The contents of my training were not only related to martial arts, but also a wide range of other

things.
“Shall we learn about manners today?”
The one who said that was the one standing at my back and is one of Demon Lord Leon’s
confidants, Silver Knight Alrose-sama. He usually supervises the construction of the country
on behalf of Demon Lord Leon. He’s a very busy individual, but he still manages to regularly
come to the base in the Great Jura Forest to report. It appears that he was appointed to teach me
table manners tonight.
“Um, meals are usually Master Claude’s…”
“He’s no good. Sure, that man is skillful, but he’s unrefined. I’ve been told he has almost
killed you countless times.”
“T-that, that’s because of my carelessness—”
“You fool. It’s ridiculous to be serious about killing a child who is not even ten years old,”
Alrose-sama said bitterly, criticizing Claude-san. I don’t agree with what he said, but the food
was brought to the table faster than I could make a retort.
“First is the hors d’oeuvre. Eat it using the outermost fork and knife,” he said, as the woman
who was sitting in front of me demonstrated it.
Use your knife to pull the salad into your fork then to your mouth in a graceful manner.
Make sure to carefully adjust the size with the knife to make the salad bite-sized. That’s what
he explained to me, but I had no time to follow all that.
Alrose-sama patiently supervised my movements. That’s why I tried looking at the woman’s
demonstration and desperately imitated her.
“Hm. You used to use a utensil called chopsticks in your hometown. I looked it up, and
apparently there are some parts in this world that also use such a utensil. There was no custom
of using forks and knives in those areas, so I thought it would be difficult for you to use them,
but…you’re surprisingly skillful at this.”
Did he praise me? If so, that makes me glad. When I came to this world, there was one
thing that made me happy. It was that meals were served to me every day. If you train hard, you
get hungry. I was worried about what to do if I didn’t have enough food, but that turned out to
be a non-issue. I was told that it was a crude menu, but compared to the ration yam I received
in my previous world, it was nothing short of a feast. They gave me vegetable soup and bread,
hearty stew, and sometimes meat.
At first, I was perplexed by these unfamiliar dishes, but once I tried them, they were so
delicious that I quickly adapted to the food here. I learned how to eat their food through obser-

11
vation and imitation. Because it would be a waste if I spilled or left too much food. That’s why
I learned proper eating manners, or so I thought…
“However, it’s still far from elegant. Good thing I’m doing something about it early. At this
rate, you might grow a bad habit.”
To Alrose-sama, my gestures were totally no good. Then, he reprimanded me at the next
soup.
“Don’t slurp it. And most especially, don’t make a noise!” he scolded me with a slap on
my shoulder.
I noticed he was carrying a short stick, but I didn’t expect it was for this use. It was not
unbearable, but I cried a little from the shock of being hit, not like Alrose-sama cared though.
“Again.”
Then I did it again about five times, and finally passed. Though, just barely.

Then the next harsh lesson started. Delicious dishes that I had never seen appeared one after
another. In spite of that, I was so desperate to learn manners that I had no time to taste the food.
When it was over, I got exhausted, and Alrose-sama didn’t waste a second to reprimand me.
“Straighten up! Don’t forget that the most important thing while eating is your posture.”
That’s why they even prepared a special chair for me. Alrose-sama is right, after all.
“Anyway, I didn’t expect you to remember everything today. I’ll give you this opportunity
once a week, so you will study with her from now on. If you have any other questions, feel free
to ask her.”
Alrose-sama introduced the woman who demonstrated for him. I wasn’t able to ask for
her name during the lecture, but to my surprise, she was a colleague of both Alrose-sama and
Claude-san. Her name was Maetel, the White Knight, one of the confidants of Demon Lord
Leon. I heard she specializes in recovery magic.
“There must be some things you can’t discuss with men, right? Don’t hesitate to ask me
anything,” Maetel-san said with a smile. She seems very nice. She reminds me of my mother a
little. Not wanting to get sentimental, I smiled back at Maetel-san.

Maetel-san said that manners don’t have to be so formal. Since I’m a bodyguard of Demon
Lord Leon, I might need to join banquets. She said that’s the reason why Alrose-sama is trying
to make me able to handle such a situation.
“Even if there were, they would only be with merchants, so I don’t think you have to use
such formal manners as dealing with aristocrats. Well, you lose nothing by learning them, so
good luck.”
I was relieved to hear that. And one more thing.
“You can eat delicious food, no? It’s Shizu-chan’s reward for doing her best.”
But it would be better if she’d let me eat them more freely.
“Tee-hee, of course, I can’t do that. I can’t just show partiality to you for no reason. So, if
you want to taste delicious food, learn the etiquette and become a lady soon.”

12
 I’m quite disappointed to hear that, but at the same time, I also want to become a wonderful
woman like Maetel-san. I shall do my best and be approved soon.
I made up my mind and secretly kindled the flame of my motivation.

The combat training is still handled by Master Claude. And Maetel-san taught me various other
affairs. She told me that there are nine other demon lords in this world aside from Demon Lord
Leon. And there are also four beings more dangerous than them—the True Dragons. Rather
than teaching me general knowledge, she proceeded with educating me about such dangerous
beings.
“There wouldn’t be a problem if you embarrassed yourself in the town or castle, as you
could just reflect and learn from it. But if you failed in dealing with an entity of disaster like
a demon lord, it would be over at that point. There would be no next time, so you wouldn’t
be able to reflect on it. That’s why, it might be too early for you, but I want you to learn these
important matters,” Maetel-san said.
As a bodyguard to Demon Lord Leon, I might meet such individuals. So she helped me to
be more cautious so as to not cause trouble when that happened.
True Dragons are immortal creatures. Currently, there are only three confirmed to be active,
as the other one is still awaiting its resurrection. And one of those three is sealed somewhere
here in the Great Jura Forest. Some entity called a Hero was responsible for that. They are
supposed to be the counterpart to the demon lords, but it’s still unknown what their nexus is. At
present, there are only four alive.
The Golden-Haired Hero, the Masked Hero, the Western Guardian, and the Imperial em-
peror. The latter is supposedly a descendant of a hero, but whether he is a hero himself or not is
unclear. There’s also a famous elven hero who fought against an evil dragon, but it’s unknown
whether she’s alive.
“They say the one who sealed the True Dragon—Storm Dragon Veldora—was the masked
hero. And, lo and behold, the golden-haired hero is—ah, this one will be a secret. Although,
I’ll tell you this someday. Be sure to work hard so that I can do so.”1
“…Huh?” I sputtered, bewildered
Maetel-san just chuckled. Her attitude tells me that she has no intention of letting me in on
everything that easily. Convinced of this, I vowed to myself to put in more effort.

Incidentally, though very unexpected, Demon Lord Leon also cautioned me. The progress
1
If you haven’t figured it out yet, she isn’t talking about Masayuki, who isn’t in this world yet, but Leon himself.
The Western Guardian being Granbell, naturally.

13
of my education was put to test in his spare time during an audience with him. During that, he
told me that there are also very troublesome beings. It was not I who answered the question, but
my instructor, Claude-san. That said, Demon Lord Leon was not convinced.
“Her odds? Claude, you would’ve been right had you been training your average warrior.
But Shizu is different. If you leave everything to Ifrit, your strength will immediately reach its
peak. As proof, you did nothing at all in the battles against the majins, Shizu.”
“But Shizu is still a child. It’s only natural she couldn’t do anything.”
Demon Lord Leon snorted and ignored Claude-san. He then turned and glared at me with
piercing eyes.
“Shizu, are you fine with completely relying on Ifrit?”
There’s no way I am. The reason I’m training hard is to reduce the number of unhappy
people. In order for me to survive and to protect those I can protect with these hands, I need to
be strong. In order to do this, I should not let Ifrit alone do all the fighting.
“No.”
That’s why I answered honestly.
“That’s good to hear. Don’t be a burden; be a useful tool. In order to do so, you must be able
to make the most of the ‘unity’ with Ifrit and master using its power. If you semi-materialize
your body, physical attacks won’t work, even without a shield. And that sword—”
With a glance at the heavily modified wooden sword, Demon Lord Leon knitted his brows.
“…It’s pointless. Shizu would be better off lashing her enemies with speed, rather than
relying on brute strength. Speed is the most important factor in battle. If you don’t train for it,
instead becoming a turtle; only death will await you should your shell ever crack.”
These are harsh words, but Demon Lord Leon is right. However, Claude-san didn’t seem
convinced.
“With all due respect, Leon-sama, are you intending to change Shizu’s weapon into a rapier?
After all, if you do such a thing, Shizu’s means of defense will decrease. It is next to impossible
to block the enemy’s sword with a rapier.”
“I can,” he stated.
“Shizu is not like you, Leon-sama,” Clause insisted. “First of all—”
“She can.”
That declaration was equivalent to an order.
“Understood. In that case, I shall reconsider Shizu-san’s training,” Claude-san conceded.
“All right.”
Probably feeling satisfied, he was about to leave, but then stopped halfway and looked back
at me.
“Shizu, I’ll give you a piece of advice. Talk more with Ifrit. Reach a mutual understanding
with it and take its power for yourself. If you don’t, you’ll be consumed by it.”
That made me wonder. Because Demon Lord Leon wanted Ifrit to possess a new body…
By new body, he means me…
“Leon-sama, didn’t you want me to be a body for Ifrit?” I asked him without thinking, and

14
Demon Lord Leon clicked his tongue. He looked pretty upset, but he was still willing to answer.
“Spirits are lifeforms of no free will. As they approach becoming a greater spirit, they
develop a sense of self. But they have no emotions. They cannot distinguish right from wrong,
and will only do what their master ordered them to do, just like a machine. That’s why, I want
you to guide it to new heights by having it learn from your conversations.”
I asked him the question while thinking he might get mad at me, but surprisingly, Demon
Lord Leon gave a serious explanation. I’ve never had such a long conversation with him. And
his explanation was very convincing because it was about Ifrit’s development. Evidently, Ifrit
does not know swordsmanship. It makes sense that I can be stronger by supplementing that part.
“I suppose you will never meet her, but she is there in that land—one of the rulers of
the demons named Jaune, the Yellow Primordial. There’s another guy called Noir, the Black
Primordial. He’s a real piece of work and—”
Demon Lord Leon’s explanation was short, but the gist of it was clear. In short, the Primor-
dials are very dangerous. I don’t think I’ll ever meet them, but I kept in mind to be careful.

I learned quite a bit through this. Unfortunately, there was nothing that I would have learnt
from school ever thought to me. After all, they told me I wouldn’t be needing to write anything
and so I didn’t have to study it.
“Aren’t you going to teach me to learn the language, math, or history?”
I thought those things are essential things to learn at school, so I tried to ask the question.
Maetel-san was perplexed, but answered smiling: “Our country is new. So, there’s not enough
history to teach. Besides, most of our people are illiterate, so the establishment of educational
institutions is a future task. That’s why it would be inefficient to teach only you.”
Luckily, a common language is used in the Sorcerer’s Dynasty, which is Demon Lord Leon’s
main business partner, and the human lands, such as the Western Nations and the Eastern Empire.
There are many different countries, yet there’s only one language. I was surprised to hear that,
but she followed up with something even more surprising.
“First of all, Shizu-chan, you and I are speaking different languages. Haven’t you noticed?”
“Eh?”
“Hee-hee. As expected, you haven’t. Speech conveying a person’s will can be analyzed
with magic. That’s the reason why you can’t talk to other adults.”
Now that she mentioned it, maybe that’s indeed the case. I thought I was certainly being
hated because I was an outsider, but I guess I was mistaken.
“Good grief, shame to Claude-dono. He did not teach you the most important thing. Even
if it’s too early for you to learn magic, ‘Magic Perception’ is a foundation of battle.”
After that conversation, Claude-san and Maetel-san had an argument, and in the end, it was
decided that Claude-san would teach me ‘Magic Perception.’
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Claude-san apologized. “If you learned this first, you’d lose the
ability to sense killing intents and presence, so I thought I should put off teaching you ‘Magic
Perception.’ I totally forgot that you couldn’t talk to anyone but us.”

15
 At the sight of me gravely shaking my head, he laughed. Then he gently stroked my head.

The next day, ‘Magic Perception’ was added to my class, and it took me about 2 weeks to
get it. Then, indeed, I was able to communicate with people I had not been able to communicate
with before. I even made friends. This is how I got used to life in this world.

Majins raids were frequent and relentless. Fighting is scary, but everything will soon be over if
I just leave it to Ifrit. Training is harder for me. The days of being badly beaten by Claude-san
continue.
One day, something unusual happened. Demon Lord Leon appeared during my training.
“Claude, this fighting style…doesn’t fit Shizu.”
That’s the first thing he said. He glared at me with a sullen expression on his face. I hid
behind Claude-san in fear, but Demon Lord Leon had no time for my antics.
“Shizu, show yourself.”
I cannot disobey his order. Having no choice, I stepped forward and stood facing Demon
Lord Leon.
“This get-up is also a problem. Why are you carrying a shield?”
“Leon-sama, if we let Shizu get used to a heavy shield, her defense will become as hard as
an iron wall. With Ifrit, she can increase her odds in battle.”
“I understand. I will strive to get closer to Ifrit-san,” I added.
But Demon Lord Leon still had a troubled look on his face. The wrinkle between his eye-
brows seems to be getting deeper… I want to think I’m only imagining it.
“Strive.”
In the end, Demo Lord Leon left without saying anything more.

Several years came and went. Maybe because I was recognized as an executive, I was allowed
to move about freely, to some extent. My symbiotic relationship with Ifrit is going well, and my
free time has increased. Perhaps it was this sense of relief that caught me off guard and led to
the tragedy.

16
 I have killed Pirino, my friend, with my own hands. The reason was that Ifrit went out of
control, but that was because I failed to control it. That day I lost something important to me as
a human.
‘As I thought, it was too early to allow her to go free.’
‘I’m sorry. I got careless because Shizu was excellent.’
‘But now that it has come to this—it’s impossible for her to live with us…’
‘Hm, I have no need for unusable tools. It won’t be long before we leave this base. Let’s
leave Shizu behind then.’

It feels like the conversation took place in a misty distant place. It seems to have been a
long discussion, but the last words strangely remained in my mind. It was the words Demon
Lord Leon seems to have uttered—I have no need for unusable tools. Only those words echoed
repeatedly in my mind until I lost consciousness.
And then, it was when I was left alone in the abandoned castle, waiting for an enemy that
may come, that I regained consciousness. I don’t know what Demon Lord Leon really intended
when he told me to stay. There is no point in my staying here because they fled without fighting
the enemy. But the fact that I was left behind here means that they’ve abandoned me.
It seems that’s the case, but I don’t want to believe it. Master Claude, Maetel-san, and
even Alrose-sama were all kind to me. I also made some friends…those that worked in the
castle—but Pirino is already gone. Right. She was killed by Ifrit—my own hands. That’s why
there’s no way we can reach a mutual understanding anymore. If the spirit can learn and grow
through its mutual influence with the host, then my relationship with Ifrit is the worst. That’s
why Demon Lord Leon abandoned me. Broken tools are of no value to him… That’s the only
reason I could think of as to why he abandoned me. For some reason, I remembered the eyes
of Demon Lord Leon. Those cold, unfeeling eyes. That person, who hates useless things… Did
he really abandon me for that reason? What if he had something else in mind?
Maybe I’m just trying to find excuses because I can’t move on. My desire to have that
warmth again does not allow me to accept reality. And now it’s gone and never to be obtained
again. Still, I keep my unfulfilled wish in my heart.
Chk chk chk…
It’s the footsteps of the enemy echoing throughout the castle. It’s very quiet yet clearly
audible.
The Hero came. At present, I have no chance of winning against the Hero, who could even
destroy a demon lord. It seems that Demon Lord Leon is really determined to get rid of me.
Then, I shall give everything I’ve got, maintaining my pride as a tool until the bitter end. I
will fight in my way as a majin of flames. And, I want to at least ingrain into the memory of the
Hero the proof that I have lived.
All that was left for me now was to fight.
………
……

17
 …
Fate has a way with irony. I lost to the Hero. But by some twist of fate… I found myself
under the guardianship of the Hero, who was supposed to be my enemy.

18
 Story 2

Shizue Izawa’s Adventuring Life Part 1

Several years had passed since the “Hero” took me under her wing. Before I realized it, I had
made a name for myself within the Adventurers’ Guild. With the “Anti-Magic Mask” inherited
from the “Hero,” some began to see me as her successor. It was around this time that I earned
the title “Conqueror of Flames.” I believed all of this was thanks to the “Hero,” but she disliked
it whenever I expressed my gratitude. She also insisted that I never speak to her formally.
‹Just call me Chronoa, without any honorifics. But please, try not to use that name in front
of others›, she said, urging me to address her casually. When I asked why, she would deflect
the question with nonsensical remarks like, ‹If anything, I’d rather call you ‘Shizu-san.’ So,
please bear with it.› This became an unspoken agreement between us—Chronoa the “Hero”
and I would not delve into this matter further.
We built a strong bond, and I was at the pinnacle of my happiness. Then, one day, Chronoa
left on a journey. ‹I’m sure we’ll meet again›, she said, leaving only those words behind. Though
I was saddened, I knew I couldn’t remain in sorrow forever. Determined to grow stronger, I
began expanding my activities beyond national borders.
And so, time went on…

Due to an urgent situation, I was summoned to the Adventurers’ Guild in the Kingdom of Blu-
mund. As soon as I entered the guild building, I was escorted directly to the reception room,
where I found the person I expected—Heinz-san, one of the directors of the Adventurers’ Guild.
“Hey there, Shizu-san. Thanks for coming.”
“You know I’d rush over from anywhere if you called, Heinz-san. So, what’s going on?”

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