The Reincarnated Demon King Can’t Escape~ When I Reincarnated 1000 Years Later, My Yandere Heroines Were Waiting for Me~ - Chapter 3

The First Day Of School (1)

The check-out process for the hospital was so simple it was almost disappointing.

I wrote my name on the paperwork, listened to the warnings from the doctor, and said goodbye to the nurse. That was it.

Nobody came to pick me up. I can’t even find any proof in my memories of whether Eldi has a guardian or not. In three days of being in the hospital, the number of visitors was zero. And on the morning I left, it was zero after all.

I put only the flower decoration and the single card left by my pillow into my pocket and left the hospital.

“Welcome back, Master.”

The reason I couldn’t sleep very well last night is turning into a tiny weight inside my breast pocket.

—

Eldi’s memories told me that it takes about twenty minutes to walk to the school dorms.

I walk. It’s like I am checking out the world of one thousand years later with my own feet.

On both sides of the paved street, magic technology lamps are lined up at regular intervals. Compared to the era one thousand years ago when we used torches and bonfires to light up the night, this is an unbelievable sight. A steady amount of magic power is put into every single light, and even now when the sun is up, they are letting out a faint, pale light.

A sign floating in mid-air caught my eye.

The letters are spinning around while shining, showing the shop’s name and its items. I know the theory behind it, but one thousand years ago, it was absolutely not a spell cheap enough to use on something like a sign. Now, it’s floating all over the town completely naturally.

Across the street, a big box-shaped vehicle is running slowly. I can see the figures of passengers inside the windows. Is it a public coach that runs on magic power? There are no horses, and there is no beast pulling it either. It just moves along as if it is sliding.

People passing by each other. A demon man with horns is walking while holding a bag. A dragonute woman with folded wings is buying something at a food stall. A human child with no physical features at all and a demon child with tiny horns growing on his head are running around while holding hands.

Nobody is scared. Nobody is on guard.

One thousand years ago, just having people from different races standing this close to each other would have made it totally normal for blood to flow. Now, they are sharing sweets.

It’s a world without fighting.

It’s exactly what I wanted.

I stopped my feet and stared at that sight for a little while. The kids are turning the corner while laughing. It’s a morning that is pure peace.

Yet, somehow, something is missing.

I noticed myself feeling that way and let out a tiny, bitter laugh.

It looks like a soul that kept fighting for a thousand years takes some time to get used to peace. That’s a pretty spoiled thing to think.

I start walking again.

My fingers touched the flower decoration inside my pocket without me even realizing it.

—

The school grounds came into sight.

It’s huge. There isn’t exactly a castle wall, but a rail reinforced with magic surrounds the grounds. Beyond the main gate was the school building, and a few other buildings were lined up behind it. A wide space that looks like a sports ground. A facility that looks like a greenhouse. And the student dorms.

Following Eldi’s memories, I head toward my own room at the edge of the student dorms.

The corner of the building. On the first floor where the sun doesn’t hit well, at the very end of the hallway. It’s far away from the rooms of the other students. Did they assign this room to him on purpose, or did he choose it himself? It’s probably both.

I unlock the door and push it open.

My feet stopped.

The room has become completely clean.

In Eldi’s memories, this place was totally messy. Clothes he threw off were scattered all over the floor, textbooks were piled up on top of the desk, and the window was cloudy so no light could get in. It was supposed to be a room where the breaking heart of the young boy took shape exactly as it was.

But right now.

The floor is polished. The window is wiped down, and the outside light is shining through. The futon on the bed must have been aired out because it smelled like the sun when I touched it. It’s warm and soft.

I opened the fridge.

Pre-made meals were carefully packed inside. Small containers were lined up neatly. A tiny label showing what was inside was pasted on every single lid.

Who in the world went this far to do this?

Is it the same person who owns the card from the hospital? Did whoever placed that flower decoration fix up this room too?

As if searching for an answer, I slowly looked around inside the room.

And I found something in the corner.

The edge of the floor. In the gap between the wall and the furniture, a few silver hairs are dropped.

Right next to it is a single black scale.

I picked each of them up and held them up to the light from the window.

The silver hair. It’s thin, soft, and faintly bounces off the light.

The black scale. It’s small but hard, and a deep indigo color floats up when it catches the light.

It’s a color I recognize.

The silver belongs to the silver wolf.

The black belongs to the black wing.

Something throbbed deep inside my chest.

Everything is pointing to a single answer.

No, there is no way. It’s been a thousand years, you know? There is no way subordinates from a thousand years ago exist in this era. That kind of thing is impossible.

I put the scale and the hair away inside the desk drawer.

I couldn’t throw them away.

—

Night came.

I warmed up the pre-made meal and ate it. It was a stew. It had a simple but careful seasoning, and it soaked into my cold body.

No matter who made it, their cooking skills were definitely real.

After finishing my meal, I sat down on the bed.

I am returning to school starting tomorrow. Before that, I needed to organize Eldi’s memories properly once again.

First, the main person behind the bullying.

I think his name was Gareth. A name and a face that float up over and over again inside the memories. He is a well-built demon boy, and he is the leader of the harassment against Eldi. He has a few followers. They cleverly avoided the eyes of the teachers, or sometimes they got the teachers on their side, and they pushed Eldi into a corner.

Next, how the suicide attempt is spreading around.

There is no information after that in Eldi’s memories. It makes sense, since his memories broke off the moment he jumped. But if I am returning after being in a coma for three days, it would be strange if rumors haven’t spread. What kind of eyes will they look at me with? Will it be sympathy, sneering, or will they treat me like a delicate object?

And the whole picture of the heavy burden that Eldi was carrying around.

A mixed-blood half-demon and half-human.

A magic rank of F, the absolute bottom.

While carrying the name of the legendary demon king, he has no power that matches it at all.

A half-baked kid who can’t live up to his name.

I check and swallow them down one by one. This is the reality I have to face starting tomorrow.

Getting rid of that Gareth guy itself isn’t hard. There is no need to even think about how a demon king who lived for a thousand years deals with a kid’s bullying. But if I stand out, peace gets further away. If I show my power or knowledge as the demon king, this quiet life will crumble in an instant.

Without fighting. Without standing out. Quietly.

I will keep that rule. No matter what.

—

The next morning.

I put my arms through the sleeves of the uniform and stood in front of the mirror.

The thing reflecting inside is a weak-looking boy with grey hair.

Everything is completely different from my past self. His height is short, his shoulders are narrow, and his arms are thin.

There isn’t a trace of the demon king who stood at the front of ten thousand armies anywhere.

Eldi. A boy who carries the name of Erdrain.

It’s pretty ironic. I started to think that, but then I stopped. It’s wrong to laugh at this name like that. This name belongs to Eldi. It is the only name given to him by someone when he was born.

I gave a tiny nod to the boy inside the mirror.

Let’s go.

—

When I left the dorm, the morning air was cold.

It must be a little bit too early for spring. My breath is faintly white as I exhale. On the school path, I can see the figures of other students here and there. People with horns, people with tails, people with folded wings. This school seems to be a comprehensive academy where all kinds of races attend.

Without matching eyes with anyone, I walk with my head tilted down just a bit. That was Eldi’s way of walking. I don’t plan on changing this habit that is soaked into this body right now. Not standing out. That is my survival strategy for now.

Moving along the school path, the main gate came into sight.

An iron rail gate. Beyond it is the school building. If I pass through here, my new days as Eldi will begin.

The exact moment I started to step forward.

In front of the gate, a single girl was standing.

Her silver hair is fluttering in the morning wind.

Long silver hair that reaches down to her waist. Peeking out from between it are silver ears.

Her golden eyes were looking straight over here.

The girl doesn’t say anything.

While the other students pass right by her sides, she is just staring over here.

My feet stopped.

My heart bounces. Once. Big. And from the next heartbeat, the speed changed completely.

I know her.

The last time I saw her, she was a small but grown-up woman. A mature female warrior who walked along a long war with me and passed through countless crazy battlefields. She was quiet, loyal, and kept standing silently by my side. The silver wolf beastman, Lycolegis.

But the one right in front of my eyes is a young girl in her teens.

Her face doesn’t look anything like her from that day, and it even has some childishness left in it.

No.

I know that face.

The day I picked up a dying beastman child inside the mountains shut down by snow.
That lonely wolf who was close to death and didn’t even have a name.
The trace of Lyco from that day, whom I gave a name to and raised just like a daughter.

The wind blew, and her silver hair gave a soft sway.