218-The pride of being trampled




You see, you guys screwed up.

 Emilia blames Heine and the others with a twang.

'Oh dear. Well, I'm sorry about that.

 Not taking offense, Lao says.

''I mean, Emilia. You can't use the magic of warding magic magic in such an aggressive way. It's not to kill, it's to make the most of it, that's how a brave man fights. But then I'm going to kill it.

 Heine laughs teasingly at Kera.

'It's the doctor! What's the big deal? Don't try to teach the teacher, you're a student!

To begin with, if you're a teacher, shouldn't you be more adept at warding magic than we are?

Shut up!

 Emilia pouted and turned away as she lashed out at Ledriano.
 At the same time, I heard the sound of a door opening.

''Good grief. As usual, this academy can't even give a decent lesson.

 The one who appeared was Zamira, the Dean of the Academy.
 Behind him was a line of soldiers in formal attire.

''Nah, big guy, have you come to interrupt the class again?

Fool. We have no use for an impostor like you. You heard the man. I hear you've been training to run away from dragons?

 Zamira says mockingly.

'I've never heard of a brave man running away. The brave canon would have fought even in death. You plan to flee with your well-trained running feet when the nation is in a fire hurry.'

 Lao sat back and stared at him in anger.

 But there were dozens of soldiers behind him.
 There was no way he could silence them with all his strength, as he had done the other day.

''Your pompous mouth will have to slay one of the dragons before you can strike it.

 Zamira headed straight for the podium.
 Then she bowed to Ray and Misa.

''We have come up for you, brave Kanon-sama and Misa-sama. We have prepared a carriage out front. Today, we are having a dinner at the royal palace. We'll be ready for the ceremony in a few days. Until then, I hope you will stay with us. In the meantime, I will do my best to be a hero and a true hero to entertain you.

 Ray asks him, his smile never faltering.

'As I said yesterday, do you think you'll get an audience with King Gailladite? I'd like to meet some of the royals.

'Of course, sir. The king would like to see you, Canon-sama. As for the royals....

 Zamira was about to say something, but stopped mid-sentence.

"Oh, no, come on, come on, come on. Let's talk in the palace instead of this pushy place.

 Ray nodded and turned to Mass.

'Shall we go?'

Yes, sir.

 Zamira was followed by two more.
 The soldiers ostentatiously split up on either side, lining up to make way for Ray's path.

 As Ray walked on, the soldiers followed him grudgingly.
 They walked out of the main auditorium and the doors were closed.

 A muffled voice echoed in the silence.

"....I'm not going to do this....

 It was Laos.
 He looked humiliated and stomped his foot as he made his way to the door.

 Then he kicked that door as hard as he could.

''........d*mn it! You've got to be kidding me. You've got to be kidding me, d*mn it...!

 Gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah, gah.

'Mr. Lao! Stop damaging property! It's outrageous.

 Emilia gets off the platform and goes to hold Lao's rampaging body.

''........Shut up.......!

 Shaking his body as hard as he could, Laos popped Emilia.
 She collapsed on the floor, hand in hand, and glared at him with a snap.

 --no one expects us to do anything about it, anyway--

 Strong thoughts spilled out of the unreleased .

 --everything is a waste--

 --The whole thing would be a waste of time.

 Rage. Rage is brewing.

 --It's not like we're the good guys. That's what I know--

 Emilia, the surgeon, would get it.
 She is listening to the voice of her heart.

 --But adults are just more junk than that--

 --I was training to fight dragons, I was ready to die, and now you're telling me I have to run.
 --And yet, we're supposed to protect those scum...

 If you follow the fire of anger, you'll see something different there.

 -- even a brave man is praised and --
 -praise him for being a reincarnation of the heroic canon.

 --One day, you said it wasn't so...

 Maybe it was a disappointment.

 -- treated sloppily, as if it were a palm strike -- and

 --All my life, all my life, I've been doing what I'm told.
 --I've become as brave as you wanted me to be.

 Strongly unreasonable, it's as if he's being accused of being unreasonable.

 --Why should I be blamed for doing exactly what I was told to do all of a sudden?

 --If it's not canon, it's not worth it.
 --It doesn't matter what you do, it's all worth it.

 I just scream in anger.

 --We ain't the brave ones--.
 --He's just a punk-ass imposter.

 --Crazy.

 --Why weren't you born the real thing?

 --How could you--

 Like an explosion, what swirled around the was the depressed thoughts that Lao was carrying.
 However, even if the words were his, the thoughts were not his alone.

 As if in tune with that, the magic power of the that Emilia wore swells up.

 Heine's thoughts, Ledriano's feelings, and the ramblings of the students who were once called Jelga Canon were united and converted into magical power.

''........What?''

 Lao says as he spits.

'Just slap him back. Just slap him back, like you do. Or what? Do you feel sorry for me? What? I don't need that!

Don't think....................

 Emilia mutters and stands up.

'Oh? What?

Don't think we're the only ones who are being unreasonable!

 With a bissin, Emilia's slap on Lao's cheek.

''.........''

If you're not going to protect it, you need to leave.

 Emilia points to the door.

'If you don't have a single thing you want to protect from the dragon, you don't need to take a class. All of them. If you're not willing to do it, then get the hell out.

 When Emilia uttered that, Ledriano stood up.
 Heine followed, and one by one, the students of the Brave Academy stood up and walked out of the main auditorium.

 Finally, Laos stopped as he was about to walk out the door.
 He turns around and looks at Emilia.

'Are you sure you don't want to keep her back? It's not a liability issue, is it?

I don't know. Have it your way.

Oh, yeah. I see. You're all the same, aren't you?

 Saying in frustration, Lao also left the main auditorium.
 The only person left in the Brave Academy was Emilia.

 She bit her lip uncomfortably as the students of the Demon King's Academy turned to look at her with concern.

''Kakkakka, you've seen some good things, you guys. Isn't this what youth is all about!

 The students were stunned by what Eldmead was saying.

''Hey, Miss Singh, it wasn't so much in our day.

 Singh says a few words quietly, expressing his thoughts.

'You're young,'

'Well, sir, can you be so fluent?'

 It was Naya in detention who made that statement.

'That's a good question, Naya. Unlike the demon race, this is what the humans need. Because the magic of their trump card, the Sanctuary (Ask), shows its true value when they are united in heart. Humans are living beings with a lot of pretensions, but when we truly unite our hearts, the Ask becomes a shield that can be used against us demons.

 壇上から降りて、エールドメードはエミリアの横に並ぶ。

「であるならば、衝突は避けられるものではない。ぶつけ、ぶつかり、己を知って、相手を知るのだ。勇者というのは、心で戦うものだ。エミリア先生はそれを実践したのだ。醜い心をさらけだして、生徒とぶつかりあったのだ。これこそ、勇気ではないか、ん?」

 エールドメードの言葉に、魔王学院の生徒たちは納得したような反応を見せる。

「では、オマエら。我々魔族は、魔族らしく体で戦おうでないか。今日は、竜に有効な攻撃手段を教えよう。ちょうどいい的(まと)を、東の砂漠で見つけてきた」

「あのー、先生……もしかして的って、もしかしなくても竜ですか?」

「その通り。カカカ。よいぞよいぞ、よいことだ。段々、察しがよくなってきたではないか!」

 生徒たちがやっぱり、とげんなりした表情を浮かべる。

「では、早速、行くぞ。今日も楽しく、<転移(ガトム)>の練習だ」

 エールドメードが黒板に<転移(ガトム)>の魔法術式を記し、生徒たちはそれを見て、次々と魔法行使をしては転移していく。

 俺の隣で、サーシャが<転移(ガトム)>を使おうとして、ふと気がついたように言った。

「行かないの?」

 ぽつんと一人佇むエミリアに視線を向け、俺は言った。

「後で行く」

「傷口に塩を塗るのはやめときなさいよ?」

「俺がそんなことをすると思ったか」

「しそうだから言ったんだけど……まあ、いいわ」

 サーシャが転移する。
 しばらくすると、大講堂にはエミリアと俺だけが残されていた。

 そばまでゆるりと歩いていくも、彼女は俯いたまま微動だにしない。

 構わず、その首元に魔法陣を描く。

 収納魔法から取り出し、現れたのは小さな鐘がついた首飾りだ。
 エミリアが緩慢な動作で俺を見た。

「……なんですか?」

「なに、お守りだ。それは<思念通信(リークス)>など、思念系の魔法が強化される<思念の鐘>という魔法具でな。相手に想いが伝わりやすくなることから、仲直りができると言われている」

 ほんの僅かに、エミリアは目を細める。

「なんだかんだで、アノシュ君は、子供なんですね……」

 彼女は首飾りについた鐘を軽く指先で撫でる。

「……出ていけなんて、教師の言う言葉じゃありません。職務放棄もいいところです。怒るのも当然ですよ。仲直りなんて……」

 エミリアは俯き、暗い視線を床に落とす。

「しかし、彼らのために言ったのだろう」

 驚いたようにエミリアは俺の顔を見た。

「エミリアは、自身を虐げる者すら守らなければならぬ勇者の宿命を、残酷だと思った。だから、やる気がないのなら出ていけと言った」

 エミリアは無言のまま、しかし、瞳にもの悲しさを滲ませる。

「違うか?」

 俯き、押し黙り、それから彼女は口を開く。

「……浅はかでしたよ……やっぱり、慣れないことはするものじゃありません……結局、彼らにかける言葉ではありませんでした……」

 俺が無言でいると、エミリアは「でも……」と口にした。

「……さっきの彼らは、まるでわたしみたいで……」

 言葉を一旦切り、彼女は言う。

「いえ、ずっとそうだったのかもしれません……ずっと、だから、わたしの言うことなんて、耳に入らずに……」

 エミリアは、過去を振り返るように言う。

''........If the adults at the Brave Academy raised them that way, it wouldn't be such a terrible thing.......''

 Immediately she shook her head in denial.

''No.........no. This is just a personal grudge........ I guess I just couldn't forgive something similar to something that pushed me to the depths of hell.......I wasn't thinking about the feelings of my students........

 Emilia laughs sadly.

'He's a terrible teacher,'

I don't think so.

 The words fly straight to Emilia.

'You wanted to protect their dignity. I didn't want to put them on the battlefield for someone they didn't want to protect.

''Well now you're talking like an adult...''

 Emilia mutters to herself.

'But no one thinks that way...'

Then I'll be the only one who thinks so.

 With a gasp, Emilia looked back into my eyes.

'You were a good teacher today, Emilia,'

 At the same time as the words, a flurry of tear drops painted the floor.
 As quickly as possible, she wiped her cheeks with her hand to deny it.

''No........that's not true........''

 Gulpily holding back tears, Emilia looks forward.

''........But I think I'm going to go and fight some more.......anyway, since this is the time to do it.......''

 She walks towards the door.

'Emilia,'

 I call out to her, and Emilia turns around.

'You're doing great,'

"...What is that.........

 She smiled somewhat happily as she said this.

''Anosh-kun, you should hurry up and go take classes with Eldmead-sensei. You won't be able to become a great Demon Emperor if you skip it just because you're strong.

Yeah. Bye.

 Emilia waved lightly and ran through the door.