It seemed that they had understood my explanation up until this point.

To be honest, it wouldn’t be surprising for the remnants of the empire to have those kinds of skills.

Though, it was really something so poor that it couldn’t be called a secret art in the truest sense…

However, I could at least admit that it was a true and stable art.

Besides…

It wasn’t as if you were always assimilated to the demon. And it was an interesting idea to be able to use that power only when you needed it.

For instance, looking at the power that Guy gave to Leon’s subordinates–’Secret art of Hybrid Soul Fusion,’ is was the fusing of two demons with equal strength.

This secret art allowed the party with the stronger will to take over. It was like poisoning someone.

It was a forbidden art. And of course, you could not undo it.

It was all or nothing.

It was dangerous, as you had to have the resolve to wager your own soul.

On the other hand, Demon Fusion, which was the art that the empire had developed, was founded on creating manageable contracts with demons who were willing to serve.

Once safety had been guaranteed, it was possible to fuse when needed.

Unlike fusing with spirits, you could gain power easily without strengthening your own astral.

That seemed very convenient.

But–

It was a mistake to use demons.

The price that was to be paid was a fixed sum of magic power. But with that, you could at least feel that pleasure of using the power of the demon that you fused with.

If you could not honor the contract, then the demon would just leave.

In other words, when you are unable to go up against stronger opponents.

It was convenient for opponents that were weaker than you…but it was not very reliable when it mattered.

Also, the demons left when you were out of magic.

There were even demons who hurt their summoners because they were bored.

In the case of Magnus and the others, such actions were prevented by the contracts…but it was likely impossible to control the actions of the demons once you had no magic to use as payment.

You could not make them work if you had nothing to offer.

In that case, I could think of a number of ways to beat them.

◇◇◇

They all listened to my explanation and their expressions brightened.

Up until now, they had despaired because they thought they had no chance of winning.

Damn it. It really was too bad that they were so quick to give up.

“How can…”

“That Magnus. To have such dangerous power… When it is so dangerous for us to fight even a Greater Demon…”

Julius and Karma muttered with pained expressions.

With this much of a discrepancy between them, they were still serious about fighting. So I could understand why they were so self-pitying…

–Still, it’s not like it was necessary to fight head-on through conventional means.

But they still wanted to fight properly after hearing my explanation. I didn’t know if I should call it honest or just stupid.

“Hey, hey. Have you been listening to what I’ve been saying? Didn’t you understand that you cannot win by fighting head on, like some honest idiot? Then start thinking differently! Are those heads on your shoulders or just decorations? Why don’t you use those brains!”

I blasted them a little.

At these words, the faces of the students became animated again after having been full of despair.

And then all at once, they began to discuss possible ways of beating them.

“Usually, when you summon a spirit or demon, it requires a lot of magic. According to a story that I heard, even an advanced summoner can only summon a Greater Demon for about ten minutes at the most!”

“I heard that too. Though, they do say that an Elementalist that is recognised as the contractor can have spirits materialize for much longer…”

“I never heard of a demon recognizing a human. And if it’s done against their will, it should only be for a short-”

“Hold on? Does that mean there is a time limit to Magnus’s power?”

Hmm. Hmm.

The discussion was getting rather heated in a good way.

There were advanced demons like Venom, who had recognized Masayuki, but let’s forget about that for now.

It seems that the students had realized that there is a time restriction to Magnus’s strength.

And now that they had realized it, the discussion was becoming more lively.

“In any case, we need to buy more time. Once we confirm that the devil’s power has been activated, we need to draw out the fight to be as long as possible.”

“I see. So that’s what all this physical training was for. Right, Master Satoru!”

No?

It’s just revenge.

As if you guys would get stronger after running for one day.

The only thing you’ll get is aching muscles.

“So you noticed. You guys sure grew a lot in one day!”

I suppressed my true feelings and nodded heavily.

And with that alone–

“Master Satoru!!”

Several of the idiots shouted with emotion.

They were too simple… Well, that part of them was also a little cute.

After that, the discussion continued. And they eventually had an outline of their new strategy.

“…So, like that. The combat types will rotate as teams and push Magnus back. The magic types will support them while also disturbing Magnus and the others. What do you think about that?”

Julius represented the others and explained their plan to me.

This plan was created with consideration to advice from the other teachers as well.

It seemed that they believed that this was the best thing to do at the moment. And I could see that Julius’s expression had regained much of its confidence.

I see. Yes.

Well, it’s definitely well thought out.

For the most part, it matches my own thoughts on the matter.

<<It’s no good at all. The important thing is their direct combat ability against Magnus. It’s completely inadequate. This rotation idea has a zero percent success rate. They won’t even have time to activate any disruption magic. If Magnus gets serious, he will kill their entire vanguard in ten seconds. >>

True.

My own thoughts had been way too sloppy.

“That’s no good. This plan will end with Magnus and the others killing everyone.”

I didn’t actually think that Magnus was that ruthless. That’s why I had thought this plan would be fine…

But Ciel disliked taking the emotions of enemies into account while making calculations.

She wouldn’t rest easy unless she considered the worst possible scenario, so she could be ready for anything.

<<Damn it all. Why don’t they use their brains and at least think of something, such as taming the Poison Tiger.>>

What? You can do that?!

And, ‘at least?’ Is there something even higher they can aim for?

Well, it would be easy for me, I guess…

<<Master, you sent Laplace all the way here to settle things with the owner of the island, but… It is just deplorable that these students are incapable of thinking. Don’t you agree, Master?>>

Uh, yeah.

So that’s what it was…

Had I been giving Laplace such orders without knowing it?

I had sent Laplace to greet the Rock Elephant that ruled the center, and told him to be careful not to be rude…

But in Ciel’s mind, I had been reading much further ahead.

I understood everything, she seemed to want to say.

Well, I didn’t understand it myself. But it was probably better to be quiet about that.

Just then–

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