It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 60

 Chapter 60 :

The mark of slavery branded on Seria’s body.

The spell had the effect of binding her to Ragna.

However, as with all mind-control magic, overuse could lead to side effects, potentially causing mental collapse.

For this reason, Ragna decided to stop forcibly sealing Seria’s memories.

After all, Anita and Liliana had already witnessed the situation.

The gap in memory caused by such circumstances could lead to catastrophic consequences.

“…”

Watching Seria’s expression harden, Ragna cautiously spoke.

And he offered an apology to her.

“…I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

“…”

“Until your anger subsides, do whatever you want with me. I won’t stop you.”

With those words, Ragna closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.

It was a gesture of willingly accepting punishment.

“…”

Seria looked at Ragna with a dissatisfied expression. Then, cautiously, she got up from the bed where she had been lying.

“…Ugh!”

A sudden pain shot through her lower abdomen.

Seria grimaced.

Ragna had clearly mentioned phantom pain. He had said all her wounds were healed. As the thought occurred to her, Seria touched the area near her neck.

It was the spot where Ragna had bitten her.

A tingling sensation, like ants crawling, lingered near her neck. But her fingertips felt no trace of a mark.

Phantom pain.

Muttering the words to herself, Seria kept stroking the spot where the invisible scar remained.

And Ragna, still with his eyes tightly shut, waited for her reaction.

This was only natural.

Taking responsibility for what he had done.

As a demon lord—no, as a person—it was the obvious thing to do.

Kill your enemies, and repay your benefactors with kindness.

Reciting the old adage of the dark elves and his own creed, Ragna steeled himself.

Seria was his benefactor.

She was the one who had saved him when he might have otherwise starved to death in the forest.

Yet, despite that, Ragna had forcibly violated her and caused her pain. For someone like Ragna, who had once fallen to ruin because of betrayal, this was something he absolutely should not have done. Even so, for the sake of the descendants of the demon race left on this earth, Ragna had made Seria his own.

If that was the case, he would at least do his best for her. That’s what he had thought and acted upon until now. But in this moment, Ragna had broken that vow.

It was something he absolutely should not have done, especially for someone like him, who had been betrayed by those he trusted most and fallen into ruin in an instant.

That’s why he decided to take responsibility.

It wasn’t as if he could do anything grand.

But at the very least, he could let her vent her anger by taking her blows. With that thought, he waited—until a sharp *thwack* struck his jaw, sending a dizzying shock through him.

The pain made Ragna’s head whip to the side.

Stars flashed before his eyes, and he let out a soft groan.

Seria, clenching her fist and taking a deep breath, shouted loudly.

“It really, *really* hurt! But even so, I’ll let it slide just this once, so don’t *ever* do something like this again!”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she shouted.

Seeing her like this, Ragna gave a bittersweet smile and nodded.

“…Got it.”

“Good.”

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Seria nodded back.

At that sight, Ragna couldn’t help but let out an exclamation of admiration.

Perhaps she was stronger than he had ever imagined. And it was because of her that he was here now.

“…By the way, what happened? No matter how I think about it, you weren’t yourself back then.”

“Well…”

Ragna rubbed his aching jaw as he responded. He had anticipated her question and how he would answer it.

“…To put it simply… it’s like a curse.”

“A curse?”

At that, Ragna nodded. Since he couldn’t explain the mechanics of his frenzied state in detail, the word “curse” was the only way to describe it.

“W-Wait a second. That’s a big deal, isn’t it? For someone’s personality to change so suddenly like that… I’ve never heard of such a thing! We need to see a healing mage right away… no, a priest! Let’s get ready and go to a priest—”

“Calm down, Seria.”

“B-But!”

“If it could be fixed with magic, I would’ve already taken care of it myself. This isn’t something that can be resolved so easily.”

“…Ugh.”

“To be honest, there’s no way to fix it right now. All we can do is monitor the situation and look for a solution.”

“But even so… turning strange and attacking people randomly is a bit…”

“…Well, it’s not like the symptoms appear out of nowhere. If I try hard enough, I can suppress it.”

“Then why couldn’t you suppress it back then?”

“…It was right after a fight. I wasn’t expecting it either.”

In truth, it was a reaction to the powerful magical energy he sensed from her body, but he decided not to mention that. It wasn’t something he could easily talk about. If it became known that he could siphon magical power from others’ bodies and claim it as his own, it would cause an unimaginable uproar.

So, Ragna made up an excuse, saying that the magical power he had taken from her body was used to heal her.

“…”

Perhaps convinced by his explanation, Seria nodded, though her eyes still held a hint of suspicion. Seeing this, Ragna let out a sigh of relief.

For now, Seria’s issue was somewhat resolved. It was, quite literally, a relief. But that didn’t mean all problems were neatly solved.

Especially the issue with Hazel.

Noel had declared the match a draw.

The reason was that both of their chest armor had been damaged, making it impossible to continue the spar.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t accept the ruling.

From the perspective of a teacher responsible for protecting students, and as a referee, it was a reasonable decision.

But even so, it left a lingering sense of dissatisfaction.

And Hazel might use that as an excuse to challenge him again.

No, it wasn’t just Hazel other girls might come forward to challenge him as well.

Some women out there thought he was being arrogant for a man.

There might even be someone who found Ragna’s presence annoying and decided to confront him.

*“…I poked a raccoon’s den and ended up with a snake.”*

Muttering to himself, Ragna wore a bitter expression.

Then, something suddenly occurred to him.

…He had forgotten. Come to think of it, he hadn’t mentioned one crucial detail. The fact that he had run into Anita and Liliana.

“…?”

Seria looked at Ragna curiously as he suddenly fell silent. Seeing her, Ragna sighed. It wasn’t a topic he wanted to bring up in this situation. But he couldn’t just let it slide either.

With that thought, Ragna spoke to Seria as cautiously as possible.

And a moment later,

A scream from Seria, followed by a loud *thwack*, echoed from beyond her door.

_____________

“Ugh…”

Rubbing his still-stinging face, Ragna let out a sigh.

Just then, the bell signaling the lunch break rang out. Soon after, Teacher Fiona’s voice declared the end of the lecture. Today, too, was just another ordinary day. A mundane liberal arts lecture. It wasn’t uninteresting, but it didn’t feel like something worth learning at a military academy.

Especially things like etiquette toward superiors.

With that thought, Ragna sighed and began packing his things.

Other students seated around him glanced at him fleetingly.

The students in the back were no different.

Everyone was watching Ragna. But not all their gazes carried the same sentiment.

Some looked at him with admiration, others with suspicion, and some with jealousy and anger.

Ignoring their stares, Ragna packed his belongings and left the classroom as if simply doing what he needed to do. As he did, a familiar voice called out from behind.

“Over here.”

“…You’re early. I thought I’d have to wait a bit.”

Turning to the voice, Ragna responded.

As expected, standing there was none other than Liliana.

“It’s hard to talk here, so let’s move somewhere else.”

“…”

Ragna nodded silently at Liliana’s words. As they did, the boys gathered near the entrance began whispering among themselves.

Glancing back, Ragna saw it was the usual group from the back of the class. They were looking at him with displeased expressions.

Ignoring their gazes, Ragna followed Liliana, who was walking ahead. They arrived at a secluded spot on the outskirts of the building. Impressed that she knew such a quiet place, Ragna asked,

“So, what did you want to ask?”

“…Do you remember your parents’ names?”

“Parents?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Ragna tilted his head. Shaking it quickly, he replied,

“No, I don’t know.”

“…I see. Then, do you remember anyone else? Family, or maybe someone you were close to?”

“Nope, nothing. Sorry, but I have amnesia. I don’t have any memories from before I ended up at the lumberyard.”

“…I see.”

At Ragna’s response, Liliana fell into deep thought.

Turning to her, Ragna asked,

“So, what’s this about? Did you call me out just to ask that? If so, you could’ve asked in front of the others.”

“…No, that’s not the main point. I see… so it’s unrelated after all.”

“…?”

“I’ll get straight to the point. For your own sake, you should leave the academy.”

Liliana’s blunt statement made Ragna frown.

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m saying this for your own good. If you stay like this, you’ll turn into a beast. Just like *that person*.”

“…!”

What did she mean? More than that, Liliana’s tone suggested she knew something. Seeing Ragna’s shocked expression, Liliana continued with a serious look.

“…The black haze-like energy flowing from your body. The glowing eyes. The sudden shift to a violent personality.”

The characteristics Liliana listed.

They were none other than the traits of his frenzied state.

“…You know what it is?”

“…”

At Ragna’s question, Liliana slowly nodded. His eyes widened. Continuing, Liliana explained,

“It’s merely a signal. If it continues to progress, it’ll ruin your body and bring misfortune to those around you.”

“…”

“So, you should quit the academy now. If you stay, you’ll end up making those around you unhappy. Unless…”

“Unless?”

“I’ll have to force you to leave.”

As she spoke, Liliana slightly crouched, exuding a threatening aura. Ragna frowned and said,

“…Sorry, but that’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“I still have things to do here. I can’t just follow your words until I finish them.”

“…Is that so?”

“And if you want to convince me, shouldn’t you give me more details? Making demands like that won’t make me listen.”

“…You’re right.”

At Ragna’s response, Liliana took a deep breath.

Then, with a light sigh, she said,

“…Then there’s no helping it. As I said before, I’ll have to make you listen by force.”

“…!”

______

“…Tch!”

Ragna clicked his tongue as he watched Liliana charge toward him.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t prepared for this. He had anticipated something like this might happen.

But how exactly would it unfold? With that thought, Ragna adjusted his stance. But in that moment, hearing the metallic clank from Liliana’s hands and realizing what she was holding, Ragna hurriedly stepped back.

“What the hell is that?!”

A sharp slash cut through the air. Ragna barely maintained his balance as he retreated.

“…Isn’t that a bit much? Swinging a sword out of nowhere… And aren’t weapons banned on academy grounds?”

“If you say you’ll quit the academy now, I’ll put the sword away.”

Liliana took a stance with the short swords in both hands, showing no sign of backing down. Clicking his tongue, Ragna said,

“…I told you, didn’t I? I can’t just back down either.”

“I told you. If you keep this up, you’ll only bring misfortune to those around you.”

Liliana slowly closed the distance.

Ragna swallowed hard.

“…I’m not saying you have to live locked away in a dark place forever. But at least stay somewhere where you won’t harm others. That’s for your own good.”

“…You definitely know something.”

“…”

“Damn it… pleading the fifth, huh? Fine, then I’ll just have to force it out of you.”

Perhaps he could find a clue from her.

With that thought, Ragna began to channel his magical power, ready to fight seriously.

Seeing this, Liliana clicked her tongue and frowned. From her reaction, Ragna realized she knew how dangerous it was to draw out magical power during a frenzied state. Was she part of a demon bloodline? Or perhaps from a clan that had studied them?

Imagining possibilities, Ragna’s eyes glinted as he raised his aura. He was determined to get answers from her, no matter what it took. As Ragna built up his momentum, Liliana frowned and took a stance to end the fight in one blow. She gripped the short sword in her left hand in a reverse grip, positioning it horizontally, while raising the other sword high above her head.

The aura emanating from her sword was as if it could split the sky, and her firmly grounded legs exuded a rock-solid presence.

Ragna growled, glaring at Liliana.

A moment on the verge of explosion.

Neither could rashly make the first move, the tension taut like a string about to snap.

As Liliana slowly advanced, she suddenly vanished from Ragna’s sight, as if collapsing. Thinking she had gone low, Ragna clenched his fist, channeling his strength, and swung at her. At the same moment, as Liliana swung her sword toward him,

“Stop it—!”

From a distance, Anita and Seria’s voices called out, trying to intervene.

And with that, a deafening *boom* erupted between the two

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id