It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 51

 Chapter 51 :

“Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Ragna Steiner, newly enrolled at the academy. Nice to meet you.”

“Sorry, sorry. I got a bit too excited since it’s our first meeting… Ahem, let me introduce myself formally. My name is Anita Granstig. And this one over here, who’s passed out, is Liliana Rondgren. You can call her Lily.”

“I’m not passed out! I was just… momentarily shocked!”

Liliana protested.

Anita burst into hearty laughter at Liliana’s objection.

At that moment, something flashed through Ragna’s mind.

“Hmm, Granstig… That must mean…”

“Oh, now that you mention it…”

It seemed they were both thinking of the same thing. Ragna and Anita’s eyes met. Anita grinned and said,

“…Well, well. So you’re that Steiner family’s…”

“…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not the type to make a fuss over something like that. As for Hazel, I’m honestly thinking, ‘Serves her right.’”

“…Wait, Annie, isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“Who cares? I’m from a branch family anyway. Even though we share the Granstig name, I’ve always been treated differently. And since I’m financially independent, I’m sick of getting dragged into the main family’s drama.”

Then, pointing a thumb-up gesture at Ragna, she continued,

“So, in that sense, great job! You even saved my friend Seria.”

“…”

“Heh heh, but to think you’d go that far with the Steiner family guy… This is getting interesting, isn’t it?”

Anita smirked, covering her mouth as she chuckled.

Ragna gave an awkward smile and said,

“…Lady Anita, please, about this matter…”

“I get it, I get it. I’m not so tactless as to blab about something like that. Right, Lily?”

“Don’t state the obvious! As if I’d go around spreading crude gossip like you!”

Liliana vehemently denied it. Ragna let out a small sigh of relief at her reaction.

He could forcibly seal their memories with magic.

But doing so in this situation would create a sense of dissonance. Besides, he had already decided to be cautious in his actions. Standing out was not an option. So, for now, Ragna chose to trust their verbal promise.

Still, Lily, Annie, and Seria, huh…

“Calling each other by nicknames… You three must be quite close.”

“Hmm, yeah, you could say that. To be honest, we’re pretty much each other’s only close friends.”

Anita laughed heartily again.

“…Hard to deny that.”

“Ehehe…”

Liliana shook her head, holding her forehead, while Seria gave an awkward smile. Ragna looked at them curiously.

“…All three of us here have our own issues,” Anita explained.

“Yeah, exactly. In my case, I’m from a branch family, and since I went up against Hazel, the first-year representative, I ended up isolated. As for Liliana… well, how do I put it? She’s not exactly approachable, or rather, she doesn’t easily let people get close to her.”

“…If we weren’t friends since childhood, I wouldn’t even bother hanging out with someone like you. And I’d say half the reason my personality is like this is because of you.”

“Whoa, scary, scary. Well, that’s how it is. As for Seria… you probably already know, right?”

Ragna nodded. Seria had talent extraordinary, almost absurd talent.

Yet despite her immense potential, her background was weak.

Or rather, her aunt often referred to as “that woman” barely paid any attention to her. In fact, Ragna had never seen a single person from the Brandzburg family come looking for Seria.

For someone without a strong background to display such skill…

There was nothing more infuriating to others.

It was almost inevitable that Seria Brandzburg would end up isolated.

“…So, Seri, Lily, and Annie, huh?”

“Yup, that’s right. It’s what we call each other. Don’t our names sound like sisters, all ending the same way?”

“…Well, yeah, I guess so.”

“Wait a second, in cases like this, just say it outright. Call it bad taste or something!”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Huh? What’s bad taste about it? Seri, Lily, and Annie it sounds cute, like we’re sisters born a year apart! It makes me happy, like I’ve gained younger sisters.”

“That’s exactly why it’s bad taste! And who’s the younger sister here? I’m a year older than you!”

“Oh, you’re a year older?”

“…Well, yeah. There’s no age limit for enrolling in the academy, after all.”

“Even so, you waited for me until I enrolled…”

“Don’t get the wrong idea! I wasn’t waiting for you! I just had personal circumstances that delayed me by a year!”

Liliana shook her head, exasperated, while holding her forehead. Anita pouted as if offended. Seria giggled quietly, watching them. This must be their usual dynamic.

“By the way,” Anita said, changing the subject.

“...?”

“How did you two meet? I’m curious. Really curious!”

Ragna broke into a cold sweat as Anita leaned in, eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Well, uh, it’s just…”

“Hmm? Hmm? How did you meet? How did you end up kissing? How did you get that close? And how was it… Eek!”

“…You seem to enjoy naughty stories,” Ragna remarked.

“Oh, I love them. And, by the way…”

“...?”

“You don’t have to be so formal when it’s just us. I can tell from the way you and Seria talk that you’re casual in private, right?”

“Well, that’s…”

“No need to worry. Neither I nor Liliana look down on guys or think less of them just because they’re guys. Right, Lily?”

“…Yeah, I don’t really care. Honestly, it’s more annoying to have to use formalities when talking with Seria. Plus…”

“...?”

“…If you’re Seria’s… I mean, friend, then you’re our friend too. I don’t think gender matters much in that regard.”

“...!”

“Wow, Lily, that was well said! So, what do you say, Ragna?”

“…”

Faced with their gazes, Ragna rubbed his chin, slightly flustered.

In a world where the belief that women were superior to men was deeply ingrained…

Where men were often used and oppressed by women…

For Ragna, who had witnessed this countless times from the lumberyard to the royal capital of Shreid Anita and Liliana’s casual attitude of “It doesn’t matter” was shocking.

Of course, Seria had a similar mindset.

But that was largely due to her circumstances and upbringing.

Even Karen, at their first meeting, had treated him with a “mere man” attitude, hadn’t she? In that sense, the attitude of these two was exceptionally rare.

“…”

Perhaps it was because, as they said, they had been isolated from the start.

With no support to rely on except their bond with each other, their way of thinking had become more open.

If that was the case, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to accept it.

At the very least, if they were Seria’s friends people she considered important then it might be worth it.

“Alright… I mean, got it.”

Anita nodded with a satisfied expression at Ragna’s response. Liliana maintained her usual indifferent demeanor but occasionally glanced at Ragna out of the corner of her eye. Ragna chuckled softly at the sight.

“So, since we’re friends now, I’ve got a question.”

“...?”

“How was it for you two? Was it, like, painful?”

“…Uh, well, you see…”

“And Seria.”

“Yeah?”

“How was it? Did the advice I gave you help? How did it feel when you actually tried it? Did it blow his mind?”

“W-Wait, Anita! That’s, uh, I mean…!”

“…”

The flood of risqué questions left Ragna speechless. In his mind, he shouted:

(It was you!)

Ragna recalled Seria mentioning a friend who had told her to “go all the way” in situations like this. And now, it was clear who that friend was no need to ask.

“Ugh, uh, I mean…” Seria stammered, her face red with embarrassment.

Even if she was bold in private, recounting such intimate details to her friend was inevitably embarrassing. If this continued, Seria might end up revealing even more outrageous things.

Thinking this, Ragna gently pulled Seria toward him by the shoulder and said,

“Sorry, but we didn’t go that far.”

“Oh, really?”

“…Yeah, well, Lady Karen was glaring at us the whole time. And we’re still living at the Steiner estate, so…”

“…Oh, I see.”

Anita nodded, seemingly convinced by the mention of Karen’s name, though she looked a bit disappointed.

Ragna and Seria let out a small sigh of relief.

“…Even so, like I said earlier, about this matter…”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I wouldn’t do anything to put my friend in a tough spot.”

“…”

Anita declared confidently, while Liliana sighed beside her. Seria, still held by Ragna’s shoulder, had a slightly complicated expression. Ragna, meanwhile, felt a faint pang of nostalgia watching Anita.

Friend It had been a while since he’d heard that word.

It carried a strange resonance. Friend, friend… Suddenly, memories of his time at the Magic Tower surfaced people who had approached him with kind smiles, shared laughter and hardship, and ultimately betrayed him.

“…”

Ragna shook his head to dispel the thoughts. Continuing this topic might lead to even more absurd stories.

He needed to change the subject.

“By the way, how did you and Seria meet?”

“Huh? Me and Seri?”

“Yeah. You and Liliana are childhood friends, right? I get that, but how did you meet Seria?”

“Oh, that? Well, uh…”

At Ragna’s question, Anita scratched her head, looking a bit embarrassed. As Ragna looked at her curiously, Liliana sighed and said,

“…It’s not some grand reason. This idiot just went straight up to her.”

“Ugh! ‘Went straight up’ sounds so crude! It’s just… Seri and I have similar hair colors, you know? So, I just…”

“So?”

Ragna’s question was answered by Liliana, who sighed again.

“This idiot stood up in the middle of a crowd of other kids and just blurted out, ‘Be my little sister.’”

“Haha…”

“…”

“Seriously… the atmosphere back then was intense. I was frozen, unable to say anything, and Seri was just standing there, stunned.”

“…Yeah, I was really thrown off back then…” Seria muttered with an awkward smile, regaining some composure.

Under the scrutiny of Liliana and Seria, Anita gave an embarrassed smile and said,

“Well, I mean, Seri looked so small and delicate back then, you know? And she had this… kind of dark shadow about her, so I couldn’t help it. My maternal instincts just kicked in…”

“Even so, that’s not how it works!”

All three retorted in unison.

Even the bold Anita couldn’t easily counter their combined attack. She just gave an awkward “haha” laugh and scratched her head.

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached, accompanied by a familiar voice.

“Oh, there you are.”

“...!”

A familiar voice.

Ragna turned toward the sound.

So did Seria and Anita.

Standing there was a trio, exuding a glamorous aura distinct from the three already present.

In that moment, Anita recognized the figure at the center.

With a slight frown, she muttered in a low, biting tone,

“Hazel Granstig…”

Indeed, standing there was none other than Hazel Granstig, the first-year representative of the academy.

_____________________________________

Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id