Since then, the upper echelons of the special class anti-magicians and the military, including me, have been investigated by Princess Liane. I don't know the details of her abilities as a saint, but she has been able to look into the memories of others. Therefore, everyone was able to see the memories of Princess Liane. Of course, there are some memories they don't want others to know about, but we can't afford to talk about that any longer. The reason is that we all need to work together and this time we need to face this twilight head on.



"...Morning...


　I wake up as usual. It was decided last night that we would meet in the conference room at the King's Castle, and today we were going to wake up earlier than usual. Although it was only about an hour early, I still had a feeling that today would be the start of a new day for me.


　Besides, I was given a leave of absence, but that ended yesterday, and from today, I would be fighting in this world as a soldier as before... but what would be the treatment of me, my senior, and Shelly? Maybe the other two have been told about it, but I myself have not heard anything about it yet.


　Having both demon and human characteristics, I wonder what will happen now, but for now I have to get ready for now.


　I'm going to take a shower. The usual routine, but I don't have that long hair anymore. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the city.




It's a long time since you've been here, Julia.　And, you know... that's... much clearer.
'Shelly, I haven't seen you since then. Well, yeah I saw a good opportunity and I snapped it off.
'Yes, I do. I think your short hair looks very good on you. But still, I'm a bit nervous about it...
Ha ha, well I was nervous the first time, too.


　On the road in front of the King's Castle, I met Sherry on foot. Since then, she's been released from the hospital immediately and seems to be feeling much better. It seems that she has already recovered to the extent that she can fight as normal.


''Come to think of it, what will happen to the pecking order?''
Hmm, I don't know. If things go in order, they'll just move up, right?
Hmm. So you think I'm beneath Julia?
Yeah.


　As we talk to each other, we walk into the castle. Everyday life begins again, as if the battle of that time was a lie. But what I didn't know is that our life is going to change dramatically from today. But I didn't know that from today, our lives would change even more.


　◇


Nobody's home.
I hope I'm not coming too soon.


　We came to the conference room and took our places at the round table. There seemed to be no one there now, and silence hung in the room. And as we sat down next to each other, the special class antimagicians came in one by one.


''Hey, Yulia. And Shelly too.
Hi.
Eira-senpai, it's nice to meet you.
Yeah. Nice to meet you, Shelly.


　As the three of us were talking about it, the special class anti-magicians around us seemed to be staring at it. I'm sure they already ... know.

　That the three of us are deformed.


''Well gentlemen, please take your seats. I will tell you all about it this time.


　The one who came in saying that was Princess Liane. She is more than a human being and knows the memories of everyone here. Then it's only natural that you're here.


''Well, I have looked into the memories of everyone here, all of them. And let me assure you that there are no traitors. There are already no traitors here.


　Traitor. First place in the special class vs. magician pecking order, Silas. The seventh place in the ranking of the Special Class Counter-Magician, Claudia. Not only were these two traitors, but Ellie, who was ranked tenth on the special-grade wizard list, was killed. I didn't see her last moments, but I had a conversation with her in her last moments. It was in a magic called the Sacrament of Forbidden Sacrament, but....


''First, let's start with the announcement of our new special class antimagician. Sherry-san, go ahead.
Yes, sir.


　Sherry, sitting next to me, stands up and she greets me as she is.


''I'm Shelly Amis. I am truly grateful that I have been appointed to the position of Special Class Anti-Magician and Honorable Status, and I will do my best for this humanity as sincerely as you all do. I look forward to working with you.


　Finally, he bowed his head and sat down. This time, no one pointed out anything in particular. I guess she admitted it. She was to fight as the new special class anti-magician.


'Well then I'm sure you know, but I will share the information with you again. The two traitors are Silas and Claudia. The purpose was to free the Sefirot Tree 《Tree》, but I don't know the details of that, either. And Silas's true identity is that of a demon. A special individual that can freely control the demonic form and the unique domain 《Personal Field》. And Claudia is an artificially created life form that has two components: a demon and a human. The developer is Freesia Rosenkreuz. It seems that she was born at the end of a large-scale human experiment in the basement of this royal castle. And.........here, Yuria-san, Sherry-san and Eira are also.......similar beings.


　The truth that is once again told. I'm no longer upset about that. I just swallow the facts as facts.


'Now let me ask you a question here. Do you guys think these three need special treatment?
....


　A quiet room. Yes, the three of us have a demonic element built into us as well. We have no intention of rebelling against humanity at all, but some people may feel uncomfortable if they are asked if they can trust us completely. This is a perfectly legitimate question. And to that answer, I'll take it head on.


I'm not going to argue with you.......................... No matter what you are born.... what your body is... you can't choose your birth, but... I think the three of us are human beings and the fact that all three of us fought so hard together should be known to everyone... ...


　It was Mr. Bell who opened his mouth first. And the one who followed was Roy.


I don't mind. I don't think these three will betray humanity at this point in time. You can't argue with that, can you?　Huh?


　I told them all and they all nodded. It didn't look like there was anything in it for us.


'It's nice to hear you say that. Now let's move on to the next story. I looked at Claudia's memories, but the wards in this city are still quite effective against the demon race. Rather, although we were late in this case, the warding is still perfect, as it has been protecting humanity for hundreds of years. I found it completely impossible to destroy it from the outside. It seems that no one on the demon's side has that kind of power either. Therefore, although it has already been discussed in the upper echelons of the military, it has been decided that humanity will begin a full-fledged campaign to attack the twilight.
....


　Dusk danger zone, capture mission. It's an operation that has been done in the past, but it's all ended in failure. The last one was probably thirty years ago. Humanity still hasn't advanced. The reality is that even the Twilight Danger Zone Level 1 has not been able to take complete control of it.


''Up until now, we've had at least one special class anti-magician in each of the seven cities. To deal with the worst case scenario, specifically the invasion of the demon race. But there was no need to worry about that. As long as they don't invade the sanctuary, the city is perfectly protected. So, in this operation, all special class anti-magicians will be obliged to fight on the front lines. Alright, I'll say it again. All special class anti-magicians will fight on the front lines.
''With all due respect, sir. That would be too reckless, wouldn't it?


　It was Gill, the oldest person to interject that. But that point is also valid. Like Silas, there might be another person who will invade the sanctuary and break the wards.


''Indeed, there's no chance of something like this happening. But we have no choice but to do it here. A saint is born again, and even though it's a coincidence, there are three beings on our side who are more than human. In terms of strength, this is probably the best time in the history of humanity. And if we don't advance here, when will we advance?　If we stomp our feet, we might be able to save our feet from the demon race again. Besides, the demon tribe's side seems to be a bit busy with the war over there. Considering all the circumstances, this time we're going to use our maximum strength to carry out the operation. Of course, I'll be joining the command.


　No one would be able to say anything about her leisurely behavior. There was no objection, no counter-argument. Humanity, which has been forced to lick its teeth, should not be cowed here. We should not sit and wait.

　We can't sit around and wait. We must continue on. There is no turning back now, for there is no going back.


And now, last but not least, a short notice about the reorganization of the hierarchy. Basically, the pecking order is just going up as some of us are out of it. The new first place in the pecking order will be Bell. But there is one exception...


　The exception?　What are we talking about?　As I think about it, Princess Liane looks at me.


''Yulia-san. You are already the best fighting force that humanity can have. You are probably the strongest anti-magician in the history of humanity so far. It was decided in the meeting above, where it was decided that you would be ranked at the rank of zero in the pecking order. You will be placed in a unique, unchanging pecking order. From now on, you will play an active role as humanity's greatest hope. Is that alright?
Rank zero?
Yes. You know what I mean.　As for my abilities.
'Of course I'm aware of that,'
''I also know your characteristics, and all of your abilities, when I see your memories. Based on that, you are already .....beyond the realm of humanity. Perhaps there is no other existence that can compete with you, not even in the demon race. Will you guide us as the new humanity's strongest anti-magician?
I understand. I will serve until my life is burned to the ground.
Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Julia.


　This is how I became the Zeroth rank in the rankings of the special class anti-magician. A new hope for humanity. It's too heavy a title for me right now, but I will become someone who deserves it. I've already thrown the dice.