More Competition

It’s magic training period in the exercise ground. I was deep in thought while watching my classmates at the Academy practice their magic. For a moment I was concerned about my career path, while not finding an answer had me worried. So I tried to reflect on how Enuma decided to do with his life. 

I randomly ask in my thoughts, "Hey, Enuma. Why did you want to do to destroy the human race?"

Enuma asked in reply, "What, so sudden."

I said, "You told me a while ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about it. What reasons did you have to become the Great Demon King and try to destroy the human race?"

Enuma always being the straight shooter will answer without any particular objection. 

Demon King said, "Well, there was the simple desire to destroy ugly human beings. In order to unify the demons in the demon world, it was necessary to create a common enemy. In the first place, my desire was to acquire territory far from the dark cloud-filled demon world in the sunless lands. If just given, then there is no point in it."

The scale is too big and intuitively is not helpful comparison for my thoughts.

Enuma then said, "However, the reasons I became a Demon King were from too long ago, I fail to recall my goals, dreams and such immature notions."

Shocked, I said "What, you forgot?"

Enuma confirmed, "One thing I could say was, I wanted to expand our world, so I thought."

Enuma whispers so with his eyes looking a little distant. The roots of the Demon King Enuma. I don’t know why he forgot the ideals that led to the Great Demon King, or whether he was upset, but it still seems to be something he wanted to achieve.

I said, "Used to be, I wanted to be like my father. I used to think about it when I was a kid."

But now I don’t have such ambitions. It became even more so after hearing the word 'why'.

I then said, "To find my calling, through the Imperial Knight. Could be it just that simple?"

It is not a path to use as a steppingstone either. In the first place, regardless of finding what you want to do, once you become an Imperial Knight, you will probably have plenty of work and not enough free time. Just looking at my father who doesn’t come home at all, there seems to never be any free time.

Enuma said, "Boy will one not suffice?"

I asked, "What?" 

Enuma elaborated, "I am not familiar with the employment situation of people in the world today, but I believe in your father’s time. I think it was a time when one could not choose what path to take, right?"

It was a sermon that I always heard somewhere. I didn’t think that such a sermon would come out of Enuma's mouth. I always listened to these old people’s sermons, such as ‘in our time’ and ‘things used to be harder than they are now’. But maybe something is wrong with me today. 

I listened seriously to Enuma’s words. "In a peaceful world, like yours, you have the power, the money, the environment which caters to hope, and so being idle is a supreme luxury and a sin. You must understand that."

That’s true. I’ve been working harder than usual for the past few days, but my goal is to surprise my father and the world. That special factor with tremendous influence on one's life, was not a factor in my life.

Enuma continued, "Therefore, child. Having deliberated on the matter."

Then, Enuma changed completely from a serious expression, and smiled as if he had evil intent. "Without benefiting from your father’s influence, you may have a means to discover your true calling. But this is too difficult a lesson for such a spoiled boy."

I couldn’t help opening my eyes wide. A way to find out what I want to do. If there is such a thing, naturally I want you to teach me.

I was asking while sulking a little bit at Enuma’s words as he was trying to provoke me.

And then a loud voice was heard, A man shouting “Heeey guuuys! I’m baaaaack!”

Another man said, “Such bull. Don’t frolic about.”

Two voices suddenly echo in the training ground. It was nostalgic for me and everyone. I recognized the voices, “Ah. They-”

“Poh and Reval! It seems they have returned from special studies abroad! 

The moment they saw them, their classmates cheered, and the girls were screaming, especially with their eyes shining.

””””Kyaaaaaaa!! It’s Pooohhhh!!!!””””

“”””Aaaah, Reval!””””

“””Poh, Rival!! You’re back?”””

Enuma was annoyed, "This is unpleasant. What is happening?"

I answered, "Oh they are also classmates. And just my childhood friends."

Enuma said, "Hoh."

Enuma seemed to feel something when she saw them. In other words, they are the kind of people who get a reaction from the Demon King.

First of all, the man who is immediately surrounded and crushed on by the girls. Poh said “Heheee, how are you all?”

A girl said, “Hey, I’m not growing any taller if you don’t Poh. So cute!”

Poh getting crowded starts to panic, “Wa, wawawa, come on, guys, get back and stop that this instance!”

Another girl said, “No good! Poh is too huggable!”

He has the shortest height among the boys of the academy, and an infant body type lower than the girls. In addition, his childish face, glasses, and such a childish behavior are always very popular with girls.

I said to Enuma, "His magic power and capacity are higher than the princess. In the field of magic, he’s first grade. The son of the Great Mage, one of the seven heroes."

Enuma replied, "Oh I see. So that is the reason. The little one there."

Yes, he is the son of the seven heroes same as me, and he is a childhood friend since we were kids. Then, he inherited his father’s talent, who was a great mage, and became famous as a Magic Boy Genius, and was especially popular among women in the Imperial capital.

While folding his arms with bored, sour faced expression, he had a cold attitude towards the girls swarming him as if he found it irritating. Yet the girls found that cool demeanor from the long-haired swordsman very attractive. The girls vocalized their crush on the silent man. 

 “””””””Kyaaaaa! Mr. Reval!”””””

Reval said, “My ears hurt. Don’t talk to me if you have no reason to.”

“”””””So Dreamyyyyyy!”””””

Enuma asked, "What about that tall specimen?"

I told Enuma, "Ah. He is better than a princess when it comes to sword skill and combat ability. He’s the strongest man in our academy. The son of the Sword Saint of the Seven Heroes, or The Man Who Draws the Blood"

Enuma replied, "Oh, I was there. He fought only with a sword, using no magic, and certainly, he had that assuming air of coldness to him."

Yes, he’s the same as me. And, like Poh, a man who is said to be The Sword Saint’s Successor. It is said that his ability is already comparable to that of an Advanced Warrior. Both of them have inherited their parents’ genes and the expectations of many people. 

Enuma said "Hmm. Being witness to this has made me nostalgic. I never have I imagined there would be so many legacies."

I said, "Last year, the Empire sent out talented people for study and training abroad in exchanges with other countries."

Enuma said something that he hit a sore point when he asked, "Were you not chosen?"

I dejectedly said, "There are only two spots for foreign students. It goes the top two students in the ranking. The princess was the overall top last year, but she declined to study abroad, so those two who were second and third at the time became international students."

Enuma nodded, "I see. In other words, your second grade in the rankings is due to being advanced by the absence of those two."

Bitter I told him, "Shut up!"

Yes, that’s exactly right. Like the princess, the two of them are not equal to the princess in general, but they have the one aspect that makes them second to none.

Also, it was the one aspect that was their talent of their hero parents, everyone had certain expectations of them, and they always met those expectations.

Unlike me…