I'm going to get rid of it one of these days, but don't touch it."

"Um… if it's that dangerous, I think you'd better do something about it as soon as possible… It's dangerous for Zenovis-san, too, isn't it?"

Probably because it was disposed of properly, this weapon was not found in the future Sage-san's house, but even then, Zenovis-san would be in trouble if he accidentally touched it.

But…

"Mhm? I don't have a problem with it. It doesn't work on me."

"It doesn't work?"

That's absurd…

I looked at Zenovis-san with my eyes wide open, and he didn't care about that; he was preparing tea at his own pace.

…Not only in terms of combat power, but after all, Sage-san is an extraordinary person.　

I strongly felt it.

＊＊＊

After a certain amount of rest, I would begin my training with Zenovis-san once again.

That's why we were once again teleported to the [World's Disposal Ground].

"Now, before the training, since you apparently don't know about the Genesis Dragon that became the sentinel of the false god, let me give you an explanation of it."

"P-please…"

Since I could no longer escape from my training, I made up my mind and once again listened to Zenovis-san talk about a different Genesis Dragon from Ouma-san.

By the way, Lanael-san, in case you were wondering, returned to the upper dimension to confirm with the observers whether she could use her power to return me to my original time.

"I don't know how much you know about this world, but in this world… Argena, there are two concepts: 'Holy' and 'Evil.' Simply put, the two Genesis Dragons also govern them.

"I-I see!"

The two Genesis Dragons are also in charge of these two concepts.

I was thinking, "Is Ouma-san a Holy?"

I had such a thought, but that was quickly denied by Zenovis-san.

"The one I beat to a pulp and is now sleeping in the canyon is in charge of Evil."

"Really?"

"Yes. The Evil I fought before you came here and the Evil that the Genesis Dragon governs have slightly different meanings. The actual Evil that gathers in this [World's Disposal Ground] is the very essence of Evil. However, the Evil controlled by the Genesis Dragon is something more fundamental and is necessary for Argena to manage the world. The world cannot revolve around the Holy alone. It is only when there is also an aspect of Evil that the world can exist. Therefore, although the two Genesis Dragons have different attributes, they actually contain both of them.

"Huh…"

In other words, although Ouma-san is labeled as Evil, he also possesses the power of Holy…

It's true that the power of the [Holy Evil Creation] that Argena-san gave me also contained Evil, but unlike the Evil Kuro and Avis', it's a purer power that overflowed from my body, right? So, you mean it's the same as that one…?

"B-but then, how did the Genesis Dragon that governs the Holy become the sentinel of the false god?"

"It's simple. The Holy that goes too far is also a poison to the world. Justice is not always right. The end of too much justice is… nothingness."

"….."

Zenovis-san was right. If we really wanted to pass justice in this world, it would be to destroy everything in the extreme. If everything were gone, there would be no Evil.

"Speaking of which, I heard that the observers are unable to deal with these sentinels because they are dealing with the main body of the false god, but even though he is a god, he is inconvenient in that aspect, isn't he?"

"We call him God for the sake of convenience, but the truth is, for this world, it is a little different."

"Eh?"

"Of course, the observers are beings of the upper dimension, and they can create and destroy other worlds in the lower dimension, like the world we live in. However, this Argena was not created by observers, but it was born out of nothing – it gave birth to life, and developed. In other words, it is a world that has not borrowed any power from the observers. No matter how strong the existence is from the upper dimension, it is impossible to unilaterally extinguish an existence that is created out of one's power."

"I-I see…"

As I recall, Merl also said that Argena-san was talking about the primordial universe…

"We're a little off-topic, but that doesn't change the fact that observers have god-like powers. And the opponent that opposes such observers is the false god. Since the false god is of the same rank as the observer, it is not an easy opponent to deal with."

I had gone into space to fight the Dragonias for Merl's homeland, but I never thought I would be in a story on an even larger scale.

When I found myself stumped by the sheer scale of the situation, Zenovis-san continued.

"Now that I've given you a brief explanation of the kind of beings you'll be dealing with, it's time to move on to the training."

"Y-yes!"

"So, here."

"Eh?"

What he handed me was a seemingly ordinary wooden sword.

"In the training you are about to begin, you are forbidden to use any other weapons."

"H-huh?"

To be honest, in my training with Master Usagi and Iris-san, I have always used the weapon I inherited from Sage-san so that I could fight as if I were in a real battle.

That's why I was a little disappointed when Zenovis-san handed me a wooden sword… but then I realized how naive my thinking was.

"The goal this time, I'm going to have you do the same thing with that sword as you did with [Omni-Sword]."

"…..Yes?"

I didn't understand what Zenovis-san was saying.

To do the same thing with this wooden sword as with that [Omni-Sword]…?

"What, it is not so difficult. I'm just saying that you should be able to cut anything with that wooden sword."

"Eeeehhhhhh!"

With this plain wooden sword!

No, no, no, how can you do such a thing?"

"You can do it."

"───"

Zenovis-san calmly tells me, and I am absolutely stunned.

"First of all, I'd like to see your swordsmanship once before we start the training, okay?"

"Ah… Y-yes!"

I hurriedly replied and held up the wooden sword in my hand, and for the time being, I showed him everything I could do at the moment.

"──[Heavenly Sacred Slash]!"

After applying all the physical enhancements available to me at the moment, such as the [Holy King's Authority], [Holy Evil Creation], and [Magic Armor], I unleashed the Sword Saint's technique.

Fortunately, this place was called the [World's Disposal Ground], and there was nothing around, so I was able to release the technique with maximum power.

When I held the wooden sword in the upper position, the aura of Holy and Evil erupted from the sword with tremendous force, and I swung down with all my might.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The [Heavenly Sacred Slash], which was my most powerful technique so far, created a huge crack in the ground, and the slash flew far away.

Haa… hah… t-this is how it feels…"

I told him so as I sighed with all my might… but Zenovis-san had a grim expression on his face.

"U-um… how was it?"

I asked fearfully, and Zenovis-san said something outrageous.

"Is the Holy of the future that weak…?"

"W-weak?"

"Weak."

Zenovis-san declared so mercilessly.

When he said it so clearly, I couldn't say anything anymore.

"That technique you just showed me, was it a Sword Saint technique?"

"T-that's right."

"Why is there such a thing as a technique?"

What is this question? Was it a Zen dialogue?

I can only say that the technique exists because I was taught it as a technique…

I could no longer understand the meaning of what Zenovis-san was saying at all, and when I was simply baffled, he explained to me that it was nothing.

"If the technique exists, what else do you do when you are in a cutting contest? Do you just swing your sword around?"

"N-no, it's not like that…"

"That's what I call weak. You know what? If you are a true Sword Saint, every casual blow you deliver must be as powerful as the technique that you, or the Sword Saint who taught you, would deliver."

"Y-yes…"

Actually, I still didn't quite understand the concept, I just gave a curt reply, and Zenovis-san picked up the wooden sword just like I did.

"It would be hard to comprehend with just talking. Let me show you just once."

"Eh?"

Then, Zenovis-san just casually swung the sword in his hand toward me.

"?"

But I didn't understand what had happened or what he had done in the first place. There was nothing strange about it, after all.

But──.

"Now that I pointed my sword at you and swung it down… why didn't you avoid it?"

"!?"

After being told that much, I finally understood.

Zenovis-san accepted the series of actions of picking up the sword, swinging it down, and slashing it as a very natural and natural thing, just like a human being breathes.　

That was why, even though a weapon was pointed at me, and even though a threat was directed at me, I could not react.

If the person in front of me had been an enemy, I would have accepted the fact that I had been killed as a matter of course.

As I felt a cold sweat break out all over my body at the horrifying fact, Zenovis-san continued as if nothing had happened.

"You seem to have understood. I pointed my sword at you and swung it down. Of course, I didn't really cut you down because I didn't mean to hurt you, but if I had cut you down like that, you would be dead. This is the state of the sword that I am talking about. That is why I say it is weak. Every time you fight an enemy, do you put all your strength into the technique you just performed and get stuck?"

"T-that's…"

The next moment, Zenovis-san swung his sword carelessly again.

Then, a slash came out far more powerful than the [Heavenly Sacred Slash] that I had just unleashed, and a deep slash mark was etched into the ground.

"First of all, you need to change your way of thinking. Then, make each casual swing the same as the techniques you've acquired up to now."

"Y-yes."

I could only nod in agreement with Zenovis-san's words.

＊＊＊

Unaware that Yuuya had been teleported to the past, Merl, who had come to Earth on a mission, was communicating with her home planet, Planet Amel.

(──Merl. How are things going over there?)

"…There's no particular problem."

The person on the other side of the line was Merl's father, Marl.

(Merl, do you understand? The future of the planet Amel depends on your actions.)

"….."

Marl was planning to somehow attract Yuuya, who controlled the Great Giant which was the legacy of the Sage, to the planet Amel.

The power of the Great Giant was so powerful that he could not be more reliable if he were on their side.

(If all we had to do was to create a clone of him, even a single hair on Yuuya-dono's body would do the trick… but then we would not get our hands on the Great Giant. That machine can only be controlled by Yuuya-dono himself. Do you understand that?)

"…Yes."

(Then, in order to obtain that power, you must directly commune with Yuuya-dono and give birth to a child. Then not only the Great Giant but all of Yuuya-dono's legacy will be passed on to his children, resulting in the prosperity of the planet Amel.)

Originally, the planet Amel had been oppressed by the Dragonias, and perhaps as a result of that, they began to seek greater military power so that they would never be oppressed again.

Most of the Amelians, including Marl, were unaware that they were following the same path as the Dragonias.

(Besides, if you and Yuuya-dono become a couple, Yuuya-dono might move to our planet, too. Remember, you have such an important mission.)

"Yes."

(Well then, that's all for today's communication. I'm counting on you.)

Marl announced unilaterally and disconnected the communication.

Merl remained in front of the communication device for a while and muttered quietly.

"…Is this really the best solution…?"

The murmur faded into nothingness.

＊＊＊

And the time returns back to the past when Yuuya was sent away.

──At the [Dragon Valley].

This was the place where a Genesis Dragon different from Ouma resided, and the surrounding area was filled with ferocious monsters, perhaps under the influence of the dragon's magical power.

The Genesis Dragon, the ruler of the valley, was lying quietly on the ground.

"….."

The Genesis Dragon quietly lurked in the valley.

However, the atmosphere overflowing from its body was not only its own magic power but also the power it had borrowed from the false god.

Then, as if realizing something, the dragon quietly opened its eyes and stared at the sky.

"…More… just a little more, the power to completely annihilate mankind…"

There was a reason why the Genesis Dragon was hiding in the valley like this.

The Genesis Dragon had become the sentinel of the false god, but it seemed that the power of the too mighty false god needed time to finally be stabilized in its body.

"…The sage has started to make some kind of move… but it doesn't matter to me right now. I will destroy the sage and all the others…"

The Genesis Dragon muttered quietly and closed its eyes to gather its strength again

Part 2

Thus began the days of training with Zenovis-san.

My current goal was not only to reach the ultimate form in swordsmanship that I was made to experience that day, but also to be able to cut anything with the wooden sword that I continue to train with today.

Incidentally, if I use the sword with the power of the [Holy King's Authority], I will be able to cut through a certain amount of things with this wooden sword, just as I was able to cut through the ground that day.

However, that was not what Zenovis-san was expecting.

He wanted me to be able to cut anything by simply swinging the wooden sword without any enhancements.

Therefore, I was forbidden to use Holy and Evil power, even magic power, and spent many days just swinging the wooden sword.

I wondered if I could practice for days like this, but with the help of Lanael-san, I was able to practice without worrying about the time.

"Well, I was glad to have Observer-sama's permission! Now you can train as much as you want, and if you can solve this case safely, I can send you back to your original time!"

As I had heard from Zenovis-san, the individuals in the upper dimension had power beyond my imagination, and it seemed that manipulating time was no big deal.

However, since Argena's world had nothing to do with observers, observers could not use their power as they wished, and the time manipulation was limited to me only.

"Well, even this is quite reckless. That's why I'll definitely have Yuuya-san become stronger and defeat the sentinel of the false god!"

"I-I will do my best…"

That's all I could answer now.

In any case, the state that Zenovis-san was looking for was for the sword and I to be completely united, and all the movements of the sword swing must be natural. There was no way I could learn it overnight.

However, Zenovis-san, who was extremely spartan, would bring in super-powerful monsters from somewhere and then make me fight them without any kind of reinforcement.

"Hah!

"Guoooooooo!"

I didn't know how much time had passed already, but I thought I had improved my sword handling compared to when I first started.

Even now, I managed to fight against the SS-class monster "Tyrant Wolf."

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

"Guhh!"

…Sorry, I lied.

As expected, I think it's impossible to fight an SS-class monster without using Holy power or magic power!

However, Zenovis-san would never accept the voice of my heart, and he told me something even more hopeless.

"I'm telling you, that monster is clothed in a special magic power, so physical attacks won't work."

"How am I supposed to defeat it?"

How can I defeat it with a mere wooden sword if physical attacks were ineffective?

It's no wonder it didn't respond to my slashing at it earlier!

While I was desperately trying to escape, the Tyrant Wolf unleashed its magic mercilessly!

"Gaaaaaaaah!"

"Huh!?"

I realized that I couldn't avoid the fire that was being unleashed at the rate that it filled my field of vision. I thought it was a futile resistance, but as I took a defensive stance, the fire suddenly split in half.

"Don't try to defend it. Cut it down."

"Mmh, this is ridiculous…"

I was surprised to hear that Zenovis-san, who was in a remote position, had cut that fire in half.

However, it's not just that I don't want that to be required of me, or…

Then, Zenovis-san continued.

"Listen, even magic can be cut. You can't cut it because you think that magic is not something that can be cut. You have to believe strongly. That's more important than you might think."

"T-that's a powerful belief…"

"Magic is not effective against physical attacks. The most important thing is to strongly remind yourself that you are going to cut the other person's magic power. Don't worry. You are stronger than you think. Believe in yourself."

"….."

I was suddenly told this in a gentle voice, and strangely enough, the words entered my mind easily.

I had been somewhat unsure of my own strength until now.

There were many strong people like Master Usagi and Iris-san…

But now that I am fighting with just a wooden sword and Zenovis-san says I am strong, I think I can believe in myself a little bit…

From that point on, I kept telling myself over and over in my head that it would be okay, that I would definitely be able to cut it without any basis to back it up.

"Gaaaaaaaaaah!"

"….."

Cut it. Cut it. Cut it.

I can cut it.

My thoughts were rapidly disappearing, and the scenery around me was losing its color. I only recognized the opponent that stood in front of me.

"──"

Somehow I forgot to breathe, and I didn't even know what I was doing.

And then──.

"Hmm… You've finally reached it, huh?"

"!"

Suddenly, Zenovis-san's words jumped into my ears, and my vision quickly returned to normal, and I regained consciousness.

At that moment, even though I was on the ground, I desperately sought air as if I had drowned.

"Kahah! Hah! Hah! Hah!"

I had no idea what had happened.

Oh no, if I don't do something, that monster will kill me!

That's what I thought…

"Hah… hah… hah… eh…?"

While desperately catching my breath, I hurriedly looked around and saw the Tyrant Wolf, who, for some reason, had been decapitated and collapsed on the ground.　

W-what… is it dead…?

More importantly, what was I doing?

"Hah… hah… D-did Zenovis-san… killed it…?"

"No, I did not. You killed it yourself."

"M-me…?"

I was absolutely stunned by the unexpected words. Because before I knew it, I was unconscious, and when I realized it, the Tyrant Wolf had fallen.

I wouldn't believe it at all, even if he said that I killed it.

But Zenovis-san didn't give me a detailed explanation; he just gave me a soft smile.

"You passed."

"Eh?"

"I really wanted to give you more time, but… it would be difficult to go any further."

"──I-I'm sorry…"

"Ah, Lanael-san!"

Lanael-san, who had somehow come nearby, had an apologetic expression on her face.

"I-I also wanted to manipulate time so that you could continue your training as much as possible, but as expected, I was told that it would be difficult to interfere further…"

"I suppose. If you interfere too much, Argena will resist. Worst case scenario, you could be removed from this world and killed."

"Eehh?"

My eyes widened at the sudden revelation.

"W-what do you mean?"

"As I explained before, this world of Argena was not created by the power of observers. Therefore, if there is excessive interference from the observers, it is natural to resist it. There are many ways to resist, but the quickest way is to eliminate the cause of the interference. In other words, you."

"Um… I am an emissary of Observer-sama, and Zenovis-sama is a human of this era, so Yuuya-san is inevitably the one who will be eliminated as a foreigner in this world…"

"No way…"

Because I had actually talked to Argena-san before, I was strongly shocked by the word eliminated.

"B-but rest assured! It's only if we interfere too much more! Well, at the limit, until now, Yuuya-san has been given time to train, but if I manipulate time any further, Yuuya-san will really disappear…"

"I'm sorry. If we had more time, I could have taught you more carefully, but that wasn't possible. So, I think the training was quite reckless. But you still followed me."

Apparently, Zenovis-san knew that I didn't have much time, so he had given me a very spartan training until now.

To be honest, I was used to the harshness of the training itself since I also trained quite hard with Master Usagi, but when he apologized to me like this, I couldn't say anything.

I was really grateful to him for training me to be stronger, even though it was all a bit reckless.

However…

"Um… with my current abilities, can I defeat a sentinel of the false god?"

In the end, my training ended without me being able to understand the end result, and in addition, I was not able to reach the ultimate form of swordsmanship that Zenovis-san was asking me to achieve.

The ultimate achievement that Zenovis-san demanded was to defeat an enemy without using any technique, but right now, I am still unable to unleash a powerful attack without using a technique.

Of course, my training has paid off, and I am confident that my normal attacks have become much stronger… but I still didn't think I could compete with the same Genesis Dragon as Ouma-san.

And it was said that this Genesis Dragon also has the power of the false god…

Zenovis-san smiled gently at me, his expression darkening, a sharp contrast to his usual nonchalant demeanor.

"You will be fine. If it's you now, you're good enough. Indeed, you may not have been able to reach the extreme that I mentioned at the beginning. But you have definitely stepped into that state of being. So you can rest assured of that."

"Yes…"

I tend to give a curt reply because I don't really feel it at all… I just learned the importance of belief in the battle just now.

For the time being, let's believe in my own strength.

As I thought about this, Zenovis-san turned his attention to Lanael-san.

"Now, it's time to fight against the sentinel of the false god. Lanael, you know where he is, don't you?"

"Of course I do! It seems that the sentinel of the false god is still accumulating power in the [Dragon Valley], you know?

"[Dragon Valley], huh? It's narrow and hard to fight there ── I will drag him out to this place."

"Heh?"

"Oops… I'll go back to the upper dimension once!"

"Lanael-san!"

I don't know where this [Dragon Valley] is, but at least it's not near here.

However, Zenovis-san said that he would drag the opponent out of such a place.

How in the world would he do that…?

And Lanael-san was going back to the upper dimension or something! Am I really going to fight it alone?

Then Zenovis-san looked at me as if he had noticed something.

"Speaking of which, you seem to have inherited my magic circuit as well."

"Eh? Ah, yes!"

"…I see; I have entrusted everything to you, haven't I?"

Zenovis-san, smiling as if he alone had realized everything, smiled ferociously for the first time here.

"Well, then, keep your eyes open. You have inherited the power of my magic──!"

The next moment, Zenovis-san thrust his right hand into the void, and a tremendous amount of magic power began to gather in his right arm all at once!

Then, as he made a gesture of grasping something, the space distorted greatly, and a jet-black vortex appeared in the sky.

The vortex grew larger and larger and soon developed to such a scale that it enveloped the entire area of the [World's Disposal Ground] and covered the sky above.

In the midst of all this, Zenovis-san deepens his ferocious smile.

"Hoh? Do you resist me? But don't think you can escape, okay?"

Zenovis-san gripped his right hand, which was imbued with enormous magic power, and something was dragged out of the vortex!

"Guoooooooooo! Ze-Zeenovisssss!"

It was a huge dragon with scales the color of a sunset, the same size as Ouma-san's true form.

＊＊＊

──At the time when Yuuya was undergoing Zenovis' training.

In the [Nittei Academy] student council room in a distant era in Japan, a student was staring regretfully at the television.

"Kuh! How did they get a student like that…?"

The one who muttered this was Kamiyama Mirei, the student council president of Nittei Academy.

The Nittei Academy is an elite school for children of rich and famous families and has long been a rival of the Ousei Academy.

However, only Nittei Academy sees them as rivals, while Ousei Academy is unaware of anything in particular.

The reason for this is that while Ousei Academy is open to anyone regardless of family background, Nittei Academy requires a certain level of prestigious family background to even take the entrance exam.

However…

"Recently, more and more people from prestigious families are flowing to Ousei Academy… If this continues, the prestige of our academy may be called into question…!"

In recent years, graduates from Ousei Academy had become active in various industries one after another, and before long, students from famous families were also enrolling in Ousei Academy instead of Nittei Academy.

However, it is not that the education at Nittei Academy is inferior.

In fact, due to a large amount of money it receives from alumni, the facilities at Nittei Academy are always well prepared with the most advanced equipment, providing the best possible environment for its students.

Therefore, to obtain the status of the best school in Japan no matter what it takes, Nittei Academy is gradually closing in on Ousei Academy because of its persistence…

"I never thought there was such a student…"

The one thing Kamiyama was looking at was the footage of the athletic festival that took place the other day at Ousei Academy.

There, Yuuya's figure can be seen clearing obstacles one after the other.

The Nittei Academy was also a prestigious school like Ousei Academy, whose athletic festival was broadcast on TV.

Naturally, Nittei Academy's athletic festival was also a large-scale event, but because of Yuuya's appearance and performance, the athletic festival of Ousei Academy became the talk of the town, and there was an overwhelming difference in the viewer ratings.

Kamiyama, who had been staring at the TV in frustration, shifted her gaze to the material at hand.

"Yuuya Tenjou… originally attended another school but was invited by Kaori Houjou, the daughter of the director of Ousei Academy, to transfer…"

The material in Kamiyama's hand contained detailed information about Yuuya.

That is why Kamiyama was furrowing her brow and tilting her head.

"This is really accurate information, right? No matter how I look at it, it doesn't match what is written here…"

She also found some information about Yuuya's past, which she could not match with the image of Yuuya that was currently active on TV.

"I heard that he was treated unfairly not only throughout the school but also by his parents and siblings… but looking at this video, he doesn't really look like that… and I can't help but think that someone who was mistreated that much would have such a change. In addition, it's hard to believe that someone who was abused that much could work with that model Miu…"

Kamiyama suspected that she had deliberately been given false information, but she quickly dismissed the idea.

"…Well, perhaps I'm overthinking it. Even though he is a great student, there is no way you could control so much information about a single high school student…"

Kamiyama, who has stopped thinking about Yuuya for the time being, once again considers the future.

"What we have to focus on is the school festival that follows. At this rate, we will surely lose the school festival as well…"

Although Nittei Academy was behind Ousei Academy in many areas, the only thing they excelled in was their school festival.　

The reason is that both schools are the same in that they are large and spend a great deal of money. In the same way that Ousei Academy invites famous artists, Nittei Academy also invites artists, but in addition, using the school's origins, they have gained popularity for their prestigious events that are not generally available to the general public.

However, this advantage was about to be lost with the arrival of Yuuya.

"The gap between the two schools is growing wider and wider… but what should we do…?"

The students of Ousei Academy did not know that Kamiyama was secretly plotting a way out of the current situation.

＊＊＊

At the very same time that Yuuya was sent back in time to switch places with Evil, Usagi, Iris, and Odis were working together to let the other Holy know that Evil had been defeated.

However──.

"""!?"""

Suddenly, the three of them sensed an ominous presence that they had never felt before, and they turned their gazes in that direction.

And in that direction, Evil had just reappeared in this period.

"T-the presence just now…"

(…Yeah. Evil, right…?)

"W-wait! That disaster is indeed Evil, but the king of Evil was completely defeated by you guys, wasn't he! Why do I sense the presence of such a powerful Evil now!"

Odis was right, and all three of them knew that the Evil had been destroyed, which was why they were traveling like this to report it to the other Holy.

However, if the current presence was really from Evil, the story would be different.

Moreover, Iris and Usagi, who had confronted Avis directly, sensed that the presence that was still being emitted was much more than that.

However…

"That direction… I believe it is the one where Yuuya-kun's house is, right?"

(Yes, that's right.)

"…I think we should go to see what's going on."

Iris and the others looked at each other and quickly changed direction and ran towards the [Great Devil's Nest] where Yuuya's house was located.