The remnants of the demon forces hadn’t yet created the sense of impending war, but humanity was once again engulfed in fear of the demons because of the guerrilla warfare they were conducting which had struck various places. 0

The enemies of humanity did not have a clear base, like the Dark Land. The demons could suddenly appear anywhere and attack humans, and this fear pervaded the entire continent.1

This was most clearly seen by the students who were returning to the Temple even though winter break hadn’t ended yet. 0

Mr. Effenhauser and I were looking down at the Temple campus from a hill on the Temple’s promenade. The Temple was as crowded as it usually was during the semester, with many of the students who had headed home for winter break having returned.0

“The students are returning,” I noted. 0

“They must think the Temple is safe.” 0

Most of the students who had gone home were returning to the Temple, whether urged by their parents or by their own will, under the belief that the Temple was safe. They were unaware that the Demon King they feared the most was watching them from within the heart of the Temple. 1

Mr. Effenhauser neither mocked those students nor mentioned anything about me being the Demon King. The fact that he had called me for a meeting meant he had something to say to me.0

“There have been several plausible theories from the Order regarding the function of Akasha, but none of them are certain,” he said. 0

“I see,” I replied. 0

No one could really fathom what Akasha was until they saw Akasha directly or met...0