A black club came crashing down like thunder.
It looked a lot like the one Kelt always carried around on his waist.
Whoosh-!
Hey, why is this thing falling towards me?
I don’t know what it is, but I don’t want to feel unnecessary pain, so I bent my waist to dodge the club.
The heavy sound of wind whizzed right over my head.
Hmm? I suddenly got goosebumps. If that club hits me directly, it’ll be tough to survive.
“You bastard!”
An angry shout pierced my ear. It was a young voice, the vocal cords of a boy who hasn’t hit puberty yet.
The club kept coming after me without pause. Of course, I had no intention of kindly receiving it, so I moved my waist around to dodge.
Whoosh-! Whoosh-!
But there’s no way I can keep running forever. My labored breathing proved that.
When I looked up, I saw the face and build of the guy wielding the club. Surprisingly, it was a demon I knew well.
My second older brother, Leonard Lucifer. That little brat who used to torment and belittle me when we were kids. That insolent son of a gun.
Why am I getting attacked by that guy? He looks about ten years old, but why are our eye levels so similar?
I clearly died while facing the saintess at the empire square’s guillotine…
…
Ah! This must be a dream!
Or is it the life flashbacks they say you get before death? Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter! This is just an illusory space anyway! Might as well let this old enemy beat me up while I have the chance!
“Ugh! Why won’t it hit already!”
Leonard let out an irritated yell. His excited movements got bigger.
But wait, can you move this freely during life flashbacks? I’ve never died before, so I have no idea.
Whatever, who cares how long this dream-like time will last. Let’s just settle some old scores I couldn’t do in the past.
“This one you won’t dodge!”
Whoosh-!
Leonard wildly swung the club upwards then brought it down. Perfect, he’s in a great position for a counterattack.
I casually raised my fist to strike straight…
“Huh?”
For some reason, my hand felt heavy. When I looked down, there was a club in my hand too. It was identical in color and weight to the one he was holding.
Even better. Though my timing got slightly off, his big movement hasn’t stopped yet.
I pumped a bit more strength into my arms and swung the club with centrifugal force.
My target: his chin.
Like throwing an uppercut, I aimed to jolt his brain by hitting his chin. After roughly planning this in my head, I immediately executed it…
Pfft-!
“…! Y-you bastard actually attacked…”
He dodged.
Why? The distance was perfect, his movements were clumsy, and there wasn’t a single error in targeting his weak point.
Just before reaching his chin, the distance ended. No matter how much I stretched my arm, I couldn’t reach him.
My reach feels awkward.
Punch-!
“Oof!”
“Haha! So all your dodges were just luck after all!”
Because my attack missed, my balance wavered, and in that gap, his club hit my head. It’s been quite a while since I’ve experienced this kind of beating. Sheesh, this feels too tingly, right? Is this really a dream?
Of course, I’m not sloppy enough to expose such openings during a fight. I’m the guy who got beaten up by the Demon King for 1 hour and 25 minutes, remember? A mere headache won’t make me flinch.
I quickly realized why my arms felt short. It’s because this is a life flashback, so my body must have reverted to that age. This time, I should swing a bit deeper, around the cheeks.
Hooch-!
“I-This bastard still won’t give up…!”
Leonard truly is a beginner at real fighting. After landing one hit, he gets overly confident like he shot a scattergun and lets his guard down. Which is great for me.
Crack-!
“…!”
I neatly pulled back the club then forcefully swung it. His nose quivered like waves upon being hit by the tip of the club.
Even one good hit like this is enough. Not that I’d ever let my guard down like him.
He wobbled greatly from just one blow. I won’t miss this chance.
Punch! Punch! Boom!
“Aaaah! Kyaah! Ugh!”
Smash! Crack! Punch!
“Aaah! Kyaah! S-stop! I surrender! I surrender!”
Surrender? Why are we talking about surrender in a fight?
At around ten years old, us wielding clubs against each other means we’re in a sparring match. Naturally, surrendering determines victory or defeat in a sparring match. But this is a dream! A place where I can do whatever I want without any consequences!
It’s practically heaven prepared for me by God!
BamBamBam-!
“Kyaah! Ah, it hurts! It hurts!”
“Wow, alright. I should’ve just died sooner if this was going to happen. Time to settle all the revenge I couldn’t do while alive.”
I thoroughly beat him from his toes to the top of his head while he lay sprawled on the ground unconscious. In rhythm with the sounds of beating, I danced gracefully. Beating him felt so refreshing after only getting beaten up like a dog in the past.
BamBamBam-! Crash-!
“For heaven’s sake, stop already! Hey! Oscar! Are you crazy!?”
“Ah, this feels so good. Is this catharsis? Your mouth’s too noisy, should I pull out all your teeth first?”
Idle chatter isn’t meaningless. I carelessly raised my club to the sky, preparing to bring it down like a falling lightning bolt.
“Oscar! Stop this instant!”
Kwaak-!
What stopped me was both the sudden commanding shout and something grabbing my wrist. It was a pale, delicate hand.
She has such strength that not only my arm, but my whole body can’t move. Hurriedly turning my head, I saw a female demon.
A woman with eyes full of crimson and a face white as snow. Her pitch-black hair seemed to be staring directly at me. She was someone I could never forget.
My only older sister, Adela Lucifer.
-Oscar…! I’ll buy you some time…! You run away…!
-Can’t you just come with me? There’s nothing but death waiting for you here.
-I’ll follow soon… You’re the only heir of the Lucifer family…! The family line continues because you live…!
-Tch, then I’ll go first. Let’s meet again with smiles later.
Several years before the war between the Demon Realm and the Empire began, while resisting alone to let me escape from the overwhelming siege of the imperial army…
Eventually, she met her tragic end, her neck cut off and displayed in the square – my pitiful older sister, Adela Lucifer.
Later, she became the reason I brutally punished countless arrogant citizens of the empire.
Why is she here?
Ah, right. Adela always refereed our sparring matches when Leonard and I fought. So she’s also part of this life flashback.
“Enough beating, Oscar. You’ve won.”
“Huh?”
“Look ahead. Hitting him anymore won’t be good for either you or Leonard.”
“…??”
Is this how vivid life flashbacks usually are? Damn, I’ve neither died nor seen anyone die, so I’m exploring new frontiers like a pioneer.
Leonard, who was thoroughly beaten by me and barely managed to stand up, was grinding his teeth in anger.
“F-Fuck… W-why… Why did I…!”
Leonard was covering his face with his arms. Sneaking a peek under them, I clearly recognized the face from my memories. Definitely my second older brother Leonard.
They were all supposed to be dead long ago – Leonard, Adela, everyone. Yet meeting them like this fills me with indescribable joy.
“Just wait and see…! This is far from over…!”
“Tsk, Leonard. You shouldn’t hold grudges over things that happened during a sparring match.”
But their voices are too vivid… Is this really a life flashback? Can a world created by my imagination before death feel this real?
…Ah, I think I understand now. This isn’t a life flashback.
“Surprise party, huh?”
Since I’m dead, this must be the afterlife.
My family must have prepared this surprise party to welcome me.
To revive childhood memories! Even though we didn’t get along at all in life, Leonard probably wanted to reconcile in the afterlife!
“Uh, maybe I hit him too hard? Are you okay? Seems like a couple of bones might be broken…”
I truly believed that until Adela looked at me like I was mentally ill and Leonard glared at me with murderous intent.
“Oscar…? Did you accidentally hit your head somewhere…?”
“There’s no way I’d let you off just because you’re pretending to be crazy!”
“What should we do about this…? Should I report this to Father…? Of all places, why did he have to hit his head…”
“This is not something I’ll let slide! Prepare yourself, you unruly brat!”
[…]
Something unbelievable happened.
More unbelievable than a Demon King losing to someone, or a saintess falling for a demon’s temptation.
Silently raising my palm, a small, soft white palm appeared.
This is my hand.
Not just that.
When I lowered the hand floating in the air, an elaborately decorated ceiling appeared.
It’s the ceiling of my house.
Specifically, the ceiling of the Northern Duke’s mansion, the second largest building in the Demon Realm.
A silver lion with its mouth wide open. Ugh, so cliche.
“Keke.”
It’s been about two hours since my head was chopped off at the guillotine. During those two hours, I discovered an astonishing fact.
This is the past. Specifically, the year 214 of the Imperial Calendar when I was nine years old. The fight with my brother Leonard earlier was actually a sparring match.
Originally, according to history, I was supposed to be the one getting beaten up.
About 500 years before the execution day.
At first, I thought it was a dream. Then I wondered if the 500 years of my life were all an illusion.
After wasting two days pondering, the conclusion I reached is:
“Man… What a spectacular life.”
I’ve traveled back to the past. Perhaps the entire world has rewound 500 years. And for some reason, I retain all my memories from life.
No matter how you look at it, an unexpected new life has fallen into my lap.
The saintess’ final words, which I could never forget, also make sense when applied to the current situation.
『Therefore, please do not forget and come to us in the year 701 of the Imperial Calendar.』
『To the reading club at Eden Academy.』
Her invitation to join the reading club at Eden Academy around 500 years in the future also makes sense.
How the saintess knew is unclear.
What’s certain is that she knew something I didn’t. That I would reincarnate. That the world would rewind.
Perhaps all of this was orchestrated by the saintess. The blinding white light that enveloped the world when the guillotine blade fell isn’t an unreasonable fantasy.
Then the most important question remains:
What should I do now?
Knowing everything that will happen over the next 500 years, what kind of life should this Joker, Oscar Lucifer, live?
“Hah… What an interesting situation.”
Actually, it’s practically a pre-determined question. Because the lingering regret I felt right before the guillotine blade struck my neck is still so vivid.
The beautiful light shown by the saintess. The great truth she taught me. The noble light I thought the ugly and corrupt demons could never reach.
I want to chase even a tiny bit of that light.
One fortunate thing is:
『If you wish, I will assist you with all my heart.』
『I swear by the name of the exalted Lord that I will help you, risking everything I have.』
That the saintess declared she would help me.
The problem is that the time she mentioned is 500 years in the future. The Eden Academy, the highest academy of the empire, hasn’t even been built yet.
There’s something called invisible causality in this world. If I create a big variable, events that were supposed to happen in the future may not occur. For example, someone who existed in my previous life may not even be born in this one.
The bigger the event, the greater its impact will be. I might even interfere with the saintess’ birth on the continent 500 years from now.
“This is quite a predicament.”
Already having beaten Leonard up like a Cerberus is somewhat contradictory, but I can’t act rashly without fully understanding the situation.
Maria.
The saintess of the hero party.
Tartarus classmate.
Black nun’s habit.
White hair.
Gently closed eyes.
Black rosary.
Lips forming a curve.
Bright smile, cheerful smile, kind smile, hopeful smile, generous smile.
Because of the existence of this woman, who has become inseparable from my heart –
‘So what should I do first?’
The most obvious solution that comes to mind is obviously the Grand Duke of the Southern Region.
Among the Four Great Dukes, he’s known as ‘King’ and is considered the oldest demon in the Demon Realm. There’s a theory that he’s a million years old, and another that he was the first demon created by the Demon God in the beginning.
Nothing is certain, but it’s undeniable that he’s lived a very long time. Having experienced such a long life, naturally he knows a lot.
It’s worth consulting him about what I’ve experienced.
The minor issue is… His character is extremely eccentric. He’s not rough and energetic, but rather stays locked up in his own palace and never comes out.
The Southern Duke King is also filled with the temperament of an ‘artist’ like me. While the Eastern Duke treated humans as tools and the Western Duke Lilyth let them fend for themselves during my previous life when we conquered the empire, the Southern Duke King used to create art pieces with humans and display them.
But it’s fine. He’s merely someone with a minor personality flaw.
Rather, precisely because of his character, he’ll show pure academic interest when I ask him questions. Other demons would dismiss it as nonsense.
Alright, let’s go see him first. Need to learn everything before setting goals and preparing for life.
Don’t make plans. Nothing is as uncertain and prone to failure as plans. The countless beings in this world who have failed after making plans prove that this truth is absolutely correct.
Making a short but important decision, I tried to get out of bed when…
Knock knock.
A low knocking sound came from the door.
I’d like to use some kind of perception skill to figure out who’s outside, but at only nine years old, I lack that ability.
“Who is it?”
Instead, I chose to ask verbally. The reply was curt.
“What time is it to not come for dinner?”
A one-sided answer that completely ignored my question. Not a problem since I recognize the voice.
Just my mood is slightly ruined.
“It’s you, Second Brother.”
Leonard, that despicable demon.
If Adela died to save me, he was the exact opposite.
That guy, steeped in money, honor, and power like any other demon, was extremely interested in succession rights. Because of that, he often committed shameless acts against me as his younger brother.
“Hurry up and come, everyone’s waiting.”
“Alright then, let’s go.”
I hastily put on a jacket and stepped out of the room. Leonard was already far ahead. What an annoying guy.
“Second Brother, let’s walk together.”
“Hmph.”
“Shouldn’t we get along as brothers?”
“Who considers someone like you a brother?”
He grew up thinking himself above others and never learned manners despite getting beaten up so much when we were younger.
Judging from his irritated footsteps, he clearly hasn’t accepted our skill difference and is upset about it. What a narrow-minded, stingy, petty guy.
Once a bad impression sticks, I can’t seem to view him positively. Gotta deal with him soon.
“Let’s go in.”
Entering the dining hall, I saw a long room adorned with luxurious decorations and a table placed in the center. Each dish on that table glistened with premium oil.
Father wasn’t there. Instead, Mother, Step-Mother, Second Mother, Eldest Mother… etc. were seated around the long table. My sister Adela was sitting properly at the upper seat.
“Oh, it’s been so long since we all ate together like this. Kyaa, how long has it been?”
Casually greeting them, they stared at me blankly like I was a weirdo before muttering among themselves.
“T-That’s because… Earlier during the sparring…”
Adela followed up with “Please understand, he got hit in the head during sparring earlier.” and other explanations, but I didn’t really care.
“Kyaa, how long has it been since I’ve eaten one of Little Mother’s roasted turkeys? I’m already drooling.”
Why?
“Wow, look at the color. This is what a turkey should be. It’ll melt in my mouth, melt…”
Sizzle-
The delicious turkey leg I’m tearing into right now actually contains an extremely powerful poison.
Placed there by Leonard’s mother, my step-mother, who’s been keeping an eye on me due to succession issues.
A poison that suppresses magic power unnoticed and halts growth during the poisoning period.
While Leonard was alive, it made me a powerless invalid unable to use even a speck of magic power.
Naturally, in this life, I’ll be using it to my advantage instead.
Damn poison.
[End]
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
