In the presence of Her Majesty the Queen. And me and Roy-san were facing each other while the other special class anti-magicians and generals were watching.


''........''
....


　It's the most dangerous thing I've ever done, to engage in serious combat in this place. But the reason I'm doing this is because I have confidence.

　Strictly speaking, it wasn't confidence. I knew before we fought that this was a solid fact.


'Shelly you won't regret it, will you?
....


　I will not answer that question. Already my consciousness is falling deeper and deeper, as if I am sinking into the deep sea.

　I could clearly see the intense hatred in Roy's twin eyes. Some of it was probably against me, of course, but I knew it. I knew that he, too, had an unshakeable determination to carry on his teacher's will.


　I don't mind about that. Because it proves that Sensei was loved and missed by many people, and that he has passed away.


　But I, as his successor, can't just give up that position.

　He was ranked number one in the special class anti-magician order. I'll be the one to protect the place that he had arrived at. What you have done so far, I will accomplish.

　That's the promise I made in front of my dying teacher.



Then let us begin.


　　As soon as the words were uttered by His Majesty, we had begun to move. No, that word may not be strictly correct. Mr. Roy had not moved an inch from the spot. He had begun to grip his sword in his hand and was just about to run from the scene.


　But it was impossible for him to move any further.


　Because the cutting edge of Oborozuki Yoru's sword had already reached Roy-san's neck.



''........I won, right?
"...Oh, oh....


　He misapplied a little bit of force, and only a single thin piece of skin wounded Roy-san's neck.

　The sword is delivered as you get rid of a slight dripping of blood.

　I stare at Roy-san, who is dumbfounded in a leisurely manner as it is.


''Shelly you are.........''
'I will take over from my teacher. But it's not as a swordswoman, it's as a demon living in the way of the sword. I intend to follow in his footsteps as a swordswoman.
'Well ... no ... well ...'


　After that, Mr. Roy never opened his mouth.

　Thus a new pecking order was born.


　I became the teacher's official successor, in name and in deed. But there is no sense of accomplishment, or even elation in that. Who would find joy in something so ordinary? No, I don't think so. For me, it was a given that I would be ranked number one in the rankings of special class opponents.


　All in order to get to that place.

　I killed my teacher, kill a demon.

　I will do whatever it takes to reach that peak.

　Even if the path of violence is ahead of us.

　I will continue to go on for the sake of my teacher and also for the sake of Liane.



　◇



Shelly, do you have a minute?
Julia it's not that I don't mind.


　Julia speaks to me as soon as it's dismissed.


''I'll buy you a drink, why don't we go into town?''
Okay, okay.


　We walked side by side. I wondered how Julia was watching me and Roy's fight. I fidgeted a little bit because of that, but the topic was waved by him when we arrived at the coffee shop and the drinks we ordered came.


'For now, congratulations on being ranked first in the special class anti-magician pecking order.
Thank you.

　Can... and clash cups.

　I'm sure some people don't like the idea of me being number one in the pecking order. I'm sure some will not feel good about being first in the pecking order. I'm a mere 15-year-old girl. That's not a particular achievement either. It is true that I have blood as a demon, and I am aware that my combat skills have reached the level of an extra-grade anti-magician. Still, I have nothing........that I have accumulated like my teacher.

　I am empty and vacant. A pathetic girl who is just being pretentious.

　I don't have enough material to talk back even if I were to be described as such.

　But in order to become the real thing, in order to become like my teacher, I didn't mind if I was empty right now. Because no matter what people say about me, there is only one place I want to get to.


'You're getting stronger, Shelly.
...do you still understand?
'In that battle, the physical speed is noticeable, but you can't get a result like that unless you're completely aware of your opponent's movements. That's exactly what the opponent is, Roy-san. Even more so when it's Roy, who is in the upper ranks of the special class of anti-magicians. It would take pure physical skill alone to finish him off. That's why I thought of it. I thought that Shelley might have the future eye, the Prediction. And I also saw the faintest sign of it in the Twilight Sight.
...you've hit the jackpot. That's what I'm talking about, Julia.


　He raised his hands in an exaggerated manner and struck a deliberate pose to say that he was overwhelmed.

　If you were able to grasp that much in that moment of offense and defense, I honestly take my hat off to you.

　Just like Julia said, I have a magical eye.

　That ability is future vision. Literally, I can see the future. But that's still limited to three seconds ahead. But you might think it's only three seconds, but it's only three seconds. Especially for an antimagician fighting in a world of zero-commas, three seconds is a much longer time. I can fight with that much of an advantage.

　This singular ability 《Extra》 was something I acquired when I awakened the blood of the demon race.

　When I woke up in the morning, I felt uncomfortable with what I was seeing. My brain perceives that it is happening at this moment, but in reality it is not happening yet. I experienced such a strange phenomenon and then realized that this was future vision.

　Beyond that, I still couldn't get it completely under control. I had tried to activate it when I slashed at that demon, Alfred, but I hadn't been able to handle it well yet. But I could feel this ability getting used to my body after my teacher's death.

　That's why I had been so bullish on Mr. Roy. He didn't know it yet. That I had the magic eye of future vision, the Future Eye 《 Prediction》.

　It was a kind of surprise battle, but I certainly won.

　That gives me great confidence in myself now.


Sherry. Shelly, you are getting stronger. There are very few people in humanity who could have overpowered Roy like that. But I do see a little bit of danger in Sherry....
'Dangerous?　Me?
Yeah. So I thought we'd talk about it like this.
What exactly is at stake?
'I don't mind that you're bent on revenge for Mr. Bell. But it seems to me that you might lose yourself in it.
"...and I'm going to lose myself?
It's like that time... or so I'd say.
'Oh yes. That might be ... well, if you ask me.


　It makes sense. I had certainly lost myself at that time. My emotions controlled everything, and I was moving my body with only the awareness of killing. But that's not how you win. The will to kill is necessary. But it only needs to be imprinted in the subconscious.

　It is not the thought that needs to be manifested. It's the skill to accomplish the killing that is important.


'But I ... I believe that Sherry can accomplish it,'
I don't think I can...


　Just a little. I feel a little bit vulnerable. When the time comes for me to take over the position of teacher and follow in her footsteps in earnest, I think.

　That the antimage named Bertina Wright was truly too great a person.

　I will never be able to follow in her footsteps now.

　So my will wobbles. It's like I'm dancing on a precarious footing now. I cling to it so that I never fall, and yet I keep moving forward because I have no choice but to move forward.

　I would never say this in front of anyone else. But in front of Yulia, it's like we've been together for a long time, and it's because he has such a sense of closeness with me that I'm able to reveal my fears.


'I can definitely do it. I, for one, think you've inherited everything from Mr. Bell. No, I'm sure Shelly can surpass Mr. Bell. I'm sure of it.
Well when you put it that way, it has to happen.
Yeah. I'm sure you will.


　Gently, I touch the eye patch on my right eye.

　I follow the doctor, keeping this wound, which has yet to heal, in my mind.