It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 39

 Chapter 39 :

“...”

“...”

A silence hung between the two.

Yet, the difference in their demeanor was stark.

Ragna wore a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

In contrast, Karen’s expression was frozen, rigid with tension.

With difficulty, Karen’s lips parted. As if wringing the words from deep within, she asked Ragna, “What the hell does that mean?”

“Exactly what I said. Seria is sleeping in my bed right now. That’s all.”

“W-Wait a second!”

Karen urgently called out to Ragna, who was gripping the doorknob. Ragna turned, his face tinged with curiosity.

“What’s wrong? Is something up?”

“No, just… hold on a moment.”

“Didn’t you just tell me to leave once we were done? I don’t exactly want to linger here either. I’d like to get back to my room and rest…”

Grumbling as if annoyed, Ragna shot Karen a pointed glare.

Under his gaze, Karen could only let out a pained groan, unable to respond.

Something absurd had just happened.

Why was Seria in this mansion?

She was a student at the military academy.

If that was the case, she should be in the academy’s dormitory.

Moreover, the academy’s outer walls and gates were notorious for their strict security checks. How could she have gotten through such a system…?

At that moment, a sudden thought flashed through Karen’s mind.

“…Don’t tell me, you brought Seria here?”

In this situation, it was the only explanation she could think of for why Seria was at the Steiner family mansion. But Ragna merely scoffed at Karen’s suspicious glare.

“You really think that? Why don’t you use your head for once?”

“…”

“Even for a mage, there are things you can and cannot do. Besides, how much time do you think has passed since we had dinner together? Do you seriously believe I could’ve gone to the academy, found Seria whose whereabouts I don’t even know and brought her back in that short amount of time?”

“…”

Ragna’s sharp retort left Karen speechless. He was right.

No matter how you looked at it, it was impossible for Ragna to have retrieved Seria from the academy. The timeline didn’t add up.

That left only one possibility.

Seria had come to the mansion on her own.

“…But how?”

“Don’t ask me. I don’t know either.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m just as shocked as you are. Honestly, I was stunned. Out of nowhere, someone barged into my room, and there was Seria.”

“…”

Was he telling the truth or lying?

Karen stared intently at Ragna’s face, searching for answers.

But Ragna merely shrugged in response to her probing gaze.

“So, are we done here? If so, I’ll head back.”

“W-Wait! Hold on, we’re not finished—”

“You said you’d take full responsibility for anything involving Seria, didn’t you? Just moments ago.”

“…!”

“That’s the attitude of a true White Knight. Impressive.”

“…Did you set me up?”

Karen glared at him.

But Ragna only smirked mockingly in return.

“A setup? Don’t make me laugh. Weren’t you the one who declared you’d handle everything related to Seria? Don’t you remember our conversation this morning? When I asked about her well-being, you told me to mind my own business and that you’d take care of it.”

“Ugh, that’s…”

“And officially, Seria is your apprentice, isn’t she? Oh, this is a huge deal. You stepped down from your position as a White Knight under the pretext of training Seria, boasting you’d make her a knight to represent the kingdom within two years. But now, that same Seria has run away from the academy. If she disappears like this, it’ll be an absolute disaster.”

Ragna’s sarcasm cut deep.

But Karen couldn’t respond. She could only groan, her face growing paler by the second.

Ragna’s words weren’t mere taunts. Each one pierced her heart like a dagger, forcing her to confront the gravity of the situation.

The situation was dire.

If this continued, she’d bring shame to the Kingdom of Shreid. Her resignation from the White Knights, which she’d pushed through with some coercion, was ostensibly for Seria’s training though in truth, it was to keep an eye on Ragna.

As such, the responsibility for Seria fell squarely on her shoulders. The academy might bear primary responsibility, but Karen and Seria’s relationship was unique not just that of a teacher and student, but a master and apprentice under personal tutelage.

That meant the royal court could easily hold Karen accountable for Seria’s actions.

And the consequences wouldn’t end with her alone.

If things went wrong, the entire Steiner family could be dragged into the mess.

“…Where did you say Seria is right now?”

“I told you, she’s in my room.”

“…I’ll have a carriage prepared immediately. We need to send her back to the academy—”

“Hmm, are you serious?”

“…What do you mean?”

Ragna let out a sigh as Karen looked at him, puzzled.

“Are you really saying that with conviction? Send Seria back to the academy, and that’s it? You think that’ll solve everything?”

“If not that, then what’s the solution?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about a solution. I’m talking about how you’re going to handle Seria from now on.”

“…”

“Do you really think this is a one-time thing? That it’ll never happen again? Haven’t you considered why she came to me in the first place?”

“…You’re saying this could happen again?”

“Yes. And what will you do then?”

“…I have a contact at the academy. I’ll ask her to tighten security on Seria.”

That was the best solution Karen could muster. But Ragna sneered at her response.

“You think that’ll solve it?”

“She’s highly capable. Even Seria wouldn’t be able to slip past her.”

“So you think you can stop Seria from escaping?”

“…And?”

Ragna sighed again. Annoyed by his attitude, Karen demanded, “What? What’s so wrong with that?”

“To think one of the kingdom’s finest knights could be this dense… Shreid must really be on its last legs if this is the best it’s got.”

“…”

“What are you going to do by glaring at me? I’m not joking. You’re making two massive mistakes right now. First, you believe simply sending Seria back will fix this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sure, sending her back is fine. But how are you going to explain it? Picture this: in the dead of night, a girl who’s supposed to be at the academy shows up in a carriage bearing the Steiner family crest. How are you going to explain that to the soldiers, students, and teachers?”

“…”

“You didn’t think that far, did you?”

Ragna looked at Karen with pity. Trying to brush off his gaze, Karen racked her brain and said, “I-I can figure something out. If I use the family name and come up with a plausible excuse…”

“And that’s your second mistake. You seem to think sending Seria back will resolve everything.”

“…It won’t?”

Ragna nodded.

“Do you honestly believe Seria came all the way here just for a whim? After you beat her senseless this morning and she barely recovered with magic?”

“…”

“There was a reason she had to come here. A reason she had no choice but to come. If you force her back to the academy and lock her up, what do you think will happen?”

“That’s… I mean…”

“Can’t think of anything?”

“…”

Karen nodded at Ragna’s words. She genuinely couldn’t figure it out.

Seeing her like this, Ragna sighed again.

“It’s simple. She’ll probably try to escape again. And she’ll keep failing. The academy, having let her slip once, will do everything to keep her locked down this time.”

“…”

“But that’s not the only problem. Even if she can’t escape, she’ll keep breaking down. If she can’t get out, she might even harm herself.”

“W-Wait! That’s too extreme, isn’t it?!”

“Extreme? Don’t you realize how extreme it already is for her to escape the academy and come all the way here?”

“…”

“This is just my opinion, but Seria’s already broken to some extent. You know as well as I do that she’s not the type to act like this, no matter how young she is.”

Releasing the doorknob, Ragna strode back toward Karen.

He continued, “Why do you think she did something this reckless? Why would she do something that could put others in danger?”

“Ugh, that’s…”

With a loud thud, Ragna slammed his fist on the desk, glaring at Karen. She flinched under his gaze.

And then, as if passing judgment, Ragna declared, “It’s all your fault, Karen Steiner.”

“…”

Karen couldn’t respond. Ragna continued to berate her.

“It’s all because of you. You broke Seria. You ruined a girl who could’ve been the next great White Knight of the kingdom.”

“No!”

Karen quickly denied Ragna’s words, glaring back at him.

“I only trained her according to the Steiner family’s principles! It was never about breaking her!”

All Karen had done was teach Seria the way she herself had been taught.

Steel is forged through countless hammer strikes.

Following that family motto, she had tried to awaken Seria through grueling, battle-like training.

She could confidently say there was no malice in her intentions. It was all for Seria’s sake.

But Ragna scoffed, dismissing her outcry.

“Using your family’s name to dodge responsibility now?”

“…!”

“What your intentions were doesn’t matter. As a knight, you should know that. On the battlefield, intentions are irrelevant. What matters is the result. And you, Karen, have ruined a promising knight candidate. Knowing full well it could harm the kingdom, you threw away your position as a White Knight.”

“…”

“It’s all your fault, Karen Steiner. Even without this conversation, that fact doesn’t change.”

“…”

Ragna’s voice rang in her ears like a devil pronouncing her doom.

Karen’s hands trembled. Her frozen expression wavered, lost in confusion.

Looking down at her, Ragna allowed a satisfied smile to creep across his face.

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id