The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter
chapter-268

[Enough.]

The Fire Sovereign Andersen Versando scolded the Water Sovereign Siren Silivian and the Wind Sovereign Erin Campbell, stirring the air in the room.

He sighed lightly and looked at me again.

[The second thing I want to discuss is your objective.]

“My objective?”

[Why are you staying at the Zelver Empire’s academy? What are your intentions?]

When the Water Sovereign spoke, it felt like an adorable new member had joined a Senior Center.

But when the Fire Sovereign spoke again, the atmosphere turned into a solemn hearing.

“I want to attend the academy without causing any trouble.”

[It seems you don’t want to reveal it.]

“I’m not lying. I’m not hiding anything with bad intentions from all of you.”

I adjusted my glasses.

[But that doesn’t mean you have good intentions either. Are you saying it’s not something to discuss with us right now?]

Even though he was in flame form, I could feel his piercing gaze.

“Knowing that much is enough.”

It was better not to delve too deeply. I hadn’t built enough trust with the Elemental Kings and I could sense that none of them truly trusted each other.

Of course, it would be ideal if I could recruit them into the Evil God Slayers, but since I had become part of this meeting, the odds were in my favor.

Revealing all my cards now would be a premature move.

[Let me rephrase my question.]

The Fire Sovereign backed down.

They hadn’t invited me to the Council of Kings to upset me. Creating unnecessary conflict would only harm them.

The Fire Sovereign didn’t seem willing to take that risk.

[Since last year, there have been a series of demon incidents, as well as the Alice Carroll incident, and most recently the Dorothy Heartnova rampage incident… The person who resolved all these events was you. Can we assume that preventing such dangers is the reason why you’re staying at the Academy?]

What a roundabout way to ask.

I nodded.

In addition to what the Fire Sovereign mentioned, I gave the Elemental Kings the impression that I was someone who would protect my loved ones during the「Alice Subjugation」.

Displaying such normalcy supported my reason for staying at the academy.

[So, have you been able to foresee all the incidents that have occurred so far?]

“Yes.”

[Understood.]

I didn’t know what kind of thoughts they had.

Seeing them let it go, it was clear they had no intention of interrogating me unfavorably.

[Then lastly, the third issue.]

[I was going to ask that.]

The Wind Sovereign Erin Campbell’s wind avatar interrupted.

[I had something I wanted to discuss with you.]

“Then come out and talk directly to me.”

[…What?]

I had noticed it a while ago.

“You’re here, aren’t you?”

There was a space behind the pillar. She was there.

[Psychological Insight] didn’t work on Elemental Kings. Even if someone like the Wind Sovereign was hiding, I wouldn’t know what she was up to, which naturally made me feel uneasy.

So, I judged it safer to have the Wind Sovereign reveal herself publicly when the Elemental Kings were gathered.

[Haa, I had a feeling that was the case…]

The Water Sovereign let out a dry laugh.

[I see.]

[Hmm.]

The Lightning Sovereign Jaul and the Fire Sovereign Andersen looked at me. They seemed more surprised that I had noticed the Wind Sovereign’s presence than by the fact that she was there.

Moreover, since they had sent avatars, their usual mana perception abilities weren’t working. They seemed unsure and only guessed that the Wind Sovereign might be present.

Did they have some conversation among themselves?

[Not bad.]

Whooooo.

A figure of a small girl appeared as the pale green wind dissipated.

A woman with the appearance of a young girl emerged from behind a dark pillar.

She had dark green hair that bordered on black and wore an eye patch over one eye. Dressed like a hunter, her mysterious eyes, imbued with wind mana, gazed at me.

“I reduced my mana to the bare minimum. I thought I was perfectly hidden… Impressive,” The Wind Sovereign bluntly complimented.

Aichel was momentarily surprised, not having realized the Wind Sovereign was present, but quickly regained her composure.

Her level being at 1 was due to hiding her maximum mana.

Has she accounted for Archwizard-level mana perception?

I simply knew because her status window popped out.

I met the Wind Sovereign’s gaze calmly.

But when did she start hiding there?

It seemed clear she had been in the mansion before I arrived at the Whiteclark Duchy.

Otherwise, I would have noticed her much earlier.

She knew I was coming today and came here.

In other words, she had been monitoring my movements from beyond my detection range.

…It left me with an unsettling feeling.

[You’re quite sneaky, Campbell. I also wanted to meet the Ice Sovereign in person…! You’re so selfish!]

“You only want to do inappropriate things with the Ice Sovereign, you pedophile.”

[D-don’t slander me! That’s not true at all!]

The Wind Sovereign Erin Campbell glared at the Water Sovereign with dagger-like eyes and sat in the spot where her wind avatar had been.

I raised a question to the Wind Sovereign, “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to see you again in person, and I still have doubts about your abilities.”

Erin Campbell fidgeted with the hunter hat on her head.

“I’ve never seen you fight. All I’ve seen are the outcomes of your battles. All I’ve seen from you is a much lower-than-expected amount of mana. Even in situations where you didn’t need to manipulate your maximum mana.”

“With such mana perception skills, you shouldn’t have any doubts.”

In the end, her misunderstanding worked in my favor.

But let’s move on from that.

“So? What do you want to talk about?”

“Recently, you dealt with a demon army in the wasteland of the Zelver Empire, correct?”

The wasteland, she was referring to when I subjugated the King of the Dead.

“How did you know?”

“I heard it through the grapevine.”

“Huh…?”

What is she talking about?

“You don’t seem to understand. The wind is free. It can go anywhere. I can hear what the wind sees and hears. It’s easy to learn about anomalies happening in the world.”

“Is that so…”

It sounded absurd, but coming from her, it seemed typical.

So that’s what it takes to be the Wind Sovereign, huh…? The Elemental Kings’ standards are tough.

“Does that battle have anything to do with the demon subjugation from Märchen Academy?

“What if it does?”

“I’m asking because the timing is very favorable,” Erin Campbell asked without any emotion.

“I’ve noticed that the movements of the fairies have been unusual recently. Do you think it’s related to the demons?”

I hadn’t anticipated the fairies.

Semester 2 Year 2 of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱,「Fairy War」.

The fairies who failed to stop Rachnil the Iron Fairy were likely gathering strength to oppose him. The time was indeed approaching.

They also knew about the fairies’ movements.

In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, the Elemental Kings had no involvement in the「Fairy War」.

The stage for the event was the Zelver Empire. The Elemental Kings would likely just observe to see how well the Empire handled the「Fairy War」.

In other words, I couldn’t expect help from the Elemental Kings to resolve the scenario of the「Fairy War」.

If I were to seek help, it would be like using the Elemental Kings for my own purposes. They would surely notice that, and it wouldn’t be well-received.

“I don’t know the specifics either. I’m not omniscient.”

“…”

The Wind Sovereign seemed to try to see through my intentions, but then she sighed and leaned back in her chair.

“That’s a pity.”

With that single comment, the Wind Sovereign fell silent.

***After that, there were no significant discussions.

There were some flirtatious remarks from the Water Sovereign and a few questions from the Fire Sovereign to gauge my character, but the Lightning Sovereign and the Wind Sovereign remained silent, marking the end of my informal introduction.

Everyone finished their greetings and withdrew their avatars, leaving only the Wind Sovereign Erin Campbell, Aichel Whiteclark, and me at the roundtable.

I considered saying something but decided against it and stood up. I wasn’t particularly close to the Wind Sovereign and had no intention of getting familiar, so there was no need for further conversation. It was time to head back.

“One more question.”

At that moment, the Wind Sovereign spoke.

She stood up from her chair and approached me.

“…”

She silently looked up at me.

Her expression remained emotionless like a wooden puppet, but her eyes, flowing with wind mana, held a subtle seriousness.

It seemed she was about to reveal the real reason she was here.

“Who are you?”

That was sudden. Who am I…? It was a question I often heard due to the nature of my transmigration, but out of the blue?

The Wind Sovereign glanced at my chest.

“Others must have noticed it too. There’s something inside you that shouldn’t be there.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

It was obvious she was talking about the mysterious creature with many eyes that Dorothy had mentioned. I knew that too.

I didn’t know what it was. For now, I could only think it was likely related to the game developer, Higgs.

“If you’re asking what it is, don’t even bother. I don’t know either.”

I brushed past the Wind Sovereign.

At that moment, she spoke.

“That thing was meant to be the result when Dorothy Heartnova went on a rampage.”

“…”

I stopped in my tracks.

It was hard to keep my composure. I couldn’t fully process what I had just heard.

I turned my head to stare at the back of the Wind Sovereign’s head.

“You know that Dorothy Heartnova is the second holder of starlight mana in history.”

According to records, there were two holders of starlight mana.

I learned this from encountering various knowledge in this world. It wasn’t covered in the setting book of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.

There was no way for ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ to cover all the unique knowledge and history of this world.

Records of those who made contracts with fairies weren’t related to the main scenario either.

So, I accepted that as a record not worth mentioning in the setting book.

“They call those who wield unique powers, different from common elemental forces, fairies. They are all mysterious beings, but the most enigmatic among them is Stella, the Star Fairy, who wields the power of starlight.”

The Wind Sovereign turned her head to the side, but I couldn't see her face.

“The first holder of starlight mana disappeared suddenly one day. Natural disasters struck the world around that time. Dorothy Heartnova’s rampage was probably due to the overuse of starlight mana. What do you think this means?”

“…”

“Stella… might be a damned bitch.”

The Wind Sovereign completely turned her head towards me, but her eye was hidden by her eyepatch.

“My question about the suspicious movements of the fairies was in that context.”

“…”

“You… like Dorothy Heartnova, don’t you? As a man likes a woman.”

“Yeah.”

“In that case, aren’t you also chasing the Star Fairy?”

“If that’s what you mean, there’s no need to talk further.”

The Star Fairy who saved Dorothy Gale in the Land of Oz.

In this long game against the Evil God, Dorothy had sacrificed herself against the Floating Island as if it were preordained.

This meant it was highly likely that Stella, who had given power specifically to Dorothy, was involved in this game.

If I survived and reached the end of this journey.

Maybe I’d meet Stella someday.

“Because I think I might meet her one day.”

Leaving those words behind, I walked away. The Wind Sovereign didn’t speak to me again.

Aichel bowed her head to me. I left the basement with her.

It was time to return to Märchen Academy.