It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 48

 Chapter 48 : 

“…So, this is the administrative office, and over there is the infirmary you go to if you get injured.”

“…Got it.”

“And if you go this way, the large building straight ahead is the lecture hall where classes are always held. If you turn here, that big building is the training ground where actual training takes place.”

“…Got it.”

“…Hey, Ragna, are you even listening properly?”

“…Yeah, I’m listening properly.”

“Ugh, really? No matter how I look at it, it seems like you’re distracted by something else…”

“…”

In response to Ragna’s indifferent attitude, Seria, who was guiding him around the military academy, puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction. But Ragna’s demeanor didn’t change.

He still seemed lost in thought, staring blankly. Finally, Seria let out a sigh at Ragna’s lack of response.

And then,

*Ding, ding.*

The sound of bells rang out from the central clock tower of the academy.

At the sound, Seria’s ears perked up, and she said,

“Oh, that’s the bell for the start of classes. Ragna, I have to go to my class now, so you remember the classroom I showed you earlier, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“…Do you really remember?”

“…Yeah, so don’t worry.”

Ragna’s reply. But Seria still looked uneasy. However, she couldn’t stand there forever. With a resigned sigh, she said,

“…Fine. Then, as I told you, that’s the classroom where the guys have their lessons. Just go there.”

“Okay.”

“Then I’m off to my classroom… See you later, Ragna!”

With a lively shout, Seria moved away from Ragna, running toward her classroom. She glanced back at him briefly.

“…!”

What she saw was Ragna slowly waving at her. At the sight, Seria gave a small smile and hurried toward her classroom.

“…”

As Seria disappeared, Ragna began to walk as well.

But his steps still seemed somehow listless.

After walking for a bit, Ragna stopped in front of the building Seria had pointed out earlier. It was a three-story structure that looked like a cathedral. Confirming that it stood apart from the other buildings, Ragna murmured softly,

“The military academy, huh…”

His voice sounded oddly lifeless. With that, he let out a light sigh.

In any case, he couldn’t just stand there forever. Having entered the academy, he had to attend classes.

Otherwise, there would be no point in being here.

With reluctant steps, Ragna headed into the building. His back somehow gave off a gloomy air.

_______

After his encounter with Annerose that day.

Ragna had no choice but to admit that his attitude had been far too soft.

It was, quite literally, a series of mistakes. He had overlooked all the details he should have carefully monitored. And in the end, Annerose had caught him off guard. He had been toyed with like a rat drowning in water.

But the problem wasn’t Annerose. The real issue was his own attitude, which had become lax at some point. The Demon King Ragnite. Had he forgotten that name?

Had he forgotten the mission he’d set out to accomplish leading the descendants of the demons who followed him and returning to the demon realm?

The moment he realized this, Ragna was struck with a shock unlike anything else. It was unthinkable. Absolutely unthinkable. Yet, at some point, he had let his guard down, indulging in petty revenge and self-satisfaction, basking in peace.

That’s what he had come to think.

“…”

It was, quite literally, a chilling realization.

And after that day, after his meeting with Annerose, Ragna resolved to pull himself together. What was done couldn’t be undone. Reversing it was impossible. If that was the case, then he had to act properly from now on.

His goal at this military academy was singular.

To find clues about the descendants of the demons.

And to find a way to regain his power.

Once he found those clues and regained some of his strength, he planned to leave the human world without hesitation. As for Seria and Karen, it didn’t matter what happened to them.

He had already decided to cut ties with them. His indifferent attitude toward Seria earlier was a reflection of that resolve.

“…Hhhh..”

He took a deep breath to steady himself.

For now, he had successfully enrolled in the military academy.

Of course, it was partly due to Annerose’s interference, which might lead to some absurd situations, but he had achieved his original purpose.

If that was the case, the question now was what came next.

How he would live from here on out. With a light resolve, Ragna checked the nameplate of the classroom on the first floor.

‘Men’s Knight Division, 1st-Year Main Classroom.’

Confirming the words on the nameplate, Ragna cautiously turned the doorknob. The door creaked open with a metallic groan.

And Ragna stepped through the open door.

__________

The first thing Ragna saw was a large classroom, capable of seating around 100 people.

There was a large blackboard and a lectern near the entrance. In front of the lectern were tiered rows of long desks and chairs arranged like an auditorium for the students.

“…”

This classroom structure was familiar to Ragna. It reminded him of the lecture halls in the Magic Tower from 500 years ago.

It seemed that the design of classrooms hadn’t changed much over the centuries. Feeling a sense of nostalgia, Ragna scanned the classroom, where the teacher had not yet arrived. He also noticed the gazes of the students directed at him.

“…”

As he met their eyes, Ragna tilted his head slightly. The students were clearly divided into two distinct groups.

In a classroom that could hold about 100 people, there were barely 20 students present.

This made sense to him. After all, the students here were all male knights. Male knights were rare, and due to various circumstances, they couldn’t attend classes with female students. Thus, male students had separate classes within the academy.

So, it was only natural that the number of male students gathered here was small.

It was surprising that there were even this many.

“…”

But that wasn’t what puzzled Ragna. What intrigued him wasn’t the small number of male knights or anything like that it was the way they were seated.

The classroom was practically empty.

Truly, almost completely so.

In a classroom this large, with so few people, one would expect everyone to sit together in the front rows or perhaps the middle.

But oddly, the students weren’t gathered together. Instead, they were split into two groups: one in the front row and one in the back.

“…”

What was even stranger was the difference in atmosphere between the front-row group and the back-row group.

The front-row group consisted of students who looked average or heavyset. They glanced at Ragna briefly but quickly averted their eyes when he met their gaze. It seemed the same among themselves they were gathered together but didn’t appear particularly close.

“…”

In contrast, the back-row group was different.

They seemed quite friendly with each other, joking and bantering. When their eyes met Ragna’s, they shot him sharp, almost challenging looks. It wasn’t just one of them each of the roughly five boys in the back row did the same. The front row, on the other hand, had more than ten students.

Yet, despite the difference in numbers, the contrast in attitude was stark.

There had to be a reason for it.

“…”

Faced with this peculiar classroom dynamic, Ragna found himself deep in thought.

Where should he sit?

From what he could see, his options were the front row or the back row. Sitting in the middle didn’t seem like a viable choice.

His decision now would likely influence his relationship with these groups moving forward. With that in mind, Ragna glanced back and forth between the front and back rows, weighing his options. But then,

“…!”

Ragna’s gaze locked onto something, as if fixed in place. A smile crept onto his face. With that, he began to walk.

__________

The boys’ eyes focused on Ragna. Under their gazes, Ragna crossed the front of the lectern and approached the students.

Then, with a thud, he sat down in one of the seats. The person sitting next to him jumped in surprise and quickly closed the large book they had been reading.

The other boys reacted similarly, their faces showing they hadn’t expected him to sit there.

Ragna had chosen a seat in the front row of the classroom.

Ignoring the surrounding stares, Ragna focused on organizing his belongings. Then, he suddenly turned his head and said,

“Sorry, but I have a question.”

“Huh? Y-Yeah?”

“…No need to be so startled. Anyway, this is definitely the 1st-year male knights’ classroom, right?”

“Y-Yeah… it is?”

“…Then why are you here?”

“…Huh?”

The person blinked in confusion at Ragna’s question. With a serious expression, Ragna continued,

“I’m not interrogating you or anything, but why is a girl in the male knights’ classroom?”

The other person just blinked, not understanding Ragna’s words.

At this, the surrounding boys let out light sighs.

“…!”

Finally realizing the situation, the person flushed red with embarrassment and began to fluster.

Letting out incomprehensible noises, they stammered in a trembling voice,

“I’m a guy! A guy!”

Silence fell.

____________________________________

Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id