“From here on out, you’ll experience difficulty and pain. The rumors must have started already, and you’ll attract attention as an extraordinary presence here at the Academy. I’m sure you’ll deal with harassment, too. The bullying will probably be so harsh you’ll wish you were dead. And there might be some students, burning with a sense of justice, who’ll try to assassinate you! It wouldn’t be strange for them to think that if you’re to become the Demon King anyhow, that it would fine to kill you now. But, killing you would be a crime, wouldn’t it? That’s right, there’s no doubt that there will be a clever and ingenious murder, one that even a god would have a hard time passing judgment on. Maybe they’ll force painful and difficult risks on you, under the assumption that it wouldn’t matter even if you died, or hide your possessions from you, or take embarrassing photos of you and spread them around the world, or pressure you into committing suicide...”
Miss Mitsuko’s tone was filled with enthusiasm as the conversation gradually veered off in stranger directions. Her eyes, too, had become filled with a frightening fervor.
“Um... Why all this talk of being killed and suicide...”
“Don’t worry! If you happen to die, I’ll quickly use necromancy to turn you into a ghost! If that happens, even if it is nothing more than a representation of you, your data will be left for future generations! I wonder if there is anything more fabulous for a researcher than to be able to completely analyze the data of someone who was born to become the Demon King. Well, of course, I’m not thinking about how if you live, your data will change day after day and become less useful. And I would never even think for a moment that I would want you to die. So it’s fine, okay? But if you ever want to die, consult me first!”
—The fact you’re this excited is already worrisome.
Akuto thought to himself that Miss Mitsuko had quite a blunt personality. However, it seemed that his hardships were never going to end. In the present situation, he was sure that allies would be few and far between.
Akuto managed to shake himself free of Miss Mitsuko, who seemed to have some kind of lingering attachment to him, and exited the (fortunately empty) main campus building. He headed towards the student dorms, following the directions given in the documents he received when he transferred.
Not to be outdone by the main campus building, the student dormitory was massive and looked like a large castle. Of course, it had actually been used as a fortress in the past, which meant that the garrison facilities that the knights used had been kept and used as a dorm. The Academy was a boarding school, so almost all of the students lived in the dorms. The castle was divided, with the boys’ dormitory in the east and the girls’ dormitory in the west. Walking in through the gate, immediately to the side was the dorm mother’s room where a receptionist window had been set up. Somehow it looked like the rumors hadn’t spread yet, and Akuto was able to receive his room key and information about the dorm from the elderly dorm mother. Then he was able to escape to his room without meeting anyone else. Because he was a transfer student, his room was at the very end of the first floor.
With a desk, bed, closet, and storage cabinet, the room was simple but by no means uncomfortable. His student handbook was closed and sitting on his desk.
Akuto sat down on the bed and let out a sigh.
“Demon King, huh...”
He still couldn’t believe it. Contrary to how he’d imagined the Demon King, it turned out that he was a real person. It was common knowledge that he was a villain who tried to bring about the downfall of society. His true identity was unknown, however the government announcement described him as a ferocious magician who was in command of a host of demons that he led in battle to conquer the world.
Even though everyone knew that demons existed, it was difficult to imagine that there were any with the intellectual capacity to be commanded by a human. Akuto didn’t know what the demons from that time were even like. He had just heard that there were demons like the ones out of a fairy tale. Ever since that incident it seems that, just as the principal had said, something in the world had changed. But since it happened over a hundred years ago, it didn’t feel real at all.
However, the impression left by the Demon King hadn’t faded or changed at all. Especially at this school. As the students had come here to learn magic, they most likely had complicated thoughts about the Demon King as being a symbol of evil magic.
That being the case, just as Miss Mitsuko had pointed out, her desire for his data was practical. It was certain that, rather than bullying and harassment, these complicated feelings would manifest with Akuto being feared and antagonized.
—However, I’ve tried to do good for as long as I can remember. As far as I am aware, I have never done a bad deed before in my life. And as such there ought to be no chance that I’ll become the Demon King, and I’m sure everyone will understand that if I act properly and accordingly. In order to do that, the first impression is absolutely key. Even among my previous classmates, those who were good at lighthearted jokes and idle banter were the popular ones. I’m positive that if I greet them properly, they’ll think that is no way anyone set to become the Demon King would act.
Akuto began to imagine how such a conversation would play out.
—Hello, nice to meet you. I believe you’ve all heard the rumors already, but I was told that in the future I’ll become the Demon King. But if anything, rather than becoming a Demon King, I’d hope to become a Deviant King...
—No way...
—That’s too stupid even for a joke... Anyway, I’m just not really cut out for these kinds of jokes. I’m already way too serious to begin with... Even if I tried to break out of my shell here in high school, those kinds of jokes are still impossible for me to pull off.