Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 356 The Demon Within

Faced with a criminal who was utterly wicked and deserving of no sympathy no matter how he died, Cortrienne swung her heavy sword down without mercy.

Clang——

The goddess of the bath, who had been squinting her eyes in fear of an overly gory scene, heard a metallic clanging sound coming from within her memory.

If the Hall of the Cross were an academy, Cortriñe would undoubtedly be its chief.

Therefore, even though Cortelne is still young, there are only a few people who can withstand her full-force strikes.

"Phew, I've made it!"

The middle-aged man who stopped Cortrienne from "carrying out" the execution placed his foot on the criminal's broken arm, causing the criminal to scream in agony.

His actions seem to suggest that his intervention and obstruction were not due to the law, sympathy for the criminals, or even morality.

Simply for Cortrienne.

"It's too early to make a 'choice' now. Besides, it's shameful to use such scum as a turning point in your life. Kurt."

Sword Saint Roland said with a rather tired smile.

Cortrienne's next memory will likely not be too far removed from the previous scene.

Because she hadn't changed out of her hooded robe.

However, compared to her almost completely black face, hidden entirely in the shadow of her hood, with only her eyes radiating a red glow—a bewitching appearance—Cortellen has clearly returned to normal.

Cortrienne, who must have returned to the Elson mansion, faced Roland sitting opposite her, her head slightly lowered and her lips tightly pursed.

She looked like a child caught doing something wrong by their parents, and also like someone desperately trying to hold back something.

"I handed that prisoner over to the guards in my own name. While I can't control things like reputation, if you want the bounty on him, I'll have the butler give it to you later."

The one who broke the silence was Roland.

Looking at Cortriene, who remained silent, Roland scratched the back of his head, pondered for a moment, and then relaxed, revealing an expression that said, "It's about time."

"Ahem, Kurt. I... I actually have a very special ability."

Listening to Roland's serious words, Cortrinet slightly raised her head, while the goddess of the bath outside the frame had a question mark appear above her head.

The atmosphere was almost like a teenager in the throes of adolescent delusions of grandeur confessing that a dark dragon's power resided in his right arm. But considering their ages, aren't Roland and Cortrine's roles reversed?

"Possessing special abilities, or 'superpowers,' isn't unusual in the Western Territory. However, the chances of such people appearing are extremely small, roughly two or three every ten or twenty years. Moreover, most of these people are born into the Elson family. So, although that disrespectful brat Ritas always spouts nonsense about how we Elsons couldn't possibly be descendants of Saint Marenu, the facts prove that there is indeed something special in our Elson bloodline!"

As Roland spoke, he slightly furrowed his brow.

"So, that brat might also have some kind of 'superpower' or something? I didn't really notice it before, but lately I've been feeling like his brain's been acting a bit abnormally sharp, or maybe even a little off-track. Anyway, I've known since I was little that I'm a bit special. The fact that I was able to defeat that old man, Gregory, and become a 'Sword Saint' was more or less due to my superpower. That's why that old geezer always says I'm using crooked methods and will never acknowledge me. Too bad, he can't beat me. Hahaha—"

"We've gone off-topic again!"

The goddess of the bath, off-screen, couldn't help but say something, but unfortunately, her voice couldn't reach Roland.

Despite his advanced age, Roland still seemed somewhat at a loss when faced with children and disciples. After rambling on for a while, he finally returned to the main topic.

"My special ability is quite subtle. People used to say it was just my hallucination or illusion. But it turns out it's something that can't be explained by common sense. Simply put, my special ability is a kind of 'synesthetic ability.' To explain it more specifically, it's more like a confusion of the five senses. For example, we need to see a picture to know it. We need to hear a sound to understand it. We need to eat or smell food to know its taste. But people with synesthetic abilities can 'hear' pictures, 'see' tastes, and 'taste' sounds. Of course, my other senses are normal. My confused sense is touch."

As Roland spoke, he made a gesture as if grasping a longsword in the air.

"Moreover, direct contact has no effect; it requires indirect contact. The greatest manifestation of this ability is roughly through the clash of sword blades, through which I can roughly understand the other person's thoughts. This feeling is hard to explain. In short, I can 'read minds' in battle. Moreover, as I get older, the accuracy and breadth of mind reading become more and more precise."

As Roland spoke, Corténe looked up at her teacher and her body trembled slightly.

"That's why I realized it long ago. Whether it was during training or in simulated battles under other names, you, holding the sword on my opposite side, have always wanted to kill me, tried to kill me, haven't you?"

!

Catherine froze for a moment amidst the surprised questions from those outside the arena.

for a long time.

Even at his most casual and disheveled, Roland still exuded an air of authority. Cortelene, on the other hand, displayed respect, fear, and self-doubt towards her teacher.

Everything was reflected in Cortrienne's trembling lips and fingertips.

But in the end, Cortrienne managed to compose herself.

"Not just Uncle Roland. I want to kill everyone who stands in front of me with a weapon."

Once the words were spoken, Cortrienne's trembling disappeared, replaced by a sense of calm.

"Everyone?"

Seemingly not expecting Cortelene's condition to be so serious, and assuming that her previous behavior was just a typical teenage outburst and Roland's competitive nature, he couldn't help but press his temples.

He stared into Cortrienne's eyes for a moment. He saw no hatred, anger, or other strong emotions that would drive her actions.

"Why? What good would it do you to kill your opponent?"

Roland couldn't help but ask.

"We'll only know for sure when it actually happens."

Cortrienne shook her head.

"Can't we have monsters or ferocious beasts?"

"no."

Cortrienne continued to shake her head.
"Slaying monsters only makes me feel empty."

"You actually tried it? Oh, I think it was before you came to Elson's mansion."

"No, it was after we arrived at this mansion." "Tsk! How could that guy Remer let the child come into contact with dangerous beings like monsters!"

Roland, yelling loudly, forcefully shifted the blame for the poor supervision onto Cortrienne's father.

"I can't remember exactly when it started. Maybe it's just how I was born."

After Roland had almost finished his outburst, Cortrienne, still keeping her eyes lowered, continued to slowly explain.

"It's like there was a voice, but it's also like there wasn't. And since no one else taught me, I understood the essence of the 'sword.' From beginning to end, the sword is a weapon created solely to kill others. Beyond killing, the sword has no other meaning. The same applies to swordsmanship. No matter how skilled or proficient you become, the ultimate goal is still to kill your opponent. Therefore, as a sword, and as the person wielding it, I can only achieve true power by giving the sword its own value and fulfilling its mission."

Although she uttered some dreamlike words, Cortriñe's expression showed no sign of confusion.

She had a clear understanding of everything.

"."

Putting aside his previous casual attitude used to ease the atmosphere, Roland began to think seriously.

"To be honest, I don't know how to correct your thinking. Because... I think many of your beliefs are 'correct.' A 'sword' is indeed something created to kill others. Against large monsters, an axe that can break through any armor is often more effective. Against small monsters or beasts, a dagger or other agile and deadly weapon is more efficient. Only against opponents of just the right size can a sword, a weapon that seems to be able to do everything but doesn't excel at anything, be most effective. As for swordsmanship, if you want to protect yourself and only aim to subdue others, you can choose to learn a club-like weapon without a sharp blade so you won't accidentally kill someone. If you want to learn swordsmanship to improve your physical fitness, that's even more ridiculous. Let him go find a mountain and keep climbing up and down it."

Roland sighed.
"When I was young, there was a time when I thought that any guy who picked up a sword with a frivolous attitude deserved to die. But it's precisely because I think you're right that things are difficult. If it were a few years earlier, during the wars, you could have honed yourself with iron and blood, and you might have become a hero. But now there aren't that many people for you to kill to prove your 'rightness'."

"Would I kill a lot of people?"

Cortrienne asked, not entirely sure.

For her, finding the notorious criminal on this day was more like an experiment.

Let's see if killing a damned person will quell the urges surging within her.

"Of course, there's no end to it, is there? In a person's heart, there's like a door that's locked tightly. And once that door is opened, it can never be closed again. My hands are stained with a lot of blood. But at least when I kill someone, I believe that the other person truly needs to die. But in reality, most of the time, I regret it. I think about whether there were other, better ways. I think about what would happen if the person I killed hadn't died, and then one day happened to walk into the same tavern as me. Wouldn't that be interesting? Would we really have to be so hostile to each other?"

Roland said with a wry smile,

"I sometimes wonder, if that door I didn't really need to open had remained closed, and if my resistance to killing others hadn't diminished time and again, would everything have been different?"

"."

Cortrienne listened intently to Roland's words.

Try to understand the helplessness and regret in those words.

Indeed, once you've done something once, the bottom line will only get lower and lower.

Not to mention, the strong drive that has existed within her since childhood will accelerate this process.

So, at that time, who will she wield the butcher's knife against?

Today, it's that serial killer. But in the entire span of her life, the Western Region has only ever had one such madman.

So, does that mean she can punish any murderer without any scruples?
And after the number of murderers has decreased...
"Then what should I do, Uncle Roland?"

Cortrienne felt utterly bewildered by her situation.

"Was that impulse really that strong?"

Roland asked again earnestly. Cortelene nodded solemnly.

"Does that impulse also arise at other times? Aside from when you're holding a sword?"

This time, after careful consideration, Cortrienne shook her head.

"Since that's the case, the answer seems quite clear. However, you haven't found such a simple answer after all this time. This must mean that such 'giving up' is also a very painful thing for you. But there's no other way. Now you can only struggle with whether giving up everything you've achieved so far is more painful, or whether an uncertain future that could destroy everything is more painful. Then, make a choice that satisfies you."

"Do I even have a choice?"

Cortrienne asked, somewhat surprised.

When she poured everything out to Roland today, she was already prepared for the forced abandonment of the sword in her hand.

"Of course there are. In fact, as the 'Sword Saint' of the Elson School, how could I possibly expect my disciple, with such a bright future, to abandon swordsmanship? You could even say it's because we are 'Elson.' So, even if you take that step you shouldn't, I will only do my best to cover for you and make amends. Unless, you stoop so low as to target your family as well. And that might be a very long time; I might not even live to witness that moment."

Although his tone was somewhat joking, Roland was clearly serious.

"So, as your uncle and your teacher, I just don't want you to choose the path that will cause you the most pain."

"."

Raising her head, Cortrienne gazed at Roland's face, which held no trace of feigned kindness, and pressed her clenched hands firmly against her chest.

Perhaps the answer is already a definite fact.

Looking back now, she was abnormal from the very beginning. Her "door" was never locked from the start.

If it weren't for others intervening, the victim would have appeared the moment she first picked up the sword.

However, it was through these encounters with the people around her that she gradually felt the warmth of family from them. A different "axis" emerged within her heart.

So, her open door has now been completely closed.

I considered it carefully for a long time, so long that the scenery outside the window changed twice.

With a long sigh of relief, Cortrienne, her eyes bright, reaffirmed the answer deep within her heart.

"Uncle Roland, that's me."

As Cortrienne's memories shift once again.

Wearing the uniform of the Bayano Military Magic Academy, she stepped onto an unfamiliar road.

(End of this chapter)