Chapter 24

The Edius Adventurer school’s school entrance ceremony.

That was counted as one of the important events even throughout the entire St. Altlis Kingdom.

The sons of nobles, the knight and soldier cadets, and then the Adventurers in the making that would carry the country’s future.

Making sure that they would be raised healthily, and raised to be strong and proper, that would be to the country’s benefit, and was a significant concern for supporting the country’s foundation.

And then, looking at it from the students and their parents’ point of view, entry to the Adventurer school, it could be a noble’s accomplishment, or it could be a means for a commoner’s upstart.

Although he is a person from another world, he wasn’t a noble, so in other words, in the Edius Adventurer school that made the Hero Ryuuya who was a commoner the target to aim for, it proclaimed equality in the school in general.

However, in reality, a great number of problems occur due to the sons and daughters of nobles, and even on the school’s side, it has an aspect of being considerate or giving favorable treatment to the nobles.

In regards to this, the cause of it was due to the fact that there weren’t only a few people that would say that since the Hero Ryuuya was praised for his accomplishment and became a noble after defeating the Demon King, the Hero was originally someone with qualities worthy of being a noble, or that it was because he was destined to be a noble that he was worthy of being the Hero, things that implicated the 「destiny of a noble」.

That being said, there was no doubt in the fact that it was an educational institution of greatest authority within the country that made a huge turnout of famed Adventurers and knights.

The school entrance ceremony of that Edius Adventurer school was a grand event where nobles and knights would come to watch their own children appear in their hour of triumph, and where even the king would make his appearance.

Therefore, there was absolutely no way it was a ceremony where it was alright for an Adventurer that just happened to be passing by to make a 「small address」.

「May I have your reason?」

The staff member moved his eyebrows with a flinch at Shion’s reasonable question.

「Actually……the guest doing the address, the plan was for the Zekwell-dono to be doing it but, ah~……Um, various things had happened and……」

Zekwell. If he remembered correctly, that should have been a famous Adventurer from the Jiol Forest Kingdom which was said to be a country of warriors.

「Well, it’s embarrassing to say this but, Zekwell-dono had previously come here to study from abroad, and we had invited him through that relationship but, erm, there were various things.」

With those words, Shion got the idea.

The Jiol Forest Kingdom is a country that possessed its own culture and precepts.

Having things that can’t be understood when seen by another country, things that would be polite being considered impolite……such things where being considerate of face in associations between countries had to happen, and moreover, when it came to high ranking people, they would become oversensitive to that sort of stuff.

It seemed that the Warrior Juno, who was a member of the Hero party and whose origin is the Jiol Forest Kingdom, was a person who relatively didn’t mind such things, but this probably meant that Zekwell wasn’t like that.

Seeing as how this man called out to Shion at this point, they might have either told Zekwell off and got him mad just before the event, or maybe he had just left.

After all, there is no etiquette to give back to someone that committed impoliteness……Far from it, this was a country where one was allowed to give punishment to someone that injured their pride.

In other words, it was an assembly of overly serious, straight-laced people.

Though, that being the culture of the Jiol Forest Kingdom nobles, or maybe the warriors, and that not being the case for the commoners could also be a trait of the Jiol Forest Kingdom.

「However, is it really alright for me to make a speech in place of such a person?」

「Yes, yes! When speaking of you, Shion-dono, you’re the hot topic of being Rank SSS! There is absolutely no problem! Much better than some poor substitute!」

Even if the level was impossible, maybe he should have disguised his rank……As Shion thought about that idea that he didn’t think of even in his wildest dreams, the staff member talked as he liked, and in the end, he spoke gratitude to the gods.

I wonder what would happen if I were to say “I am the Demon King Vermudol, you know~” right here.

Just as Shion was thinking that, the staff member seemed to have finally noticed that Shion looked like he wasn’t all that interested, and the excitement from just now vanished and he made a very serious expression.

「So in regards to that, if possible, I would like for you to come right away but. About the negotiations for the reward, please talk with accounting afterwards and……」

「Aah, if it’s money, then I don’t need it.」

Shion said that, and interrupted the staff member’s words.

This was a chance.

「If I could receive permission to browse your archives, then that address or whatever, I will do it.」

「The archives……is it? Yes, if it is that, then I believe that it can be arranged but.」

Shion raised the ends of his mouth and showed a smile at the staff member who seemed like he was about to say “why would you want something like that”.

「In order to go higher as an Adventurer, knowledge is necessary. That is simply all to it.」

When he recited that, the staff member nodded as if in agreement.

Saying something like “as expected, your frame of mind is different”, he then seemed like he noticed something, and suddenly started to panic.

「Th, that’s right, there isn’t anymore time! Let us hurry up and go! It won’t be a problem if you just express something like a bit of support for the new students!」

While being told “don’t say anything too difficult” with a sarcastic laugh, Shion and Nino were lead by the staff member, and proceeded to the academy’s large auditorium.

「Although the Demon King has perished, it doesn’t mean that the Mazoku menace has disappeared after all. That is where the meaning of our school comes in, but this year is especially excellent……」

The thoroughly good humored staff member didn’t notice at all.

That Nino had made a kick at the Hero Ryuuya statue right when they passed by it.

That Shion was making surprisingly cooled down eyes.

That the man that was going to make an address in front of the students and leaders of the country from here on, that the 「famous Adventurer Shion」, was the new Demon King Vermudol……there was no way he should notice.

「This year is especially excellent……that must mean, there’s a Hero cadet, isn’t there.」

「Yes, that is exactly it. A Hero cadet, that is a wonderful expression!」

The staff member, he really wasn’t noticing.

That the one that the knight cadets admired, the Maid Knight Nino (the Demon King’s close aide) was looking at him with eyes as if she were looking at trash.

That the one that the young Adventurer seedlings admired, the Adventurer Shion (the Demon King) was expressing a dark smile.

The man that turned around towards the auditorium’s stage wing where the school’s entrance ceremony had just started, he didn’t notice.

That the one that he himself invited over, was the greatest enemy to themselves.

Chapter 25