"Oh~ I remember now."
Obviously, that exaggerated tone... White Night had been putting it on.
Immediately after, an extremely terrifying surge of Magic Power erupted! Though it vanished in an instant, Ikki still felt it... that absolute strength!
"Kurogane Gen values order and hierarchy, using them to maintain the Kurogane family's position in the Far East."
White Night gave a brief summary, then looked at Ikki and heavily brought down his right hand. "The only reason Kurogane Gen wants you to lie down and rot is because the benefits you bring aren't enough."
Internationally, there was a class of people whose very existence represented absolute authority!
—Demons!
"One country... no, many countries don't even have one. Should I say that only a few Demons exist in the entire world?"
???
Ikki knew absolutely nothing about this. He had never had such a concept before; this was practically classified information. "White Night, are Demons rare?"
"There's probably around ten or so, maybe a little more?" Even White Night wasn't very certain.
Then he turned to Ikki. "You thought of it too, right? It might sound like a lot, but that's with the whole world as the basis! They're incredibly rare."
"So what exactly is a Demon?"
"A Demon, huh..."
—A Demon was a truly powerful existence that had broken free from the shackles of fate. To a certain degree, the domain of Demons could already interfere with fate.
"Beyond that is Transcendent Awakening. Compared to that, the growth of Magic Power becomes secondary."
"White Night! You mean..."
"That's right. Your pitiful Magic Power can still be saved, Ikki."
Hidden within the darkness, White Night watched Ikki with great interest. "Though it'll be very difficult, if it's you, Ikki, you can definitely do it, right?"
After all, following the original story's path, you succeeded... White Night silently sighed to himself.
"So becoming a Demon will be enough?"
Ikki raised his head. Before him was deep darkness, yet it still could not conceal the brilliance in his eyes.
"Of course. As long as they aren't brain-dead, no person or family would reject a Demon, especially one from their own family."
As though he had suddenly thought of something, White Night bent down slightly and lowered his voice in cooperation. "Let me tell you a secret: even the Chairman isn't a Demon~"
"Now you understand how valuable Demons are, right? So, young man, go become a Demon!"
"Click~"
The power suddenly returned, and the tightly shut door slowly opened. Light streamed in from outside... When Ikki looked to his right again, White Night was nowhere to be seen.
But... a Demon? Though he still didn't fully understand, the concept had been deeply branded into Ikki's heart.
Father and Son
"Kurogane Ikki barely won the match, yet there was no remorse on his face."
At lunchtime, Stella, Shizuku, and the others sat together at a table, browsing the latest news on their student handbooks. Not only that, the nearby students were also whispering among themselves, spreading negative rumors.
—Someone was pulling strings behind the scenes!
Beneath the table, Stella clenched her delicate hands tightly, wrinkling her skirt in countless folds.
"It's only been a few days, Stella."
A figure approached the dining table and casually braced both hands against its surface. White Night leaned down slightly. "Looking at you now, why does it feel like all the color's drained out of you~"
"You."
"Hey, hey, at least call me by name. I went through all that trouble to see Ikki over there, and this is how you repay me..." As White Night spoke, he suddenly flashed aside.
Bang—!
Stella abruptly stood up and slammed both hands onto the table. Faint flames flickered around her, and she was clearly agitated. "You really saw Ikki?!!"
"What are you thinking? How could that possibly happen~"
As he spoke, White Night quietly reached out and lightly patted Stella's shoulder. Then he leaned closer, deliberately lowering his voice. "Control your emotions a little. We're in public."
"Alright, everyone, Nenene has something she needs us for. Come with Bronya for a moment."
Bronya casually made up an excuse, but with her usual tone, the others couldn't tell.
After entering an empty classroom, Bronya placed one hand against the wall and set up a barrier. "Stella was too impulsive. Even if some things are done, they can't be displayed openly."
"Exactly. How could I possibly fail when I took action~" White Night walked forward, propped himself up with one hand, and sat on a desk.
Bronya added at the right moment, "Given White Night's personality, if the operation had truly failed, he wouldn't have the mood to joke around. So the result is obvious."
"Bingo~"
White Night made a gesture and admitted it. "The cafeteria wasn't the right setting before, so I covered it up with a few words. But in truth, I did see him."
"There's basically no problem on Ikki's side now."
Clapping his hands, White Night turned his gaze toward Stella. "Of course, speaking only from my personal perspective... Stella, you can take advantage of the match to pass something to him."
"A token of some kind. Even something as simple as a strand of hair would work," Bronya added from the side.
White Night took over again. "After all, at a time like this, what he needs most should be support from you, his lover."
"L-lover..."
Even though it had basically been made clear already, being openly told that Ikki needed her help still made Stella inevitably blush.
"You don't want to?"
Seeing this, White Night deliberately twisted the facts. Then he flashed over to Shizuku's side and said in a ghostly tone, "It's fine. If it really won't work, Shizuku can..."
"N-no, that won't do! I can do it!" Stella lunged forward, cutting White Night off in embarrassment and anger.
"There's no need. As his actual younger sister, Shizuku can completely..."
"No! I said no!"
For a time, the lifeless atmosphere from before was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the mood became somewhat cheerful.
During another private selection match, Oregi Yuri, who was responsible for following up, could see that Ikki looked much better overall.
"Kurogane, how are you?"
"Quiet. No private conversations."
The supervisor interrupted her, then coldly looked at Ikki. "Immediately take your position at the starting point."
Clang, clang—!
In no time at all, Ikki easily claimed victory. For him, it didn't even count as a warm-up.
Umm...
That made Oregi Yuri somewhat awkward... She took a few steps forward and naturally gave everyone a slight bow. "Then, the next match... Pfft~"
A spray of blood burst from her mouth, and Ari-chan staggered a few steps before falling toward Ikki.
"Ari-chan!"
Just as Ari-chan had expected, Ikki caught her. Where no one could see, Ari-chan slipped a folded handkerchief into Ikki's pocket.
After all, Oregi Yuri had that kind of constitution. The inquiry committee didn't notice anything, and everything was treated as though nothing had happened.
Ikki was once again locked inside the Dark Room.
Using his body to block the surveillance camera, Ikki took the handkerchief from his pocket and spread it flat... A strand of red hair was revealed.
"..."
A long silence followed.
Stella... Ikki carefully pressed the hair against his chest. In his eyes, it was the most precious treasure! In an instant, the emotions surging within him seemed to ignite.
"Ari-chan, how is Ikki doing?"
On the other side, Ari-chan was surrounded as soon as she returned. Stella appeared extremely anxious, worried about Ikki's condition.
"Don't worry, Stella-chan~"
Ari-chan caught her breath and made sure she wouldn't cough up blood again before slowly saying, "Ikki looks much better now, and he easily won the selection match too..."
Meanwhile, Ikki was no longer silent. At that day's inquiry meeting, he made a demand of Akaza. "Akaza, I want to see my father!"
"Huh?"
"Kurogane Gen is the branch chief here. I want to appeal directly to him and prove my innocence."
"How ridiculous. What are you talking about..."
At that moment, a message came through—it was from Kurogane Gen. Through some private means, Chairwoman Kurogane had given Ikki this assist.
In a high-rise building that overlooked the entire city, Kurogane Gen sat in front of a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, dressed in a suit. "The selection matches... I hear you've been winning all of them."
"I hear your opponents were far from ordinary as well. That's quite impressive."
"..."
Ikki remained silent. If White Night hadn't mentioned it before, he probably would have been very excited. But now... Ikki had already guessed what would come next.
"I know what you mean, Father."
Though it was cruel, he had prepared himself in advance... Even so, Ikki unconsciously clenched his fists. "Because my Magic Power is so poor, I shouldn't have been able to achieve success, right?"
"...No. I know very well about your talent with the sword, but the current era is different."
Kurogane Gen slowly turned his chair, his stern eyes looking directly at Kurogane Ikki for the first time. "If this only involved swordsmanship, the Kurogane family could even have paved the road ahead for you."
"But being a Magic Knight is different. Someone without talent, yet achieving success..."
(This was mentioned before, so it won't be repeated here. Omitted.)
Ikki deeply lowered his head, his bangs casting a broad shadow over his face. Though he had prepared himself, hearing it again... still hurt terribly!
"If you can't do anything, then don't do anything. That is all I expect of you..."
"Father!"
At last, Ikki slowly raised his head and shouted. The expression on his face was indescribably complicated. "Actually, someone already told me this before."
"That person told me my father was this kind of person. But he also told me..."
At this point, Ikki paused slightly. His gaze toward Kurogane Gen gradually became firm. "If I can become a Demon, will you truly acknowledge me!"
One-Hit Rakshasa!
"..."
Kurogane Gen fell silent for a while. Since this involved Demons, he ultimately didn't ask about it and instead kept a stern expression. "You have always been my son."
"That's not the kind of acknowledgment I mean!"
Ikki's powerful voice drowned out Kurogane Gen's. His burning gaze locked onto his father. "What I want is your sincere approval. I want you to be proud of me!"
"..."
Another long silence followed.
Finally, Kurogane Gen spoke first. "Ikki, the domain of Demons... is not so easily reached."
"I will succeed."
His words were firm and forceful. Ikki looked deeply at his father, then finally left with resolute steps. "When that day comes, I will return with honor."
Umm...
On the empty floor, Kurogane Gen maintained his previous posture, remaining silent for a long time.
For Ikki to bring up the concept of "Demons," someone had clearly made contact with him. So who could it be? Most Demons in the world were already known, so it couldn't be them.
Before you continue