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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Provocation
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A father's only daughter was murdered.
The murderer escaped, but was later safely apprehended by the police.
However, on the very day the murderer was released from prison.
The daughter's father sought him out and killed him with a knife, just as his daughter had been.
After being caught by the police, the father who had lost his daughter said:
"I have lived until today for one purpose only: to kill that bastard."
Overwhelmed by the grief and despair of losing his only daughter, he had attempted suicide countless times.
But each time, the face of his daughter's murderer would flash before his eyes, preventing him from going through with it.
If he died like that, he wouldn't be able to face his daughter.
So, instead of dying himself, he resolved to kill the murderer.
Thus, driven by the sole conviction of avenging his grudge,
he had survived for ten long years.
Many people say to forget anger and resentment.
Because anger and resentment can ruin a life.
They mean for you to forget them and live your own life.
However, sometimes, anger
can be the driving force that prolongs a life.
"Take it back."
The girl before me now was just such a case.
Just moments ago, her eyes had been dull, showing no trace of a will to live.
But now, they blazed with a clear, vivid anger.
"Take back what you said about Lucas."
It was supposed to be a moment to introduce the new transfer student and welcome them with applause.
But instead,
the transfer student's bombshell statement had completely overturned the situation.
And, of course,
I was that transfer student who had dropped the bombshell.
All eyes were fixed on Isabella and me.
The students were bewildered, watching her erupt in anger from her seat.
They had never seen Isabella display such intense fury in the past year.
Even those who were usually close to Isabella couldn't utter a single word.
That was how profoundly Isabella expressed her rage.
"Lucas?"
Meanwhile, what was I doing?
"Who's that?"
I tilted my head innocently.
And that action was perfectly designed to provoke Isabella's anger.
"The squad leader you just mentioned!"
A grinding sound—
Isabella's teeth gnashed together.
"That squad leader is Lucas, my childhood friend."
She informed me, a hint of final courtesy in her voice.
As if to say, if it was a mistake, she'd let it slide this once.
So, apologize.
Her eyes urged me.
"Ah."
I let out a gasp.
An action that suggested I had just realized my mistake.
The moment the students saw that, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"No, I don't want to."
I dropped another bombshell.
"You!"
"Isabella, that's enough. Hanon, you too."
As Isabella shrieked and lunged forward, Professor Beganon intervened.
She stood between Isabella and me, sighed, and then gestured with her chin, an annoyed expression on her face.
"Hanon, don't cause trouble the moment you arrive. Go find an empty seat and sit down."
"Yes, Professor."
I quickly replied and walked up the classroom steps to find a suitable empty seat.
Predictably, Isabella continued to glare at me fiercely until the very end.
Her face was so contorted with rage, she looked utterly at a loss.
'Terrifying.'
Honestly, seeing that, I was scared.
I've rarely, if ever, been the target of such one-sided fury in my life.
What's more, Isabella was a main heroine I was quite fond of.
Isabella is a main heroine in the story.
Naturally, I couldn't help but feel affection for her.
To be hated by such an Isabella truly pained me.
But right now, it's necessary.
Like a sentence written after a bad ending:
The moment she chooses suicide, this world truly ends.
'Endure it, me.'
Everything is for the sake of surviving in the world after the bad ending.
The moment I made that firm resolution, I felt another pair of eyes on me.
I turned my head, following the gaze, and saw a woman with black hair, just like mine.
Her appearance alone was enough to elicit admiration.
Her upturned eyes and high nose bridge brought to mind a dignified cat.
Even her dainty lips.
The final villainess.
Third Princess Iris Haisirion.
She was looking at me.
'Did I attract too much attention?'
Knowing Iris's true circumstances, I avoided her gaze.
She was, perhaps, in a position that could be called the final boss of the game.
'It's not time to get involved with her yet.'
When I averted my gaze, Iris, who had been watching me, also turned her head away.
She, too, had only briefly paid attention because of my sudden outburst.
It seemed it wasn't of great interest to her.
Of course, Isabella's gaze still wouldn't leave me.
'It sends shivers down my spine.'
I wonder, can I really do well from now on?
It was a remarkably well-placed first step.
＊＊＊
In the world of *Demonic Labyrinth Academy Slayer*, there are a total of six academies.
The common goal of these six academies is...
...to cultivate 'students' who can stop the world's threat, sealed within the underground Demonic Labyrinth:
the 'Demon Lord'.
'The reason for specifically cultivating students is simple.'
No one over the age of nineteen can enter the underground Demonic Labyrinth.
This is due to the curse of the Demon Lord, the master of the labyrinth.
'Now that I think about it, the Demon Lord seems like a petty existence, targeting only teenagers...'
Still, it's a setting with more reason than one might initially think.
The Demon Lord emits power beyond the labyrinth's seal, creating 'Apostles'.
When Apostles are first born, they are incredibly weak.
But within the environment of the underground Demonic Labyrinth, they repeatedly undergo metamorphosis, growing stronger.
The moment they complete their transformation and become strong enough to emerge from the underground Demonic Labyrinth,
they become absurdly powerful monsters capable of killing even the world's most renowned heroes.
It takes exactly twenty years for such an Apostle to fully mature.
Apostles are greedy.
To prevent Apostles from lingering and coveting the Demon Lord's power even after full maturation,
upon completing twenty years of maturation, they are immediately expelled to the surface by the labyrinth's rules.
This mechanism ensures that Apostles, who need to feed on the Demon Lord's power to survive,
become desperate to exert their strength towards breaking the Demon Lord's seal, so they can once again receive his power.
This rule applies equally to humans.
Humans, too, cannot enter the labyrinth by its rules once they turn twenty.
As mentioned before, Apostles are weakest when they are first born.
Therefore, to prevent Apostles in advance,
the world decided to send adolescents into the underground Demonic Labyrinth.
Thus, the six academies were established.
From ages sixteen to nineteen,
they train students to be sent into the underground Demonic Labyrinth for a total of three years.
The families of students who perform well in the labyrinth gain great honor.
Not only are they highly praised by their respective nations as families that produced heroes,
but the families to which these heroes belong also receive full support from the state.
Therefore, the academies naturally had a high proportion of nobles.
This was because countless noble students flocked there, intent on bringing glory to their families.
For the glory of their families,
and to protect the world,
countless students seek education at the academies.
"That's all for today's lesson."
Professor Beganon, having concluded the Combat Theory lesson, let out a wide yawn and turned away.
Judging by her expression, she seemed intent on going for a drink again.
"Oh, and remember, there will be a mock battle soon, as always."
With that final remark, Beganon walked straight out of the classroom.
Thud!
At the same moment, a loud noise came from a desk lower down.
The students, already anticipating this situation, exchanged furtive glances.
The source of the sound was Isabella Luna.
Isabella, Lucas's childhood friend.
Her face was so contorted that it could have belonged to a demon.
She had been waiting for the lesson to end, and now, with her theory textbook tucked under her arm, she began to walk.
Her direction, of course,
was towards me.
'How chilling.'
Should I run?
Honestly, Isabella was exuding such a menacing aura that the thought genuinely crossed my mind.
But I couldn't run away now.
I needed to become Isabella's sworn enemy.
At least until graduation from the academy.
She absolutely had to cling to her life and survive.
Moreover, I simply wanted Isabella to live.
Having played the 'Flame Butterfly' arc countless times, I, too, had developed a deep affection for Isabella.
She was the flagship main heroine of the 'Flame Butterfly' arc.
Her dying was something that pained me as well.
"Hanon Airey."
Isabella's voice rang out.
In this world, calling someone by both their first and last name simultaneously is a way to emphasize addressing them.
I glanced at Isabella, then pushed my chair back and stood up.
"Is there something you need?"
"It's a repeat of what I said earlier. Apologize right now for insulting Lucas, and for insulting his friends who were with him."
The students' gazes converged on us.
The students who were seeing Isabella's rage for the first time were filled with concern.
But some also showed interest.
The transfer student who had dropped a bomb the moment they arrived.
They were curious to see how such a transfer student would react.
I casually swept my gaze over those students, then looked back at Isabella.
"Let me say it again."
I stated, my face devoid of emotion.
"No."
Isabella's eyes widened.
She trembled with rage.
"Lucas and the others fought the Apostle with all their might! What fault could they possibly have?!"
"I told you already. They tarnished the reputation of Jerion Academy."
"Just for that?!"
"Just?"
I slowly narrowed my eyes and stepped closer to Isabella.
Perhaps because I was coming on stronger than she expected,
Isabella flinched for a moment.
Isabella and I had almost no height difference.
If anything, Isabella was slightly taller.
But the presence emanating from me rendered any height advantage meaningless.
I had practiced for this moment countless times.
If I backed down now, Isabella would die.
There was no way I would be outmatched in presence.
"Do you seriously not know how Jerion Academy's reputation was built?"
I took another step closer, my eyes still narrowed.
"The world is threatened by the Demonic Labyrinth.
And that threat is directed primarily at commoners, more so than at us nobles."
If Isabella was emotional, I had to be rational.
I had to confront her with undeniable logic.
"If commoners feel insecure, the seeds of that insecurity will shake the nobility. Furthermore, they will shake the very foundations of the nation, and the world itself.
Our goal as nobles is to encourage commoners to live without fear.
The six academies are symbols that prevent such commoner anxiety.
And Jerion Academy is the foremost among them."
For the past twenty years,
not a single first-year student had died at Jerion Academy.
This means that what happened was an extremely unusual event.
"This wasn't just any academy; such a misfortune occurred at Jerion Academy, where only the most elite students gather.
Do you truly understand what that implies when you speak?"
The Demonic Labyrinth has become more dangerous than before.
Perhaps students can no longer stop the labyrinth.
The world is in danger.
People could interpret it this way.
Of course, it's a leap.
But the unspoken anxiety that blossoms in the hearts of citizens when they read the newspapers is real.
Anxiety is a spark that can fly anywhere.
Though a small spark, if it lands on straw, it can ignite a great fire.
Therefore, Jerion Academy must always be invincible, an absolute truth.
Jerion Academy must never be seen to waver.
"Lucas and his friends, whom you speak of, made such a grave mistake."
Isabella stared at me with vacant eyes.
And behind those eyes, a deep, deep revulsion settled.
"…Someone died."
Isabella bit her lip hard.
Tears had already welled up in her eyes.
"My friend died."
A childhood friend she had grown up with her entire life.
That childhood friend died.
It must have felt like half her world had collapsed.
"And you're saying that was a mistake?!"
Thick tears began to fall from Isabella's eyes.
"I will not tolerate a world like that. Lucas didn't make a mistake. He fought with all his might and defeated the Apostle."
As she said that, Isabella also took a step closer to me.
Thanks to that, she and I were truly glaring at each other, nose to nose.
"I will definitely make you acknowledge Lucas, and make you apologize."
"I'm sorry, but that will never happen."
Isabella, whose opinion clashed with mine, spun around and walked out of the classroom.
As she left, the silent atmosphere gradually began to ease.
"Isabella was scarier than I thought."
"I didn't know she could get that angry."
While some students whispered,
a few girls stood up from their seats and hurried out, following Isabella.
"Isabella, wait for me!"
"Trash."
"Is that even human?"
As they passed, they cast looks of utter contempt at me.
I'd properly earned their hatred too.
It seemed they were going to go and thoroughly badmouth me.
'It's fine. I'm used to being hated.'
Of course, that's bullshit.
How could anyone get used to being hated?
This was simply the best I could come up with.
Still, at least Isabella would try anything until she got an apology for Lucas from me.
That was enough.
I had, somehow, put a band-aid on the Isabella situation.
Now, for the next task.
'The third-year vice president, the Disaster Dragoness.'
This first semester of second year.
The final boss of Act 3 and one of the three worst bad endings.
The woman who held the bad ending known as 'Ancient Dragon'.
It was time to meet her.