There are few commoners among those who openly curse while fighting the rebels.
Rather, the nobles are the ones swearing with terrifying intensity, leaving the commoner students intimidated.
“What… What the hell? These guys?”
“These filthy, worthless lowlifes dare to challenge the nobles of the Empire? You’re all dead meat!”
Wow.
They’re absolutely seething with rage.
That anger was originally meant for me.
But since they can’t take it out on me directly, their misplaced fury is naturally directed at the rebels.
Bang! Bang, bang!
The magic students fired their trained magic bullets in unison.
Slash! Splatter!
Those skilled with swords and bows mercilessly swung their blades and shot their arrows at the enemies.
“This… This can’t be happening. How did this…”
“So, it really was you?”
‘That knight—did he ever think he’d end up here?’ Sigh. Tsk, tsk. How useless.
“Oh… Olivia Rapha Ashtar, my lady!”
Wow. A fake Fram.
A foolish rebel pretending to be a noble.
He appeared, masked, drawing his sword.
“Why?”
“Did you know about this all along?”
I smirked.
“Yeah. Yeah. You finally figured it out.”
“You underestimated nobles—no, more accurately, you underestimated me. There’s a limit to how foolish one can be.”
“Didn’t I tell you? You didn’t understand what I meant, did you? I was telling you to act wisely. What a shame.”
I have to mock him a little for this.
“Since… Since when?”
“I’ve known from the beginning. Hey, didn’t you underestimate us way too much? Did you seriously believe that those pathetic anti-imperial losers could defeat the nobles?”
Up until recently, he probably did.
‘If it weren’t for me, this place would have already turned into a sea of noble blood. Though they had basic combat training, not all of them would have survived.’
“Ugh… This… This doesn’t make sense. How could our cause fail against these rotten nobles?”
They’re worse than the so-called rotten nobles.
“If both sides are corrupt, it’s better to choose the one with power. So, my choice is obviously the nobles of the Empire.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. You cursed the nobles for being corrupt, yet you were even more incompetent and put in no effort. That’s why you’re losing here.”
“Urgh… I won’t let this slide!”
‘Oh? Is that so?’
“And if you don’t? What exactly are you going to do about it? Go on, say it.”
Clang!
“Urgh… You damn rotten noble wench!”
“Exactly. You’re all brainless fools. You act like you’re enlightened citizens just because you’re against the Empire. But guess what? In the end, you’re just a bunch of idiots. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Smack!
“Keugh!”
“If I were even slightly merciful as a saint, I might have spared you. But for idiots like you, disappearing from society is the better option. It’s easier to make use of those with power. Trash like you? Absolutely not.”
At least he was useful.
“Urgh… You don’t know anything!”
“What really happened to the Fram family?”
Normally, I would have investigated beforehand.
But honestly, I’m tired of that now.
When I was with the Hero, I had to handle all that work alone.
So now, I’ll just do it this way.
It’s not like these anti-imperial fools would even bother hiding something they consider an achievement.
“They were all killed for the cause! I slaughtered them three years ago and pretended to be the sole survivor!”
Ah. So that’s how it was.
I see.
“So that’s why it was so easy for you to become a knight.”
“What?”
“I mean, there’s no way someone with your pathetic skills could have become a knight otherwise.”
Not just anyone can become a knight.
Regardless of status, one must have the necessary skill.
Even if the Empire is corrupt, the noble families that train knights have solid foundations.
So do the military families.
For the sake of their honor, they prioritize competence in their soldiers.
“You damn bitch!”
“Watch your mouth. If I’m a bitch, then what does that make you?”
Smack!
I knocked him down with a single hit.
If he collapsed that easily, he was never a knight to begin with.
But then—he stood right back up.
I held back my strength, but I didn’t hit him so lightly that trash like him should be able to stand so quickly.
“You really think I’d go down that easily?”
“Oh, so you’re a demon-possessed?”
Looking closely, a dark aura was rising behind him.
No doubt about it.
He’s been corrupted.
Acting all high and mighty when he’s nothing more than a maggot.
Tsk. I don’t usually enjoy beating people up, but I might make an exception today.
“That’s right! For the downfall of the Empire! For a new world!”
“Sigh… You really believe that nonsense?”
Laughable.
He laughed maniacally, wielding his borrowed power like it was his own.
But in the end, what exactly is this new world?
Not rule under corrupt human leaders, but rule under beings who aren’t even human—
Demons who know nothing but destruction.
There were those in the past who sought coexistence between humans and demons.
But at least the current demons are nothing like that.
If they were, the kingdom wouldn’t have suffered such massive casualties.
So, I laughed at him.
“That new world… You mean a world ruled by demons?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?! A new world! A world where we—the commoners—are the rulers!”
“A world ruled by commoners…”
“A rebellion in the empire.”
“No, in any monarchy or aristocratic alliance, the goal of every rebellion has always been the same.”
“Of course, they say all the right things. A world where commoners take the lead. A world where everyone is equal.”
But you see—
“That kind of world is utterly impossible.”
“For the generation that led the revolution, things might seem fine.”
“But as time passes, they will become the new rulers, the new corrupt elite. It’s inevitable. Not that this kind of change is entirely bad. Even if it’s just for a brief period, the world will advance for the better.”
“But if the ones leading the rebellion are demons, then that’s a different story.”
***
“Wait, so the ones who gave you that power were demons in the first place? What happens when the empire collapses, then?”
“Hah! Those demons said they came to their senses and are helping us!”
And you actually believe that?
I’d sooner entrust a fish market to a cat.
“What a load of crap.”
Crack!
I struck Fake Fram square in the stomach as he was in the middle of transforming into a demon right in front of me.
“!!”
“What kind of idiot follows the grievances of those weaker than him and calls it a grand cause? Can’t you think for yourself? You’re the ones being played by the demons.”
“Don’t make me laugh! Gahhh!”
He tried to charge at me again, so I stomped him down.
This bastard really thinks he can underestimate me.
No, actually—if he had any sense, he wouldn’t have attempted this in the first place.
Lately, I feel like my intelligence is dropping.
I ran a hand through my hair and ground my heel into Fake Fram’s body.
‘They think they can just transform into a demon in front of me and win?’
“Hey. Recently, I’ve been getting really sick of this world.”
“Khh… What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
“Nonsense? Yeah, it probably sounds like nonsense.”
“There are just too many idiots like you. The hero’s party, the Demon King, the Four Heavenly Kings, corrupt nobles, and people like you—anti-imperialists who have no idea what they’re doing and just whine all the time. I’m getting to the point where I want to blow up the entire world.”
I’m exhausted.
I want to kill the trash in front of me.
Because honestly, this world is filled with garbage.
Trash that doesn’t even know its place, running at me like it’s something special—it’s annoying.
‘The idiots who ran around screaming about resurrecting some god?’ I want to kill them too.
“H-Hik…”
Ah, I’m really starting to feel like killing him.
‘Why is it always these kinds of people that show up in front of me?’
***
Crunch. Crack.
“Ahhhhhh!!”
‘Why do these fools go out of their way to prove their low intelligence in front of me?’
‘Why do they insist on flaunting their lack of brains, as if begging me to kill them?’
I just don’t get it.
“Hey, do you see that?”
I pointed toward the bloody festival happening deep inside the dungeon.
Of course, the blood belonged to the rebels—the anti-imperialists.
The nobles’ fury at the rebels who had made their lives miserable had erupted into a massacre.
“Die, you rebel scum!”
“We are the true nobles of this land!”
The nobles were enthusiastically butchering the anti-imperialists, while some commoners in the back hesitated, unsure of which side to take.
Even though commoners had grown stronger, they seemed wary of the nobles’ momentum, afraid they might get killed if they got too involved.
“This… this is insane…”
“Now do you get it?”
“How… How could they side with the nobles? Why?!”
“Oh, are you talking about the commoners? That’s an easy one.”
“Not every commoner is as stupid as you. Think about it rationally. Even if they are commoners, they are talented elites. They got into Atlerina through sheer ability. Even if they graduate at the bottom of their class, their future is practically guaranteed. Why would they want to associate with failures like you?”
“It’s simple logic. The commoners in Atlerina already have a bright future ahead of them. No matter how much the nobles act like bastards in school, everyone knows that’s just how nobles are.”
“Besides, nobles maintain a certain level of dignity. In Atlerina, they don’t openly trample commoners.”
“The incidents before? Those were exceptions. Even the commoners who do have grievances just sigh and move on, thinking, ‘Oh, there they go again.'”
“You call yourself a saint, so why—why are you doing this?!”
“Because I am a saint. Are you joking? You’re a pawn of the demons. Do you really expect me, a saint, to just stand by and let you be?”
‘Is this guy actually brain-dead?’
‘Just how much brainwashing did the demons put him through?’
‘What kind of ridiculous nonsense did they feed him to make him think he could ask a saint for help while working for demons?’
***
“If we’re really being used, shouldn’t you save us? Besides, the New World Order seeks coexistence between humans and demons! If we—the suffering commoners—unite with demons, we can finally bring peace to this world!”
Oh, so now it’s the losers and demons coexisting together.
“Coexistence between humans and demons. A world for commoners. Wow, so now you’re talking about a future where oppressed commoners and demons unite?”
“The Demon King is already dead, so it’s not impossible!”
“It’s not impossible, sure. Succubi, for example, are willing to coexist as long as they can feed off human energy.”
Theoretically speaking, succubi prefer human energy over demon energy.
As long as they don’t literally suck people dry, it could work.
Maybe one day, coexistence between humans and demons will actually be possible.
That theory has existed for thousands of years.
And yet, it has never happened.
There’s a reason for that.
Even if you ignore the fact that neither side trusts the other, everything falls apart the moment a Demon King appears.
And if a hero emerges, humanity will retaliate against the demons for all the suffering they’ve endured.
This so-called coexistence between humans and demons?
It’s just the delusion of idiots.
And Fake Fram is the perfect example.
I crushed his leg beneath my foot.
People like him, who don’t think for themselves, who lack intelligence—they fall into empty dreams.
“Khh. I already know everything! Even you—the so-called saint—you’re embezzling church funds and building a private army behind the scenes!”
Oh, there it is.
I was wondering when he’d bring that up.