Chapter 303: I’m very sorry, juniors—your senior apologizes

Life.

The trajectory of an existence.

I don’t know about my past life, but in this one, I couldn’t be happier.

They say happiness shouldn’t be spoken of lightly, and yet…

‘Happiness.’

I can’t think of a word that better describes the fullness of this life.

Maybe that’s why.

For me, the concept of “dreaming” didn’t exist.

After all, a dream is a projection of desire.

But I didn’t want anything more than this. If I’m being completely honest.

The real reason I stopped dreaming was something else.

I annihilated the false gods. With my sashimi, I erased them from the universe as if they were pencil marks wiped clean with an eraser.

And so, I became something close to a god. Though not exactly a god.

To begin with, I still retained my humanity. I have women I love. If I were a true god, that would be impossible.

Though I possess power comparable to the God of the Sword, my soul remains that of a mere human.

And I chose to accept that.

I didn’t want to wake from this sweet reality.

However…

***

“Hmm.”

Half-asleep, I opened my eyes.

My vision was blurred, as if a film covered them.

I blinked slowly.

“What is this?”

Holding off the sigh, I looked around.

Against a pitch-black backdrop, scattered points of light shimmered without order.

A sea of stars stretched out before me.

Shhhhh…

The stars gathered into small clusters, forming galaxies.

And then, those galaxies merged into a single, immense Milky Way.

In that moment, the Milky Way opened slightly, above and below.

It looked like a long mouth splitting open.

Then, a voice echoed without warning.

[World formation progress: 98.99%.]

[Resolve the anomaly immediately.]

[Achieve world perfection.]

I had returned to Joaquin Academy.

I had spent the night on the director’s office sofa with my wife, Saki Ryozo.

And for the first time in ten years, I dreamed.

[Notification to supreme god candidate.]

[You must abandon your ‘humanity’.]

[It is an unnecessary impurity to perfection.]

A dry, arid voice.

An unknown entity demanded I give up my happiness. A threat disguised as a warning.

Seriously? To me?

“What a stupid dream.”

I’d faced similar situations before.

The difference now was, I no longer feared such nonsense.

Chiiing.

Even in the dream, I drew my spiritual companion, Murasame.

The sword’s hum echoed through the universe.

I was ready to paint the cosmos in blood.

1@/-7+#%71$ar

Huh?

The universe trembled. Celestial bodies distorted, trailing light to the left and right.

No—actually, it was the other way around. I realized soon enough that it was my field of vision that trembled.

A groan escaped me. I, who never gets dizzy, was experiencing cosmic vertigo.

Even in dreams, I formed my sashimi and drew my blade.

But I couldn’t resist that voice.

Even in sleep, under its power?

While a deep sense of defeat filled me, the dry voice persisted.

[If you do not comply, the suppressive agent will intervene directly.]

[This is an unavoidable causal event.]

But then—

1@/- 7 4 #%7!$0r!!

A different voice dispersed that presence.

No matter who that “suppressive agent” was, it had no power before her.

My temples pulsed. It felt like a seismograph was vibrating wildly in my brain.

Through the haze, she shouted again.

/@/“Wake up!”

I jolted awake. The universe vanished in a blink. A ceiling filled my vision.

Shortly after, she—Saki Ryozo—leaned in, replacing the ceiling with her face.

“Are you planning to sleep all day?”

“…”

Ryozo was on top of me, looming from above.

I sat up. Though our faces were close, she didn’t pull away.

‘Really…’

You’ve changed a lot, Ryozo. At the start of our relationship, just holding hands would turn her face red as a tomato…

Now she stares at me like a hungry wolf. Not a trace of embarrassment.

She is, without doubt, the finest “product” of Class Wolf (3h).

“The sun is already high.”

Hearing that, I looked to the window.

The blue of dawn had just begun to fade.

Morning bird songs softly touched my ears.

“…But it’s still early morning.”

“By the time you’re bathed and ready, it’ll be day. Besides, starting early always feels good.”

Ryozo used to be a nerd at the academy.

Her schedule was a mess, and she often skipped meals.

Becoming director had semi-forced her to become a morning person.

Of course, that hasn’t been particularly good for my mental health.

But thanks to that, her life is now healthier.

And good things are good.

Still…

“Days usually start in the morning, not at dawn, Miss Ryozo.”

I joked with a hint of sarcasm.

“That’s how it’s done in Gehenna. Huh? But so what? In the human world, there’s no such rule. And even if there were, if I say it’s day, it’s day. At least here, in Joaquin Academy.”

“Isn’t that an abuse of power, Director?”

“Calling it abuse when I abolished discrimination against special students? What a funny comment, Heavenly Sword.”

Ryozo slowly fastened the buttons she’d left open at her chest.

Then she smiled slightly and added.

“You know what they say, right? The early bird catches the worm. Nothing wrong with being diligent. Let’s have breakfast.”

‘Isn’t it too early for breakfast?’

I swallowed the protest that rose in my throat.

“There’s also the other version. The early worm is the one that gets eaten.”

I made a joke to shake off sleep. That was a mistake.

“The one that gets eaten… you say…”

Ryozo murmured quietly. Her hands stopped adjusting her clothes.

“In Gehenna, they say the day starts in the morning.”

“That was just a casual comment—”

“Then it’s still March 9.”

“Ryozo?”

“The early bird fills its belly earlier.”

A bad feeling crept in.

Her hand, which had paused at a button, moved again.

But instead of going up, it swiftly went down. A rapid tutuduc followed.

“Excuse me, Miss Ryozo…”

I let my guard down. Ryozo’s IQ could devour any Mensa member, and her foresight as an archer was nearly prophetic.

No winning against her in a verbal match.

Thud.

She extended her hand and firmly pushed me in the chest. I fell back helplessly.

That’s when you feel the “spicy touch” of an archer.

“Silence in the director’s office.”

She looked down at me, placing a finger to her lips. Lying down, I turned my head sideways.

To top it off, the clock hands pointed at 5.

If we go by Ryozo’s logic, then it’s still March 9. I walked straight into my own trap.

)Haha. How sad—Heavenly Sword reduced to a worm.’

The slight unease from the dream vanished like it had been whitewashed.

After an odd-numbered day comes an even one. An endless loop from which there’s no escape.

Suddenly, I remembered that voice from the universe.

— It is an unavoidable, preordained causality.

It’s all your fault. One day, I’ll cut you down.

And in the meantime, I kept repeating to myself like a mantra.

‘Happiness.’

I am happy, happy…

But then, why do my eyes feel moist? From early morning, I was already living the highs and lows of married life.

***

It was spring.

Shff, shff.

The brittle grass crackled as it brushed against my ankles. So withered it was, it turned to dust at the slightest touch of skin.

It was a scene that perfectly reflected Gehenna’s arid nature.

Even so, Horn continued walking with brisk steps.

She was a dragon. Though she longed for the human world, her home was still the Demon Realm.

“Leon—!”

The hero, Leon van Reinhardt, turned around and smiled at her.

A clean, radiant smile that didn’t seem to belong in Gehenna.

“Horn? You’re here?”

Leon currently resided in Gehenna, for the sake of his father, Metatron.

As a form of atonement, he had left the comforts of the human world to roam the Demon Realm.

He passed along any information he received during visits from the Heavenly Sword.

There was still some awkwardness between them. After all, they both knew each other’s true identity.

But their bond was deeper than simple friendship.

They didn’t share all their thoughts, but gradually, they were opening up more.

“You’ve grown so much, Horn. You’re a proper young lady now. You’re so lovely I recognized you from afar. At this rate, you should enter Gehenna’s beauty pageant.”

The woman at Leon’s side smiled faintly.

Horn, now close by, shyly lowered her gaze.

Then she murmured softly.

“But Miss Meian is so much prettier… I look like a squid next to her…”

“Oh, stop that nonsense.”

Known as Power of Ten Thousand, she was Meain Poison.

Twin sister of former director Media Poison and mentor of the Seven Stars.

She was deeply involved in studying Gehenna and occasionally cared for Metatron’s condition.

“I wish I were as beautiful as you, Miss Meian…”

“If you say it too often, it starts sounding like flattery.”

“F-flattery? I really mean it!”

“I know.”

Meain gently stroked Horn’s head with an almost heavenly tenderness.

She had also once served as a director.

A true expert in dealing with the young.

“But Horn, while you’re still in your teenage years, you need to take care of your self-esteem.”

“Yes!”

Meain withdrew her hand from Horn’s head but suddenly paused in surprise.

“Hmm… Horn, how old did you say you were again?”

“This year I turn 713!”

“…Ah. Well, adolescence came a little late, huh? I’m also a bit older than I look. Mind if I call you noona?”

“Miss Meian!”

“Just teasing, little sister.”

“I mean it!”

“All right, all right.”

Horn pouted adorably.

Satisfied with teasing her, Meain looked away.

Leon watched them both with a warm smile.

“Now then…”

Meain returned to the main topic.

“What did you find that was important enough to call even the future dragon elder, Leon? You’ve made quite a trip, haven’t you? Go on, tell us.”

“Seriously! Quit teasing meee!”

Horn was nearly in tears. Leon, who had been smiling, suddenly wore a serious expression.

“The truth is… the environment in Gehenna is changing. We’ve been monitoring it for a while, but lately it’s intensified.”

Leon knelt and plucked a stalk of grass. Then he opened his palm to reveal it.

“…!”

“Demon Realm grass… is alive?”

Despite having lost its roots, the grass grown in Gehenna glowed with a fresh sheen.

That was a problem. Such vitality was typical of the human world.

And now that same energy was appearing in Gehenna.

If something was wrong, it had to be in one of the two worlds.

“This is just my personal opinion.”

Leon waved his hand, scattering the grass into the wind.

“I think Gehenna and the human world’s environments are beginning to merge.”

“And the cause… still unknown, of course.”

“Yes.”

Meain ran a hand through her hair, thinking for a moment.

Then she looked at Leon.

“Did you tell the Heavenly Sword?”

“No. I found out right after he left yesterday.”

“Then shouldn’t we tell him now?”

Leon shook his head firmly.

“It’s his first break in two weeks. Let him rest. It’s not like we don’t have personnel in Gehenna. Besides, he has family there. Better he stays in the human world for at least a month.”

“I suppose you’re right. You, me, and Horn are here. Let’s investigate on our own. Plus, he’s so impatient, he’ll probably prefer a full summary later.”

“Exactly.”

“What should I do?” Horn asked, tilting her head.

“Talk to the Dragon Lord. He’s the true ruler of Gehenna. He should know what’s going on.”

“Got it!”

The conversation wrapped up.

Meain turned to leave, but then stopped and asked Leon again:

“And what’s that guy doing at the Academy now?”

“Oh, that…”

Leon hesitated before answering.

“He’s working as a special guest lecturer.”

Meain and Horn were stunned.

They looked at each other and exclaimed.

“The Heavenly Sword?”

“Mom!?”

Leon nodded heavily.

“That guy’s going to teach someone!?”

“…Yeah…”

“Oh no. The Academy is doomed.”

Couldn’t agree more.

At a loss for words, Leon could only gaze at the overcast Gehenna sky.

He knew all too well—if there was one thing the Heavenly Sword was absolutely terrible at, it was teaching.

His infamous “Heavenly Class” was all the proof needed.

As a former student of the Academy, Leon could only silently pray for his poor juniors.

That day, the sky was covered in black clouds.