In the section where the arena was located, the rows were divided.
　Nearby was a row of statues of knights, and an owl perched on one of them spoke out.

'Please line up in the alphabetical row marked on the invitation.

　I checked the invitation I got, and it had an "F" on it.

"Misha is,

"...E....

　She shows the invitation and says.

　There is an owl flying at the end of each row, holding a piece of parchment that had the alphabet written on it. I guess she wants me to line up in the same row as the invitation.

'Well, say hello to me when you get in,'

...hmmm....

　Misha and I part ways and I get in line for F. The front of the line is far ahead, but I check the situation with my distant magical eye. Apparently, they were entering the waiting room one by one.

　It's going to take some time for their turn to arrive. At any rate, there are roughly one hundred and twenty people here alone. If all the lines are combined, there are about seventy people.
　Even though two thousand years have passed, it is still a wonder that there are so many descendants. Apparently, they didn't have to worry about the extinction of their blood.

　While thinking about this, I waited in vain for the time to pass.
　After a while, I'm at the front of the line, and there's an anteroom in front of me.

　I walked in. Then, there was another owl there.

　But I wonder whose messenger it is, this one.
　From the looks of it, I don't feel any traces of magical power. It must be well hidden so that we don't know who its master is.
　It seems that even in this era, there are those who can use a little decent magic.

''Welcome, welcome. We will now go over the practical test.

　I suppose that inviting them and then testing them is not a way to determine whether or not they should be admitted.
　That might be part of it, but the main goal must be to find the founder of the reincarnated Demon King.

　This is the first time I've been reincarnated. It shouldn't be too unusual for a reincarnation to occur with memories, but the remaining demon clans probably didn't know to what extent the Demon King Anos was aware of his consciousness.
　It would be enough if he came forward, but, well, he's been set up to this point. It's only polite to keep up with them.

In the practical test, students will fight each other in the arena. The five winners will be allowed to enter the Demon King's Academy of Delzogade after taking a magical power test and aptitude test. The losers, unfortunately, will be rejected.

　If you are the Founder of the Demon King, you can't lose, just in case.
　And by looking at the magic he uses, you can tell if he's the founder or not.

　The content of the test is a little too simple, but it's a fair point.

"You are authorized to use any weapon, armor, or magical instrument. Do you have any questions?

Not really.

Then may the founder's blessing be upon you.

　I opened the door to the back of the waiting room. It was dimly lit, with long, narrow cobblestone passageways leading down the length of the room.
　Even though it's my castle, it was originally intended to be a spectacle, a place where the fighters would fight. As expected, this is the first time I've passed through here.

　As I walked down the corridor, I could see the lights leaking from outside.

　Once you exit the corridor, you are in the arena surrounded by high, circular walls.
　Even higher than the wall was the spectator's area, where there were a few demons here and there.
　Looking at the fact that they all wore the same uniform, they could be students of the Demon King Academy.

Yo. It's good to see you again.

　On the other side of the arena was a dark-skinned man.
　It was Zepes, whom I had just lightly mocked earlier.

　Hmm. It's hard to get people to understand that I'm the originator of this, but now, what do we do?

You hear me, huh?

　Without answering specifically, I walked forward a couple of steps and the passage behind me was closed by a magical barrier.
　Then Zepes said proudly.

'Oops. Are you really that worried about your retreat being blocked?

What? I just thought it would be a pity if you couldn't get away with it. But don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you.

　Zepes clicks his tongue in an abhorrent manner.
　Good grief. I said it out of kindness, but you're a man who doesn't know how to be polite.

　Or are you still an idiot who doesn't understand the difference in power?

I tell you what, I'm not going to take any chances with you. I'll turn your grinning face into a horrified, whimpering face and then I'll kill you.

　Puffing, I couldn't help but gush out.

"Kukku, hahahaha. No, no, kill?　Who?　Me?

　I glare at Zepes.

'You've got minutes, clown.

　Although his words were naturally filled with magic, Zepes was not compelled by his command.

　The dull-colored armor he wore unfolded an anti-magic magic circle.

''Ha. I'm not going to eat that hand anymore. This anti-magic armor is enchanted with the magic to seal any magic.

　I see. I'm not sure if that's why I'm not good at anti-magic, because I'm relying on that armor.
　I'm still a miserable man, even though I'm descended from him.

"You may use your weapons, armor and magical equipment. Victory is decided by death or a giveaway.

　An owl's voice from above echoed throughout the arena.

''Well then, we will now begin the practical test!

　Immediately, Zepes drew the sword at his waist and released it.
　The sword's blade gleamed and burned.

''Are you surprised?　The magic sword Zephryd, born of the ancient flames that have been passed down in my family for generations. I'm not going to be able to get it right. I'm sure you are good at counter-magic, but you can't quench the flames of this sword.

Hmm. Are you sure you're not too good at math?

　Zepes reveals his anger while closing in on the pause.

'What do you mean?'

Multiply one by a dozen and you get ten or so.

f*ck you!

　Zepes kicks the ground. The next moment, he appeared in front of me, and I was in between the magic sword Zephryd.

''Die.''

　Whew. I bite off a missing piece.

　But it's a lot slower.
　If I had a sword, I'd have slashed a hundred times already, but, well, no adult would take a child's game seriously. I'll just have to keep up with them.

　Weapons aside, the wielder doesn't even need to bother to avoid it with this.

　The magic sword Zephyrid, wielded in a horizontal flash, touches my neck - I was in a daze, and that's where I saw the sword properly for the first time.

　Not good!　And I ducked the magic sword on the verge.

"Hoho. You dodged that one pretty well, didn't you?

　Watch out. If I had been pushed in a few millimeters further, the weak anti-magic I wear all the time would have killed me and broken my sword in half.

　The fact that this has been passed down in the Indu family for generations means that it's probably an heirloom. It's a good idea to have a good conscience to break such a valuable item, even if it's a sleeper.

　However...

So this is the magic sword.

Yeah. Is this your first time?　This is a different kind of true magic from the magic of today. Yes, this is the ancient sword that holds the magic. A product of the age of the gods. The magic sword Zephryd!

　.........This is a magic sword?
　Compared to this thing, those sticks that fell in the Age of the Gods have much more magic power.

　They say it is a product of the age of the gods, but they must have grabbed a fake one. A true magic sword has a will. And with its enormous magical power, it can even undermine its owner.

　The word "demon sword" has come to be treated so lightly.

''Phew.''

　He exhaled. Then, the flames of the magic sword Zephryd disappeared.

''Gee, geez!

　Along with a vulgar Zepes' scream, a voice of surprise leaks out from the audience.

''........I can't believe it.......!　He extinguished the flames of the magic sword Zephryd...!

''The ancient flames that they say won't be extinguished until the end of the world... and I didn't even see you deploy a magic circle...!

　Just in time, Zepes grits his teeth.

"You, you don't think you're going to use sealing magic...?

What? I just blew it out. Even with the amount of magic in that sword, it should still catch fire in a few years.

　Zepes makes a bitter expression.

''.........Seal magic, compulsion magic, it certainly seems to be loaded with magic power at a tremendous level, but it seems that the magic you deal with is not suitable for combat. So how on earth do you break through this anti-demonic armor?

　Hmm. It's armor that could shatter if you pet it, but isn't that very popular?

'I don't think I'm going to be proud of you for breaking through.

Hmm. You're losing your nerve.

No, I have an interesting proposition. It's not right for you and I to be fighting for the same position in the first place.

　Zepes glares at me warily.

'It's a handicap. I won't move a single step from here. I don't deploy my magic circle, I don't put any magic power into my words or my breath. I will defeat you without blinking, without limbs, without eyes, without hair, without even blinking.

'Ha!　You can't bluff your way out of it. Or is that an excuse for losing?　Apparently your magic isn't suited for combat, ha...

Zepes spits out blood.

'....Stupid, nah... this is...'

Do you hear that?

　A thud.

A heartbeat.

　The sound of the magic in his heartbeat shook Zepes' body violently. Although he wore anti-magic armor, it wasn't a very high class product. There are several gaps in the anti-magic magic circle, and my heartbeat passed through them.

''Ka, ha........''

　Blood spurted out of his entire body and Zepes fell to his knees and then to his front.

'Hmm. But oh no. If I'm this weak, if I'm throbbing unintentionally, we're all going to die.