The Demon Prince goes to the Academy

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Epinhauser and Loyar died, while Lucinil and Sarkegaar were captured.

 

Their corpses wouldn't have been placed in this national cemetery from the beginning.

 

Although the details were unknown, they were buried in the Unclaimed Graves of the national cemetery through some means.

 

Both were seen as humanity's traitors, siding with the Demon King.
Thus, they couldn't have their names engraved on tombstones.

 

Burying them in the national cemetery's Unclaimed Graves might have been a form of regret and atonement by the Gardias royal family.

 

Not that it would bring back the dead.

 

Olivia and Harriet knew that Epinhauser, a teacher, had died fighting to save me, and they also knew about Loyar.

 

Epinhauser and Loyar, who couldn't have their names engraved on tombstones due to their identity, became the owners of the Unclaimed Graves.

 

“…”

 

Nameless tombstones spread out around the memorial tower.

 

I didn't know which of the numerous tombstones belonged to Loyar and which to Epinhauser.

 

Harriet and Olivia had stern expressions as well.

 

Were they afraid of what I might say?

 

A dreadful imagination.

 

They couldn't help but think of our purpose here and its connection.

 

They might think I would try to resurrect Loyar and Epinhauser as Death Knights.

 

“Reinhardt…
even if they come back, they probably won't have their consciousness or self-awareness…”

 

“…”

 

“Raising the dead is different from becoming a Death Knight while alive.”

 

Epinhauser, who had been a Swordmaster.

 

Loyar, who was believed to have been even more skilled.

 

Naturally, turning them into Death Knights would be helpful.

 

But that wouldn't be the case.

 

“Why would I do that?”

 

It might be selfish, but there was no other way.

 

“I don't want to turn someone I know into something like that.”

 

I came here to create expendable tools for war.

 

And I have no intention of engaging in the horrible act of using those who were once precious to me.

 

However, creating such things from strangers doesn't make the act any less horrifying.

 

No, the very idea of considering it acceptable for strangers, but not for loved ones, is even more disgustingly selfish.

 

As horrifying as the thought may be, I must create tools that I can treat as expendable.
And these people are beings I cannot consider as mere tools.

 

They are the ones who sacrificed themselves for me.

 

Let's leave them be, at least.

 

Raising them again won't bring back their souls.
No, if their souls were to return, it would be a horrifying thing.

 

I can't say for certain how much of a difference there is between exploiting the deaths of strangers and exploiting the deaths of those who mattered to me.

 

But perhaps such favoritism is unavoidable.

 

What did Loyar want?

 

It seemed like she wanted the reconstruction of the demon realm, but it also seemed like she didn't.

 

She didn't seem to be very loyal to me, but in the end, she was a loyal subordinate, no different from Sarkegaar.

 

Everyone in the Rotary Club died.

 

After losing everything, Loyar died while trying to protect me, the last thing she had left.

 

I don't know much about Loyar.

 

And I know even less about Epinhauser.

 

“I still don't understand.”

 

“What don't you understand?”

 

“Why Epinhauser died trying to save me.”

 

Epinhauser's attempt to save me was not related to the Black Order.

 

In fact, the Order tried to kill me, and the remaining core forces were annihilated.
The scattered remnants were not worth worrying about, so in a sense, the Black Order was essentially destroyed.

 

Epinhauser believed in me.

 

I don't know what he believed, but he tried to save me because of that belief.

 

“Do you remember when I fought against the Orbis-class guys?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

The fights against Lilka Eren and Oscar de Gardias.

 

Those events eventually led to the Orbis-class academy crisis.

 

“Epinhauser said something in the disciplinary committee.”

 

“What did he say?”

 

“He said that I was the most talented individual in Temple history.”

 

I thought it was just a lie to protect me.

 

How could I be called that when Ellen was around? After the disciplinary committee ended, I told Epinhauser that, and he sternly replied that he genuinely believed it.

 

“I know my abilities better than anyone else.
But no matter how much I thought about it, I didn't think I was that exceptional.
So, it was a bit… disconcerting.”

 

What did Epinhauser see in me?

 

“But looking back now, I can't say that Epinhauser was wrong.”

 

Neither Harriet nor Olivia could respond to my words.

 

I don't know if I am comparable to Ellen.

 

But at this point, only a handful of people could face Ellen, and I am one of them.

 

If I can defeat Ellen, then Epinhauser's words would be true.

 

I don't know why he died protecting me, or what he saw in me.

 

I have no intention of reviving him as a Death Knight, and even if I were to revive him, conversation would be impossible, so I will never know.

 

From the start, I preferred the curt and seemingly uninterested in students, A-class teacher Epinhauser, over the gentle and affectionate B-class teacher like Mustlang.

 

But I was wrong.

 

Epinhauser was not a teacher who lacked interest in his students.

 

I still don't know Epinhauser.

 

“Let's stop here.”

 

However, it seems he knew me.