The Demon Prince goes to the Academy

The day after Louise von Schwarz arrived at the temple.

There weren't many people in the Royal Class dormitory in the first place, and Louise was the commander of the Kernstadt army.

Thus, some of those who recognized her seemed slightly tense, but it didn't get noisy.

Louise found it intriguing that she was at the temple, whether people recognized her or not.

Breakfast time.

"…You were patrolling the area?"

"Yes, sister."

"Didn't I tell you to rest?"

Louise's expression slightly stiffened.

"I'm sorry…"

"I didn't mean to hear that."

Just watching the interaction between the two made one feel awkward.

The tense atmosphere between them was almost unbearable for those who knew them well!

"Anyway… there was no significant issue. The surroundings of the Imperial Capital seem to be quite safe. We didn't even catch a glimpse of any monsters. Right, Ellen?"

At Heinrich's request for support, Ellen, who had been quietly tearing her bread, nodded.

"Yes, it seems like there's no monster problem. I don't think there's much point in patrolling anymore."

The two had been tirelessly active since returning to the temple, but they couldn't even draw their swords for combat. It seemed it was time for them to rest.

However, as they looked out the banquet hall window at the snow, the expressions of both Heinrich and Ellen darkened.

Following hunger and cold, the accumulating snow was a major issue.

The cause of all these issues was the gate incident and the monsters, but now the monsters had become a secondary problem. Louise, after exchanging various stories, glanced at Ludwig who was eating.

"By the way, Ludwig, thank you for yesterday."

"Uh? Oh… no, Commander, it wasn't a big deal."

What is she talking about?

What could Louise be thankful to Ludwig for?

Feeling Heinrich's gaze, Louise seemed slightly taken aback.

She had a look that said she shouldn't have mentioned it.

"He… guided me on the way yesterday."

"Guided you…?"

"Yesterday when I arrived, it was snowing so heavily…"

Louise's face turned slightly red.

Don't tell me…

"Did you… get lost?"

"…Yes."

What the…

Why is this lady so cute?

Initially, she didn't even look like a lady because she was a master-class swordsman.

When I think about it, Louise von Schwarz arrived at the temple very late yesterday.

Ellen and Heinrich were in the lobby, unable to sleep due to the snow, but it was later than their usual bedtime.

She didn't arrive late, but had wandered off the Imperial Capital?

The heavy snowfall made it an unavoidable situation.

A princess getting lost and wandering in the snow.

"If I hadn't met Ludwig in time… I would have wandered even more…"

She had gotten lost and met Ludwig, who guided her to the temple.

No, when you think about it, even after finding the temple would have been a problem.

The temple's interior is extremely vast.

She might have struggled to find the Royal Class dormitory even after finding the temple.

If she hadn't encountered Ludwig by chance, she might have spent the whole night outside.

"Ludwig, were you busy yesterday? You came late, it seems."

Heinrich, who seemed to have sensed my curiosity, asked Ludwig, who was in the middle of his meal.

"It wasn't that I was busy with work... I finished on time, but on my way back... I came across someone who needed help, so I got a bit delayed helping them."

"Typical of you..."

"Heh..."

They say old habits die hard.

In the end, it led to finding the lost princess, so I guess it was a good thing.

Meanwhile, Ludwig's expression seemed to be gradually improving.

It appeared that he was realizing he could still do meaningful work through the purification process.

His wound wouldn't heal completely, but it seemed he would find a way to overcome it, and he was in the process of doing so.

Thanks to Ellen forcibly bringing me to the temple, not only was information gathered, but it was also a relief to see Ludwig getting better.

"Huh?"

-Meow

"Hmm."

As I sat on her knees, Ellen gently stroked my back.

This is...

Quite comfortable...

If it weren't for the Gate incident, I might have been content living as a cat for the rest of my life...

Of course, I'd have to choose an owner as wisely as I did.

Honestly, I think even the blockhead likes my cat form...

Heinrich asked Ludwig, "Are you going out for purification work with that priestess again today?"

"Yes, she asked me to come early today, so I'm leaving soon. There's a lot of snow as well."

"Purification work...?"

Louise tilted her head as if she didn't understand.

"There's an epidemic spreading in the Imperial Capital, so I'm in charge of escorting a priestess who's purifying the disease."

At those words, Louise's eyes widened.

"That's a good deed."

"No, not really. I don't actually do much. Most of the time, I just walk beside her and that's it..."

"Even so, it's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Well... Thank you."

Louise nodded quietly, as if she found Ludwig's efforts to do something despite his condition admirable. It also seemed to make her feel even more pity for him.

That lady seems to have already reached the maximum level of affection for Ludwig.

Well... If someone dislikes a person who's only ever kind, then that person is the problem.

And I had been unfairly harsh to Ludwig.

Yes, I am the problem.

When I think about it, everything in the world is my fault, so I am the problem...

Suddenly, I feel depressed...

Louise stared intently at Ludwig's retreating figure as he left the banquet hall.

"He's a good kid."

It seemed that Louise was relieved to see such a kind-hearted person among Heinrich's friends.

And she couldn't help but feel pity for the reality of him losing an arm like that.

"Yes, he is..."

Heinrich showed a bitter smile at Louise's words.

------

Both Ellen and Heinrich had confirmed that the outskirts of the Imperial Capital were safe, so there was no need to patrol them anymore.

And due to Louise's arrival at the temple, Heinrich couldn't leave even if he wanted to.

After breakfast, Louise and Heinrich stepped outside the Royal Class dormitory.

There was no intention of patrolling the outskirts anymore. They had seen with their own eyes that the defenses were well in place for several days already.

The reason Heinrich left the dormitory was to show Louise around the temple.

Even the usually stoic mother was visibly excited, and even the not-so-perceptive Heinrich could tell.

However, there was a problem.

"My, there's so much… snow."

"Indeed…"

The snow that had started falling since yesterday had turned the entire world white, leaving nothing but an endless expanse of white all around them.

Fortunately, the snow had been cleared enough so that it wasn't too difficult to walk around, even though it continued to fall.

"The outside world must be in chaos."

"Most likely."

Just like everyone else, Heinrich and Louise could not find any joy in this snow. To them, it felt like a terrible curse falling from the sky.

Heinrich seemed to have an idea and looked at Louise.

"Shall we try melting the snow?"

"With your power?"

"Yes, I've never used it this way before, but… I think it's worth a try."

"Hmm… Give it a shot, then."

"Alright."

Heinrich began to focus his power.

"If it works, we could even melt the snow on the Imperial Capital instead of just patrolling, don't you think?"

Heinrich wore a proud smile as if he was thinking about clearing the snow on the Imperial Capital using his power.

"Well… Give it a try, for now."

Louise decided to watch Heinrich's attempt silently.

-Krrrrrr!

Soon, she could see a bright red, boiling sphere of flame high in the sky.

"Are you planning to summon the sun or something?"

"Well, if I were to do that, it would be disastrous, but for now…"

The blazing flames emitted an intense radiance in every direction, and the heat could even be felt on their skin.

A roaring sphere of fire burned in the sky, melting the piled snow on the ground.

Naturally.

-Plop, plop.

"…"

"…"

The falling snow turned into rain and began to pour down from the sky.

Inevitably, both of them were drenched in rain instead of snow in the middle of winter.

Their clothes were soaked through in an instant.

"Ah, this wasn't…"

Heinrich quickly extinguished the blazing sphere of fire in the sky, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Louise let out a deep sigh.

"I knew this would happen."

"Did… did you?"

"If the snow melts and evaporates instantly from such intense heat, that method might work. But exposing people to that heat would be dangerous. No, the risk of fire would be the main concern. But if you melt the snow this clumsily, the whole street will turn into an ice rink."

Louise thought that Heinrich's grand plan was meaningless, but she decided to let him try it out for himself rather than explaining it to him.

"…I'm sorry. We're just soaking wet now."

Heinrich's face grew even redder with embarrassment, realizing what he had done after actually attempting something he should have known better than to try.

"I wish you would think more deeply before acting."

"Yes…"

"Still…"

Louise looked at Heinrich and smiled.

"Your heart is in the right place."

"Excuse me…?"

Although his attempt was a failure and his method held no meaning, he tried it out of his desire to help people.

"That alone might be enough."

Louise added with a smile.

Caught off guard by her sudden words, Heinrich could only stare blankly.

"Th-thank you, sister…"

Seeing Ludwig must have affected Louise's emotions, and she couldn't help but feel happy seeing a similar side in Heinrich.

Of course.

Having spoken of something she normally wouldn't, Louise found herself as pale as Heinrich.

And that wasn't the only problem.

Naturally, the two couldn't help but feel the intense cold in the freezing winter air.

For Louise, it wasn't an issue, but for Heinrich, it was a problem.

Seeing Heinrich's lips turning purple, Louise sighed.

"…Let's change our clothes first."

"…Yes."

They had no choice but to return immediately after their walk.

------

After changing into different clothes, Heinrich and Louise set out for a walk around the temple.

"Younger brother, there aren't as many people in the temple as there used to be, right?"

"Since the school is not operating, there are probably only a tenth of the usual number of people? No, even less than that."

"If there are so few people in the temple that the snow can be cleared, we might not need to worry too much about the outside."

"That would be nice."

Louise and Heinrich walked around the temple.

"Do you know about the temple's education?"

"I do."

There is an academy in Kernstadt, and in fact, the Kernstadt Academy had adopted quite a bit of the temple's approach.

From the separate common and specialized education programs to educating children from a very young age and including students from all social classes without discrimination.

"That's the building where we had common education classes."

"Ah… I see."

Louise looked at the snow-white building where the classrooms were.

"That was the swimming pool… and over there was where we did physical training…"

"Right."

Heinrich guided Louise through various parts of the temple, explaining everything.

The classroom building where they had Royal Class lessons, the building where they had supernatural ability classes, the places where they trained in mana sensitivity, and so on.

And not just the Royal Class, but Louise was also taken to the elementary and middle schools Heinrich attended when he was younger.

"This is Main Street. Now the shops are closed, but the temple students used to gather here to go to restaurants or cafes. Almost all of the students came here unless they went out to the main street on weekends."

"It's a very wide street."

"That's right. There were over a hundred thousand students, and this was the street where they mainly gathered. And since students from all over the continent gathered here, you could also taste local cuisine from many places. Well… I didn't particularly like it."

"I see."

Aside from the guards who were clearing snow, passersby were extremely rare, but this space once bustled with countless students.

People from all over the continent gathered here, bringing their cultures with them.

Main Street was not an educational site, but it symbolized the success and prosperity of the temple.

However, now there was not a single open store on the snowy street.

Louise was familiar with all these places in her mind.

The number of students, Main Street, the other schools Heinrich attended.

She knew them in her head, but they were places and scenes she had never seen before.

"You spent your whole life in a place like this."

"Yes."

Louise softly spoke those words, and Heinrich nodded.

"I don't know if it's rude to say this to you… but the temple is a good place."

"You don't have to be considerate. Don't you think I know that the Kernstadt Academy is not as good as the temple?"

Louise quietly looked at the snowy scenery of the temple.

The Academy of Kernstadt was never meant to rival the size of Temple, nor could it. Seeing it with her own eyes, she realized that only an empire could have accomplished such a feat.

Although the Academy of Kernstadt was modeled after Temple, it could not secure the same scale.

First of all, there was no reason to choose the Kernstadt Academy when Temple, the greatest educational institution on the continent, was available. Most students enrolled in Temple came from wealthy families. They had no reason to attend a second-tier academy like Kernstadt.

The Kernstadt Academy did provide tuition assistance, but if they were to fully fund their students like Temple did, the nation itself would falter.

As a result, the number of schools and their scale were inevitably smaller.

Louise was not unaware of this fact, so she did not think that Heinrich was belittling the Kernstadt Academy when he said this.

"No, sister, I did not mean it that way."

As they stood face to face on Main Street, Heinrich spoke softly.

"I'm saying that I have lived a good life in a good place."

"Ah…"

Louise suddenly felt as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs.

"It wasn't exactly happiness, but neither was it misery. Rather, I lived among good people in a good place."

"…"

"So, you don't have to make that face."

Only then did Louise realize the expression she had been wearing.

Heinrich had passed through countless places, schools, dormitories, and streets, but Louise had not been able to witness any of it, let alone be with him. She felt immense guilt for having lived her entire life ignorant of the truth about her son.

That's why she couldn't express her appreciation for each place they visited.

With her guilt unresolved and only growing deeper, Louise's expression remained stiff throughout.

Her joy at arriving at Temple was short-lived.

In the end, she felt regret, sorrow, and ultimately guilt for not having been able to witness those moments. As a result, Louise's mood only sank further.

Temple is a good place, and I lived in such a wonderful place.

So, you don't have to feel sorry for me.

Louise couldn't tell if she even deserved to hear those words.

She had never watched over him, cared for him, or even had a proper conversation with him.

Even now that she knew the truth, they hadn't had a proper conversation.

For fear that someone might overhear them, she still called her son the youngest, and he called her "sister."

"Thank you... for growing up well."

"Oh, if you think that way... thank you."

Louise could only resent herself for not being able to say more.

Even if her country's power was intact, Louise could see with her own eyes that Kernstadt could never catch up with Temple.

Fortunately.

If Temple was a good place where her son could grow up like this, then it was fortunate that Kernstadt could not compete with Temple.

Living in a good place, among good people.

What a relief that must be.

However, as Louise thought this and was moved, she couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

Living among good people.

What a terrible lie that was.

Louise smiled bitterly.

"Living in Temple with the Demon King and claiming to have been among good people... Do you think lying will comfort me? Even so... thank you for saying that."

"Huh? Ah…"

Her son must have been one of the most unfortunate people in the world, easily among the top ten.

Despite this, to comfort her, he lied. That was the only way Louise could understand it.

However, upon hearing her words, Heinrich became silent, as if he had received a great shock.

Louise regretted her loose tongue as she looked at her son, who stared at her, wide-eyed.

Had she carelessly mentioned the Demon King?

It was clear that she had said something unnecessary.

He might feel guilty for not having known anything while he was with the Demon King and for not having prevented all this.

"My youngest, I just meant…"

"Sister."

Feeling an inexplicable tightening in her chest, Louise nodded in confusion.

"Yes. I'm listening."

In Heinrich's terrifyingly stern expression, Louise felt a kind of fear she had never experienced in her life.

Heinrich's face hardened menacingly.

He was contemplating.

She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he stared at her in silence, as if searching for the right words.

Would she be able to bear the resentment in the words she was about to hear?

Feeling suffocated by the intense pressure, Louise waited for the words to come from Heinrich's mouth.

After a long silence, when the snow that had accumulated on his shoulders seemed to stop falling, he finally spoke.

"All this time, I've been debating whether or not to tell you, Sister… But I think you need to know."

"I need to know… what?"

"Yes."

The words that came from her son's mouth were neither of resentment nor of expressing sorrow.

Heinrich slowly opened his mouth, his expression still stern.

"Actually… before my brothers tried to kill me… the Demon King visited me."

"!"