A C-Rank Magic Student Who Deludes Himself into Thinking He Is SSS-Rank

“Whether your regret is true or your oath is without deceit, it doesn’t matter. I will never forgive you. The possibility of me overlooking you is non-existent.”

“…!”

…There was a small glimmer of hope.

Perhaps Siegfried, a man of justice, would consider the future generations and choose a path that didn’t involve others in his sealing.

If I conveyed my sincere regret, perhaps he would reconsider.

When he said, “I believe you,” those small hopes turned into a shining beacon.

But that hope was cruelly shattered.

And to plunge me into deeper despair, the man continued mercilessly, without pity.

“You thought your plea for mercy would work on me? Maybe you thought, ‘There’s room for negotiation’ because I didn’t attack immediately?”

“…Wh-?!”

The man easily saw the thoughts of Schwaldius, the Black Dragon of Demise.

He relentlessly pushed Schwaldius away with his cold demeanor.

“The fact that you’ve taken many lives and killed several of my dear comrades… No matter how many hundreds or thousands of years pass, I will never forgive you.”

“…!”

Despite knowing it was impossible, Schwaldius clung to a certain possibility in his heart – that Siegfried was hoping for a change of heart in him.

After all, he killed countless humans, causing suffering, and even took the lives of his dear comrades. There was no reason for him to be forgiven.

Yet, knowing that his seal would break after four hundred years, Siegfried let it happen.

Even now, he didn’t attack and talked at length as if they were old acquaintances. Such a thing was unimaginable from the Siegfried of four hundred years ago.

If Siegfried had lost his former strength, such erratic behavior would be understandable.

But that possibility was squashed earlier.

Unquestionably, he had the power to defeat Schwaldius right there.

For Siegfried, defeating Schwaldius, who had only a fraction of his peak strength, would be as easy as breathing.

Yet, he didn’t make a move.

Despite thinking it impossible, if there was a consistent possibility… it was that “Siegfried was expecting a change of heart from him.”

Schwaldius harbored a faint hope that he might be spared by conveying his change of heart during their conversation.

However, the answer he received was…

“No matter how many hundreds or thousands of years pass, I will never forgive you.”

This was different from before, a clear voice filled with anger, perhaps even murderous intent.

“But, I was indeed conflicted.”

“…?”

Schwaldius was puzzled by his statement.

“I reincarnated in the modern world, knowing the seal would break after four hundred years.”

“I saw in the modern world. The people who managed the seal for four hundred years and my descendants were burdened with heavy responsibilities.”

“As you said, ‘How long will this continue?’ I pondered the same. How many more hundreds or thousands of years will this battle continue, involving how many people?”

“!”

“Though I will never forgive you, I wondered if it was truly the best to keep sealing you or if it was time to end it.”

“…!”

For a moment, a glimmer of hope shone in Schwaldius’s eyes.

However,

“…That’s why I decided to test you.”

“Test…?”

Schwaldius was bewildered by the man’s words.

“If you deeply reflected on your actions and lived quietly in a remote place after the seal broke, I thought of letting you go.”

“…Wh-?!”

Schwaldius’s face contorted greatly at those words.

“But what about the real you?”

“W-wait, Sieg, I have changed my heart…”

Desperate to defend himself against the unexpected words, Schwaldius tried to plead.

“It’s too late, Blackie.”

His desperate words were futilely interrupted.

“You closed the last path to your salvation yourself.”

“A-ah…”

A barely audible voice leaked from Schwaldius.

Seeing Schwaldius completely lose his ability to speak, the man continued.

“You might have misunderstood that there was ‘room for negotiation,’ but let me tell you why I talked to you for so long.”

“…! W-why such a long conversation…”

If there was no intention of sparing him, why not finish it quickly instead of this long conversation? Schwaldius tried to question the inconsistency.

“I wanted you to despair, Blackie.”

The man answered chillingly.

“H-ah…?”

Confused by the meaning, Schwaldius listened as the man continued.

“Just killing you wouldn’t bring justice to those you’ve killed. I truly wanted you to repent for them deeply… But it’s clear now. You would never repent for the lives you’ve taken.”

“…!”

“But at least I wanted you to regret all your actions. To regret and regret… And then, I wanted you to die in despair. I talked to you like this at the end to make you understand that you’ve closed your path to survival.”

“S-such…”

Everything fell into place in the worst possible way.

Schwaldius was in utter despair.

He could have been free if he had just fled to a deserted place after the seal broke.

His desire for “the fear of living creatures” blew that chance away.

Now, there was no way out.

Resistance was futile, with no future in escape and no room for justification.

It was nobody’s fault but his own.

His actions had led to this.

…It was the epitome of despair.

“………”

For several moments, Schwaldius was too deep in despair to make a sound. Watching him quietly, the man finally spoke.

“…Good, you’ve fallen into despair. Now, I can annihilate you without leaving a trace of magic essence.”

“…!”

“Goodbye, Blackie.”

With that, the man crouched and drew back the “Dragon Slayer Sword.”

The sword slowly began to glow golden.

“Glory’s Sparkle──”

──I’m going to be killed…!

Realizing he was about to be utterly destroyed, Schwaldius thought frantically.

──Should I attack first, risking everything?

──Or should I fully commit to dodging this attack?

──Even though the chances of escaping are slim, should I stake everything on fleeing?

In Schwaldius, who instinctively wanted to avoid “death,” multiple options arose.

None of them held much hope.

But doing nothing meant certain death.

Whatever he did, it was already determined he wouldn’t be forgiven.

──What should I do, myself…!

There was no more time to think.

“Shine──…”

“──Forgive meeee!”

Just before the sword was swung, Schwaldius cried out.

“I was wrong! I have reflected on and regretted it! …I know it’s presumptuous, but now I understand the feelings of those I have tormented!”

“…”

“I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! I know I’m saying what’s convenient! But please, please spare my life!”

“…”

“My vows earlier were not false! …I will never again show myself to people! Forever!”

“From now on, I will deeply repent for the lives I have taken! Every single day!”

“…”

Suddenly raising his voice and bowing deeply, Schwaldius faced the man who had stopped his hand.

Schwaldius’s last resort, realizing his inevitable death, was to beg for his life.

This was entirely different from the earlier ‘negotiation,’ where he tried to align their interests. This was a pure plea for mercy, hoping to be spared.

There were no calculations about which action would have the highest chance of survival.

To avoid the outcome of death, instinct chose ‘begging for mercy,’ driving Schwaldius.

“There is no deceit in my words…! That, at least, I want you to believe…! So, please… Please…!”

“…”

While pressing his forehead to the ground, the dragon shed tears.

These tears showed regret for his actions, fear of the man before him, and the sheer misery of begging for mercy.

Filled with regret and prayer, Schwaldius continued to bow his head, tears streaming down.

Not knowing when the attack might come, Schwaldius hoped his feelings would be understood.

…But then, he noticed the man’s prolonged absence of any reaction.

“…? …!”

Feeling suspicious, Schwaldius raised his head only to see the man crouching on the ground without a sword in his hand.

◆

When a person’s magical power is exhausted, and their internal magic reserves are on the brink, they enter a state called ‘magic depletion,’ leading to dizziness, headaches, and difficulty using magic.

Continuing to use magic in such a state until all internal magic is depleted results in ‘magic exhaustion,’ significantly reducing various bodily functions and, in the worst case, leading to death.

…And now, Shion, facing Schwaldius, the Black Dragon of Demise, had succumbed to magic exhaustion.

This was unavoidable for Shion, who had far less magical power than a typical magician.

However, today, Shion’s magic lasted far longer than usual.

This was because Shion entered a ‘Transzone,’ controlling his magic with a concentration incomparable to his normal state.

Shion usually operates his magic very inefficiently, lacking talent in magic, like running with unnecessary movements.

But in a heightened state of concentration, he unconsciously used his magic more efficiently, like running in a more refined form, allowing him to sustain his magic longer than usual.

Yet, even then, his limited original magical power was eventually exhausted.

He couldn’t stand up due to magic exhaustion, crouching before Schwaldius, the Black Dragon of Demise.

If the dragon were to assume an offensive stance, Shion would no longer be able to dodge using ‘Limit Acceleration.’

Having lost the imitation of the ‘Dragon Slayer Sword’ and unable to make his eyes glow golden, he could no longer pretend to have Siegfried’s power.

…He could no longer make Schwaldius believe he had the power of Siegfried.

But, perhaps…

…There was no longer a need for that.

◆

“What’s going on, Sieg…?”

Schwaldius raised his voice in confusion, unable to comprehend the unfolding situation. However, there was no response from the man.

“Hey, Sieg…”

Driven by impatience, Schwaldius asked again. This time, there was a slight reaction.

“…Right now, I’ve lost the power I once had.”

“…What?”

“I currently have only the strength of a mere human.”

Schwaldius gave an incredulous voice at the sudden declaration, but the man repeated the same sentiment.

“What are you talking about, Sieg…?”

Schwaldius, unable to keep up, questioned further.

“…My reincarnation magic was incomplete. Because of that, I’ve lost my power.”

“! …But you just said that was impossible…”

Schwaldius, who had suggested this possibility, was denied by the man earlier. Yet now, the man was contradicting his earlier words.

“I’m powerless right now. Because my reincarnation magic was incomplete.”

“What are you going on about since a while ago—”

“…I need to defeat you here and now. But due to the incomplete reincarnation magic, I’ve lost my power and can’t stop you if you decide to flee.”

“What…?”

Schwaldius’s words were brushed aside as the man continued.

“If you escape now, I have no choice but to let you go.”

“…!? Sieg, are you saying…”

Schwaldius was confused by these unexpected words but soon grasped their meaning.

“Listen, Blackie. I haven’t forgiven you. I’ll never forget the pain, sorrow, and anger of those you killed and their families.”

“!”

“But right now, I have no choice but to let you escape. Because I don’t have the power to pursue you.”

The man’s black eyes conveyed this message to Schwaldius.

“Sieg…”

“…Remember, there’s no more time. You can probably smell it, but a squad is coming to hunt you down. If they arrive, I can’t let you go in front of them.”

“…!”

Realizing this, Schwaldius sharpened his sense of smell and detected a group of humans approaching.

“…Got it? Then get out of my sight.”

The man spat out as if annoyed.

──Now, escape is possible.

The ‘life’ he had longed for was within reach. The one he had begged to let him go was now telling him to disappear. All he had to do was silently obey.

But Schwaldius couldn’t help but ask.

“…Are you really okay with this, Sieg?”

He wished to be spared, yet he questioned if the man intended to let him go. After a moment of silence, the man spoke.

“…Didn’t I say? I haven’t forgiven you.”

“…I see.”

“Don’t forget, Blackie. I’m always watching you. If you do anything wrong, I’ll be the first to come and kill you.”

“…”

“You’ll forever live in fear of me, alone and miserable, continuously repenting.”

The man’s words were cruel.

Yet, for Schwaldius, they were a small price to pay.

“Ah… I’ll remember that. I won’t break my vow.”

“…Then I have nothing more to say to you.”

The conversation seemed to come to an end.

“Is that so… Then, let me say just one thing.”

Schwaldius had only one thing he wanted to convey to Siegfried.

“…I’m grateful. Siegfried.”

He knew he was an unforgivable being.

Yet, the man who once hated him had chosen to suppress his hatred and end this fight.

In response to that sentiment, instead of an apology, Schwaldius expressed his gratitude and flew away into the sky, determined never to forget his repentance.

“Thank you, Sieg… Thank you…!”

Schwaldius shed tears again.

But these were different from the tears of fear shed earlier.

◆

“Haahhh… That was tough…”

After watching Schwaldius fly away, Shion collapsed on the spot, physically and mentally exhausted.

Lying down, he turned to look at Alphonse Freed, who had fainted behind him.

“Well, at least he’s safe…”

Shion lay there, too exhausted to think further, but soon heard noises and voices.

It was probably a dragon hunting squad or a rescue team from the academy.

Hearing this, Shion forced his uncooperative body to stand up.

“Well then… Time for one more task.”