A boy raised by a demon king and a dragon king seems to be peerless in his school life.

Volume 9 Chapter 13 Cowardice

After parting ways with Ruisha and the others, Emperor Cobaldius of Vivrania walked towards the lodging facility prepared by the Eternal neutral state, Sanctria. The house, built in a prime location, was entirely lent to the Emperor, showcasing top-tier hospitality compared to other guests.

“Look, Emperor…”

Sanctria’s residents who spotted the Emperor walking down the street were all keeping their distance, whispering to each other discreetly. He was infamous for his extreme purges and feared even outside the empire.

However, he showed no sign of being bothered by this and walked confidently, reaching his destination.

At the lodging facility, Sanctria had prepared maids and butlers, but Cobaldius had sent them all away. One might think he had brought servants from the empire to manage everything, but that was not the case. While he had indeed brought several empire servants with him, he didn’t allow them to enter the lodgings where he slept and ate. The only one permitted inside was his trusted confidant and swordmaster, Chrome.

The Emperor swiftly entered his room, dropped onto the luxurious bed prepared for him, and yelled.

“Aaaaahhh! I want to go home!!!”

He thrashed on the bed as if a child throwing a tantrum, shouting. It was a behavior completely contradictory to the individual who had exuded a fearsome aura just moments ago. However, Chrome, who entered the room later, showed no reaction, not even a twitch of his brow, as he observed this spectacle.

“Your Majesty, your clothes are getting wrinkled.”

“Be quiet! I can’t stand it unless I do this!”

With a shout that could be heard from afar, he buried his face in the pillow and started sobbing. If the citizens of the Empire saw him like this, nobody would believe he was the real Emperor.

“Sigh, why do I have to come to a place like this? I dislike being outside the country. The water doesn’t agree with me, and the food is terrible. I don’t even know if something is targeting my life, and it’s depressing…”

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’m here, after all.”

“Sigh, you’re right. Certainly, there’s probably no one who can defeat you, but I’m fragile. If two attackers come at once, can you protect me all by yourself?”

“Rest assured, Your Majesty. It won’t even take a second for me to deal with two thieves.”

Seeing the loyal confidant speaking confidently without a trace of arrogance, the Emperor finally regained his composure. He took out well-chilled water from the state-of-the-art magical device in the room, the “Magic-Powered Refrigerator,” transferred it to a glass, and drank it all in one go.

“Sigh… I’m sorry for losing my composure. I’m causing you trouble.”

“It’s alright. I’m used to seeing Your Majesty in such pitiful and unbecoming states.”

“Can’t you choose your words more carefully? I’m going to cry again!”

He would cry, reflect, get angry, just like a child. This incredibly cowardly behavior was the true nature of the Emperor that nobody knew.

Because he was more cowardly than anyone else, the Emperor, sensitive to malice and enmity, crushed those who bore ill intentions or hostility towards him before they could act. To an outsider, it might seem like he arbitrarily purged suspicious individuals who had done nothing, but it was a legitimate purge based on his highly developed crisis detection ability.

With that ability, he eliminated those who held animosity towards him before they could act. His extreme cowardice meant he had no hesitation in his actions, carrying them out thoroughly.

As a result, before he knew it, he had killed all his brothers who were vying for the throne, and he ended up inheriting the position of Emperor.

“Ah, this is tough. The prince of the kingdom has become impressive without me noticing, and it’s frustrating. I thought it might be easier if the current king dies, but I was too naive. He’s going to be a good king.”

The Emperor sighed as he recalled the prince who stood his ground without averting his gaze, even when the Emperor stared at him.

At that moment, the Emperor was genuinely determined to kill the prince. Precisely because of his cowardice, the Emperor was desperately trying to uphold the image of the most fearsome emperor. He couldn’t forgive the prince for insulting that image. If he let this pass, the carefully built image of the emperor would be tarnished, creating an opening for other nations to attack.

“The prince was quite something, but I was more intrigued by that black-haired boy. I regularly gather information on influential individuals from various countries, but I never imagined the kingdom was hiding such a child.”

Saying this, Chrome showed a genuinely delighted expression.

It was a smile as if he had finally found a lover he had sought for years. Seeing this, the Emperor asked a little cautiously.

“It’s unusual for you to speak so highly of someone. He was certainly a brave boy, but was he that exceptional?”

“Yes, he has at least strength surpassing a Shoumon. He easily transcends the realm of a student… Ah, I’d love to taste that power.”

Chrome licked his lips while replaying the image of the boy who had been glaring at him in his mind. Each time, his heart danced, and a sense of happiness filled his brain.

“Hey, I’m begging you, don’t cause any trouble. Who do you think will clean up after you?”

“I understand, Your Majesty. I won’t mess up as long as my reason remains.”

“Ugh, my head hurts. Please, let everything end smoothly…”

The Emperor, having gulped down his favorite headache and stomach ache medicine with water, went to sleep as if escaping from his troubles.

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Volume 9 Chapter 14 The night before the tournament

After an unexpected encounter with the Emperor of the Vivrania Empire, Ruisha and his group were able to meet the representatives from Sanctria without any trouble. This time, they proceeded to the lodging where their friends awaited, undisturbed.

“Everyone’s here. Let’s start the briefing and strategy meeting for the Grand School Festival starting tomorrow,” said Yuri, gathering all the students in the lobby at the night hour.

“The tournament gathers thirty-two selected schools from across the continent. It’s a knockout tournament, so if you win continuously for five rounds, you become the champion,” Yuri explained, and his classmates nodded in understanding. The festival was well-known, and most knew the basics of it. However, while many knew about it, only a few had ever attended it in person.

There were spectator seats for the general public, but the tickets sold out almost instantly every year. This led to rampant scalping, making it difficult for the less affluent to attend. Recently, they changed to a lottery system from a first-come, first-served basis, but they were still struggling with scalping and ticket distribution.

“The match format is the traditional three-on-three team battle. The team that has all three members rendered unable to fight or forced out of the stadium loses. Even if one person gives up, it’s considered a loss. While there are no restrictions on the use of weapons or magic, attacks intended to kill the opponent are prohibited. I don’t think anyone here would do such a thing, but please be cautious,” Yuri explained the finer rules of the matches. Since this tournament followed a knockout format, a single loss meant the end of the road.

To ensure there were no losses due to rule violations, Yuri gave a detailed explanation to his teammates.

“…That should cover the essentials. Now, I have a personal request,” Yuri said, his expression turning serious. It was rare for him to show such seriousness in front of his classmates, so they were also drawn into the serious atmosphere.

“While this tournament has a festive aspect, it’s also a stage to showcase our nation’s strength to other countries. As you all know, our kingdom hasn’t been performing well in recent years. On the other hand, the empire is becoming a regular winner, and the gap keeps widening,” he said, a tinge of regret on his face.

The previous king was, to put it bluntly, an incompetent ruler. Due to his leadership, the nation’s strength declined, finances were in disarray, and the military strength fell below neighboring countries. Thanks to the current king, Floyd, they managed to recover from that predicament, but the negative legacy of the previous regime remained, and the gap with the empire persisted.

“My father and I created this ‘Z Class’ as one of the strategies to bridge that gap. I apologize for exploiting it, but winning this tournament would be a significant opportunity for the kingdom to regain its strength. Please, I implore you all to lend your strength,” he said, bowing his head.

The prince bowing held significant meaning. His determination to bet so much on this tournament was immense.

However, his classmates had already made up their minds, despite such a gesture.

“Stop it, Yuri. No one here would turn down a friend’s request,” Burn said, and the other classmates nodded with smiles. Though they had only spent three months together, their bond had become firm and unbreakable.

“Everyone, this class has been a salvation for us, and this tournament is a chance for us to repay the favor to you. Well, I’m up for anything as long as I can let loose!”

“Is that your true sentiment? You’re quite the free spirit.”

“Shut it, Wolf. You’re no different!”

“Don’t lump me in with a brawler like you!”

The usual ruckus ensued, and watching the two causing a commotion, and their classmates trying to calm them down, Yuri couldn’t help but smile. At the same time, he felt his eyes welling up with emotion.

Initially, this class had mainly served a political purpose, but over time, it had become something irreplaceably precious to him. In truth, he didn’t want to involve these dear friends in the political machinations of the tournament. However, they eagerly participated, wanting to repay the kindness they felt towards him.

His heart should not have been this moved, yet it was.

In his heart, Yuri thanked his comrades silently and, after calming down the two still arguing, he shifted to the next topic.

“Now, let’s decide on our class leader. While there are no specific rules about what a leader should do, we should still choose one,” Yuri said, shifting his gaze to a specific person.

“Would you be willing to take on the role, Ruisha?”

Surprised to be singled out, Ruisha stammered, “Huh? Me, as the leader!?”

In the past, he might have responded that way. However, having overcome numerous battles in a short period, he had grown to embody the capacity to meet people’s expectations.

“Yes, I’ll do it. You can count on me.”

Upon hearing those words, not only Yuri but the other classmates also smiled.