The Narrow-Eyed Villain of the Demon Academy

Rem and Fron were looking at a child.

The child lay motionless, and Fron couldn't utter a word as she watched.

One of them had finally died.

“...May you find peace.”

Fron murmured with her eyes closed, and the child's body turned to dust.

The children in prison turned to dust when they died, disappearing shortly after.

And that dust was absorbed into Fron's body.

She grew stronger as she killed the children.

The Mana that gave birth to life became denser as they lived, eventually transforming into Mana of the highest quality.

Through it, Fron continued to grow stronger, and that was why her mother had arranged this prison.

“...I will remember you.”

Fron murmured with her eyes closed.

Her body was filled with the children who had died here.

Fron was tormented daily by the guilt she felt every time a child died and their Mana was absorbed.

‘I would feel the same way.’

To think that everything that made her who she was came from those she had killed.

The reason the child died this time was starvation.

The child had starved to death, their stomach clinging to their spine.

The number of loaves of bread in the basket had decreased over time, and now nothing came down at all.

The basket containing food had stopped dropping into the prison, and the children had been starving for three days.

The child, already suffering from mental exhaustion, eventually starved to death.

Only Fron, Rem, and a few other children remained.

Only Fron was perfectly fine because she never starved, no matter how hungry she became.

‘I'm guessing Fron staves off her hunger by slowly consuming the Mana that makes up her body.’

But the other children were different.

“...I think I'm dying.”

A child complained of hunger.

Those were the child's last words.

“...”

Fron clenched her fists.

Now only Rem and Fron were left in the prison.

Even though all the children were dead, Fron had not gained enough power to break through the ceiling.

Fron despaired.

She despaired that she couldn't escape the prison with her own power and that she had lost all her friends except Rem.

Rem, haggard, leaned against the wall and opened her mouth to speak to Fron.

“Isn’t it about time you stopped this?”

“...What do you mean?”

“You can’t save me. I’m going to starve to death like this.”

“Don’t say that! I'll find a way...!”

“I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that. You know it’s impossible, right? And look what happened. You couldn’t save anyone. You can’t save anyone with your power.”

“...”

Fron closed her mouth at Rem's icy words.

Fron knew that what Rem said was right.

Fron had done everything she could.

She had stained her hands with blood by killing all the children on the side walls to save her friends.

She had even given up her own food to the children.

Yet, Fron couldn't save anyone.

Only a poisoned reality awaited her.

Rem spoke to Fron.

“Just kill me. It would be better than shivering to death from hunger, wouldn’t it?”

“...I won’t. I can’t kill you.”

“Why? You’ve killed plenty so far.”

Tears welled up in Fron's eyes at Rem's words.

Fron didn't kill the children on the side walls because she wanted to.

It was to save her friends.

It was to save Rem.

Rem knew that too.

But...

Rem wanted Fron to go outside.

“Why won’t you kill me? If I die, you can get out.”

“How could you even…?”

“What do you mean? Even if I’m stupid, I know this much. This place was made for you. When all the other children die, you can leave.”

Fron didn't answer.

That was an affirmation in itself.

Rem's words seemed to make sense.

But Fron shook her head.

“I won’t kill you. I’ll find a way to save you.”

“Why?!”

Rem shouted in a shrill voice, making Fron flinch.

Rem's eyes were bloodshot.

Rem spat out her words as if possessed by evil.

“You can get out if I die! Why won’t you kill me? Why do you have to keep pretending to be nice?! I’ve always hated it, how I’m always the bad guy, right?”

“Rem, don’t say that….”

Fron approached Rem with a flustered look.

However.

*Thwack-*

Rem swatted Fron’s hand away.

“Don’t touch me. It makes my skin crawl.”

“...”

“Fine. I’ll starve to death like you want. Just stay there.”

“Rem…!”

Fron cried out Rem's name, but Rem just waved her hand and walked away.

When Rem reached a spot where Fron couldn't see her, she pulled out the sword that the children on the side walls used.

For some reason, there were many abandoned iron weapons on the side walls.

Even though there were only wooden clubs in this place.

It was meant to corner Fron and make her prove her strength.

If they had the same weapons, Fron would have overpowered the children on the side walls.

Rem muttered as she looked at the sword.

“...I’m sorry, Fron.”

Rem was truly sorry.

She knew that Fron cared for her more than anyone else.

There was a reason why she had said such harsh things to Fron.

Because she didn’t want Fron to remember her.

Fron would go outside, make many friends, and rise to a higher position.

“But I don’t want to see you suffer because of me.”

It was better for Fron to forget about her.

Even if she did remember, she would only remember a bad girl who didn't know how to be grateful, someone not worth remembering.

Rem wanted Fron to think of her that way.

That was the only way Fron could fly.

Someone as weak, stupid, and useless as her would only be a burden to Fron.

Both in life and in death.

So.

“...Be happy, Fron.”

*Puk-*

Rem raised the sword and stabbed herself in the abdomen.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Rem stabbed herself until blood gushed out of her abdomen.

Feeling the coldness of the metal piercing her flesh, Rem closed her eyes.

This would allow Fron to go outside.

Fron would be able to throw off all her shackles and live a new life.

Only then did Rem smile.

*Thud-*

Rem’s body collapsed.

She had lost so much blood that she couldn’t even sit up.

Someone was approaching Rem.

It was Fron, sobbing.

*Slide-*

Fron sat down and gently cradled Rem’s head in her arms.

Then she rested it on her lap.

Rem struggled to speak.

“Why are you here?”

“How could I not come when I’m worried about you?”

“I told you I don’t want to see your face.”

Rem gave a faint smile.

Fron choked back tears at Rem’s expression.

“...Rem, why did you do that? I was going to think of a way for you to get out…”

“You know that’s impossible.”

Rem gave a hollow laugh.

In her last moments,

Rem mustered all her strength and continued speaking.

“Fron, remember when we first met?”

“...I remember.”

“It was the day you suddenly came down from the sky in a basket, right? The kids on the side walls were angry that something strange had come instead of food, so they hit us.”

Rem burst into laughter, recalling that time.

More blood flowed out as her abdomen shook.

But Rem didn’t stop talking.

“So you stepped in, saying you’d mediate the fight, but you got beaten up when the kids on the side walls all jumped you.”

“What an embarrassing memory…”

“Haha, but I thought you were so cool then! You weren’t timid or pessimistic like me. You were so confident. It felt so good when you landed a blow on the leader of the side wall…”

Rem reminisced about her memories with Fron, one by one.

Sharing bread together.

Winning their first fight against the children on the side walls.

Playing hide-and-seek together.

Fron sometimes telling her stories about the outside world.

Staying up all night chatting…

For Rem, who had only been inside the walls, every moment she spent with Fron was precious and joyful.

“It’s a shame. I wanted to… play with you again… like that.”

“...”

“I’m sorry, I really wanted to tell you this. I actually don’t hate you, Fron. I like you, I like you a lot. How could I hate you? I liked you so much, I admired you so much. How could I hate you?”

“...”

Fron shed tears as she listened to Rem’s words, and at some point, tears also streamed down Rem’s face.

Neither of them spoke.

It was Fron who broke the silence.

“...I also wanted to tell you this, Rem. I came here to kill the children in this place. To become stronger by killing them, by absorbing you all. And… I was going to do it.”

But.

“The more time I spent with you, the less I could do it. How could I? You accepted me as a friend, as family. That mother who forced this upon me wasn’t my family. My true family was you, Rem, and our friends.”

Fron, who had been speaking through tears, smiled faintly.

Then she caressed Rem’s hand.

“So, to Rem, who is leaving last, I want to give you a gift as your family.”

“Fron…?”

*Slide-*

Fron gently took Rem’s hand, lifted her arm, and said,

“There will be many other children your age outside, besides me. I want you to experience many things there and make many friends. This is also a promise, Rem. Please grant me my wish.”

Rem’s hand, still clutching the sword, moved towards Fron’s neck.

Only then did Rem realize what Fron was trying to do.

The moment Rem tried to scream at Fron.

*Puk-*

The sword pierced Fron’s neck.

“Be… happy, Rem…”

… Fron’s head separated from her body and fell.

Rem didn’t speak.

No, she couldn’t.

Because her throat was choked with tears.

Because her eyes were blurred with tears.

Because she had lost too much blood.

Unable to do anything, she hugged Fron’s head and screamed a soundless scream.

And as time passed.

Fron’s body and head turned to dust and scattered, and silence filled the prison.

It became a space where everything had stopped, where neither objects nor people moved.

At that moment, when the world stood still.

*Click-*

*Click-*

The sound of a clock rewinding echoed through the air.

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