EP.92 26-3. The Christmas carol echoed.
***
The Demon Lord of Omniscience, Head Eike, was watching the situation from afar.
‘…Something’s strange. Even if the hero is an added variable.’
It was taking too long.
Dennis hadn’t mastered the three-dimensional magic circle and was stuck in the central hall, and Laplace and the sage’s intelligence was supposed to be blocked by the Power of Ignorance.
“It’s the seventh loop already. I already checked it last time.”
He muttered, checking the number of bullets in his revolver’s magazine. Only one bullet was missing.
Head’s mind grew complex. Where did the error start? He took out the book from his pocket and scanned the information he had written down, under the assumption.
“..It’s 11:15. Already 15 minutes have passed.”
According to his calculations, the Apostle of Gluttony should have subdued all the students of the academy by now.
“And the telepathic magic isn’t working either.”
He shifted his gaze towards the training ground. Metus, who fed on people’s traumas and used them as his power, wouldn’t act like this.
The disadvantage was that one had to inhale the black mist to be affected by the ability, but the students of the academy wouldn’t know that.
“This is too strange. I’ll have to go directly…”
He felt that something was terribly wrong. There was someone neutralizing his Omniscience and Ignorance, and perhaps he had trusted the weakness of trauma too much.
─Bang.
The Demon Lord, who had been deep in thought, shot the revolver in the direction he was looking, and soon after, his body moved in an instant.
He felt the texture of sand under his feet. Head, having arrived at the Grand Hearts Academia’s training ground, surveyed his surroundings.
“..What on earth is going on?”
The training ground where no one was collapsed except for one person. The students of the academy all looked perfectly fine, without a single scratch.
“Keeek..! Demon Lord! Please save me!!”
The Apostle of Gluttony was already subdued, bound in what looked like chains made of water, and the hero and magician, Kainel and Ariel, weren’t trapped in trauma either.
“Moreover, the princess is taking the hero’s side? Why?!”
He felt a sense of incongruity seeing the glass knight holding the hand of a fallen man wearing a dark knight helmet, kneeling beside him and offering a prayer with a noble attitude.
The fact that Phine Gransia, known for her cold emotions and demeanor, was showing such behavior felt extremely strange to Head.
Surely that knight should also be trapped in trauma, experiencing the past where she was defeated by Magic Hat. Everything was the complete opposite of his expectations.
“Curious about the reason, Head?”
It was then. In front of Head, who was assessing the situation and at a loss, it was like a projector was turning on.
“Well, the Demon Lord’s schemes always fail.”
Click, click. The surrounding scenery was changing, making sounds. Soon after, the Demon Lord was teleported to a place like a corridor with golden figures sitting.
“Long time no see. Do you remember me?”
“..Dennis!!”
The pinnacle of water magic. A drunken magician who used magic that utilized liquor by twisting attributes. Dennis walked out and blocked his path.
“You’ve even mastered the three-dimensional magic circle?! No, that can’t be. This can’t be happening! Surely it takes a long time….”
Seeing the three-dimensional magic circle in the blue-haired man’s hand, he couldn’t hide his shock. Mastering such an ultimate skill would take at least a month.
Who on earth twisted fate to reach this point?
“..Dennis, if you’re here, you won’t be able to protect Charitines and Nex?”
He forced his uncooperative brain to work and tried to dissuade Dennis. He was at a disadvantage in this place.
“Wahahahaha!!”
“Drink! Get drunk!!”
A banquet hall where people sparkling with golden light were sitting side by side, drinking.
The existence of these people signified the barrier that Dennis had created with the three-dimensional magic circle.
“Bless this liquor! Grace!”
“Let’s have a big party today!!”
Because if Dennis learned the ultimate skill, the three-dimensional magic circle, he could teleport his opponents to a pre-arranged location at any time.
“Weren’t you also a professor who values the lives of students like me, Dennis!!”
Head couldn’t escape unless he used the Holy Sword. But if he responded with the revolver here, he might not be able to fulfill the prophecy.
This was an unforeseen situation from the start. He needed to lead things as close as possible to the future he knew.
“Are you talking about the sophomores?”
“Yes! You’re not heartless, so you must know!”
For this reason, he had to reveal as many of the cards he held as possible and pressure his opponent. Seeing this, Dennis paused for a moment.
“The Hero Cultists you brought this time are strong!! There’s no way the students alone could defeat those guys…”
The Demon Lord of Omniscience was putting on a show of being relaxed and making a loud noise. Nex's Phoenix Cradle was, as far as he knew, when he destroyed the academy,
“The sophomores are already safe. I saw Nex use the Phoenix Cradle.”
“..What? It shouldn’t be now…?”
“An absolutely invincible shield. You saw Asha use it during the war, didn’t you.”
It was the last resort to prevent the students from getting hurt.
“Haha. You’re good at lying too. Hurry up and cancel the ultimate skill and go save the students!”
“Does this look like a lie, Head?”
“…”
“All the other students are safe too. I was just coming back after checking on everyone.”
Seeing the magician’s composed demeanor, he wore a flustered expression. Head was currently facing the three-dimensional magic circle that Dennis shouldn’t have been able to master.
“No way. Am I completely wrong?”
The Apostle of Gluttony, who was helplessly subdued, Phine Gransia's changed behavior, and Nex's hastened Phoenix Cradle. He combined all of these.
“Who on earth..? Who could deceive Omniscience this much?”
It shouldn’t be used now. Why could his calculations be so different?
“..I wasn’t deceived. The future has changed…?”
If Magic Hat covered it up using lies, the information should be completely wrong. But clearly, the prophecy seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
“Licht!! Is it because of that hero named Licht!!”
The Demon Lord of Truth definitely hadn’t done anything. Then the thought that it was the ability of the hero named Licht flashed through his mind like lightning.
“Looks like there’s something even the Demon Lord of Omniscience doesn’t know.”
Seeing the blue-haired man’s motionless figure with a glint of white light in his eyes,
“No! This wasn’t the future I saw!!”
Head tore at his own hair and cried out.
‘As expected, it was thanks to our Licht. Then he might be the hero of Omniscience too.’
Dennis guessed that it was thanks to the student Licht, who was summoned as a hero, but he didn’t bother mentioning it.
‘But I can’t tell him.’
If he spoke of such things, the information could be exposed and used against him by Head.
“Brothers!!”
He didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly began chanting.
“Today, we will reclaim the stolen spring!”
A glass of liquor made of water appeared in the blue-haired magician’s hand.
“For the Gransia Empire!!”
“For it!!”
“Together, let’s erase the ‘concept’ of that Demon Lord Head Eike! 「Cheers!!」”
“Cheers!!”
Raising the glass high, he shouted, and the golden-glowing people clinked their beer glasses and shared a toast with him.
The scent of beer spread, and there was a fizzing sound. The beer of golden light was automatically filled like magic for everyone holding a glass.
“Euhahahahat!!”
“Drink! Get drunk!”
“Wahahahaha!”
“Cheers! Cheers!!”
The people were excitedly drinking it, eating meat, and talking. Except for the Demon Lord, it was a boisterous and lively scene.
“This barrier, which uses the ultimate skill and Beer Gold… It should still be weak..! If I cancel it…!”
Seeing that, Head took out a red revolver from his pocket and aimed it at Dennis, but
“What are you doing? Demon Lord of Omniscience.”
Dizzy. His vision spun as if he was drunk, and his balance collapsed. Seeing the Demon Lord unable to aim his gun at the enemy, Dennis sensed victory, and
“This.. can’t be..!!”
To resist the rapidly approaching intoxication and the laughter that felt like it would burst his eardrums,
“My perfect prophecy..! There’s no way it could be wrong─!!”
Head raised his arm towards the ceiling of the corridor and pulled the trigger.
***
A hospital where snow was falling heavily.
“Look! Santa Claus really exists, you know?”
“Yeah. You’re right, Youngmin.”
“Hehe, Soo-hyun hyung cried today, so he won’t get a present~!”
The little boy wearing a red beanie was smiling brightly as he received presents wrapped in colorful wrapping paper, not knowing what would happen in the future.
“Ho ho ho. Merry~ Christmas!”
“Thank you! Santa Grandpa!”
I was pondering a plan while looking at the boy.
“Wow, it’s a combining robot! I really wanted one..!!”
A robot where cars and dinosaurs combine. If he received a toy that had all of a man’s romance, he would be happy enough.
‘..There was a saying that fate cannot be changed.’
Apostle of Gluttony. It is Metus’ attack. This is my trauma. In the end, the future where Youngmin dies here doesn’t change.
‘What am I supposed to do? What on earth….’
I wanted to clench my eyes shut. There were less than 3 hours left. Soon when people went to sleep, a fire would break out.
An unavoidable fate. Does the hope to break through this not exist somewhere?
I tried to talk about fire while holding the fire extinguisher around me, and I tried to jump in front of the stage and shout, but everything failed.
“Ho ho, Merry Christmas, Soo-hyun.”
As I was lost in thought, it was my turn before I knew it.
“Soo-hyun hyung also got a present? Santa Grandpa must’ve made an exception!”
“..A snow globe?”
The gift that I received from the adult, using the alias Santa Claus wearing red clothes, was a snow globe.
The snowflakes slowly falling inside the glass sphere were noticeable. An object that puts various decorations or miniatures inside the sphere and makes it look like it’s snowing.
‘Wait, like it’s snowing?’
Snow globes aren’t actually snowing. It’s a toy that ‘appears’ to make it snow when you shake it.
If you can’t change the past, you can reproduce it similarly.
“..Youngmin.”
“Why, Soo-hyun hyung?”
“They say that Santa’s Rudolf appears behind that Christmas tree every night.”
I pointed at the large tree in the distance with my finger. As expected, this worked. This would’ve been an action that didn’t exist in the past.
“Don’t you want to see Rudolf?”
“Of course I want to see it! But, they don’t let us out of the ward at night..”
“..I’ll sneak out and catch Rudolf.”
The boy in front of me was found in the place where we are now during the fire, I don't know why. In that case….
“Youngmin, you stay still in the hospital room today.”
I can sacrifice my life instead of this boy. The past where I get burns won’t change either,
“Really! Promise!”
“Yeah, it’s our secret promise.”
The fact that ‘a boy’ will lose ‘his life’ tonight doesn’t change either.
“So, don’t tell anyone.”
It’s an atonement that’s too late, and the Apostle of Gluttony’s attack might affect reality, but.
The Dark Knight is a person who sacrifices himself for others.