It was Saeki who appeared there.

'Funny, right?　This guy killed Kyogoku, okay?　Why is he not guilty?　Why haven't you been accused of anything?　So is Greiberg.　It was he who made the castle disappear that day!　How can a man like that be innocent?　This guy is a true 'Dragon's Heart', huh?

Saeki's cries echoed through the hall.

Saeki was in a rage.
He was staring at the entire hall, breathing hard and shaking his shoulders.
It was mainly directed at the kings in front of him.

I, with my good hearing, could hear the mutterings of the kings at a distance.
A few kings stared at Saeki with grim expressions, and one of the two kings said, "You know nothing, pale youth, do you want to put up with that one's death sentence instead? He grinned.
The large king laughed in complete dismissal, "You're a spirited young man," he said with a completely condescending smile.

After a little while I began to recognize the fact that I had been exonerated and recognized by the world as not a sinner.
Suddenly, the Saeki in front of me begins to look ridiculous.

.........................Good creep.

Then the King of Grayberg came down from the hearing table.

'Saeki-kun, you need to calm down a bit.

Then, when the king spoke to him, Saeki reflexively turned a sharp look at him for a moment, and his expression became calm as if he immediately noticed.

''You........''

This is Arthur Grayberg. Long time no see, Saeki.

....

Then Saeki seemed confused as to how to answer.
He just bided his time and wouldn't answer anything.

'Saeki-kun?　You got a minute?　I need to talk to you. I can tell you about this Inquisition, so let's go outside for a bit.

But that said, we are outside here.

Then Saeki, accompanied by the new king of Grayberg, disappeared out of the hall as it was.
As he left, glaring at me........
----.

"Lord Nito--

Then Manioska appeared in front of me.

"Do you have a moment of your time?

Manioska speaks in a different way than before.

'Yes.'

I nodded easily.

"Actually, I have an important message to share with you, although it is difficult for me to talk about this even though I have ruled that you are not guilty in this inquisition...

....

I am writing to inform you that Nito, Toatrika, Nem and Sufiria have decided to resign from the Higher Magical Institute of Heil Kuwait. Therefore, at this time...

....

Well ... expulsion ... yeah ... right?
No .........
I was originally going to leave, but now I don't care.

Oswald Saberhahagen of Heilkwaite and Fischanatika, and Sabrina Kidman, who is in charge of the 'King of the Eightfold'. And Sabrina Kidman is in charge of the school, which is managed by the 'King of the Eightfold'.

....

That's why, as a king, I have to admit that the schooling of a person who has committed an unjustifiable murder is something that will be pursued as a problem...

Is it an image problem?
I think I heard something about compliance before, but is that what you mean?

You must leave the school within 3 days. Also, this expulsion means permanent expulsion from the school and a permanent ban from the school. From now on, you are requested to stay away from both schools.

Then Manioska finished his words and left the hall in a brisk manner.

.........

I'm not particularly shocked.
I think it's a natural consequence, and I knew it from the moment I killed Kyogoku in the first place.
I killed him with a certain amount of caution.
It was the result of avoiding the biggest risk at that point in time.

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

I turned around and walked to where the three of them were waiting.

'--I'm expelled,'

I told them, and the three of them smiled softly at me.

'It can't be helped, and I'm tired of this place,'

'Nem wants to have an adventure with his master!

I don't like the idea of a school as a prison in the first place.

What do people really think?
Honestly, I'm being subtle about it.
I don't mean to be pessimistic, but it's kind of a subtle feeling.
It's like I don't want to describe it as complicated, or admit it's pessimistic.

But the three of them were smiling.

Hey...

Just then, a huge man, over two meters tall, suddenly appears right next to me.
The red beard, which was connected to his sideburns, mingled with his red hair, which was set to flow backwards, giving him the appearance of a lion.
The well-developed muscles made this man look even bigger.

-- one of the seven kings.

The king then put his hand on his chin and thought about something, while he stared at Sufilia's face.

''You are........Sufilia Artemias?''

--a chill ran through me.

'No ... no, but ...'

But Sufilia replied that without being distraught at all.

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

Then the king looked at me and Sufilia in turn.
What are you confirming?　I don't know what that action means.

''I see.........................''

Then the king is somewhat convinced.

'It's a shame about Frederick, isn't it? .....

....

Frederick the name of King Artemias, who was killed by Zeke at that time, I believe.
In other words, Sufilia's father.

Then the man glanced at me.

'It was annoying to agree with those two, so I acquitted them, but did I misjudge them?　

....

That kid?　Saeki?

Hey.　Let me ask you something, you weren't the one who killed Aries and Johannes, were you?

What?

Are you the heart of a dragon?

What the hell are you talking about?

....

....

Then the man stared at my mask with glazed eyes.
His mouth was in a grin, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

'Hahahahaha!　I'm kidding! I'm kidding!　Forget it, hero!

Then the man bent over and smiled vigorously.

Suddenly, he stopped laughing and his face went back to nothing, except for the look in his eyes.
Then, as he passed by, he whispered in a voice that only I could hear, "So long, Abyssal Fool!

"So long, abyssal fool...

I could feel the pressure in his voice.

-- "The King."

It took me a moment to recognize it.

"King Gram the Warrior King of Latosfilia.

Then the Sufiria replies.

'We were neighbours and friends with Artemias, but that will have been dissolved by now.


His bulging muscles looked like a beastman.

''You three, let's pack up. We're leaving the academy today.

What, today?

Then Toa asked back.

'Oh, I have no more business here. Then I don't have any regrets and we'll call it a day. And then we'll go to the Devil's Land.

To witch country?

Yeah. Let's go to Toa's hometown once.

We should go to the Devil's Land first.
And I think you should know what kind of country it is.
You should know about the demon race.
I don't know anything about the Toa.
I want to solve something that the Toa have, but I can't do anything about it if I don't.

'Is that okay with Nem and Sufilia?

'Nem can be wherever his master is!

Let me be with you. Until the end of your life...

They probably think I'm going to ditch them both.
That's why I'm worried.
In fact, that's why I said that.

But I'm not going to force you out.
I'll make you choose eventually.
And if you still want to stay with me.

No, no....

We'll figure that out then.





o.





　King Arthur says he wants to talk to you.
But Saeki was puzzled.

Then Arthur stopped outside the hall, where he saw Saeki's face.

Out of Saeki's field of vision, at the back of it, a person dressed in white suddenly appeared.
Probably Arthur's bodyguard.
He was standing a short distance away, arms folded.
Saeki was casually surprised, wondering when on earth he had appeared.

'Saeki-kun, would you like to come to Grayberg?'

What?

'Things were bad in the country before. Immediately I thought you guys needed some knowledge, so I asked Oswald to take it on, but now we have more time to spare, don't we?　The situation in the country is stable. But there are not enough knights. In the past, Johannes established the 'Royal Sword Knight' as a unit that reports directly to the king. But in reality, it was a sloppy job.

Then Arthur replies in a reformed tone, "Actually, I've started a new unit.

In fact, I've established a new unit. It is called the 'Holy Knight'. I'll be recruiting skilled mages and knights for the purpose of strengthening the holy knight. I would like you to participate in the test.

Is this a test?

Yeah. But of course it's not compulsory. As I said before, you are free to go. Your exams will start soon, but you can spend the remaining four years here. We're going to be recruiting Holy Knights from time to time, so you can join us after four years, but we'd love for you to join us now.

Saeki listened to Arthur's words and then was puzzled.
He wondered why this person would say something that would put so much into him.

''Well why me?''

''Well it's actually something I decided just now. Listen to your appeal, okay?　That's how I found out. That you're still trapped in Aries.

....

It's not uncommon. I've seen many such people in the past. You can find a lot of people who have been drinking from her. That's why there were so many people who were swallowed by her. Even now, there are other people besides you who are still loyal to her. And in their hearts, they believe in Aries as if she were a god. When you spoke of the Greyberg tragedy, there was a hint of it in your mind. It's still a shadow. It can be removed now. You can see now that it's only a shadow. That's why I asked you to join us, because I want to help you. When you join the Holy Knights, you'll have hard training, but you'll get a lot out of it. The practical training will strengthen your mind. You'll gain enough of a mind to live without having to rely on illusions like Aries.

Arthur saw through Saeki's mind.
He saw Aries whispering something to Saeki with a wicked smile on Saeki's shoulder.

There are many foolish people in the bloodline of the Greiberg.
Most of them were selfish and ruined.
But not so with Arthur.
He is never like his brother, Johannes, who does not consider people to be people.
He was also genuine in his desire to help Saeki.

'I said I was free, but that's a terrible thing to say. There is nothing more responsible than freedom. It probably haunts all of you every day.

Yes, we're all worried about what happens after we graduate.

'I suppose. That's why I originally prepared slots for all of you, just in case. So that you wouldn't get lost in the streets, right?　But for once, I wanted him to open up on his own. So I told him that at the time.

Arthur's word 'freedom' includes an atonement for the brave men and women.

This story is a secret between you and me. "This story is a secret between you and me. The other brave men should study and suffer here for the remaining four years. If you are not successful, Greberg will take over for you. I will guarantee everyone's safety. And now, Saeki-kun, you are going with me to Greberg. How about that?

It's...

We still have some time before we leave. There's a carriage ready for you soon. I'll be waiting there.

....

Arthur is a strange man.
Where is a king waiting for a commoner?
Arthur, who had never planned to become a king in the first place, had a personality that was not even suited for a meeting like this one.
Rather, he did not want to become a king in the first place.
As a result, an un-King-like king was born.
But it is fortunate that this is the case for Saeki and his team.

For Saeki, this is an opportunity.
After this attack, Saeki realized that he was weak.
The magic that he unleashed on the demon king was taunting and meaningless, like swatting away flies.

''Um ... can I ask you something?''

What is it?

Why doesn't Nito get the death penalty?

Saeki's emotions were palpable, even to Arthur.
There was anger and suspicion about the surroundings.

Then Arthur answered immediately.

'It's simple. It's because there's no way to kill him.'

'What? --

That was an answer that Saeki hadn't expected.

'There's no way to kill him.' --This attack, but Schneizel had seen the whole thing. In the process, Nito is said to have been bathed in demon king's fire all over his body, but I hear that he was completely unharmed. Saeki-kun may not understand because he has only been in this world for a short time, but the Demon King is an absolute existence in this world. There's no way a human being can kill what the Demon King couldn't kill. To put it more simply, the only ways to execute him are by fire and hanging, but where do you think the flames that burn his body without even getting burnt are located?　Do you think our human blades can pass through a body like that?

It's...

For example, the Inquisition has a treasure trove called 'anti-magic'. It's a last resort, so to speak, that has only buried 'his kind' once in the past. In the past, the Eightfold King had designated it as an 'Infinite Level' treasure. But it's an aspiration, if you ask me. "There's no one I can't kill with this weapon.......that's what you wanted to think, right?　But, or maybe, just maybe, that's the kind of opinion that could kill it. After you left the conference room yesterday, right?　But we only have one chance. If we make a bad decision, we will be hurt the next time. Don't you think it would be smarter to take the risk and monitor the situation?

Surveillance? .....

That's right. Surveillance. Schneizel will take the blame. That's enough talk. Let Schneizel take care of the rest. We have a job to do. And so do you, right?　Saeki-kun.



''But that guy is the 'Heart of the Dragon', right?

'That is currently only your speculation. How can you be sure that no one else can do similar magic?　The world is a big place. We don't know what kind of magic someone can use, and we don't know everything about it. And above all, to prove it, at the very least, we need to expose the reality of the 'Dragon's Heart' first. And if all we have to say is the facts, no one can prove that the person who attacked Grayberg that day was the 'Dragon's Heart' in the first place. That's because no one saw that moment, right?　"Only a dragon's heart could work out something like that.......I mean, that's just the way it is."

It's common sense, but you still need evidence to judge.

'I did see it, okay?　That day, we happened to run into a bunch of black-clad guys on the way through the forest. They said they were the Heart of the Dragon. What I sensed from them was tremendous...

Did you witness the attack?

I don't mean to be rude, but...

'Then it's the same thing. You heard about the Inquisition, right?

Yes.....

'Or, before King Artemias and Johannes were killed, apparently there would have been a pre-conviction Inquisition of whatever nature, do you think that would have been better?

Well, I wouldn't say that, but...

Then things are looking up for the best.

....

There is so much more to Saeki that we need to know.
Things don't work on emotions alone.
Even if it's the right reaction.

'Do what you have to do. I'll wait for you in the carriage.

Afterwards, Saeki leaves, unable to admit even a little bit of what he thought he was right about, unable to spit it out and unable to resolve anything.
Arthur looked at his back with a conflicted feeling of "I want to do something about it" and "I can't just end it with a spoiled clean slate."

'King!'

Then, Arthur's men appear.
Arthur leaves as he is led away.

Then Arthur stops once.

".........

He looks up at the sky and squints.

'Ominous...'

Gradually, the once clear sky begins to show some shade.
Suddenly, a dark cloud fills the sky and a thunderclap roars.

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

Then Arthur turned away from the sky and was led to the carriage by his men, and then he decided to wait for Saeki there.

　The direction of the wind changed, and a cold breeze washed over them.
Gradually the sound of rain began to be heard, and the sky and the heart, which had been clear until then, began to fall with the raindrops, as if a cloud had hung over it somehow.

I wonder if this is what Arthur meant by "bad luck"?

We don't know that.

But the change in the wind, which came with the closing of the Inquisition, raised doubts and fears in each of their minds.

Doubts about whether this decision was right or not--