Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy

The purpose of the Bellium Academy was to train elite combat forces to counter the Demon King’s Army. Furthermore, it would be even better if they could be of help in killing the Demon King.

The current chairman, Erestika, who was once known as Meligor, had founded the Academy after defecting from the Demon King’s Army, bearing a grudge against Mahbat and Eysier.

On the other hand, now that the Demon King was dead, the Demon King’s Army had collapsed, and the birth of a new Demon King had become impossible with the disappearance of the Demon God, one could argue that the Bellium Academy had achieved its purpose.

“But that’s not a reason to shut down the Empire’s Academy. There are a few idiots who say such things, and it’s lamentable.”

“Yes.”

I sat up straight, keeping my back straight, and replied to the Emperor, who was sitting in front of me. After all, he was the Emperor.

While I had no reason to bow down to him in terms of power alone, I also had no reason not to. If I was going to behave like an unruly brute who only relied on strength, why would I have returned quietly? I would have just gone around smashing everything.

I was far from being that kind of crazy person, and aside from the mistake he made regarding Laura’s brother, the Emperor was quite admirable. So, I intended to play along.

“Why are you being so stiff? Relax, relax. Your Emperor permits it.”

“……”

However, I was curious as to why he was treating me so casually. He was even more laid-back than when he had first called me for a private conversation. Back then, he at least seemed to be aware that he was the Emperor, but now he was acting as if he had forgotten that fact.

Perhaps it was due to Laura’s influence, as she had set his character to be like this.

“I can see that you’re curious as to why I’m acting this way.”

“To be honest, yes.”

“It’s nothing special. My daughter likes you, and I know that you’re a pretty decent guy. I’m usually like this, so you might as well get used to it now so that you’re less shocked later. The dignified demeanor I show as the Emperor is fake; this is the real me. Do you understand?”

“……I understand.”

I almost said, “I don’t think I can understand,” but I swallowed the words.

He was truly unique, and I wondered why he was showing this side of himself to me first, instead of Laura.

“I’ve heard every rumor about you. The stuck-up people at the Mage’s Association cann’t live without you, you had a fairly smooth meeting with the daughter of the Renitus Duke recently, and most importantly, the people around you are quite remarkable. My daughter is one of them, so it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

The Emperor chuckled. I was too bewildered to laugh along.

“During the summer festival, you finished your student council work early and spent most of your time with your club. I won’t stand in the way of my daughter’s happiness. If the guy she likes is hopelessly inadequate to be by the future Emperor’s side, then maybe I would object, but… how many people in this Empire would be considered adequate if you’re considered inadequate?”

I remained silent. The Emperor threw a grape up so high that it almost touched the ceiling and caught it in his mouth, showing off his skills.

I wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, but it was impressive.

“I’ve done some terrible things to my daughter. If I had known that he would get involved with a demon, I should have cut his throat instead of appealing to our familial bond. But I didn’t, and now here we are.”

“……”

The Emperor continued with small talk, asking if I needed a title, if I wanted to become a noble, if I wanted a fiefdom, and if I wanted to learn the ways of the nobility for future needs.

It was obvious what he was getting at.

“Now that we’ve finished eating, let’s get to the main topic.”

As the Emperor got up, the laziness and playfulness in his eyes disappeared, and he resumed his dignified demeanor as the Emperor. I straightened my posture as well.

“Are you aware of the recent abnormal phenomenon?”

Even his tone and voice had changed.

“I am not, Your Majesty.”

“Only a very select few within the Empire know about this, so it’s understandable. Aside from you, me, the Great Mage, the three dukes, a few mages, and Laura, the Crown Princess, no one else knows.”

“Then why are you telling me about this, Your Majesty?”

“Because the Crown Princess suggested that you are the right person for the job.”

“……?”

Ever since her visit to the Imperial Palace, Laura had been acting strangely, and now I knew why.

I was shocked when I saw the drawing on the paper.

“According to the judgment of the Great Mage Valera, it seems to be a space connected to another dimension. Aside from the space that serves as a gateway, which is made of mana, the interior and exterior are completely sealed off, and it has been confirmed that magic used inside or outside the space does not affect each other.”

‘It’s definitely a Gate.’

The Emperor’s description and the drawing on the paper clearly depicted a Gate. I swallowed my surprise and asked a question.

“In the materials, it was mentioned that the anomaly has been ‘confirmed to disappear’ under certain conditions. May I ask what those conditions are, Your Majesty?”

“It’s similar to a dungeon, but also different. When the strongest monster or demon inside, as guessed by Valéra, is defeated, the anomaly naturally disappears.”

“……”

It really was a Gate.

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“……So, it’s decided.”

All six of them looked bewildered at my statement. It was understandable, as they were about to embark on a task that they had been doing for seven years on Earth and would likely continue to do for several decades, if not longer.

There were only six of them because two people were missing. Erestika was still holed up in the chairman’s office, refusing to come out, and Laura had temporarily returned to Earth to take care of some business.

“I asked my people, and they said that a similar phenomenon is occurring in the Demon World.”

“So you’ve encountered monsters as well. What did your subordinates say?”

I was honestly curious. On Earth, they were called monsters, but their appearance was no different from the demons and magical creatures here. I wondered what the demons of this world thought of them.

“They said they feel uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable?”

“Yes. There have been a few instances where monsters similar to the demons here appeared, and although they seem to be demons, looking at them makes them feel an inexplicable sense of discomfort. They don’t know why, though.”

“I know what you mean. Have you ever heard of the uncanny valley?”

“The uncanny valley?”

Nika nodded as she thought about it.

“Yes, Master. That’s exactly how it feels.”

It was quite surprising that even the demons could feel that way.

“……But why did a Gate open here as well?”

“Well, maybe it’s because of this.”

I summoned the Holy Spear in my left hand. The club room filled with a subtle golden light. Leona looked puzzled.

“Again?”

“When we crossed over, the concept of mana was introduced to Earth, and Gates appeared. Conversely, when we came back, it’s possible that the concepts of Earth also crossed over with us. After all, this Holy Spear was the first to choose a time.”

“I agree.”

Latina chimed in.

“It is impossible to bring the concepts of another dimension without this Holy Spear. No matter how many Gates we create, it is still impossible. Even if we did, it wouldn’t be as strong as this.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“What else? We need to confirm if it’s a real Gate, and if it is, we’ll have to do the same thing here. Nika, are there any Gates left in the Succubus territory?”

“Yes. I’ve erased the ones that appeared near the castle, but a new one appeared about an hour ago, and I was preparing to get rid of it.”

“Then let’s go there.”

“Yes, Master.”

Nika immediately created a Gate in the club room. Beyond it was the desolate landscape of the Demon World. It had improved somewhat since the Succubi had settled in the ruins of the old Demon King’s castle.

“Welcome, Queen!”

As soon as we stepped through the Gate, Succubi swarmed around us.

Their outfits were so revealing that they made bikinis look modest, and their natural sexiness with every movement made my companions cringe.

“Ah, um… Welcome, Your Majesty’s Master…”

And when they saw me, their eyes lit up with hearts, and they breathed heavily as they rubbed their legs together, which were beginning to get wet. My companions cringed even more.

“Hwuu… Excuse me…”

It didn’t last long. As soon as they saw Nika growling and glaring at them from the side, they quickly ran away. Instead, another Succubus stepped forward and bowed.

Unlike her half-naked colleagues, she was almost fully covered, with only her neck and above exposed. She even wore white gloves to cover her hands. She had taken special measures to guide us, as evidenced by the gloves.

“Welcome back, Queen.”

“Please guide us quickly.”

“Yes, this way.”

The calm-mannered Succubus turned around. Nika, who was still growling at her distant colleagues, followed behind, and we began to move as well.

Even with Nika by my side, the Succubi couldn’t take their eyes off me. It seemed that their lives were equally driven by lust and survival.

“We’ve arrived.”

The Gate was located near the entrance of a forest, a short distance from the Succubus castle. At a glance, it seemed to be several grades higher than the Gates on Earth.

Even an S-grade Gate, which was considered a disaster for humans on Earth, would be no match for this one.

“The waves and the amount of mana are off the charts. This Gate is several times, no, several dozen times stronger than the ones we know. And this is just the average? If this is the standard here, we would have had to redefine the grading system on Earth.”

Leona, who had been observing the surroundings for a while, came to a conclusion. The Succubus who had guided us had long since returned.

“Is it that strong?”

“Yeah. Remember the Leviathan we caught last time? If we assume that Leviathan is an S-grade, the Gate it spat out would barely be a B-grade. The more important thing is that this is just the average. If an S-grade Gate by Earth’s standards appeared here, it would be considered out of spec. It would be too weak.”

“Maybe the Gates are stronger because there’s more mana in this world. The power balance here has definitely shifted, but… what do you think, Mira?”

“We’ll have to go inside and see.”

I unsheathed Eternity. The answer was already clear.

“If this isn’t a temporary phenomenon but a permanent change, we’ll have to come up with countermeasures as well.”

“Like creating a new Gate Guilds?”

I was about to ask if she was joking, but I stopped myself.

“Yeah, we might have to do that. Seriously.”

“Huh? Huh? Really? How are we going to convince them?”

At my response, Rosalia became flustered. I gently stroked her head.

“We have a Saint here, don’t we?”

“……”

Rosaria’s face froze as she realized she had dug her own grave.