It didn't take long for Scarlett to return to the Imperial Capital.
A large-scale warp spot was always in operation for supplies, so as soon as she received permission, Scarlett was able to return to the Imperial Capital immediately.
Though the distance was incredibly vast, with a mass teleport cast by several Archmages, people and supplies could come and go at any time.
Some had returned to the Imperial Capital during the winter, but it was Scarlett's first time returning to the temple since the coalition forces had set out.
In fact, most of the battle-capable personnel from the temple had been roaming the battlefield, so there were hardly any cases of them returning to the temple.
"Hoo…"
-Thunk
After coming back and taking a shower, Scarlett collapsed onto the bed as if crumbling.
Scarlet could feel that the end of the Gate incident was not far off.
Her sense of crisis grew bigger as well.
The anxiety of whether she could survive until everything was over was always present. Scarlett was incomparably strong compared to ordinary people, but because of that, she had faced countless life-threatening situations.
Therefore, she had no certainty that she could survive until the end.
However, everything suddenly came to an end.
She wasn't injured, and the Gate incident hadn't ended yet.
Her abilities posed a danger to her allies.
So, she didn't know if staying on the battlefield would actually cause more problems.
"…"
Lying face down on the bed, Scarlett lay there as if dead, staring blankly.
Scarlett knew that the coalition forces wouldn't have a significant problem if she were gone, just as it had been in the past.
There was theTitan, and some strange armies with unknown identities.
Would the battle end like this?
Though many unresolved issues remained, was the battle against the unidentified monsters coming to a conclusion?
Scarlett knew that all of this would eventually end in either death or survival.
However, it was sudden.
She had never thought that her battle would end so abruptly, and honestly, Scarlett was in a daze.
It didn't feel real.
Truly, without any warning, everything happened so suddenly.
Now she could rest.
And those words.
The ones she had heard from Anna.
What was the story that she should never tell Christina?
What did it mean?
For now, she did as Anna asked because her gaze looked so desperate, but Scarlett couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Trusting Anna meant that she didn't trust Christina.
Once everything was over, she would ask about it.
It might not be a big deal after all.
Scarlett suddenly realized while lying on the bed.
The smell of the soft quilt was unfamiliar.
How long had she been wandering outside for the dormitory bed, quilt, and the room's scenery to feel so unfamiliar?
Her days of roaming the streets as a beggar now felt like a distant past.
The war had swallowed everything, and everything before the war had faded.
Everything felt like a distant past, and all the things that had once been familiar now seemed strange.
She had clung to the temple because she couldn't survive outside of it.
But now, Scarlett could live outside the temple as well.
Even if the war ended, there would still be work to do in clearing out the remaining monsters on the continent.
There was a use for Scarlett's sword wherever it was needed, and it was needed everywhere in the world. Scarlett could now survive even without the temple.
Scarlett rose from the bed and gazed quietly at the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery.
Temple Royal Class Dormitory, second floor.
The landscape turned green as summer approached.
Could the temple start anew?
Too many had died, with countless students among the deceased.
Scarlet should have been in her fifth year.
However, everything had come to a halt during her second year.
The dormitory, the education, the scenery.
Everything had stopped and refused to flow.
"…"
Could humanity ever regain its original tranquility?
Suddenly, Scarlett felt a profound sadness.
It seemed nearly impossible for the temple to operate again.
Even if it did resume operations,
those who had already vanished would never return, no matter what happened.
Asher.
Delphin.
The two could not come back.
Even if the temple miraculously resumed classes, their empty spots would remain empty forever.
Even if peace returned to the world, the countless empty spaces left by such people would never be filled.
Scarlett finally bit her lip and began to cry softly.
In the end, Delphin's face, who had died in her stead, surfaced in her mind, and Scarlett buried her face between her knees and wept for a long time.
Was it okay to be alive?
Scarlett felt she could somewhat understand the feelings of Ludwig, who had been forced to retreat from the battlefield.
It didn't seem like this was the end.
It felt like there was something more she could do.
Ludwig, who had finally undergone some sort of treatment and returned to the battlefield with an unhealthy body, wrapped a bandage around his arm, insisting that rear support was enough.
Scarlett could somewhat understand his feelings.
While others were still risking their lives, it weighed on her heart to be back here, regardless of any justifiable reason.
However, Scarlett's situation was quite different from Ludwig's.
While Ludwig's situation was due to insufficient strength, Scarlett's presence on the battlefield would cause problems.
She had even more reason to withdraw from the battlefield than Ludwig did.
Scarlett knew better than anyone that it was inevitable.
But like Ludwig, Scarlett was not someone who could become complacent, claiming she had no more battles to fight.
Somehow, her heart felt tormented and uncomfortable.
Scarlett stared intently at her own hands.
She thought about her supernatural ability.
What a useless power it was.
In fact, it wasn't exactly a useless ability.
Her power had its uses ever since monsters began using strange powers.
However, the number of monsters that used magic-like powers wasn't very high among the various types of monsters. And since most of them possessed overwhelming physical strength, her ability often lacked significance.
Thus, her supernatural ability was merely a supplementary tool, and she couldn't rely on it alone.
Moreover, her ability had now reached the point where it could neutralize even the magic equipment affected by her powers.
Her ability's development had become a problem.
Fortunately, she could control it consciously.
It was an immense relief that her ability didn't completely nullify magic, allowing teleportation spells to still function.
If it had been that extreme, she would have had to walk back alone from the faraway location to Imperial Capital.
To the enemy, it was a meaningless ability, a supernatural power that neutralized the allied golems and magical equipment.
If it had been a battle between humans, Scarlett knew her power would have been of immense help.
The enemy's mages would not have been able to lay a finger on Scarlett.
However, in a battle against monsters, it was of little significance.
Of course, that didn't mean Scarlett wanted to participate in such a fight.
It was a useless power, but it was good to be useless.
A power that neutralized magic and supernatural abilities.
Scarlett sneered to herself.
Her childhood, when she had been ostracized as a witch, now seemed absurd.
In reality, she was the furthest thing from a witch.
She couldn't even use magic, nor was she affected by it.
Having red hair and red eyes had subjected her to ridicule and torment, and now those days seemed ridiculous and lonely.
In the end, Scarlett left the battlefield.
Her ability was harmful to her allies, but upon further thought, there was nothing she could do about it.
'Yeah……'
Scarlett thought quietly.
'For someone like me, it's better to be useless…….'
Depending on one's perspective, it was a strong ability, but it was better if it wasn't used too much.
Such power.
She wished for the war to end and for a world where people could live in peace, even if things couldn't go back to the way they were before.
That's what she hoped for.
As she thought so, she decided to sleep deeply for the first time in a long while.
-Meow
"…?"
Scarlet turned her head at the sound coming from beyond the window.
It was definitely a cat's cry.
'What is it?'
A cat's cry.
Outside the window.
A cat was sitting on the windowsill outside Scarlett's dormitory, crying.
It was a cat that Scarlett knew.
The cat was looking at her and crying.
"Ah."
Scarlett finally remembered the forgotten existence.
Ellen had gone back to the dormitory for a moment, claiming she had left a cat behind.
Since then, Ellen had hardly left her barracks, so they hadn't had a chance to talk, but it seemed certain that she had left a cat.
So, that black cat must have been living in the dormitory all this time.
-Meow
-Knock Knock
The cat knocked on the window with its paw as if asking her to open it.
Ellen had a cat.
Scarlett had seen Ellen take it with her. She had seen it struggling while locked in a cage.
It wasn't strange for a cat to be around.
-Meow
-Knock Knock
But there was something strange.
"This is the second floor, isn't it……?"
This was the second floor of the dormitory.
And the floor height was higher than that of an ordinary building, so the second floor of the dormitory was much higher than that of a normal building.
How on earth could a cat be up there?
Scarlett couldn't help but be baffled as she looked at the cat.
Anyway.
She didn't know how the cat had managed to get up there, but if it jumped down carelessly and got hurt, that would be a big problem.
Could that be the case?
The cat had managed to climb up there, but it didn't know how to get back down and was in trouble.
But that cat.
Scarlett had seen it since it was a kitten, but why hadn't it grown at all?
Was it a slow-growing breed?
Scarlett had various thoughts as she cautiously opened the window, worried that it might be dangerous.
-With a start
Along with the sound.
With a leap, the cat dashed into Scarlett's room.
However.
-Thunk!
As it happened.
“…!”
The cat that entered Scarlett's room had transformed into a human.
“Ah…?”
That's what happens with humans.
If they're too shocked, they can only stammer incoherently and their mouths gape open.
Utterly speechless.
“Ah… Ah…? Ah…”
Scarlett was too shocked.
Afraid.
And, appalled.
As she struggled to find words,
“I'll ask quickly. I'm in a hurry.”
The cat turned human.
“You, before coming here. So, from yesterday until now.”
To be precise, the cat that had taken on Reinhardt's form asked,
“Christina.”
“Louie Ancton.”
“Anna de Gerna.”
“Ludwig.”
The cute cat was gone, replaced by the stern-faced Reinhardt.
That despicable and bad-tempered Reinhardt.
“Have you met any of these four people?”
He skipped any explanation and went straight to the point.
Naturally, Scarlett wasn't in any condition to respond, let alone think.
-Thunk
“Ah… Ah… Aaah…”
Unable to say anything, Scarlet collapsed on the spot.
“Please… Spare me…”
As if understanding why she was reacting this way, Reinhardt furrowed his brow while looking down at the cowering Scarlett.
“Hey, I don't know if you're aware, but we're in a damn hurry. Hurry up!”
Though it was urgent,
Still, he didn't explain.
However, the Demon King's face turned red as he looked down at Scarlet.
Certainly, there was no trace of anger that might indicate he was furious.
“If you can't answer quickly, at least put on some clothes first!”
“!!!!!”
On top of that, Scarlett had just finished showering and fallen onto the bed, so she was in her underwear.
——
Scarlett almost fainted.
The world-renowned intruder who broke into Scarlett's room turned red and urged her to put on clothes if she couldn't answer the questions. Trembling, Scarlett hurriedly dressed herself.
He barged into her room without permission and even gave orders.
The Demon King really was a bastard.
Scarlett wasn't even embarrassed; she was just bewildered by the situation unfolding before her and curled up in the corner, shaking.
What was with the cat?
And the Demon King?
What about the questions?
What had happened up until now?
If the cat was actually the Demon King,
What on earth had been going on?
Scarlett shivered, huddled in the corner, unable to open her mouth.
Regrettably, the problem wasn't only with Scarlett.
“I… I didn't mean to look on purpose. But, um. Anyway. I'm in a hurry. I'm sorry. I'm also in a rush. I know there's no excuse, I know…”
The Demon King seemed to be aware of what he had done and was rambling on.
What did it matter if he saw her in her underwear?
Considering the state of the world, this was nothing. And here he was apologizing for it.
Scarlett was only scared by the fact that the Demon King had suddenly appeared in her room.
Scarlett had seen her fair share of hardships after the war.
However, in this entirely bizarre moment, with the Demon King she should never have encountered right in front of her, her mind went blank.
The Demon King was frightening.
However, as much as she looked, the rambling Demon King appeared embarrassed and awkward, but not murderous.
"Are… are you not going to kill me?"
"Why would I kill you!" Reinhardt snapped back, almost madly.
"I know you must be feeling confused, scared, and curious about why I've been doing all of this, and you probably don't trust me. I get it, I understand. But try to calm down, even though it's confusing."
He was even more so than before.
But, Scarlett couldn't help but think as she looked at Reinhardt.
He seemed even crazier than before, but he looked just like he did back in the temple.
He was always a ruffian, then and now.
Scarlett's trembling slowly subsided.
He didn't intend to kill her.
If he didn't have that intention, then why on earth was he here?
"What on earth are you doing…?"
"Hey, when I hear something like that, there are so many things that come to mind that I can't figure out what exactly you're curious about. You need to be more specific."
Was she talking about the gate incident?
Was she asking what he had done up until now?
Or was she asking about the current situation?
He had done so many things that it was impossible to tell what she was asking if she asked ambiguously.
Scarlett gestured toward the window.
"The… cat?"
"Yes…"
Though there were certainly more pressing matters, Scarlett was disoriented and wanted to know what was going on.
Regardless of the importance of the matter, the fact that the Demon King was masquerading as a cat was the most intriguing.
"This is… um… actually the most complicated part…?"
And for Reinhardt too, explaining the other matters was quite complex and difficult, but explaining the cat impersonation was the hardest.
From the original intention to how it had come to be, it would take at least 30 minutes to explain.
As Reinhardt stuttered, Scarlett quietly asked the most important question.
"Does Ellen… know…?"
"No, she doesn't."
"…"
Despite the terror of the situation.
Despite the fear of the other party.
"You crazy… perverted bastard…"
Scarlett couldn't help but frown.
"I… I mean, you're right! You're right, but I should be getting scolded by Ellen, not you! Why should I be scolded by you?! Call me a pervert for that other thing instead!"
"You shameless… piece of trash…"
Regardless of anything else, the act of deceiving people as a cat was an indisputable perverted act, even if he had ten mouths to speak with.
"…Fine, I deserve to die."
The Demon King had no choice but to admit it.