The Misfit of Demon King Academy (WN)

As if any respectable individual would ever harm others in this peaceful era.

“Those like you all who have no pride, no faith, no love, no kindness, and live only according to their own desires, are nothing but mangy mutts.” (Anos)

I completed my magic circle and set my sights on them.

“And it’s time I put those rotten sources of yours on a leash.” (Anos)

“E… ENOUGH NONSENSE…!” (Zerceas)

Zerceas and his soldiers brandished their swords and charged at me.

However, before they could bring them down on me, black threads shot out from my magic circle, and wrapped around their necks.

“Guh…! Ugh…! O… Oh…!” (Zerceas)

“<Shackle Collar Dream and Reality Nedneliaz>.” (Anos)

The black threads coiled around their necks turned into cursed collars of sinister effects, tightening around their throats.

“When the <Shackle Collar Dream and Reality Nedneliaz> collars tighten around your necks, you dream of an illusory life. It’s a repeat of your entire lives up until today. As long as you keep walking the path to this foolish royal faction of yours in your dreams, they will end with your deaths at my hands.” (Anos)

“Kah…! Hah…!” (Zerceas)

Zerceas clutched his own neck, as if he couldn’t breathe.

“You’ll see a hundred repeats per second. So whether it’s in your dreams or in reality, you’ll suffer.” (Anos)

The light vanished from their eyes, then their moans started to echo.

They were probably in the middle of their dreams induced by the collars.

“You can wake up from your dream once you’ve chosen the right path, Zerceas.” (Anos)

“Whoa there. Not so fast, Anos.” (Ramon)

When I turned around, I saw Ramon smiling smugly.

Apparently, he had finally finished extinguishing Zerceas’ <Demon Flame Gresde>.

His body was badly burned all over.

“Heh heh! You seem rather full of yourself, but have you forgotten? You can’t disobey my orders. After all, you signed my contract! Hyahahaha!!” (Ramon)

Ramon drew a magic circle with his right hand.

It showed the <Contract Zekt> agreement that I signed.

After laughing crudely, he followed.

“Well then, here’s my order, ‘Anos-chan’. Go fire your <Hell Flame Annihilation Mortar Jio Graze> at Midhaze! Turn that city into a sea of fire with your very own hands!” (Ramon)

He channeled his magic power into the <Contract Zekt> magic circle.

The coercive force of the contract took effect on me.

“‘A peaceful era’?! What a load of sentimental bullshit! You retarded or something?! HYAHAHAHAHA…!!” (Ramon)

“If this were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the smartest choice would’ve been to order me to die instead. You’ll always be a shallow fool, I see.” (Anos)

“―HAHAHA… Huh…?” (Ramon)

Ramon grimaced.

“What the hell are you waiting for? I gave you an order. So go already!” (Ramon)

“I’ll give you one last chance. If you take back that boorish remark you made, I’ll forgive you. Otherwise, I’ll have to put a collar on you too.” (Anos)

Ramon stared at me with cold sweat dripping from his face.

He must’ve found it incomprehensible that I didn’t immediately carry out his order despite the contract.

He pondered that question with his empty head, and came up with an answer.

“…Hah! You really thought I’d fall for your little trick? Just get moving already! And fire your <Hell Flame Annihilation Mortar Jio Graze>! Burn down Midhaze with your own hands, and show me their tearful mugs!” (Ramon)

Ramon laughed aloud in a vulgar manner.

“Did you really think that bluff would work on me? I’ve thought hard about it, so I know that there’s no merit in you forgiving me. I bet this is just a scheme to get me to resiliate the contract…!” (Ramon)

“Hmm. For you not to understand on the first try, your stupidity must really be extreme.” (Anos)

When I said that, Ramon’s body trembled.

He stared at me with fright in his eyes when I didn’t carry out his orders no matter how much time passed.

“…How…? How’re you still… pretending to be in control…? The <Contract Zekt> spell is absolute! Even you can’t defy my orders!! YOU SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO!!” (Ramon)

I casually stepped forward and raised my right hand to the side.

“D-Don’t…! STO—!” (Ramon)

Without hesitation, I ran my right hand through Ramon’s throat.

“Guhaah…! Ah…?!” (Ramon)

“Did you think I would obey you just because I signed your little contract?” (Anos)

I turned my Magic Eyes on Ramon’s magic circle.

Like glass shattering, the magic of that contract disappeared.

The <Contract Zekt> contract was absolute.

However, that was only the case between people who had comparable amounts of magic power to some extent.

Ramon and I possessed vastly different magic power reserves. On top of that, his <Contract Zekt> spell formula was full of holes and easy to tamper with.

It was no more effective than a piece of paper and could be easily broken without paying any price.

“However, the <Contract Zekt> I constructed is fully valid.” (Anos)

When I said that, Ramon looked slightly relieved.

“What are you so happy about? You don’t get to die. That’s the price to pay for betraying your friends and trying to save your own skin.” (Anos)

“Gah…! Haaaaah…!” (Ramon)

I drew a magic circle and put a collar around his neck.

“<Shackle Collar Dream and Reality Nedneliaz>.” (Anos)

“UGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH…!!!” (Ramon)

Ramon writhed in pain on the spot the moment the collar tightened around his throat.

The dream his collar was showing him was a torture scene where I fired my <Hell Flame Annihilation Mortar Jio Graze> at him in Midhaze.

Burned by the jet-black flames, every time he died, he would be sent back to the moment before I launched my jet-black sun at him.

Even if he remembers it, Ramon’s abilities will never allow him to escape from it. He’ll keep apprehending the upcoming fear and pain, with only death as his escape route.

Although those were just dreams, to them, they were almost indistinguishable from reality.

“Wake up.” (Anos)

With a snap of my fingers, Ramon and Zerceas suddenly woke up.

“Now you know how the <Shackle Collar Dream and Reality Nedneliaz> collars work?” (Anos)

They looked exhausted, but had enough strength to look at me.

In that short time lapse, they had already died thousands of times.

It wouldn’t be surprising if they were mentally worn out.

“It’d be a waste to destroy this hideout. After all, anyone who tries to oppose me will come right here on their own initiative.” (Anos)

Zerceas and the rest were listening to my words in stunned silence.

“From now on, I’m gonna have you all stay here and work hard to reform the Royalists. Once every single one of them has regained their virtuous heart, I will remove your collars.” (Anos)

“Every… single… one of them…?” Zerceas muttered.

“That’s right. I don’t know how many thousands or tens of thousands of them there are. But you will find them all, and rehabilitate them.” (Anos)

“…That’s impossible… How do you… expect us to…” (Zerceas)

“If you can’t do it, you just won’t be able to get rid of the collars. And from now on, whenever you try to put the Royalists on the wrong path instead of reforming them, your collars will activate and trap you back into those dreams.” (Anos)

Zerceas and the rest looked at each other in despair.

“If your hearts are wicked, you will die at my hands over and over again in your dreams. As long as you don’t take the right path, you’ll never wake up.” (Anos)

“…Wha… What a… What a…!” (Zerceas)

Zerceas gritted his teeth and glared at me.

“What a despicable act of tyranny! Is this any way to treat other people…?!” (Anos)

“You think you’re a ‘person’, Zerceas? You’re nothing but a mutt. And if I don’t put you on a leash and discipline you, you’ll only bite others.” (Anos)

“…You bastard… Do you think you’re some kind of god…?” (Anos)

When he said that, Zerceas clutched his own throat in pain once again.

The light vanished from his eyes, and he shouted in agony.

He was dreaming of me killing him.

“A god, you say? Good grief, you really don’t understand anything at all. And yet you have the nerve to call yourself a Royalist who idolizes the Demon King of Tyranny.” (Anos)

With a snap of my fingers, I woke him back up.

“Anything else you want to say?” (Anos)

Zerceas, looking exhausted and trembling, shook his head.

He knelt on the spot and bowed his head, as if to show his loyalty to me.

Ramon and the soldiers followed suit.

“Carve it into your heads. This is what the Demon King of Tyranny, Anos Voldigoad, is made of.” (Anos)