The Demon Prince goes to the Academy

Everyone who needed to know was aware that the Demon King had infiltrated the temple.

The fact that he even shared a class with the Emperor, Princess, and the Hero revealed his malicious and wicked nature.

The Demon King observed the most important people of the empire from up close and studied the empire itself. He even tried to secretly pull the prince and princess to his side.

However, in the end, the Demon King's identity was exposed, and those captured by him dared to betray humanity, rescuing the Demon King and fleeing.

No one knew what the Demon King's true intentions were, but he caused the Gate Incident to annihilate humanity.

Those who had betrayed humanity and were loyal to the Demon King.

And among the Royal Class second-year students, including Ellen, some had become extremely important figures.

Emperor Bertus de Gardias.

Hero Ellen Artorius.

Adelia, the creator of the Power Cartridge and Titan.

Heinrich, the pyrokinetic.

Christina, the creator of Moonshine.

Ludwig hadn't been very conscious of the fact that they were his classmates, but upon seeing Rowan's astonishment, he realized anew that even excluding the Demon King and Ellen, his classmates were formidable figures not easily discussed.

Rowan looked at Ludwig with a mix of fear and curiosity, as if she was both scared and unable to resist asking.

"What kind of being was the Demon King?"

"..."

What kind of being was Reinhardt?

During his first year, Reinhardt was a member of Class A, but he was a below-average student. Ludwig could not be sure whether this was a genuine representation of his abilities or a false facade to hide his true power.

Although not in the same class, Ludwig had seen various aspects of the Demon King.

He was violent and rough, but not necessarily evil.

However, with the Gate Incident occurring, Reinhardt could not be considered anything but evil.

"I'm... not really sure."

Because they had spent time together, Ludwig felt he knew even less about Reinhardt than he thought, and he couldn't help but feel pathetic for it.

"I thought I knew him a little, but now that I think about it, I guess I didn't."

"...I see."

Ludwig stared blankly at the ash-colored winter sky.

"However, the Demon King... eventually... must..."

As a weakling and a loser, there was only one thing Ludwig could do.

"I just hope he'll pay the price for everything."

A longing for divine punishment that didn't exist.

And a curse.

That was all.

------

Rowan and Ludwig crossed the quarantine line and entered the area where the epidemic had broken out.

Both Ludwig and Rowan wore masks.

The area affected by the epidemic was still under strict control, just like the day before. When Rowan showed some kind of mark, the guards obediently let them pass.

"..."

"Seeing this all the time because of my job, but I can never get used to it."

As they entered the area affected by the epidemic, Ludwig couldn't help but feel the atmosphere was distinctly different from the outside.

Everywhere was gloomy and oppressive, but within the cold air, the smell of death was strong enough to be sensed.

Guards pulling carts were loading emaciated corpses and heading somewhere, and smoke rose in the direction the carts were going.

Ludwig imagined a horrific and grotesque plague that spread like wildfire, devouring people as soon as he heard the words "contagious disease."

However, there were no signs on the corpses that resembled the marks of a plague.

People had simply died from being too weak, succumbing to an equally weak disease.

Ludwig watched with a somber expression as those who had died from such a trivial illness were loaded onto carts and taken away.

The entire area was under quarantine, so even those who were not infected would soon catch the disease and die.

This scene would be unfolding in various places across the imperial capital's refugee camps.

Even if they purified this area, it would not be the end.

New contagious diseases would continue to emerge, and as long as the root cause remained unresolved, people would keep dying from these seemingly insignificant plagues.

"What do we do now...?"

"We'll walk the streets, offering prayers of purification. Just follow me."

"Is that safe? If someone sees us offering prayers..."

Rowan shook her head at the mention of the potential danger.

"Ludwig."

"Yes, Priestess?"

"Do you think there is anyone here with enough strength left to grab my collar? If there were, that would actually be fortunate."

"Ah..."

"Extreme situations are typically only a remote possibility. Most likely, there won't be any need for you to step in."

Rowan offered a reassuring smile, saying that although she had encountered problems before, they were far from common occurrences.

Most people didn't even have the energy to express their hatred and resentment through violence.

If they happened to encounter such people, all he had to do was flee, carrying Rowan with him.

"And it's not like I'll be singing hymns loudly. Most people will think I'm just a crazy woman wandering around, muttering to myself."

Rowan spoke playfully, trying to reassure Ludwig, and he couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh despite the situation.

However, her words were not a joke but a serious statement.

As Ludwig watched Rowan walk through the gloomy streets, muttering prayers with her head bowed, she truly appeared to be nothing more than a deranged woman.

------

There was no brilliant white light, nor a gentle golden radiance.

Rowan walked through the spaces between the unprocessed corpses and the shanties filled with coughing sounds, uttering incomprehensible prayers.

Her murmurs seemed ominous if only half-heard, but if listened to carefully, they clearly contained the content of purification prayers offered to the Goddess of Purity, Tu'an.

The only assurance that something was going right was that the stench that had been wafting through the streets despite the cold weather was beginning to disappear.

Rowan simply took cautious steps beside him, reciting her prayers.

Later on, other areas might be struck by contagious diseases, but the dreadful illness in these streets would certainly vanish, and the sick would be healed.

‘O Pure Will that expels corruption, depravity, and nightmares…’

Ludwig suddenly found the entire situation strange.

The fact that this contagious disease, which caused countless people to die in vain—even if it wasn't a lethal illness—could be eradicated by the prayers of just one person, a single priestess, struck him as utterly remarkable.

How could such a thing be possible?

Was this the power and miracle of the gods?

No matter how much people felt betrayed by two of the Five Great Gods and denied their existence, the gods' powers were so immense that they brought great benefit to humanity.

Ludwig suddenly realized.

Regardless of the outcome of the current situation, as long as humanity survived,

The power of the gods was eternal, and people would restore their faith to receive the blessings and powers of Tu’an and Als.

Divine power was different from all other acts that used mana as a resource.

Though the capacity of each priest may vary, divine power did not require any compensation.

Apart from other mysteries and supernatural abilities, divine power was a miracle without cost, manifested only through the act of belief.

Why did the gods...

Bestow such great miracles upon the world?

Why did the gods...

Choose such beings?

The prayer was long.

Not only was the area affected by the plague vast, but Rowan also walked very slowly as she prayed.

The purification of the entire area was completed by evening. Thankfully, the work was finished without any issues.

"Now it seems we have somewhat wrapped up... Hmm. Yes. Huh! Mm!"

Having recited prayers for over eight hours, Rowan's throat was nearly worn out. Her voice was hoarse and tinged with metallic undertones.

It couldn't be helped since she had prayed for eight hours without taking a single sip of water.

She could have healed her own throat, but whether it was to avoid conspicuous behavior or not, Rowan only cleared her throat with a few coughs.

Wondering if she always had to do this, Ludwig stared blankly at Rowan.

She stretched her body languidly.

"Ugh! Mm...! Oh dear, what a strange sound... Anyway, it's fortunate that nothing happened today."

"Yes... You've worked hard, Priestess."

"Anyway..."

Looking at Ludwig with slightly drooping, weary eyes, Rowan asked,

"What were you thinking about so deeply?"

Noticing Ludwig's troubled expression even during her prayers, Rowan inquired, seemingly curious.

There was no particular incident, nor was there any threat.

So, while being by Rowan's side for such a long time, Ludwig felt troubled.

He saw the greatness of the gods.

And he saw their inscrutability.

It invoked fear, despair, and hope all at once.

That's what gods were like, after all.

"The gods are so gracious... Why did they choose the Demon King?"

The Five Great Gods bestowed such immense miracles without cost.

But why did Als and Tu’an simultaneously choose the Demon King, who brought such great calamity and despair to the world?

No matter how much Ludwig thought about it, he couldn't understand.

The gods seemed to be benevolent beings, but from a broader perspective, they seemed to desire even greater calamities.

As many others had, Ludwig felt both gratitude and despair for the power given by the gods without cost.

At Ludwig's words, Rowan quietly looked at him.

"Ludwig, the gods are not beings within our comprehension."

"..."

"They see what we cannot see, and know what we do not know."

Various theories were created within the Five Great Gods' faith to justify Als and Tu’an’s choice of the Demon King.

The gods could not be wrong.

Thus, the logic that the gods' providence would lead to a good outcome for the events unfolding now was a prevalent argument.

Even the wicked actions of the Demon King would ultimately result in goodness.

It didn't mean that the Demon King was a righteous being because he possessed the sacred artifacts.

The logic was that the Demon King's arrogance, too, was part of the gods' plan, and that he would ultimately face ruin.

The Five Great God Religion created numerous arguments to say that the gods were right, and the Demon King was wrong, but in the end, that was the central argument.

Everything was calculated, and the Demon King was merely being used by the gods.

In the end, the Demon King would pay the price for his arrogance and cruelty and face eternal suffering before the gods' judgment after his death.

It was a story of a beneficial outcome for humanity, in the end.

No one knew what it was, but since the gods were great, they must have had a plan, perhaps an irresponsible story.

"Does it mean that all of this is part of the gods' plan? That it will ultimately be beneficial for humanity... Is that what you're saying? Through events like these?"

What could be the good outcome that would be achieved or welcomed through such despair and death? Ludwig could not possibly know.

At Ludwig's resentful words, Rowan tilted her head.

"I wonder?"

"…Pardon?"

"I'm not sure."

Ludwig was taken aback by her somewhat naive attitude.

"I can't presume to know the will of the gods, but isn't it not an impossibility?"

Rowan's words were similar to Ludwig's.

"Ludwig."

Rowan spoke.

"Isn't believing that the gods always pursue goodness an act of daring to judge the gods' will?"

"…What?"

"Do the gods have a reason not to desire humanity's extinction?"

"What are you... saying?"

"The world and humanity are byproducts of the gods."

From the innocent smile of the priestess.

"Both lending power without a price to those byproducts and disposing of them are acts dependent on the will of the gods."

"Yes...? I don't understand what you're saying..."

"It's possible that the gods desire the annihilation of humanity."

"!"

"Isn't it blasphemy to believe that the gods always pursue goodness? No, to believe that the gods always make choices for the sake of humanity?"

"Did the gods ever say that the good they pursue is the same as the good for humans?"

Ludwig realized the obvious truth.

In that situation.

In that environment.

In that reality.

A priestess who still belonged to the Church of Tu’an and Als. She couldn't possibly be in her right mind.