It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 78

 Chapter 78 :

...But even so, if it was this level, he could endure it.

According to Ragna’s assessment, among the five gathered, the two who had stepped forward were the most skilled. The other three, compared to those two, had relatively unimpressive magical power.

Moreover, after the incident where Ragna had forcibly violated Seria, his magical power had significantly increased, making an attack of this degree something he could easily withstand.

“…”

Ragna steadied his breathing.

Then, he picked up the wooden sword that had fallen to the ground and stood up.

Seeing this, the boys who had attacked him flinched and stepped back in panic.

It was a strike delivered with clear intent.

Although it only hit his back and waist, a blow with this much force should have been enough to knock someone down under normal circumstances.

Yet, despite that, Ragna was standing.

On top of that, two of their group had already been taken down.

A shadow of unease began to spread across the boys’ faces.

Ragna smirked mockingly at them and said,

“…Is that all you’ve got? Pathetic bunch.”

“...!”

“All that big talk, and this is all you amount to. Pitiful.”

The same cheap taunts he had used before the fight began.

Yet, despite the low-grade provocation, the boys’ faces flushed red with anger almost instantly.

And why wouldn’t they? When had they, the precious heirs of noble families, ever heard such insulting words?

They were raised with care, destined to one day enhance their families with the talents of exceptional women.

For such people, it was only natural that they had little tolerance for insults.

“You damned bastard—!”

Spitting out curses they wouldn’t normally use, they charged at Ragna once more.

Ragna, watching them, steadied his breathing again.

The important thing was to confirm what he had practiced.

Could he do it when the critical moment arrived, or not?

That was what he needed to verify, to identify his shortcomings.

Muttering to himself, Ragna assumed the stance he had first taken.

He planted his feet firmly on the ground, correcting his posture.

He observed the movements of his opponents’ swords, watching closely.

And he waited for them to enter his range.

There was no need to rush.

The key was that one strike.

He repeated what he had learned through grueling pain over the past two weeks, as if vomiting blood.

And when they entered his range, he swung his wooden sword to meet the one flying toward him. And—

“Argh!”

Another scream echoed.

This time, a boy fell after being struck on the wrist.

Ragna, maintaining his stance, struck the waist of another boy who hesitated and stepped back after charging.

“Guh!”

A merciless blow.

It felt as if one or two bones might have broken.

As the boy collapsed like a bundle of straw, the last remaining boy froze in place, his face filled with panic.

“Eek!”

“…Get lost.”

Ragna pointed his wooden sword at him as he spoke.

At the sight of Ragna, the final boy threw down his own sword and fled.

Watching his retreating figure, Ragna scoffed, tossing his own wooden sword aside with a light click of his tongue.

It still wasn’t enough.

His movements weren’t yet as precise as he wanted.

Just two weeks.

Expecting satisfactory results in such a short time was foolish, but even so, Ragna couldn’t help but frown.

The sword technique he had learned from Noel.

It was certainly effective, but as expected, it had flaws. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say his own skill wasn’t yet refined enough to master its intricacies.

The gaps that arose because of this.

The question was how to address them moving forward.

“…”

As Ragna pondered, he heard a rustling sound near his ear.

Along with it came the faint presence of someone approaching.

Ragna turned toward the sound.

There, he saw Eric staring at him with a bewildered expression.

“R-Ragna?”

“…So it’s you, Eric.”

Confirming the identity of the figure, Ragna let out a light sigh. At that moment, a plan formed in his mind.

It was a way to address the gaps caused by his lack of skill.

The idea came to him the moment he saw Eric.

“Uh… what’s all this?”

“Nothing much. Just something that happened.”

“…”

“Let’s get out of here. We can’t just stand around talking in a place like this.”

“…Yeah.”

Eric responded awkwardly.

Ragna patted his shoulder briskly, urging him along, and started walking ahead.

Eric followed slowly behind.

Then, suddenly,

“Uh, hey.”

“Hm?”

“About… those two weeks… what happened?”

“…Oh, right. Well, some stuff came up. I couldn’t go out for a while.”

“Yeah…”

“Now that I think about it, I forgot to let you know… Sorry, were you waiting?”

“N-No, it’s not like that. I was just… a bit worried.”

“Hm… Even so, we did agree to do some research together at the library, and I disappeared for two weeks, so… yeah.”

Ragna made a thoughtful expression.

Then, as if something occurred to him, he said,

“Oh, right.”

“Hm?”

“It’s not much, but would it be okay if I gave you a gift?”

“A gift?”

“Yeah, you’ve been helping me with my personal stuff, after all.”

“N-No, it’s fine! I didn’t do it expecting anything.”

“Hm, still, I’m grateful, so I’d like you to accept it.”

“…If you say so… okay.”

Eric nodded in response.

Ragna tapped his shoulder lightly and said,

“Hm… I’ve got some things to take care of today, so it’s a bit tough now… but I’ll give it to you next time we meet, so look forward to it.”

“…Okay.”

Ragna waved at Eric, who nodded back.

Then, he strode ahead confidently.

Eric waved back at Ragna’s retreating figure.

With a light sigh, he started heading toward the library.

______________

By the time Eric returned to his dorm from the library, the sun had already set.

After eating at the student cafeteria as usual, Eric headed to the men’s dormitory in a corner of the academy.

His room, when he unlocked and entered it, felt somewhat cramped and cluttered.

This was because the building wasn’t originally designed as a dormitory but rather as one of the storage buildings for miscellaneous items.

Moreover, the larger, better rooms were always reserved for the noble boys who lingered at the back.

For someone like him, only a small, unremarkable room like this was available.

Even so, it was larger than his room back home.

With that thought, Eric let out a light cough and sighed.

The door clicked shut behind him.

Eric began to undress.

As the weather was getting chilly, he took off his outer coat, then the vest underneath.

As he removed his shirt and was about to take off his pants

________________

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“…Hm?”

He felt a rustling sensation from inside his pocket.

What’s this?

Curious, Eric reached into his pocket.

He pulled out the object inside.

It was a neatly folded piece of paper.

Eric had no memory of putting such a thing in his pocket.

Puzzled, he unfolded the paper.

Inside, something was written in neat handwriting.

Eric’s eyes began to scan the contents. And then,

“…!”

As he read what was written, Eric’s expression hardened.

Without realizing it, he sank to the floor.

The paper slipped from his hand, fluttering to the ground.

On it was written:

“I know that Eric Tranmier is a girl. If you don’t want this to be revealed, come to the designated place at midnight.”

____________

In the deep of night, in an open clearing.

Ragna was shivering slightly in the chilly night air, exhaling visible breaths.

He glanced around.

This was the same place where he and Liliana had fought before.

It was secluded, rarely visited, and out of sight.

It was the perfect place to carry out a plan.

If Seria were around, her animal-like instincts might lead her here, but otherwise, it was unlikely anyone would interrupt.

In the middle of the clearing, Ragna was drawing something on the ground with a branch.

Finally, with a scratching sound, he finished the edges and completed his work.

“…Hm.”

Ragna inspected the overall shape.

Confirming there were no issues, he pulled something from his pocket.

It was a flask containing a reagent.

A viscous, silvery substance.

Ragna poured the reagent onto the pattern he had drawn on the ground. The liquid flowed along the carved grooves, creating a shimmering silver shape.

This was a tool used by mages to prevent magic circles drawn on the ground from being disturbed by footsteps or wind.

It was something any mage would know how to use, and it was commonly sold in markets.

But in this era, such an item was no longer readily available.

In the end, Ragna had no choice but to gather the materials and make it himself.

If he hadn’t known the formula, it would have been a major problem.

It couldn’t be helped.

Due to the existence of magical beasts, the Magic Tower had lost its great library, the heart of its knowledge.

Moreover, to fend off the beasts’ attacks, countless mages had sacrificed their lives, and as a result, the Magic Tower had fallen from its former glory, now reduced to a mere fringe organization.

At best, it sustained itself through the talents of men with magical aptitude who joined, working in alchemy, magical engineering, and healing magic, but restoring its past grandeur would be an immensely difficult task.

“…What a strange feeling.”

When he thought about it, he had become the Demon King because of the Magic Tower’s people.

The ones he once considered friends had betrayed him.

And the fall of the Magic Tower was due to the magical beasts he had created.

But if asked whether he had wanted the Magic Tower’s destruction, the feeling was… complicated.

It was hard to say no, but it was equally hard to say yes.

After all, the Magic Tower was where he had spent his childhood, a place filled with memories of his youth.

It was also a place he once thought he’d dedicate his life to.

Because of that, it wasn’t just hatred but a mix of love and hate that defined it a place of bittersweet memories.

The fact that such a place had fallen so swiftly made him feel the passage of time, leaving a bitter taste.

At that moment.

A rustling sound came from the distance, along with the faint presence of someone approaching.

…It seemed the person Ragna had been waiting for had arrived.

With that thought, Ragna stood up.

The note he had carried since the moment he decided to make “her” his.

He had placed it, but there was a problem.

He hadn’t had time to specify an exact hour, only writing to come at “midnight,” so if she didn’t notice the note, he might have come in vain.

Still, a magic circle, once made, could be reused.

With that in mind, Ragna slowly stood and waited for the figure to emerge from the darkness.

And shortly after,

A small figure approached, her face pale with fear.

It was none other than Eric.

Seeing her face, Ragna couldn’t help but smile.

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id