Chapter 87 – Worrying, huh?

The Empire’s espers continue to chase the gates that appear beyond the Sealstone area.

And they defeat the damned monsters crawling out of them, preserving the peace of this world once more. Any byproducts they obtain in the process are just a bonus.

Often, they work alongside the charming juniors of the dispatched squad.

The valedictorian and salutatorian of the Cradle, and a few other exceptional students granted permission for field deployment.

Naturally, their skills are outstanding, but their lack of practical experience means they don’t receive dangerous assignments.

They will be working in the field after graduation anyway, so it’s beneficial to gain experience beforehand.

Therefore, it’s generally uncommon for the Cradle’s dispatched squad to be deployed on the front lines.

However, this time, a situation unfolded that was completely different from before. To be precise, there was something that shouldn’t have been between the dispatched squads.

“Hyah!”

—Screeeee!

“Hyah!”

—Kabloom!

It’s hard to tell if that’s a battle cry or just playful banter. If their actions were truly lackluster, they would have received a stern reprimand from their seniors immediately.

However, what unfolds before the eyes of the espers is the flesh of the monsters literally ‘bursting apart’ with each instance of the playful shout.

They were witnessing firsthand the unbelievable sight of something that *was* a monster becoming just byproducts, and then vanishing.

“…No, all the other juniors are normal, so why just him…?”

“What in the world did he eat during his growth period? Like, did he eat a giant monster or something?”

“That probably wouldn’t be enough. For someone to become that massive…”

The Espers muttered, gazing at Deus in front, who was once again shouting, “Hyap! Hyap!”

Looking at him like this, it felt like the ‘common sense’ they’d held onto was being shaken to its very core.

That’s a Yggdrasil freshman? That’s our junior? That… that’s the same species as us??

“The seniors’ position is more than understandable.”

“More than understandable, indeed.”

Luciel and Nefertiti, who accompanied Deus, could only offer bitter smiles and nods.

In the midst of all that, when they revealed that they were receiving training that felt like death threats from this enormous junior, the others were aghast and demanded to know why. That was just the icing on the cake.

“Hmm. If he’s already like this, shouldn’t we just graduate him early and throw him into the field, seniors?”

“Yeah. I was thinking the same thing. Why hasn’t the Empire suggested that? It’s a win-win for our field agents, the Empire, and that junior.”

“Well. There’s been talk about that, actually.”

Surprisingly, it was Deus himself who refused, Nefertiti answered.

“Why? If he’s already at that level, he should be out in the field!”

“He already beat a demon, so monsters would be a piece of cake, right? Field experience? He must have already gained that while fighting that demon!”

The Empire Espers wore expressions of bewilderment.

The only reason why Yggdrasil students weren’t sent to the field was a lack of practical experience.

No matter how outstanding their talent. No matter how vast their knowledge of monsters, or how exceptional their Esper control, all of that could be rendered useless by a lack of real-world experience.

The unfamiliar breeds tension, and tension soon grows into fear, inflating its size.

If they were consumed by that fear, their skills and talents would be of no use.

All that would be left was trembling before the monster, unable to unleash even half of their potential, and meeting their end.

In the early days after the Gate Incident. No, even in the middle stages, such things happened quite often.

If someone achieved excellent grades at Yggdrasil, they were hailed as promising rookies and immediately thrown into the field.

The result was a tragic waste of talent, individuals who, with just a little more time to refine, could have become the best.

“…But that doesn’t apply to our junior, does it? The fact that he took down a demon already seals the deal!”

That junior should be in the field. If not, it’s a great loss to the Empire.

The Espers grumbled, but that didn’t mean Deus’s decision would change.

*’Complaining to us won’t change anything, seniors!’*

*’Deus-sunbae, has always harbored a romantic notion of ending everything all by himself.’*

He wouldn’t steal battles that others could handle.

They, too, were fulfilling their roles in their own way. He could lend a hand if things became too much, but he wouldn’t bear all their duties.

Instead, he would move forward to ends that no one else could reach. So that he could end it all with these two hands.

The two female students smiled, recalling the hidden feelings, or perhaps the romanticism, that Deus had once faintly revealed.

*’Right. That’s the kind of junior he is. That’s the kind of man he is. Our junior. He has to be that great.’*

However, Deus, on the other hand, had reasons why he had no choice but to do so. He was bound by a Covenant, and it was better for him if no one was around.

“Seniors.”

At that moment. Deus, who had silently appeared right next to them, startled everyone.

Some even jumped back, exclaiming, “Gah! You scared me!!” in an almost scream-like tone.

“Phew, Senior Deus!”

“It’s all finished, though.”

Really, could there even *be* a person like this in the world? To possess such a massive frame and not make a single sound? Could that even *be* possible? He was like some kind of cat! Unbelievable!

Still reeling from the shock, her heart hammering in her chest, Luciel finally spoke.

“Y-you worked hard. Should we head back now?”

“I’m fine, but are the other seniors and the espers alright? I feel a bit bad having done all your work for you.”

*No*. Not bad at all. On the contrary, I was overjoyed to have time to rest during work hours.

*Our* Junior Deus. If there’s another incident later, perhaps you could help us again?!

Those words danced on the tongues of the espers. But with the Imperial Princess Luciel standing right there, they couldn’t bring themselves to say them.

“We’re fine. After all, this time Junior Deus….”

She paused mid-sentence, Nefertiti letting out a soft, “Huh?” as she checked something.

“…Junior Deus.”

Moments later, her expression serious in a way it hadn’t been before, she continued.

“We need to return to the Cradle immediately, I think.”

“Is something the matter?”

“Yes. It is. Something very important has come up.”

“And that important thing is?”

“They’ve found it. The method.”

*The method* was found. A smile touched Deus’ lips at those words.

It was something that sent shivers down the spine, whether one was demon or human. A truly fearsome thing.

*

—Kugugugu!*

“It comes.”

“It is coming, yes.”

An aura, steeped in bone-chilling intensity, drew steadily closer.

Even knowing that it held no personal animosity or murderous intent toward them, they couldn’t help but feel tense. The two demons forced awkward smiles at this predicament.

—*Kwaang!*

The door stopped just shy of being completely destroyed. From Deus’ perspective, he had opened it only slightly faster than usual, and yet…

“I heard the news, Jarvis. They found it.”

“Yes, Lord Deus. They have finally discovered a method to reach Hell.”

“Explain it at once.”

“Uh, Lord Deus? Perhaps… some composure?”

Judging by his expression, one would think he was ready to tear someone apart this very instant.

Even knowing that he wasn’t angry, that it was purely excitement driving him,

the sight that met the eye was the stuff of nightmares. It was unavoidable.

Initially, Deus had said, “Composure? I’m not angry.” but he soon came to understand.

The monster reflected in the mirror Astaroth provided was enough to make even *him* flinch.

A short while later, after roughly wiping his face to restore his usual impassive expression (still fearsome, though, a subtle hint), Deus addressed the two demons who sat quietly.

“Right. Again. Explain this method you found.”

“We have confirmation that Astaroth sent a message from Hell. The path that was previously severed has been partially restored, a small section of it, we have verified.”

“Said it takes energy even to restore that, yes.”

“Indeed.”

“Which means they’re not probing, but truly giving it their all.”

—Nod nod.

As Astaroth affirmed, Deus hummed, stroking his chin.

“You said that with the remaining energy in Hell, it’s impossible for a demon of your caliber to cross over here, Astaroth.”

“Aye. At best, only the underlings would come, and among them, probably those skilled at hit-and-run tactics. Deus, you could capture them with a finger, but ordinary humans would have quite a time of it.”

“…Then what about Luciel senpai, Chairman Nefertiti, and Yrisia? Considering those three…”

Hmm. After a moment of consideration, Astaroth offered, “They’d be better than other humans, wouldn’t they? Especially since you trained them and I polished them up.”

“Then it’s mostly decided.”

“…You’re really going alone?”

“Why? You think I’ll lose?”

What? Who? Deus, *you* losing? Astaroth burst into a hearty laugh.

Surely, that wasn’t the reason for that question. Nonsense. As someone who’d experienced his strength firsthand, he could declare with certainty that no demon, not even a king, could stand against this man.

“It’s not that. I thought you might take those three and just dump them somewhere. As a substitute for training.”

“I considered it, but demons might cross over here, so we need to prepare for that.”

“…”

The fact that he almost did that is chilling. The two demons shuddered.